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Football Officiating => Texas Topics => Topic started by: ElvisLives on March 20, 2026, 02:41:34 PM
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So, let the speculation begin as to what the UIL will do with the approved changes.
From a personal opinion perspective, the NCAA did nothing to help the image of the game by not approving the mandatory leg coverings rule.
And, if the fair-catch free kick rule is adopted, we gotta figure out how to cover it mechanically, with a crew of 5. Thankfully, if there are more than one per year, I’d be very, very shocked. (A rule the NCAA and UIL don’t need.)
https://www.ncaa.org/news/2026/3/19/media-center-changes-to-penalty-structure-for-targeting-in-di-football-approved.aspx
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I was reading Nelson's book the other day and came across that it was the 1932 rules committee that made "knee guards" mandatory, and ironically, in 1933, helmets were merely recommended, before those too were made mandatory in 1939. So, almost 95 years later, still putzing with it.
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So, since the NCAA does not care about leg covers. I do not want to hear one single complaint on knee covering during the season or during the playoffs!
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So, since the NCAA does not care about leg covers. I do not want to hear one single complaint on knee covering during the season or during the playoffs!
The UIL doesn’t care, either (despite their rhetoric).
I won’t hear a single complaint (from coaches or other officials). Are you talking to me? Sorry. I can’t hear you.
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I was reading Nelson's book the other day and came across that it was the 1932 rules committee that made "knee guards" mandatory, and ironically, in 1933, helmets were merely recommended, before those too were made mandatory in 1939. So, almost 95 years later, still putzing with it.
In 1931, there were 49 deaths in the U.S. in football, almost all due to head injuries. Nelson used the word “crisis” in discussing this, and the rule change to require padding on hard surfaces, and for knee pads. I’ve been telling everybody that knee pads were to protect heads - not knees. Maybe not so much after hard-shell helmets came about. But, definitely prior to hard-shell helmets.