Before Pass Interference

Have you ever wondered what the game of football was like downfield before the creating of pass interference? If so you are in luck, because Timothy Brown has, and researched the subject and is here to share the results with us in this episode. So sit back and adjust your headsets and get ready for some great football history.

We all know the premise of pass interference; well, NFL rules over the past few decades have obscured that knowledge. It is at its very roots the illegal obstruction or contact to a player on the opposing team that unfairly tries to prevent their right to the ball. Defensive Pass Interference (DPI) is the most common occurrence in which the defender interferes with an eligible receiver. There is also Offensive Pass Interference (OPI), where a member of the offense commits interference with a defensive team member.

There was a period in the gridiron game without restrictions on interfering. Timothy P. Brown shares what he found occurring then and what happened in the wake.

Before There Was Pass Interference

Timothy P. Brown has dug up the dirt on what football looked like before restrictions of interference during a forward pass in this Football Archaeology post.

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We are so thankful that Tim is able to join us weekly to discuss some very unique but important aspect of gridiron history. Here is more about our guest and what he does to preserve football history.

Football Archaeology

Timothy Brown's FootballArchaeology.com is a website dedicated to preserving pigskin history. digs into gridiron history to examine how football’s evolution shapes today's game. The site has a variety of articles, history of football word origins, and Daily Tidbits, which have a daily football factoid that shares some quite interesting items and aspects of the gridiron in a short read. They preserve football history in a very unique way Visit the site at Today's Tidbits.

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Timothy P Brown

Tim Brown, one of the foremost experts on early college football, is the host and founder of FootballArchaeology.com. Tim's love of the gridiron's past goes beyond just the website. Mr Brown, to date, is the author of three books on football history, appears on various football history podcasts, and has been quoted in articles by The Athletic, The Chicago Tribune, and other publications. He guest authors articles on UniWatch, and his research on the 1920s West Point Cavalry Detachment teams contributed to All American: The Power of Sports, currently on display at the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C.

His books include: Fields of Friendly Strife; How Football Became Football: 150 Years of the Game's Evolution; and Hut! Hut! Hike! A History of Football Terminology, which explores the history of football’s words and expressions and how they became connected to the game.

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We want to thank Tim Brown for coming on and sharing this great TidBit he had posted back in April and for his time he spends with us each week.

The banner image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons of a cropped photo of a scene from the 1917 Pitt versus W. & J. football game action - Tressel (W. & J.) catching a pass.

Here are some other related articles, posts and podcast we have enjoyed that talk more on the subject of pass interference.

History of Pass Interference

Football History | The History of Football Rules on Pass Interference^**

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