Horse-collar tackle

Example of a horse-collar tackle made by an ISU player (red and gold) on a player. The tackler's right hand has grabbed the Cowboy runner's collar and is using it to pull him down from behind.

The horse-collar tackle is a gridiron football maneuver in which a defender tackles another player by grabbing the back collar or the back-inside of an opponent's shoulder pads and pulling the ball carrier directly downward violently in order to pull his feet from underneath him. The technique is most closely associated with Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams.

After being blamed for a series of major injuries in the 2004 season, the horse-collar tackle was banned from the NFL during the 2005 off-season. The rule forbidding it is often referred to in the press as "The Roy Williams Rule".[1] The rule, with modifications, was adopted in college football in 2008 and high school football in 2009.

  1. ^ Eric O'Keefe (2005-05-27). "Roy Williams Will Play by Rules, Including His Own". The New York Times.