First Day of Baseball Games...So Let's Watch Some Football

First Spring Training game today.  So glad it is now Spring.  It was a long winter.

To celebrate, I am posting one last old time pro football video.  This one from 1971.

Two years after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, they were one of the favorites to win again.  But first up in the playoffs for them was an upstart team from Miami looking to make a name for themselves.

It was the second season after the merger.  And the NFL decides to have a playoff game on Christmas day.

No harm there.  Start the game in the afternoon, entertain the fans and get out 'fore dinner.

Yep.  That was the plan.

And it might have worked, if not for a few bad breaks along the way.

Instead it turned into a controversy that almost was as bad as the Heidi game, although not nearly as famous.

Today it is remembered almost exclusively for being the longest game in NFL history.  It went two overtimes.

And for that reason, was the end of Christmas football.

I still remember the delayed Christmas dinner it caused.  I was eight years old, and although I no longer believed in Santa Claus, I had one of the best Christmases I can remember.

My brother and I got fuzzy headed and bearded GI Joe Adventure Team Action figures.  I got the Army jungle adventure version with the ape, net and net and Safari buggy.  Some of which I played with at my grandpa's house while watching the game.

Which I watched.  And watched.  And watched.

My memory is not really clear, but I think we were called to dinner more than once.  That offer was declined in order to watch the game.  Or maybe it wasn't an offer, maybe more like a request.  Mighta even been a command.

Again, I don't remember.  But I do remember being glad when the Dolphins won the game on a FG by Garo Yepremian, as I didn't like the Chiefs at the time (see previous posts).  I don't remember how late dinner started, nor whether I even got one.

And so ended the great Christmas NFL playoff experiment.

Later on, the NFL expanded to 16 game seasons, so he playoffs start after New Year's now.  However, it was another 18 years after this two OT game that the NFL dared having another Christmas game.

And according to Wikipedia, there have only been 19 such games in NFL history.  One of which occurred earlier the day of this game, when Dallas beat Minnesota.

A few of other things I learned:
Last game in KC at their old Municipal stadium.  Arrowhead opened the next year.  Loved the look of that old stadium.
It was the Chiefs first home playoff game.  How is that even possible, considering they had been to two Super Bowls?
Ed Podolak was a beast in this game.  Wow.
Jan Stenerud has never recovered and never will.

Wow.  You can see the pain in his face even decades later.  So easy to relate to if you have ever failed to deliver, no matter what that is in life.  Nothing anyone can say.  Nothing anyone can do.  Haunts you forever.

Anyway, it's very enjoyable.

Next...on to baseball!