The "fair catch kick" and the TD conversion have a common ancestry

The "fair catch kick" is one of the strangest rules in NFL football. If you've never heard of it - when a player makes a fair catch the receiving team actually has the option to put the ball into play either by a) scrimmage or b) fair catch kick. The fair catch kick is like a kickoff that is a field goal try - everyone lines up like an ordinary kickoff, but if the ball goes through the goal post, its a FG. If the attempt is missed, the receiving team can either return it or let the ball go dead and takeover at the point of the kick. Further, the fair catch kick can be opted for with 0:00 left in the game or half. This play is rarely employed - as it is rare that a team can gain an advantage by doing it. The exception would be if it there are only a few seconds left - not enough time to make up and beat the 7 yard spot difference between a scrimmage kick and fair catch kick - and FG wins or ties or the 1st half is running out.


Now you're probably scratching your head wandering WHY? This is just an absurd rule. But it all goes back to the same rule in rugby that led to the TD and conversion attempt we know today.

In the very early days of football, the touchdown counted for zero points. If the offense was able to touch the ball down past the opponents goal line - the rules stipulated the ball would be placed back into play by the offense punting the ball inbounds to another offensive player, with the defense positioned in a way that gives the offense an almost certain opportunity to receive the inbounds kick - much in the way a basketball is put back into play after going out of bounds - (except in this case the team placing the ball out of bounds is the team that puts it back inbounds).

There was also a rugby rule called "goal from mark" - if a player made a fair catch, they had the option of making an attempt at goal from the spot of the catch without interference from other players. So when a "touchdown" occurred, it was typical for the offensive team to fair catch the inbound punt, and attempt a goal from mark. This is the "punt out" play. Eventually the TD would become a scoring play unto itself, at first counting for 1 point while all goals counted as 5. (The TD was basically a way to break ties) The "punt out" play would remain a part of the game until 1920 (or so), when the rules were changed to make it a scrimmage play.

The fair catch kick is a vestigial rule that has its roots in the same rule that led to the TD conversion and the TD itself - the "goal from mark"

I just thought that was interesting.