Classic Rewind: Montana Magic Lifts 49ers Past Eagles

When the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers meet on the football field this weekend, the Eagles will be looking to strengthen their playoff position while the 49ers are trying to stay in the hunt for a playoff bid.

In the current decade, the Eagles have made seven playoff appearances, played in five NFC Championship Games and reached Super Bowl XXXIX.  Conversely, the San Francisco 49ers have not made the playoffs since 2002 and have also not recorded a winning season during that stretch.

It is a far cry from the 1980s when the San Francisco 49ers were the unquestioned team of the decade and, after opening the decade with a Super Bowl appearance, the Philadelphia Eagles struggled through a stretch of mediocrity.

By 1989, the 49ers were zeroing in on their fourth Super Bowl Championship of the decade under the guidance of first year head coach George Seifert. The 49ers were a team of superstars at the peak of their talents.

On the other hand, the Eagles were the brash and bold upstarts led by feisty head coach Buddy Ryan. After winning the NFC East in 1988 and losing to the Chicago Bears in the famous “Fog Bowl,” the Eagles were looking to take the next step in 1989 and push past the perennial champion 49ers.

In our Classic Rewind, we will look at their exciting meeting in the third week of the 1989 season. In many ways, this game would serve as a microcosm of how both franchises fared during that period of NFL history.

The Matchup: San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles

Series Record: The 49ers hold a 17-10-1 series advantage though the Eagles have claimed four of the last five meetings. .

The Game: Sept. 24, 1989, Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

Team Records: San Francisco 2-0, Philadelphia 2-0

Overview: Coming off an exhilarating 42-37 last-second victory the previous week in Washington, the Eagles were looking to secure their place among the elite teams in the NFL with a home game against the defending Super Bowl Champions.

San Francisco was coming off a surprisingly tough game at Tampa Bay where they needed a touchdown run by Joe Montana in the final minute to stay undefeated.

Coaches: San Francisco – George Seifert (first year); Philadelphia – Buddy Ryan (fourth year)

Notable 49ers: Joe Montana (QB), Roger Craig (RB), Tom Rathman (FB), Jerry Rice (WR), John Taylor (WR), Brent Jones (TE), Bubba Paris (T), Guy McIntyre (G), Jesse Sapulo (C), Michael Carter (NT), Charles Haley (LB), Matt Millen (LB), Keena Turner (LB), Bill Romanowski (LB), Don Griffin (CB), Ronnie Lott (FS), Mike Cofer (PK)

Notable Eagles: Randall Cunningham (QB), Keith Byars (RB), Heath Sherman (FB), Cris Carter (WR), Mike Quick (WR), Keith Jackson (TE), Jimmie Giles (TE), Ron Heller (T), David Alexander (C), Reggie White (DE), Jerome Brown (DT), Clyde Simmons (DE), Seth Joyner (lb), Byron Evans (LB), Al Harris (LB), Eric Allen (CB), Wes Hopkins (FS), Luis Zendejas (PK), John Teltschik (P)

Interesting Notes: The CBS broadcasters for the game were Verne Lundquist and Terry Bradshaw. By the end of the 1989 season, Montana would join Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks with four Super Bowl victories. The game was the second of four straight games for the Eagles against the last four Super Bowl Champions.

They had defeated Washington the previous week, traveled to Chicago for a Monday night game the next week then hosted the New York Giants.

The Game: It didn’t take long for Montana and Jerry Rice to remind the much-heralded Philadelphia defense of their offensive firepower. On just the sixth play of the game, Montana and Rice connected on a 68-yard touchdown pass to give the 49ers a quick lead.

Philadelphia was held without a first down on each of their first two possessions and then fumbled the ball away on their third possession after having recovered a fumbled punt by John Taylor.

However, when a mishandled snap by 49ers punter Barry Helton gave the Eagles the ball deep in San Francisco territory for the second time in the first quarter, they finally were able to take advantage. A pass from Randall Cunningham to Keith Jackson put the ball on the two-yard line and Heath Sherman rushed the final two yards to tie the score.

Led by the vaunted front line of Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Mike Pitts and Clyde Simmons, the Eagles spent most of the game harassing and pressuring Montana.

On the next 49ers possession, consecutive sacks of Joe Montana led to a safety and a 9-7 advantage for the Eagles. Reggie White recorded the first sack with Al Harris getting the second one after Montana slipped and fell in the end zone.

The two teams traded field goals in the second quarter as Philadelphia took a 12-10 advantage into the locker room.

After being stopped on their initial drive of the second half, the Eagles regained momentum with a 23-yard run on a fake punt by punter John Teltschik. However, in what would become a theme of the quarter, the Eagles were unable to fully capitalize and instead settled for a 35-yard field goal by Luis Zendejas.

Zendejas kicked two field goals in the third quarter and another early in the fourth period to give Philadelphia a 21-10 advantage.

After being stymied ever since their initial drive, Montana and the San Francisco offense finally came alive early in the final period when Montana hit John Taylor on short pass that Taylor turned into 70-yard scoring play to cut the lead back to four points.

The Eagles were again stopped on their next possession, but the 49ers suffered their third special teams error of the game as the punt hit Bill Romanowski on the helmet and was recovered by the Eagles near midfield. Cunningham then drove the Eagles the rest of the way and finally was able to get the ball into the end zone as he connected with Jimmie Giles on a three-yard scoring pass to make the score 28-17 with 8:24 remaining in the contest.

With the exception of two big plays, the 49ers offense had been ineffective throughout the entire game, but suddenly with the game on the line Montana and the 49ers started to play with the intensity of champions.

Using a combination of runs and short passes, Montana quickly moved the 49ers down the field on an 80-yard drive that took slightly more than two minutes. An eight-yard touchdown pass to Tom Rathman made the score 28-24 with 6:03 to play.

After Philadelphia was unable to move the ball on their next possession, Montana took over at the Eagles 47-yard line following a 12-yard return by John Taylor.

Following a sack by White, his third of the game and the seventh of the contest for the Eagles, Montana connected with Taylor on a 36-yard pass and then followed it up with a 25-yard touchdown strike to Brent Jones to stun the Eagles and give the 49ers a 31-28 advantage with 3:17 remaining.

Trailing for the first time since the initial quarter, Cunningham and the Eagles needed a big drive, but instead committed a crippling miscue as a Cunningham pass was tipped and intercepted by Ronnie Lott to give the 49ers a chance to seal the victory.

The scoring ended the same way as it had begun with Montana and Jerry Rice connecting on a 33-yard touchdown pass to give the 49ers a stunning 38-28 victory.

Montana finished the game with 25 completions in 34 attempts for 428 yards and five touchdowns. Rice caught six passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor also had a big game with six catches for 136 yards.

Cunningham converted 19 of 38 passes for 192 yards, one touchdown and one crucial interception. Rookie Heath Sherman had 43 yards rushing and 53 yards receiving to lead the offense.

Post Script: The victory for the 49ers was their third straight on the road to start the season. After losing to the Los Angeles Rams 13-12 the following week, they won two more road games to open the season with five road victories.

San Francisco went on to finish with a 14-2 record and earned the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

It looked like the Eagles might get a rematch as they earned a Wild Card playoff spot with an 11-5 record. They needed to win their first playoff game at home against the Rams to earn a date in San Francisco.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, they could not secure the rematch as they lost to the Rams 21-7 to end their season.

The 49ers instead faced the Minnesota Vikings in their first playoff game and after posting a 41-13 victory went on to defeat the Rams 30-3 in the NFC Championship Game. They ended the season with a 55-10 demolishing of the Denver Broncos to win Super Bowl XXIV.

Under the direction of Buddy Ryan, the Eagles made their third straight playoff appearance in 1990, but their third straight first round exit led to the end of the Buddy Ryan era.

 

This article is an original story from Sports Then and Now , which was created to give passionate sports fans a place where they can analyze and discuss current sports topics while also remembering some of the great athletes, moments, teams and games in sports history all at one site. If you haven’t been there yet, check it out today.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit Of The NFL

Like the proverbial question about the sound of a tree in the forest, I have a similar question about the NFL.

If they play an NFL game in prime time and half the people in the country can’t watch, is it still considered an NFL game?

That is my question following the game Thursday night between the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, which was broadcast on the NFL Network.

Like many others across the country, my cable company, Bright House Network, is embroiled in a long-running disagreement with NFL Network over channel placement, pricing, and other such things that seem trivial to me, but important to television executives.

Overall, seven of the top 10 cable companies in the country do not offer NFL Network.

Considering that the NFL Network started broadcasting just over six years ago on Nov. 4, 2003, you would think these companies would have settled the disagreement by now, but unfortunately, it looks like many of us will be enduring another year of missing out on some exciting NFL matchups.

Now it is one thing not to have access to all games on a Sunday afternoon. That has been part of the NFL makeup since the very beginning and fans understand that they can only see one or two different games in their market at a time.

However, not being able to watch a “stand alone” NFL game on a Thursday or Saturday night is another animal entirely.

After all, isn’t it written in the constitution that American football fans have the inalienable right to watch prime time NFL games?

If it isn’t, then they need to make an adjustment to the constitution. After all, who really cares about being able to have a gun or freedom of speech? Freedom to watch Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Troy Polamalu seems far more important.

Yet, unless there is some kind of miracle I will miss the opportunity to see those players and many other stars at least once over the next few weeks.

Heck, the week before Christmas those greedy SOBs are going to keep most of us from getting to watch Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Tony Romo in the same weekend!

If both teams keep playing as they have lately, the Dec. 19 game between the New Orleans Saints, led by Brees, and the Dallas Cowboys, under the guidance of Romo, could end up rivaling the Patriots-Giants game from a couple years ago as the biggest game ever broadcast by NFL Network.

If you will recall, that game broadcast on Dec. 29, 2007 featured the New England Patriots trying to make history against the New York Giants.

After a national uproar, the NFL finally worked out a deal to have the game simulcast on NBC, CBS, and the NFL network. The game ended up being the most watched NFL game in 12 years with nearly 35 million people tuning in to see the game.

However, nearly 30 million of those folks watched the game on either CBS or NBC with the NFL Network having an audience of only 4.5 million viewers.

As a life-long NFL fan, I see this inability for the NFL to ensure that all prime time games are available to every NFL fan as a power play and sign of greed by the league.

If the league really cared about its fans, it would have ensured that all major cable providers were on-board with broadcasting the station. Instead, they reach only a portion of the national audience and no one really seems to care.

Even with a smaller audience than it would get if the game were available from coast to coast, the NFL is still getting additional exposure for their television network and a greater audience than it does the rest of the time.

Like usual, the folks with no options or recourse for getting this issue fixed are us, the NFL fans. Sure they will take our money for tickets, jerseys, and satellite television packages, but don’t go asking to actually get to see all the games. That isn’t on their radar.

So, if you happen to be in a market where the NFL Network is available, please enjoy the games for the rest of us.

 

This article is an original story from Sports Then and Now , which was created to give passionate sports fans a place where they can analyze and discuss current sports topics while also remembering some of the great athletes, moments, teams and games in sports history all at one site. If you haven’t been there yet, check it out today.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Classic Rewind: Philadelphia Eagles Rally to Shock Washington Redskins

Each week, Sports Then and Now picks one NFL matchup and looks through the history books to find an intriguing past meeting between the two teams.

We recap the game and hopefully help reintroduce (or introduce for you younger readers) you to some of the greats (and in some cases not-so-greats) from the history of professional football.

Since their first meeting during the 1934 season when the Redskins still called Boston home, the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins have played some exciting and memorable games. As NFC East rivals, they play twice annually in games that often have playoff implications.

Until the late 1980s, it surprisingly was not common for both the Redskins and Eagles to be contenders at the same time.

When the Redskins were contending in the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Eagles were among the weaker teams in the league. By the time the Eagles became a contender in the late 1940s, the Redskins had already started a stretch in which they recorded only three winning seasons in 22 years.

Despite the struggles of the Redskins, they did give the Eagles a serious run during the 1947 season opener. In a game for the ages, Sammy Baugh connected on five touchdown passes and Eddie Saenz had a 94-yard kickoff return for the Redskins.

However, Tommy Thompson threw three touchdown passes and Steve Van Buren scored on a 95-yard kickoff return and a one-yard run as the Eagles held on for a 45-42 victory.

While the Redskins became winners in the 1970s, the Eagles struggled for much of the decade.

It wasn’t until the late 1980s, with Joe Gibbs guiding the Redskins and Buddy Ryan guiding the Eagles that both teams were at the top of their game at the same time.

Our Classic Rewind for this week looks at a memorable matchup from the second week of the 1989 season when the Eagles shocked the RFK crowd with a dramatic fourth quarter comeback.

This game has particularly special memories for me as I was serving as an intern in the Public Relations Department of the Eagles at the time and had the pleasure of observing the game from the press box.

The Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins

Series Record: The Eagles and Redskins have met on the gridiron 148 times with the Redskins holding a 78-65-5 series advantage.

The Game: Sept. 17, 1989, RFK Stadium, Washington D.C.

Team Records: Eagles 1-0, Redskins 0-1

Overview: The defending NFC Eastern Division Champion Philadelphia Eagles entered their first division game of the 1989 season with a 1-0 record after a decisive 31-7 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the season opener.

Washington, which was coming off their only losing season in what would be a 12 years stretch that included three Super Bowl titles, was looking to rebound from a disappointing 27-24 loss to the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

Coaches: Philadelphia – Buddy Ryan (4th year); Washington – Joe Gibbs (9th year)

Notable Eagles: Randall Cunningham (qb), Keith Byars (rb), Anthony Toney (rb), Heath Sherman (rb), Keith Jackson (te), Mike Quick (wr), Cris Carter (wr), Ron Heller (ot), Jerome Brown (dt), Reggie White (de), Clyde Simmons (de), Seth Joyner (lb), Byron Evans (lb), Al Harris (lb), Eric Allen (db), William Frizzell (db), Wes Hopkins (db), Luis Zendejas (pk)

Notable Redskins:   Mark Rypien (qb), Gerald Riggs (rb), Gary Clark (wr), Art Monk (wr), Ricky Sanders (wr), Joe Jacoby (ot), Russ Grimm (og), Mark May (og), Jeff Bostic (ot), Dexter Manley (de), Charles Mann (de), Darryl Grant (dt), Wilber Marshall (lb), Darrell Green (db), Brian Davis (db), Chip Lohmiller (pk)

Interesting Notes: The Eagles entered the game having won only seven of 26 meetings played at RFK Stadium. Philadelphia had allowed 270 yards and forced three turnovers in their season opening with over Seattle.

Philadelphia quarterback Randall Cunningham’s second career start and first career win has been in Washington. The Redskins were looking to break an uncharacteristic streak of four straight home losses. They had not lost five straight at home since 1952.

The Game: The Washington Redskins didn’t take long to set the tempo, as speedy receiver Gary Clark raced past cornerback Eric Allen and took a pass from Mark Rypien in stride for an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game. A bad snap on the extra point kept the lead at 6-0.

A fumble by Anthony Toney on the third Philadelphia offensive play of the game was recovered by Charles Mann to give the Redskins a chance for another quick score.

They didn’t waste any time as the second offensive play for the Skins resulted in their second touchdown with Gerald Riggs breaking tackles at the line of scrimmage and then rambling 41 yards for the score. A successful conversion made the score 13-0 in favor of the Skins.

Philadelphia turned the ball over deep in their own territory on each of their next two possessions. They dodged a bullet on the first one as Rypien threw a deep pass that was picked off by Eric Allen.

However, after Brian Davis intercepted Randall Cunningham for the third Philly turnover of the quarter, Rypien tossed an 11-yard touchdown to Earnest Byner to make the score 20-0.

Philadelphia finally was able to move the ball on their next offensive possession and got on the scoreboard thanks to a 17-yard touchdown pass from Cunningham to Keith Jackson.

Washington didn’t take their foot off the pedal as they made the score 27-7 on a five-yard touchdown pass from Rypien to Clark.

The Eagles began to turn things around midway through the second half as an interception by William Frizzell gave them great field position deep in Washington territory. Anthony Toney made up for his earlier miscues by scoring on a three-yard run.

Chip Lohmiller converted a late 25-yard field goal to give Washington a 30-14 halftime advantage.  

After turning the ball over on their first three possessions, the Eagles settled down and didn’t turn the ball over the remainder of the game. Conversely, turnovers became more of a factor for the Skins as they finished the game with six turnovers.

A five-yard touchdown pass from Cunningham to Jackson completed a 92-yard drive and cut the deficit to nine points. Another five-yard touchdown toss, this one to Cris Carter early in the fourth period following a Washington fumble, cut the Skins’ lead to 30-28.

After another Washington turnover, the Eagles had a chance to take the lead, but Luis Zendejas missed a 33-yard field goal.

Having struggled offensively for much of the second half, the Redskins finally got things going with a scoring drive that culminated in a 43-yard touchdown pass from Rypien to Art Monk to make the score 37-28 with 3:06 remaining.

Philadelphia was able to march back down the field and cut the lead back to two points on a two-yard touchdown toss to Mike Quick in the back of the end zone with 1:48 remaining.

Rather than try an onside kick, the Eagles chose to kick away and let their defense stop the Redskins. When Gerald Riggs scampered 58 yards on the first play, it looked like the decision may not have been a good one for the Eagles.

However, a fumble by Riggs two plays later proved to be the break they needed. Al Harris picked up the fumble, but his teammate, Wes Hopkins, took it from him and raced 77 yards before Ricky Sanders tackled him out of bounds icky Sanders at the four-yard line.

Cunningham then capped his career day with his fifth touchdown pass of the game, a four-yard toss to Keith Jackson on the first play after the fumble. The score made it 42-37 with :58 remaining in the contest.

Fittingly, Washington’s final chance ended on the first play of their next possession as Jerome Brown stripped the ball from Mark Rypien, and Reggie White recovered for the sixth takeaway of the game for the Eagles.

Cunningham finished the game completing 34-of-46 passes for 447 yards and the five touchdowns. Keith Jackson caught 12 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns.

Gerald Riggs had the best rushing game of his career with 221 yards on 29 carries, but the final attempt proved to be a costly one for the Skins.

Post Script: After the game, for some strange reason the Philadelphia Eagles bus was detoured through a number of residential neighborhoods in the area around RFK making for a few tense moments before the team headed back up I-95 toward Philadelphia.

The next week Philadelphia hosted the defending Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers in a highly anticipated contest.

The Eagles raced to a 28-10 advantage before this time they became the victims of a late comeback. Joe Montana tossed four touchdown passes in the final quarter as the 49ers won 38-28.

In their rematch at Veterans Stadium on Nov. 12, the Eagles managed only three points in a 10-3 loss to the Skins.

Philadelphia finished the season with an 11-5 record and hosted the wild card round of the NFC Playoffs. They lost to the Los Angeles Rams 21-7.

Despite a 10-6 record, the Washington Redskins missed the playoffs for the second straight season.

A year later, the two teams would meet in the playoffs for the only time in the history of the rivalry. Washington won the game 20-6 and the Eagles fired head coach Buddy Ryan despite making three straight playoff appearances.

Behind quarterback Mark Rypien, the Redskins won their third Super Bowl in a decade following the 1991 season.

This article is an original story from Sports Then and Now , which w as created to give passionate sports fans a place where they can analyze and discuss current sports topics while also remembering some of the great athletes, moments, teams and games in sports history all at one site. If you haven’t been there yet, check it out today.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Junior Seau: Hard To Say Goodbye

Word came out earlier this week that Junior Seau is still interested in playing in the NFL again and now it looks like Bill Belichick and the Patriots may be interested in adding the 40-year linebacker to shore up their depleted defense. 

It sure seems like Seau has retired more times than Brett Favre. Yet every year he ends up back on the field at some point. Last year he played four games for the Patriots late in the season.

Much has been written about how professional athletes, especially Hall of Fame caliber players like Seau and Favre, need to know when it is time to quit and ride off gracefully into the sunset.

However, given the competitive drive that made these guys stand out above the rest, it is hard to ask them to suddenly turn that off just because they have reached a certain age.

Sports is just about the only profession that I know of where you are at your peak in your early to mid 20s and then tossed out like yesterday’s garbage by the time you get to your middle to late 30s.

In all other businesses, kids in their 20s are still sitting in cubicles and getting coffee waiting for a chance to show their stuff. It typically isn’t until you reach your 30s and 40s that opportunities for top management positions and higher salaries appear.

In sports it is the exact opposite, which makes it hard for many greats to say goodbye.

It also makes it all the more peculiar when someone with the same kind of athletic greatness as Favre and Seau walks away so early and never looks back.

I was working earlier this week on my Sports Then and Now Classic Rewind for this week. The game I selected was the 1997 meeting between the Packers and Vikings where Favre threw five touchdown passes.

Also starring in that game was Robert Smith as a running back for the Vikings. He gained 132 yards and scored a touchdown.

In 2000, at 28-years of age and the height of his career, Smith spurned the opportunity for a lucrative contract and retired to pursue a career in medicine. He has since become a semi-regular face at ESPN as a football analyst.

Smith was a great NFL running back (6,818 career yards, 1,512 in his final season) and had he played another 4-5 years may have earned a spot in the Hall of Fame. But, unlike Favre, Seau and some others who played until they had to tear the uniform off them, Smith always saw football as a means to an end and not as his final calling. He had done all he felt he could do in football and left before he endured any permanent physical injuries.

Of course, another example of a player with amazing ability that just walked away was Barry Sanders. My colleague Joe Gill wrote a great piece about Sanders a couple weeks ago that reminds us of his greatness.

Many long-time fans will also recall that Jim Brown left the NFL at the peak of his career, but I think his situation was a little different.

Brown played before NFL players were making life-changing money and recognized that in the long run he could probably make more money as an actor than as a football player. He ended up having a B movie career, but because he left football while still at his top form is always remembered for his greatness and not for being carted off the field after taking one too many hits.

Though not a football player, this week (October 2, 1980) marks the 29th anniversary of when Muhammad Ali took a horrific beating for 11 rounds from Larry Holmes.

While Ali had so many fights that it is hard to say that one specific fight triggered the condition that he has struggled with for the last 20 years, most who know Ali say that he was never quite the same after that fight.

Ali couldn’t quit and evidently neither can Seau. Let’s just hope that if Seau does come back that he eventually is still physically able to walk away.

 

This article is an original story from Sports Then and Now, which was created to give passionate sports fans a place where they can analyze and discuss current sports topics while also remembering some of the great athletes, moments, teams and games in sports history all at one site. If you haven’t been there yet, check it out today.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Can The Sports World Control Twitter?

It was about a year ago that I first learned about Twitter and started my own personal Twitter account (dhprguy). At the time I was working for a public relations firm and it was pretty obvious that gaining an understanding of the power of social networks was essential for people in the public relations field.

As a networking tool, I’m still not sold on Twitter. Most of the people that follow you and that you follow on Twitter are complete strangers and interactions seem to be a bit forced and trivial.

When you are following thousands of people, as many people do, and have thousands following you, I don’t see how you can expect to have a meaningful conversation or personal engagement with someone.

However, as a tool for disseminating information there is no question that Twitter has a ton of power.

Many companies are using Twitter to inform customers and potential customers about their products. It also is a great place for bloggers like myself to announce our latest post or share a great site or blog that we saw somewhere else on the web.

Many celebrities have figured out that putting something on Twitter before formally announcing it to the media helps ensure that the points they want to make can be told (140 characters at a time).

When Paula Abdul announced that she was leaving American Idol she didn’t do it on The Oprah Winfrey Show or in People Magazine, she announced it on Twitter.

Twitter has also been where coaching changes, roster cuts and player moves have been shared by players with the general public before the media could get their hands on the information.

Of course, this ability to release information without a formal media announcement has ticked off the media and makes them skeptical of Twitter and other social Media outlets.

For a while, ESPN seemed to be encouraging their personalities to create a presence on Twitter, but once they realized that Twitter was much harder to control than TV or radio they began putting restrictions on how ESPN employees could use Twitter.

One flaw with Twitter is that it is very hard to verify the true identity of the user.

My Sports Then and Now account (sportsthen_now) is currently being followed by someone claiming to be NHL President Gary Bettman (Gary_Bettman). However, since most of the posts seem to be making fun of Bettman and the NHL, I am pretty sure that it is not really the NHL boss.

For a while, someone was posting as Shaquille O’Neal. Once Shaq heard about it, he began his own Twitter account (THE_REAL_SHAQ) and has nearly 2.3 million followers.

The NFL seems to be terrified of the power of Twitter.

Of course I think that much like ESPN, the NFL is terrified of anything it can’t tightly control, so it should be no surprise that Twitter has quickly gained the attention of Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Using Twitter was originally banned for players and team personnel before a game and during halftime, but after players such as Chad Ochocinco (OGOchoCinco) were starting to tweet almost instantaneously with the conclusion of the game and before talking with the media, they quickly extended the ban until after players completed formal media interviews.  

After the actions this past weekend of rookie Washington Redskins linebacker Robert Henson the NFL might think about trying to ban Twitter use by players from the time they sign a contract until the time they are eligible for Canton.

After the Redskins were booed by frustrated fans during their lackluster performance in a 9-7 victory over the St. Louis Rams, Henson posted the following on his Twitter page:

“All you fake half hearted Skins fan can..I won’t go there but I dislike you very strongly, don’t come to Fed Ex to boo dim wits!!”

The sixth round pick out of TCU also wrote: “The question is who are you to say you know what’s best for the team and you work 9 to 5 at Mcdonalds.”

Now I know that being booed by their home fans is frustrating for athletes, but in today’s world where athletes are pampered beyond belief, they need to suck it up, especially in situations like this where it is deserved.

After all, there is historically no more loyal fan base than Washington Redskins fans and over the last 15 years they have had to withstand escalating ticket prices at the same time the results on the field have declined.

The Redskins did win their game over the Rams, but the performance was anything but stellar. Besides, the Rams won two games a year ago. If the Skins can’t beat them by more than two points in their home opener, they deserve to be booed.

The problem with all social media is that it is instantaneous. The moment you press “send,” whatever you have written is out in cyberspace and no matter how hard you try there is no taking it back.

Henson tried to apologize and backtrack, but the damage was done. Whether really deserved or not, he has become the latest poster child illustrating the spoiled nature of today’s professional athletes.

The NFL has also tried to ban use of Twitter during the game by members of the media to try and protect their own content rights holders, but that seems almost impossible.

As Shelley Palmer asks, just exactly who is the media today? Is it only media sitting in the press box at the game or would it also spread to me and any other blogger who is watching the game on TV?

How about the fan sitting in section 325 and tweeting during the game via an iPhone or Blackberry?

Social media has changed the access to information and to providing information.

While anyone over the age of 30 can remember a time without the Internet, anyone under the age of 21 can’t remember a time without text messages and soon won’t remember a time without Facebook, Twitter and iPhones.

Consider that YouTube is now the second largest search engine in the world with 100,000,000 videos. Heck, just about every cell phone in the world is now a video camera and within seconds your pictures and videos can be on YouTube or some other site and accessible to the world.

How exactly does the NFL, ESPN, the NCAA or anyone else think they can control that?

The sports world will continue to try and figure out how to gain control, but social media is an ever changing and growing medium that is like an out of control locomotive and will be harder for the NFL to control than even the egos of Chad Ochocinco or Terrell Owens.

This article is an original story from Sports Then and Now, which was created to give passionate sports fans a place where they can analyze and discuss current sports topics while also remembering some of the great athletes, moments, teams and games in sports history all at one site. If you haven’t been there yet, check it out today.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Classic Rewind: When Baltimore Vs. Cleveland Meant Colts Vs. Browns

Each week during the 2009 NFL season, Sports Then and Now will pick one NFL matchup and look through the history books to find an intriguing past meeting between the two teams.

We will recap the game and hopefully help reintroduce (or introduce for you younger readers) you to some of the greats (and in some cases not so greats) from the history of professional football.

Thanks to the decision in 1995 by Art Modell to move the beloved Cleveland Browns to Baltimore a decade after the Colts left in the middle of the night for Indianapolis, Cleveland and Baltimore are forever linked. More than a decade later, there is still resentment and anger among some long-time Cleveland fans.

This week, as the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns are preparing to do battle, we look at a game between the two predecessor franchises in those two cities. The Baltimore Colts and original Cleveland Browns had some classic confrontations during the 1950s and 1960s.

But their regular season meeting during the 1968 season is one of the most noteworthy.

The Matchup: Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Colts

Series Record: Between 1956 and 1983 the Browns and Colts met 15 times with Cleveland holding a 10-5 series advantage, including wins in their final five meetings. The two teams met in the playoffs three times, with Baltimore holding a 2-1 edge.

However, Cleveland defeated the Colts 27-0 to win the 1964 NFL Championship. There were some other memorable moments in the series including a 38-31 Cleveland victory in 1959 in which Jim Brown rushed for five touchdowns and Johnny Unitas passed for four scores.

In 1978, veteran running back Calvin Hill caught three touchdown passes to lift the Browns to a 45-24 victory. Two years later, Bert Jones led the Colts on a furious fourth quarter comeback that fell just short in a 28-27 Cleveland victory.

However, of all the meetings, the 1968 matchup is the most interesting and worthy of a Classic Rewind.

The Game: October 20, 1968, Memorial Stadium, Baltimore Maryland

Team Records: Cleveland Browns 2-3, Baltimore Colts 5-0

Overview: The Cleveland Browns came to Memorial Stadium in need of a spark after a surprising loss to the St. Louis Cardinals dropped their record to 2-3. On the other hand, a year after going 11-1-2 and missing the playoffs, the Colts were a team on a mission.

They entered this contest with a 5-0 record and had outscored their first five opponents by more than 21 points per game.

With veteran quarterback Johnny Unitas sidelined by an injury, journeyman Earl Morrall had seized the reigns and was having an MVP-type season. Running back Leroy Kelly was the offensive star for the Browns while quarterback Bill Nelsen was under center.

Coaches: Cleveland Browns – Blanton Collier (6th year); Baltimore Colts – Don Shula (6th year)

Notable Browns: Bill Nelsen (qb), Paul Warfield (wr), Leroy Kelly (rb), Eppie Barney (fl), Milt Morin (te), Gene Hickerson (ol), Bill Glass (de), Don Cockroft (k), Ben Davis (db), Bob Matheson (lb)

Notable Colts:  Earl Morrall (qb), Johnny Unitas (qb), Tom Matte (rb), John Mackey (te), Jerry Hill (rb), Jimmy Orr (wr), Willie Richardson (wr), Rick Volk (db), Bubba Smith (dl), Mike Curtis (lb)

Interesting Notes: Colts head coach Don Shula had been a player for both teams, having spent two years as a player under legendary head coach Paul Brown with the Cleveland Browns while also spending four seasons (1953-1956) with the Baltimore Colts.

Two key performers for the Browns would go on to become key players for Shula during his tenure with the Miami Dolphins. Wide receiver Paul Warfield was traded to Miami in 1970 and became the deep threat that complimented the dominant running game. The famous Miami 53 defense was named after Matheson, who wore number 53.

Matheson played with the Browns from 1967-1970 and then with the Dolphins from 1971-1979. One of Shula’s assistant coaches with the Baltimore Colts in 1968 was Chuck Noll, who would become the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers the following season and lead them to four Super Bowl victories.

The Game: The Browns landed the first blow in this struggle between two marquee squads when Bill Nelsen tossed the first of his three touchdown passes to Leroy Kelly in the first period.

Baltimore soon answered with a 23-yard dash by running back Tom Matte. For the game, Matte finished with 64 yards rushing on 13 carries and also caught two passes for 37 yards.

The Browns quickly responded as Nelson’s second touchdown toss, this one to Paul Warfield, gave Cleveland a 14-7 halftime edge.

Nelsen’s third touchdown pass came early in the third quarter and was a two-yard toss to Eppie Barney. None of Nelsen’s three touchdowns passes went for more than six yards. He finished the day completing 15 of 23 passes for 137 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

While Earl Morrall started for the Colts, with the offense sputtering Shula turned to Johnny Unitas and gave him his second action of the season. Unfortunately, an elbow injury that would hamper him throughout the season made him only a shell of his Hall of Fame self.

In one of the worst performances of his career, Unitas completed only one of 12 passes with three interceptions. When in the game, Morrall was only marginally better as he connected on 10 of 18 passes for 130 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The Colts boasted one of the best receiving corps in the league, but they were held in check by the Cleveland secondary. John Mackey had three catches for 41 yards and Jimmie Orr added three receptions for 38 yards. Willie Richardson did not catch a pass until late in the contest and finished with only one reception for eight yards.

In the third period, the Colts were able to keep the game close as pair of Lou Michaels field goals made the score 21-13.

As the game entered the final quarter, Kelly increased the lead for Cleveland with a four-yard touchdown run. On his way to his second straight NFL rushing title, Kelly rushed for a season-high 130 yards on 30 carries.

The extra point attempt by Don Cockroft failed to keep the game within two scores at 27-13. However, after another failed Baltimore possession, Cockroft connected on an 11-yard field goal to make the score 30-13.

The Colts completed the scoring with a touchdown toss from Morrall to Richardson to make the final margin 30-20.

For the game, the Browns out-gained Baltimore 305 yards to 212. The Colts finished the season with the third-best rushing defense in the NFL, but surrendered 179 yards on the ground to Kelly and company.

Turnovers also proved to be a key in the game as Baltimore threw four interceptions and lost a fumble. The Browns had only one lost fumble in the contest.

Post Script: The victory proved to be just the spark that Cleveland needed. They went on to win eight straight games before dropping their regular season finale. They won the NFL Century Division and then defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the opening round of the playoffs.

Baltimore recovered from their disappointing performance to go the rest of the regular season without losing. They won the NFL Coastal Division with a 13-1 record and defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the opening round of the playoffs to set up a rematch with the Browns.

This time the Colts were prepared for Kelly and company. They held Kelly to 28 yards rushing and Cleveland gained only 173 total yards. Conversely, Baltimore and NFL MVP Earl Morrall gained 353 yards of offense in a 34-0 domination to claim the NFL Championship.

Of course, the dominating performance led just about everyone to expect that Baltimore would steamroll past the New York Jets and win Super Bowl III.

Much like in the loss to the Browns, the Colts were unable to stop the running game of the Jets, turned the ball over at key moments, and were unable to turn opportunities into touchdowns as the Jets pulled the greatest upset in Super Bowl history with a 16-7 victory.

Shula left the Colts following the 1969 season to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. After coming close to posting an undefeated season with the Colts in both 1967 and 1968, Shula led the Dolphins to a perfect 17-0 mark and a Super Bowl title in 1972.

Blanton Collier retired as coach of the Browns following the 1970 season due to continuing struggles with hearing loss. In eight seasons leading the Browns, Collier led them to double-digit victory seasons five times and posted a 76-34-2 overall record.

The Colts played in Baltimore through the 1983 season before owner Bob Irsay snaked them off to Indianapolis in the middle of the night.

Baltimore was without NFL football until Art Modell, owner of the Browns, announced late in the 1995 season that he would be moving the Browns to Baltimore in 1996.

After an outcry from loyal Cleveland fans, the NFL agreed to the move, but kept the Browns records, logo and colors in Cleveland. A new Cleveland Browns entered the NFL in 1999.

During the first 10 seasons of the new Browns, Cleveland has registered only two winning seasons and one playoff appearance.

Since beginning play in 1996, the Baltimore Ravens have a wining record and are annually a playoff contender. Since 1999, they have had winning records in six of 10 seasons and made five playoff appearances.

The Ravens defeated the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV to give the city of Baltimore their first football championship since Super Bowl V.

This article is an original story from Sports Then and Now, which was created to give passionate sports fans a place where they can analyze and discuss current sports topics while also remembering some of the great athletes, moments, teams and games in sports history all at one site. If you haven’t been there yet, check it out today.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

LeBeau’s Nomination Another Undeserved Win For Steeler Nation

I’m sure this article will not further endear me to members of the Steeler Nation, but the recent announcement by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Senior Committee of Dick Lebeau as one of their two “senior finalists” for 2010 further emphasizes why significant changes need to be made to the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection process.

Earlier this month I completed a two-month series that ran both on my sports site Sports Then and Now (even if you don’t agree with me on this article, I am sure any passionate sports fan will enjoy the site, so please check it out) and on Bleacher Report in which I looked at the best players not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

I diligently ranked my choices for the top 25 players still waiting for the Hall of Fame call at each position and then made my picks for the 25 best players overall who I believe belong in the hall.

By my estimation, Dick LeBeau is the 12th best defensive back not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He unquestionably was a solid defensive back during his 14-year career with the Detroit Lions, but he was never GREAT. And, in my humble opinion, the Hall of Fame should be about selecting the greatest players, not the ones with lots of high profile supporters.

Now during his career Dick LeBeau did play in the same defensive backfield with some great players who are in the Hall of Fame (Dick “Night Train” Lane, Yale Lary, and Lem Barney) and I would argue that their presence on the field is a major reason that LeBeau ranks seventh all-time with 62 interceptions.

Let me use the old analogy about the town with two barbers to illustrate why I am not sold on LeBeau’s greatness or Hall of Fame worthiness.

So a new guy comes to a town that has two barbers and he needs a haircut. He sees the first barber and his hair looks perfectly groomed with every hair smoothly trimmed and combed nicely into place. The second barber has a very uneven haircut with some patches noticeably longer than others and not well trimmed.

So, which barber should he choose?

Most people would probably choose the first barber because he looks good, which automatically makes you assume he is a good barber. Sort of like an NFL defensive back with a large number of interceptions.

However, in reality the better barber is the second guy, because he is the one who cut the first barbers hair and made it look so nice.

LeBeau’s NFL stats are like the looks of the first barber, they are due to the work of the second guy.  He has good numbers and therefore people just assume he is good.

However, in reality LeBeau’s high interception total is at least partly due to the fact that he spent almost his entire career playing opposite a superstar that quarterbacks knew they didn’t want to mess with.

Quarterbacks decided they would rather take their chances against LeBeau than to mess with Lane, Lary or Barney.

Now certainly 62 interceptions is a respectable total, but in the past the Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors have made it clear that interceptions alone do not warrant a spot in the hall.

Of the 20 eligible players with 54 or more interceptions, only 10 are in the Hall of Fame.

In fact, taking it a step further, the three players with 60 or more interceptions who are not in the Hall of Fame, Ken Riley (65 picks), Dick LeBeau (62) and Dave Brown (62) combined for a grand total of four Pro Bowl appearances (three by LeBeau and one by Brown) and one first team All-Pro pick (Riley in his final NFL season) during their combined total of 44 NFL seasons.

So why is Dick LeBeau now being considered for the Hall of Fame after all these years?

In my opinion, LeBeau has suddenly moved from off the list of viable candidates to the top because the Hall of Fame selectors have about as much backbone as a feather. Instead, they go wherever the wind is blowing and this year they are going toward LeBeau.

In his Hall of Fame speech, 2009 inductee Rod Woodson singled out LeBeau, who was the secondary coach and defensive coordinator for the Steelers during much of Woodson’s career, for his great service as an assistant coach and said he deserves entry into the Hall of Fame.

Now that is all well and good and maybe one day after he retires from coaching LeBeau should be considered by the Hall of Fame voters for his total 50+ years of service to the NFL. In that context, he is probably deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame.

However, according to the rules printed on the Hall of Fame web site, coaches are not eligible for consideration until five years after they retire.

So, that means that when the full committee gathers in February to decide the 2010 inductees, technically (and I’m sure the voters always follow the rules completely; wink, wink) the only thing that Hall of Fame voters should be considering about LeBeau is his 14 years as a defensive back.

If that truly is the case, then I just don’t see how they can rightfully say LeBeau is deserving of being in the Hall of Fame solely for his accomplishments on the field.

As I mentioned earlier, LeBeau was never a first-team All-Pro and made just three Pro Bowl appearances. There are 37 defensive backs that have not been selected for the Hall of Fame who appeared in four or more Pro Bowls and most of them were first team All-Pros on multiple occasions.

As I chronicled in my rundown of the best defensive backs, players like Johnny Robinson (7 Pro Bowls, 6 first-team All-Pro selections), Steve Atwater (8 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro), Cliff Harris (6 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro), Eric Allen (6 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro), and many others received far more recognition for their performance on the field than did LeBeau.

Instead of following the “flavor of the moment” and making someone like LeBeau a finalist for the Hall of Fame, the voters need to do a much better job identifying former players and contributors that are truly deserving of entry and make sure they are recognized while they can still appreciate the honor.

In recent years, I have watched the Hall of Fame select people such as George Allen, Hank Stram, Gene Hickerson, and Bob Hayes either after they had passed away or after their health had deteriorated so much that they were unable to enjoy their moment in the sun.

In each case, it had been decades since their last game as a player or coach, yet it took that long to get them inducted.

I especially feel the selection committee cheated fans out of special moments with George Allen and Hank Stram. Can you imagine the great stories that would have been shared had these two legendary coaches been selected for the Hall when they were first eligible and still healthy?

I know at age 71 LeBeau himself is not a young man, but he is still coaching and therefore should wait until after he is done coaching to rightfully be considered for his total football achievement.

One former coach who is deserving of a plaque in the Hall of Fame, yet seems to have gotten lost is the architect of the “Air Coryell” passing attack that LeBeau and other defensive coaches couldn’t stop for a decade, Don Coryell. Currently 84 years old, it would be a shame if Coryell, who last coached in the NFL in 1986, passes away before he is inducted.

Other deserving candidates including Jerry Kramer (73-years old), Johnny Robinson (will turn 71 in September) and Chuck Howley (73) should also be at the top of the list for Hall of Fame voters.

There may one day be a deserving spot for Dick LeBeau in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but the time for such selection is not now. Unless the Hall of Fame selection committee is going to formally hand over their responsibility to the Steeler Nation or Rod Woodson, they need to respect the integrity of the Hall of Fame and stop playing politics.

Is Joe Flacco Ready To Take The Next Step?

Joe Flacco had more playoff success as a rookie than any other starting quarterback in NFL history. However as he enters his second year, the question is whether Flacco can take the next step and become one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.

If the first two preseason games are any indication, Flacco believes that he is ready to be more than simply the “serviceable rookie” from a year ago and instead make the passing game a legitimate offensive option for the Ravens.

In the Ravens nationally televised game against the Jets, Flacco was solid on the field (8 for 18, 120 yards), but seemed especially confident when being interviewed by ESPN’s Michelle Tafoya. Flacco acted and sounded like a quarterback ready to make a splash in 2009.

Throughout NFL history, how a quarterback performs in his second year as a starter often provides great insight into whether he will develop into a superstar or simply be a “serviceable” quarterback.

After moving from semi pro football to the starting lineup for the Colts in 1956, Johnny Unitas made it clear in his second season that he was destined for greatness. He made his first Pro Bowl appearance and passed for 2,550 yards and 24 touchdowns in just 12 games.

Both Joe Montana with the San Francisco 49ers in 1981 and Ben Rothlisberger with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005 culminated their second season as a starter with a Super Bowl victory.

Dan Marino fell one victory short of Super Bowl success during his second year under center for the Miami Dolphins in 1984, but his record setting season of 5,084 yards and 48 touchdown passes went unmatched for 20 years.

The man who eclipsed Marino’s touchdown mark, Peyton Manning, took the Indianapolis Colts from a 3-13 record during his rookie season to a 13-3 mark the following season. He made his first Pro Bowl appearance while completing 62.1% of his passes for 4,135 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Because the Ravens had the fourth best running game in the league a year ago, Flacco didn’t have to take matters into his own hands very often as a rookie. Statistically, he was solid with a 60% completion percentage, 2,971 yards, 14 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions while starting every game.

Watch for offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to give Flacco more chances to shine in 2009. With a veteran receiving unit that includes Derek Mason, Mark Clayton, Kelley Washington and Todd Heap, Flacco has plenty of receiving options and seems poised to make his move towards greatness this season.

 

Check out more from Dean Hybl at Baltimore Sports Then and Now where passionate fans can stay updated on the latest in Baltimore sports while also reliving the great moments, players and teams of Baltimore’s tremendous sports history.

Mack Herron: Small in Stature, Big in Talent

The Boston Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Week was small in stature, but during his brief time in the NFL played like a giant.

Mack Herron stood only 5’5″ and a half inches tall and weighed in around 170 lbs. In an NFL full of oversized men, he looked like a boy among men. However, in 1974, no player stood taller.

Originally drafted in the sixth round of the NFL draft after playing college football at Kansas State, Herron spent three seasons as a standout runner in the Canadian Football League before joining the New England Patriots in 1973.

Initially used primarily as a return specialist, Herron led the NFL with 1,092 kickoff return yards in 1973 while averaging 26.6 yards per kick.

He also returned punts and saw some action as a running back and receiver out of the backfield. He finished the season ranked second in the NFL with 1,839 all-purpose yards.

In 1974, Herron became a featured member of the New England backfield. The backfield combination of 6’3″ Sam Cunningham as the fullback and Herron as the halfback gave the Patriots the strangest looking, yet most effective, duo in the league.

Herron led the Patriots with 824 yards rushing while Cunningham was right behind with 811 yards.

As a multi-purpose player, Herron enjoyed one of the finest seasons ever by an NFL player (regardless of size). In addition to his rushing total, which ranked ninth in the league, he caught 38 passes for 474 yards and scored 12 combined touchdowns.

Still a dangerous return man, Herron finished second in the league in punt return yards and his 14.8 yards per return ranked fourth.

Overall, Herron’s total of 2,444 all-purpose yards broke the previous NFL record set by Gale Sayers in 1966. His total remains the most-ever in a 14-game NFL season and still is the sixth highest single-season total in NFL history.

The following season, Herron’s small stature and the constant pounding of the NFL started to catch up with him. He saw action in seven games for the Patriots before being traded to Atlanta, where he appeared in four games.

Though his NFL career lasted only three seasons, Herron will always have a place in NFL history as one of the best little men ever to play the game.

If you had a favorite athlete growing up that you would like to see featured as the Boston Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Week, send me a nomination by e-mail.

Boston Sports Then and Now was created to give passionate fans of Boston area sports teams a place where they can analyze and discuss current sports topics while also remembering some of the great athletes, moments, teams and games in sports history all at one site. If you haven’t been there yet, check it out today.

Remembering the Legacy of the Chicago College All-Star Game

Imagine a crowd of 105,840 people turning out to watch an NFL preseason game. It probably wouldn’t happen today unless it included a cage match between Michael Vick and Adam “Pacman” Jones.

However, for more than 40 years, the Annual Chicago College All-Star Game was a fan favorite while helping establish the NFL as a premier sports league.

In the 1930s, the NFL was still a fledgling league looking for a foothold in a sports world where baseball and boxing were the kings.  In fact, professional football players were often seen as mercenaries, while the college players were better known and more popular across the country.

A year after organizing the first Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Comiskey Park, Arch Ward, the sports editor for the Chicago Tribune, cultivated the idea of hosting an annual game between the defending NFL Champions and the best of the recently graduated college football stars.

The game was originally played in late August and then eventually moved earlier in the month and eventually into July as the NFL schedule was altered.

For the first game, held on Aug. 31, 1934 at Soldier Field, Ward assembled a panel of 30 sports writers from across the country to choose the All-Stars. They then spent two weeks training in Chicago in preparation for a battle against the defending NFL Champion Chicago Bears.

The Bears were coming off an NFL Championship Game victory over New York Giants in 1933 and on their way to posting a perfect 13-0 regular season in 1934 before losing the title game to the New York Giants.

The squad was dotted with Hall of Fame players including Bronko Nagurski, George Musso, Link Lyman, Bill Hewitt, Walt Kiesling and an aging Red Grange.

The College All-Stars were an eclectic group that included players from many of the traditional Northeast and Mid-West powers of the time including Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa and Purdue.

They were featured along with players from other schools including Tennessee, Nebraska, Oregon State, Oregon, Washington and Southern California.

Perhaps the most notable player from that game on the college team was future Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman, who had played his collegiate football at Ohio State.

Gillman famously claimed that it was after being hit by Bronko Nagurski during the All-Star Game that he realized his best chance at NFL success was as a coach.

Though an All-Big 10 end at Ohio State, Gillman never played in the NFL and his only action as a professional player came with the Cleveland Rams of the American Football League in 1936.

The captain of the college team was Ed Krause from Notre Dame. According to the game write-up, the top performers for the All-Stars included Joe Laws from Iowa, Mike Mikulak from Oregon and Herman Everhardus from Michigan.  

Amazingly, the College All-Stars matched the best of the NFL play for play throughout the game. An interception by Law late in the contest thwarted the best scoring chance for the Bears and the game ended in a 0-0 tie.

Over the remainder of the decade, as the college superstars continued to dominate the headlines and interest, future NFL greats including Sammy Baugh, Tuffy Leemans, Danny Fortmann, and Byron “Whizzer” White helped the All-Stars annually make a good game against the NFL Champions.

In fact, after one victory by the NFL and two ties in the first three games, Baugh led the college players to their first victory in the series over the Green Bay Packers in 1937. Ironically, the next season it was Baugh and the Washington Redskins who lost to the College All-Stars.

Though the NFL stars usually finished on top, the game remained competitive through the 1950s.

It also continued to grow in popularity among college and professional football fans in the Chicago area. With television coverage of football still in its infancy, exhibition games like the Chicago Charities Game provided a rare opportunity for fans to see some greats that rarely made appearances in certain locales.

After ranging between 74,000 and 85,000 for the first seven years (not bad considering that America was still recovering from the Great Depression), attendance shot up to 98,203 for the 1941 game. The following season—despite the start of World War II—it passed 100,000 for the first time in 1942.

The 1941 game featured a well-known college superstar in Tom Harmon, as well as a lesser-known player from the University of California-Los Angeles named Jackie Robinson.

After an attendance dip during the height of World War II in 1943 and 1944, the game returned to prominence following the war. The crowd of 105,840 for the 1947 game remains the largest crowd ever to see a professional football game in the United States.

Attendance was again over 100,000 in 1948 and remained above 88,000 until 1955.

As the NFL teams became stronger over time, the game became less competitive. After winning eight times between 1934 and 1958, the College All-Stars claimed only one win over the final 17 games in the series.

However, the fans still came out annually to watch some of the top college players make their initial professional appearance. Annual attendance stayed near 70,000 through 1970 and still eclipsed 50,000 in the final years of the game.

Each year an MVP was chosen from among the college players and a number of notable future NFL standouts received the honor. including Charles Trippi, Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, John Brodie, Bobby Mitchell, John Hadl, Charley Taylor, Bubba Smith, Larry Csonka and Ray Guy.

Over time, the game became a no-win situation for the NFL teams. It was still seen as a “pride” game, which meant the NFL team needed to play to win.

However, as salaries began to rise, teams became more concerned with risking injury to top players in a glorified exhibition against college players looking to impress future NFL employers.

The last win by the College All-Stars was in 1963 when an All-Star team coached by Otto Graham defeated Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers 20-17. Though considered a fluke win, the College All-Star squad did include a number of future NFL and AFL stars including Buck Buchanan, Bobby Bell, Lee Roy Jordan, Ray Mansfield, and Dave Robinson.

The loss by the NFL Champions proved to be a wake-up call, as the game was in doubt only twice over the final 12 contests.

A player’s strike in 1974 forced cancellation of the game and then it was discontinued for good following the 1976 contest. Ironically, the final game in the series was not memorable for the action, but instead because it included a heavy deluge of rain that forced cancellation with the Pittsburgh Steelers leading 24-0 late in the third quarter.

It was a disappointing way to end a series that for more than 40 years helped the NFL grow and prosper.

Considered one of the most successful fundraising campaigns in sports history, the annual game provided significant financial support to charities across the Chicago area for more than 40 years.

It also provided a showcase for future NFL stars and in many ways helped establish the legitimacy of the NFL. Ironically, it was once that legitimacy had been secured that the game became vulnerable and eventually lost its allure to the NFL.

While the game has not been played for more than 30 years, the memories are still alive and well. For more information about the illustrious history of the Chicago Charities College All-Star Game, go here.

Information from the Chicago Charities College All-Star game web site was used in developing this story and pictures are from that site.

 

Check out Dean Hybl’s sports blog: Sports Then and Now, to read about more great athletes and moments in sports history.

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