ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The concept of no tackling in practice, University of New Mexico football coach Bob Davie said on Monday, is by no means new.
Yet, the revolution continues.
Recently, the Ivy League’s eight head football coaches voted to eliminate all full contact (tackling to the ground) in practices during the season. Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens has gone much further, having banned player-to-player tackling in all of his team’s practices — spring, preseason and in season — since 2010.
Dartmouth players instead hit pads, tackling dummies and a specially designed “mobile virtual player.”
The obvious goal: to prevent or at least restrict injuries, concussions in particular.