# Football field marking question (American football) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 31, 2012, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415 "2012-10-31T09:48:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/1 "2012-10-31T09:48:34Z")
Are the markings on football fields different between high school, college, and/or pro leagues? Specifically, are the hash-marks always in the same place relative to the sidelines? To the untrained (non-sportsman) eye it seems they are different. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/2 "2012-10-31T11:17:03Z")
> **[Why are the hash marks farther apart in college football than in the NFL?](https://www.quora.com/American-Football/Why-are-the-hash-marks-farther-apart-in-college-football-than-in-the-NFL)** > > Answer (1 of 4): As Mark noted, hash marks are placed in different locations for each level of football (and also different in the Canadian Football League). High schools use 53 ft, 4 in (evenly divides the field into 3 pieces), college is 40 ft,... The article explains it pretty well, the closer together the hash marks the more centered and balanced the playing field. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/3 "2012-10-31T13:25:57Z")
Hash marks are farther apart on college fields which explains why the angle during a field goal kick is so much more extreme than in the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/4 "2012-10-31T13:30:27Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Hash marks are farther apart on college fields which explains why the angle during a field goal kick is so much more extreme than in the NFL. Well it can be, but often a team will down the ball somewhere between the hashmarks to give a better angle. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/5 "2012-10-31T14:05:27Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Hash marks are farther apart on college fields which explains why the angle during a field goal kick is so much more extreme than in the NFL. It used to be much more extreme in the colleges. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/6 "2012-10-31T15:08:36Z")
The field itself is 160 feet wide (53 1/3 yards) at all levels.[ul] [li]NFL hash marks are 18 feet, 6 inches apart[/li][li]College hash marks are 40 feet apart (60 feet from each sideline)[/li][li]High school hash marks are 53 feet, 4 inches apart, dividing the field into thirds.\* [/li][/ul]NFL and college goal posts are 18’ 6" apart, while high schools use 23’ 4". College goal posts were also 23’ 4" until around 1991, when they were narrowed to match the pro width. College hash marks were 53’ 4" apart until 1993, when they were narrowed to their current distance. This change was partly motivated by the reduction in goal post width just a couple of years before. - - In at least Texas, and possibly some other states, the “college” hash marks are used for high school games as well. ([UIL FAQ](http://www.uiltexas.org/football/faq)) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/7 "2012-10-31T15:17:51Z")
Originally, the fields didn’t have hash marks. The ball would be placed where it was downed. If the ball went out of bounds, it was placed on the sideline and the teams would line up with some players out of bounds. The decided on hash marks because that made for difficult plays. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/8 "2012-10-31T15:48:46Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Originally, the fields didn’t have hash marks. The ball would be placed where it was downed. If the ball went out of bounds, it was placed on the sideline and the teams would line up with some players out of bounds. The decided on hash marks because that made for difficult plays. Before the hash marks the field was divided up into a grid with lines lengthwise as well as from side to side. Hence the term ‘gridiron’. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/9 "2012-10-31T16:39:04Z")
Wow, did the players really line up out of bounds pre-hash marks? I was not aware of that… I do remember that the NFL “invented” hash marks out of necessity when a blizzard forced an NFL championship game to be played inside old Chicago Stadium (where the Bulls played before the United Center) so that does make sense. I always figured the line of scrimmage was lopsided with the “center” snapping the ball on end of the line. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/10 "2012-10-31T16:52:53Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Before the hash marks the field was divided up into a grid with lines lengthwise as well as from side to side. Hence the term ‘gridiron’. cite? ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/11 "2012-10-31T17:29:37Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > cite? [Ta-da](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Massillon-canton_game_2.jpg) (1906) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/12 "2012-10-31T17:56:57Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > [Ta-da](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Massillon-canton_game_2.jpg) (1906) Very cool. Was that a standard configuration? ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/13 "2012-10-31T17:59:24Z")
I remember when I was in high school (or shortly after) they experimented with an 80 yard field for 9 man football. It didn’t last long even though the rules still say it’s an option. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/14 "2012-10-31T19:05:58Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > [Ta-da](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Massillon-canton_game_2.jpg) (1906) Best way of meeting the cite challenge, ever! ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/15 "2012-10-31T19:22:28Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > Wow, did the players really line up out of bounds pre-hash marks? I was not aware of that. No they lined up with an unbalanced line with more people on one side of the center than the other (center being the name of the person who snapped the ball not the center of the line) I don’t know if it was illegal to line people up out of bounds or not, but they didn’t in any pictures I’ve seen. Of course they also often used an unbalanced line even when the ball was in the middle of the field. Look up “single wing” for football. You’ll see that both tackles are on the same side of center: E G C G T T E or vice versa. I’m not positive, but I believe if the ball went out of bounds they actually moved it in slightly (say 5 feet) from the side line. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/16 "2012-10-31T22:31:04Z")
Better suited to the Game Room, but moved from General QUestions. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/17 "2012-10-31T23:30:22Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Very cool. Was that a standard configuration? As far as I know that was the original configuration that distinquished the game from variations of rugby and soccer. Do you know why the game is called football? I can’t be sure. Aside from the kicking of the ball, at one point all plays started with the ball on the ground and it had to be touched by the foot before picking it up. I haven’t seen a definitive answer about how the name originated. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/18 "2012-11-01T00:02:10Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I remember when I was in high school (or shortly after) they experimented with an 80 yard field for 9 man football. It didn’t last long even though the rules still say it’s an option. School’s choice. Some 8 man schools in Oklahoma have 80 yard fields, others have 100 yards. Same widths though. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/19 "2012-11-01T01:31:32Z")
Small (tiny) schools in Texas play six man football on an 40x80 yard field. Going back to that gridiron photo, I’m guessing the first line in from the sideline was the “hash mark” in the days before hash marks and was the point where the ball was placed after a play went out of bounds. I’m wondering if maybe they spotted the ball for scrimmage on the nearest horizontal line (going from end zone to end zone) from where the runner was tackled and that was the main purpose of the “gridiron”. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415/20 "2012-11-01T14:57:29Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > As far as I know that was the original configuration that distinquished the game from variations of rugby and soccer. > > Do you know why the game is called football? > > I can’t be sure. Aside from the kicking of the ball, at one point all plays started with the ball on the ground and it had to be touched by the foot before picking it up. I haven’t seen a definitive answer about how the name originated. I read somewhere (can’t find it now) that the name originated because the game is played on foot, as opposed to horseback. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-field-marking-question-american-football/639415.md?page=2)