Tag: sports history

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NFL General

Jan 4 in Sports History: More NFL playoff history


In 1976: The Dallas Cowboys became the first Wild Card team to reach the Super Bowl with a 37-7 drubbing of the Los Angeles Rams on the road. Roger Staubach, who had tortured the Vikings the week before with a miracle “Hail Mary” pass in the final seconds, threw for four touchdown passes in the blowout victory. The Cowboys were unable to complete the dream, as they lost in the Super Bowl to Pittsburgh.

In 1981: What does Sportscolumnhave against the Cleveland Browns? Nothing really — but when the Daily History writer is from Pittsburgh, these things get mentioned. Another January Sunday, another Cleveland Browns colossal playoff failure. This time, Browns’ quarterback Brian Sipe, kicker Don Cockcroft and coach Sam Rutigliano did the honors as the Browns blew another one they could’ve had. The warm weather Oakland Raiders were greeted with minus 37 degree wind chills (and snow balls from the Cleveland fans). But it was the Browns who were frozen, as Cockcroft missed three field goals and an extra point and Sipe threw three interceptions in a 14-12 loss. Cleveland drove to the Raiders 13 yard line in the final minutes, but Rutigliano elected not to have Cockcroft kick the game-winner (he did make two earlier) and called the infamous “Red Right 88” Sipe’s pass was intercepted by Mike Davis, and the Raiders went on to become the first Wild Card team to win a Super Bowl.

In 1980: President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States Olympic Team would be boycotting the Summer Games in Moscow later that year. In a highly criticized reaction to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan a few months earlier, hundreds of American athletes were not allowed to compete in their only chance to win an Olympic medal. The Soviets responded by not boycotting the upcoming Lake Placid Winter Games (we’re thankful for that- there wouldn’t have been a ‘Miracle On Ice’) but instead by skipping the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Both boycotts backfired, as the Soviets went unchallenged in 1980 and the U.S. had no competition in ’84. Really, it was just stupid, silly politics getting in the way of some great athletic contests. Carter wasn’t re-elected that year.

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College Football

Jan 2 in Sports History: Bowl history



Tom Orborne’s got the stones

In 1984: The upstart Miami Hurricanes shocked heavily favored and previously undefeated Nebraska in the Orange Bowl to win the national title. The Huskers were an unstoppable force in 1983, piling up record amounts of points and yards behind All-Americans Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar. The Hurricanes (the only team to win a national title with zero All-Americans) jumped out early, however, and led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Cornhuskers came back to tie the score before Miami opened up a 31-17 lead in the fourth quarter. Nebraska, which had scored over 600 points in the regular season, made a stirring comeback. With under a minute remaining, quarterback Turner Gill flipped the ball to Jeff Smith (who had replaced an injured Rozier) on an option to score a touchdown to make it 31-30. Coach Tom Osborne could have gone for the tie and locked away the national championship. But in one of the ballsiest moves ever, he decided to go for two and the outright win. Gill’s pass was deflected away by Miami’s Kelly Calhoun, and instead of Nebraska cementing their legacy as one of the greatest teams ever, Miami’s dynasty had begun.

In 1987: A few years later in the Fiesta Bowl, the tables were turned on the Hurricanes in the 1986 national title game against Penn State. Coming in undefeated and unchallenged (they had whipped no. 2 Oklahoma earlier in the year) Miami had a smothering defense and a dynamic offense led by Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde. Penn State relied on a clock-swallowing running game and a physical defense to hold the Hurricanes down 14-10 for the upset. Two untimely Testaverde interceptions (and you wondered where they came from?) ultimately doomed Miami’s chances.

In 2003: Miami’s run of bad luck in the Fiesta Bowl (they have lost all four times they played there) continued, this one in heart-wrenching fashion. The teams battled to a 17-17 tie at the end of regulation, and Miami scored in the first OT to make it 24-17. Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel threw a desperation fourth-down pass that fell incomplete, prompting a wild celebration by the Hurricanes and their fans. A very controversial late flag flew (by about 4 seconds) and pass interference was called against the Miami defender. Ohio State was given new life, and they were able to take advantage and tie the game and eventually win it in the second overtime, 31-24. Miami felt they were robbed of their second straight national title and the Buckeyes won their first crown since 1968.

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NFL General

Dec 28 in Sports History: The Greatest Game Ever Played

In 1958: It is known as the “Greatest Game Ever Played,” and it was the first NFL game to go into overtime. The Colts, led by a young Johnny Unitas, defeated the New York Giants 23-17 in Yankee Stadium to win the NFL championship. The highly anticipated game saw the Colts blow a 14-3 halftime lead, only to rally to tie the game in the final seconds behind the coolness of Unitas. Fullback Alan Ameche’s famous one-yard plunge clinched Baltimore’s first NFL title. The game was a coming out party for Unitas, who, a few years earlier was a Pittsburgh Steelers castoff playing semi-pro ball. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 349 yards, and converted many key first downs. Not only did the game make Unitas an icon, the high television ratings were a sign of things to come for the burgeoning league. The Colts defeated the Giants again the following year in the NFL Championship game

In 1975: The “Hail Mary” was born on a frozen Metropolitan Stadium field in Minnesota. Trailing the Vikings 14-10 with just 24 seconds left to play, Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Roger Staubach flung a desperation pass from the 50-yard line down the right sideline in the direction of receiver Drew Pearson and Vikings’ defender Nate Wright. Pearson came down with it at the 5 and ran into the end zone for the stunning score. The Vikings protested that Pearson had pushed off Wright (which he later admitted to intentionally doing), but the field judge (who was hit in the head with a whiskey bottle for missing the call) upheld the touchdown and the Cowboys stole one from the Vikings 17-14. The Cowboys won the following week on the road as well, before losing to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

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Pittsburgh Penguins

Dec 27 in Sports History: Mario Returns

In 2000: You’ve always heard of player/managers before, but a player/owner? Well, when your owner happens to be one of the greatest players of all time, it’s not that outrageous. Still, when Mario Lemieux, who had bought the team out of bankruptcy to become the team’s majority owner, joined the Penguins lineup, it was a professional sports first. Lemieux’s no. 66 came down from the rafters, and the Penguins instantly became Stanley Cup contenders. Despite sitting for three-and-a-half years, Lemieux didn’t miss a beat, as he had a goal and two assists to lead the Penguins to a 5-0 rout of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mario kept up the pace for the rest of the year, tallying 76 points in the team’s final 43 games. Lemieux added 17 points in the playoffs to help guide Pittsburgh all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Lemieux retired for good in January of 2006.

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Pittsburgh Steelers

Dec 26 in Sports History: Holiday History


On Dec. 23, 1972: The Pittsburgh Steelers first-ever home playoff game ended with an absolute miracle. The Steelers were hosting the Oakland Raiders and had just fallen behind 7-6 with less than a minute left. On 4th and 10 at their own 40 yard line, Steelers’ quarterback Terry Bradshaw dropped back to pass but had nobody to throw to, so he just tossed the ball up for grabs. The ball reached Steelers’ back John “Frenchy” Fuqua and Raiders’ safety Jack Tatum at the exact same time. Tatum was too selfish to just knock the ball away, and was more concerned with knocking Fuqua out. The ball ricocheted away and the instant before it hit the turf, Steelers rookie fullback Franco Harris grabbed it and raced the rest of the way for a 60-yard touchdown, much to the shock of everyone inside Three Rivers Stadium. The Raiders and coach John Madden protested that the ball had touched Fuqua, which, according to rules at the time, would have made it an illegal catch because a pass was not allowed to touch two offensive players. The Immaculate Reception (the term was originally thought of by some fans at a bar after the game—not by anyone on TV or in the newspaper) stood and has been called the greatest play in NFL history. (Shame on You Tube for pulling a video down of the original broadcast of the play, which debunked many myths about its illegality). The Steelers lost in the AFC title game the following week to Miami.

On Dec. 24, 1977: The Raiders were on the other end of a classic playoff game, this time beating the Baltimore Colts 37-31 in double overtime. The game see-sawed back and forth, with the Raiders methodically moving the ball and scoring while the Colts thrilled the home crowd with big plays, including a long interception return and a kickoff return for touchdowns. Both teams bogged down in the first overtime and couldn’t get into scoring position. In the second overtime, Oakland’s Ken Stabler found receiver Dave Casper in the end zone on the famous “Ghost to the Post” play, which was Casper’s third touchdown of the day. It was the third longest game in NFL history. Oakland lost to Denver the following week in the AFC Championship game.

On Dec. 25, 1971: It was a long Christmas in Kansas City, as the Chiefs and the Dolphins played the longest game in NFL history in the first round of the playoffs. The defending champion Chiefs and the upstart Dolphins traded scores on their way to a 24-24 deadlock at the end of regulation. As brilliant as the first 60 minutes were, the next 24 were just as sloppy. Each team’s kickers missed easy field goals that could have ended it. Only when Miami’s Garo Yupremian connected on a 37-yarder midway through the second overtime did it end. Miami went on to lose to Dallas in the Super Bowl.

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Washington Redskins

Dec 21 in Sports History: Vince Lombardi’s last game


In 1969: Vince Lombardi coached his last NFL game with the Washington Redskins, losing 20-10 to Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys. Ironically, Landry became coach of the Cowboys on the same day 10 years earlier. Lombardi took a terrible Green Bay Packers team and led them to five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls. He had a lifetime record of 105-35-6. Although Lombardi would be dead of cancer just nine months later, his legacy as an NFL coach is still unmatched.

In 1997: Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions became the third player in NFL history (O.J Simpson, Eric Dickerson) to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. Sanders’ 184 yards that day gave him a total of 2,053 for the season and helped the Lions clinch a playoff spot with an important 13-10 win over the New York Jets. It was the 14th straight 100-yard game of the season for Sanders, also an NFL record. Sanders retired after the following season despite being on the brink of passing Walter Payton on the NFL’s all-time rushing list. Sanders is the only player to have 1,000 yards in ten straight seasons.

Sanders’ moment was somewhat overshadowed when teammate Reggie Brown was severely injured in the same game. Brown collided with a Jets’ player and lay motionless on the turf for almost 20 minutes while paramedics scrambled to save his life. He suffered a career-ending spinal injury, but was able to walk again.

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NFL General

Dec 20 in Sports History: The Sweet Sound of Silence


In 1980: In a move that was either experimental or lazy, NBC decided not to use game announcers for their broadcast between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. Instead of hearing someone like Beasley Reece yap about how the Dolphins “are going to have to put points on the scoreboard to win,” viewers were treated to a blissful, if not eerie silence. Apparently, people complained because NBC never tried it again. If only FOX had replicated this move during that Minnesota-Green Bay playoff game a few years ago. The Jets won 24-17, if you care.

In 1998: In a 30-22 win against the Tennessee Oilers, Brett Favre became the first NFL quarterback to throw for 30 or more touchdowns in five consecutive seasons. Favre has thrown for at least 30 touchdowns eight times in his career, the most recent coming in 2004.

In 1946: Sugar Ray Robinson defeated Tommy Bell at Madison Square Garden to become welterweight champion. Robinson held the title for five years, had a 91-match winning streak, a career record of 175-19-6, and was never knocked out. He also had his nickname stolen repeatedly from future fighters.

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Edmonton Oilers

Dec 19 in Sports History: Gretzky’s youngest to 1000 goals


In 1984: Wayne Gretzky, in a victory over the Los Angeles Kings, became the fastest player ever (23 years old) to reach 1,000 points in his career. Gretzky did it in only 424 games, which beat the former fastest Guy Lafleur by over 300 games. Gretzky would score his 400th goal a month later, also making him the fastest to 400 goals. To put Gretzky’s 1,000 points into perspective: The Great One reached 1,000 in only his sixth season. Mark Messier needed 12 years to reach 1,000, Ronnie Francis took 13, and Gordie Howe had to wait 14 years to reach the milestone. They are the three players behind Gretzky on the all-time scoring leader’s list. Today’s current leader, Sidney Crosby of the Penguins, better step it up quick if he wants to break Gretzky’s record. Sid the Kid would need to average 179 points a year, but nobody has scored that many since 1989.

In 1999: Offensive lineman Orlando Brown of the Cleveland Browns suffered a career-threatening eye injury in a game against Jacksonville. Was it an accidental poke suffered in the trenches from a Jaguar’s defender? No, it was a careless toss of the flag by a foolish NFL referee. While flagging Brown for holding, official Jeff Triplette needlessly Elwayed his flag – which was weighted with bb’s for some reason — and struck Brown in the right eye. Brown reacted angrily and shoved Triplette to the ground. He was ejected and suspended indefinitely by the NFL. He returned to play for the Baltimore Ravens in 2003 and eventually received a multi-million dollar settlement from the NHL. Triplette was never disciplined for the incident.

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Miami Dolphins

Dec 18 in Sports History: Dolphins go undefeated


In 1972: With a 16-0 shutout of the Baltimore Colts, the Miami Dolphins (14-0) clinched the first-ever undefeated, untied regular season in NFL history. The ’72 Dolphins are not considered by many to be the most dominant team in history, although they did lead the league in scoring (385 pts) and gave up the fewest (171) behind the “No-Name Defense.” They won despite the fact that starting quarterback Bob Griese went down in the fifth game with an injury and did not return until the AFC Championship game. Earl Morrall, who was 38 years old by then, quietly took the reins and led the league in passing efficiency. Running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris became the first teammates to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Of course, the Dolphins won three straight in the postseason to finish 17-0; and now it’s just annoying when they annually pop the champagne when the last undefeated team in the NFL loses a game.

In 1973: Exactly 21 years, six months and 12 days before his ex-wife and her friend were found murdered, OJ Simpson ran a sweep left against the New York Jets for a short gain. That run on the cold, muddy Shea Stadium turf helped Simpson become the first ever NFL player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. He finished with 2,003 yards, won the league MVP and led the usually moribund Buffalo Bills to a winning record and almost a playoff berth. Other than that, nothing else ever happened in Simpson’s life and he plays golf all the time now.

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Chicago Bears

Dec 11 in Sports History: The Super Bowl Shuffle

In 1985: On the very same day in the very same city, the awesomeness of “The Super Bowl Shuffle” was unleashed by the Chicago Bears “Shufflin’ Crew” upon an unsuspecting football public. The horrible-but-so-hilariously-uncomfortable video was recorded by the 12-1 Bears the day after they lost their only game of the season, 38-24 in Miami. For those too young to remember, you missed solid gold raps like “My name is Sweetness, and I like to dance, runnin’ the ball is like makin’ romance” by the late/great Walter Payton, hall of famer and classy guy (I swear). Don’t forget William “The Refrigerator” Perry’s “You’re lookin’ at the Fridge (duh, we thought it was Matt Suey), I’m the rookie, I may be large but I’m no dumb cookie.” It went on like this. For almost six “thank God that wasn’t my dad” minutes.

Two questions, though. One, where was Ditka? And two, why didn’t Ditka stop this? Actually, it was made for charity, as they worked in “feed the needy.” Good thing they like, actually won the Super Bowl two months later. They might have looked dumb.

Also in 1985: The “New NHL,” you call it? That faint sound you hear is the 1980s Edmonton Oilers laughing their asses off. They could score more goals in one game than today’s teams can score in a week. They proved it on this day in 1985, when they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 12-9 at old Chicago Stadium. The game tied a record for goals in a game with 21 and set a record for most points scored in a game with 63. Wayne Gretzky also tied his own record with 7 assists in the game. The Oilers scored double-digit goals six times that season Gretzky had more assists (163) than the next closest player had total points (Mario Lemieux with 141). His 215 points remain an NHL record.