1970 rule on knee hitting the ground

Question
Did High School Football ever allowed a player to fall by himself to one knee and if that player was not be touched by a the other team be allowed to get back up and run?
I thought in the early 70's this was allowed in High School Football?
Please advise,
thank you
Mark

Answer
Mark
Good Question.  My personal library goes back to 1964 and the National Federation rule from 1964 - present as to when the ball becomes dead states that the ball becomes dead when... any part of the runners body other than his hand or foot touch the ground.

I have checked some of my early Football Rules 1901-1915 and they have similar rules as to when the runner is considered down and the ball dead.   Give me some time to do further research.  I too seem to have read somewhere that this rule was modified for a time to allow the ball to remain alive in a players possession when any part of his body touched the ground but was untouched by an opponent.  It may be in earlier rules pre-1900.  I am traveling to my college game this weekend and will not have time to begin further research on this issue until Monday.
Victor Winnek
NCAA Football Official


In 1933 the NFL, which long had followed the rules of college football, made a number of significant changes from the college game for the first time and began to develop rules serving its needs and the style of play it preferred. One of the rule changes declare the ball remaied live when a runner was not in the grasp of an opponent and when the runner touching the ground with any part of his body and not in the grasp of an opponent. In 1955 the NFL made a rule change declaring the ball dead immediately if the ball carrier touched the ground with any part of his body except his hands or feet while in the grasp of an opponent. This was the same as the college rule.  I still need to verify the National Federation Rules (High School) before 1964 to see if they too had these rules as the NFL did in 1933.