SIX-MAN FOOTBALL

variety of American football developed in 1934 by Stephen Epler, a high school athletic coach in Nebraska, for small secondary schools unable to produce or to equip enough players to build an 11-man squad plus an additional 11 for practice scrimmage and substitutions. The rules drawn up by Epler retained the essential factors of blocking, tackling, running, and passing while opening the way to new possibilities for skill and strategy and reducing the dangers of injury. During the 1930s, the game spread throughout the U.S. and to Canada, played by primary and secondary schools, boys' clubs, and college intramural teams. The game is played by two teams of six men each. A team consists of a centre, two ends, a quarterback, a halfback, and a fullback. The field of play is 100 yards long and 40 yards wide (about 90 by 35 metres). The goal lines are 80 yards apart, and there are two end zones 10 yards deep. Three officials (referee, umpire, and linesman) supervise the play. The essential differences between the 6-man and 11-man games are as follows: After the ball is snapped, a clear (backward) pass or a forward pass must be thrown before the ball can cross the scrimmage line. A violation of this rule is penalized by moving the ball back five yards; a handoff is not considered a pass. Every player is eligible to receive a forward pass. During a series of four plays (downs), the team in possession of the ball must advance it 15 yards or give it up to the opposing team. A field goal scores four points. A try after touchdown starts at the three-yard line with a successful kick scoring two points and a run or pass scoring only one. If at the end of the first half, or during the second half, a team acquires 45 points more than its opponent, the game ends. In nearly all other essentials the rules for 6-man football are the same as those for the 11-man game. Local variations have been developed in scoring, eligibility for pass receiving, and the use of a one- or two-hand touch instead of a tackle to stop a ball carrier (see also touch football). In the 1950s many schools changed from 6-man to 8-man teams, which played on the smaller field but under 11-man rules. The team makeup was the same as that of the six-man team, with the addition of two linemen, who, with the centre, were ineligible to receive forward passes. In a few areas games are played by teams of five or nine players.