50s Tackling Rule

[Shipley]

A fellow NFL history enthusiast recently asked me about a tackling rule he remembers from the 50s and I was unable to answer, so I figured there's no better group to fill us in! Here's the question: Back in the 50s for a year or two, the NFL had a rule where the tackler was required to secure the ball carrier to the ground. In other words, the ball carrier had to be held down, incapable of squirming loose or getting back up and running again. Do you remember such a rule?

[65 toss power trap]

Rule 7-7-1 (1950):

Item 1. An Official shall declare dead ball and down ended when a runner ... :
(1) Is out of bounds or cries "down";
(2) Is so held or otherwise restrained that his forward progress ends;
(3) Touches the ground with any part of his body, except his hands or feet, while he is in the grasp of an opponent and irrespective of the grasp being broken at the instant he touches the ground;
(4) Touches ground (while in a prostrate or semi prostrate position) without having been in the actual grasp of an opponent, when he so touched it, and opponents in close proximity to him are about to pile on him or ball, and further advance is improbable although he is not restrained and further play might result in injury, unnecessary roughness, "ball stealing", a fumble, or delay of game.

[Citizen]

It's still disorienting to see old clips of ballcarriers being knocked to the ground, clearly down by contact, and then just getting up and continuing to run.

[CraigRye]

Very strange coincidence as I was just about to post a question along the same lines.

I have just watched the 1954 NFL Championship game and noticed that when Pete Brewster scored his 10 yard touchdown from Otto Graham, he caught the pass and then knocked to the ground by Joe Schmidt. Pete Brewster wasn't being touched by anyone while on the ground so he got up and jumped across the goal line for the score.

My follow-up question is when did the NFL bring in the "Down by Contact" rule? And also how about the AFL, was it there from the start?

[rhickok1109]

The rule was changed in 1955.

[65 toss power trap]

The rule changed slightly right after the 1954 NFLCG (well, not counting the Pro Bowl). It still was not down by contact, as a grasp was required, but didn't require the grasp to be held through to the ground.

So 7-7-1-1 (a) (3) and (4) were replaced with the following:

(3) Touches ground with any part of his body, except his hands or feet, while he is in the grasp of an opponent and irrespective of the grasp being broken. Ball shall be declared dead immediately (Fast Whistle).

Note — Ball is dead at spot of ball at instant runner so touches ground irrespective of condition of field.

Runner touching ground with his hands or feet while in grasp of an opponent may continue to advance.

Runner touching ground with any part of his body, including his hands or feet, as the result of blocking, pushing, and/or attempted tackling may continue their advance.

In 1956, down by contact became the rule.

(3) Is contacted by a defensive player and he touches the ground with any part of his body except his hands or feet[;] ball shall be declared dead immediately.

The first 2 notes were retained, the third note was deleted.

AFL had identical wording in their rulebook.

College is a dead ball when a body part other than a hand or foot touches the ground. That was instituted in 1932, the same year the NFL issued its own rules. The first NFL rulebook was essentially a list of differences from the college rules, one of those being that they were retaining the 1931 tackling rule.

[racepug]

It's still disorienting to see old clips of ballcarriers being knocked to the ground, clearly down by contact, and then just getting up and continuing to run.

Kinda more like rugby.