Dicker-rod
Encyclopedia
The dicker-rod was used in the defunct World Football League
in 1974 for the purpose of replacing the first down chains more commonly used in gridiron football
organizations. The device was invented and patented by George Dicker of Orange County, California.
The device was two and a half yards (90 inches) long. If a ball was placed on the 23 yard line, a marker would be placed 2 yards up the rod at the 25 yard line. Then, in order to measure whether a first down was attained, the dicker rod would be laid down at the 35 yard line, and the spot of the ball would be measured against the marker on the rod, which would now be at the 33 yard line, 2 yards away from the 35 yard line.
The dicker-rod was intended for convenience. A full chain crew
was not needed, and measurements could be conducted by one person instead of the typical three. However, it never caught on, and the three-man chain crew remains the standard.
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
in 1974 for the purpose of replacing the first down chains more commonly used in gridiron football
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
organizations. The device was invented and patented by George Dicker of Orange County, California.
The device was two and a half yards (90 inches) long. If a ball was placed on the 23 yard line, a marker would be placed 2 yards up the rod at the 25 yard line. Then, in order to measure whether a first down was attained, the dicker rod would be laid down at the 35 yard line, and the spot of the ball would be measured against the marker on the rod, which would now be at the 33 yard line, 2 yards away from the 35 yard line.
The dicker-rod was intended for convenience. A full chain crew
Chain crew
In American football, the chain crew are assistants to the referee who handle the first down measuring chain and the down indicator box...
was not needed, and measurements could be conducted by one person instead of the typical three. However, it never caught on, and the three-man chain crew remains the standard.
External links
- http://home.cogeco.ca/~hfoa/HFOA%20Website/HFOA%20Public%20Space/dicker%20rod.htm