From Turnover to Touchback: The Punitive Era of the Early Forward Pass

In modern football, a simple incomplete pass brings the ball back to the line of scrimmage, a minor setback. But imagine a time when a dropped ball could cost your team 15 yards, lead to a turnover, or even result in a touchback! When the forward pass was first legalized in 1906, it was greeted with suspicion and severely constrained by punitive rules—rules that often made passing a desperate gamble rather than a strategic option.

Darin Hayes of Pigskin Dispatch speaks with Timothy P. Brown of FootballArchaeology.com to uncover the bizarre and heavily restrictive penalties that plagued the early life of the aerial game. This subject is based on Tim’s Tidbit post titled: A Look at Early Incomplete Pass Penalties.

Here is the full video interview with Archaeologist Brown:

The Evolution of the Incomplete Pass Penalty

The early rules heavily favored the traditional running game, reflecting the preference of many who initially opposed the forward pass. The penalties for incompletion were shockingly strict and changed rapidly as rule-makers struggled to integrate the new play:

1. Incomplete Pass in the Field of Play

• 1906: Automatic Turnover. When the pass was first legalized, any incomplete pass that landed in the field of play was treated as a turnover—the exact same penalty for an illegal forward pass before 1906.
• 1907: 15-Yard Penalty & Fumble Rule. Recognizing the turnover rule was too restrictive, rule-makers changed it to a 15-yard penalty. Furthermore, if the pass was tipped by any player (offense or defense) and then hit the ground, it was treated as a live-ball fumble, leading to chaotic scrambles.
• 1910: Return to Spot of Pass. The penalty was eliminated, but the ball was returned to the spot of the pass. Since the rules then required the pass to be thrown at least five yards behind the line of scrimmage, this effectively meant a five-yard loss on the play.
• 1911: Return to Previous Spot (Modern Rule). Finally, the rule was set to return the ball to the previous spot (the line of scrimmage), establishing the rule we know today.

2. The Touchback Turnover

The penalties for throwing the ball too deep were equally harsh, even after end zones were created:

• 1906–1911: Any forward pass that crossed the goal line—whether it hit a spectator, the goal post, or just fell incomplete—was an immediate touchback, giving the ball to the defense on the 20-yard line (or equivalent).
• 1912: Catching the ball beyond the goal line was legalized for a score, but all other conditions remained: if the ball fell incomplete beyond the goal line, it was still a touchback.
• Elimination: This crippling touchback rule for incomplete passes was not completely eliminated until 1934!

3. Penalties for “Too Much” Passing

Rule-makers even attempted to limit the frequency of the pass:

• 1926–1934: If a team had a second, third, or fourth incompletion in a single series (four downs), a five-yard penalty was assessed. This was a clear attempt to discourage teams from leaning too heavily on the passing game.

4. The “Coffin Corner” Pass

For a period, throwing the ball out of bounds offered a bizarre strategic option:

• 1907–1915: If a pass was thrown out of bounds on the fly, it was a turnover, and the defensive team got the ball at the spot where it crossed the sideline—much like a punt. Teams with good-throwing players would sometimes use this as an accurate replacement for a punt, aiming to pin the opponent deep in a “coffin corner” scenario.

These restrictive rules, which seem absurd today, illustrate why the game remained heavily running-oriented for decades. It took major rule changes—like those implemented in 1934 (which also included reducing the ball’s size)—for the forward pass to finally become a low-risk, high-reward element of strategy. The enduring value of the running game today is a testament to those early fundamentals, even as the perfect offense strives for a beautiful 50/50 split between run and pass.