Super 70's Sports

[plank]

@plank

And just like that, another from the era has passed.

f***!!!!!!!

 

[plank]

"Don Shula can take his'n and beat your'n," Bum Phillips, then the Houston Oilers coach, once said in his Texas twang. "Or he can take your'n and beat his'n."

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^^

It was funny the three of them giving each other the business. Csonka used to have a TV show called North to Alaska I used to watch despite the fact I don't fish or hunt, for some reason hunting and fishing shows soothed my weekend hangovers
I was a Fins fan(got the Dolphins Digest in the mail) from the mid 70's until Shula was fired, hated Jimmy Johnson. Wow! 25 years since he was fired, time flies. He's 90 now and in a wheelchair. I'm getting to the age where my boyhood sports and music hero's are fading away.

Going back to last week's conversation, sports can be an addictive substance which can make the best of us victims of human nature. Certainly when we were young boys. We collected baseball cards, played in playgrounds, and in my case had a fixation with listening to games on AM radio from distant locations. We fought for our team, literally and figuratively. It was part of the culture of being a boy and then a young man. It made us grow.

When Sparky Anderson was fired, it was a shocking kick to the soul. I was only a teen at the time but I knew something was amiss. How?! Why?! Then the next season, the Reds won the division under Johnny McNamara who seemed like a decent man but he was not Sparky yet somehow life went on. Then they got screwed in 1981 with the "split season" still one of the most vicious outcomes in all of sport: the team with the best record in all of baseball doesn't make the playoffs. Our new enemy was something beyond an opposing player or team, it was the decision makers.

From there, the team struggled mightily until Pete Rose returned as player/manager during the same season Anderson was in the midst of a stunning season with the Tigers. Not only did Rose stabilize the team and excited the fan base, he brought respectability and a team that was on the verge of something promising while greatness of the past was still on display. Then we know what happened. He was out in 1989. A boyhood hero who made a ghastly error paid for it the rest of his life. All the good he did, overshadowed by the debilitating disease of breaking a cardinal rule. Meanwhile, Sparky Anderson was a champ in Detroit. And Rose, the favorite player of so many, a local legend like very few in all of sports can claim with his lineage to a city, was a villain, off the field and on. Is sports that important anymore? We wondered. Sparky got fired and won elsewhere. Rose did something bad but paid a price of a 1,000 murders. And then the very next season, the Reds somehow rebounded and had one of the most sensational seasons in baseball's history and won the world's championship. Not much since but the point is we all have memories of youth. Sports was innocent back then but that was because we were innocent, too.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@plank

Funny series of events as I posted below. You know guys like these must have embellished the stories over the years and made comments not suitable in some contexts. Bud Grant stated he used to play Don Shula in racquetball and win often which infuriated the competitor inside.

After reading the account of the controversy during the game in the 1972 regular season, I came across an article from that point in time. That led me to another article about a preseason game the following season which can't even be delicately stated as payback is a bitch because....it was an otherwise meaningless game.

It's quotes like these that are most poignant.

From Bud Grant on Don Shula:

“He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time,” Grant said. “He was a great competitor. He worked at it and was a coach who really enjoyed his work and was very, very successful at it. He needs to be recognized for it. The NFL needs to name something after him. There should be a trophy with his name on it.”
​

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YouTube has one collection of brief highlights from the 1972 regular season game between Minnesota and Miami but the penalty wasn't part of the package.

The controversial penalty in the 1972 regular season game (perspective from 2020)...
Former Vikings defensive lineman Bob Lurtsema says he owes his career to Don Shula

Here’s how Lurtsema recalls it: “I turned and watched the ball over of the middle,” he said Monday. “Then I kind of backed into Griese.”

The contact was, Lurtsema maintains, almost negligent.

“When I saw the yellow flag I thought, ‘Well, they finally got their guy for holding me,’ ” Lurtsema said. “No, they got me. [Hall of Fame Vikings coach] Bud Grant said it was a bad call. [Griese] did a beautiful acting job of falling down.”

The Dolphins got a first down at the Vikings’ 42. Griese hit Jim Mandich with just over a minute left in the game with a 3-yard TD pass to give the Dolphins a 16-14 win.

They never lost that year.​

Lurtsema and Griese and many of his players from that time have joked about it during the year. At a golf tournament in Florida, Nick Buoniconti told Lurtsema he was as important as anybody for that undefeated season. Some Dolphins used to send Lurtsema Christmas cards every year.'

Still, Lurtsema was saddened by the news Monday because he credits Shula for kick-starting his career.

“I owe everything to Shula,” he said.​

--------------------------
The controversial penalty in the 1972 regular season game (perspective from 1972)...

DOLPHINS DEFEAT VIKINGS, 16 TO 14

“We couldn't move at all,” said Shula. “They dominated us.” ​

Mandich, a reserve tight end for the Dolphins, scored the winning touchdown on a 3‐yard pass from Bob Griese with 1 minute 28 seconds to go. Twilley, a Miami substitute wide receiver, caught two key passes in the winning 59‐yard drive. And poor Lurtsema, a second‐ string defensive tackle for the Vikings, was guilty of roughing Griese for a 15‐yard penalty just as important in the drive as the Twilley and Mandich plays.

Lurtsema, a former Giant, was indignant and pleaded innocent. “My momentum carried me into Griese who had fallen down,” he said.

“I've made plays like that for six years and nobody ever called me before.”​

---------------------------------------------------

The 1973 preseason game (the unofficial streak buster)...

Dolphins Lose, 20‐17, To Vikings

BLOOMINGTON, Minn., Aug. 31 (AP)—Fran Tarkenton, on the bench for almost three quarters, sparked the Minnesota Vikings to a 17‐point rally that led to the Miami Dolphins' first loss in a year, 20‐17, tonight, in a National Football League preseason game. The loss snapped Miami's unbeaten streak at 23 games.

Fred Cox kicked a 25‐yard field goal at the final gun for the victory over the 1973 Super Bowl champions. A second‐year linebacker, Jeff Siemon, picked up a Miami fumble on the Minnesota 37 and ran it back to the Miami 28 to set up the field goal.

​

---------------------------------------------
And then they met in the next Super Bowl and that was that!

 

[plank]

NFL Network re-ran shows about Shula, the 72 season and the 73 season yesterday. That offensive line was so dominate especially Langer, Little and Kuechenberg. Arnsparger's no-name D led by Buoniconti, Manny Fernandez and Dick Anderson, wow! I don't think they mentioned one of the cornerbacks in any of those shows, must not have seen much action back then.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@plank

If you have any interest...

‘72 DOLPHINS, ‘85 BEARS, JOE NAMATH, AL DAVIS, JOHN MADDEN & MORE: NBC SPORTS PRESENTS THE NFL FILMS SERIES NFL 100: GREATEST BEGINNING THIS SATURDAY AT 3 P.M. ET ON NBC - NBC Sports Pressbox

The NFL 100: Greatest series, which was produced by NFL Films and originally aired on NFL Network, was voted upon by an 80-person panel comprised of experts selected by NFL Media and the Associated Press and features interviews with current and former NFL stars and coaches and celebrity fans.
Programming will also stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
Following is a look at NFL 100: Greatest series programming on NBC:

DATE	TIME (ET)	NFL 100 PROGRAMMING
Saturday, May 9	3 p.m. – 5 p.m.	Greatest Teams
Saturday, May 9	5 p.m. – 6 p.m.	Greatest Characters
Saturday, May 16	2 p.m. – 4 p.m.	Greatest Games
Saturday, May 16	4 p.m. – 5 p.m.	Greatest Game Changers
Sunday, May 17	Noon – 2 p.m.	Greatest Plays

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Following is a look at this weekend’s NFL 100: Greatest series programming on NBC:
NFL 100: GREATEST TEAMS
Top Five

• • 1972 Miami Dolphins
  • 1985 Chicago Bears
  • 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers
  • 1984 San Francisco 49ers
  • 1989 San Francisco 49ers

NFL 100: GREATEST CHARACTERS
Top Five

• • Quarterback Joe Namath
  • Owner, general manager, and coach Al Davis
  • Head coach and broadcaster John Madden
  • Quarterback Brett Favre
  • Cornerback Deion Sanders

 

[c9777666]

 

[plank]

best player I ever saw live. I used to have Blackhawks season tickets in the late 80's/ early 90's and one game Lemieux had 3 goals and 3 assists to lead the Penguins to a 6-5(I think) win despite being outshot at something like 62-29. Troy Murray used to do a pretty good job shutting down Gretzky.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Too funny.

I have these puppies amid my collection...

 

[plank]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Wow. That isn't something expected.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

World Series games in the day time can never be surpassed.

 

[c9777666]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^ Yes, one of the most memorable moments in college football history. IIRC, that was the Friday after Thanksgiving.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

With the exception of the US hockey team in 1980 nothing comes remotely close. Just a bewildering performance. The viewers were aware something ongoing was uncommonly significant yet were mesmerized by a truly stunning performance by one of the most gifted athletes in any sport.



As an aside, here is a trivia question almost guaranteed to win a bet: name the second fastest Kentucky Derby time ever recorded. Most racing fans know only Secretariat (1973) and Monrachos won the Derby in under two minutes. But the answer to the second fastest is Sham. How is that possible? Sham lost to Secretariat in 1973.

 

[Preds Partisan]

 

[plank]

Jim Kiick, Former Dolphins RB, Dies at Age 73

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Jim Kiick, Former Dolphins RB, Dies at Age 73

Sad. We talked about this a few weeks ago, didn't we?

 

[plank]

Sad. We talked about this a few weeks ago, didn't we?

yep

 

[plank]

Sad. We talked about this a few weeks ago, didn't we?

Notice the SI cover, Zonk giving the finger and the shit eatin' grins.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I never noticed that.

 

[adsfan]

^ That must be from the 1976 World Series since Driessen is in the photo. First DH to hit a HR in a WS game. Useless trivia time.

Perez went to to Boston after the 1976 season, so you must be correct.

If they wouldn't have traded him, maybe they win again in 1977. He was the heart of the team.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Perez went to to Boston after the 1976 season, so you must be correct.

If they wouldn't have traded him, maybe they win again in 1977. He was the heart of the team.

He was traded to Montreal following the 1976 season and after a few seasons went onto Boston. Driessen was a decent player but Perez offered leadership and was still among the most feared hitters in the League. Not only a bad trade but the players acquired from the Expos were nearly useless. Woodie Fryman had issues with Sparky Anderson and was a flop of epic proportions who didn't last the season (he quit) though he later had success with the Expos upon a return. Dale Murray was a journeyman at best. The Reds were also hurt by the free agency of Don Gullett who left for the Yankees. He had a strong 1977. Perez and Gullett would have strengthened the Reds the 1977 World Series bid no doubt. But the team had a philosophy to build from within and not get caught up in free agency and that was the death knell of the dynasty.

 

[adsfan]

He was traded to Montreal following the 1976 season and after a few seasons went onto Boston. Driessen was a decent player but Perez offered leadership and was still among the most feared hitters in the League. Not only a bad trade but the players acquired from the Expos were nearly useless. Woodie Fryman had issues with Sparky Anderson and was a flop of epic proportions who didn't last the season (he quit) though he later had success with the Expos upon a return. Dale Murray was a journeyman at best. The Reds were also hurt by the free agency of Don Gullett who left for the Yankees. He had a strong 1977. Perez and Gullett would have strengthened the Reds the 1977 World Series bid no doubt. But the team had a philosophy to build from within and not get caught up in free agency and that was the death knell of the dynasty.

You are correct. It was Perez and McEnaney for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray. A terrible trade!!!

Driessen was a good fielder but not close to Perez in the hitting department.

I always thought that Ken Griffey (Sr) was a better player than Danny D was. They came up about the same time. The next really good player from the farm system was Paul Householder, who started well but never improved.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

You are correct. It was Perez and McEnaney for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray. A terrible trade!!!

Driessen was a good fielder but not close to Perez in the hitting department.

I always thought that Ken Griffey (Sr) was a better player than Danny D was. They came up about the same time. The next really good player from the farm system was Paul Householder, who started well but never improved.

Griffey was a better all-around player than Driessen. He nearly won the batting title in 1976, IIRC had a three of four point lead over Bill Madlock on the final day. Madlock went 4-for-4 to pull ahead and seeing this Sparky Anderson used Griffey, who was bring rested in a meaningless season finale, up as a pinch hitter -- for Driessen no less -- but he struck out. Lost the batting title on the final day. The Reds went 7-0 that post-season.

I am not sure of you were around in 1976 but the 9th inning of the final game of the NLCS that year was the perfect representation of what the Reds offered that year -- around 1:54:00 on the clip below:



Householder was part of the early 80s rebuild. Foster, Griffey, Collins all gone. In came Householder, Duane Walker, Clint Hurdle and others but none factored.