Today's Tidbit… IFA Rule #28 Fair Catch

This is #28 in a series covering football's original 61 rules adopted by the Intercollegiate Football Association in 1876. We review one rule each Friday.

Only those catching punts or kickoffs can fair catch the ball today, but the fair catch applied to four other situations in early football. In addition, the fair catch signal differed from today and was often unclear, leading to a new signal and rule change.

Rule 28: A fair catch is a catch made direct from a kick or a throw forward, or a knock...