The goalposts used to stand on the goal line
Until 1974 the posts sat inside the field of play, on the goal line itself. Moving them ten yards back cut field goal attempts by a third in one season.
For most of football's history the goalposts were not behind the end zone. They stood on the goal line — in the field of play, where receivers ran routes and defenders chased them.
Why they moved
In 1974 the NFL moved the posts ten yards back to the end line. Two reasons: it cleared an obstacle out of the end zone, and it pushed every field goal ten yards further away, so teams would think harder before settling for three.
Attempts fell from over 860 to 553 in a single season.
The effect was immediate and blunt. In the season before the move, more than 860 field goals were attempted. The following season it was 553.
It never went back
The posts have stayed on the end line ever since; Super Bowl IX was the first Super Bowl played with them there. It is one of the rare NFL rule changes that worked exactly as intended and was never revisited.
It also quietly reframes the modern kicking story. When you hear that kickers now make about 72% from fifty yards and beyond, remember they are doing it from ten yards further out than the men who came before 1974.
Quick answers
- When did the NFL move the goalposts?
- In 1974, from the goal line to the end line at the back of the end zone.
- Why were the goalposts moved back?
- To clear the end zone for play and to discourage teams from settling for field goals. Attempts dropped from over 860 to 553 the next season.
Sources
- The History of NFL Goal Posts — Sports Illustrated
- NFL goalposts used to look very different: what changed, and why they moved
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