In the 1890s, football was savage. In fact, brutality was one of the attractions of the game in those days. Society was rebelling against the confining Victorian customs and increasing numbers of people were turning to this "killer sport".
Standard rules would not be established until 1894. The first night game was played by a combination of rugby and football rules. Slugging and kicking were commonplace tactics.
The playing field itself was any length agreed upon by the participants, but was almost always over 100 yards long. In 1892, the field at Mansfield’s Smythe Park was at least 110 yards.
There were no five-yard strip lines running across the field, no linesmen. The referee kept track of distance by dropping a handkerchief where he guessed the ball was last put into play. Players often engaged the referee in a discussion of the rules while teammates would slyly try to move the handkerchief. Teams were allowed three downs to gain five yards.
The game was divided into 45-minute halves. Once a game started, a player could not leave unless he actually was hurt, or at least pleaded injury. So whenever the captain wanted to put a fresh player into action, he whispered to a player to "get your arm hurt or something."
Arguments followed almost every decision the referee made. The whole team took part, so that half the time the officials scarcely knew who was captain. In addition, every player was privileged to argue as much as he pleased with any and every player of the opposition. The player skilled in forensics was a priceless asset.
There was no neutral zone between the two scrimmage lines, only an imaginary scrimmage line drawn through the center of the ball. Nearly all linemen lined up squarely against those who played the same positions on the opposing team. They stood upright and fought it out with each other tooth and nail, fist and feet. A player didn’t stand much of a chance of making the line unless he was a good wrestler and fair boxer.
Instead of a kickoff to start the game, the center merely touched the ball to his toe, then tossed it back to a teammate who ran with it while the rest of the team gave him what interference it could.
The flying wedge was the play of the year. It worked like this: nine players withdrew about 20 yards from mid-field. At a signal they broke into lines and started simultaneously at full speed toward the ball.
By the time they arrived at the ball, they had worked up a stupendous mass momentum. The interference they gave for the runner was something wonderful to behold, and terrible to stop.
Players of one side were permitted to grab hold of their runners anywhere they could and pull, push or yank him along in any direction that would make the ball advance. Some runners had leather straps attached to their hips or shoulders to help their teammate get a good hold.
Rules in 1892
Football in 1892 resembled more of a pick-up game than
an organized event. Players had very little protective equipment. Helmets and pads had not
yet come into popularity.
The game strategy included deliberate slugging and kicking. Mass plays were common, such as a "flying wedge" in which the offensive line started action some 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Players formed a V with their arms around the players ahead of them. As the V moved forward, it enclosed the ball carrier within the apex of the V. Breaking the fearsome formation was not easy. Without any protective gear, defensive men had to hurl themselves directly in front of the V or try to crash its flanks.
- The offensive team had to give up the ball if it was unable to gain five yards, after three attempts. This rule required the liming of lines across the field at five-yard intervals, giving birth to the term "gridiron".
- The quarterback used offensive signals, but the ball was hiked directly to the runner.
- The use of the offensive "huddle" did not become a feature until the 1910s.
- The forward pass did not become legal until the 1906 season and even then there were severe restrictions on its use. The ball had to pass over the line of scrimmage five or more yards to the right or left of where it had been put into play. An incomplete pass resulted in an automatic 15-yard penalty.
- Almost all the scoring came from drop kicks. Most teams did not even bother to mount sustained offensive drives in their half of the field, but often kicked on first down hoping for a mistake by the opposition.
- From 1884-1897 the numerical values for scoring plays were: safety-2, touchdown-4, goal following touchdown-2, and goal from the field-5. A goal from the field was a "drop kick". The kicker dropped the ball and, as it bounded up, tried to kick it through the goal. As the ball became more oblong and the points for touchdown increased, the drop kick disappeared from football.
Compiled by the MU Public Relations and Sports Information Offices.