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By Joel Litman Staff Sportsweiter .Along with the advent of the football season comes several new rules designed to reduce the number of injuries players suf fer on the field of competition. Each year, football coaches make recommendations to the Collegiate Commissioners As sociation and the National Fed eration on what rules they would like to see, and then the advisory committees study the proposals and make the necessary revi sions. Texas high schools, along with those in Pennsylvania, follow the rules adopted by the Na tional Collegiate Athletic As sociation (NCAA), while Ok lahoma and many other states follow National Federation rites. While the rules may differ from group to group, all are de signed to make football a safer game and minimize the risk of injury. “The game of football is changing.”’ Ken Faulkner said. He is a football referee for Texas high schools and the Southwest Conference, and belongs to the Wichita Falls chapter of the Southwest Football Officials As sociation. ‘Football isn’t so much a game of brute strength or a team wrestling match anymore. The players are required to do a lot of thinking. “But it is still a terribly rough fame,” he added. Some of the major rule changes for this season are: Ladies golf pairings wi lL PARK LADIES GOLF ASSOCIATION Pairngs for Sept. 7 teacies — Somers-Thomason, Lillie- Seragins, Henderson,Wagner, Andrews- Wyatt, Pond-Robertson, Gerrett-Smith, Evans-Gerster, Duckworth, walker, Bucnensa-Willa 6, Ammen-Tetens, Clara-Simpson Codfrey- Rendall, Gage- Parminon, Grille- Malone- Kiad. @notes of Anderson-Millholsen, Resdng: Marlow, Jonanson-Snort, Stagner-Stagner. Transactions o Sports Transactions By Associates Press GASESALL America League DETROIT TIGERS — Mut May. catch er, taken off the dsapted Ist. MILWAUKEE BREWERS ~ Kevin Ko bel, Gary Beere. cichers. recalled from Spokene of the Pacific Coast League. SEATTLE MARINERS - Darrell John ton, named manager. CALIFORNIA ANGELS - Mke Easter. O.lheider, purchased from Tulsa of the American Assocation. Nateaei League MONTREAL EXPOS - Kart Kuefl. Manager, red. Charlie fox, scot. Named maneger. Gersid mannans, per er recalled from Quebec Ciy of the East on League. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - Luis Alva lade.nielder, purchased from Tulsa of the American Association.. International League MEMPHIS BLUES ~ Benny McClan, general Manager, resigned. Art Clarkson, formed general menage. FOOTBALL Nations! Feotbell League CrCAGO BEARS - Lerry Schreber, running back, obsened from the San Francisco Sbers for an undisclosed future Craft chore. HOUSTON OILERS - Larry Harr's, of fensive guard, reactivated. NEW YORK JETS - Duene Carrell, punter, end Dave Wasickh, deteste line man, sgned as free agents. Leroy Clarke, wented, waved. HOCKEY Nations t¢ockey League MONTREAL CANADIENS - Mauree Barrette, goaltender, signed a long term contract. VANCOUVER CANUCKS Bad Man to... defenseman, signed. World Hockey League Bul Macterland apponted President and Coet Operating Othcer. TEXAS: An offensive line man, in order to be legally on the line of scrimmage, must have his head break the plane of a line drawn through the waistline of the snapper. OKLAHOMA: No player can enter the neutral zone (the area between the offensive and de fensive lines). Previously, a player could jump back behind the neutral zone safely if he had jumped into it without touching an opponent. But no more, say officials. Any encroachment will cost the violating team five yards. TEXAS: A player cannot use his helmet to butt or ram an op ponent intentionally. Officials will decide if the action was de liberate, and if the player is found guilty, it will cost his team 15 yards. OKLAHOMA: No spearing. Automatic 15-yard penalty and possible disqualification of the guilty player. TEXAS: A player cannot con tact a runner with the crown (the top) of his helmet. Medical sur veys indicate that 82 per cent of the injuries suffered in football are a result of this type of tackl ing by the defensive player. OKLAHOMA: No tackling or blocking with the head, period. No player, except the ball car rier, can use his face mask or helmet in blocking or tackling an opponent. TEXAS: More protection for the passer. A new rule will allow a roughing the passer penalty to be walked off from the end of the play on a completed pass. Be fore, the offense only had the op tion of taking the penalty or ac cepting the completed pass. Now, it will have both. If the pass goes for a touch down, the penalty will be asses sed on the following kick-off. If the pass falls incomplete, it's still 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. TEXAS: In previous years, blockers had to keep their hands on their chests. Now, the hands can be free of the chest, but must be kept parallel to the ground and be in advance of the elbow. Minor rule changes in Texas also require players to wear hip pads and thigh guards, and starting the clock only after a player receiving a kick-off in the end zone crosses the goal line. Before the clock would start when he touched the ball. Lawton MacArthur High School coach Ronnie Hartline, meanwhile, believes the rule re visions may one day take the contact out of football. “We may not even have con tact football in five to ten years, he said. But Hartline welcomes some of the new rules, as one of his players suffered a broken neck last season when he was attempting to tackle a player by using his head. The player is now paralyzed.
Newspaper Details
Wichita Falls Times
Wichita Falls, Texas, US
Sun, Sep 05, 1976
Page 57
Full Page
Clipped by
Andy F.
USA 02 Jun 2026
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