Fifty years ago, the NCAA tied up a loose end. Having already ruled that college freshmen in other sports (and at other levels) would be eligible for varsity ball, it declared that the same rules would apply in major college football and basketball. In an effort to cut costs, it added an extra layer of lore to already lore-rich sports.
"It is not certain that all of the well known football and basketball powers will use players coaches may consider too inexperienced," The New York Times reported in January 1972. "A recent poll of major college football coaches indicated they were 2 to 1 against using freshmen on varsity teams.