The Catch (American football)
Encyclopedia
The Catch refers to the winning touchdown reception by Dwight Clark
off a Joe Montana
pass in the January 10, 1982, NFC Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys
and the San Francisco 49ers
. The Catch is widely regarded as one of the most memorable events in NFL
history.
took the snap, the play, known as Sprint Right Option, was intended to be a pass to wide receiver Freddie Solomon
; earlier in the game, Solomon had scored a touchdown on that play. However, the Cowboys covered Solomon perfectly. Making matters worse, the pass rush of the Cowboys collapsed the 49ers offensive line. Two of the Cowboys defensive ends Ed "Too Tall" Jones
and Larry Bethea
, plus linebacker D. D. Lewis chased a backpedaling Montana toward the sideline, and seemed certain to either send him out of bounds or sack him. But at the last moment, and after pump-faking to get 6-foot 9-inch "Too Tall" Jones to jump, Montana threw a high pass to the back of the end zone that seemed destined to sail out of bounds until 49ers receiver Dwight Clark
made a leaping grab with his fingertips for the go-ahead touchdown with 51 seconds left in the game. Clark finished the game with 8 catches for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The play, remembered in 49er lore as "Red Right Tight - Sprint Right Option" had called for both the primary receiver, Solomon, and Clark to line up on the right. Montana was supposed to roll to his right and find Solomon. Clark's pattern called for him to cut left across the end zone, stop, and immediately reverse his path to the right. If Solomon were covered, it would be up to Montana to find Clark. Due to the pressure, Montana's pass was high, but Clark was in position to make his memorable grab.
A photograph of the catch by Walter Iooss, Jr., with Clark at the height of his leap and Everson Walls
reaching out to try to block the ball, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated
the following week.
Other contributors on the final 89-yard drive that led to the play now referred to as “The Catch” included Lenvil Elliott
(RB), Earl Cooper (FB), Mike Wilson
(WR), Charle Young
(TE), Dan Audick
(LT), John Ayers
(LG), Fred Quillan
(C), Randy Cross
(RG), and Keith Fahnhorst
(RT).
Clark and Montana re-enacted The Catch in observance of the 25th anniversary of the play as part of San Francisco alumni day activities at halftime of the Minnesota
game November 5, 2006, at Candlestick Park.
, assumed that it was a throw-away play and immediately began planning for the fourth down until he heard the cheers from the crowd.
As for the height of the catch, Montana has said that he didn't feel that he threw the ball very high. However, Clark leapt as high as he could only to get his fingertips on the ball. In the Sports Illustrated article, Montana explained that he never saw The Catch, since he had just been knocked to the ground by Too Tall Jones, but "I saw Dwight's feet touch the ground. I heard the crowd scream." Later, in the locker room, he expressed his amazement at how high Clark had jumped.
Clark reported that Too Tall Jones reacted to the play by stating "You just beat America's Team
" to Joe Montana after Clark had caught the pass; Montana replied "Well, you can sit at home with the rest of America and watch the Super Bowl."
caught a long pass, but defensive back Eric C. Wright made a touchdown-saving horse collar-type tackle
(then a legal tackle) to keep him from scoring. This play was known as "The Grab". On the next play, quarterback Danny White
fumbled the ball while being sacked by Lawrence Pillers
, and San Francisco’s Jim Stuckey
recovered the ball, sealing a victory for the 49ers.
The 49ers won 28–27 and went on to win Super Bowl XVI
over the Cincinnati Bengals
.
This game was a watershed in the historic fortunes of both the 49ers and the Cowboys. After being a losing team in the 1970s, San Francisco went on to win four Super Bowl
s in the 1980s, and made the playoffs eight out of the next 10 years. Meanwhile, Dallas, the most successful team in the NFC in the 1970s, never made it back to the Super Bowl in the 1980s, and suffered losing seasons in the last part of that decade, not returning to the Super Bowl until the 1990s.
New England Patriots
quarterback Tom Brady
, a Bay Area
native who ultimately grew up idolizing Montana on his way to his own successful NFL career, attended the game as a four-year-old.
The Catch was immortalized by two dramatic broadcast play-by-play calls. Vin Scully
described the play on CBS Television
:
Meanwhile, Jack Buck
had the call over on CBS Radio
:
Dwight Clark while discussing The Catch in America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions
documentary about the 1981 49ers had this to say about the legacy of that play.
's "The Way We Were"
featuring The Catch, as shown by NFL Films. Kodak also featured a photo still of The Catch in their magazine ads, accompanied by the caption, "The 49ers grab a TD and a title."
In the October 16, 2001 episode "My Old Lady
" of the American television sitcom/medical drama Scrubs
, when a dying patient David asks if anyone has ever heard of The Catch, Turk comes in and says, "Niners-Cowboys, Joe Montana to Dwight Clarke deep in the end-zone, zero time left. Kid, please, don't insult me." Turk later joins David in watching the game.
In 2002, the NFL ran a series of advertisements promoting the playoffs, using famous plays as a uniting theme. Actor Don Cheadle
demonstrated the height of Clark's catch by standing on a stepladder in the end zone.
In 2005, a commercial for the Gatorade
sports drink, known as "The Winning Formula", portrayed an alternate version of The Catch, in which the ball bounced out of Clark's fingertips. Following the Gatorade logo, the real version was shown with Dwight Clark's completion. This is also done with Derek Jeter
's "flip play" going wide of home plate and Michael Jordan
's famous buzzer-beater
against Cleveland
going off the rim.
On August 5, 2007, The Best Damn Sports Show Period
did a special show commemorating the top 50 amazing sports catches of all time. The Catch is listed as #17.
Dwight Clark
Dwight Edward Clark is a former American Pro Bowl wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1987...
off a Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
pass in the January 10, 1982, NFC Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys
1981 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1981 Dallas Cowboys season was their 22nd in the league. The team matched their previous output of 12–4. They lost the Conference Championship game for the second straight season....
and the San Francisco 49ers
1981 San Francisco 49ers season
The San Francisco 49ers 1981 season was their 32nd season in the National Football League. The season was highlighted by their first Super Bowl victory. A big turning point for the franchise was the drafting of Ronnie Lott from the University of Southern California. Quarterback Joe Montana began...
. The Catch is widely regarded as one of the most memorable events in NFL
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...
history.
Play
In a game where the lead shifted back and forth repeatedly, the 49ers took over the ball at their own 11-yard line trailing 27-21. San Francisco marched down to the Dallas 6-yard line, where they faced third down and three with 58 seconds left on the clock. When Joe MontanaJoe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
took the snap, the play, known as Sprint Right Option, was intended to be a pass to wide receiver Freddie Solomon
Freddie Solomon
.Freddie Solomon , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 2nd round of the 1975 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 184-lb. wide receiver from the University of Tampa, Solomon played in 11 NFL seasons for the Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers from 1975 to 1985...
; earlier in the game, Solomon had scored a touchdown on that play. However, the Cowboys covered Solomon perfectly. Making matters worse, the pass rush of the Cowboys collapsed the 49ers offensive line. Two of the Cowboys defensive ends Ed "Too Tall" Jones
Ed Jones (American football)
Ed Lee "Too Tall" Jones is a retired American football player in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. By the end of his 15 years with the Cowboys, he was officially credited with 57 quarterback sacks. Unofficially, his career sack total is 106...
and Larry Bethea
Larry Bethea
Larry Bethea was an American football defensive lineman who played six years in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He later played for the Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders and Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League...
, plus linebacker D. D. Lewis chased a backpedaling Montana toward the sideline, and seemed certain to either send him out of bounds or sack him. But at the last moment, and after pump-faking to get 6-foot 9-inch "Too Tall" Jones to jump, Montana threw a high pass to the back of the end zone that seemed destined to sail out of bounds until 49ers receiver Dwight Clark
Dwight Clark
Dwight Edward Clark is a former American Pro Bowl wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1987...
made a leaping grab with his fingertips for the go-ahead touchdown with 51 seconds left in the game. Clark finished the game with 8 catches for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The play, remembered in 49er lore as "Red Right Tight - Sprint Right Option" had called for both the primary receiver, Solomon, and Clark to line up on the right. Montana was supposed to roll to his right and find Solomon. Clark's pattern called for him to cut left across the end zone, stop, and immediately reverse his path to the right. If Solomon were covered, it would be up to Montana to find Clark. Due to the pressure, Montana's pass was high, but Clark was in position to make his memorable grab.
A photograph of the catch by Walter Iooss, Jr., with Clark at the height of his leap and Everson Walls
Everson Walls
Everson Collins Walls is a former American football cornerback in the NFL, having played for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns. During his 14 seasons, he was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He was also a 3-time All-Pro selection...
reaching out to try to block the ball, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
the following week.
Other contributors on the final 89-yard drive that led to the play now referred to as “The Catch” included Lenvil Elliott
Lenvil Elliott
Lenvil Elliott was a former professional American football player who played running back for nine seasons in the National Football League. He was a part of the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XVI winning team.-Early life:...
(RB), Earl Cooper (FB), Mike Wilson
Mike Wilson (wide receiver)
Michael Ruben Wilson is a former professional American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers from 1981 to 1990. He played football collegiately at Washington State University and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 9th round of the 1981 NFL Draft...
(WR), Charle Young
Charle Young
Charle Edward Young is a former American football tight end who played for 13 seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1973–1976, the Los Angeles Rams from 1977–1979, the San Francisco 49ers from 1980–1982, and the Seattle Seahawks from...
(TE), Dan Audick
Dan Audick
Daniel James Audick, Ed.D., is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League from 1977 through 1984. Dan was born into a large military family as the son of Col. Albert E. Audick, Sr. and Stella Audick...
(LT), John Ayers
John Ayers
John Ayers was a National Football League offensive lineman from 1977 through 1987. During that span, he appeared in two Super Bowls: Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XIX for the San Francisco 49ers...
(LG), Fred Quillan
Fred Quillan
Frederick David Quillan is a former professional American football offensive lineman from 1978 through 1987. During that span he appeared in two Super Bowls: Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XIX for the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football at the University of Oregon...
(C), Randy Cross
Randy Cross
Randall "Randy" Laureat Cross , is a football analyst and former NFL offensive lineman. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in July 2011.-High school years:...
(RG), and Keith Fahnhorst
Keith Fahnhorst
Keith Fahnhorst is a former National Football League offensive lineman from 1974 through 1987. During that span he appeared in two Super Bowls: Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XIX for the San Francisco 49ers...
(RT).
Clark and Montana re-enacted The Catch in observance of the 25th anniversary of the play as part of San Francisco alumni day activities at halftime of the Minnesota
2006 Minnesota Vikings season
2006 was the 46th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 46th regular season of the National Football League.The 2006 Minnesota Vikings season began with the team trying to improve on their 9–7 record in 2005 which was the last under embattled head coach Mike Tice...
game November 5, 2006, at Candlestick Park.
Reactions
Some people claimed that Montana was trying to throw the ball away, leaving time for a fourth down. Clark disputes that assertion, claiming that it was a backup plan that they practiced many times. Montana confirmed that he could not see the end zone through the defenders, but claims that he knew exactly where Clark would be. The 49ers coach, Bill WalshBill Walsh (football coach)
William Ernest "Bill" Walsh was a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford Cardinal football team, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense....
, assumed that it was a throw-away play and immediately began planning for the fourth down until he heard the cheers from the crowd.
As for the height of the catch, Montana has said that he didn't feel that he threw the ball very high. However, Clark leapt as high as he could only to get his fingertips on the ball. In the Sports Illustrated article, Montana explained that he never saw The Catch, since he had just been knocked to the ground by Too Tall Jones, but "I saw Dwight's feet touch the ground. I heard the crowd scream." Later, in the locker room, he expressed his amazement at how high Clark had jumped.
Clark reported that Too Tall Jones reacted to the play by stating "You just beat 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...
" to Joe Montana after Clark had caught the pass; Montana replied "Well, you can sit at home with the rest of America and watch the Super Bowl."
Aftermath and legacy
While The Catch is well known, there was still 51 seconds left on the clock after Clark's touchdown, and with Dallas needing only a field goal to win, the game was far from over. After the ensuing kickoff, Dallas receiver Drew PearsonDrew Pearson (American football)
Drew Pearson is a sportscaster and former American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-Early years:...
caught a long pass, but defensive back Eric C. Wright made a touchdown-saving horse collar-type tackle
Horse-collar tackle
The horse-collar tackle is an American football or Canadian football maneuver in which a defender tackles another player by grabbing the back-inside of an opponent's shoulder pads. The technique is most closely associated with Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams...
(then a legal tackle) to keep him from scoring. This play was known as "The Grab". On the next play, quarterback Danny White
Danny White
Wilford Daniel "Danny" White is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys, an American football coach in the Arena Football League and also occasionally appears as an analyst on broadcasts of college football games. He was named the head coach of the Arena Football League expansion...
fumbled the ball while being sacked by Lawrence Pillers
Lawrence Pillers
Lawrence Pillers is a former American football defensive end who played for the New York Jets, the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons in a ten year career that lasted from 1976 to 1985 in the National Football League.Pillers played college football at Alcorn State University and was...
, and San Francisco’s Jim Stuckey
Jim Stuckey
James Stuckey is a former American Football defensive tackle who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets in a seven year career that lasted from 1980 to 1986 in the National Football League....
recovered the ball, sealing a victory for the 49ers.
The 49ers won 28–27 and went on to win Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
over the Cincinnati Bengals
1981 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 1981 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 14th year in professional football and its 12th with the National Football League.The Bengals unveiled new uniforms with tiger-striped helmets, jerseys and pants. They had at least a share of the AFC Central lead the entire season and, on Dec...
.
This game was a watershed in the historic fortunes of both the 49ers and the Cowboys. After being a losing team in the 1970s, San Francisco went on to win four Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s in the 1980s, and made the playoffs eight out of the next 10 years. Meanwhile, Dallas, the most successful team in the NFC in the 1970s, never made it back to the Super Bowl in the 1980s, and suffered losing seasons in the last part of that decade, not returning to the Super Bowl until the 1990s.
New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
, a Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
native who ultimately grew up idolizing Montana on his way to his own successful NFL career, attended the game as a four-year-old.
The Catch was immortalized by two dramatic broadcast play-by-play calls. Vin Scully
Vin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
described the play on CBS Television
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:...
:
Meanwhile, Jack Buck
Jack Buck
John Francis "Jack" Buck was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. Buck received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, and is honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame...
had the call over on CBS Radio
NFL on Westwood One
The NFL on Westwood One is the brand name given to weekly National Football League games carried on the radio over the Dial Global Radio Network...
:
Dwight Clark while discussing The Catch in America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions
America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions
America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions is an annual documentary series created by NFL Films . Its 45 installments profile the first 45 winning teams of the National Football League's annual Super Bowl championship game; each episode chronicles an individual team.A spin-off debuted on September...
documentary about the 1981 49ers had this to say about the legacy of that play.
Cultural references
For several years in the 1980s and 1990s, Kodak featured a television ad to the tune of Barbra StreisandBarbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
's "The Way We Were"
The Way We Were (song)
"The Way We Were" is the title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The song was written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, scored by Marvin Hamlisch and performed by Streisand...
featuring The Catch, as shown by NFL Films. Kodak also featured a photo still of The Catch in their magazine ads, accompanied by the caption, "The 49ers grab a TD and a title."
In the October 16, 2001 episode "My Old Lady
My Old Lady
"My Old Lady" is the fourth episode of the American comedy-drama Scrubs. It originally aired on October 16, 2001 on NBC.The episode's writer, Matt Tarses, won the 2002 Humanitas Prize in the 30 Minute Category for this episode.-Plot:...
" of the American television sitcom/medical drama Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, when a dying patient David asks if anyone has ever heard of The Catch, Turk comes in and says, "Niners-Cowboys, Joe Montana to Dwight Clarke deep in the end-zone, zero time left. Kid, please, don't insult me." Turk later joins David in watching the game.
In 2002, the NFL ran a series of advertisements promoting the playoffs, using famous plays as a uniting theme. Actor Don Cheadle
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
demonstrated the height of Clark's catch by standing on a stepladder in the end zone.
In 2005, a commercial for the Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
sports drink, known as "The Winning Formula", portrayed an alternate version of The Catch, in which the ball bounced out of Clark's fingertips. Following the Gatorade logo, the real version was shown with Dwight Clark's completion. This is also done with Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter is an American baseball shortstop who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. A twelve-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jeter's clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning have made him a central...
's "flip play" going wide of home plate and Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
's famous buzzer-beater
The Shot
The Shot is the name of the series-winning basket made by Michael Jordan in the 5th game of the 1989 Eastern Conference First Round against the Cavs, in the Coliseum at Richfield...
against Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
going off the rim.
On August 5, 2007, The Best Damn Sports Show Period
The Best Damn Sports Show Period
The Best Damn Sports Show Period is an American sports television show on Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. The show regularly featured irreverent and opinionated interviews with top athletes, coaches, celebrities, and entertainers. It also aired Top 50 countdown shows and other sports...
did a special show commemorating the top 50 amazing sports catches of all time. The Catch is listed as #17.
Officials
- Referee: Jim TunneyJim Tunney (American football official)Dr. Jim Tunney was an American football official in the National Football League from 1960 to 1991. In his 31 years as an NFL official, Jim Tunney received a record 29 post-season assignments, including ten Championship games and Super Bowls VI, XI, and XII and named as an alternate in Super Bowl...
- Umpire: Bob Boylston
- Head Linesman: Ed MarionEd MarionEd Marion was an American official in the National Football League. Marion was in the league from 1960 to 1987 and officiated in Super Bowl V, IX and XI. He wore the number 26 for the majority of his career .Marion is reviled by fans of the Minnesota Vikings for a call he made late in Super Bowl IX...
- Line Judge: Bob Beeks
- Field Judge: Ed Merrifield
- Side Judge: Dean LookDean LookDean Zachary Look was an American college and Professional Football player. A quarterback at Michigan State and for the American Football League New York Titans, a Major League Baseball outfielder, and American football official in the National Football League...
- Back Judge: Ray Douglas
See also
- NFL Lore
- NFL playoffs, 1981-82NFL playoffs, 1981-82The NFL playoffs following the 1981 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XVI. Both conference champions had losing records the previous season, the only time this has happened. All four of the AFC playoff games were between teams who had never faced each other in the postseason before...
- Immaculate ReceptionImmaculate ReceptionThe Immaculate Reception is the nickname given to one of the most famous plays in the history of American football. It occurred in the AFC divisional playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 23, 1972...
- The Catch (baseball)
- The Block (American Football)The Block (American Football)"The Block" refers to a memorable lead block of defensive tackle Jethro Pugh of the Dallas Cowboys by Green Bay Packer guard Jerry Kramer, which allowed Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr to score on a quarterback sneak with 16 seconds remaining in the 1967 NFL Championship Game, which was played on...
- Freezer BowlFreezer BowlIn NFL lore, the Freezer Bowl was the 1981 AFC Championship Game between the San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was played in the coldest temperature in NFL history in terms of wind chill...
, 1981 AFC Championship game held on the same day
External links
- St. Petersburg Times
- http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1125154
- http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/features/superbowl/archives/16/
- http://www.mercurynews.com/raidersheadlines/ci_12556315