The Defeat of the Spanish Armada
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In the sixteenth century Spain was the Western Europe’s dominant power. King Phillip II sought to extend his empire and Roman Catholic faith. In July of 1588 his Armada reached the southwest coast of England where they were besieged. In retreat to Calais the Spanish fleet scattered and the only route back home was north around Scotland and Ireland. This decision was their doom. The Spanish armada encountered heavy storms and many of the ships were violently wrecked. It is reported that only 67 ships out of the 132 got back to Spain because of that fateful storm - totally defeated and demoralized. Medals awarded to British naval officers who took part in the battle bore the inscription, “God breathed and they were scattered”. This was the turning point in British history and began Spain’s decline as a world power.
Weather and Warfare Next Installment: The Battle of Brooklyn Heights
The Battle of Waterloo
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On the night before the battle of Waterloo in June of 1815, it rained heavily and both the French and Allied forces spent the night in the rain and mud. Because of the heavy rain that night, Napoleon wasn't able to attack immediately as his artillery could not move until the ground dried. This forced him to delay the attack until eleven o'clock the next morning; a delay that cost him the entire battle. Wellington and his forces were able to secure higher ground and repulse continued frontal assaults until Napoleon’s surrender came less than twelve hours later. Napoleon was exiled from France and never returned to power.
Weather and Warfare Next Installment: The Defeat of the Spanish Armada
Inside the World of TV Sports
A Sports Instant Classic Story
Imagine a job where every decision you make has to be the right one, where no gray area exists and if you make the wrong decision not only will the guy or gal (Director) sitting next to you most likely start yelling at you but millions of people watching TV at home will witness your mistake instantly.
That, in a nutshell, is the life of a live sports technical director. I can speak with some authority on this topic as a large part of my career in television has been in the technical director hot seat.
Unlike other broadcast positions on a live event; a camera can be slightly panned or tilted off center or can even be slightly out of focus on occasion. An (A1) audio mixer can have his microphones or music too low or too high. A video operator’s cameras can drift to be too bright or too dark and on it goes. Each broadcast technical position has some “wiggle room”. Not the TD.
This unforgiving aspect is what drew me to the job when I began my television career in the mid 80’s in news in Boston at WCVB-TV. The two elements that attracted me were first, that it was a challenge and second, you could not BS your way through it. The modis-operendi was “you’re only as good as your last show” and that certainly holds true today. During my tenure at that station, I recall before the newscasts, the audio man would drop by my area of the control room, put his hand on my shoulder and say with a grin –“good luck we’re all counting on you” and stride back to the safe confines of the audio booth.
Moving on to New York City in the 90’s, I technical directed mainly entertainment programs but did dip my toe in sports along the way; The Sports Reporters with Dick Schapp, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and Inside the NFL with Len Dawson, Nick Buoniconti, Jerry Glanville and Cris Collinsworth. In addition, I launched ESPN’s first game show 2-Minute Drill with Kenny Mayne in the summer of 2000. And for you trivia buffs, I also technical directed the New York audition, in 1993, of a fresh-faced female sports anchor who, WOR-TV, in their infinite wisdom, passed on. I am confident Suzy Kolber is much happier and wealthier reporting from the sidelines on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
I have to admit, I had avoided live sports along the way turning down numerous calls for football, baseball, hockey you name it. The stress combined with the lower pay made it doubly unattractive. In 2004, however, I got a call from SFX Entertainment, which was crewing, for NBC network. The network was planning a live telecast from Woodbine racetrack in Toronto as part of the Breeder’s Cup series and needed a TD badly. Most of the regular NBC sports crew was away at the Olympics.
I had come highly recommended (what they always say to persuade you to take the job) and their first technical director had, in their words, “chickened out”. I was intrigued. The woman on the other end of the phone continued. “Yes, our first TD wasn’t as familiar with the type of digital switcher in the truck and when he found out it was (A director who shall remain nameless) our first TD decided to bow out”.
This was just the sort of challenge I couldn’t resist, an unfamiliar sports truck with a legendary director whom I had never worked with and whose “reputation” preceded him. Like John Belushi in Animal House I naively said, “Let’s Do it”!
On the plane to Toronto I was certainly having second thoughts that this gig might be tougher than I imagined. Little did I know how difficult. Upon arrival at the race track, which was also a casino, I found the big red “Hockey Night in Canada” truck – Canada’s premier live sports truck and started getting down to business. Early on conversations with the Canadian tech manager revealed that the NBC broadcast was not only live to the United States but being fed internationally as well. Multiple millions would be tuning in as the race featured a million dollar purse. NBC expected huge ratings from around the planet.
Later in the day the director finally arrived in the truck and the first thing he said was, “So I hear you’ve never done sports, huh”. I had told SFX Entertainment that I wasn’t a sports TD but an entertainment TD when I agreed to take the job as if that was some sort of “out” if I screwed up. So the director and I were not off to the best start. Part of the psychology between a director and a technical director is their perceived confidence in you and as a TD. You have to instantly make the director feel at ease. He most definitely was not. He had never worked with me and he knew I had never done live sports. I knew I’d have to draw upon every resource to win his confidence. I decided right there, that no matter what was thrown at me, somehow I’d handle it. I knew what was expected, that I had to perform flawlessly – live sports experience or not.
This particular director had not only done Monday Night Football for twenty years but also directed the Kentucky Derby for years and this little horse race in Canada was going to be MNF, The Kentucky Derby and The Academy Awards all rolled into one – at least in his mind.
First off, there were 17 cameras –every angle you can imagine including POV’s everywhere. This would be fine except the switcher did not have enough inputs! As we began building the graphics for the program, the, by now frazzled, Canadian tech manager had to fasten a sub-router switcher into the console in front of me. He, as well, had expected a simple little five-camera horse race.
Because we had so many cameras, I had to literally assign my fingers to different cameras zones. Most technical directors do this but with 17 cameras and ten fingers you need “stoppers”. There is no time to actually look at the buttons on the switcher during a live sports telecast so after the sixth camera, I put a “roadblock” up in the form of a piece of elevated masking tape. I knew that when my hand bumped into it, that was as far as my left hand could go. The last camera on the left side of the tape would be Number-6 and the first camera on the other side of the tape would be Number-7. My right hand would be assigned to cameras 7- 12. I put up another roadblock at the 12th camera. Cameras 13-17 would be on the right side of that “roadblock” and if we went to those, my right hand would jump the masking tape roadblock and my left would float for the rest.
Most NFL games have 17 cameras or more and many technical directors use this technique but many people watching at home don’t realize how fast a game is cut. Just for fun, next time you are watching an NFL, game count the number of seconds between camera cuts and tap your finger each time a new camera shot is taken. This will give you an excellent idea of how fast things are moving inside a live sports truck and how many “one-second” shots are actually used in a broadcast.
Part of a sports TD’s job is also to act as crew chief and make camera assignments. The camera folks here were a pick-up crew from all over the United States so I asked them to choose the camera they felt most comfortable with and if there was a conflict to decide between themselves. By the looks on their faces they had never experienced this amount of freedom or in retrospect “lack of guidance”. But I had no choice I had to get back in the truck to continue the pre-production.
Almost every graphic you see on a sports telecast is pre-built from the player intros to stats. It all has to look visually cohesive and a technical director works closely with the graphics operator in the truck. Sports graphics folks are among the unsung heroes in a live broadcast. They have to be razor sharp, creative and on high-alert all during games. They normally work with a sports graphics producer but the graphic operator has to make it all happen. The next time you are watching a live sports event, focus in on how quickly the stats, scores or downs change in relation to live action. You’ll realize immediately how fast these folks are moving.
A sports TD not only has to be concerned with the camera and graphics but the highly specialized razzle-dazzle that has, today, become an expected and critical part of any live telecast. This horse race in Toronto was no different. We had telestrator (think John Madden’s scrawl on screen), seven digital tape decks, two super slo-mo replay machines and a DVE (digital video effects) device in the switcher itself.
Most of these elements had to be fed through the DVE to “fly” on screen at the right time. Today most of those DVE “moves” are accompanied by a triggered sound effect for added excitement. If you want to appreciate how far live sports has evolved - just watch an old NFL or MLB game on a classic sports channel. There is no comparison. Watching those almost quaint NFL broadcasts you’ll soon get frustrated looking for the super-imposed yellow first and ten-yard marker.
At about a half hour to go before the broadcast with racing graphics complete, our sports truck went live on the bird (satellite) with color bars and the countdown began. These last few minutes prior to live broadcasts provide the critical but all important bathroom break for most technical directors. They know they’ll be locked in the chair for the next three hours and I as well certainly took advantage of this window of opportunity.
During this calm before the storm a technical director will rehearse and rehearse in his or her mind the way they will execute the show almost imagining in advance how all will unfold and where they need to place their hands. At this time a TD also needs to confirm everything is still working and every department can still hear you on headsets (Camera, Tape Video, Audio). During most live sports events the camera channel is usually the chattiest. I tended to keep this channel low as to not get distracted by the humor. Most camera folk are born comedians and they are always hunting for “money shot”. There are reels and reels of shots from games that never makes air and for good reason. You can just use your imagination on that.
With two-minutes to go before our horse race, the director confirmed all was ready and wished everyone a “good show”. After that he turned to me and said “You ready for this?” Without hesitation, and as firm as I could sound, I said, “You bet, let’s go”. He looked at me a moment and shook his head and said, “OK…good, you’ll be fine”.
Most of the live broadcast was a blur except for the one time the director asked to go to something via a method that was impossible. We dissolved instead. It was as near flawless as I could have hoped for and at the end of the program the director turned with an outstretched hand and said “Great Job” with a look almost of disbelief on his face. I took that look as a compliment. The network producers all felt the show went very well and backslapped each other. Right then, one of the associate producers turned to me and said, “this was great Rob, I’ve got a Miami Heat game I’d love you to come down and do next week”. With a smile, I told him I appreciated the offer but no thanks, this was just a cameo for me. There was no doubt I was pleased it all went well with a heady feeling of accomplishment and the almost addictive adrenalin rush it provided. But I knew at that time I did not want a life on the road with young children at home. That’s what live sports technical directing is – constant travel and constant excitement…hey on second thought.
In a job where your first mistake can be your last, with millions of people watching each button push, give thanks for our talented, hard-working live sports technical directors who fearlessly bring you your favorite teams and games each weekend. They are the true iron men and women of the broadcast sports world.
(This article was originally written for Eye on Sports Media and published on Dec. 19, 2008. That same day it was picked up by the Number-1 Sports Blog in the USA – Deadspin)
The Siege of Vienna
Buy the book at Apple"It is beneath my dignity to allow the weather to interfere with my plans". – Sulieman The Magnificent, Ottoman Ruler
In 1529 The Ottoman Empire was at it’s peak ruling most of the Balkan including Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia, Romania, Greece, Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Egypt, North Africa, Algeria, and most of the Arab Peninsula and Sulieman, the Ottoman ruler, was seeking the prize of Vienna. Spring rains characteristic of southeastern Europe were particularly heavy that year, causing flooding in Bulgaria, and making many of the major roads on Suleiman's route barely passable. Sulieman’s advisors recommended he not make the march because of the weather. Suleiman disregarded their concerns and on May 10 began a four-month march into Austrian territory, which resulted in the loss of many of the men, camel, and the large caliber guns, which became hopelessly mired in mud and had to be left behind. By the time the invading army reached Vienna in late September, no heavy caliber cannons remained and the Ottoman force was reduced to slinging arrows at the heavily guarded fort. On October 14, Sulieman began a retreat back into Ottoman territory, which turned into disaster. Unseasonably heavy snows slowed his march and the remaining light artillery and most of the baggage and supplies were lost.
The siege of Vienna would come to be recognized by the Ottomans as their “high water mark”. It signaled the end of their imperialist expansion in Europe after 150 years of plunder.
Next Installment: The Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Agincourt
English King Henry V and his force at Agincourt were outnumbered 10-1. The king, fearful of annihilation, sought a truce with the French, but his terms were rejected. And an English account describes the day before the battle as a day of remorse in which all soldiers cleansed themselves of their sins to avoid hell. The French, on the other hand, were confident that they would prevail and were eager to fight. They had not, however, taken into account the recent heavy rain. The battleground was a recently ploughed field, and the rains had left it mired in mud. This spelled doom for the French force, which consisted chiefly of armored cavalry. Demoralized by the fate of their cavalry and severely hampered by the mud, the French foot soldiers were completely overwhelmed. Once knocked to the ground, the heavily armored French struggled just to stand upright. Their limited mobility made them easy targets for the volleys from the English archers. Henry V triumph paved the way for English domination of most of France until the middle of the 15th century.
Next Installment: The Siege of Vienna
The NHL 91 Years Old and on the Rise
It was on November 26, 1917 that the National Hockey League was founded in Montreal. Teams included the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas, and Quebec Bulldogs. And the first NHL games were played on December 19, 1917. The Montreal Wanderers defeated the Toronto Arenas, 10-9, and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators, 7-4.
Six teams played from 1917 to 1967 and this period is the pre-expansion era or the original six era. Those six teams in 1967 formed the East Division while six more teams were added the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues—and they formed the West Division.
Clint Benedict was the first goalie to ever wear a mask, after a shot by Howie Mornez knocked him unconscious back in 1927. The mask was made out of leather, but when wearing it he could not see low shots, so it didn't last.
It wasn't until November 1, 1959, when Jaques Plante of the Montreal Canadians became the second goalie to put on a mask. Plante had been using his self-made creations during practice but knew it wasn't an accepted idea to use one in a real game. However, when Andy Bathgate's shot clipped him in the head, Plante refused to go back on the ice without a mask. After a long fight Toe Blake, the Canadians' coach, let him wear it and the rest is history.
Today the NHL is composed of 30 teams, 24 based in the United States and six based in Canada. In Canada, the sport remains as popular as ever with most Canadians tuning in to telecasts in wide numbers. It is their most popular major team sport and fan loyalty is intense.
After losing a season to a labor dispute in 2005, attendance figures for League teams have returned to a firm footing; but the League's TV audience has not because of ESPN's decision to drop the sport from its schedule at that time. That is when Versus Network stepped in and offered a two-year 130 million dollar deal to Commissioner Gary Bettman. In 2007 the NHL signed an extension to the Verus deal to air games on the network through the 2010-2011 season. 2007–08 NHL audiences on Versus in the United States remain small, but have increased over the previous two seasons. Versus is averaging 246,154 viewers a game, up 24 percent from last year at this time.
The NHL also has a current agreement with NBC gives the sport a share of revenue from each game's advertising sales, rather than the usual lump sum paid up front for game rights. NBC frequently select Northeastern teams for telecast based on the popularity in markets such as Buffalo, Detroit and Pittsburgh and usually not on the team’s record.
Although hockey in the United States will most likely never surpass the NFL, the sport remains healthy and seemingly on the rise once again. According to the Sporting News NHL set an attendance record for the month of October 2008 with an average crowd of 17,348. And the league is reporting that they were at 94.1 percent capacity for all games in October.
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Sports
Thanksgiving NFL schedule – For the Birds
This year’s Turkey Day 2008 (Thanksgiving) truly is one if you want to invest quality time into watching horrible NFL games. One word, which politely describes the three scheduled matchups, is “one-sided”.
First off at 12:30P (EST) is Tennessee (10-1) at Detroit (0-11). Could there possibly be a bigger line spread in NFL history? This is the one loss powerhouse with dreams of the Superbowl against the Motown Misfits with dreams of first draft choice. The only entertaining aspect of the game will be to see how the pair in the broadcast booth try to portray this as a really exciting way to spend three hours. Scheduled, short-straw drawing, CBS announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms must be mining the archives right now to have a endless supply of interesting football facts on hand to keep their viewers awake.
Next on the dance card at 4:15 (EST) is the Seattle Seahawks (2-9) at the Dallas Cowboys (7-4). The Seahawks are coming off their fourth loss in a row last week against Washington and have lost seven out of the last eight games and are tied for last place in the NFC West with pitiful St. Louis. If lame-duck coach Mike Holmgren isn’t careful he may repeat or exceed Seattle’s loss margin of 55-7 in their first turkey day appearance with Dallas in 1980. I watched the Seahawks play on November 2, in their 26-7 loss to the Eagles. Since the Seahawks uniforms are so similar to the “Birds”, watching that game and their mediocre play, I mistakenly thought I was watching the Eagles half the time.
Which brings us to the biggest turkey of them all at 8:15P (EST) the Arizona Cardinals (7-4) at Philadelphia (5-5-1) which is certain to be a route. Arizona needs only one more victory (this one) to take home their first division title since 1975. 33 years is long time between titles and you can just bet the Cardinals will have fire in their eyes. It may be more painful to watch than Philadelphia’s last two games if that is even imaginable. Thankfully many people won’t see the embarrassing spectacle as it is on NFL network, which is only in about 30 million homes.
So there is no escape from having to converse with your relatives until the college game comes on at 8:10P (EST) Texas A&M at Texas. After a day of turkeys this will seem like the only pro game on television.
Fast Facts:
Pro football games on Thanksgiving started in 1920
The Lions and the Cowboys host games on Thanksgiving every year
Dallas has played every Thanksgiving since 1966
As of 2008 only six teams have never played on Thanksgiving including; The Saints, Bengals and the Panthers.
First off at 12:30P (EST) is Tennessee (10-1) at Detroit (0-11). Could there possibly be a bigger line spread in NFL history? This is the one loss powerhouse with dreams of the Superbowl against the Motown Misfits with dreams of first draft choice. The only entertaining aspect of the game will be to see how the pair in the broadcast booth try to portray this as a really exciting way to spend three hours. Scheduled, short-straw drawing, CBS announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms must be mining the archives right now to have a endless supply of interesting football facts on hand to keep their viewers awake.
Next on the dance card at 4:15 (EST) is the Seattle Seahawks (2-9) at the Dallas Cowboys (7-4). The Seahawks are coming off their fourth loss in a row last week against Washington and have lost seven out of the last eight games and are tied for last place in the NFC West with pitiful St. Louis. If lame-duck coach Mike Holmgren isn’t careful he may repeat or exceed Seattle’s loss margin of 55-7 in their first turkey day appearance with Dallas in 1980. I watched the Seahawks play on November 2, in their 26-7 loss to the Eagles. Since the Seahawks uniforms are so similar to the “Birds”, watching that game and their mediocre play, I mistakenly thought I was watching the Eagles half the time.
Which brings us to the biggest turkey of them all at 8:15P (EST) the Arizona Cardinals (7-4) at Philadelphia (5-5-1) which is certain to be a route. Arizona needs only one more victory (this one) to take home their first division title since 1975. 33 years is long time between titles and you can just bet the Cardinals will have fire in their eyes. It may be more painful to watch than Philadelphia’s last two games if that is even imaginable. Thankfully many people won’t see the embarrassing spectacle as it is on NFL network, which is only in about 30 million homes.
So there is no escape from having to converse with your relatives until the college game comes on at 8:10P (EST) Texas A&M at Texas. After a day of turkeys this will seem like the only pro game on television.
Fast Facts:
Pro football games on Thanksgiving started in 1920
The Lions and the Cowboys host games on Thanksgiving every year
Dallas has played every Thanksgiving since 1966
As of 2008 only six teams have never played on Thanksgiving including; The Saints, Bengals and the Panthers.
Tag :
Sports
Still the best college football game I ever saw Boston College vs. Miami November 23, 1984
It is around this time of the year in late November that I recall the game, which cemented my devotion to college football. I was a 21-year-old kid home from college and sat down to witness a duel that demanded your undivided attention - Boston College vs. Miami November 23, 1984. To an outsider who knew very little about the two teams or the two quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Bernie Kosar I began watching with no expectations of who would win the match up but what was immediately clear was I was witnessing history in the making.
It could not have been scripted more perfectly for television with Brent Musburgur on play by play. It was a classic David and Goliath showdown. Kosar seemed the epitome of the tall athletic quarterback while Flutie looked like the kid who everyone knew was too short to play but you let him on your team anyway.
On this rain swept November night in Miami it seemed as if on every play Flutie scrambled because basically he could not see around his much taller linemen, while Kosar sat back in the pocket and just rifled perfect pass after perfect pass. But Flutie, as we all know now, was special. He came out firing and connected on his first 11 passes driving into the end zone on each of BC’s first two possessions. But Miami under coach Jimmy Johnson had a top-notch offense. Kosar, confidently drove his team down the field and Melvin Bratton scored from the two ending the period with BC up 14 – 7.
Entering the second quarter Miami scored early with a 10-yard pass to Willie Smith tying it up and setting the tone for the remainder of the contest. It was going to be a shootout and everyone knew it. The producers of the telecast smartly went to close-ups of each quarterback on the sidelines as the other team scored. To their credit not once did Kosar or Flutie betray a look of hesitation or doubt in their eyes. These were two confident guys with each expecting that they could not only match but also exceed the other team’s score. Boston College receiver, Gerard Phalen, recalled that the feeling was “we couldn’t stop them but they couldn’t stop us”.
During this second period BC regained the lead 21 -14 with a nine yard scramble from Flutie but Miami tied it up again with a Kosar to Williams pass mid quarter. In the remaining minutes of the half Flutie connected with Phalen from 19 yards out to put BC up 28-21 at the break.
After the half Miami tied it for the third time at 28-28 capping a 96 yard drive taking some wind out of BC’s sails as Miami took their first lead only minutes later after BC made a stand inside the five. Miami came away with the field goal making it 31-28. But BC would not be kept down was Kosar was picked off and Kevin Snow tied the game up at 31-31 with his boot for BC.
Still tied entering the fourth quarter BC picked off Kosar again but could only add three points to their total. The game’s momentum, which had been ever changing, seemed to turn Miami’s way solidly with a 52 sprint by Miami’s Melvin Bratton from the line of scrimmage to the end zone putting the Hurricanes up 38-34 with 9:03 left on the clock.
The sideline television cameras followed Flutie confidently back to the field and he drove his team methodically down from the 18 to the one-yard line. From there Steve Strachen pounded it home from there making it 41-38 with 3:50 remaining in the game.
Again the opposite side cameras zeroed in on Kosar on the sidelines. Myself and the rest of the world, which I assumed had to be watching this game by now saw a quarterback who knew he still had lots of time and had no doubt he was going to lead his team to victory. These were the Miami Hurricanes after all under one of the best coaches in the nation Jimmy Johnson.
Kosar carried that confident expectation on the field when BC had Miami pinned at the ten with a third and twenty-one and Kosar scrambled away from a sure sack and connected with Darryl Oliver for twenty yards. Of course Jimmy Johnson was going to go for it at fourth and one. And this was the moment the game seemed to elevate itself beyond football. This was a test of will. The moment for you as a viewer no matter where you were in the country – that time stopped. You were not going to move a muscle. If you had to be somewhere – you were going to be late. Nothing at that moment became more important then seeing this game and seeing which team would emerge from this almost Roman gladiator-like contest.
Again all eyes were on that field as Kosar indeed converted on fourth and one. And as Miami pushed through to gain another four downs the television close-up returned to Flutie. He was unmoved. The drive began and Kosar completed five passes for 80 yards almost the length of the entire field. The momentum and the rain swept wind was literally at their backs as Miami’s Bratton scored his fourth touchdown from the one putting the ‘Cains up, most thought for good at 45-41.
As the touchdown was recorded the television cameras returned to Flutie with most viewers expecting deflation, a head hung low, any hint that he knew it was over. He showed none of this. In fact he shook his head in affirmation, as if to say “OK, I know now what I have to do”. He was standing alone. No one was beside him. The players on the BC sidelines however were in shock. Miami was already beginning the celebration on their sidelines. There were only 28 seconds to go and later BC coach Bicknell admitted that he was already thinking of the speech he would give to console his team on the loss.
The kickoff resulted in a touch back. There were 80 long yards to an unlikely BC victory; it was an almost insurmountable distance. It might as well have been 80 miles. Flutie after the game said he felt they had time for at least four plays but getting the ball to midfield was critical to put one of those plays in the end zone.
Flutie hit Stratford out of the backfield for 19 yards, then Scott Geiselman for 13. A third pass fell incomplete. Flutie had chewed up 22 of the remaining 28 seconds, it was over. They were at the Miami 48. There was no mystery in the play that had to be called as the announcers began to comment on how valiantly BC had played against the Miami juggernaut. Flutie, who had scrambled on almost every pass the entire game, was out of options. Six seconds was barely enough time to get out of the pocket let alone look down field, identify a receiver and heave a desperate Hail Mary. But as a viewer you just had to watch the last six seconds out of respect for what had been accomplished. For what he, Doug Flutie, had represented -every underdog who hung tough. No, no one was going to turn away from the end of this game.
With a twenty to thirty mile head wind in Flutie’s face the play selected was called the “55 Flood Tip” which would send everyone into the end zone to try to tip the ball to a fellow Boston College teammate. As Flutie exited from the pocket the BC receivers headed downfield. Phalen ran right into the end zone as he said there was no sense stopping at the five. But that is exactly what Miami’s free safety did leaving Phalen behind Miami’s defensive linemen. As Flutie dropped back to the 38-yard line eluding a defender and almost falling to the ground himself he let it fly. At that moment Miami’s players at the goal line jumped blocking view of the ball from Phalen. The ball sailed sixty-five yards straight down into Phalen’s grasp. Phalen brought his elbows together and fell down clutching the reception.
Brent Musburgur, “Caught by Boston College I don’t believe it! It’s a touchdown, the Eagles win it! Unbelievable, I don’t believe it!
Still to many, myself included who witnessed it, the most exciting college football game and the most exciting college football moment of all time. Four years later in 1988 I had the pleasure of cheering Flutie on from the stands when he briefly wore a New England Patriots uniform. Not only was he one of the most exciting players to watch but also he has the numbers to back it up. Today he ranks fifth among the all-time professional football passing leaders combining CFL/NFL/USFL seasons trailing only Warren Moon, Brett Favre, Damon Allen, and Dan Marino in attempts, completions, and touchdowns.
It could not have been scripted more perfectly for television with Brent Musburgur on play by play. It was a classic David and Goliath showdown. Kosar seemed the epitome of the tall athletic quarterback while Flutie looked like the kid who everyone knew was too short to play but you let him on your team anyway.
On this rain swept November night in Miami it seemed as if on every play Flutie scrambled because basically he could not see around his much taller linemen, while Kosar sat back in the pocket and just rifled perfect pass after perfect pass. But Flutie, as we all know now, was special. He came out firing and connected on his first 11 passes driving into the end zone on each of BC’s first two possessions. But Miami under coach Jimmy Johnson had a top-notch offense. Kosar, confidently drove his team down the field and Melvin Bratton scored from the two ending the period with BC up 14 – 7.
Entering the second quarter Miami scored early with a 10-yard pass to Willie Smith tying it up and setting the tone for the remainder of the contest. It was going to be a shootout and everyone knew it. The producers of the telecast smartly went to close-ups of each quarterback on the sidelines as the other team scored. To their credit not once did Kosar or Flutie betray a look of hesitation or doubt in their eyes. These were two confident guys with each expecting that they could not only match but also exceed the other team’s score. Boston College receiver, Gerard Phalen, recalled that the feeling was “we couldn’t stop them but they couldn’t stop us”.
During this second period BC regained the lead 21 -14 with a nine yard scramble from Flutie but Miami tied it up again with a Kosar to Williams pass mid quarter. In the remaining minutes of the half Flutie connected with Phalen from 19 yards out to put BC up 28-21 at the break.
After the half Miami tied it for the third time at 28-28 capping a 96 yard drive taking some wind out of BC’s sails as Miami took their first lead only minutes later after BC made a stand inside the five. Miami came away with the field goal making it 31-28. But BC would not be kept down was Kosar was picked off and Kevin Snow tied the game up at 31-31 with his boot for BC.
Still tied entering the fourth quarter BC picked off Kosar again but could only add three points to their total. The game’s momentum, which had been ever changing, seemed to turn Miami’s way solidly with a 52 sprint by Miami’s Melvin Bratton from the line of scrimmage to the end zone putting the Hurricanes up 38-34 with 9:03 left on the clock.
The sideline television cameras followed Flutie confidently back to the field and he drove his team methodically down from the 18 to the one-yard line. From there Steve Strachen pounded it home from there making it 41-38 with 3:50 remaining in the game.
Again the opposite side cameras zeroed in on Kosar on the sidelines. Myself and the rest of the world, which I assumed had to be watching this game by now saw a quarterback who knew he still had lots of time and had no doubt he was going to lead his team to victory. These were the Miami Hurricanes after all under one of the best coaches in the nation Jimmy Johnson.
Kosar carried that confident expectation on the field when BC had Miami pinned at the ten with a third and twenty-one and Kosar scrambled away from a sure sack and connected with Darryl Oliver for twenty yards. Of course Jimmy Johnson was going to go for it at fourth and one. And this was the moment the game seemed to elevate itself beyond football. This was a test of will. The moment for you as a viewer no matter where you were in the country – that time stopped. You were not going to move a muscle. If you had to be somewhere – you were going to be late. Nothing at that moment became more important then seeing this game and seeing which team would emerge from this almost Roman gladiator-like contest.
Again all eyes were on that field as Kosar indeed converted on fourth and one. And as Miami pushed through to gain another four downs the television close-up returned to Flutie. He was unmoved. The drive began and Kosar completed five passes for 80 yards almost the length of the entire field. The momentum and the rain swept wind was literally at their backs as Miami’s Bratton scored his fourth touchdown from the one putting the ‘Cains up, most thought for good at 45-41.
As the touchdown was recorded the television cameras returned to Flutie with most viewers expecting deflation, a head hung low, any hint that he knew it was over. He showed none of this. In fact he shook his head in affirmation, as if to say “OK, I know now what I have to do”. He was standing alone. No one was beside him. The players on the BC sidelines however were in shock. Miami was already beginning the celebration on their sidelines. There were only 28 seconds to go and later BC coach Bicknell admitted that he was already thinking of the speech he would give to console his team on the loss.
The kickoff resulted in a touch back. There were 80 long yards to an unlikely BC victory; it was an almost insurmountable distance. It might as well have been 80 miles. Flutie after the game said he felt they had time for at least four plays but getting the ball to midfield was critical to put one of those plays in the end zone.
Flutie hit Stratford out of the backfield for 19 yards, then Scott Geiselman for 13. A third pass fell incomplete. Flutie had chewed up 22 of the remaining 28 seconds, it was over. They were at the Miami 48. There was no mystery in the play that had to be called as the announcers began to comment on how valiantly BC had played against the Miami juggernaut. Flutie, who had scrambled on almost every pass the entire game, was out of options. Six seconds was barely enough time to get out of the pocket let alone look down field, identify a receiver and heave a desperate Hail Mary. But as a viewer you just had to watch the last six seconds out of respect for what had been accomplished. For what he, Doug Flutie, had represented -every underdog who hung tough. No, no one was going to turn away from the end of this game.
With a twenty to thirty mile head wind in Flutie’s face the play selected was called the “55 Flood Tip” which would send everyone into the end zone to try to tip the ball to a fellow Boston College teammate. As Flutie exited from the pocket the BC receivers headed downfield. Phalen ran right into the end zone as he said there was no sense stopping at the five. But that is exactly what Miami’s free safety did leaving Phalen behind Miami’s defensive linemen. As Flutie dropped back to the 38-yard line eluding a defender and almost falling to the ground himself he let it fly. At that moment Miami’s players at the goal line jumped blocking view of the ball from Phalen. The ball sailed sixty-five yards straight down into Phalen’s grasp. Phalen brought his elbows together and fell down clutching the reception.
Brent Musburgur, “Caught by Boston College I don’t believe it! It’s a touchdown, the Eagles win it! Unbelievable, I don’t believe it!
Still to many, myself included who witnessed it, the most exciting college football game and the most exciting college football moment of all time. Four years later in 1988 I had the pleasure of cheering Flutie on from the stands when he briefly wore a New England Patriots uniform. Not only was he one of the most exciting players to watch but also he has the numbers to back it up. Today he ranks fifth among the all-time professional football passing leaders combining CFL/NFL/USFL seasons trailing only Warren Moon, Brett Favre, Damon Allen, and Dan Marino in attempts, completions, and touchdowns.
Tag :
Sports
Finally A Ride in a Glider!
It may seem odd or perhaps not that the director of Silent Wings which seems to have become the definitive account of American glider aviators during WWII had never flown in a glider. Yes, that was true at least until yesterday. My wife had gotten a ride in a glider at a local small airport for my father-in-law as a birthday present. He loved it. While we were there he said...why don't you go up? And I thought "it's about time". So I took my oldest daughter with me and we had a blast. It was quite a feeling of freedom and a lot of fun.
I kept thinking, however, that I still cannot imagine the fear that WWII glider pilots had to suppress. First they knew it was a one-way mission, no one was waiting with a bus to take them back across the lines. Second they had no idea where their landing field would be or if it would be clear of obstacles. And third, for most of their sortie they were being shot at with the bullets and worse slicing through the canvas fuselage. It goes without saying that indeed I have even greater appreciation of the accomplishment of WWII glider pilots!
Tag :
Odds and Ends
