Football is full of unusual rules, but one of the rarest and least understood is the one-point safety. Unlike the standard safety worth two points, the one-point version appears only in extremely specific situations. It’s so uncommon that many fans and even some players have never witnessed it in a live game.
A one-point safety can only occur during a point after touchdown (PAT) attempt or a two-point conversion attempt. Normally, teams score one point with a kicked extra point or two points with a successful conversion. But if the defense gains possession during the play and then ends up committing a safety in its own end zone, the offensive team is awarded a single point.
In other words, it’s the only way a team can score exactly one point in American football outside of the traditional extra-point kick.
Though it’s technically possible, the one-point safety requires a very unusual sequence of events. For example:
The result: the offense, instead of earning two points, is awarded just one.
The rarity comes down to probability. Most conversion attempts are either successful or stopped quickly by the defense. For the defending team to gain possession and then give up a safety in the same sequence is extremely unlikely.
In fact, one-point safeties have only been recorded a handful of times in college football history, and they remain practically nonexistent in the NFL.
While the NFL has never seen a one-point safety in a regular game, college football has provided a few instances. Perhaps the most famous occurred in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, when Oregon was awarded a single point after Kansas State’s defense ended up committing a safety during a blocked PAT attempt.
Moments like these are so rare that they immediately become trivia highlights, reminding fans of football’s complex and sometimes quirky rulebook.
The rule ensures that all scenarios during conversion attempts are accounted for. Without it, certain plays could result in unclear outcomes or loopholes. By establishing the one-point safety, the rulebook closes those gaps and provides consistency in scoring.
It’s less about expecting the rule to be applied frequently and more about covering every possible situation that might arise on the field.
The one-point safety rule is one of the strangest and least-seen scoring plays in football. While fans may never witness it firsthand, its presence in the rulebook highlights the sport’s attention to detail and commitment to addressing every possible outcome. Next time you’re watching a conversion attempt, keep in mind—however unlikely—it’s technically possible to see a team earn just a single point in one of the rarest ways imaginable.
