Today’s Tidbit… 1876 IFA Rule 17: Boundary Lines

This is #17 in a series covering football’s original 61 rules adopted by the Intercollegiate Football Association in 1876. We review one rule each Friday.

Rule 17 is likely my favorite IFA rule of 1876. Its ten words are tight as long as you understand the meaning of the terms, which cannot be assumed. I recall having no idea what Rule 17 meant the first time I read it, but I learned, and faithful readers of this space will recall that the coverage of earlier rules defined “in goal” and “in touch...