Celebrating 50 years of the Super Bowl

Celebrating 50 years of NFL’s Super Bowl with Charles Davis
If Charles Davis runs into Jerry Seinfeld at Super Bowl 50, many of us that know his
appreciation for pop culture wouldn’t be surprised if he said, “This is GOLD, Jerry, GOLD!”
Charles is a student of life, past and present. During the 2015-2016 NFL season, he
brought history to life by sharing 50 things he loves about the league in homage to Super
Bowl 50.
We’ve put all of them in one place for you to enjoy Super Bowl weekend and beyond. Feel
free to chime in with your own reasons why you love the NFL and Super Bowl weekend.
Enjoy!
The Editor
The following was originally published on charlesdavissports.com
Super Bowl in the name Lane
This season, in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Super Bowl, February 7, 2016, I will
share things I love about the National Football League, past and present. They will total 50
when we’re done. As you read, I hope you’ll appreciate the historical magnitude of the
game that will culminate this season with a champion in Santa Clara, Calif.
There’s so much history in the NFL, and I’m privileged to be involved in a small way with a
game that’s created an unfathomable fan culture. Here’s just a bit of what I love about the
league and some perspective on what built the game you enjoy.
1 -- Nicknames
The great names of teams past (Providence Steamrollers, Decatur Staleys) … It’s fun to
look back at how some clubs got some got their nicknames (washed out jerseys of the
University of Chicago Maroons were the first jerseys of the Racine, later Chicago
Cardinals). There are also great individual player nicknames: Red Grange, “The Galloping
Ghost,” Dick “Night Train” Lane, to name a few.
2 -- The Football Field
The design of the original football fields had intersecting lines to help officials determine
from where a player threw a forward pass. (At one point the passer had to be 5 yards
behind the line of scrimmage). Voila, the field of play - the “gridiron.”
Enjoy a peek at this 1904 game between the University of Michigan and University of
Chicago that was published by the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan
from one of the original “gridiron” fields.
3 -- Here’s the Kicker
I loved the square-toed kicking shoes when Mark Moseley won the NFL MVP award as a
straight on, square-toed kicker in 1982. Little did we know that we were seeing the
beginning of the end of an era, and we would no longer see the likes of Lou “The Toe”
Groza and Paul Hornung, and soccer-styled kickers would rule professional football. Pete
and Charley Gogolak (brothers) and others would set the stage for modern day
placekicking.
Let this kick-start your thoughts. What are your 50 favorite things about the NFL?
Kick returners, stadiums and more
4 -- Kick returners • Past and Present. From Jim Thorpe to Buddy Young to Joe
Washington, Terry Metcalf, Dante Hall, Jacoby Jones and SO many others...you get the
idea. Punt returns, kickoff returns … guys who do this are special athletes. For instance,
did you see rookie RB David Johnson’s 108-yard return for a TD to open scoring for the
Cardinals against the Bears, September 20? It was just his THIRD career NFL touch.
Great kick returns excite and energize teams, fans and viewing audiences. When John
Gilliam ran back the opening kickoff in New Orleans Saints history for a touchdown
(against the Los Angeles Rams), it launched a franchise.
5 -- Upgraded Stadiums • I particularly like those done with a nod toward
tradition. I worked my first 2015 game at historic Soldier Field. It was remodeled in recent
years and from the outside, it looks a bit futuristic. Designers, however, left the columns
that are so iconic that when you see a picture of them, you know immediately they are at
Soldier Field.
CenturyLink Field, Seattle
I also like new stadiums that pay homage to their cities and their fans. Seattle’s
CenturyLink Field is a great example. It was constructed to keep the noise of the “12s” IN,
and that certainly affects their opponents trying to run offenses. The Seahawks even keep
a running count of offside calls accumulated by the visitors each game.
Pro Football and Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer, Paul Hornung, wore the old NFL
winter capes well.
6 -- Capes • Yes, capes. What happened to the capes that players wore on the
sidelines on cold days to keep them warm? I miss them! Designed in team colors with their
logos on the backs of the capes, they made for awesome still photos (many black-andwhite). Pro Football and Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer Paul Hornung was just one
player who sported it well.
Watch video of players running onto the field with them pulled close to their bodies and
tails billowing behind then…Gold!
There are a lot of great players that have come and gone in the NFL, but none of them
were too tough to eschew wearing capes when weather dictated.
Football lore in a fixture
7 -- Field Geography
Turf
We’ve seen football fields evolve from the “gridiron” pattern to its current incarnation, but
some of the changes to and on the field have affected how football is played. We began
with grass fields, moved to AstroTurf (AWFUL), and now we have various forms of
FieldTurf. In my opinion, FieldTurf is much better than AstroTurf, and while still not as good
as grass, it’s reportedly safer (fewer muscle strains and tears, high ankle sprains) and
more durable than the others.
Goalposts
The goal post used to be at the goal line before injuries prompted a move.
Initiated by a suggestion by then Dallas Cowboys president and general manager, Tex
Schramm, goalposts were moved from the goal line to the end line after a rash of injuries
to players that slammed into them. Moving the posts’ position changed the thought
process for teams when it came to field goal tries.
Hash marks
Hash marks moved toward the middle of the field, which reduced the reliance on running
offense to the wide side of the field.
8 -- Locker Room Paranoia
Let the wind blow in 3-2-1...
Newer stadiums today make visiting NFL teams feel a bit more welcomed by providing
nice locker room experiences. In the good old days, however, the visiting team locker room
was deliberately built in smaller, cramped sections because the home team never wanted
its visitors to be able to come together as one; they wanted them to be fragmented and not
connected. These dungeon-like areas also had too much or not enough heat, air
conditioning and other common needs.
The Washington team of the 1970s took locker room shenanigans a step further. It would
cue someone to open double-doors in the north end of RFK Stadium to let a wind gust
blow onto the field when an opposing team's kicker lined up to kick a field goal at that end
zone.
Snoops?
Harland Svare wasn't crazy. Paranoid, maybe.
With last summer’s Deflategate rumors about the Patriots allegedly stealing visitors’ game
plans and subsequent stories about game plans that went missing from opposing teams
locker rooms (like anyone would leave a real playbook out in the open!), there is a famous
NFL nugget from the 1970s that precedes that. Harland Svare was the head coach of the
San Diego Chargers and his 1972 team was on the road at Oakland to play the Oakland
Raiders. After sending the team out to the field for the National Anthem and kickoff, Svare,
suspecting a bug, stood in the center of the room and reportedly shouted at a light fixture
on the ceiling, “I know you’re up there Al Davis, and f --- you!!” The reputation of the
Raiders’ bugging the visitor’s locker room was well chronicled.
9 -- Shuttle Guards
Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown used to call all of the plays for his teams, and to
communicate the plays to his quarterbacks, including Hall of Famer, Otto Graham, he
would send them in via an offensive guard. So every play, a guard would run into the game
and give the play to the QB while another guard would run off and prepare to receive the
next play. After awhile, signaling plays in came into vogue and now, of course, we have
radio communication between the coach and QB through his helmet (NFL only). Ironically,
it was Brown who first tested radio communication in a game. All in all, though, I miss the
shuttle guards!
I spy a T formation
Imagine a football opponent that was just a couple of feet away from you for an entire
game. Or, (gasp!), traveling by train to road games.
And, long before it monitored the length of players’ socks, the National Football League
took uniforms so seriously that its uniforms were UNIformed!
As we continue to look toward Super Bowl 50, we glance back to game habits in the NFL
that would seem like cave practices today.
Train travel? Really??!
10 -- Same Sidelines
It was always an odd look, but one that provoked questions each time I saw it - both NFL
teams on the same sideline. Based on the contours and space at certain stadiums, teams
would have to share a sideline while competing. It was odd, indeed, and led to these sorts
of questions:
• Did coaches have to change the level of their voices when they talked to their teams?
• How was the “dividing line” between the teams patrolled?
• Would each or either team try to dress a “spy” in the garb of the other team and stash
them in the opponent’s bench area hoping to glean information?
• Did any fights break out between the teams because of proximity and general trash
talk?!
•
Yes, it was a look that always threw me in the beginning, but one that always kept my
attention.
11 -- Choo-Choose your seat – NFL teams traveled by train
NFL teams used to travel to away games by TRAIN!
In the early years of the NFL, teams made long road trips by train, similar to old baseball
trips where a Western Swing meant Chicago and St. Louis. I remember pictures of nattily
attired men, often with goofy, self-conscious grins posing either on the platform or on the
train (usually with the requisite card game going on) headed to a game. There isn’t much
team train travel anymore, but I remember seeing a Hard Knocks episode starring my
friend and colleague, Tony Siragusa and his Baltimore Ravens teammates taking a train to
Philadelphia for a preseason game with the Eagles (you may remember that game was
cancelled due to poor field conditions at the old Veterans Stadium). I thought to myself,
“That’s old school.” Back in the day, that was THE way you travelled to the game.
From The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/sports/10anderson.html
12 -- Button or Snap Jerseys
Before there were tear-away jerseys in football (fortunately those are now banned), there
were the button or snap jerseys that many players wore to make jerseys fit even more
snug on their pads. Those jerseys had tails that would be long enough to fit between the
players’ legs, and were secured by buttons or snaps (think “bodysuit”).
Not quite this particular style, but you get the idea ... a bodysuit.
The idea was to keep the jersey tight on the pads and body and make it more difficult for
an opposing player to gain a firm hold on the trunk of a players’ body. In the pictures from
those days, you often see guys in pre- or postgame shots with the tails of the jerseys out,
and dragging they almost looked like nightshirts. Great stuff!
The single wing wasn’t for chickens in the NFL
Everything that lasts, evolves, and the National Football League is no exception.
Some of the things that strike me are advertising, plays and babysitting. Yes, babysitting.
While athlete endorsements are common to today’s NFL fan, products that football players
promoted in the early days of the league might surprise those younger than 45.
And plays on the field? Elements of the game are always being tweaked. As players’
strengths have changed and the game studied more vigorously, so has the way that
strategy is designed.
In the 15th nugget, we look at babysitting NFL and AFL style. The lengths at which the two
leagues went to destroy the other before the 1966 merger give a whole new meaning to
the word.
13 -- Advertisements
Today’s NFL players come out of college and before they play a down of professional
football, many ask their agents about endorsement opportunities and ways to expand their
personal brands. Whether you agree with that route before they play a down of NFL
football or not, consider that players of the past were pitchmen for products that were
popular in their eras.
Among things that changed for the better in NFL advertising that reflected changes in
society, was when cigarette ads were removed in 1971. NFL players, including Frank
Gifford and Paul Hornung, extolled the benefits of cigarettes. Some players in uniform told
the public that cigarettes helped them play better or relaxed them. Along the same lines,
when I was a kid, Skoal smokeless tobacco commercials were ubiquitous. There was Earl
Campbell’s signature line: “Skoal, brother” that he delivered with such cool.
While we certainly didn’t know the harmful effects of those products that we do now, we
can all agree that while adults can choose to indulge at their own risk, it was not something
that should have been glamorized for kids.
14 -- The Single Wing
We have evolved in the NFL from the “single wing” tailback, originated by Hall of Fame
coach Glenn S. “Pop” Warner, as the field general, to the quarterback in that role. While
the Chicago Bears made the initial move in the NFL, Clark Shaughnessy implemented it at
Stanford University with Frankie Albert as his quarterback.
We still see plenty of plays run that originate from the shotgun or gun, but we don’t see the
same overall types of plays run from the single wing. After all, when was the last time you
heard the term “buck-lateral series?” Today’s gun plays have elements of the single wing,
especially teams that have a mobile quarterback with excellent running skills.
15 -- Babysitting
On June 8, 1966, the AFL and NFL announced its merger and from that marriage, the
Super Bowl, the biggest unofficial holiday in the United States, was born. But, before
détente, the leagues did their level best to put the other out of business.
Talent became the target of one of the duo’s biggest overthrow attempts, including the
AFL’s raid on top NFL quarterbacks. In one maneuver, John Brodie signed an agreement
on a cocktail napkin to leave the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers for the AFL’s Houston Oilers.
The merger took place and while Brodie signed with Houston, he never played for the
Oilers. (His son-in-law did, however. Chris Chandler started at quarterback for Houston
before Steve McNair took over in December 1996.)
The NFL and AFL also tussled to grab stars coming out of college to sign with their
respective leagues. The AFL took things next level by indulging in a practice that became
known as “babysitting.” After drafting players, the AFL would “hide” them and keep them
out of contact with NFL teams until they got them signed by their respective AFL squads.
The AFL used scouting personnel to put the plan to work, and great scouts like Lloyd
“Judge” Wells (Kansas City Chiefs) would convince the players to hang out in hotels, keep
the NFL teams away, and convince them to join the AFL. GREAT players like Buck
Buchanan, Jim Kearney, Emmitt Thomas, Otis Taylor, and Willie Lanier signed with
Kansas City, and formed the nucleus of their Super Bowl championship team that beat the
Minnesota Vikings from the NFL.
Straighten your tie and get the gameday glow … we’re
celebrating!
If you thought my friends at FOX Sports were the first to use glowing playing equipment,
you’re incorrect. Because as long there’s been football, there’ve been people who have
tried to make the game more fan-friendly. Today we look back at a test case about
which you may not know: the glowing football.
One of those balls may have been played at home sites that really weren’t home. The NFL
plays games in England today, but back in the day, surprise venues could have been high
school or college stadiums, at least in the preseason.
We’ve talked about clothing in the NFL, but in this one, we look at ways coaches have
dressed. No, we’re not going to dissect the evolution of Bill Belichick’s hoodies. Long
before that, NFL coaches wore suits and ties on the sideline. And the Fedoras … they
were COOL!
16 -- Glowing ba … football equipment
Baseball fans may remember when the colorful Charles O. Finley, former owner of the
Kansas City and later Oakland Athletics, made a big push to change the color of baseballs
from white to fluorescent orange (he was permitted to use them in a 1970 exhibition game).
He thought it would add “color” to the game, help fans better follow the flight of fly balls,
and hitters could better pick the ball out of the hand of the pitcher. It never caught on with
Major League Baseball, whose commissioner at the time was Bowie Kuhn.
The NFL's "night" football looked like the football we know, but was primarily reflective
white with black stripes.
What does this have to do with the National Football League? In the 1940s, a “night”
football was a part of the pro game and used in the NFL and All-American Football
Conference (AAFC), the league that gave us the Cleveland Browns. Those groups used it
to help players during night games in stadiums and ballparks that often had poor lighting.
In those night games, it was also mandated that neither team could wear white shirts or
helmets so that the white ball could be seen against the player’s uniforms.
17 -- World Travelers
The NFL has established an "International Series" to help spread the game throughout the
world. Regular season contests are staged in London (three in 2015). Preseason games
have been played in Japan and Mexico, and in past seasons, the Buffalo Bills hosted one
“home” game in Toronto.
18 -- In Your Own Backyard
There was a time when the NFL played preseason games just about anywhere. I’m not
sure there was rhyme or reason to play in college, high school or civic stadiums (the Hall of
Fame game is still in Canton, Ohio), or in locales that had no connection to the NFL. It’s
rare now, but I miss the part of the season where you never knew if your community would
be lucky enough to host one of those NFL games.
When I was in college at the University of Tennessee, the New England Patriots and
Pittsburgh Steelers played in Knoxville as part of the 1982 World’s Fair. Big Orange
Country turned out about 90,000 strong to welcome home former UT wide receiver,
Stanley “Steamer” Morgan, who was then a star with the Pats.
19 -- Clothes That Suited Coaches
I know that the league mandates coaching attire based on apparel contracts between the
NFL and manufacturers, but I admit that I REALLY miss the days when NFL head coaches
roamed the sidelines in a coats and ties or a suit. Decades long past, they may
have completed their wardrobe with hats of that era (Fedoras, anyone?). I know it’s not the
most practical attire; sidelines can be hot sweaty cauldrons on game days, but I treasure
images of great coaches of the past that commanded their benches, talked with
quarterbacks and berated game officials while dressed to the nines.
Jackets and ties were the norm until the 70s when we began to see simple open-collared
looks. Yes, even leisure suits…UGH. (Yes, I wore them…please let those photos remain
under lock and key.) It seems that the only nattily attired coach left at that time was Dan
Reeves, until league rules claimed him as a victim as well. We got one last gasp courtesy
of Mike Nolan of San Francisco, who wanted honor his father, Dick, who coached those
same 49ers while freshly pressed previously), and Jack Del Rio (at Jacksonville).
One of my proudest moments at Tennessee was when I suggested that my head coach
Johnny Majors wear a coat and tie on the sidelines. He began doing so the first game of
my senior year, and continued until his retirement at Pitt in the late 1990s.
NFL teams improved their records in sometimes surprising
ways
As if losing isn’t bad enough for football teams, the NFL used to make the hurt last into
what should have been their off-seasons. In the 1960s, losing teams were matched in
meaningless playoff games to the thrill of no one. Even in today’s football hungry world,
we’re left to wonder, what was the league thinking?
But spirits were high when new teams were brought into the NFL fold. Even if expansion
teams didn’t fare well right off the bat, their cities were proud to display pro football logos
they could call their own. It was much the same when teams flipped affiliations to help
balance the league after NFL and AFL merger. After all, to this day, those are working out
pretty well.
20 -- Dressed for a “playoff” with nowhere to go
From 1960 through 1969, the NFL in its infinite wisdom (all sarcasm intended) did not let
losing football teams in the playoffs simply pack their bags and head into the off-season.
The league actually matched them in one more game, known as the Playoff Bowl (officially
named the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl after the late league commissioner who died suddenly in
1959). Often hosted in a warm weather climate, my guess is that people in charge saw the
game as one more opportunity to promote professional football, but no one else thought it
was a good idea. Players didn’t want to play (you could get hurt, and for what?), coaches
didn’t want to coach (no chance of being a champion, so what was the point?), and crowds
weren’t what you would call, excited, for the contest.
Fortunately, like consolation games in NCAA basketball tournaments, the Playoff Bowl was
benched in 1970.
In all foolish things come funny stories though, and the Playoff Bowl is no exception. The
first year of the event pitted the Detroit Lions against the Cleveland Browns. Detroit was
frustrated that it didn’t advance in the real playoffs, but since the season was “over,” all
worries and rules went out the window and the Lions just focused on having a good time.
Cleveland, on the other hand, led by the legendary (and stern) head coach Paul Brown,
had curfew all week, regular meetings, etc. Guess who won THAT game?
21 -- Expansion Team Debuts
Every time the NFL expanded, it was a big story, and the excitement level in the new NFL
city was always at a fever pitch.
At one time, expansion teams were stocked with nothing but castoff players, most well
beyond their prime or in no position to actually have one. As a result, those teams got off to
very rocky starts. (See the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which didn’t win a game until Year 2).
But a few teams, while it didn’t last, announced their presence with authority. On
September 17, 1961, the Minnesota Vikings convincingly upset the Chicago Bears, 37-13
in their regular season and franchise debut behind Fran Tarkenton, a rookie QB who came
off the bench and began his path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Vikings didn’t win
their second game until their ninth game of that season, going 3-11 overall.
The New Orleans Saints John Gilliam returned the opening kickoff in franchise history for a
94-yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams, September 17, 1967. The Saints did
not win their first game, however, until two months later when they beat the Philadelphia
Eagles, 31-24.
While it wasn’t during their first seasons, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers,
which both played inaugural NFL seasons in 1995, went against the grain. They played for
the right to go to the Super Bowl in their second years of their existence.
22 -- Relocation in league label, only
While the American Football League valiantly fought to gain equal footing with the NFL, it
eventually lost the battle and was absorbed under the banner of the National Football
League in 1966. When the league decided to expand again, it sought two volunteers to
move from the National Football Conference (NFC) to the American Football Conference
(AFC), home of AFL teams. To the surprise of many, two of the most traditional NFL
teams made the shift: the Baltimore Colts (which lost Super Bowl III to the Broadway Joe
Namath-led New York Jets), and the Rooney Family-owned, Pittsburgh Steelers. It was
odd for many to view those organizations under the banner of the “AFL,” but it was a
brilliant move by the league, as the moves helped break down barriers and led the public
to view the league as one, and not NFL vs. AFL.
They turned out ok
The Colts won Super Bowls for the AFC in both Baltimore and Indianapolis. The Steelers
have earned a mere six Super Bowl crowns, including four during the heyday of the
vaunted “Steel Curtain.”
There was no masking change in 20th Century professional
football
As professional football investors seemingly try every few years to start new leagues, one
before the USFL of the 1980s actually succeeded, albeit for a short time.
That, the evolution of players’ schemes and face protection highlight more of what I
celebrate in the National Football League, past and present.
Don’t be afraid of the masks. Their intent was and always is, to protect players.
23 -- Few players did it ALL
The two-way football player went by the wayside when two-platoon football, the practice of
training and playing separate offensive and defensive units, came into vogue. Philadelphia
Eagles’ legend Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik is often remembered as the last˛ great
two-way player in the NFL for playing 59 of a possible 60 minutes in the 1960 NFL
Championship game against Green Bay (the only playoff loss of Vince Lombardi’s career)
as a center and middle linebacker. Bednarik made the game-saving tackle to boot.
The truth is that Deion “Prime Time” Sanders did it for a full season (1996) as a member of
the Dallas Cowboys when he starred as a cornerback and wide receiver -- not to mention
kick returner -- but he has never gotten his just due for his “Iron Man” stint. Consider the
running he did that season!
24 -- Football facemasks, some fit for Halloween
A noseguard in football once referred to part of the helmet's facemask.
The facemask has continued to evolve since it was introduced in the 1930s and ridiculed
by football’s tough guys at the time. (I bet hockey goalies prior to Jacques Plante could
relate.) Throughout the years, we’ve seen all fashions, from the original nose guard (the
forerunner of the mask) to the single-bar (Joe Theismann wore it during his career in
Washington), the “U bar,” worn by many linebackers and fullbacks, all the way to today’s
masks complete with shields.
There was also the rapid rise in popularity of the so-called “Bane” facemask, named for the
villain in the Batman thriller, “Dark Knight Rises.” They were eventually outlawed for being
too dangerous by college football and the NFL.
25 -- Once there were three professional football leagues
The Continental Professional Football League (CPFL) sprang up as an alternative to the
NFL and AFL from 1965-1969. During its run, it placed teams in places like Montreal,
Canada and Mexico. The Mexico Golden Aztecs were formed in 1969 as the first American
football team in Mexico City. The Orlando Panthers had the most powerful franchise and
were led by quarterback Don Jonas, who later enjoyed a terrific run in Canada.
Athletes that played in the Continental League and then jumped to the NFL included Coy
Bacon, Garo Yepremian, Otis Sistrunk, and Ken “Snake” Stabler. Two other notable
names were involved with the CPFL. A.B. “Happy” Chandler, the former head of Major
League Baseball, was the Continental League’s first commissioner, and Heisman Trophy
winner Doak Walker was head coach of the Akron Vulcans.
There was also a junior college coach en route to football genius in the league. Bill Walsh
coached the San Jose Apaches franchise for a season. He would, of course, later become
the mastermind behind the San Francisco 49ers glory years (1979-1988) during which
he guided them to three Super Bowl titles.
The Continental Professional Football League enjoyed a short run, but it certainly left its
mark.
A read on football’s history from covers to coverages
As you’ve read in these columns, most every position on the professional football field has
and will continue to evolve. We look at the NFL’s fullback and a combination position that
today’s fan might find a crazy two-fer: the quarterback/punter.
I also share some of my all-time favorite football books. All are as compelling today as the
day they were written, and I’ve read a few of them several times. I hope you take time to
enjoy them, too.
26 -- The Fullback
The fullback was once an NFL glamour position -- the primary ball carrier, a focus of
football books (especially for children and young adults), and object of affection for college
football and in NFL cities throughout the nation. Hall of Famers like the Chicago Bears’
“Bronko Nagurski” (an incredible tackle and pro wrestler, as well), San Francisco 49ers’
Joe “The Jet” Perry, Green Bay’s Jim Taylor, Chicago Cardinal and Los Angeles Ram,
Ollie Matson and my pick for greatest player of all time, Cleveland’s incomparable, Jim
Brown (who’s also is in the debate as the greatest lacrosse player of all time).
As football evolved and the halfback or tailback gained prominence, the fullback took on a
role as more of a blocking back (think Lorenzo Neal who led many a runner to the Pro
Bowl with his incredible blocking skills). Some modern era players were able to make more
of the position: Matt Suhey of the Chicago Bears and 49ers’ Tom Rathman could block,
run and catch. Perhaps, the best all around fullback in the modern game, however, was
Roger Craig of San Francisco who ran for more 1,000 yards, and tallied more than 100
catches in a single season (1985).
The fullback is nearly extinct today, but I always smile when I prep for a game with teams
that still carry the position on their roster.
27 -- An unlikely combination today: QB/P
Actress Jane Russell with then husband and Rams QB/P, Bob Waterfield.
In the single-wing tailback days when that position was known as a “triple threat” football
player (run, pass and kick), quarterbacks not only ran and passed for their teams, but also
dropped back and punted (not to mention the occasional quick kick, as well). One of these
triple threat players was Bob Waterfield of the Rams, who was a great player,
AND photogenic … although not in the same league as his one-time wife, actress Jane
Russell. There was all-time great, “Slingin’ Sammy” Baugh, who represented the multiposition player like none other. The late NFL Films’ president, Steve Sabol reviewed hours
of game film and deduced that Washington’s Baugh played quarterback, tailback,
cornerback and defensive tackle as well as punter and kicker. He did each so well that he
led the NFL in passing, interceptions and punting in different seasons during his career.
In the NFL’s contemporary years, Danny White broke into the league as quarterback
Roger Staubach’s backup in Dallas, where he also punted. When White got his chance to
start at QB in 1980, he kept his punting job.
28 -- Books that defined and humanized
I’m not old enough to have read these books upon release, but I have some favorites that
helped define and in some ways, humanize the NFL. They essentially took the helmet off
players and let us see the real people behind the game. Some favorites:
Out of their League by former St. Louis Cardinals linebacker Dave Meggyesy, who in
1969, walked away from football. His actions at the time shocked America with his firstperson accounts of what went on in an NFL locker room and camp with injuries, as well as
treatment of players (poor in his account). At the time, fans vilified Meggyessy. Today he
would likely be applauded for exposing the ills and realities of the game.
Even Big Guys Cry by Detroit Lions’ great tackle, Alex Karras (who in my humble
opinion, should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame). The book is an often funny, ribald and
achingly honest account of his life and his time as a football player.
Confessions of a Dirty Ballplayer by Johnny Sample, former defensive back for
Pittsburgh, Baltimore and New York Jets. Sample wrote one the most shockingly open and
honest books of its time. He called out the NFL for its double standard of how black players
were treated and regarded. He stood up and shouted during a time when black players
were told, “be quiet and know your place.”
Sample’s book helped me see the world with different and I believe, better-educated eyes.
I Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow …’Cause I Get Better-Looking Everyday was
Joe Namath’s first autobiography. Written with the
Incomparable Dick Schaap, after the Jets Super Bowl III win over the Colts, it’s one of my
all-time favorites. It’s a great read by one of the all-time top quarterbacks and No. 1
playboy of his time. There’s only one Broadway Joe!
Paper Lion by George Plimpton is my favorite book of the era. It chronicles his attempt
to make the Detroit Lions roster as the “last string QB” despite having never played
organized football. The story, set during 1963 Lions training camp, was so vivid and
colorful that once when I was in Detroit, I drove to the Cranbrook school where the Lions
trained just to get a look at the actual place that I saw so many times in my mind. That’s
powerful.
In professional football, leaders take the ball and run
We give thanks for the leaders of NFL football teams: owners, general managers and head
coaches. We look specifically at three men that put their special marks on a league they
helped build into what we love about professional football, today.
29 -- Owner Former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, Eddie DeBartolo wanted to
build a winner. He knew a coach that was successful at the college level at Stanford (14-8
in two seasons) in Bill Walsh, who burned to show the NFL that the league should have
introduced him years prior (Walsh was passed over in Cincinnati by Paul Brown, and
seethed for years at that slight). Walsh would bring a fresh offensive system to the league
later named “West Coast Offense.” Starting with that hire, DeBartolo took aim to make the
‘Niners not just winners, but ones that did everything first class: better charter flights, the
best food on those flights, facilities, you name it. Each Super Bowl ring ceremony was
elaborate and special, including in 1990, when he took the team, all expenses paid, along
with one guest each, to Hawaii for mini-camp and that year’s ring ceremony. If a player or
coach produced for Eddie D, they were rewarded and made to feel special during the
journey.
Vince Lombardi
30 -- GM We know that the Super Bowl Champion gets the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It
was so named because as a head coach Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers won NFL
titles in 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967 and the first two Super Bowls after the 1966 and
1967 seasons. We lost Coach Lombardi to cancer in 1970, but his impact on the game
lives on, and not just through the trophy.
One story about him as a general manager always makes me laugh. When All-Pro Center,
Jim Ringo went to negotiate his contract with Lombardi, he brought another person with
him and introduced the man as someone who would handle the discussions (agents had
yet to become the norm in the 1960s NFL). Lombardi gave Ringo a look of incredulity,
excused himself from the room, and minutes later, returned and addressed Ringo’s
representative, “Sir, you are negotiating with the wrong man. Mr. Ringo is now a member
of the Philadelphia Eagles.” Do you think any other Packers brought reps with them to
meet Lombardi at contract time? It was a different time, indeed.
31 -- Head Coach - George Allen with Los Angeles and Washington, was
reportedly the first-ever Special Teams Coordinator in the NFL (with the Bears, others say
Defensive Coordinator). His intensity and enthusiasm made him a coach around whom
players rallied. His players on the Los Angeles Rams, his first NFL team, were in his
corner to such an extent that when personal differences between Allen and owner Dan
Reeves led to Allen’s dismissal, nearly every player stated for the record that they would
ask for their release or a trade if Allen was not reinstated (it worked).
In Washington, Allen built a Super Bowl team through unyielding loyalty to veteran players
so prominent it was nicknamed “The Over The Hill Gang.” They battled the undefeated
Miami Dolphins in the 1972 title game, losing just 14-7. Watch NFL Films and you’ll see
Allen leading a very happy and raucous postgame celebration, jumping up-and-down,
rhythmically clapping in the middle of the team doing the same, chanting, “HEY, HEY,
HEY!” It was a joy that seemed SO simple, but it continues to speak volumes to me each
time I view it. That was mountain top joy, and it needed to be shouted!
Giving thanks for football and funky nickname origins
If you’ve ever wondered how some NFL teams got their nicknames, you’ll find that many
traveled with clubs when they relocated. Other football teams acquired monikers because
they were simple or obvious when organizations were created.
Not as obvious, when I mentioned NFL great Jim Brown and his double-sport prowess,
readers led me to think about other professional football players that excelled in other
sports. I mention six this week, but would love to know whom I missed.
32 -- Wash and wash and wash and wear -- NFL nicknames
The original NFL Cardinals' uniform.
The origin of football team nicknames can make for great stories, but sometimes they
emerge in obvious ways. Take the Arizona Cardinals, which were first formed as a team in
Chicago. As with many organizations of the time, cash flow was tight, so when the new
Chicago professional football team went shopping for uniforms, they sought the best deal
possible. They found it nearby with then college football power, The University of Chicago.
Led to greatness by college football legend, Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, the
Maroons were among the royalty of amateur football -- with used game uniforms. After
repeated washings, those uniforms lost their bold maroon color and became pale to the
degree the color looked cardinal red. Voila, the newest NFL franchise: the Chicago
Cardinals.
33 -- NFL talents were great in others pro sports
Jim Brown was more than just a great football player.
We’ve discussed the great Jim Brown and his greatness, but he wasn’t just exceptional on
the gridiron, but on the lacrosse fields, too. It made me think about other NFL greats that
participated in other sports with distinction, especially on the professional level. I came up
with a few, but am eager to hear from all of you about athletes that you are aware of that
aren’t mentioned here:
George S. Halas – “Papa Bear” played and coached for the Decatur/Illinois/Chicago
Staleys/Bears after playing Major League Baseball (New York Yankees, 1919).
Jim Thorpe - The “World’s Greatest Athlete” and charter member of the Pro Football Hall
of Fame who besides his remarkable Olympics performance in 1912 and professional
football career from which he retired at the age of 41, played Major League Baseball (New
York Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves). What have you done lately?!
Bud Grant – The Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame head coach that led his team to four
Super Bowls and played for the Philadelphia Eagles, played in the NBA with the
Minneapolis Lakers.
Otto Graham - A Hall of Fame quarterback who played football for the Cleveland Browns,
Graham first helped lead the Rochester Royals professional basketball team to the 1946
National Basketball League title. He appeared with both teams that year.
Bo Jackson – The Pro Bowl running back (1990) was also named All-Star Game MVP
(1989) in Major League Baseball.
Deion Sanders – He played NFL (Atlanta Falcons) and World Series (Atlanta Braves)
games in 24 hours, suiting up for both on the same day (1992).
34 -- Thankful for football
Thanksgiving means giving thanks for family, friends, and so many other things that we
love and hold dear. It also means FOOTBALL on every level!
There are still traditional high school games, including my favorite, Haddonfield High
School vs. Haddon Heights High School, that is played in New Jersey just outside of
Philadelphia and has been contested since 1902 (a few years were missed during to the
World Wars). Its head coach and one of my dearest, most respected friends, Frank
DeLano, leads Haddonfield. One day, I’m going to attend that game and watch my guy and
his team do their thing!
Plenty of colleges play on Thanksgiving Day (although I really miss Texas vs. Texas A&M),
and of course, the NFL has its traditional double, er, now, triple-header on Turkey Day.
The anchor teams for the NFL lineup are the Detroit Lions in the early game and Dallas
Cowboys in Game 2, with a third game in recent years airing on NBC. Each Thanksgiving,
I reflect on my memories of great games or performances on Thanksgiving:
• Barry Sanders always wowed us for the Lions.
• Dallas Cowboys head coach, Jason Garrett’s amazing performance as a quarterback
while Troy Aikman was out with a sprained knee in the 1994 Cowboys vs. Packers
Turkey Day matchup.
• One that resonates most is one that I was not even alive to see -- the 1962 Detroit Lions’
decisive 26-14 win over the Green Bay Packers, which would go on to win that
season’s NFL Championship. The Lions’ pass rush sacked Hall of Fame QB Bart
Starr 11 times. It was the Packers’ only loss of the season.
From plays to picks, details have long dominated professional
football
We don’t have to look far to absorb what the NFL Draft means to football teams and fans.
Years ago, the draft process was more hit-and-miss than it is today. But even with
technology and analytics that dominates the process, sometimes 21st Century draft picks
can surprise us, good and bad, once players get to the league.
Just remind those football players that don’t pan out to leave their playbooks on the
coach's desk when they hit the road. We review a couple of stories at the books’ perceived
value by NFL organizations.
People that know the playbook almost as well as players, are schooled team radio voices.
They know every nuance of their football teams and often deliver details of why plays are
run or not to local fans and today, fans out-of-state, thanks to satellite radio.
35 -- The NFL Draft is more than a cherry pick trip
The early days of the NFL Draft could truly be described as “hit or miss” in the purest
sense of the phrase. Football teams often drafted based on geography. For instance, for a
long time, teams possessed the ability to invoke a “territorial draft pick” and take a local
college star that played near their home city. Teams also drafted based on star value of
a player (that still occurs), and from All-America teams designated by the likes of Street
and Smith’s and the Walter Camp Foundation. But as the NFL grew and the value of
football players increased, scouting and evaluation systems evolved, and now culminate
with three days of what we know and football diehards appreciate as a national draft event.
A sixth-round NFL Draft pick named Brady turned out pretty well for the New England
Patriots.
There is A LOT of time and money spent each year on the NFL draft process. Of course,
some teams play the draft (it's like a strategic contest) better than others, but it’s often just
plain luck and fortune that shapes the destiny of football teams. You don’t have to look far
to find the latter: the Patriots drafted Tom Brady in the 6th round of the 1999 NFL Draft (the
Pats’ second 6th round pick). Brady's teammate and star receiver Julian Edelman was
selected 27th in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. I think both have faired relatively
well for that team.
36 -- Playbooks are more than casual reads
The actual value of NFL team playbooks has been hotly debated since they were created.
If they ever fell into the opposition’s hands would it lead to the ruination of a team and its
strategies? Some say absolutely while others scoff at the idea. But there’s no debating the
value placed on the books and the information and plays they detail. When an athlete is
cut from a team, the person sent to give you the bad news says something along the lines
of “Hey, Davis, the head coach needs to see you…and, bring your playbook.” No one
leaves the building with a team playbook (or today it might be an iPad or Surface tablet).
In 1972, a back-up quarterback named Karl Sweetan took a playbook when he left the Los
Angeles Rams and tried to sell it to the New Orleans Saints. According to his 2000 New
York Times obituary, Sweetan and his cousin were charged with wire fraud and interstate
transport of stolen property and spent a night in jail, but were not indicted. Tommy Prothro,
the Rams’ coach at the time, reportedly thought the whole thing was ridiculous and said
that any guy that left his team was welcome to take his playbook. As you might imagine,
other NFL coaches weren’t quite so cavalier. Could you imagine getting a playbook from
Paul Brown or Vince Lombardi? No, me neither.
37 -- Soothing sounds
Before professional football was broadcast on television, people followed the NFL and their
favorite football teams on radio. Each team’s designated radio voice spoke about, and
essentially for the team, to its fans that couldn’t make it to a game in-person.
Thom Brennaman and I recently visited with Merrill Reese, voice of the Philadelphia
Eagles.
Even today as TV dominates the way we consume the NFL (and most all sports, for that
matter), radio still brings us football’s spectacular action. Each team has its own voice, and
many fans like to hear what hometown announcers say about games rather than TV
commentators that may see different teams each week. Fans trust home team radio
announcers because they provide familiar, confident and reassuring voices when they
celebrate victories or need solace after losses. Those voices are integral to a team’s
connection with its fans. Guys like Wayne Larivee (Packers), George Blaha (Lions) and
Merrill Reese (Eagles) often enjoy long runs with teams and are beloved by fans.
I love those guys because they can be fantastic founts of information for someone like me
as we prepare to broadcast a game. They typically have their finger firmly on the pulse of a
team and city, and best of all -- they know how and teach us to pronounce the toughest
names on a roster!
Put a lid on it! Domed football stadiums, instant replay are
here to stay
It always amazes me how traditions are established in the NFL. It might be football players
that challenged age-old habits or those that gave into superstition. As we moved into the
technology age, the fan experience and fight for absolute accuracy took precedent.
Long before Michael Jordan’s Nikes made sports fans shoe collectors, football players
broke rank and made their own statements with footwear. Years later, it was NFL owners
that moved the needle when many decided that warm-weather teams needed to keep their
fans cool, and cold-weather clubs should shield people from icy elements. In a most
dramatic kick to football tradition, the NFL (after college ball) supplemented the human
element with technology to call plays. It was only the beginning of how machines would
work their way into football.
38 -- Walk this way
My dad, Franklin Davis, had the honor to meet Billy "White Shoes" Johnson at a Black
College Football Hall of Fame ceremony.
When we hear the term “white shoes” in football, our thoughts likely turn immediately to
three-time Pro Bowler, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson who had a successful, fame-filled
career as a wide receiver/punt returner with the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons. At 63years-old, he still looks like he could suit up and run a punt back for a game-winning
touchdown.
While I’m not sure who wore the first pair of “white shoes” (cleats) in an NFL game, the guy
that got the most attention for wearing them was “Broadway” Joe Namath. When he played
for the legendary, Paul “Bear” Bryant at the University of Alabama, ol’ Joe liked to wrap
white tape around his traditional black cleats and his teammates often teased him about
that practice. During a 1964 game (vs. NC State), Namath answered their gibes by not
wearing white, but basic black cleats. He unfortunately suffered the first knee injury of his
career during that game, as well. From then on, Namath was “Joe Willie Whiteshoes.” So,
while “Joe Cool” made white shoes on the field cool, I still wonder who wore the first set in
an NFL or AFL game.
These days we see shoes of all colors, and no one really blinks (well, maybe, when the
Seahawks Russell Wilson and others wear bright neon green kicks … or the league
doesn’t approve of a certain color). But it all began when someone broke rank and donned
a pair of white cleats, which changed NFL fashion forever.
I know I was influenced. I wore a mean pair of white Pumas while trying to help my New
Paltz High School teammates win games for head coach John Ford and assistant coach
Bill Freer in New York State.
39 -- Cover up!
Something else in the NFL now de rigueur are domed stadiums, but even they continue to
evolve. From the aptly billed “Eighth Wonder of the World” Houston Astrodome, to the
incredible football palaces that we visit today to watch games that feature retractable roofs
(Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and others), we see advanced
design, technology and comfort.
The Astrodome originally opened with a normal grass field, but when the windows had to
be made opaque because the glare from the sun made looking up to catch fly balls a
dangerous exercise (the venue was also used for Major League Baseball), the Astroturf
era was ushered in (Editor’s Note: UGH!). Thus began our love/hate relationship with fake
turf. Fortunately, we have domes that feature real grass, such as Arizona’s University of
Phoenix Stadium, which keeps the field outside and rolls it in with an elaborate “track
system.” It’s one of the best surfaces in the league. Houston also had real grass until this
season, although I’ve heard that the Texans plan to bring it back next year. I hope that
happens.
While the Astrodome is acknowledged as the first domed stadium used for NFL games, the
league played indoor games prior to that, including one in Chicago. Brutal weather
conditions forced the first indoor NFL playoff game in 1932 at Chicago Stadium, which
featured the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans.
40 -- Play it again
Now that we have so many cameras that capture the action at NFL games, we can see the
game live and via instant replay from just about every conceivable angle (thank you, Pylon
Cam for our latest view). Replay in the NFL began in 1976 with then-NFL Supervisor of
Officials, Art McNally, who carried a stopwatch and video camera into a booth during a
Monday Night Football game to time and experiment with instant replay in professional
football. Because of the system’s cost and inconsistency, regular use of NFL replay wasn’t
regularly implemented until the mid-1980s.
The first-ever use of any football replay during a game, however, was at the college level.
In 1963, a young and aspiring director, Tony Verna, used his new creation during an ArmyNavy game. Verna, who went on to produce or direct five Super Bowls, an Olympic Games
broadcast and other events, paved the way to what we see on our screens, today. Not only
do we have basic instant replay, but also, technology has become so good that the NFL
uses it to ensure that calls made by the officials on the field are correct.
And, while replay is great for football, it, like most things, is not fail safe. But, there’s no
turning back (nor would fans want it to), and there’s little doubt that advances in this area
will continue. The arguments will too.
Comfort and Joy, and NFLing all the way
We know that in the NFL, most every Sunday during the football season is a holiday. But in
the thick of the winter celebration season, we know Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa,
Festivus and New Year’s Eve leads to an even bigger one in February.
41 -- Happy Hanukkah!
In honor of Hanukkah’s eight days, let’s spin some “Great 8s” that have roamed NFL fields:
• My FOX Sports colleague, Troy Aikman, won three Super Bowls as quarterback of the
Dallas Cowboys and earned a coveted spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Anyone who watched the 6-time Pro Bowler throw the football recalls his years on
the field with reverence.
• Quarterback Steve Young led the 1994 San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl title with a
49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers. He was one of the most athletically gifted
signal callers in professional football history, having followed Joe Montana’s star as
the leader of the Niners. If you haven’t already seen it, watch the NFL Films clip of
him begging teammates to “take that monkey off my back!"
• Let’s not forget the man now known as the patriarch of the “First Family of the NFL,”
Archie Manning. The former New Orleans Saints quarterback’s (Oilers, Vikings, too)
talents were phenomenal, but his teams, alas, were not. He was Steve Young
before Steve Young was in terms of athleticism. If you don’t believe me, watch old
film of him as a quarterback at Ole Miss and watch him go. WOW.
42 -- Joy to the World!
The Miami Dolphins-Kansas City Chiefs 1971 NFL playoff game was played on Christmas
Day, and in my humble opinion, was one of the greatest NFL games ever played. It would
rank as the best if a championship had been decided that day. Instead, one team
advanced and ultimately played in the Super Bowl (Miami, which lost to Dallas in the title
game). The other had to endure the heartbreak of not just losing 27-24 in the NFL playoffs,
but in TWO overtimes … at home. It was an absolutely incredible game that featured many
great personalities and players. The legend headcount started with coaches: Miami head
coach Don Shula and Kansas City’s Hank Stram ruled the sidelines. Players for the
Dolphins included Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, Paul Warfield, Nick Buoniconti and Jake
Scott, and for the Chiefs, Len Dawson, Ed Podolak, Otis Taylor, Willie Lanier, Emmitt
Thomas, and Jan Stenerud. Miami kicker, Garo Yepremian, ultimately decided the game.
My most enduring memory of that game was Chiefs’ running back, Podolak who seemed
to touch the ball on EVERY play for Kansas City. His magnificent showing that evening
was reflected in raw stats: 85 rushing yards and a touchdown, 110 yards of receptions and
another TD. To top things off, Podolak ran back three kickoffs for 154 yards, averaging 51
yards per return, with a long of 78.
I was fortunate to meet Podolak when I broadcast some games involving his alma mater,
the Iowa Hawkeyes, for which he serves as the radio analyst.
43 -- Bah Humbug…Scrooged!
Santa had a rough day in Philadelphia in 1968.
It wouldn’t be the holiday season and a discussion about the NFL without having a chuckle
about Philadelphia Eagles fans that booed Santa Claus. That Santa, known in real life as
Frank Olivo, performed in an Eagles’ halftime Christmas celebration during Philadelphia’s
1968 game against Minnesota. Not only was he booed, but angry Eagles fans also pelted
him with snowballs as “Here Comes Santa Claus” played over the stadium’s speakers.
The Vikings were in Philadelphia that day for the Eagles’ last home game of the year, and
as it turned out, Olivo was a fill-in Santa (the original got caught in a snowstorm). It was a
lousy year on the field for the Eagles, and fans were unhappy with everyone and
everything … and they took it out on Santa! How often does this story come up when
people want to debate the “toughest” fans in the NFL? Every season. Philly’s rep was
cemented that day. Any fan base that boos and throws snowballs at Santa Claus is a
tough crowd. Well, Eagles’ fans do not lack passion, that’s for sure!
In a football giving mood
Despite the headline, this installment of what I love about professional football and the NFL
is not about Cam Newton (but I LOVE his giving spirit!).
This holiday season I feel giving -- to those deserving, of course. Among the names you
will find in today’s list of things I love about the NFL are Ed and Steve Sabol, and Sterling
Sharp. There’s a theme that runs with two names: Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And being in a giving mood, this former defensive player gives props to wide receivers.
Make magic with the way you catch passes and you deserve a big red ribbon around your
stats sheet.
44 -- Roll it! NFL Films
Steve Sabol deserves a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ed Sabol started it and his son Steve Sabol grew it. Today we see and enjoy the
magnificence of what they did with film and football. They did it with vision, grit and yes,
love. Ed Sabol’s work went a long way toward making the NFL the most popular team
sport in the United States. While I am thankful that the Pro Football Hall of Fame finally
recognized Ed, the Father of NFL Films, it’s passed time that Steve is enshrined as well.
We sadly lost Steve a few years ago, but his name and bust NEED to be in Canton. NOW.
45 -- Only a mother could love some game day garb ... maybe
In the good old days, iron-willed head coaches determined player dress for games. As a
general rule, those wardrobes included suits, sport coats, ties and often a blazer with a
team logo emblazoned on the breast pocket. Today, teams still have dress codes, but in
most instances, things are a bit looser than in days gone by. Some guys still dress to the
nines while others prefer more casual wear. Then there are some football players that
wear outfits that only a mother (and in some instances, not even the most sainted lady
would approve!) would love.
Arizona Cardinals' Patrick Peterson or Buddy the Elf?
Witness Arizona Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson’s get-up on the team’s recent road trip to
Philadelphia. To his defense on that day, he lost a team bet and had to travel as a
Christmas Elf. But Detroit Lions Devin Taylor saw his outfit on the Internet and had it
custom-made. No words left from me!
46 -- Wide Receivers
I know I know … a former defensive back is not supposed to extoll the virtues and
attributes of those that catch passes for a living. But during this holiday season when we
all smile at the big guy who wears a red suit and spreads joy all over the world, why not?!
From Don “Alabama Antelope” Hutson, noted by some as the NFL’s first superstar receiver
(Green Bay Packers 1935-45), to Lance “Bambi” Alworth (Chargers, Cowboys; 1962-1972),
to smooth types like Paul Warfield (Browns, Dolphins 1964-1976) and James Lofton (first
player to score NFL touchdowns in the 1970s, 80s and 90s; 16 seasons, 5 teams) to
physical specimens like Michael “The Playmaker” Irvin (Cowboys, 1988-1999) and Anquan
Boldin (current – 49ers), and of course, the G.O.A.T Jerry Rice (San Francisco, Oakland
and Seattle 1985-2004), wide receivers make plays, and demand our attention with their
play and flamboyance. Attention getters? More like attention grabbers!
And while I’m at it … Hey, Hall of Fame voters! Another name for you: Sterling Sharpe
(Packers, 1988-1994). He’s MORE-than Hall of Fame worthy, and it’s high time he gets
recognized and everyone quits using lack-of- longevity as an excuse not to induct him.
Sharpe was hurt and had to retire. Check out his career, his dominance and realize what
he accomplished! {Ahem} Okay, I’m off my soapbox. For now.
And to all Pro Football Hall of Fame voters: STEVE SABOL and STERLING SHARPE!!!
“Football weather” has always been part of the game
What a wild football season this has been in the NFL. From back-up to the back-ups
playing lead roles to continued discussions of what defines a catch, to magnificent grabs,
we’ve seen football continue to evolve to fit rule changes and new safety standards. Make
no mistake, however, the magic remains between goal lines.
So with the playoffs in sight and Super Bowl 50 on the horizon, we end our series with
items number 49, 50 and a bonus 51 about why I love the NFL.
Now that the weather has finally turned winter-like in areas of the country after a mostly
mild season, we look at the lengths football players have gone to keep warm when
conditions were the opposite. We look at what tool might help those aforementioned
spectacular catches. And we return to the kicker. Talk about a position on the football field
that evolves.
It’s been a pleasure to bring you these nuggets and more fun to see your comments. I
hope you’ll share more thoughts with these items.
47 -- Here’s the kicker
The drop kick has gone the way of the Dodo Bird, dinosaurs, and straight-on kickers with
square toe shoes, but what memories. There were turn-of-the- century stars like college
player Pat “Kangaroo Kicker” O’Dea of Wisconsin (detailed in my friend Dave Revsine’s
outstanding book “The Opening Kickoff”), through the years when everyone in amateur
and professional football had drop kick specialists on their teams. Accuracy numbers will
not impress you, but I still can’t believe how it was done and from distances of up to 40
and more yards for some. The play was one that went from simple to marvel as fewer
teams used it as a weapon. Note: At one point, a successful drop kick actually counted as
4 points.
When the shape of the football changed from rugby like to present-day missile-like
construction to aid the passing game, it hurt drop kickers and hastened their demise. Then
Doug Flutie showed us, perhaps one last time, how much fun a successfully executed drop
kick could be. As a 43-year-old member of the New England Patriots, he put one through
the uprights versus Miami in 2006, the first time a football had been drop kicked for points
since 1941.
Burt Reynolds starred in The Longest Yard.
Of course, the movie “The Longest Yard,” (the original) had a terrific scene in which the
team of prisoners pulled off a drop kick and after it sailed through the posts, Green Bay
Packers Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, who played for the team of Guards, was
confused and upset by what he just witnessed. He accosted Burt Reynolds, the Prisoners
quarterback, and demanded to know, what was THAT?
"That was a drop kick," he was told.
WHAT?!
"Drop kick."
"How much is that worth," he asked?
"Three points."
"THREE POINTS? For that? EXPLETIVE!"
Long live the drop kick.
48 -- Glovin’
I don’t know exactly when gloves became an integral part of the game, but now players at
all positions wear them at different times for various purposes. The trend started with
baseball batting gloves and evolved to present day. Scuba style gloves were used at one
point. (I wore some in college when it was cold.) Big guys wear them more for protection
than any other reason, but wide receivers, running backs and defensive backs wear them
to aid catching and handling the ball. Some QBs wear them to help their grips. Kurt Warner
popularized and made it acceptable for passers to wear a glove on their throwing hand.
The Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater is all in!
My question now is, what is exactly on those gloves? It may be my imagination, but I
believe we see more spectacular and what we used to call, impossible catches, than ever
before. It seems like once each game, we exclaim, “NO WAY!!!” So, glove
manufacturers…what’s ON the gloves, and are they truly altering the game by allowing
more passes to be caught (and intercepted)?
Speaking of the aforementioned cold, one quite chilly day at the University of Tennessee, I
wore gloves to football practice. Old, ugly brown ones that you wore to shovel snow. They
had fake leather fingers and were very slippery, so passes kept sailing through my mitts.
My defensive backs coach, the sainted George Catavalos (I LOVE that man) got madder
and madder. Finally, he exploded, “If you drop one more pass, I’m taking those gloves!” It
indeed took one more pass through the wickets and he stormed over to me and ripped a
glove off of my hand only to discover another glove underneath. He held the glove in his
hand, stared at me for a LONG minute, then handed the glove back to me and walked
away with disappointment wafting from his every step. Me? I put the glove back on and
went back to practice. I may have been raised in New York, but I’m NOT a cold weather
guy.
49 -- Feel the heat
Heat, manufactured or natural, can be a football players’ friend. It helps him move more
fluidly and focus on the game instead of frigid conditions.
Therefore, I wonder to this day why coach Bud Grant refused to let the Vikings have any
type of heat on their sidelines at the old Metropolitan Stadium while he led the team from
1967 until 1985. Ask anyone on those teams, even those who reportedly snuck heating
aids onto the field, and the answer was gamesmanship. Not that his players didn’t try to
stay warm in their own ways. Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg said he once wrapped a
hot rock in a towel at halftime and snuck it to the sidelines so Grant wouldn’t see it.
Heated benches were ready to roll for NFL Week 17.
Yes, football players will do a lot of crazy things to get warm when the winter air chills,
some unintentionally. San Diego Chargers kick returner Hammerin’ Hank Bauer, who did
have the benefit of heated benches when his team met the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1981
AFC Championship game in Cincinnati. is one example. The game tabbed the “Freezer
Bowl” with a reported game-time temperature of -9 degrees with 40-mile-an-hour wind
gusts that moved the frigid factor to -59 degrees, melted the sole of his shoe when he
propped it up on one of the heaters. He said it was so cold he couldn’t feel it.
That game, incidentally, was just one week after the Chargers survived a three-overtime
game at Miami where it was 84 degrees. As our mothers used to say, you could catch a
cold out there!
50 – SUPER BOWL
The only downside to Super Bowl Sunday is that it marks the official end to the NFL
season. But what a spectacular it is. One thing Super Bowl 50 has done is that it’s allowed
us to reflect on how the game has evolved; its marketing has led to industry growth and
approach year-round, it’s made off-season elements of the NFL important to those that are
loyal to teams and, of course, it’s enhanced media. I believe none of this would have been
fast-tracked without the Super Bowl’s influence on businesses and fans for the last 50
years. It’s time to celebrate a game, talented athletes and coaching minds. Let’s not forget
about people behind the scenes. From people that prepare the field to security, we’re
indebted to you. Enjoy the game!
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©Charles Davis, CharlesDavisSports.com 2016