The Faith of the Blind Coach. Nathaniel Farley Jr.

that are given before a male or female can participate in athletic contests.

      During the summer of 1961, there were many discussions regarding the protective gear worn by football players. In the past decade, collegiate and high school rules committees have worked endlessly in trying to improve on the safety factors in football. Stronger wording of rules and stiffer penalties, expansion of rules regarding the fibers used in protective equipment, improvement in headgear, the addition of face masks, and the more recent requirement that all players must wear an oral mouthpiece for teeth protection, they felt that it will be a part of all and any safety factors taken to protect youth athletes.

      In football, safety measures take on several factors. It is designed to keep injuries to a minimum. The alliance for football codes will make that happen, and a type of game administration rule will encourage safety to take place.

      A liberal substitution rule permits full relief for players who are tried to the point they are vulnerable to injury. A passer in an unbalanced position is protected against careless charging by an opponent. The clipping rule includes any charging from behind that might cause a spine injury. A center, guard, or tackle may easily become a ball carrier by exchanging places with a back, thus permitting a distribution of strenuous activity when the squad is small. A kick that goes into R’s end zone becomes dead so that a receiver does not absorb unnecessary punishment.

      Rules that encourage more ball handling behind the line reduce the pileups, neck and knee twisting, which would otherwise be common. Safety equipment is being continually improved.