Today's Tidbit... Oregon State's Scoreboard

Here’s an interesting picture from an Oregon State game in 1910. The team on offense is trying to push the ball over the goal line, and it is unclear whether or not the runner made it. The notable aspect of the image, however, is the location of the scoreboard.

The picture was taken occurred in 1910 when football fields did not yet have end lines or end zones. Some stadiums had seats within ten yards of the end zone; others allowed spectators to stand within five yards of the goal line. Oregon State chose to put its scoreboard eight to ten yards behind the goal line, which was not considered odd enough to cause them to relocate the scoreboard.

Of course, end lines and end zones entered the game in 1912, so the scoreboard likely got pushed back a few yards.

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