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Originally Posted by Forksref
If you look at old films, the officials who signaled TD's were more dramatic, litterally jumping off the ground as they raised their arms.
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If you look at
really old films, you see the 1-hand (or fist) signal for touchdown. (Still used for a try in rugby. Ref points down with finger on the other hand to where the ball was touched down.) It's really just a version of the dead ball signal, but the ball was dead over the goal line. In some cases they'd "sell" the call, as when the runner got the ball over but was pushed back -- then they'd stand on the goal line, swinging the arm overhead from the field of play to the end zone side, indicating over-and-back.
Last time I saw the 1-hand "try given" signal was in the early 1970s in a Hula Bowl game -- I guess things took a while to reach Hawaii! But even in the late 1960s I saw it used in one Ivy League game.
Remember NCAA's previous personal foul signal? It was the one now used for touchback. Why in the world they used that rather than the "hack" sign used by Fed, NFL, and even basketball, I don't know.
Robert