Player Raising His/Her Hand When They Commit a Foul

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by Freddy

There's two things that go when you get old: memory, . . . and I can't remember what the other thing is. Anyway . . .

Hand up after official's birddog that a foul was committed was still a rule back when I started back in '76, back in the college days. The only trouble we had then was when players would put a hand up and then swipe it down in an unsportsmanlike fashion. Usually good for at least one T late in each game. Not sure if it was a state thing or Fed thing back then. Must've changed sometime after that because it wasn't by rule a requirement later when I then resumed activity in the coaching ranks. Of course, those old days still had real jump balls -- oops, sorry, I know that's a sensitive subject with some.

As a junior in HS, during the 73-74 season, we had to raise our hands. As a senior, it became optional. The rationale for the change was twofold--the sportsmanship issue as mentioned above, and the fed did not want players to "feel guilty" by having to raise hands after committing a foul. I did not read the whole thread, so MTD may have already been to his attic.