Today's Tidbit... Kicking the Try After Goal
Princeton’s 1907 team went 7-2, shutting out seven opponents while losing to Cornell 6-5 and Yale 12-10. Here the Tigers are kicking the try after goal (aka extra point) against Carlisle. Princeton received five points for each of their three touchdowns that day and made this kick to win 16-0.
The image quality is not optimal, but you can see that Princeton has only two players on the field, the kicker and the holder, who lies prone, holding the ball between the fingertips of his upper and lower hands. Carlisle aligns ten yards from the ball on the free kick and can charge forward to block it as soon as the holder pulls his lower hand and sets the ball on the turf.
The wooden version of the Polo Grounds serving as the backdrop makes the image all the better. Much of the Polo Grounds was rebuilt in concrete and steel following a 1911 fire.
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Had no idea that the free kick extra point remained without a line of scrimmage into the twenties. This image looks like the defenders did not intend to rush the kicker from the goal line. Was attempting a block prohibited by this time?