January 7,1927: The Harlem Globetrotters play for the first time

On January 7, 1927, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first game in Hinkley, Illinois just 50 miles outside of Chicago. The team was founded by Abe Saperstein after he took over coaching duties for a team of African American players that called themselves the Savoy Big Five. In a time that African Americans weren't able to play in the pros, Saperstein decided to name his team after the famous neighborhood of Harlem in New York City to promote the racial makeup of the team while he called them the Globetrotters to make is seem as if they had traveled around the world, it was a brilliant marketing scheme. Saperstein himself came up with the red ,white,and blue uniforms, he might not have known it at the time but when he was sewing the words New York on the jerseys he was starting something that would turn into a mutli million dollar organization.

The lineup in the first game for the Globetrotters featured Andy Washington, Willis "Kid" Oliver, Walter "Toots" Wright, Byron "Fat" Long, and Al "Runt" Pullins, the team split up $75 for the first game. They went onto play 117 games that first year winning 101 of them. Sapserstein was not only an owner and a coach he was a tireless promoter who even was known to play as a substitute in games the Globetrotters were playing. In less than ten years the team played in more than a 1,000 games in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, as well as, North and South Dakota. Ironically, it wouldn't be until the late 60's that they played an actual game in Harlem.

The Globetrotters participated in the World Professional Basketball Tournament on a yearly basis, winning it in 1940. That same year they won the championship, the team incorporated on court antics to their game. They would do everything from juggling acts to over the top shots that thrilled everyone in attendance. With the sideshow becoming a hit with the crowds, Saperstein told his players to keep it up as long as they had a comfortable lead. It would become part of what the Globetrotters are today.

In 1948 the Globetrotters gained respect by beating the Minneapolis Lakers of the newly formed NBA. By 1950 the NBA decided to allow black players in the league which made Saperstein have to compete for his talent. They not only were able to keep talented players around they became an international sensation becoming true Globetrotters as they traveled the world, even performing for the Pope in Rome.

Throughout the years the Globetrotters have had a collection of talent that included Wilt Chamberlain, Meadowlark Lemon, Curly Neal, and many more. Since that day in 1927, they have played in more than 115 countries, in front of millions upon millions of fans. The team has been featured in television shows and even had a cartoon series spin off from their fame, they are are truly world renowned.  I personally took one of my nephews to game a couple of years ago and we had a great time watching them put on the show. If you get the chance to take in a Globetrotters game with your kids you should jump on it and when you are on your way there you can show off a little knowledge by telling them about how they got their start in January of 1927.

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January 6, 1994: Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan attacked

                                       

On January 6, 1994, Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked after finishing up practice at Cobo Hall in Detroit. The attacker had used a metal baton and struck her in the knee, after being attended to by employees of the practice facility Kerrigan's father picked up the injured skater and rushed her to the hospital for x rays where she was treated for a cut, some bruising and swelling then released. This came one day before the skater was supposed to take part in the U.S. National Championships and one month before the Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Because of the injuries Kerrigan suffered she had to sit out the U.S. National Championships which would be won by her rival and future Olympic teammate Tonya Harding. Within days of the attack a police investigation led to Harding's ex husband Jeff Gilooly who had conspired with his ex wife's bodyguard Shawn Eckhardt to attack Kerrigan. Gilooly and Eckhardt hired Shane Stant to carry out the attack, with Stant bringing in his Uncle Derrick Smith to drive a getaway car. It was a complex scheme that only blew up in the faces of those involved.

In late January, Harding admitted to knowing the involved parties and even admitted to trying to help cover it up. The Olympic committee tried to take immediate action by suspending Harding only to have the skater threaten a massive lawsuit that forced them to let her retain her spot on the team. I'm sure it was an awkward situation since Kerrigan was also a member of the team. Kerrigan and Harding headed to Lillehammer with a three ring media circus right behind them.


With both skaters trying to put the distraction to the side they took to the ice. Kerrigan did well finishing first in her short program, while Harding didn't fair so well coming in tenth. In the long program Harding stopped her routine, in tears because of a shoe string issue with one of her skates, after she fixed the problem her routine resumed and she finished 8th in that portion of the events. Kerrigan once again outdid her rival by finishing second in the long program and bringing home the Silver Medal.

In March of 1994, Harding plead guilty to conspiring to hinder the prosecution of Gilooly and the other people involved, she received 3 years probation and had to pay a $100,000 fine. Harding also had her 1994 U.S. Championship Title stripped from her and was banned from amateur competition for life. Her ex husband and his counterparts didn't get off so easily. Gilooly reached a plea deal and was sentenced to 2 years in prison while the actual attacker Shane Stant and his Uncle Shawn Eckhardt both served a little more than a year in prison before being released.

The scene with Kerrigan in tears asking why is an enduring image that many people will never forget. It was a a sad day in sports that should have never happened. Kerrigan had worked her whole life to get to the point to where she was going to represent the United States in the Olympics, I'm sure it had been a lifelong dream. To have a jealous competitor try and derail her hopes and dreams is beyond belief, what Tonya Harding helped plan was unfathomable, it not only ruined her on the ice it had a lasting impact on her life. If an athlete can't beat their competition fair and square the only thing to do is give a tip of the cap while knowing they gave it everything they could, it's called sportsmanship.
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Here is a link to a news story that immediately followed the attack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T09XWRkq5M

January 5, 1986: Supersonics host a rain delay in Seattle

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On January 5, 1986, the Phoenix Suns traveled to Seattle to take on the Supersonics. It was a rainy day in Seattle and right from the start there was a huge problem and that was the roof was letting Mother Nature into the Coliseum. With the court soaked there was a 9 minute delay before the two teams took the tip off. The rain continued to come in and the Supersonics staff frantically tried everything they could to stop what was happening, it had all started with a steady drip and by the end of the first quarter it was a steady flow. Just one minute and four seconds into the second quarter Seattle called a timeout, at that point the mess was too much to clean up. The fans in the stands still wanted the teams to play, they stood there umbrellas open chanting. Much to their chagrin, the referees decided to stop the game with the the Suns leading 35-24. They did finish the game the next day with Phoenix winning 117-114.


I have lived through many rain delays in baseball but never heard of such a thing in basketball. I was only able to come up with a couple other times that a basketball game was delayed by rain, both happened in 2008. Wichita and Michigan State experienced a delay after rain was coming through vents and onto the court then the Lakers had a delay after the Staples Center experienced roof problems, both teams were able to resume play after brief delays. I know that if I was in the stands and something like that happened there is a good possibility I would laugh about it. What are the odds of being at a basketball game that is delayed by rain? I'm sure that some of the fans weren't happy about having to go home early that night in Seattle, but I'd bet ya years later they looked back at it and got a good laugh out of it.

January 4, 1984: The Oilers and North Stars score a combined 20 goals on an 8 point night for Wayne Gretzky

On January 4, 1984, the Minnesota North Stars visited the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to take on the Oilers. By the end of the game the two teams scored a modern day record combined 20 goals. Minnesota started Don Beaupre between the pipes and Edmonton countered with Grant Fuhr, there is no way they could have been prepared for the assault they were about to endure.

The scoring started just two minutes and seven seconds into the contest on a goal by the Oilers' Glenn Anderson, it was Anderson's 25th goal on the season and Mark Messier picked up an assist on the play. At the 7:41 mark in the period Wayne Gretzky notched up his 44th goal of the year, it came just two seconds after a Minnesota penalty had expired. The North Stars got on the board with a power play goal from Dennis Maruk, his tenth goal on the year was assisted by Neal Broten and Dino Ciccarelli. With just under 5 minutes to go in the first, the Oilers retook a 2 goal lead when Jari Kurri scored on the power play. Wayne Gretzky picked up an assist on that goal which extended an assist streak for the player to 17 games, it was his 38th assist in that streak and the score was now 3-1 with much more on the way. With just 2:05 left in the period Minnesota's Dino Ciccarelli joined in on the scoring fun by punching in his 23rd on the year, 25 seconds later the Oilers responded with another goal by Jari Kurri. 38 seconds later Gretzky scored his second goal. By the end of the period the score was 5-2 with the Oilers on top.

When the teams came back on the ice to start the second period the North Stars made a change in net, by going to goaltender Gilles Meloche they hoped he would have better luck than Beaupre, it still wasn't pretty. Just 25 seconds into the period Ciccarelli scored his second goal of the night and it looked like the North Stars weren't going down without a fight. The Minnesota team cut the score to 5-4 with a power play goal coming from the stick of defenseman Brad Maxwell. Then Edmonton came back with Jari Kurri slowing the momentum of the North Stars by lighting the lamp for a hat trick, the score was now 6-4. The momentum shift didn't last long, just 40 seconds after the Kurri goal Minnesota cut the lead back to one when Steve Payne scored his 11th goal of the season. A little over 3 minutes later the Oilers answered back with a power play goal from Paul Coffey, it was his 20th of the year. The North Stars Brian Bellows responded with his 21st of the season and the score was now 7-5. The two teams decided to take a break from the scoring by deciding to fight, the first time fists flew, came 11 minutes and 50 seconds into the second period with Mark Napier throwing down with Edmonton's Ken Linesman. Less than a minute later the gloves dropped again this bout featured Minnesota's Brian Bellows against Randy Gregg. The second fight hurt the North Stars because Bellows received an extra minor giving the Oilers a power play. It only took 16 seconds for Wayne Gretzky to turn it into points for the Oilers and by doing so he rang up the 24th hat trick in his career. Willy Lindstrom jumped into the action for Edmonton by scoring a goal and was followed with Gretzky grabbing his fourth goal of the night, Gretzky also had four assists which brought him to eight points on the night. The Lidstrom goal and Gretzky goal both had been assisted by Mark Messier who had also chipped in on several other goals bring his assist total to 5, a franchise record for the Oilers. When the second period came to an end the score was 10-6. Simply put the 2nd period was crazy.

In the third period the North Stars struck first just 2 minutes and 20 seconds in Keith Acton scored a goal, then a little over a minute later his teammate Craig Hartsburg rang one up, with the score 10-8 and plenty of time on the clock, it looked like the North Stars had a shot. Paul Coffey took the wind out of Minnesota by  scoring his second goal on the night at the 7:10 mark. It would take over eight minutes for another goal to be put in the net, this time it was Randy Gregg scoring, less than 5 minutes later the Oilers got the W by the score of 12-8. The 20 combined goals had been the most total goals scored in a game since January 10, 1920 when the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto St. Patricks 14-7.

With four goals and four assists it was a career night for Wayne Gretzky, he did have another eight pointer earlier that season but it came on 3 goals and 5 assists which puts this one a step above. Grant Fuhr was between the pipes the entire game for the Oilers and was credited with the win after stopping 28 of 36. The North Stars faced 36 shots as well with the stater Beaupre making 7 saves on 12 shots then his backup Maloche stopping 17 of 24. I think it's safe to say it was a rough night to be a goaltender in Edmonton. It was just a crazy night in Edmonton, both teams were solid Stanley Cup contenders and even found themselves pitted against one another in the the Campbell Conference Final, only to have the Oilers sweep the North Stars on their way to back to back championships for the club. Well before that they both played in one of the most insane games this guy has ever run across.

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I was able to run across a highlight video of the game you can watch it here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm_GMpVCoiA

January 3, 1973: George Steinbrenner purchases the New York Yankees

On January 3, 1973, a Tampa Bay businessman by the name of George Steinbrenner led a group of investors in purchasing the New York Yankees from CBS for an estimated $10 million dollars. "The Boss" would go onto become one of the most iconic figures in all of Major League Baseball.


Born in Ohio in 1930, Steinbrenner came from a hard working upper middle class family. His father Henry instilled in him a strong work ethic from a very young age. Instead of an allowance Henry would pay his son with chickens and even as a child George had a businessman state of mind. At just 9 years old he started the George Company selling eggs door to door, he was so successful that he passed the business onto his sisters Susan and Judy when he headed to Culver Military Academy in 1944. After graduating from the academy George went to Williams College in Massachusetts, the young Steinbrenner would become a star track athlete as well as the school's sports editor for their newspaper. George was very active in several other areas of the school before earning his bachelor's degree in English in 1952. After he graduated he joined the nations military as a member of the Air Force. When he landed an assignment at Lockbourne Air Force Base in Ohio, Steinbrenner headed up a sports program for the base and started a coffee stand business that grew to six pick up trucks that were all bringing him income.


Steinbrenner was discharged from the military in 1954. He went onto Ohio State, where as graduate assistant to legendary football coach Woody Hayes he attempted to earn his master's degree in physical education. While at Ohio State Steinbrenner took on some assistant coaching duties, which led to similar positions with Northwestern and Purdue universities. In 1957, at the urging of his father, George joined the family business in the shipping industry. The business had been struggling to survive until George came aboard, after helping the company return to profitability, George bought the business from his family, then would lead his company into greater business ventures that turned Steinbrenner into a millionaire.

In 1960, Steinbrenner dove into the ownership side of the sports world by purchasing the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League, while the franchise had short term success in winning the championship in 1962 the ABL would fold later that year and Steinbrenner lost more than $25 million on the deal.  Even with the his entry into ownership being less than spectacular, a seed had been planted that would lead to much greater things for Steinbrenner. George invested into several Broadway shows while still running the shipping company, that made him wealthy. In 1972 he attempted to buy the Cleveland Indians, after the deal fell through he set his sights on the New York Yankees. Just imagine how different history would be if the deal for the Indians would have happened. The Yankees had been one of the most successful teams in all of baseball, but after CBS purchased them in 1964 the team struggled on the field and saw a steady decline in attendance. With Steinbrenner and his group of investors coming in they made key moves in signing Catfish Hunter and bringing in Billy Martin to manage the team. It looked like things were about to turn around for the franchise. However it wasn't all easy sailing for The Boss, in 1974 he was convicted of contributing illegal funds to the campaign of Richard Nixon while he was only fined $15,000 he was suspended from baseball by commissioner Bowie Kuhn for 15 months.


When he returned from the suspension he helped turn the Yankees into a contender. In 1976 they went all the way to the World Series. and even though they lost to the Cincinnati Reds the people of New York were excited about the Bronx Bombers for the first time in a long time. Through the years some of the best players in all of baseball migrated toward New York, with Steinbrenner signing big names like Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson there was big money to be made in the Bronx.  The first time Steinbrenner was a champion as an owner came in the 1977 season, when the Yankees beat the Dodgers in 6 games. It was the 21st championship for the franchise and it was the first time since 1962 the Yankees owned the title of World Champions. Then in '78 the team came back from a 14 1/2 game deficit in mid July, forcing a one game playoff with their biggest rival the Boston Red Sox. After taking care of business with the Red Sox the Yankees went on another championship run, eventually beating the Dodgers in six games, it was back to back rings for Steinbrenner's club and times were good in New York.

The late seventies and early eighties would have both triumph and tragedy for the team. In August of 1979, they lost their star catcher Thurman Munson after the plane he was piloting crashed, the team finished fourth in their division. In the grand scheme of things it just didn't matter, because they had lost a comrade. They did come back the next year and won the AL East, in a dogfight of a race. They beat out the 100 win Baltimore Orioles by winning 103 games in the Bronx. Only to  lose to the Royals in the ALCS, I do think it qualified as a pretty successful season. In the strike shortened year of 1981 the Yankees led the AL East right up until the strike shut down of the league on June 12th. When the strike concluded and play resumed on August 9th the Yankees didn't look like the same team. They had went 34-22 in the first half, but they couldn't crack .500 in the second half as they went 25-26. The strike year pitted the first half winner against the second half winner in a special American League Division series and Steinbrenner's Yankees prevailed over the Milwaukee Brewers. They would send the A's home by beating them in the ALCS and find themselves facing the Dodgers in the World Series, where they lost in 6 games. Steinbrenner came out and apologized to the city of New York for the performance of his team. It was widely criticized and rightly so, they had just reached the top of the mountain and even though they fell short, that is just how baseball goes sometimes.

It would be a years before the Yankees returned to the postseason. They fielded some great offensive teams but couldn't put it all together to become the mighty powerhouse they once had been. Steinbrenner had a tendency to make his displeasure heard through media outlets, which makes it safe to say that not everyone liked him. The most infamous incident involving Steinbrenner was with Dave Winfield. When Winfield sued the club for $300,000 after Steinbrenner failed to contribute money he had promised to The Dave Winfield Foundation, a battle was on between the player and the owner. With the feud between the two at its peak Steinbrenner hired a man to dig up dirt on Winfield in hopes that he could ruin him. What happened was it all fell apart with people coming forward that acknowledged Steinbrenner was involved in a conspiracy against the player. The commissioner of baseball Fay Vincent had no choice but to suspend the owner on the 30th of July in 1990.

When he returned in 1993 the Yankees would have some great seasons. In '94 they were leading the division only to have another baseball strike wipe out the season in mid August. In '95 they returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1981, they lost to the Mariners in the Division Series but the pieces were being put into place that would turn them into a modern day dynasty. They hired Joe Torre and brought up a multitude of star talent that included Bernie Williams, Jorge Posoda, and Derek Jeter. What followed was a Championship in 1996 then they  would go onto win more rings in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009. When Steinbrenner passed away in July of 2010 he might have been one of the best known and successful owners that baseball had ever seen, his sons are currently in control of the club.


While he had his controversies through the years, it's safe to say he was one of the most iconic men to ever own a sports franchise, and not just any sports franchise we are talking about the New York Yankees. While he might have been a little too vocal with the media and at times he even made it look as if he was running a 3 ring circus, he was still very dedicated to the success of his franchise. As of 2012 the $10 million dollar investment Steinbrenner made in 1973 was valued at $1.6 billion dollars. Generations well passed ours will know the name George Steinbrenner, he was an icon and one of the biggest figures in professional sports for more than thirty years.

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January 2, 1982: AFC Divisional matchup that would become known as The Epic in Miami

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On January 2, 1982, the San Diego Chargers traveled to Miami, Florida to take on the Dolphins in an AFC Divisional playoff game, what took place was one of the best football games the NFL had ever seen. The Don Coryell Chargers coached stood at 10-6 against Don Shula's 11-4-1 Dolphins, with the table set for a great game, 73,000+ packed the stands. What took place at the Orange Bowl would earn the nickname "The Epic in Miami" after an improbable comeback led to an overtime thriller.

It looked like it was going to be a blowout early when San Diego came out the gate flying. On the first drive of the game San Diego's quarterback Dan Fouts got his team in a rhythm quick. He started from his own 22 and rove itdown to the Miami 14, one of the key plays came on a 3rd and 14 when Fouts hit his wide receiver Wes Chandler on the fly for a 47 yard gain. When the drive stalled at the Miami 14 yard line San Diego brought in Rolf Benirschke who kicked a 32 yard field goal for the first points of the day. After the Chargers forced the Dolphins to punt, Wes Chandler took the punt return 56 yards for a touchdown, the score was now 10-0 and it looked like San Diego was starting to roll. The momentum would stay with the Chargers, on the ensuing kickoff  San Diego recovered the ball after an odd bounce went their way, it would lead to a one yard touchdown run for running back Chuck Muncie. When the Dolphins took over on offense it wouldn't take long for them to put the ball right back into the hands of their opponents, their starting quarterback David Woodley was intercepted by safety Glen Edwards, who returned the ball 35 yards. Fouts seized his opportunity by hooking up with rookie running back James Brooks on an eight yard touchdown. With the score 24-0 after one quarter it looked like a heavyweight fighter was in the ring with a featherweight.


I'm sure that a lot of the people that were watching the game thought it was over, the important thing is head coach Don Shula and his Dolphins team wasn't about to give up. After another train wreck of a series, Shula decided to make a change at quarterback, by bringing in Don Strock it gave the team the much needed spark they were looking for. Strock stepped on the field and on his first play he completed a pass to Duriel Harris for a 17 yard gain, from there the Dolphins were able to put together a 63 yard drive, the drive would be capped off with a 34 yard field goal by Uwe von Schamann. With the Dolphins finally able to do something positive it looked like it might have sparked the defense, they forced a Dan Fouts fumble that gave the Dolphins great field position at the Chargers 39 yard line. The Dolphins took the ball all the way down to the one yard line, with a one yard pass to tight end Joe Rose, Strock  had converted the Chargers turnover into 7 points for his Dolphins team. The Chargers looked like they had something going but their drive stalled out at the Dolphins 37 yard line, they called upon their kicker who sailed a 55 yard field goal attempt wide right. The Dolphins took over on offense with only 30 seconds to go in the half, it would be plenty of time to work with for Strock. After three plays the Miami team had positioned themselves at the San Diego 40, with only enough time for one more play before the half Coryell called  the "hook and lateral", what an exciting play it was. Strock took the snap then fired it to Duriel Harris at the 20 yard line, Harris then lateraled the ball to running back Tommy Nathan who took the rock 25 yards into the endzone. The play that trimmed the Chargers lead to 24-17 was almost too exciting to describe in words and that is a good reason to love Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH-dSc0K8sw, I watched it several times with the way that Harris was almost falling over and Nathan taking it to the house was just awesome. I'm sure at that point the crowd had enough electricity running through it to power all of New York City.

In the third quarter the Dolphins continued to carry momentum. They received the ball to start the half and drove it 74 yards in eight plays, that drive was capped off with Strock connecting with the Joe Rose once again for another touchdown, they were all tied up at 24. What happened from there was a seesaw battle, the Chargers responded with a 60 yard drive that had the exclamation point put on it with a 25 yard touchdown reception by Kellen Winslow, with a little more than 4 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter the San Diego was back on top. Strock came out like a gunslinger hitting every target he aimed at, he took the ball and completed six consecutive passes with the last one being a 50 yard strike to tight end Bruce Hardy, it tied the game right back up. The Chargers took over deep in their own territory, after Fouts failed to complete his first two passes he was intercepted by safety Lyle Blackwood. When Blackwood found it in his hands he lateraled the ball to cornerback Gerald Small, who took it all the way to the Chargers 15 yard line before being taken down. It would setup a Strock to Nathan 12 yard touchdown that gave Miami their first lead of the day. With Miami clinging to the 38-31 lead they were in clock control mode, then running back Andra Franklin had the ball slip from his hands it was recovered by San Diego safety Pete Shaw at the Chargers 18 yard line. With just 4 minutes and 39 seconds left in regulation Fouts led his team down to the Dolphins 9 yard line then with just 58 seconds left on the clock the quarterback sailed a pass over the head of his intended target Kellen Winslow but right into the arms of his running back James Brooks, this game was tied at 38 apiece. When  Strock and the Dolphins attempted to put the ball in a position for a game winning field goal in regulation the ball was intercepted by Willie Buchanon only to be fumbled and turned right back over to the Dolphins. It looked like things were going in the Dolphins favor, after a couple of plays they were in position to kick a game winner. When Von Schamann sent the ball toward the uprights Kellen Winslow was able to get a piece of the it causing the kick to fall short.

In overtime, San Diego won the toss, Fouts led his team to the Dolphins 10 yard line where they decided to go for the field goal, it looked like a chip shot for Benirschke, but a bad snap caused the kicked to sail wide left and the game continued. Miami would get their opportunity after a solid drive from Strock and the Dolphins offense, Von Schamann had another chance to win it only to have it blocked by a defensive lineman named Leroy Jones. When Fouts took over at his own 16 yard line he would take the team on a 74 yard drive that included two deep strikes to Charlie Joiner. With the Chargers at the Dolphins 10 yard line Coryell sent out his kicker, this time Benirschke sent the ball sailing through the uprights and the Chargers had just won a thriller by a score of 41-38. It took13 minutes and 52 seconds of overtime play to decide the game, near the end of it some of the men that played in the contest could barely pick themselves up off the ground, it had been a hot night in Miami and exhaustion and dehydration had kicked the players asses. The Dolphins might have lost but many of their fans still consider it one of the best playoff games in the history of the team, and rightly so.Only one team moved on in the playoffs but they were both fierce competitors which made them both winners.

Between the teams they had 1,036 yards of total offense, 809 total passing yards, and 79 points scored, all were playoff records at the time. The performances by both teams was something to be admired. Both quarterbacks threw for over 400 yards, which when you think about Strock it makes it even more of an accomplishment with the fact that he didn't come into the game until the second quarter. There were great performances for both teams but one player stood above the rest and that was Kellen Winslow. The tight end hauled in a playoff record 13 receptions for 166 yards and a touchdown then to add on to that he had blocked the crucial field goal. Winslow was so physically drained after the game he had to be assisted off the field he had battled through a pinched nerve in his shoulder, dehydration, severe cramps, and even a gash in his lip that required stitches. Winslow borrowed a quote that Muhammad Ali used after The Thrilla in Manila, Winslow said "I've never felt so close to death before."

Don Coryell said that it had been the most exciting game in his 30+ years as a coach and Don Shula agreed. I think Bryant Gumbel said it best when he said "If you didn't like this game then you don't like football." It was truly a game for the ages. Fouts and the Chargers would fall to the Bengals in the AFC Championship game, dubbed the "Freezer Bowl" it was one of the coldest games ever played, I'll save that story for another day. Regardless of  how the Chargers were knocked out of the playoffs that year they had played in one of the most epic battles of all time.


I wished was able to have seen this one with my own eyes, while I do remember hearing about it I never knew the entire rundown of the game. When I read about this and watched some of the different film I ran across it makes me want the NFL playoffs to start tomorrow. I love how you never know what to expect. It could be a great comeback like this one or "The Music City Miracle" in Tennessee or "The Immaculate Reception" in Pittsburgh. Never turn that tv off early because your team is down, we never know what could happen next.

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I was able to come up with 2 highlight reels both are ten minutes long while it isn't the best quality they provide great highlights.
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T6NPDbMKAw
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqNEmjs0KsY

January 1, 1942: The one and only time the Rose Bowl was played outside of Pasadena, California

On January 1,1942, the Rose Bowl would be played in Durham, North Carolina, the teams set to play were the Duke Blue Devils and the Oregon State Beavers. The game was moved out of Pasadena due to fears of a Japanese attack on the West Coast. It was the first and only time the game wasn't played in Pasadena. With the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 the country was on edge, and there was fear that the next Japanese target would be somewhere along the West Coast.  In the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor the Japanese had submarines off the West Coast attacking multiple merchant ships, sinking two of them. The fear of an attack was real, some even thought that the Japanese could attempt an invasion in Oregon, Washington, or California.

Within a week of the attack on Pearl Harbor the Rose Bowl committee met and decided to cancel both the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl game. The parade would have attracted more than a million people, while the game would have had more than 90,000 spectators in the stands. Knowing that the large crowds could turn into the perfect targets for the Japanese the Rose Bowl committee was strongly persuaded by members of the Armed Forces to cancel the planned events. With the game in peril the administration at Duke University offered to host it in Durham, Oregon State accepted the invite and the show would go on.

The 8-2 Beavers walked into the game as 14 point underdogs against the 9-0 Blue Devils, which made a lot of people wonder why they even accepted the invitation. They would show people why by upsetting the Duke team. New Years day was a rainy one, which looked like it favored the visitors. On the opening kickoff the Blue Devils fumbled the ball with the Beavers recovering, even with Duke's defense holding Oregon State it was still a punch in the gut right out the gate. The Beavers would put the first points on the board later in the first quarter, when Don Durand ran the ball in from 15 yards out Oregon State had their first lead of the day. With both defenses playing solid football both teams had their work cut out for them offensively. Late in the second quarter Duke was able to put a drive together that was capped off with a 3 yard touchdown run by the Blue Devils Steve Lach. The team went into their locker rooms at the half all knotted up at 7 apiece.


In the second half  both defenses played good football, but there was a 3 drive stretch in the third quarter that both teams would get it going on offense. Oregon State struck first, Beavers quarterback Bob Dethman was able to hook up with George Zellick on a 31 yard pass reception that would put the Beavers ahead. Duke would come right back, after putting together a successful drive Winston Sigfried punched it in from one yard out. In the following drive the Beavers quarterback found Gene Gray streaking up field, after hitting him for an initial gain of 12 yards, the running back took it 28 more yards for the catch and score. Oregon State would miss the extra point, leaving the door open for a Blue Devils comeback. A comeback just wasn't in the cards for Duke, even with them moving the ball into Beavers territory 3 times the Oregon State defense stood tall. They intercepted two Duke passes and shutout the Blue Devils the rest of the way. The only points the Blue Devils could muster up was from a safety after the Beavers Don Durand got caught in his own endzone by Mike Karmazin. When the clock ran down to zeros, Oregon State had won the Durham Rose Bowl by the score of 20-16.

The Rose Bowl was the farthest thing from the minds of many Americans that day. It was a time that men were preparing for war, there were men on that football field and even many of the 56,000 that attended the game that had what was facing the nation on their minds. In fact a lot of those men who took to the field that day would go onto serve in the war. Between the two teams four men didn't return. Walter Griffith a sophomore running back out of Duke enlisted into the Marines in January of 1942, 11 months later he was killed in battle. Oregon State running back Everett Smith drowned during an amphibious landing in the South Pacific. Running back Al Hoover was one of 1,300 Marines who perished at the Battle of  Peleiu Island in September of  1944, Hoover dived on a Japanese grenade to save those around him. In 1945, Bob Nanni a star tackle out of Duke was killed at Iwo Jima. Gene Gray, the running back that insured a victory for Oregon State would fly more than thirty bombing missions during the war. He would go onto become a Navy test pilot, in 1948 the plane he was piloting crashed upon takeoff. Gray survived but was severely burned, doctors had to amputate both of his arms due to the injuries he suffered in the crash. I've always looked up to athletes and the amazing things that they do, those men who went from a football field into battle puts them a step above the rest, they were much more than athletes.

There were some positive stories that came from some of the experiences of the athletes and coaches who served. Wallace Wade had been the head coach at Duke, as a member of the army reserves he was called into service. During the Battle of the Bulge, Wade found himself cold and starving, he then ran across Stan Czech a former tackle from Oregon State that had played in the '42 Rose Bowl. Czech was able to provide the coach with food and some hot coffee, I'm sure the coach was glad he ran into an old foe. In another instance, Charlie Haynes a backup quarterback from Duke and Frank Parker a starting guard from Oregon State found themselves both leading rifle platoons in the 88th Infantry Division. With both men deployed to Italy they reminisced about the game they had been a part of on that first day of 1942. Several months after they were deployed Haynes was leading his men up a hill near the Arno River in Italy, he was struck by shrapnel that caused a wound in his chest the size of a fist. One of the first soldiers to reach Haynes was none other than Frank Parker, in 1991 Haynes said "If it wasn't for Frank Parker I wouldn't be here," he went onto say "I was dying, no melodramatics about it, I thought I was dead." Even with those men facing one another years before, they found themselves on the biggest team they would ever be a part of, they fought and took care of each other like any good teammate would.

The story about the only Rose Bowl that was ever played outside of Pasadena is more than just a sports story. It is about sacrifice and perseverance. So many men sacrificed their lives in the war and they came from every walk of life. I hope by telling this one it pays tribute to the men who sacrificed their lives and also to the men who survived. My Grandfather served in World War II, he was one of the happiest men I've ever known in my life, while war was something we never spoke about I knew that he served not only in World War II but he had also served in Korea, and Vietnam. He made a career out of serving in the military and he deeply cared about his country. In 1991, when the Persian Gulf War broke out I can remember being told that he cried for the soldiers that were about to embark into war, he knew what war was all about. His name was Theodore Armstrong and while he wasn't an athlete, he was a soldier and a personal hero of mine. You never know he might have served along side of some of those men who played the Rose Bowl in North Carolina on that New Years day in 1942. I'll start off this New Year by saying thank you to each and every veteran who has given me the freedoms that I've always known, if you are currently serving I thank you as well.


Happy New Year everyone, I hope it's a great one.
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