Bounty Bowl
Encyclopedia
The Bounty Bowl was the name given to two notorious NFL
games held in 1989
between the Philadelphia Eagles
and the Dallas Cowboys
. The first, the 1989 Thanksgiving Classic
game in Dallas
was most noted for allegations that the Philadelphia Eagles
put a $
200 bounty
on Dallas Cowboys
kicker
Luis Zendejas
, cut by Philadelphia earlier that season. The second was a highly touted rematch between the two teams that was held two weeks later in Philadelphia, noted for the rowdy behavior of fans attending the game. Philadelphia, already heavily favored to win both games due to the Cowboys having an extremely poor season
that year, swept the series.
found himself at the center of yet another controversy. The Eagles defeated Dallas by a score of 27-0, Dallas' only Thanksgiving game shutout. During the lopsided game, vitriol came to the surface on the field as the rivals got into several skirmishes, most notably when Dallas placekicker Luis Zendajas left the game with a concussion following a hard tackle by linebacker Jessie Small
after a kickoff.
Following the game, broadcast on CBS
with Pat Summerall
and John Madden calling the game, Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson
alleged that Ryan had taken out a bounty on two of his players, Dallas (and former Philadelphia) kicker Luis Zendejas and quarterback Troy Aikman
. Johnson said:
Zendejas claimed that when he was with the Eagles, a player had once received $200 – $100 each for hits on a punter and kicker. This is what led his coach Jimmy Johnson to make the accusation that a bounty had existed in this game as well.
Buddy Ryan responded to Johnson's accusations:
This game marked the first time a most valuable player
was picked for a Thanksgiving game. John Madden handed out the first "Turkey Leg Award" to Reggie White
. Such an award became an annual Thanksgiving tradition among CBS and Fox (and later, the NFL Network).
In 2008 and on April 11, 2010, the game was included on a list of the ten most memorable moments in the history of Texas Stadium
by ESPN
.
This series of events set the stage for the scheduled rematch two weeks later in Philadelphia, dubbed "Bounty Bowl II."
had put a bounty out on Dallas kicker Luis Zendejas during the first meeting two weeks earlier, the Eagles fans were more than rowdy when the rematch was held in Philadelphia
.
CBS Sports
touted the game as "Bounty Bowl II," complete with wanted posters and the offending players, with the bounty posted, as part of the network's pre-game opening, and it lived up to its expectations as a media event. With NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue
in attendance on gameday December 10, 1989, the Veterans Stadium
crew did not remove the snow that had piled up for several days. The volatile mix of beer, plentiful snow, the bounty and the intense hatred for "America's Team
" led to the Eagles' notoriously rowdy fans throwing everything within reach. Notable targets included back judge Al Jury
, who was knocked to the ground by a barrage of snowballs; Cowboys punter Mike Saxon
, who was targeted in the end zone; and Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson
, who was hit with snowballs, ice, and beer as he was hastily escorted off the field by Philadelphia Police. Johnson later called the fans "thugs".
Verne Lundquist
and Terry Bradshaw
announced the game for CBS, and they spent the afternoon denouncing Eagles fans and dodging snowballs aimed at the broadcast booth (broadcast booths are traditionally open during broadcasts); at the end of the game, Lundquist stated on the air that an oral surgery a few days prior had not been as unpleasant as broadcasting an Eagles game. Even the Eagles' players were struck. As Eagles defensive lineman Jerome Brown stood on the players' sideline seats pleading for the fans to stop throwing things, he too was hit.
Future Pennsylvania governor and Eagles fan Edward Rendell got caught up in the fallout from that game when he admitted to a reporter that he was involved in the bedlam. The then-former Philadelphia district attorney
and future mayor and governor had bet another fan $20 that the fan couldn't reach the field with a snowball; Rendell lost. As a result of the chaotic melee, the team added security and banned beer sales for their last remaining home game of the regular season.
The Eagles won the game 20-10.
After the Porkchop Bowl, the series rivalry settled down to the usual level between division rivals. Dallas finally beat Philadelphia in Week 16 of the 1991 NFL season
.
Philadelphia did not play another Thanksgiving game until the 2008 NFL season
.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
games held in 1989
1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
between the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. The first, the 1989 Thanksgiving Classic
Thanksgiving Classic
The National Football League's Thanksgiving Classic is a series of games played during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It has been a regular occurrence since the league's inception in 1920. Since 2006, three games are played every Thanksgiving...
game in Dallas
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
was most noted for allegations that the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
put a $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
200 bounty
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
on Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
kicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Luis Zendejas
Luis Zendejas
Luis Fernando Zendejas is a Mexican former placekicker in American football. He played college football for Arizona State University, and was the all-time career leading scorer in the NCAA when he left Arizona State...
, cut by Philadelphia earlier that season. The second was a highly touted rematch between the two teams that was held two weeks later in Philadelphia, noted for the rowdy behavior of fans attending the game. Philadelphia, already heavily favored to win both games due to the Cowboys having an extremely poor season
1989 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1989 Dallas Cowboys season was the first year of the franchise under the ownership of Jerry Jones as well as under the helm of head coach Jimmy Johnson, who had compiled a 44–4 record in his last 4 years as coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes....
that year, swept the series.
Bounty Bowl I: The 1989 Thanksgiving Classic
On November 23, 1989, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy RyanBuddy Ryan
James David "Buddy" Ryan is a former American NFL football coach.-Early years:Ryan was born and reared in a small, agricultural-based community "just outside of Frederick, Oklahoma." Ryan played college football for Oklahoma A&M University where he earned four letters as a guard between 1952 and...
found himself at the center of yet another controversy. The Eagles defeated Dallas by a score of 27-0, Dallas' only Thanksgiving game shutout. During the lopsided game, vitriol came to the surface on the field as the rivals got into several skirmishes, most notably when Dallas placekicker Luis Zendajas left the game with a concussion following a hard tackle by linebacker Jessie Small
Jessie Small
Jessie Small is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Phoenix Cardinals.-External links:*...
after a kickoff.
Following the game, broadcast on CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
with Pat Summerall
Pat Summerall
George Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:...
and John Madden calling the game, Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
alleged that Ryan had taken out a bounty on two of his players, Dallas (and former Philadelphia) kicker Luis Zendejas and quarterback Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
. Johnson said:
Zendejas claimed that when he was with the Eagles, a player had once received $200 – $100 each for hits on a punter and kicker. This is what led his coach Jimmy Johnson to make the accusation that a bounty had existed in this game as well.
Buddy Ryan responded to Johnson's accusations:
This game marked the first time a most valuable player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
was picked for a Thanksgiving game. John Madden handed out the first "Turkey Leg Award" to Reggie White
Reggie White
Reginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player. He played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
. Such an award became an annual Thanksgiving tradition among CBS and Fox (and later, the NFL Network).
In 2008 and on April 11, 2010, the game was included on a list of the ten most memorable moments in the history of Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
This series of events set the stage for the scheduled rematch two weeks later in Philadelphia, dubbed "Bounty Bowl II."
Bounty Bowl II
After rumors spread that Eagles coach Buddy RyanBuddy Ryan
James David "Buddy" Ryan is a former American NFL football coach.-Early years:Ryan was born and reared in a small, agricultural-based community "just outside of Frederick, Oklahoma." Ryan played college football for Oklahoma A&M University where he earned four letters as a guard between 1952 and...
had put a bounty out on Dallas kicker Luis Zendejas during the first meeting two weeks earlier, the Eagles fans were more than rowdy when the rematch was held in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
touted the game as "Bounty Bowl II," complete with wanted posters and the offending players, with the bounty posted, as part of the network's pre-game opening, and it lived up to its expectations as a media event. With NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue
Paul Tagliabue
Paul John Tagliabue is a former Commissioner of the National Football League. He took the position in 1989 and was succeeded by Roger Goodell, who was elected to the position on August 8, 2006. Tagliabue's retirement took effect on September 1, 2006. He had previously served as a lawyer for the NFL...
in attendance on gameday December 10, 1989, the Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
crew did not remove the snow that had piled up for several days. The volatile mix of beer, plentiful snow, the bounty and the intense hatred for "America's Team
America's Team
The term America's Team is a popular nickname in American sports that refers to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. The nickname originated with the team's 1978 highlight film, where the narrator opens with the following introduction: The term is recognized and often used by media...
" led to the Eagles' notoriously rowdy fans throwing everything within reach. Notable targets included back judge Al Jury
Al Jury
Al Jury is a former American football official in the National Football League from 1978 to 2004. He started as a back judge, then switched to field judge after the league swapped position names in 1998. Over the course of his NFL career, Jury was selected to officiate in a record-tying five...
, who was knocked to the ground by a barrage of snowballs; Cowboys punter Mike Saxon
Mike Saxon
Michael Eric Saxon is a retired American football player. He had a 11-year career in the National Football League from 1985 to 1995 as a punter. He played in Super Bowl XXVII as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Saxon was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 11th round of the 1984 draft but never...
, who was targeted in the end zone; and Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
, who was hit with snowballs, ice, and beer as he was hastily escorted off the field by Philadelphia Police. Johnson later called the fans "thugs".
Verne Lundquist
Verne Lundquist
Merton Laverne "Verne" Lundquist, Jr. is an American sportscaster, currently employed by CBS Sports television.-Early life and career:Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota...
and Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
announced the game for CBS, and they spent the afternoon denouncing Eagles fans and dodging snowballs aimed at the broadcast booth (broadcast booths are traditionally open during broadcasts); at the end of the game, Lundquist stated on the air that an oral surgery a few days prior had not been as unpleasant as broadcasting an Eagles game. Even the Eagles' players were struck. As Eagles defensive lineman Jerome Brown stood on the players' sideline seats pleading for the fans to stop throwing things, he too was hit.
Future Pennsylvania governor and Eagles fan Edward Rendell got caught up in the fallout from that game when he admitted to a reporter that he was involved in the bedlam. The then-former Philadelphia district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
and future mayor and governor had bet another fan $20 that the fan couldn't reach the field with a snowball; Rendell lost. As a result of the chaotic melee, the team added security and banned beer sales for their last remaining home game of the regular season.
The Eagles won the game 20-10.
Porkchop Bowl
A third game in the heated rivalry took place the next season, known as the "Porkchop Bowl." Philadelphia won this game as well, 21-20.After the Porkchop Bowl, the series rivalry settled down to the usual level between division rivals. Dallas finally beat Philadelphia in Week 16 of the 1991 NFL season
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
.
Philadelphia did not play another Thanksgiving game until the 2008 NFL season
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
.