Universal Touch

From coast to coast, on asphalt playgrounds, backyard lawns, city streets, municipal parks and seaside beaches, the newest sports craze in the U.S. is the old game of touch football. The sport that once belonged to the nation's scurrying small fry has suddenly been borrowed by grownups with a yen to work off energy, ease aging legs into shape, sweat out a hangover, or realize Mittyesque dreams of gridiron glory. Touch has lately become an obsession with college kids, wheezing gaffers, giggling secretaries--and, of course, the entire clan of President-elect John F. Kennedy, who, according to old opponents, possesses "the best passing arm in the family." Says one New York touch fan: "We used to have trouble getting two other guys together to throw the ball around on Sunday morning. Now Central Park is so cluttered with touch football teams there's hardly room to play."

The game's basic attraction is that any number may play, under any rules at all, and without much risk of getting seriously hurt. In Central Park, touch "gridirons" are often marked off with nothing more than coats discarded by the likes of New York Post Columnist Leon ard Lyons, who has lured such celebritie as the U.N.'s Ralph Bunche and TV Phil Silvers into games with his four sons One-hand touch usually serves for tyros two-hand touch below the waist for the more experienced. Wearying of the inevitable arguments about touches or misses, the experts tag each other by yanking away a "flag" of canvas tucked under each player's belt.

One Missouri. Fast and furious, touch football relies on the forward pass, the timely lateral, and the guileful maneuver To protect glue-footed passers, some teams allow only one defensive player to cross the line of scrimmage, or else require the entire defense to count for five seconds ("one Missouri, two Missouri . . .") before charging. Because even fumble-fingered players can click off big gains under these rules, many teams require the attackers to surrender the ball unless they make a touchdown in four or five downs.

Since touch players usually wear nothing more than bluejeans, a T shirt and sneakers, the blocking is often restricted to the line of scrimmage, and in most games no one is allowed to risk destruction by rushing the kicker. When blocking is allowed downfield. the touch variety of football can be nearly as rugged as tackle. The championship intramural game last month at Massachusetts' Brandeis University (which has a 12-team league) produced three bloody noses and one shoulder separation.

Deceptive Innocence. Nowhere in the nation is touch football growing faster than in Los Angeles, where the sport is played by some 100,000 members of organized teams, and estimates are that another 400,000 players turn out for pickup games. Such elusive backs as Washington State's Keith Lincoln (see above) learned some of the tricks of their trade on local teams. Games crop up like clover on the lawns surrounding the Coliseum. On nearby beaches, college students play in the 100DEG temperatures of August. One collegian has a touch team that takes on all challengers for money. "We're loaded," he says. "We've got two ex-high school sprinters and a deadeye passer."

Even so, the Los Angeles team would likely have its troubles in a Staten Island league that plays a brand of touch far closer to pro football than the casual Sunday morning romp in the park. The Staten Island teams all wear uniforms and football shoes with cleats, play games seven men to the side under the shrill whistle of three uniformed officials. Each team carries some 25 players, enough for full offensive and defensive units, plus specialists who are sent in just to kick or to return punts. Although blockers must stay on their feet, the games are rough and tough. "Our wives wouldn't let us play tackle," says Star Pass Receiver Ed Finnerty, "so we play touch, which sounds innocent. But you've even got to watch being stepped on in our games. We average 200 Ibs. per man in the line."

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