A Study to Compare the Effectiveness of the Spread and Closed Punt Formations

48 Pages·2.425 MB·English

by  Hughes, George Samuel

A STUB? TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS
n
OF THE
SPREAD A nn CEOSEO PUNT FORMATIONS
A Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of the Graduate School
College of William and Mary
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts
by
George Samuel Hughes
March 1951
ProQuest Number: 10614773
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to dedicate this thesis to my
wife# Rate* for her constant enc ouragement and also
thank Dr. Kenneth Morland, Mr* Bernard E. Wilson
and Howard M. Smith for their guidance in this study.
George Samuel Hughes
fans, is just a conventional means of changing possession of the hall.
However, in reality, the punt formation has a far greater value in
football than Just as a means of exchanging possession of the ball. As
a positive offensive weapon in many important gam es, the punt formation
has prove# Its merit*
Of all the great offensive weapons employe#, the defense has
devise# methods of combating or slowing down the offensive advances; so,
with these defensive maneuvers, many coaches have changed their punting
strategy by introducing iheispread punt formation*
• ' ; :
The capable and outstanding coaches of the Annual Collegiate
All-Star Staff were skeptical when the suggestion was made to use the
spread- punt formation* Their doubts were authoritative for the spread
punt formation had not been proved in day-in and day-out competition.
The board.of strategy, under' .Head Coach, Doctor Edward Anderson, do
ceded in favor of experimenting with this formation* The experiment was
conducted under game conditions, employing only the spread punt forma*
item* During this practice session every punt was protected perfectly
and the punt coverage was superior. The results of this experiment
were so conclusive, that the coaching staff decided to use-'the: spread
punt formation In the All-Star game of 1950. la the upset over the
Philadelphia Eagles, Champions of the National Professional Football
League, the spread punt formation proved to be one of the most effective
offensive tools in the victory^ r ii;.
The 1950 Collegiate Football Season provided many changes,
iv-to^the spread punt formation, so 1 .feel through this research^ the tela*
live values and the fallacies could be studied and could be analysed*
TABEE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
E INTROBtfCTlOM i v * , * *•
Theproblem * . *■■* , ; . . . i.v * ,. v;>, v
Statement of the problem * *. * . ; ,
■r Need fo^ the stady. .. ; .♦.. .. .. *. *\> .*■.
Definitions and illustrations of terms used
Spr< ad punt formation . .. » .. *. > * .
Balanced line * ■♦ . * ■ % *
Unbalanced line .
Cfdse4 pant formation i
Scope and limitations * *. . * •*■ .* * * ■>' ♦ «,
*
Source-of ,daia* . * *. * ♦ * . . ♦. * * . * *. *
Procsdure * » • «. . * * » « * .* * » *
* •
Organization of the Remainder of the thesis
II. THE PW ItN G GAME * . . *•.>-. *
.Spread pant .formation
.
Closed pant formation .
#• .-a a s. -»■. #• * * *
_ Maneuvers of the linemen
Endpla y . .
Rackfield pant protection
•e ■* * a %
Covering the kick * . . *
s.. -» # * • ♦
HE PRESENTATION OF DATA
The first fifty punters in the nation
Spread pant formation teams .
-«. ■*
v*
Closed punt formation .. . * * . .* . * . ... . 19
Factors tliat influenced the coaches to
ase the spread punt formation *.■ „■ .* * 24
IV. m M M A M t MW® CI2fS€SJiISICmS * . , . . * * , 26
Spread punt formation . . . . . ,.•*/>- • * 26
Closed paai forinatieit. .................. . . 28
Conclusions v. . * * . * . . . . , * , . .. 20
n m iM m m M P m . , * . . . . . * ^ . . 22
a ppe n d ix a * * . > * 3$
A&PtiN&ptB * * *\-i * * * * . * * * 27
a p p en d ix c 29
it
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
I* Punting ■. * .» ♦ ■ * . * * * ■ * * *■ *» * * * * . *• 17
^ IE Teams that Used the Spread Punt Formation * ... _ 18
IB . Teams that Used the Closed Punt formation- ♦ * if
IV* Pants' Blodsad While Using the Spread .pant-’*/. .
Formation . . . . . . . a * * * * * •. * * ! ' ' ' 20'
.'V* Punts Blocked While Using the Closed Punt . . *
Formation i-. . + * * * * . ... . :*■■ * ** *. V, ■;■:■■■' 2i-:
VI* Punts Returned for Touchdowns While . . . v . *
Using the Spread PuntFormation . . *, .• . . ^... * ;;
V|h Punts Returned for Touchdowns while Using . * *
Using the Censed Pont Formation . . . . . . * .. * 23.
VIII. A Graph to Show Coaches1 Preferences for * * * >
Changing to the Spread punt Formation * * . . * i 25
IX. A Comparative Table of Formulated Conclusions * 29
Spread Pant Formation . . . . . . * *
Unbalanced L,ine Used la the Spread Pant
F*ormation *_ . *. * * * * * * •» .* . . .
Closed Pont Formation. * ... * *
Spread. 'Pont Formation . . . . . . . .
CHAPTER I
introductio n
L THE PROBLEM
Statement of the problem. The purpose of this study is to
compare the spread punt formations and the closed punt formations;
thus endeavoring to find which punt formation offers more advantages
for- its punters*
Heed for the study. In the past few years the tempo of
football has increased tremendously, so that one of the outgrowths
'■
A. ,.
has been the spread punt formation. The advocators of the spread
punt formation believe that it gives the punters more protection and
more tim e, thus allowing the kicking team to cover their punts more
effectively*
With this visible evidence, the need for a study on the spread
punt formation and the closed punt formation is imperative, so that
research can keep abreast with modern football tactics*
II. DEFINITIONS AND IL.EUSTRATIONS OF
TERMS USED
A. SPREAD PUNT FORMATIONS
1* Balanced line
When the spread punt formation employs a balanced line, it
utilises two backs blocking om yard back of the center, thus releasing