Before the onset of specialists, the fullback or one of the halfbacks handled the punting duties, often doing so on first or second down when in poor field position. Originally, the center snapped the ball to the quarterback, who tossed it back to the punter, who then booted the ball. Long snapping, which did not exist in rugby, emerged in gridiron football in the 1890s after centers began snapping with their hands rather than their feet.

Here, a Cornell punter in 1905 awaits the direct snap from center from a punt formation approximating one used today. Cornell's coach, Pop Warner, then on his second tour in Ithaca, left after the 1906 season to return to Carlisle. In 1912, he incorporated the long snap into his best-known creation, the Single Wing, using Jim Thorpe as the primary recipient of the direct snap.

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