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 by the kicker's helmet. Barker stayed down on the field for several 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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