The Sports Archives History Lesson – Red Auerbach and Basketball’s Sixth Man

Posted on February 15, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history was the application of the ‘Sixth Man’ in basketball.  The strategy of the ‘Sixth Man’ is credited to Red Auerbach who coached the NBA Boston Celtics.

Auerbach surmised that his team could demoralize their opponents and turn or add momentum by keeping what would normally be a starting player on the bench and then waiting for the right moment to substitute the player in.  The philosophy worked and the Boston Celtics went on to develop some of the best ‘bench players’ or ‘sixth men’ in all of basketball.

The first great sixth man was Frank Ramsey.  Other great Celtics to follow were John Havlicek, Don Nelson and Paul Silas.  Because the league thought so well of the strategy of the sixth man, a Sixth Man Award was instated in 1982-83.   Boston’s Kevin McHale, Detroit Pistons Ricky Pierce, and Indiana Pacers Detlef Schrempf were all twice winners of the Sixth Man Award.  Jamal Crawford of the Atlanta Hawks is the latest winner to date.

Jamal Crawford

Jamal Crawford - latest winner of NBA "Sixth Man" Award.

Posted in Basketball, College Basketball | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – Miracle at the Meadowlands

Posted on February 9, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history happened during an NFL Game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles on November 19, 1978.  Although this was not a playoff game, it is a memorable event because of a call and execution of a play that turned a sure Giant victory into a ‘giant’ defeat.

The Giants were up 17-12, they had control of the ball on their own 26 yard line with 31 seconds left.  On second down, Giant quarterback Joe Pisarcik kneeled the ball like any quarterback would do in this situation to secure the victory.  The football player code of conduct calls for both teams not to block and to accept the ultimate outcome of the game.  However, Eagle linebacker Bill Bergey was not in an accepting mood and he pushed Giants’ center Jim Clack into Pisarcik in an attempt to cause a fumble.  Seeing what was happening from the sidelines, Giants’ Offensive Coordinator Bob Gibson did not want his quarterback touched, so he called the next play to be a hand-off to running back Larry Csonka.  The consensus in the huddle was that this was the wrong call and Pisarcik should just kneel again, however, Pisarcik did not want to override Gibson’s authority.  The Eagles naturally brought all players to the line and with all the confusion, Pisarcik did not really get a good grip off the snap which caused him to bobble the ball during the hand-off to Csonka.  The ball hit Csonka’s hip and bounced loose only to be picked up by Eagle’s cornerback Herm Edwards who sprinted into the end zone untouched for the Eagle victory.

On game losing plays like that, heads have to roll, so Bob Gibson was fired the next morning.  In the aftermath, the play came to be remembered in the sports archives as “The Miracle at the Meadowlands”.

See it here.

Miracle at the Meadowlands

Herm Edwards scoops up Joe Pisarcik fumble for Eagles victory in the "Miracle at the Meadowlands"!

Posted in Football | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – Cleveland Browns “The Fumble”

Posted on February 8, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One year after “The Drive“, another memorable event occurred between the same Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos. Once again, it was the AFC Divisional Championship Game played on January 17, 1988 in Denver.

This time, it was Cleveland driving in the late stages of the game looking for the score and the tie. Down 38-31 with 4 minutes left, they drove to the Bronco’s 8 yard line. Cleveland running back Earnest Byner was having a heroic game, however, his luck changed when Bronco defensive back Jeremiah Castille stripped the ball from Byner on Cleveland’s next play. Denver recovered the fumble on their 2 yard, which ironically is where they started their ‘Drive’ a year earlier. Byner was devastated to say the least. Denver gave the Browns an intentional safety and held on to win 38-33.

The play became known in the sports archives history as the “The Fumble“.

See it here.

The Fumble

Earnest Byner after "The Fumble".

Posted in Football | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – Denver Bronco’s “The Drive”

Posted on February 6, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history happened during the AFC Championship Game between the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns on January 11, 1987. This was not one particular play or event, but a series of plays which ultimately led to Denver tying the game.

Denver was trailing the Browns, 20-13 with just over 5 minutes remaining in the game. Led by quarterback, John Elway, they took control of the ball at their own 2 yard line and in 15 plays, spanning 5 minutes and 2 seconds; they mesmerized the Browns defense and marched 98 yards downfield for a touchdown with just 37 seconds remaining on the clock.

The closest the Browns came to stopping them was when they forced a 3rd and 18 after sacking Elway. On the very next play, Elway retaliated by completing a 20 yard pass to the Cleveland 28 for a first down. They completed the drive with an Elway to Mark Jackson 5 yard toss for the score.

Denver went on to win the game in overtime 23-20. The series of plays to tie the game became known as “The Drive”, a great moment in sports archives history.

See it here.

The Drive

John Elway executing "The Drive".

Posted in Football | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – Super Bowl XLIII “Immaculate Interception”

Posted on February 5, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history happened during Super Bowl XLIII between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals.

The Steelers were up 10-7, but Arizona had the ball on the Steeler’s 2 yard line with 18 seconds remaining in the first half.  The Steeler’s defense had blitz written all over them and blitz they did forcing Cardinal’s quarterback Kurt Warner to throw way quicker than he would have liked to.  Steeler linebacker James Harrison faked the blitz and hung back only to see the errant pass come in his direction.  He picked it off and seeing nothing but daylight headed straight for glory.  When the Cardinal players finally caught up to him, all they could do was knock him into the end zone.

Harrison laid down in the end zone for a while the photographers did their business.  It probably took him a little while to realize that he just scored on the longest play in Super Bowl history.  Running 100 yards and giving the Steelers a 17-7 halftime lead.  After a Cardinal comeback, the Steelers went on to win the game, 27-23, with a spectacular leaping catch in the end zone by Steeler receiver Santonio Holmes from QB Ben Roethlisberger.

The interception became known in the sports archives as the “Immaculate Interception”.  See it here.

Immaculate Interception

Aftermath of the Immaculate Interception

Posted in Football | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – Pittsburgh Steelers “The Immaculate Tackle”

Posted on February 4, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history was made on January 15, 2006 during the AFC Divisional playoffs between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts.

The Steelers were up 21-18 with 1:20 remaining in the game and looked to be in complete control after stopping the Colts on their 2 yard line.  The Steelers, however could not just run the clock out  because the Colts had all their timeouts remaining.  The Steelers figured that they would use their offensive weapon, running back Jerome Bettis, who hadn’t fumbled all year, to get the 2 yards to send the Colts home.  Just then, the unthinkable happened, a Colts helmet hit forced the ball out of Bettis’s grasp and it was picked up by the Colts cornerback Nick Harper who started to sprint towards the opposite goal.  Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger saw what was unfolding and started running down field with Harper turning both ways to try to position himself to make the tackle.  Harper was playing cat and mouse darting the other way when Roethlisberger turned one way!  Finally, Roethlisberger’s turn gave him enough time and space to catch Harper’s shin as he was trying to run by him.  The grab was enough to cause Harper to lose balance and fall to the ground at the Colts’ 42 yard line.  Another Steeler who given chase made sure Harper did not get up.

The momentum had changed, but the Colts could not take advantage as the Steeler defense held firm.  Had Harper made it to the end zone, it would have been a sad tale in the city of Pittsburgh that day.

The play to save the game became known in the sports archives as the ‘Immaculate Tackle’.  See it here.

Immaculate Tackle

Ben Roethlisberger lands the 'Immaculate Tackle" on Colts Nick Harper.

Posted in Football | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – Pittsburgh Steelers “Immaculate Reception”

Posted on February 1, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history happened on December 23, 1972, during the AFC divisional playoff game in Pittsburgh between the Steelers and the Oakland Raiders.

In an evenly played game, the Steelers took a 6-0 lead into the final 2 minutes until Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler found the end zone on a 30 yard run.  Trailing 7-6, the Steelers had the ball, 4th and 10, on their own 40 yard line with 22 seconds left and no timeouts.

Now, you’re thinking a sideline pass so the receiver can jump out-of-bounds to stop the clock, right?  Well, Terry Bradshaw, under pressure, throws over the middle to halfback John Fuqua, and the ball arrives at the same time Raiders safety Jack Tatum knocks Fuqua to the turf.  The ball controversially bounces off the duo before hitting the ground and is sent backwards end over end only to be scooped up inches from the ground, by none other than Steelers fullback Franco Harris. Harris had the ball and knew what to do with it.  He ran down the sideline, stiff-armed any Raider trying to cut him off and sealed the Raiders fate.

It took 15 minutes to clear the field so the extra point could be kicked.  The final score was Pittsburgh 13, Oakland 7 and the play became forever known as the “Immaculate Reception”.

Immaculate Reception

Statue of Franco Harris making "Immaculate Reception" at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Posted in Football | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – Green Bay Packers “The Block”

Posted on February 1, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the most memorable games in NFL sports archives history was the game known as the “Ice Bowl” played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on December 31, 1967.  It was -15 degrees at game time and the Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi were set to square off against Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys.

The two teams played some grueling football on a hard-as-rock field.  The Cowboys were up 17-14 with under a minute to play, but the Packers were threatening.  They had a first down on the Cowboys 3-yard line but Packers running back Donny Anderson could only make 2 yards on 2 downs.  The Packers called their last timeout with 16 seconds left to discuss their next strategy.  It was a gutsy call not to go for the field goal with no timeouts remaining, but I don’t think anyone in the stadium wanted overtime.  The Packers called for a quarterback sneak and Bart Starr was to follow the lead of guard, Jerry Kramer who was to pave the way to the end zone.  Kramer did his job and took Cowboys defensive tackle Jethro Pugh completely out of the play allowing for Star to cross the line and seal the victory for Green Bay, 21 – 17.

This play became known in the sports archives as “The Block”.

The Block

Bart Starr follows "The Block" of Jerry Kramer.

Posted in Football | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – Green Bay Packers “Ice Bowl”

Posted on January 31, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest events in sports archives history in which weather had a major impact was the NFL championship game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys on December 31, 1967.

The game, know as the “Ice Bowl”, was played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin where game-time temperature was -15 degrees and the wind chill was a balmy -36 degrees (based on present day wind chill index).  It was so cold that the referees could not use their whistles and the half-time band had to cancel performances due to frozen instruments, frozen lips and some members suffering hypothermia.  Even Packers linebacker Ray Nitschke suffered frostbite on his toes.

The game itself was played brilliantly under the circumstances with Vince Lombardi’s Packers outlasting Tom Landry’s Cowboys 21-17.  Bart Starr, the Packers hero quarterback, ran a QB sneak from 1 yard out with 16 seconds remaining behind what became known as “The Block” of Cowboys defensive tackle Jethro Pugh by Packers Jerry Kramer.  The play was gutsy because the Packers may have run out of time for a tying field goal, but Lombardi wasn’t thinking field goal on that cold day!

The question remains whether there were any Cheeseheads that went shirtless that day!

The Ice Bowl

The Ice Bowl - 1967 Cowboys at Packers

Posted in Football | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – Super Bowl XLII “The Helmet Catch”

Posted on January 30, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest drives in Super Bowl history complete with the some of the greatest plays, was orchestrated by Eli Manning and the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, February 3, 2008 against the New England Patriots.

The heavily favored Patriots did not lose a game all year and were  in control 7-3 at halftime over the NFC wild card Giants.  However, the tenacious Giants were not giving in and scored early in the fourth quarter to take a 10-7 lead.  New England’s Tom Brady countered and hit Randy Moss in the end zone for a Patriots 14-10 lead with 2:42 remaining.

That set the stage for Eli Manning to do the unthinkable, drive his team 83 yards in under 3 minutes against a Patriot team that didn’t know what is was like to lose all season.  Manning was patient moving the ball up the field in steady fashion, hitting the clutch pass when he had to.

Then the moment of truth came, 3rd and 5 on their own 44 with 1:15 showing on the clock.  Manning took the snap and fell back in the pocket with Patriots closing in on him fast.  With one Patriot grabbing his shoulder and another pulling his shirt, Manning was able to amble away and give himself just enough time to throw a bullet in the direction of David Tyree. Manning did his part in getting the pass off, the rest of the play belonged to Tyree, who leaped up miraculously to catch the ball and fell backward pinning the ball against his helmet so not to drop it.  All this was happening while Patriots Rodney Harrison was in Tyree’s face and punching at the ball to loosen it from his grip and the helmet.  His attempt failed and the play stood to be known as “The Helmet Catch” which was good for 32 yards.  Another spectacular clutch catch on the sidelines by  rookie Steve Smith once again kept the Giants drive alive and Manning finished it with a lob to Plaxico Burress in the end zone.

One of the greatest drives in Super Bowl history which included one of the greatest catches, “The Helmet Catch”.

More on “The Helmet Catch” here.

The Helmet Catch

The Helmet Catch

Posted in Football | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments