A WEEK IN HISTORY
We are almost halfway through the season and what a historic season it has been. We have witnessed so many unprecedented things this season from playing through the pandemic and all the repercussions of that including numerous last-minute bye weeks, so many players being out and the ultimate rarity of a Tuesday night game. The games this year have been shuffled around so much they might as well be used to play blackjack, and it’s pretty fitting now that one team plays in Las Vegas. Oh what a strange year it is, but let’s forget about all that for right now. Join me for a brief moment to travel back to seven different times and places as I take a look at the historic happenings in the NFL from 10/22-10/28. Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!
*Games not played in the seventh week of that season but between 10/22-10/28 as a result of the schedule changing over time.
#7* Oct. 22, 1939: The first ever televised NFL game. In a contest between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Eagles in Ebbet’s Field, the Dodgers got a 23-14 home victory. Only about 500 New Yorkers were lucky enough to watch the game on their luxury television sets with about 1,000 people watching the game total. Many more would have listened to it on the radio, but at that point in time a television set was a rare commodity. The game was broadcast on NBC with Allen “Skip” Waltz calling the game as well as acting as director for the broadcast. There were only two cameras set up on the 40-yard line and a crew of seven besides Waltz. At the end of the game, the crowd stormed the field most likely trying to get their fifteen minutes of fame.
#6* Oct. 23, 2000: The "Monday Night Miracle" occurs. In a Monday night game between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins, the Jets were down 30-7 at the end of the third quarter and find a way to come back and win 40-37 in overtime. The Jets scored 30 points in the fourth quarter alone. Miami came out cooking with a 17-point first quarter. The Jets first points weren’t scored until the end of the first half with quarterback Vinny Testaverde throwing to Wayne Chrebet for a touchdown. Testaverde apparently drank Michael’s Secret Stuff from Space Jam because he threw for four touchdowns alone in the fourth quarter. They also made a field goal during the fourth quarter. In overtime, Marcus Coleman caught an interception and Chrebet caught a pass that put the Jets in field goal range. Kicker John Hall put the ball through the uprights and sealed the victory for one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history.
#5* Oct. 24, 1994: Jalen Ramsey is born. On this day, the NFL cornerback was born in Smyrna, Tennessee. He would go on to play for the Florida Seminoles being in the same recruiting class as Jameis Winston and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars fifth overall in the 2016 draft. While playing for the Jaguars, he made the pro bowl twice and was a was made an All-pro in 2017. He helped the Jaguars make it deep into the playoffs breaking a ten-year drought and now plays for the Los Angeles Rams. He signed a contract extension with the Rams making him the highest paid defensive player at the time. In his short career, he has had ten interceptions, three forced fumbles and a touchdown.
#4 Oct. 25, 1964: The "Wrong Way Run" by Jim Marshall. Minnesota Vikings defender Jim Marshall recovers a fumble by the San Francisco 49er’s Billy Kilmer but runs the wrong way, resulting in a safety. Marshall would later redeem himself by forcing a fumble that would be returned for a touchdown and helped the Vikings to a 27-22 victory. Funny enough, Marshall was not the first to earn the “wrong way” moniker with it first being bestowed upon Roy Riegels who earned it in the 1929 Rose Bowl. Marshall’s play sits at the #5 spot on the NFL films list of worst plays of all time.
#3* Oct. 26, 1993: The NFL announces a new expansion team. The NFL made an announcement about a new football team that would be coming to Charlotte, North Carolina called the Panthers. The Panther’s first season wouldn’t be for another two years when they officially joined the league in 1995 along with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That brought the league up to 30 teams and since then, the Cleveland Browns were relaunched in 1999 and the Houston Texans joined in 2002. As mentioned in a previous article, the Panthers have been the most successful team out of that bunch and had the best initial season for an expansion team ever.
#2* Oct. 27, 1985: Anthony Carter begins streak of 100+ consecutive game receptions. Carter was traded to the Vikings in 1985 from the Dolphins and became one of the team’s best players. His streak ended at 105 games which is quite impressive. Jerry Rice leads the list at 274 and only two other players have streaks over 200. They are Tony Gonzales and Larry Fitzgerald. Carter holds the record for most all-purpose yards in a post season with 642.
#1 Oct. 28, 1962: Y.A. Tittle passes for seven touchdowns. In a game between the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins, the Giants steamrolled their opponents to a 49-34 victory. In a game that seemingly had no defense at all, Tittle tied an NFL record for most touchdowns thrown in a game. The record is held by eight men with the first to do it being Sid Luckman in 1943. Adrian Burke did it next in 1954 followed by George Blanda in 1961. Tittle was the fourth followed by Joe Kapp in 1969. There was a 44-year gap until Peyton Manning did it in 2013 along with Nick Foles who did it a few months later. Drew Brees is the most recent having done it in 2015. Sid Luckman is the most impressive, in my opinion though, having done it first and winning with a score of 56-7 which is the most points among them and the highest margin of victory.
