25 College Football Rules From the 1970s That Would Be Unthinkable Today

Comments · 17

• PH

  @philliphoward7455 · 2 days ago

  How many people reading these comments can remember a kicker, when trying for a field goal, approached the ball straight on. This was before the soccer style was began and later, universally done by all teams.<br><br>Today, I would say that many coaches can&apos;t remember those days.

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• KA

  @karlepugh2956 · 6 days ago

  Most college football stadiums didn&apos;t have lights....only in the 1980&apos;s when TV coverage expanded temporary lights were trucked in

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• FI

  @FillSomeTime · 6 days ago

  Played high school football in the sixties in Georgia. We did get to drink during practice. Halfway through, we were given a medicine cup, maybe three ounces, or Take Five, which was flavored salt water. That was it. We went off to camp for a week in August. Coach said that was to get us away from our mamas. Two-a-days in 100-degree Georgia heat and ounces of Take Five. We were taught to tackle and block with our helmets. We were taught to direct our heads to the center of the target. All that was crazy. Practicing while dying of thirst didn&apos;t help us concentrate on game plans. It would have been wonderful to listen to the coach instead of dreaming of falling into a lake of ice-cold water. And the guy who said the rules should come back....OMG.

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• NJ

  @njbrock22 · 7 days ago

  addendum to #25, you ARE Allowed to Tee Up a Kick but ONLY on a Free Kick Situation if you found a way to Fair Catch a kick that went REALLY Short(you can in THEORY attempt a 70 yard Field Goal and are allowed to Tee it up), as that is now parsed into the rules of Football, similar to almost the exact same rule from Rugby

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• MA

  @masonmixon8031 · 7 days ago

  1991 narrowing the goal post - FSU vs Miami - WIDE RIGHT 1

• JE

  @jeremyschellpeper1589 · 4 days ago

  The narrative about schools making millions of dollars at the expense of the athletes is really our of hand. &nbsp;Although, I will not argue that the athletes should get some compensation the current NIL is a travesty. &nbsp;If you want to talk fairness, what about the non-athletes working unpaid on research for the schools. &nbsp;A single research grant can easily be double what the Athletic department brings in to a University. &nbsp;But no one cares about compensating the regular students I guess.

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• NJ

  @njbrock22 · 7 days ago

  i THINK the transfer rule was slightly different back then IF You ended up moving down to Division 2 or the &quot;College&quot; Division (now FCS) in that you could play immediately, but if you moved up OR if you transfered to another school in the same division, then yes you had to sit out

• 00

  @00billharris · 6 days ago

  In refards spearing, there was a huge debate among coached. While it wae instructed by Bryant, Royal, and &nbsp;Hayes, it was opposed in equal measure by Dodd, Parseghian, and Paterno. This and many more safety standards ultimately came down to votes at rules meetings . We can all be thankful that ultimately the trash element lost.

• SO

  @Son_Of_Elvis · 6 days ago (edited)

  College football in the 70’s was ruled by 9 teams: <br>1. Alabama <br>2. Oklahoma <br>3. Nebraska <br>4. Texas <br>5. USC <br>6. Ohio State <br>7. Michigan<br>8. Notre Dame <br>9. Penn State

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• JO

  @JoeMamaAlabama-070 · 7 days ago

  A lot of these rules should come back

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• GO

  @goodmaro · 5 days ago

  Oh. &nbsp;I thought this would be about rules that were <b>peculiar to</b> the 1970s or thereabouts, and that weren&apos;t the rule a few years earlier or later. &nbsp;So I&apos;ll get to a couple of them you didn&apos;t cover that were in effect only ca. 1970 <br><br>One of them I think was in effect only for the 1969 season -- or may have been 1970. &nbsp;It was similar to the rule the NFL adopted in 1974 and has had ever since, forbidding all but the players closest to each sidleine from going downfield before a kick from scrimmage. &nbsp;NCAA found these &quot;gunners&quot; were getting ganged up on and creamed, so the rule was rescinded the next season.<br><br>Another was in effect for a few years until, I think, 1971, which left the ball live when a kick from scrimmage hit the ground in the opposing end zone. &nbsp;A kick with enough backspin that landed near the front of the end zone could bounce back into the field of play and leave the receiving team with very bad field position instead of a touchback. &nbsp;To prevent that, receiving team players used to make a fair catch of a ball shallow in the end zone.

• MI

  @mikemorrison3619 · 6 days ago

  WOW.... you left off the biggest change that has in effect ruined College football. In the 1970 College football players were student athletes. They were attending school seeking a degree. They received a free education, something the vast majority of students did not receive. Yes, they could lose that scholarship if they failed to make the grade in the classroom and on the field, but that is fair. Today, College football is nothing but a &nbsp;professional league in college colors.

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