All this week, there will be some great NFL ‘offs notes, however, today a preview, tomorrow a review, of the two college football “semis,” being played today.
The four participants in the two tilts today (Georgia minus 2 and a fraction vs Oklahoma in The Rose Bowl/semi beginning at 5 P.M. Eastern Time and Alabama, a field goal “fave” vs Clemson in the “Sugar,” commencing at 8:30 Eastern Time) won at least one Associated Press and consensus “mythical” national titles within “Oklahoma title book ended” 6 year/7 season periods from (1975-1981) and (1979-1985).
Actually, “Bama,” which won 4 titles under current coach Nick Saban during the (Barack) (O)bama administration, also won the ’78 crown under Paul “Bear” Bryant, (USC won the UPI version), before repeating as champions, (the last of Bryant’s 5 A.P./consensus crowns) in ’79.
Georgia led by Herschel Walker took the title in ’80, followed by Clemson in 1981.
Oklahoma won A.P.–I guess consensus crowns (they were the best team in ’74, as they went unbeaten and untied–there were ties then in college pig, some notable, title affecting ones, in fact—-but on probation, they shared the crown with, as ‘Bama did in ’78, USC) in both ’74 and certainly ’75.
Thus in an eight season/seven year span from ’74-’81, the four teams in today’s semis, combined for six titles, two each (one by each team shared with USC/University Of Southern California, then coached by John McKay) by Oklahoma(’74 and ’75) and Alabama(’78 and ’79).
The eight season/seven year span from ’78-’85 (Oklahoma beat Penn State to claim the ’85 crown and in so doing handing the great college football expert, Beano Cook a season ending big financial loss but emotional win. That season, as Jim Lampley, has often noted, Beano cashed something approximating 10 straight “blue plate specials.”) yielded 5 crowns for today’s 4 “semis” participants, two by Alabama and one each for Georgia, Clemson and Oklahoma.
Perhaps the lead should have been ‘Bama, Georgia and Clemson combined for all four Associated Press/consensus titles from ’78-’81.
I have no “opinion” on either tilt today. However, should Georgia outscore Oklahoma in the “Rose”/first semi, I do not think “they” will allow an all SEC final a week hence, so if “GA” wins, try “Clem” plus three.
In fact, a “slight lean” to Georgia vs Clemson for all the marbles next Monday night. Again a more solid belief in “Clem,” if Georgia prevails.
Enjoy the tilts and be here tomorrow for a review/notes on them. Starting Wednesday, great notes on the NFL ‘offs, which begin next Saturday.
Clemson quarterback, Homer Jordan threw a touchdown pass to Perry Tuttle to all but clinch the ’81 season title for Clemson in a night time Orange Bowl vs Nebraska on January 1, 1982.
Then, I believe working for Sports Illustrated, a very good man who shares a first name with former New York Mets Orosco and Gonder, (Jesse) was in attendance.
It is so cold, not good, but perhaps appropriate in some way, on this the exact 50 year anniversary of the 1967 NFL Title game, better known as “The Ice Bowl.”
Temperatures throughout the tilt won by the Green Bay Packers (21-17), vs the Dallas Cowboys, were well into double digits below zero.
The great and largely underappreciated Packers’ quarterback, Bart Starr scored the game winning touchdown on a “win or lose,” one yard quarterback sneak, with 16 seconds remaining.
“G.B.” was out of timeouts and Starr told the legendary Packers’ coach, Vince Lombardi, that he had the “proper footing” to get the score, that would and did give the Packers, an unprecedented third straight NFL crown.
Rather than try a tying field goal, Mr. Lombardi approved the call, telling Starr, “run it and let’s get the he-l out of here.”
Sadly the CBS telecast of this unbelievable game has never been unearthed. Portions of the radio calls by the two great local announcers, Ted Moore of Green Bay and Bill Mercer, (now 91 years old), for Dallas do exist.
So often football as all the major sports/businesses disappoint me greatly, often having me ask how and why I got so “involved.”
One reason, part of THE reason, are games such as “The Ice Bowl,” a game between Green Bay whose subsequent Supe win vs Oakland gave them membership in the “rare air” of as many as 5 “all the way” (the win vs Dallas gave them the unprecedented 3 straight NFL titles, a feat still never duplicated. The frankly anti climactic Supe win was needed for the “all the way” crown. For example, both Baltimore in 1968 and Minnesota in 1969 won NFL crowns, but Supe losses to the Jets and Kansas City, two teams that have not even qualified for the Super Bowl since, denied them “all the way” crowns and certainly marred their seasons) titles in 7 seasons.
The Dallas story adds to the game’s greatness, as for the second straight season, they suffered a bitter title game defeat, at the hands of the Packers.
They would fail to win it all for three more consecutive playoff qualifying seasons from (’68-70), losing the ’70 season Supe, to Baltimore, in a game in which Jim O’Brien’s last play field goal broke a (13-13) tie.
Baltimore’s radio announcer was the great Ted Moore.
Finally, after the 1971 season, Dallas finally won it all ending years of frustration on Sunday January 16th, 1972, beating Miami (24-3). (Another team that endured exponential frustration in seeking its first title, the Los Angeles Lakers also finally ended it, “titling” on a Sunday 16 weeks later.)
Bill Mercer’s excellent call of Duane Thomas’ touchdown, that put Dallas comfortably ahead, resonates, as he delineated the short yardage on the brief excursion by Duane, into the end zone.
Oh the memories, Moore, Mercer, Starr, Bob Lilly of Dallas, Lombardi and Dallas coach Tom Landry. That is why I got involved, for “better or worse,” as did so many, a “marriage”–television/football, taking our time, aisles already walked DOWN.
The great Bill Mercer pictured above.
Let’s go sweet, not bitter, “sweet 16,” if you will. The temperature was 16 degrees below zero, not sweet but a sixteen. Starr’s decisive touchdown play commenced with 16 seconds remaining.
Both the Cowboys and Lakers’ titles in 1972 have 16’s if you will.
Dallas won on the 16th of January a Sunday in Supe 6. Sixteen Sundays later, the Lakers won it all, on May 7, 1972.
Click below for a fine feature about Bill Mercer.
Bill Mercer: Sportscaster, Teacher, Father
No matter the order, which likely will be New England as the AFC one seed and Pittsburgh as the two seed (Pittsburgh is resting some key players, the line has dropped from 13 plus to 6, with the Steelers still the faves, vs the (0-15) Browns, a team they beat in the season opener and really burn covered, in a similar tilt, in last season’s finale), the teams will be hosting slots/division round games in the same season, for the fifth time.
The previous four times, were all in seasons in which either the Patriots or Steelers made the Super Bowl, winning it on three of those occasions.
In both 1978 and 2010, the Steelers won their slots game at home, while New England lost. Both years Pittsburgh made the Supe, winning it in ’78, losing in 2010.
Meanwhile with both Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who of course are still with New England, in both 2001 and 2004, the teams won their home slots/division round games and met in the AFC title game in Pittsburgh.
New England won both of those games, en route to their first and third Super Bowl wins. In the first of those games, veteran Drew Bledsoe relieved Tom Brady as N.E. quarterback, helping New England advance.
In all four previous years in which both Pitts and NE were the “slots hosts” (sounds like a casino thing), the AFC Title game was played in Pittsburgh.
I watched a show in the category of lost television on Decades upon waking up early this morning.
The show was “Gang Busters” which aired in 1952.
One episode detailed the story of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker.
The narrator and sheriff involved in the case was played by one of my favorites, Jim Davis.
Mr. Davis is best known for a role he gained over a quarter century later, that of J.R.’s father Jock on the great show, Dallas.
After 39 virtually meaningless bowl games, two as semi-finals, will be played on January 1, 2018.
In the opener con Chris Fowler, who will also “tv” his fourth straight title tilt on January 8th (the radio audience that night will hear Sean McDonough, a true talent, able to broadcast on the radio) it is The Rose Bowl, with Georgia a slight favorite, vs Oklahoma.
At night in The Sugar Bowl/”semi,” defending champion, Clemson is an underdog, this time, by a significantly lower margin, vs Alabama, for the third straight year, in this the fourth year of the four team college football ‘offs.
Alabama titled, no covering Clemson after the 2015 season.
Last season, Clemson won outright, to claim their first title since 1981 and second in school history.
Tom Dempsey of the New Orleans Saints, pictured above.
The Saints figure, but it is far from certain, to claim the lone undecided division crown, this Sunday.
I will post regarding pro and more college football. Stay tuned.
The current film, “Darkest Hour” is truly fantastic and moving.
Gary Oldham gives a performance, that will minimum get him an Academy Award nomination as Winston Churchill, in his first days as Britain’s Prime Minister in 1940.
The makeup artist that transformed Mr. Oldham as Mr. Churchill, is Kyoshiro Tsuji. His work was brilliant.
This is an incredible film, chroncling a great leader, who certainly stood tall in the “darkest hour,” a feat and concept we can all aspire to do, if and when such circumstances manifest.
An early look at two of this Sunday’s meaningless NFL tilts follows with predictions.
Sam Rosen will be on the Wash vs New York Giants game, as the Fox announcer.
Rosen means the underdog, in this case the Giants, plus three.
Dallas will try harder than the NFC top seed Philadelphia Eagles.
Dallas minus two and a fraction, wins (21-16).
Underdogs have been very good in Sam Rosen games this season. Whatever (W)works, was not that a movie?!
The New England Patriots are a little more than “in the hunt” (Mr. Brady, evoking another “Brady family,” cited many of his, with a caveat regarding those, perhaps not cited, on the field after the tilt.), Tracy Wolfson, for what almost certainly will be an incredible sixth AFC one seed, in eight seasons.
Already, this great team will be hosting a “slots/quarters”/divisional round game, for an even more remarkable 12th time in the 17 seasons, that constitute the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era (2001-2017).
N.E. which scored the game’s final 24 points, to rip (8-7) Buffalo (37-16), which hurt the latter team’s ‘offs hopes, has a magic number of one for the eighth AFC “1” seed in franchise history, all (’03, ’07, ’10, ’11, ’12, ’14, ’16 and almost certainly ’17) in the Belichick/Brady era.
Left to right, superb play by play man, Gil Santos and rare incisive analyst and great player, Gino Cappelletti are pictured above.
Oh do I wish they were still the Patriots’ broadcast team!
One day less than 46 years ago today, the Miami Dolphins won their first post-season game ever, scoring a two overtime victory, at Kansas City, vs the Chiefs.
Today, the teams clash in the same area/city, with K.C. bidding to clinch a second straight AFC West crown.
The teams met at Miami, in what I believe to have been an eventual meaningless tilt, exactly 28 years ago today on December 24, 1989. The Chiefs won that game (27-24).(As best I can ascertain, both the Chiefs and Dolphins were eliminated from ‘offs qualification on that regular season final day, when Pittsburgh won at Tampa Bay in a game, likely but not definitely played simultaneously to Chiefs/Dolphins).
I recall fondly that slot 2, Christmas Day game in 1971, the last time the NFL “insulted” us, with a Christmas Day ‘offs game.
The great broadcaster, Curt Gowdy talked often of Garo Yepremian’s game winning field goal, “with the moon hanging down over Municipal Stadium.”
Today at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Dolphins began their perfect 1972 season, with a win in the first regular season game ever played there, it is not much of a prediction to say the Chiefs, favored by 10 plus points, will win the game. Their “good luck” announcer, Kevin Harlan is working the tilt, on CBS.
Thus for some reason, K.C. to win and cover, (30-17).
There are three Super Bowl rematches, in this the penultimate week of the 2017 NFL regular season.
The Rams were favored by 7 and won the ’99 season Supe by 7, vs the Tennessee Titans. They are just under 7 point favorites in tomorrow’s tilt at Tennessee.
I believe Denver was a three plus point “fave” in the 1987 season Super Bowl, vs Washington. Washington exploded in the second quarter and ripped the Broncos.
Tomorrow, “Wash” is favored by that amount, in a meaningless game in the United States capital.
Both of those Supes, two of nine he has called, with a tenth and probably last, to come in 6 weeks and a day, were called by Al Michaels.
The other Supe redux this week features Philadelphia hosting Oakland. Philly is favored by 9 this week at home and were three plus point “faves” in the 1980 season Super Bowl.
Oakland under Tom Flores eased (27-10).
That Super Bowl was the first of 8, called by Dick Enberg.
As a tribute to both Dick and Jackie, click below to hear and view Dick Enberg’s category feature regarding Jackie Robinson, on an episode of Sports Challenge, that aired in the spring of 1976.
The episode, with Enberg great as the host is most entertaining. The stirring praise and perspective regarding Jackie, begins about 15 minutes into the video.
Andy B Sports 