Modern History of College Football - An Analytical Look Back

That picture of Joe Roth brings back those memories. Bittersweet for sure.

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An example of wrong data would be the NCAA contention that two-platoon football was reinstated for the 1965 season. That's flat out wrong. My senior season was 1964 and we played two-platoon football that year because unlimited substitution was reinstated after the 1963 season.

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I found this an interesting contention, and took a few minutes to look into it. I am sorry to say, I think you are incorrect.

I found this New York Times article, from August 23, 1964, that discusses the rule change implemented for the 1964 season. Here's the lede, emphasis mine:

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Free substitution or at least the nearest thing to it returns to college football this year.

The rules committee, in its annual tinkering session with its annual headache, threw out the confusing 1963 regulation on substitutions. The new rule allows unlimited substitution whenever the clock is stopped, and stopping the clock isn't too difficult. When the clock is running, each team will be allowed to substitute two men.

This means that free substitution, the goal of most coaches, is almost back.

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Here's another article on the same rule change, from earlier in 1964.

Then, on January 18, 1965, another New York Times article. Here's the headline:

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N.C.A.A. Restores Virtually Free and Unlimited Substitution in Football; PLATOON SYSTEM LEGALIZED AGAIN Only Restriction Will Be on Installation of a Kicking Team on Fourth Down

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So, it seems you are incorrect in your contention that the NCAA is wrong about the two-platoon system returning in 1965.

GMP - Reread my text. I said the NCAA claims 2-platoon football returned starting with the 1965 season while I know it returned for the start of the 1964 season since that was my senior year and Ray Willsey's first season as Cal's head coach.

GMP said:

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An example of wrong data would be the NCAA contention that two-platoon football was reinstated for the 1965 season. That's flat out wrong. My senior season was 1964 and we played two-platoon football that year because unlimited substitution was reinstated after the 1963 season.

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I found this an interesting contention, and took a few minutes to look into it. I am sorry to say, I think you are incorrect.

I found this New York Times article, from August 23, 1964, that discusses the rule change implemented for the 1964 season. Here's the lede, emphasis mine:

Quote:

---

Free substitution or at least the nearest thing to it returns to college football this year.

The rules committee, in its annual tinkering session with its annual headache, threw out the confusing 1963 regulation on substitutions. The new rule allows unlimited substitution whenever the clock is stopped, and stopping the clock isn't too difficult. When the clock is running, each team will be allowed to substitute two men.

This means that free substitution, the goal of most coaches, is almost back.

---

Here's another article on the same rule change, from earlier in 1964.

Then, on January 18, 1965, another New York Times article. Here's the headline:

Quote:

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N.C.A.A. Restores Virtually Free and Unlimited Substitution in Football; PLATOON SYSTEM LEGALIZED AGAIN Only Restriction Will Be on Installation of a Kicking Team on Fourth Down

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So, it seems you are incorrect in your contention that the NCAA is wrong about the two-platoon system returning in 1965.

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GMP, your reasearch CONFIRMED RealBear65's recollection that 2 platoon football returned in '64 not '65 as the NCAA states. You are in agreement.

I attributed the college football rules changes in this article as coming from the NCAA. The actual source is from the following:

http://homepages.cae.wisc.edu/~dwilson/rfsc/RuleChanges.txt