#Rules August 31

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n Thursday I got to attend a NFL preseason game in Charlotte between the Panthers and Steelers.

After the game I got to say hello to one of my friends who was officiating the game and enforcing the RULES.

The regular season gets started for the NFL next week.

The College Football Season is upon us. The first game was played in my home state of New Jersey between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869. So 2019 marks 150 years of football.

Pro football would not come on the seen until 1920.

Change is a part of almost every sport including the RULES. Here are some changes you might not been aware of.

1898
A touchdown was changed from four points to five.

1904
A field goal was changed from five points to four.

1906
The forward pass was legalized

1909
A field goal dropped from four points to three.

1912
A touchdown was increased from five points to six.

After 1920 some of the RULES were different for the NFL than college. Here are some NFL changes

1933-Goal post were places on the goal line

1945
The inbounds lines or hashmarks were moved from 15 yards away from the sidelines to nearer the center of the field-20 yards from the sidelines.

1956
Grabbing an opponent’s facemask (other than the ball carrier) was made illegal.

1966
Goal posts offset from the goal line, painted bright yellow, and with uprights 20 feet above the cross-bar were made standard in the NFL.

1967
The “sling-shot” goal post and a six-foot-wide border around the field were made standard in the NFL.

1973
A jersey numbering system was adopted, 1-19 for quarterbacks and specialists, 20-49 for running backs and defensive backs, 50-59 for centers and linebackers, 60-79 for defensive linemen and interior offensive linemen other than centers, and 80-89 for wide receivers and tight ends.

1974-Goal posts were moved to the end lines

1999
Instant replay returns with a challenge system.