National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

July 21, 1997

Interested parties reach agreement to improve safety of spring football

The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) have announced a joint proposal on spring football practices.

The proposal is in response to the NCAA's national Injury Surveillance System (ISS) data, which show a two to three times higher risk of total injuries and also serious injuries in spring football practice compared to fall practice.

The committee and the AFCA propose that the following modifications be made through NCAA legislation to the spring football practice schedule in Divisions I and II:

  • Three days of noncontact practices (helmets only), with at least two occurring initially.

  • Four days of contact practices (full pads optional) with no tackling (taking to the ground).

  • Eight days of contact practices (full pads) with tackling.

  • No more than three of the eight contact/tackling practices devoted primarily (greater than 50 percent) to 11-on-11 scrimmages, including any "spring game."

    Based on the legislative timetable for both divisions, the proposal is expected to take effect in spring 1998.

    Current legislation allows for 15 days of spring practice, 10 of them designated contact in full pads and five of them designated as noncontact with full pads, except on the knee and thigh. Individual institutions have the discretion to determine the practice activities that may occur during noncontact sessions. In most cases, that interpretation results in more than 10 practices involving significant player contact.

    "The committee is pleased with the consensus-building process that has resulted in this legislative proposal," said G. Dennis Wilson of Auburn University, chair of the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. "While there is no magic pill to reduce spring football injuries, the NCAA Injury Surveillance System data tell us that this new practice format is a step in the right direction. More importantly, the awareness of all parties to this issue is likely to have the greatest effect."

    The NCAA and AFCA also have agreed to develop educational materials for all coaches, athletic trainers, athletics directors and medical personnel concerning the intent of this initiative to reduce injuries in spring football. One educational recommendation will be that the eight contact/tackling practices be separated by off days or one of the noncontact or nontackling days.

    "The American Football Coaches Association is indebted to the hard work of our football coaches and athletic trainers," said AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff. "There are many groups that have a stake in the success of college football, but the paramount issue is how can we properly and safely train student-athletes to play this game as it should be played, in the safest manner possible."

    The proposal should assist in reducing serious injury in spring football because:

  • It reduces the number of days where tackling is permitted from 10 (or more) to eight. Those practices are where 90 percent of the serious injuries occur.

  • It reduces the number of practices where more than 50 percent of the practice time is devoted to 11-on-11 scrimmaging from a potential of 10 to three. Almost half of the injuries reported in spring practice occur in that type of scrimmage activity.

  • It requires the first two days of practice to be without contact (helmet only) to allow acclimatization to the activity. Current legislation would allow a full-pad scrimmage on the first day of spring practice.

  • It allows for four practices to involve contact without tackling. Currently only 20 percent of all injuries and 10 percent of serious injuries occur in such contact practices. Limiting tackling should reduce the percentage even more.

    After a period of three years, the competitive-safeguards committee and the AFCA will evaluate the football injury data. Specific variables of interest including concussions, knee injuries, fractures and injuries requiring surgery will be measured to determine the effectiveness of those modifications in reducing spring football injury rates.