Today's Tidbit... Unintended Consequences of the Fair Catch Signal

As football transitioned from rugby, it brought along rugby's rules and traditions, including rugby's fair catch, in which players signaled the fair catch by "heeling in" as they made the catch. Heeling in occurred when players struck the ground with the heel of their foot, creating a divot to mark the spot. Since heeling in occurred simultaneously with or just after the catch, the kicking team players covering the punt could not tackle the returner until they saw whether or not he heeled in. However, the gunners sometimes hit the returner before allowing him to heel in, so the rule-makers of 1893 tried to protect the returner by having him signal his intention to fair catch by raising his hand above his head.

(‘Catching a Long Punt,’ Boston Globe, November 28, 1890.)

The rule change was a logical attempt to protect the player calling for the fair catch, but it had an unintended consequence. Although the new rule helped protect players calling for the fair catch, it endangered those who did not. Alex Moffatt, one of the great early football players (at Princeton from 1882 to 1884) and a top referee after his playing days, reflected on the rule change after its first season of use, saying: