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Encyclopedia > Forward pass

In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown from one player to another on the same team, ending closer to the opponent's goal line. Forward Pass (1965-1980) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who is the only horse in the history of the Kentucky Derby to have been declared the winner as the result of a disqualification. ... The Forward Pass (1929) The Forward Pass was a 1929 football film directed by Edward F. Cline, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr and Loretta Young. ... Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Contents

American and Canadian Football

An American football quarterback in the "pocket" and preparing to pass.

In American and Canadian football, a forward pass — usually called simply a pass — is a throwing of the football from a member of the team in possession of the ball to another member of the same team who is closer to the opponent's goal line. This is permitted only once during an offensive play and only from behind the line of scrimmage. An illegal forward pass incurs a 5 yard penalty and the loss of a down. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3456 × 2304 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3456 × 2304 pixel, file size: 3. ... Diagram of a Canadian football field. ... The Kansas City Chiefs (red) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (black) line up for a play on the goal line. ... A football play is the activity of the games of Canadian football and American football during which one team tries to advance the ball or to score, and the other team tries to stop them or take the ball away. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...


If an eligible receiver on the passing team legally catches the ball it is a complete pass and the receiver may attempt to advance the ball. If an opposing player legally catches the ball (all defensive players are eligible receivers) it is an interception. That player's team immediately gains possession of the ball and he may attempt to advance the ball toward his opponent's goal. If no player is able to legally catch the ball it is an incomplete pass and the ball becomes dead the moment it touches the ground. It will then be returned to the original line of scrimmage for the next down. If any player interferes with an eligible receiver's ability to catch the ball it is pass interference and will incur a penalty. Eligible receivers are those American football and Canadian football players who are allowed to catch forward passes. ... In Canadian or American football, an interception occurs when a quarterbacks pass is caught by a player on the opposing team. ... The following terms are used in American football and Canadian football. ... A dead ball in American football is a condition that occurs between football plays. ... In American and Canadian football, a down refers to a period in which a play transpires. ... In American Football pass interference is when a player interferes with an eligible receivers ability to make a fair attempt to catch a forward pass. ...


The person passing the ball must be a member of the offensive team, and the recipient of the forward pass must be an eligible receiver and must touch the passed ball before any ineligible player. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into American football positions. ... Eligible receivers are those American football and Canadian football players who are allowed to catch forward passes. ...


The moment that a forward pass begins is important to the game. The pass begins the moment the passer's arm begins to move forward. If the passer drops the ball before this moment it is a fumble and therefore a loose ball. In this case anybody can gain possession of the ball before or after it touches the ground. In Canadian football, if the passer drops the ball while his arm is moving forward it is an incomplete pass (unless someone catches the ball before it hits the ground in which case it is a completed pass or an interception). Under American football's tuck rule, if the quarterback is attempting to bring the ball back to his body after starting a passing motion, a lost ball may be considered an incomplete pass even if the quarterback's arm is moving backward at the time. Look up fumble in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The following terms are used in American football and Canadian football. ... The tuck rule is a rule in American professional football, currently used only by the National Football League (NFL). ...


The quarterback generally either starts a few paces behind the line of scrimmage or drops back a few passes as the ball is snapped. This places him in an area called the "pocket" which is a protective region formed by the offensive blockers up front and between the tackles on each side. A quarterback who runs out of this pocket is said to be scrambling. Once out of the pocket, if he has no good option for a forward pass, then he can legally throw the ball away to prevent a sack. If he throws the ball away while still in the pocket then a penalty called "grounding" is assessed.


If a forward pass is caught at the sideline it is only complete (or intercepted) if the receiver catches the ball in bounds. In the NFL the receiver must touch the ground with both feet within bounds after catching the ball to be in bounds. In most other codes—CFL, NCAA and high school—the receiver only needs to touch the ground with one foot within bounds after catching the ball. If a receiver catches the ball while jumping, he must land with the required number of feet (one or two) in bounds for the catch to be ruled complete. NFL logo For other uses of the abbreviation NFL, see NFL (disambiguation). ... “CFL” redirects here. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often pronounced N-C-Double-A or N-C-Two-A ) is a voluntary association of about 1,200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ...


What is common to all gridiron codes is the receiver must have possession of the ball while he is still in bounds as defined by his code. If the receiver catches the ball but the official determines that he was still "bobbling" it as he stepped into touch, the pass will be ruled incomplete. Gridiron football or gridiron is a term used outside the United States and Canada that refers to both American football and Canadian football. ...


History

According to NFL history (see external link below) the forward pass was legalized from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage February 25, 1933. Before that rule change a forward pass had to be made from 5 or more yards behind the line of scrimmage.


The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the first college team to use the forward pass in 1895. Bob Quincy notes in his 1973 book "They Made the Bell Tower Chime": The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public, coeducational, research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. ...

John Heisman, a noted historian, wrote 30 years later that, indeed, the Tar Heels had given birth to the forward pass against the Bulldogs (UGA). It was conceived to break a scoreless deadlock and give UNC a 6-0 win. The Carolinians were in a punting situation and a Georgia rush seemed destined to block the ball. The punter, with an impromptu dash to his right, tossed the ball and it was caught by George Stephens, who ran 70 yards for a touchdown.

However, the play was not used widely until Knute Rockne and Gus Dorais refined it while lifeguarding on a Lake Erie beach at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio during the summer of 1913. That year, Jesse Harper, Notre Dame head coach, showed how the pass could be used by a smaller team to beat a bigger one, first utilizing it to defeat rival Army. After it was used against a major school on a national stage in this game, the forward pass rapidly gained popularity. 1927 Time cover featuring Rockne Knute (pronounced kah-noot) (noot is the anglicized nickname) Kenneth Rockne (March 4, 1888 – March 31, 1931) was an American football player and is regarded by many as the greatest coach in college football history. ... Charles Gus Dorias (born July 2, 1891 in Chippewa Falls, WI, died January 3, 1954 in Birmingham, MI), was a football player and coach at the collegiate level and a coach at the professional level. ... Cedar Point is a 364 acre (1. ... The University of Notre Dame IPA: is a Catholic[4] institution located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated section of St. ...


Forward passes were first permitted in Canadian football in 1929[1], but the tactic remained a minor part of the game for several years. Jack Jacobs of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is recognized, not for inventing the forward pass, but for popularizing it in the Western Interprovincial Football Union, thus changing the Canadian game from a more run-dominated game to the passing game as seen today. Jack Jacobs was a legendary Canadian Football League quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. ... The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian Football League team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. ... The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League. ...


Rugby league and union

In the two codes of rugby: union and league a forward pass is against the rules. If the referee deems it accidental (as it nearly always is), this results in a scrum to the opposing team, however deliberate forward passes result in the award of a penalty. For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ... Wally Lewis passing the ball in Rugby League State of Origin. ... A rugby union scrum. ... In rugby football, the penalty is the main disciplinary sanction available to the referee to penalise players who commit deliberate infringements. ...


The team in possession must get behind the ball carrier or be offside. Offside players will not be penalised as long as they remain inactive but if the ball is thrown to them then they become active and thus a scrum or penalty is awarded. To minimise the chances of this happening and to support the ball carrier, team-mates try to stay behind the player with the ball. // The offside rule in Rugby Union Offside rules in Rugby Union are particularly complex to the casual observer. ...


However, a forward pass is defined in terms of whether the ball leaves the hand of the thrower in a forwards direction or not. Players may not even drop the ball forwards which would also result in a scrum.


See also

The following terms are used in American football and Canadian football. ... In American football and Canadian football a lateral pass — usually called simply a lateral, but officially called a backward pass in American football, and also called an onside pass in Canadian football — is a sideways or rearward throwing of the football to a teammate. ... In American Football pass interference is when a player interferes with an eligible receivers ability to make a fair attempt to catch a forward pass. ... For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ... Wally Lewis passing the ball in Rugby League State of Origin. ...

External links

  • NFL Digest of Rules
  • Football Plays, Drills and Fundamentals - Resource for coaches & players.

  Results from FactBites:
 
Football's Forward Pass Turns 100 Years Old : Saint Louis University : SLU (629 words)
The "projectile pass," as it was known back then, was the brainchild of SLU head coach Eddie Cochems (coke-ems).
Robinson's first pass was incomplete, thus automatically turning the ball over to Carroll College in accordance with the rules of the time.
Passes that hit the mark less than five yards from the line of scrimmage also led to an automatic change in possession.
NFHS Forum: Forward Pass Interference / Football (764 words)
While the legal forward pass is in the air B1 interfers with with A2.
A forward pass can be thrown from in or behind the NZ, the player can return back behind the NZ and throw another forward pass, if he so desires.
I did not say the forward pass must cross the neutral zone to be a legal forward pass.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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