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Taking Names and Keeping Score
The history of sports is filled with such stories as well. Although most of them pale in comparison to the major events in history that have affected the entire world, they are significant in the lives of those of us who love sports and find them to be a source of inspiration. Each sport has its great stories and football certainly has many of its own. Obviously there are far too many to attempt to recall them all even if I had the time and space. I am also certain each individual has his or her favorites and no matter how hard I tried it would be impossible for me include enough to please everyone. With that said I do want to mention a few in my attempt to get my point across. There are many that come to mind including December 28, 1958 when Alan Ameche plunged in from one yard out in the first ever sudden death overtime game to give the Baltimore Colts a 23-17 win over the New York Giants in the NFLChampionship Game which has been dubbed by some as "The Greatest Game Ever Played". There is the "Ice Bowl" played on legendary Lambeau Field December 31, 1966 with the temperature hovering around zero and the wind chill somewhere around 46. Playing for the NFLChampionship, Green Bay Packer quarterback Bart Starr followed the block of right guard Jerry Kramer into the end zone on a one yard quarterback sneak with :16 seconds remaining to propel the Packers to a 21-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Who could ever forget the AFLDivision Playoff game on December 23, 1972 when with :22 remaining in the game and trailing the Oakland Raiders 7- 6, the Pittsburgh Steelers facing a fourth and 10 at their own 40 yard line found a miracle. The miracle better known as "The Immaculate Reception" was stranger than fiction by some accounts. On the play, Steeler running back Franco Harris, seeing Quarterback Terry Bradshaw being flushed from the pocket, started down field to give his quarterback another pass option. Bradshaw meanwhile spotted his secondary receiver John "Frenchy" Fuqua and threw the ball to him. At the same time Raider defensive back Jack Tatum, reading Bradshaw's eyes zeroed in on Fuqua and delivered a well timed ferocious blow that sent the ball sailing through the air some 15 yards backwards. Almost undetected Harris who was making his way up field grabbed the ricocheting ball just off his shoe tops and took it 60 yards for a 13-7 win over the Raiders. Many believe that play was the starting point of the Pittsburgh Steelers' dominance of Professional football through most of the 1970's. Without a doubt "The Play" as it is affectionately known at the University of California has to be on the list. On November 20, 1982 one of the most amazing finishes in college football history took place in the California Bear - Stanford Cardinal game. Following a Cardinal field goal that had put them on top 20-19 with only :04 left on the clock all that remained was the formality of a kickoff. Despite seeing their team having to kickoff at the 25 instead of the 40 because of a fifteen yard celebration penalty on the Cardinal players following the field goal, the Stanford faithful had chalked the game up as a victory and prepared for a celebration. It was at that point Bear strong safety Richard Rodgers with a never give up attitude huddled his teammates and said "We're going for broke! If you are gonna get tackled lateral the ball. I mean, don't fall with that ball." The kick itself bounced just before Calfornia's Kevin Moen caught it at the Bear 44 yard line and started up field. It was Moen who really got things going when he threw an overhand pass to teammate Rodgers just before he was tackled. Ironically five laterals later it was Moen that finished things off taking the ball the final 25 yards for a game winning touchdown. Those of us who saw the game itself or the replay, remember it wasn't the Stanford players that posed a threat to Moen over those final yards but the 144 member Cardinal Band that had entered the field of play prematurely for a victory celebration. Of course there are many others I could recount like "The Catch" by San Francisco 49er Dwight Clark, Doug Flutie's 64 yard "Hail Mary" pass to Gerad Phelan in Boston College's upset of Miami and more recently the unbelievable catch by Alabama's Tyrone Prothro against Southern Mississippi, but I think I've given you enough to understand where I'm going next. With the high school season in the final two weeks of the playoffs and three teams in our area still in the hunt for a State Championship the stage is potentially set for a team we support or some member of that team to step it up a notch and be part of the next special moment in local football history None of us know at this time exactly when one of those special moments may come or what group or individual might be the focal point of the moment, but the shear possibility that it could happen should have us full of excitement and anticipation. That possibility should also inspire us to make the effort to be there when and if history is made.
Until next time.....be safe!
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