obsolete sports terms

[BringBackTheVet 10,502]

In football, all of these positions still exist, but I haven't heard these terms used in at least 20 years:

 

Split End

Tailback

H-Back

Flanker

 

Any other words just disappear from the sports lexicon?

[DG_Now 7,954]

9 minutes ago, BringBackTheVet said:

In football, all of these positions still exist, but I haven't heard these terms used in at least 20 years:

 

Split End 

Tailback

H-Back 

Flanker 

  

Any other words just disappear from the sports lexicon? 

 

Breadbasket

Trapezious

Double noggin-knocker

This is a happening

The irresistible force meets the immovable object

Occipital protuberance

Highly unlikely

 

I know this isn't what you're looking for, but Gorilla Monsoon was a national treasure.

 

 

[sc49erfan15 1,489]

Similar, but "defensive halfback" in American football/NFL. I'm aware this term is still used in Canadian football.

 

Also, slotback.

 

The term "placekicker" (and the abbreviation PK) also seems antiquated. I remember playing a game (Scattergories?) in high school and having to name 10 American football positions. I rattled them all off but only got 9... because it was listed as "placekicker" instead of "kicker." I attempted to argue that it was the same thing, to no avail.

[BringBackTheVet 10,502]

13 minutes ago, DG_Now said:

 

Breadbasket

Trapezious

Double noggin-knocker

This is a happening

The irresistible force meets the immovable object

Occipital protuberance

Highly unlikely

 

I know this isn't what you're looking for, but Gorilla Monsoon was a national treasure.

 

 

 

Intestinal fortitude... which, of course, lead to testicular fortitude. 

[Wings 1,559]

12 minutes ago, DG_Now said:

 

Breadbasket

Trapezious

Double noggin-knocker

This is a happening

The irresistible force meets the immovable object

Occipital protuberance 

Highly unlikely

 

I know this isn't what you're looking for, but Gorilla Monsoon was a national treasure.

 

 

 

 

My favorite. Everytime Gorilla would say it, Jesse would reply with a What?! or why didn't you just say "the back". 

[Viper 191]

"Rover" (the seventh position in the early days of ice hockey) and "sweeper" (an all-but-extinct position in soccer; basically a second goalkeeper but not allowed to handle the ball).

[monkeypower 1,710]

39 minutes ago, sc49erfan15 said:

Similar, but "defensive halfback" in American football/NFL. I'm aware this term is still used in Canadian football.

 

Also, slotback.

 

Slotback’s also used in Canadian football (I don’t know if that’s what you already meant by “also”)

[sc49erfan15 1,489]

1 minute ago, monkeypower said:

 

Slotback’s also used in Canadian football (I don’t know if that’s what you already meant by “also”)

 

Yeah, it was. You don't hear it much in American football anymore, but you'll catch it on old NFL Films shows.

[Ferdinand Cesarano 3,457]

Before divisional play in baseball, the term "second division" refered to the bottom half of a league's standings; the teams who finished fifth through eighth were said to finish in the second division. And so people said things like "The Washington Senators, a perennial second-division ballclub..."

 

In the 1970s, the first decade in which relief pitching gained full respect as a proper specialty, the pitchers who finished the games and earn the saves were called "firemen". A fireman differed from today's closer in that there was no expectation of a one-inning appearance. Indeed, the quality firemen could be called upon to pitch three innings, or maybe more.

 

Other baseball terms that are probably still said, but usually self-consciously and with awareness of their archaicness, are "can of corn", "Texas leaguer", and "Baltimore chop".

 

Then there are all the Red Barber-isms that became well-known baseball slang for a generation or two: "sitting in the catbird seat"; "a rhubarb";  "tearing up the pea patch".

 

 

[leopard88 2,180]

11 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

Before divisional play in baseball, the term "second division" refered to the bottom half of a league's standings; the teams who finished fifth through eighth were said to finish in the second division. And so people said things like "The Washington Senators, a perennial second-division ball ballclub..."

 

In the 1970s, the first decade in which relief pitching gained full respect as a proper specialty, the pitchers who finished the games and earn the saves were called "firemen". A fireman differed from today's closer in that there was no expectation of a one-inning appearance. Indeed, the quality firemen could be called upon to pitch three innings, or maybe more.

 

Other baseball terms that are probably still said, but usually self-consciously and with awareness of their archaicness, are "can of corn", "Texas leaguer", and "Baltimore chop".

 

Then there are all the Red Barber-isms that became well-known baseball slang for a generation or two: "sitting in the catbird seat"; "a rhubarb";  "tearing up the pea patch".

 

 

 

"Can of corn" was one of the first ones I thought of when I saw the topic.

[Buc 1,178]

May as well go ahead and add "fullback" to that list...I can't even think of the last time I saw a full-time FB on an NFL field. Maybe Greg Jones or (if he was one) Owen Schmitt??

 

 

[Lafarge 1,264]

Stanley Cup Champion Toronto Maple Leafs

 

11 minutes ago, Buc said:

May as well go ahead and add "fullback" to that list...I can't even think of the last time I saw a full-time FB on an NFL field. Maybe Greg Jones or (if he was one) Owen Schmitt??

 

 

 

The Patriots actually used the fullback a ton this season with James Develin. A vast majority of his snaps were blocking assignments, but he scored 4 rushing TDs and had 12 receptions.

 

 

On 5/6/2019 at 10:15 PM, BringBackTheVet said:

Tailback

 

I still hear tailback pretty often, almost always at the college level.

[See Red 1,330]

 

 

1

On 5/6/2019 at 10:15 PM, BringBackTheVet said:

In football, all of these positions still exist, but I haven't heard these terms used in at least 20 years:

 

Split End

Tailback

H-Back

Flanker

 

Any other words just disappear from the sports lexicon?

 

H-back is still in use, but rare.  Braxton Miller was designated as an H-Back when he moved from QB in Urban Meyer's offense.  Curtis Samuel was considered the same, I believe.

[the admiral 18,184]

"Cover-point" as puck-moving defenseman on power plays.

[BringBackTheVet 10,502]

9 minutes ago, See Red said:

 

H-back is still in use, but rare.  Braxton Miller was designated as an H-Back when he moved from QB in Urban Meyer's offense.  Curtis Samuel was considered the same, I believe.

 

In 2019, isn’t an H back just a second tight end that’s not on the line? Like a tight slot?  Maybe starts in backfield then moves into position. 

[MJWalker45 3,177]

On 5/6/2019 at 10:04 PM, Viper said:

"Rover" (the seventh position in the early days of ice hockey) and "sweeper" (an all-but-extinct position in soccer; basically a second goalkeeper but not allowed to handle the ball).

I still hear sweeper used a bit. Mainly for describing what you want a certain midfield or center back to do rather than a set position though. 

[Red Comet 463]

Haven't heard a lot about NHL teams needing goons or enforcers since offensive rules were vastly liberalized after the '04 Lockout. Probably doesn't help that a lot of enforcers ended up with CTE.

[leopard88 2,180]

Apparently, the term is not actually obsolete, but I can't remember the last time I saw a clipping penalty called in a football game.

 

https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-video-rulebook/clipping/

 

 

It was called all the time back in the 70s when I started watching football.

[fnz 96]

On 5/6/2019 at 10:30 PM, sc49erfan15 said:

Similar, but "defensive halfback" in American football/NFL. I'm aware this term is still used in Canadian football.

 

Also, slotback.

 

The term "placekicker" (and the abbreviation PK) also seems antiquated. I remember playing a game (Scattergories?) in high school and having to name 10 American football positions. I rattled them all off but only got 9... because it was listed as "placekicker" instead of "kicker." I attempted to argue that it was the same thing, to no avail.

 

This sounds like Outburst!

 

If I see the abbreviation PK today, I just assume it's for Penalty Kicks.

[B-Rich 695]

On 5/6/2019 at 10:04 PM, Viper said:

...and "sweeper" (an all-but-extinct position in soccer; basically a second goalkeeper but not allowed to handle the ball).

 

Coach or watch very young (i.e. younger than 12 yrs. old) youth soccer, and you'll see a "sweeper" quite often. 

 

It's kind of the equivalent of playing right field in Little League baseball.