Crossing the Receiver's Free-Kick Line

[NorCalMike]

I'm getting a headache. 

[Ralph Damren]

Many years ago (I believe during the Carter Administration) , when stretching the chain from 45 to 45 in pregame, we discovered the chains were a yard short . I ,then being a wide-eyed linesman , quickly summonsed my whitehat. My whitehat quickly summonsed the athletic director . The following occurred :
                (1) The AD explained that when the goal posts were cemented in, they were 121 yards
                      apart .
                (2) The AD felt the expense of "replanting" the goal posts could be spared by having 11
                      yards from 45 to 45.
                (3) The white hat suggested that, when painting the lines next Fall, he should make each
                      endzone 10 1/2 yards.
                (4) We rechecked the chains from 45 to 35 - they were correct.

                                          ......and the band played on......

On kickoffs, R's retaining line was 10 1/2 yards for the remainder of the season. No one seemed to mind. New spiffy one pole goal posts were put in correctly a couple of years later. The visiting teams were advised of the longer field/longer endzones and no one seemed to mind. One yard hash marks were only seen on TV back then and some fields only had lines every 10 yards and no one seemed to mind.

  ....So that's my line about lines...I 'spect new rules will be posted this week....I 'spect we'll have more exciting stuff to yap about then...Ayuh...

[Atlanta Blue]

We did something similar in a youth league that my Dad was running many years ago (I was in high school, so we are probably talking about Gerald Ford as President!).  We played on the outfield of a county park baseball field.  Football field used to fit just fine until the county moved the fences one spring.  Instead of having 120 yards for the field, we only had 110.  All of these grown men standing around deciding what to do, when I suggested we just decrease everything by 10%.  They thought I meant make a 90 yard field with the 45 being midfield.  Nope, decrease EVERYTHING by 10%!  So instead of having 36" yards, we made each yard 32.4". Shortened the chains by a similar amount.  No one ever knew the difference.

[AlUpstateNY]

Actually there was a time, way back, when all you really needed was a big field, reasonably flat and clear, that you could make 2 lines, far apart, on both ends with boundaries on both sides, usually marked by lining up all the players coats spread apart.

Rules were somewhat vague and disputes were handled by discussion and majority decision, and the game was played and enjoyed, until it got dark, really cold, or it became time for supper.

[Ralph Damren]

.....them were the daze ....no helmets....no coaches /refs /adults / media /fans (sometimes maybe a girlfriend watched)..tackle football....the game ended when suppertime came....a bloody nose/fat lip might interfear with eating fish chowder (lobster was too $$$ back then); but would be a badge of courage to my younger brother and sisters. .

If there was an uneven number of kids, someone would become "alltime center"
 You could only rush the passer after you counted to three.
Everyone except the center was eligible to catch a pass.
 By touching the QB's hands with the ball, the center could run with it...IE..."center rush".
If your girlfriend showed up, you would be next to carry the ball.
 There may have been more rules, but none that I can recall.

 

[Etref]

Don't forget scratching plays out in the dirt!

I remember them well

[Ralph Damren]

Don't forget scratching plays out in the dirt!

I remember them well

The "playbook" was merely : dirt, stick, imagination, and the known ability of your teammates. It was here that your skills learned in sandbox play would excel !