From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids
Texas Longhorn quarterback Vince Young (center top of picture) charging ahead for a touchdown vs Colorado in the 2005 Big 12 Conference college football championship game. The vertical yellow bar is part of the goal post.
A touchdown is the primary method of scoring in American and Canadian football, in which the ball carrier causes the football to break the plane of the end zone, or an eligible receiver catches a forward pass in the end zone, thus earning 6 points for his team (in both codes). The scoring team is also awarded the opportunity for an extra point or a two-point conversion.
The longest touchdown run occurred on November 12th, 2006 - When the 8-1 Chicago Bears faced off against the New York Giants. Giants placekicker Jay Feely attempted a 52 yard Field Goal which fell short of the uprights and was caught by Chicago's DB/PR/KR Devin Hester, 8.5 yards deep in the endzone. After hesitating - common before kneeling the ball for a touchback, he ran it for a touchdown, a total of 108.5 yards and only half a yard longer than the previous record.
After scoring a touchdown, professional football players will generally celebrate by doing some sort of move or dance. These can include a high-five, backflip, spiking the ball, dunking or shooting the ball through the goal post, or a dance. Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, Steve Smith, and Joe Horn (just to name a few) are players known for flamboyant touchdown celebrations. On the other hand, some football greats such as Barry Sanders never celebrated, instead simply handing the ball to the referee. Many players kneel and appear to pray. Despite touchdown celebrations being popular with fans, touchdown celebrations are not allowed in high school and college football, and will result in a fifteen yard penalty. In high school, this results in the conversion being taken from the eighteen yardline, while in college the kickoff must now be fifteen yards from its original position. "Excessive" celebrations are punished in the NFL as well, with a fifteen extra yards on the kickoff and, frequently, a fine of $10,000. Some receivers now appear to accept that they'll be penalized and celebrate anyway. The league's strict rules have drawn criticism from many fans, but the NFL argues that it doesn't want young players imitating the actions of their idols, which can hurt the feelings of other players.
A touchdown is analogous to a rugby try, with the major difference being that for a try the football has to be placed on the ground, a requirement abolished decades ago in gridiron football. The term touchdown is also used in rugby union and rugby league to refer to the physical act of placing the ball down on the ground past the goal line.
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