There have been favorable comments about last week’s column covering some of the interesting points in the history of college football.

I want again to thank my old friend, Andy Pressgrove, for lending me David Nelson’s book. I repeat that it covers the history of college football from the rules perspective, and that in itself closely illustrates the changes in the game over the years.

Most guys who played football tend to view the game from the perspective of the game as it was played in their era.

I am fortunate to have been involved with football steadily since about 1951, so the changes have seemed more gradual than they might seem to others.

Along those lines, I will pick out a few rules that have dramatically changed the way football is played (or rules that have changed because of the way football is played) and look at those rules as they existed when my father played (Colgate, 1925) when I played (Keesler AFB, 1956) when my brother played at Georgia Tech (1960) and when I last officiated (1989).

The original football officials were required to be students at the schools who were playing, and of the three, only the referee was paid. He was the final judge, and the other two officials could only give him information if he asked for it.

By the time my dad played, four officials worked each game, all were paid and none could come from the schools which were playing that game.

The game was slower than it now is, and most of the action took place at the line of scrimmage. By 1956, a back judge had been added, as more action took place downfield. The five-man crew was standard by 1960. By 1989, both a field judge and a side judge were assigned, making up today’s seven-man college officiating crew.

Early in my college officiating career, I officiated many freshman games (since freshmen were not then eligible for varsity play). We worked those games with a four-man crew. During an LSU freshman game, when Bert Jones was a freshman, the poor guys working the wings (head linesman and line judge) had their tongues hanging out.

Jones just liked to throw it as far as he could every play, and the wing officials had to cover deep every time. Once one of them came back and had thrown a flag for ineligible receiver down field. The quarterback had been dropped for a 13-yard loss, but I gave the signal and marked off the 15-yard penalty, so the net difference was only two yards.

Nobody noticed that a pass had not been thrown until much later. Upwards of 20,000 fans were in Tiger Stadium, and nobody (even the coaches) knew enough to call our hand.

And, that’s official.

Al Graning is a former SEC official and former Natchez resident. He can be reached by e-mail at AlanWard39157@aol.com.