# A question inspired by We are Marshall (very minor spoiler)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-inspired-by-we-are-marshall-very-minor-spoiler/385961>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 29, 2006, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-inspired-by-we-are-marshall-very-minor-spoiler/385961 "2006-12-29T06:25:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-inspired-by-we-are-marshall-very-minor-spoiler/385961/1 "2006-12-29T06:25:51Z")

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Does the NCAA really prohibit true freshmen from playing football? I thought freshmen were allowed. Isn’t Colt McCoy (Univ. of Texas) a true freshman? Was this a rule in the 1970’s and has been changed in more recent years?

This rule was a bit of a plot point during the movie.

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**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-inspired-by-we-are-marshall-very-minor-spoiler/385961/2 "2006-12-29T15:03:06Z")

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That \*was \* the NCAA rule at the time of the movie, but it has since been rescinded.

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**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-inspired-by-we-are-marshall-very-minor-spoiler/385961/3 "2006-12-29T15:07:01Z")

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Found it. Freshmen were ineligible for NCAA varsity teams from 1939 to 1972. The movie is set in 1970.

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**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-inspired-by-we-are-marshall-very-minor-spoiler/385961/4 "2006-12-29T20:11:45Z")

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Thanks. I thought that might be the case, but I wasn’t sure where to look.