Perhaps someone heard a garbled voice say "You must construct additional pylons", and they were created.

I do seem to remember the flags. I had forgotten about them. So, I guess you are right, the question needs to be reformulated to be when did the put any kind of upright marker in the corner of the end zone. Thanks for your contribution. Now, BAers, your assignment is getting refocused. Don't let me down! ;-)

Thanks, Pataskala. You've certainly uncovered some good evidence. It looks like we are getting very close to the answer. I suppose,though,that there was a specific date that a requirement for flags in the corners was written into the NCAA rules. I doubt that schools just adopted this on their own in a willy nilly basis.

Thanks, 1stinConvo. Where did you find this elusive information? Or, was it locked in your steel trap memory? ;-)

I Googled "goal line pylon history."
I remembered that it had to be during my time at Ohio because Jack Rhoads talked about it in officiating class. The concept was that the goal line extends inbounds to the outside of the sideline, while every other yard line only extends inbounds to the inside of the sideline.

The other weird placement call is when the ball is coming out of the end zone versus going into the end zone. I am not sure what the current interpretation is but I do recall that it was that if an offensive player is attempting to get out of his own end zone, as long as any part of the ball crosses the "back" edge of the goal line is it out of the end zone. I do not think I have ever seen an offensive player, trying to avoid a safety, reach out and hit the pylon with the ball. It must be in the rules interpretations on how to call that.

I took the class in the winter of the 69-70 year. He was great! I recall he always loved to cite the "official's" discretion rule in the rulebook. The one where he said if he wanted to keep the game clock running in snowstorm in a 50 point blowout he would inform the coaches and do it, because he could!

He also graded MAC officials and he loved to point out mistakes that the previous game officials had made. Multiple penalties during one play, especially if a change of possession occurred were his favorites as I recall.

Got my official card and planned to start calling games the next fall, but Ohio hired me and I stayed on the SID side of the field of college sports.

Yes, he wrote the Ohio HS rule book and maybe the National Federation one as well, but I am not sure about that. He was a treasure and was an excellent teacher.

For you youngsters out there, this was the time you had to take a PE class, and coaches taught at least one class too. Nothing like crab soccer to help round out your education, or bowling. Al Hart's training class was enjoyable too, and of course if you took baseball from Bob Wren, or basketball from Jim Snyder you were learning from Hall of Famers. Took anatomy from Fritz, another really smart guy.

I love the Bobcats but have grown fairly distant from the school over the years. Maybe it was just that what followed those experiences could never be topped. I have a photo of my first year in the athletic department with Wren, Snyder, Hess, Houska, McComb, Gilders, Rohr, etc. Along with the Reese Cup and about six MAC title trophies. In today's world that would make any P5 school proud, let alone a G5 one. Thanks for the opportunity to remember those days.