Today's Tidbit... 1876 IFA Rule #45: Own Goal Touch Down

This is #45 in a series covering football's original 61 rules adopted by the Intercollegiate Football Association in 1876. We review one rule each Friday.

The discussion of Rules 41 and 42, which defined kickouts and the procedures for executing them, already covered almost everything you need to know about the history kickouts, safeties, and touchbacks. However, since the 1876 rules were often listed in an illogical order, it is not until Rule 45 that we learn the following:

Rule 45: A player may...