On October 23, the Landmark Christian War Eagles were

playing the Temple Tigers in football. The War Eagles had a 21

point lead, which started slipping away due to turnovers and onside

kicks. It was the second onside kick, after the Tigers had cut the lead

to two points, that would change Joseph Cawood's life, and

possibly a national football rule, forever.

Temple lined up for an onside kick, with the kicker on the

near side of the field aiming to the far side. His teammates lined up

to where the ball would eventually land. The kicker advanced

and retreated several times, feinting to the left and the right. The

Landmark players bought the fakes and left a defensive lineman and

a back isolated when the ball was finally kicked. James Barker,

the lineman, dove over the ball and was injured on the play.

Joseph Cawood, the back, dove for the ball as well and was speared

moments but Cawood got up and was obviously hurt.

"I was watching from the press box," Cawood's father,

Frank, said. "Joseph had his elbows raised and was grabbing his

sides. I could tell he was hurt, but I couldn't tell what kind of injury

it was." Fred Gilkeson, the team's trainer, checked Joseph out

and ruled out a fracture and a back injury. The next thought was that

it could be an internal injury and an ambulance was called. A

CAT scan was performed at Southern Regional and it was clear that

one of Joseph's kidneys had been shattered in three places. Joseph

was rushed into emergency surgery and an eight inch incision

was made to rule out any other source of internal bleeding. The

injured kidney was removed and Joseph's life was saved.

Neither Coach Bill Thorn nor Frank Cawood, who have a lot

of experience with football, have ever seen an onside kick like

that. "There was a definite numerical advantage for Temple, in that

they probably had three players at the line compared to

Landmark's one," Frank Cawood explained. The numerical disadvantage

may be the defining factor in a possible rule change suggested by

Frank Cawood.

Dr. Ralph Swearngin, Commissioner of Officials for

the Georgia High School Association, took Mr. Cawood's

suggestion and wrote out a proposal for a rule change based on the upset of

balance between the offense and defense, which is not allowed

on scrimmage downs. Lateral motion would still be allowed but

the kicker would only be allowed to advance and retreat if the ball

fell off the tee or needed to be readjusted. Though the proposed

rule makes a lot of sense, it still has a long way to go.

On January 5,6,7 the National Federation football rules

committee meets to discuss and vote on proposed rule changes. Each

state has a voting and an advisory member. The members are then

split into subcommittees which vote on the proposed changes. If

the change is approved by the subcommittee, it is presented to

the full committee. For the rule to be accepted, it must pass with

two-thirds of the vote, and even then the board of directors has to

approve all proposed changes before they are allowed to go

into effect.

"I won't try to suggest how the committee will vote on any

particular rule, but they tend to vote on the side of safety,"

explained Dr. Swearngin. He also stated that over the years several rules

have been proposed to do away with or modify the onside kick.

"What's different about this rule change is that it keeps the onside kick

but equates it with a play from scrimmage."

As for Joseph Cawood, he has made a tremendous recovery.

He has begun working out and running again, though his

football days may be behind him now. He is the Junior class president

and near the top of his class at Landmark. He plays in the school

band and sings with the chorus as well as being very active in

church. Joseph has gone on missions sponsored by both his church and

Landmark Christian School. " I think the way Joseph responded to

the injury is just a great testimony to his spirit," Frank Cawood said.

There is no blame or ill will in this situation. Serious injuries

occur in sports all the time. They often define the lives of those

who experience them as well as the sports they play. Joseph has

taken his injury in stride and has bounced back quicker than anyone

thought possible. The proposed rule change that has come from

his injury may in fact establish a precedent that will prevent the

same thing from happening again.

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