imported>Phatmatt12188: /* Scored by the offense */Corrected "Division I" to "Division I FBS" (and removed wikilink since that was previously linked within the paragraph). This is because a few sentences later state that this has also occurred in Division I FCS, which is also Division I, necessitating the correction.

2025-01-13T05:46:00Z

Scored by the offense: Corrected "Division I" to "Division I FBS" (and removed wikilink since that was previously linked within the paragraph). This is because a few sentences later state that this has also occurred in Division I FCS, which is also Division I, necessitating the correction.

New page

{{Short description|Scoring play in gridiron football}}
{{For|the defensive position|Safety (gridiron football position)}}
{{good article}}

[[File:J.P. Losman tackled in the end zone by Ty Warren 2006-09-10.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Buffalo Bills]] quarterback [[J. P. Losman]] is tackled by [[New England Patriots]] defensive lineman [[Ty Warren]]. Because Losman was tackled behind his own goal line, this play resulted in a safety for New England.]]
In [[gridiron football]], the '''safety''' ([[American football]]) or '''safety touch''' ([[Canadian football]]) is a scoring play that results in two points being awarded to the scoring team. Safeties can be scored in a number of ways, such as when a ball carrier is [[Tackle (football move)|tackled]] in his own [[end zone]] or when a [[foul (sports)|foul]] is committed by the offense in its own end zone. After a safety is scored in American football, the ball is kicked off to the team that scored the safety from the 20-yard line; in Canadian football, the scoring team also has the options of taking control of the ball at its own 35-yard line or kicking off the ball, also at its own 35-yard line. The ability of the scoring team to receive the ball through a [[Kickoff (gridiron football)|kickoff]] differs from the [[touchdown]] and [[Field goal (American and Canadian football)|field goal]], which require the scoring team to kick the ball off to the scored-upon team.<ref name="What's a Safety Really Worth?" /> Despite being of relatively low point value, safeties can have a significant impact on the result of games,<ref name="All That Work for 2 Points">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/sports/football/theyre-only-2-points-but-safeties-can-be-game-changers.html?pagewanted=all|title=All That Work for 2 Points|last=Belson|first=Ken|date=December 8, 2011|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111231132039/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/sports/football/theyre-only-2-points-but-safeties-can-be-game-changers.html?pagewanted=all|archive-date=December 31, 2011|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and Brian Burke of [[Advanced NFL Stats]] estimated that safeties have a greater abstract value than field goals, despite being worth a point less, due to the field position and reclaimed possession gained off the safety kick.<ref name="What's a Safety Really Worth?">{{cite web|url=http://www.advancednflstats.com/2008/09/whats-safety-really-worth.html|title=What's a Safety Really Worth?|last=Burke|first=Brian|date=September 22, 2008|publisher=[[Advanced NFL Stats]]|access-date=March 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124171249/http://www.advancednflstats.com/2008/09/whats-safety-really-worth.html|archive-date=January 24, 2013|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Safeties are the least common method of scoring in American football<ref name="Do Firms Maximize">{{cite journal|last=Romer|first=David|author-link=David Romer|date=April 2006|title=Do Firms Maximize? Evidence from Professional Football|journal=[[Journal of Political Economy]]|volume=114|issue=2|pages=340–365|url=http://www.mth.msu.edu/~ywang/Misc/David_Romer_JPE_April06.pdf|access-date=October 23, 2012|doi=10.1086/501171|s2cid=9940053|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018014053/http://www.mth.msu.edu/~ywang/Misc/David_Romer_JPE_April06.pdf|archive-date=October 18, 2012|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> but are not rare occurrences<ref name="All That Work for 2 Points" />—a safety has occurred around once every 14 games in the history of the [[National Football League]] (NFL), or about once a week under current scheduling rules.<ref name="All That Work for 2 Points" /> A much rarer occurrence is the one-point (or conversion) safety, which can be scored by the offense on an [[extra point]] or [[two-point conversion]] attempt: these have occurred at least twice in [[NCAA]] [[Division I (NCAA)|Division I]] football since 1996, most recently at the [[2013 Fiesta Bowl]], though no conversion safeties have occurred since 1940 in the NFL. A conversion safety by the defense is also possible, though highly unlikely. Although this has never occurred, it is the only possible way a team could finish with a single point in an American football game.{{#tag:ref|At some levels of play, a [[forfeit (sport)#Gridiron football|forfeit]] would be recorded as a 1–0 result.|group=upper-alpha|name=a}}

==Scoring a safety==
===American football===
In American football, a safety is scored when any of the following conditions occur:<ref name="NFL Rules 2018, p. 44">NFL Rules 2018, Rule 11 ''Scoring'', Section 5 ''Safety'', p. 44.</ref><ref name="NCAA Rules 2011-2012, pp. 80–81">NCAA Rules 2011–2012, pp. 80–81.</ref><ref name="NFHS Rules 2012, pp. 66–67">NFHS Rules 2012, pp. 66–67.</ref>
*The ball carrier is tackled or forced out of bounds in his own end zone.
*The ball becomes [[Dead ball#Gridiron football|dead]] in the end zone, with the exception of an incomplete forward pass, and the defending team is responsible for it being there.
*The offense commits a [[Penalty (gridiron football)|foul]] in its own end zone.

===Canadian football===
In Canadian football, a safety touch is scored when any of the following conditions occur:<ref name="CFL Rules 2011, p. 27">CFL Rules 2011, p. 27.</ref>
*The ball becomes dead in the goal area of the team in possession of the ball
*The ball touches or crosses the dead line or a sideline in goal after having been directed from the field of play into the Goal Area by the team scored against or as the direct result of a blocked scrimmage kick.
*The ball carrier is penalized for intentional grounding or an offside pass in his own goal area.

==Resuming play after a safety==
===American football===
After a safety is scored, the ball is put into play by a [[kickoff (gridiron football)|free kick]]. The team that was scored upon must kick the ball from its own 20-yard line and can [[punt (gridiron football)|punt]], [[drop kick]], or [[place kick]] the ball. Prior to [[2024 NFL season|2024]], a tee could not be used in the NFL; a tee has always been legal in [[high school football|high school]] or [[college football]]. Once the ball has been kicked, it can be caught and advanced by any member of the receiving team, and it can be recovered by the kicking team if the ball travels at least 10 yards or a player of the receiving team touches the ball.<ref name="NFL Rules 2018, pp. 23–25">NFL Rules 2018, Rule 6 ''Free Kicks'', pp. 23–25.</ref><ref name="NCAA Rules 2011-2012, 52–53">NFHS Rules 2012, pp. 15, 46, 52–53.</ref>

===Canadian football===
After scoring a safety touch, the scoring team has the option of taking control of the ball and beginning play from its own 35-yard line, kicking the ball off from its 35-yard line, or accepting a kickoff from the team that conceded the score.<ref name="CFL Rules 2011, p. 29">CFL Rules 2011, p. 29.</ref> When the scored-against team kicks off, it comes from the 35-yard line under amateur rules and from the 25-yard line under CFL rules. If a kickoff is chosen it must be a place kick, and the ball can be held, placed on the ground, or placed on a tee prior to the kick. As in American football, the ball must go at least ten yards before it can be recovered by the kicking team.<ref name="CFL Rules 2011, pp. 36–39">CFL Rules 2011, pp. 36–39.</ref>

== Elective safeties ==
In American football, intentionally conceded safeties are an uncommon strategy. Teams have utilized elective safeties to gain field position for a punt when pinned deep in their own territory<ref name="Belichick's gamble pays off for Patriots">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?id=1653659|title=Belichick's gamble pays off for Patriots|work=[[ESPN.com]]|access-date=March 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104164953/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?id=1653659|archive-date=November 4, 2012|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="No. 25 Iowa 6, Penn State 4">{{cite web|url=http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recap?gid=200410230034&prov=ap|title=No. 25 Iowa 6, Penn State 4|last=Lewerenz|first=Dan|date=October 23, 2004|access-date=March 10, 2013|archive-date=September 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923131545/https://n.rivals.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> and, when ahead near the end of a game, to run down the clock so as to deny the other team a chance to force a [[Turnover (gridiron football)|turnover]] or return a punt.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?story=11812&cat=football|title=Ouch!|first=John|last=Antonik|publisher=West Virginia Mountaineers Sports|date=December 1, 2007|access-date=December 20, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526231814/http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?story=11812&cat=football|archive-date=May 26, 2011|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312670245|title=Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Texas A&M Aggies|work=[[ESPN.com]]|access-date=December 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111218121848/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312670245|archive-date=December 18, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=222920025|title=UCLA Bruins vs. California Golden Bears|work=[[ESPN.com]]|access-date=December 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218201635/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=222920025|archive-date=December 18, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="The Moral of Super Bowl XLVII: Pay Attention to Special Teams">{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/02/the-moral-of-super-bowl-xlvii-pay-attention-to-special-teams/272849/|title=The Moral of Super Bowl XLVII: Pay Attention to Special Teams|last=Craft|first=Kevin|date=February 4, 2013|work=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=March 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313060208/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/02/the-moral-of-super-bowl-xlvii-pay-attention-to-special-teams/272849/|archive-date=March 13, 2013|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Teams have also taken intentional safeties by kicking a loose ball out the back of their end zone (which is an illegal kick), with the intent of preventing the defense from scoring a touchdown.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nfl/longterm/1999/playoffs/articles/nfc24.htm|title=Warner, St. Louis Struggle Past Tampa Bay|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 24, 2000|access-date=October 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411211210/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nfl/longterm/1999/playoffs/articles/nfc24.htm|archive-date=April 11, 2014|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Mark Sanchez Intentionally Kicks The Ball Out Of The Back Of The Endzone In The Saddest Play Of The Weekend">{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-sanchez-kicks-ball-2012-10|title=Mark Sanchez Intentionally Kicks The Ball Out Of The Back Of The Endzone In The Saddest Play Of The Weekend|last=Manfred|first=Tony|date=October 21, 2012|work=[[Business Insider]]|access-date=March 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513120101/http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-sanchez-kicks-ball-2012-10|archive-date=May 13, 2013|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In the NFL, starting with the 2023 season, a defense can decline a safety in favor of accepting a penalty committed in the end zone by the offense.<ref name=zebra/> An example where a defense may choose to do this could be an illegal kick committed in the end zone by the offense (such as may occur following a bad snap on an attempted punt) on fourth down; rather than allowing the play to result in a safety, the defense could accept the penalty, which for an illegal kick is 10 yards (or no more than half the distance to the goal line) from the prior spot of the ball and a loss of down.<ref name=zebra/> With the infraction committed on fourth down, this would result in a change of possession, with the team that was on defense now having possession of the ball close to their opponent's goal line.<ref name=zebra>{{cite web |url=https://www.footballzebras.com/2023/09/defenses-can-now-decline-a-safety-in-some-cases-heres-how-this-could-be-a-literal-gamechanger/ |title=Defenses can now decline a safety in some cases. Here's how this could be a literal gamechanger. |first=Ben |last=Austro |website=Football Zebras |date=September 9, 2023 |accessdate=December 21, 2023}}</ref>

Elective safeties are more common in Canadian football, where they can result in better field position than a punt. The [[2010 Edmonton Eskimos season|2010 Edmonton Eskimos]] surrendered a [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL)-record 14 safeties, a factor that led CFL reporter [[Jim Mullin]] to suggest increasing the value of the safety touch from two to three points as a deterrent.<ref name="Mullin: Changing the Game - 3 point safety">{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/article/mullin-changing-the-game-part-1|title=Mullin: Changing the Game - 3 point safety|author=Mullin, Jim|author-link=Jim Mullin|publisher=[[Canadian Football League|CFL.ca]] |date= January 29, 2011 |access-date=March 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624112154/http://www.cfl.ca/article/mullin-changing-the-game-part-1|archive-date=June 24, 2012|url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

{{anchor|conversion}}
==Conversion safeties (one-point safeties)==

=== Scored by the offense ===
In American football, if a team attempting an [[extra point]] or [[two-point conversion]] (officially known in the rulebooks as a try) scores what would normally be a safety, that attempting team is awarded one point.<ref name="NFL Rules 2018, p. 42">NFL Rules 2018, Rule 11 ''Scoring'', Section 3 ''Try'', p. 42.</ref><ref name="NCAA Rules 2011-2012, pp. 77–79">NCAA Rules 2011–2012, pp. 77–79.</ref><ref name="NFHS Rules 2012, pp. 65–66">NFHS Rules 2012, pp. 65–66.</ref> This is commonly known as a '''conversion safety''' or '''one-point safety'''.<ref name="NFHS Rules 2012, pp. 65–66" /><ref name="TMQ Nation">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/071219|title=TMQ Nation Fires Back|last=Easterbrook|first=Greg|author-link=Gregg Easterbrook|date=December 19, 2007|work=[[ESPN.com]]|access-date=November 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222020124/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook%2F071219|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The first known occurrence of the conversion safety was in an [[NCAA University Division]] (now [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|NCAA FBS]]) game on October 2, 1971, scored by [[Syracuse Orange football|Syracuse]] in a game at [[Indiana Hoosiers football|Indiana]]. On a failed point-after-touchdown kick, an Indiana player illegally batted the ball in the end zone (a spot foul defensive penalty).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/547715115|work=The Bedford Daily-Times Mail|location=Bedford, Indiana|date=October 3, 1971|volume=6|number=5|page=25|first=Bob|last=Hammel|title=Hungry crowd finds a 'Darling' in defense|quote=Kicker George Bodine's effort was far short, and [Mike] Heizman, standing in front of the goal posts, reacted to the falling ball by swatting it away, mosquito-swatting style. Center Greg Aulk fell on the ball for Syracuse. ... 'It was just a reflex action,' Heizman said. 'I never even thought about the ball being live.'|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 28, 2020|archive-date=January 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127112850/http://www.newspapers.com/image/547715115/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/438047796/|title=College Football Notes|work=The Vincennes Sun-Commercial|location=Vincennes, Indiana|volume=41|number=212|date=October 6, 1971|page=17|quote=Syracuse was trying to kick the extra point after taking a 6-0 lead. The ball was kicked almost straight up in the air and was coming down obviously short of the crossbar when an Indiana player [illegally] batted the ball down in the end zone and Syracuse recovered.|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 28, 2020|archive-date=January 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126235340/http://www.newspapers.com/image/438047796/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=The Shreveport Journal|location=Shreveport, Louisiana|date=October 5, 1971|page=10A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/601879368/|title=Grambling TV rating 'low'|first=Herschel|last=Nissenson|volume=77|access-date=January 14, 2020|archive-date=January 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114132757/https://www.newspapers.com/image/601879368/|url-status=live}}</ref> There are two other known occurrences of the conversion safety in Division I FBS college football – a November 26, 2004, game in which [[2004 Texas Longhorns football team|Texas]] scored against [[2004 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]], and the [[2013 Fiesta Bowl]] in which [[2012 Oregon Ducks football team|Oregon]] scored against [[2012 Kansas State Wildcats football team|Kansas State]].<ref name="One-point safety adds spice to dull Fiesta Bowl">{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/01/03/fiesta-bowl-kansas-state-oregon-one-point-safety/1808299/|title=One-point safety adds spice to dull Fiesta Bowl|last=Myerburg|first=Paul|date=January 4, 2013|work=[[USA Today]]|access-date=March 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318205227/http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/01/03/fiesta-bowl-kansas-state-oregon-one-point-safety/1808299/|archive-date=March 18, 2013|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In both games, the point-after-touchdown kick was blocked and recovered by the defense, which then fumbled or threw the ball back into its own end zone.<ref name="Oregon 1-Point Safety: Kansas State Blocks Ducks' Extra Point Attempt But Gives Up Unlikely Point">{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/oregon-one-point-safety-kansas-state-fiesta_n_2406675.html|title=Oregon 1-Point Safety: Kansas State Blocks Ducks' Extra Point Attempt But Gives Up Unlikely Point|last=Greenburg|first=Chris|date=January 4, 2013|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|access-date=March 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410175414/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/oregon-one-point-safety-kansas-state-fiesta_n_2406675.html|archive-date=April 10, 2013|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> A conversion safety has occurred once in [[NCAA Division I-AA|Division I-AA]] (now [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|NCAA FCS]]) where [[Nevada Wolf Pack football|Nevada]] scored a conversion safety against [[North Texas Mean Green football|North Texas]] on September 21, 1991<ref>{{cite news|work=Reno Gazette-Journal|location=Reno, Nevada|date=September 22, 1991|page=3D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/153160886/|title=Clafton sets Wolf Pack tackle record, hints freshman Milliken could break it|first=John|last=Trent|access-date=January 14, 2020|archive-date=January 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114134114/https://www.newspapers.com/image/153160886/|url-status=live}}</ref> and twice in [[NCAA Division II|Division II]]: once by [[Morningside University|Morningside College]] on November 9, 1996, against [[Northern Colorado Bears football|Northern Colorado]],<ref>{{cite news|work=Sioux City Journal|location=Sioux City, Iowa|date=November 10, 1996|page=D1, D6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/336771535/|title=M'side suffers 17-7 loss|first=Terry|last=Hersom|volume=133|number=75|access-date=January 14, 2020|archive-date=January 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114134118/https://www.newspapers.com/image/336771535/|url-status=live}}</ref> and once by [[Emory and Henry College]] on October 8, 2022, against [[University of Virginia's College at Wise]].<ref>{{cite journal|url= https://www.gowasps.com/sports/fball/2022-23/releases/20221008rv4yxg|title= Emory & Henry Football Rolls Past UVA Wise, 34-14, In Southwest Virginia Bowl Saturday|date=8 October 2022|access-date=2022-10-14|website=GoWasps.com|quote=The resulting PAT was blocked, but the Cavaliers attempt at a return failed to leave the end zone, resulting in the most elusive scoring play in football – a one-point safety.}}</ref> There are also at least four known NCAA [[NCAA Division III|Division III]] occurrences, the first being on October 20, 1990, scored by [[DePauw University]] against [[Anderson University (Indiana)|Anderson University]];<ref>{{cite news|work=Marshfield News-Herald|location=Marshfield, Wisconsin|date=May 9, 1991|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/268024715/|title=A one-pointer|volume=71|number=58|access-date=January 14, 2020|archive-date=January 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114132804/https://www.newspapers.com/image/268024715/|url-status=live}}</ref> the second on October 23, 1993, scored by [[Salisbury University|Salisbury State]] against [[Wesley College (Delaware)|Wesley College]];<ref>{{cite news|work=The News Journal|location=Wilmington, Delaware|date=October 24, 1993|page=D-10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/156515888/|title=Wesley gets revenge on Gulls 45-30|first=Ed|last=Murphy|volume=19|number=43|access-date=January 14, 2020|archive-date=January 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114132853/https://www.newspapers.com/image/156515888/|url-status=live}}</ref> the third on November 11, 2000, scored by [[Hamline University]] against [[St. Thomas Tommies football|St. Thomas-Minnesota]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tommiesports.com/sports/fball/2000-01/releases/11-11-2000-ust-football-wins-finale-over-hamline-1913.html|title=UST football wins finale over Hamline, 19-13|date=2000-11-11|work=University of St. Thomas|access-date=2018-07-09|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709094549/https://www.tommiesports.com/sports/fball/2000-01/releases/11-11-2000-ust-football-wins-finale-over-hamline-1913.html|archive-date=2018-07-09|url-status=live}}</ref> and the most recent scored by [[Bluffton University Football|Bluffton University]] against [[Franklin College (Indiana)]] on November 9, 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|last=FootballScoopVideos|title=1 Pt Safety|website=[[YouTube]] |date=2014-04-16|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14VG2S-MRy4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/14VG2S-MRy4 |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|access-date=2018-05-02}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bluffton.edu/athletics/football/2013/11-09-13.htm|title=Franklin College vs Bluffton University (11-09-13)|website=www.bluffton.edu|access-date=2018-05-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713022927/http://www.bluffton.edu/athletics/football/2013/11-09-13.htm|archive-date=2014-07-13|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://footballscoop.com/archive-news/you-might-never-see-a-play-like-this-again-in-your-lifetime/|title=You might never see a play like this again in your lifetime - FootballScoop|last=Barnett|first=Zach|date=2014-04-16|work=FootballScoop|access-date=2018-05-02|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502211129/http://footballscoop.com/archive-news/you-might-never-see-a-play-like-this-again-in-your-lifetime/|archive-date=2018-05-02|url-status=live}}</ref> One-point safeties have also occurred in an [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]] game and two junior college games.<ref>{{cite news|work=Santa Cruz Sentinel|volume=135|number=251|location=Santa Cruz, California|date=September 11, 1992|page=D-1, D-4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/71352587/|title=Cabrillo off to big start, 41-19|access-date=January 17, 2020|archive-date=August 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812064057/https://www.newspapers.com/image/71352587/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=Standard-Speaker|location=Hazleton, Pennsylvania|date=September 8, 1996|page=B8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/59788114/|title=One-point safety!|access-date=January 17, 2020|archive-date=September 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922102555/https://www.newspapers.com/image/59788114/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=Los Angeles Times (Valley Edition)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/158571719/|title=Results, College Football, Western States Conference|page=C11|date=September 22, 1996|access-date=January 17, 2020|archive-date=September 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922122338/https://www.newspapers.com/image/158571719/|url-status=live}}</ref>

No conversion safeties have been scored in the NFL since 1940, although it is now slightly more likely after the rule change in 2015 which allowed the defense to take possession and score on a conversion attempt. Before 2015, the only scenario in which a one-point safety could have been scored in the NFL would have involved, on a conversion attempt in which the ball was not kicked by the offense, the defense then kicking or batting a loose ball out of its own end zone without taking possession of the ball, giving the offense a one-point safety.<ref name="In Praise of the One-Point Safety">{{cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2013/01/04/2013-fiesta-bowl-oregon-kansas-state-one-point-safety/|title=In Praise of the One-Point Safety|last=Bialik|first=Carl|date=January 3, 2013|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=March 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212043548/http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2013/01/04/2013-fiesta-bowl-oregon-kansas-state-one-point-safety/|archive-date=February 12, 2013|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/22/nfl-may-see-its-first-one-point-safety/|title=NFL may see its first one-point safety|date=May 22, 2015|first=Michael David|last=Smith|website=Profootballtalk.com|publisher=NBC Universal|access-date=2020-01-15|archive-date=2020-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202091119/https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/22/nfl-may-see-its-first-one-point-safety/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thephinsider.com/2018/3/3/17063556/football-101-the-one-point-safety|publisher=Vox Media|website=The Phinsider|access-date=2020-01-15|title=Football 101: The one-point safety|date=March 3, 2018|first=Kevin|last=Nogle|archive-date=2020-11-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105030622/https://www.thephinsider.com/2018/3/3/17063556/football-101-the-one-point-safety|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|website=Quirky Research|url=http://www.quirkyresearch.com/2013/01/04/one-point-safety/|title=One-point safety|first=Jeremy|last=Snyder|date=January 4, 2013|access-date=2020-01-15|archive-date=2020-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114032419/http://www.quirkyresearch.com/2013/01/04/one-point-safety/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Scored by the defense ===
A conversion safety can also be scored by the defense.<ref name="NCAA Rules 2011-2012, pp. 77–79" /><ref name="NFL Rules 2018, p. 42" /> This scoring play has never occurred; to accomplish this, the team attempting the try must somehow be forced back to its own end zone. A possible scenario in the NFL and NCAA would involve a turnover while attempting a conversion, followed by the defending team's ball-carrier fumbling while en route to the [[Two-point conversion#Defensive two-point conversion|attempting team's end zone]], with the attempting team then recovering the ball and, after establishing possession outside the end zone, downing it in its own end zone (this scenario is not possible in high school football, as a turnover would end the conversion attempt; such a conversion safety could occur only if the offense maintains possession). While such a conversion safety has never been scored by the defense, it is the only possible way under current rules in which a team could finish with a single point in an American football game.<ref group="upper-alpha" name="a" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sbnation.com/2016/12/7/13856392/chart-party-scorigami |title=Chart Party: Scorigami, or the story of every NFL final score that has ever happened |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=December 7, 2016 |website=SBNation |access-date=February 12, 2017 |at=18:15 in the video for the discussion of possibilities for a one-point defensive safety |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213000717/http://www.sbnation.com/2016/12/7/13856392/chart-party-scorigami |archive-date=February 13, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of safety records]]
*[[Touchback]]
*[[Own goal]]

==Notes==
=== Footnotes ===
{{Reflist|group=upper-alpha}}

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/uploads/assets/CFL/PDF_Docs/CFL_Rule_Book_2011.pdf|title=Canadian Football League Rule Book|year=2011|publisher=[[Canadian Football League]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511072051/http://www.cfl.ca/uploads/assets/CFL/PDF_Docs/CFL_Rule_Book_2011.pdf|archive-date=2012-05-11}}
*{{cite journal|url=http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/FR12.pdf|title=NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations|publisher=[[National Collegiate Athletic Association]]|year=2011–2012|last=Redding|first=Rogers|journal=Ncaa Water Polo Rules|editor-last=Halpin|editor-first=Ty|issn=0736-5144|access-date=2012-11-14|archive-date=2013-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819102700/http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/FR12.pdf|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.bchighschoolfootball.com/media/leagues/can_bc_bchsfa/graphics/2011_NFHS_Football_Rules.pdf|title=NFHS Football Rules Book|year=2011|publisher=Gardener, Robert B.. [[National Federation of State High School Associations|NFHS Publications]]|editor=Colgate, Bob|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415174158/http://www.bchighschoolfootball.com/media/leagues/can_bc_bchsfa/graphics/2011_NFHS_Football_Rules.pdf|archive-date=2013-04-15}}
*{{cite web|url=https://operations.nfl.com/media/3277/2018-nfl-rulebook_final-version.pdf|title=2018 Official Playing Rules of the National Football League|year=2018|publisher=[[National Football League]]|access-date=2019-01-28|archive-date=2018-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214230909/https://operations.nfl.com/media/3277/2018-nfl-rulebook_final-version.pdf|url-status=live}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp4TeP4rw0s 1 point safety Oregon vs. Kansas State] via [[YouTube]]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la7DjepAsA8 (NFL) Every Super Bowl Safety] via YouTube

{{American football concepts}}

[[Category:American football terminology]]
[[Category:Canadian football terminology]]

Safety (gridiron football score) - Revision history