One And Done

The tough rule of 1884

One And Done

Could you imagine a player being kicked out of the game for a single penalty?

That’s apparently how the rules were at the beginning of the 1884 college football season.

I’ve found mentions of this in three different contemporary newspapers: one from September, one from October, and one from November.

From The Sun (New York), September 29, 1884, page 3

From San Francisco Chronicle, October 21, 1884, page 3

From The Minneapolis Tribune, November 3, 1884, page 2

I’m not sure if it’s more shocking that Harvard wanted players thrown out of the game after committing a single penalty, or that players under the old rules simply could not be ejected without committing three penalties no matter what they did.

The season lasted from early October to late November, by the way. My guess is that the delay in reporting around the country was typical of the way news spread in those days.