FOOTBALL.
AN Interscholastic Football Association has been formed in Boston, in which the following schools are represented: Roxbury Latin, Boston Latin, Chauncy Hall, Cambridge High and Latin combined, Mr. Hopkinson’s, Mr. Hale’s and Mr. Nichols’ and Mr. Stone’s combined, and Mr. Noble’s. The officers are as follows: President, R. B. Beals, Roxbury Latin School; vice-president, E. B. Randall, Mr. Noble’s school; secretary, F. W. Lord, Mr. Hale’s school; treasurer, F. Loring, Mr. Nichols’ school. The series of games consists of one game with each school, to be played on grounds mutually agreed on, for a cup to be called the Boston School Football Challenge Cup.
THE first game of football in the United States was played in New Haven, in 1840, between the classes of ’42 and ’43 of Yale College.
THE Intercollegiate Football Association held its annual meeting in New York, October 13. The colleges represented were: Yale—Camp, Corbin and King; Harvard—Brooks, Palmer and Sears; University of Pennsylvania—Hill and Hulme; Wesleyan—Coffin and Manchester; Princeton—Barr and Cowan. The interpretation of the rules as regards blocking was left as suggested by the Graduate Advisory Committee.
THE New England Intercollegiate Football Association held its annual meeting in Springfield, Mass., September 28. Trinity withdrew from the Association and Williams was admitted. The colleges represented this year are: Amherst, Dartmouth, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stevens’ Institute of Technology, and Williams.
THE Graduate Advisory Committee of the Intercollegiate Football Association met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, October 6, to select umpires for the several association championship matches. The delegates present were: J. A. Hodge, of Princeton; Mr. Brooks, of Harvard; W. C. Camp, of Yale; J. C. Bell, of the University of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Beattys, of Wesleyan. It was decided to ask the following gentlemen to act: Yale vs. Harvard—R. Hodge, Princeton; Yale vs. Princeton—F. Fisk, Harvard, F. R. Remington, alternate; Yale vs. Pennsylvania—R. Hodge, Princeton; Yale vs. Wesleyan—F. Fisk, Harvard; Harvard vs. Princeton—E. Richards, Yale, A. Baker, alternate; Harvard vs. Pennsylvania—L. Price, Princeton, H. Beecher, Yale, alternate; Harvard vs. Wesleyan—J. A. Saxe; Princeton vs. Pennsylvania—H. Morris, Harvard College; Princeton vs. Wesleyan—W. A. Brooks, Harvard; Wesleyan vs. Pennsylvania—R. Hodge, Princeton, W. A. Brooks, alternate.
After the delegates had reached an agreement about the umpires they proceeded to give interpretations to Rules 10, 24 and 25, which read as follows:
Rule 10—Interference is using the hands or arms in any way to obstruct or hold a player who has not the ball, not the runner.
Rule 24 (a)—A player is put off side if, during a scrimmage, he gets in front of the ball, or if the ball has been last touched by his own side behind him. It is impossible for a player to be off side in his own goal. No player when off side shall touch the ball, or interrupt or obstruct opponent with his hands or arms until again on side.
Rule 25—No player shall lay his hands upon or interfere by use of hands or arms, with an opponent, unless he has the ball.