History Repeats, 51 Years Later

History repeated 51 years later, when as was the case in the famed “Heidi Game,” on November 17, 1968, the winning “Bay Area” team scored 2 touchdowns in the last minute of play, in overcoming a deficit.

Two days back, the now (9-1) S.F. 49ers scored two touchdowns in the last forty seconds, the second on a ridiculous, backwards lateral attempt, by Arizona (Cardinals), to win (36-26).

In ’68, the game went off NBC television for “Heidi.” The Oakland Raiders, currently, with a surprising (6-5) record and playing simultaneously (to the S.F. game) at home, in this their last year in Oakland, scored twice in the last minute to (43-32) the New York Jets.

In both November 17th games, the second touchdown in the last minute had point spread overtones.

The Jets beat the Raiders in the subsequent 1968 AFL Title game, before upsetting the Baltimore Colts in the third Super Bowl.

The great receiver, Don Maynard, pictured above 45 years later, caught the decisive touchdown pass from Joe Namath, in the Jets’ (27-23) home victory vs the Raiders in the ’68 AFL Title Game, played 6 weeks after the so called “Heidi Game.”