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Summer Bonus: A rule I bet you never knew exists

White hat

VaPreps Honorable Mention
Aug 17, 2001
1,386
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63
Rule: 8-3-9

"After a try, the opponent of the scoring team shall designate which team will kick off."

Yep. The team that gives up the score can, if it chooses, designate itself to kick off.

No idea why this is a rule. Never once have I asked a coach or captain what team should kick off. Never once have I had a coach or captain designate their own team as the kicking team.

The only reason I can think to use this rule would be if a team is winning by such a blowout that they simply don't want the ball back.
 
Like you, I'm not really sure how it could benefit the scored-upon team. Every once in a while I read about a coach doing this to "prove a point" when they think the opposing team is running up the score.

Is this a holdover from the old days before passing became proficient? Maybe idea was to pin them deep and hope for turnover or turnover on downs deep in opponent's territory?
 
I think that somebody that beat Armstrong so bad last season might have invoked this?
 
I'll keep the team names to myself,
I saw this a few years ago in WV,
Team A was beating Team B by 80,
yes 80,
Team A 3rd team scored a TD and made the Extra point,
now up by 87,
Team B,
told the ref we will kickoff,
maybe Team A can score 100.

Never knew you could elect to kick off after giving up points till then,
and have never seen it since,
and probably never will again.
 
I'll keep the team names to myself,
I saw this a few years ago in WV,
Team A was beating Team B by 80,
yes 80,
Team A 3rd team scored a TD and made the Extra point,
now up by 87,
Team B,
told the ref we will kickoff,
maybe Team A can score 100.

Never knew you could elect to kick off after giving up points till then,
and have never seen it since,
and probably never will again.

I've heard of a couple of basketball coaches who have had not so nice words with a coach that was running it up on them, similar to that. Such as, "would you like us to just inbound the ball to you so you can hurry up and get to 100?" Or " hey coach, you are up by 60. Do you think you could at least drop back to a half-court press?"
 
I've only seen this happen once and it wasn't in a high school game. Its was a CFL game involving the Edmonton Eskimos back in 1982 when NBC broadcast a few CFL games when the NFL was on strike. I believe the Eskimos played the Calgary Stampeders who scored late and Edmonton kicked off following a late Calgary TD
 
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