Football

Scab Sunday

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October 4th, 1987 came to be known as ‘Scab Sunday’ when teams marched out random replacements for their striking players.

Happy Birthday Craig Heyward

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Everybody remembers Craig ‘Ironhead’ Heyward for his years of running over defenders with the New Orleans Saints, but his best statistical year was in 1995 as a member of the Atlanta Falcons when he rushed for 1,083 yards, scored 6 TD’s and earned his 1st & only Pro-Bowl appearance. Happy Belated B-day Craig! R.I.P.

Eric Thomas

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Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eric Thomas made his first & only Pro Bowl squad in 1988 when he finished the season with 7 INT’s and helped the Bengals make it all the way to Super Bowl XXIII. In the AFC Championship game he intercepted Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly in the 1st quarter, and had a crucial pass breakup late in the 4th quarter as the Bills were closing in. Happy Birthday Eric!!

As a youngster I always thought the dudes wearing # 22 were the coolest.

Tim Harris

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The 1989 Green Bay Packers finished 10-6, their best record since 1972, with 4 of those wins coming by just 1 point. The ‘Cardiac Pack’ defense was led by our dude, Tim Harris, who led the NFL with a career high 19.5 sacks in ‘89. Happy Birthday Tim!!

Happy Birthday Ernest Givins!!

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Oilers wide receiver Ernest Givins’ Rookie Year of 1986 happened to be the only season in which he would top the 1,000 yard receiving mark. Ernest would put together eight more solid years in Houston while catching bombs from Warren Moon in the ‘Run & Shoot’ offense and finishing as the All-Time leader in receptions & receiving yards in Oilers/Titans history. Happy Birthday Ernest !

MDP

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Big brother William ‘The Fridge’ Perry got all of the attention and limelight, but it was little bro, Michael Dean Perry, who had himself one hell of an NFL career. MDP was a 6x pro-bowler, 2x 1st Team All-Pro, 2x 2nd Team All-Pro, & the 1989 AFC Defensive Player of the Year. He even had his own burger at Cleveland area McDonalds called the ‘MDP’ It was basically a Big Mac with an extra patty & bacon. Happy Birthday Michael Dean !!

1995 Hall of Fame Game

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The expansion Carolina Panthers & Jacksonville Jaguars each saw their first action as NFL franchises when they met in the Hall of Fame Game back on July 29th, 1995. Former Heisman Trophy winner, and expansion draft selection, Desmond Howard scored the first touchdown for the Jags on a 66 yard punt return in the first quarter. Panther fullback Bob Christian pulled in a 16 yard pass from Quarterback Frank Reich and rumbled into the end zone for the Panthers first TD. We saw a back and forth battle between the fresh franchises with Carolina eventually pulling out a 20-14 victory after holding Jacksonville scoreless in the 4th quarter.

Longest INT Return in Raiders History

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Safety Eddie Anderson owns the record for the longest interception return in Raiders history . In December of 1992 as a member of the L.A. Raiders, Eddie picked off a Dan Marino pass and returned it 102 yards for a touchdown in the 4th quarter of a 20-7 Raiders loss on Monday Night Football. Happy Birthday Eddie !!

Operation: 'Pony Tailed Place Kicker" - Tony Meola

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Remember back in 1994 when the New York Jets brought in US World Cup Goalkeeper Tony Meola to handle kickoff duties? The NFL was moving the kickoff from the 35 to the 30 yard line, and they weren’t sure the leg of their other offseason acquisition, 38 year old Nick Lowery, would produce touchbacks consistently. Nicknamed ‘Captain Hook’ for his less than accurate field goal attempts; Tony was cut after the 3rd pre-season game, and returned to soccer. Operation: ‘Ponytail Place Kicker’ was over.