Field goal
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A field goal (formerly "goal from the field") is a general term used in some sports wherein a goal may be scored either during general play ("from the field") or via some sort of free shot.
The term has been used in Canadian football, American football, rugby union and rugby league. However, the term is somewhat obsolete in either form of rugby, where one is apt to refer now only to the drop goal or dropped goal. Ironically the term is used in Australian rugby league but it may have been reimported from the United States. Also, the term is now a misnomer in American and Canadian football, where the rules have been rewritten to refer to all forms of goal scored as "field goal", even if from a free kick. In basketball, the term "field goal" has been borrowed from American football by American sports commentators to refer to successful long-distance throw shots.
In American, Canadian, and both codes of rugby, a [field] goal may be scored only by a place kick or drop kick. The ball must pass over a crossbar 10 feet off the ground and between upright posts 18' 6" (5.64 m) apart, to count, and the kick must not be a kickoff. The rules of the particular sanctioning authority (i.e. professional or amateur league) may impose additional requirements.
NFL
The current record for the longest field goal in the NFL is 63 yards by Tom Dempsey in 1970 and Jason Elam in 1998.
NCAA
The current record for NCAA College Football Division 1-A is 67 yards and held by three people:
- Russel Erxleben on October 10, 1977
- Steve Little on October 15, 1977
- Joe Williams on October 21, 1978
It should be noted that these record kicks were made at a time when NCAA rules, unlike professional rules, permitted the holder on the field goal attempt to use a kicking tee to assist him in holding the ball steady. Use of tees on field goal attempts is no longer permitted at the collegiate level.