Editing Onside kick (section)

== Offside "onside" kicks ==
There have been versions of American football in which the kicking team could recover the ball once it hit the ground, regardless of onside or offside, and not only for free kicks. Any such kick recovered by the kicking team is often referred to as an "onside kick," even if the recovering player was in front of the kicker at the time of the kick (and thus, according to the original definition, offside).

One such scenario remains legal at all levels: any player on the offensive team can recover a kick anywhere on or behind the line of scrimmage.

===College football===
These were also referred to as "onside kicks from scrimmage."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1923/03/11/page/22/article/onside-kick-from-scrimmage-killed-by-grid-rules-body/|title=Onside Kick From Scrimmage Killed by Grid Rules Body|date=March 11, 1923|access-date=July 26, 2015|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> [[Vanderbilt Commodores football|Vanderbilt]] coach [[Dan McGugin]] was a prime innovator in this field,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vucommodores.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/090708aab.html|date=September 6, 2008|title=McGugin's legacy stands strong|website=Vucommodores.com|access-date=2017-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015182553/http://www.vucommodores.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/090708aab.html|archive-date=October 15, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and in fact in [[1921 Vanderbilt Commodores football team|1921]] tied [[1921 Georgia Bulldogs football team|Georgia]] for the Southern crown on such a play.<ref>{{cite news|work=Atlanta Constitution|author=Fuzzy Woodruff|author-link=Fuzzy Woodruff|date=November 13, 1921|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1906427//|page=3|title=Onside Kick In Final Quarter Ties Struggle For Commodores|access-date=March 2, 2015|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>

[[Saint Louis Billikens football|Saint Louis University]] coach [[Eddie Cochems]] described the play after the 1906 season:

::"Instead of keeping the ball in the air it should be kicked to the ground as soon as the case will permit, since the moment it touches, the whole team is on-side.  The longer the kicker can delay kicking the further down the field the team can get to either recover the ball themselves or form interference for the player who is supposed to recover."<ref>[[Eddie Cochems|Cochems, Eddie]], "The Forward Pass and On-Side Kick", Spalding's ''How to Play Foot Ball''; [[Walter Camp|Camp, Walter]], editor, page 49, 1907</ref>

In these early years and into the 1920s, all players of the kicking team except the kicker were permitted to recover the ball once it hit the ground beyond the neutral zone.  Later, the rules were modified to require it be at least 20 yards downfield, before recovering one's own kick was eventually eliminated outright.

===Professional football===
One such version, [[Arena football]], is current; however, it must be taken from either a [[place kick]] or [[drop kick]], because [[punt (gridiron football)|punt]]s are illegal in that league. Arena football also has the advantage in that it features rebound nets surrounding the goal posts; thus, unlike in the outdoor game, a potential onside kick receiver does not have to outrun the speed of the kicked ball, and the kicker can carom the ball off the net in hopes of it landing in his teammate's arms.

The [[XFL (2001)|XFL]], in its 2001 season, allowed a punting team to recover its own kick if the punt went at least 25 yards past the line of scrimmage. The [[XFL (2020)|2020 revival of the XFL]] did not revive this rule.

The idea of the early 20th century, XFL, and Arena rules allowing kicking side recovery on grounded balls was generally to force the receiving team to play the ball, encourage surprise [[quick kick]]ing, and thereby loosen the defense. However, kicks have rarely been employed as offensive tactics even when these rules were present; the forward pass remains the more effective (and substantially less risky) tactic to loosen and surprise the defense.