Today we’re blasting back to the January 10th, 1982 AFC Championship Game played between The San Diego Chargers & Cincinnati Bengals. Otherwise known as the ‘Freezer Bowl’ it’s the coldest game played in NFL history with the wind chill factor. -59 Degree Wind Chill. What!!! The Bengals dominated the Chargers that day on the Frozen turf of Riverfront Stadium, earning the trip to Super Bowl XVI with their 27 - 7 Victory. Just the week prior the Chargers had battled the Dolphins in 84 Degree Miami during the All-Time NFL Game known as the ‘Epic In Miami.’ Stay Tuned for our Deep Dive into that heartbreaking Miami loss in Blaze Issue # 13…
Blaze Files
Playoffs !!!
Hey Dude! Where's Your Shoe?
The Black Heart Game
Little bit of a Blaze Mystery Monday for ya guys. When we found out today was Garrison Hearst’s Birthday we went back into the Blaze Files to find this image of Garrison from a 1991 Georgia Bulldogs battle with the Auburn Tigers. Man, Garrison was tops in Tailback swag of the early ‘90s. But, we wondered. What’s up with that Black Heart Patch on his jersey? A proper blurry Youtube dive took us to November 16th, 1991 and a 37-27 Bulldogs win in Athens. Turns out most of the Georgia players were wearing the patch. We’ve got some FREE Blaze going to any fan out there who can tell us the meaning behind the Black Heart? b.t.w. I haven’t found the answer yet either.
Happy New Year!
Fog Bowl -December 31st, 1988
December 31st, 1988 - The FOG BOWL - Soldier Field- This has to be one my earliest and most memorable NFL moments from being a youngster. Coach Buddy Ryan was back in Chicago to take on his arch nemesis Mike Ditka & the Bears in an NFC Divisional Playoff Game. An eerie fog began to roll in right before halftime, with the Bears ahead 17-6. The Fog was so thick the coaches couldn’t even see what was happening from the sidelines. Verne & Terry in the CBS press box couldn’t see 10 ft in front of them! The Bears ended up holding on for a 20-12 victory. They hosted the 49ers in the NFC Championship the next weekend, but were routed 28-3 by Montana & Co. Imagine all the Talking Heads if they had the Internet back then. Happy New Years Dudes!!
Top Nine 2020 Style
R.I.P Knucksie
Over his 24 seasons Phil started 716 career games. That’s good for 5th All-Time in MLB History. What’s crazy is that he didn’t start his 2nd game until he was already 28 years old! He’s also the last pitcher to Both Win & Lose 20 games or more in the same season. He went 21-20 in 1979 for the last place Atlanta Braves.
Happy Birthday Bill Goldberg!
Happy 54th Birthday Bill Goldberg!! I’ve got an Issue of Blaze going to the reader who can tell us to what Team & in what Round of the 1990 NFL draft the Georgia Bulldog Defensive Tackle went. ?!? Did you know Goldberg was the 3rd to last pick in the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft, after being selected by the Carolina Panthers? He never played for them.
Merry Xmas! Go Phins!
Blaze Flag Tag League
'Silk Hands' - Mario Mendoza
In 1979, Seattle Mariners Shortstop Mario Mendoza reached career highs in plate appearances, hits & rbi’s. He hit safely in 74 of 373 plate appearances to finish with a .198 batting average for the season ,making him only the fourth major leaguer to play as many as 148 games in a season and fail to break .200. The Mexican League Hall of Famer earned the nickname ‘Manos de Seda’ or Silk Hands for his Defensive Abilities at Shortstop. Have a good weekend Dudes!
On This Day - Your 1989 NFL Rushing Champion Christian Okoye
Christian Okoye a.k.a ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ terrified defenders of the NFL for six seasons from 1987-1992. His rare combination of size & speed allowed him to become the first Kansas City Chief RB to lead the NFL in rushing when he rushed for 1,480 yards and 12 Touchdowns during the 1989 season.Happy Birthday Christian!
Otis Armstrong
Holy Moly it’s the 24th Already! Happy Xmas Eve dudes! Let’s stick to 1970’s NFL today, and a cool cat rocking the # 24 jersey, Mr. Otis Armstrong! In just his second season out of Purdue Otis earned All-Pro honors while leading the NFL in rushing for the 1974 season. He accumulated 1,407 yards on the ground along with 9 TD’s for the Denver Broncos. On November 28th, 1974, Thanksgiving Day , Otis led the Broncos with 144 yards, & a touchdown, during a 31-28 victory over the Detroit Lions. Little bit of trivia for you guys. This was also the last game the Lions played at Tiger Stadium, before moving to the Silver Dome.
Happy Birthday Hammer!
Happy Birthday Hammer. Hall of Famer Jack Ham’s 53 total takeaways (32 Interceptions & 21 Fumble Recoveries) is the most thefts by a non-defensive back.
Ray Guy
🏈Happy B-Day Ray Guy! The 1st Punter ever selected in the first round. 1st Hall of Fame Punter. And, if my hunch is correct he probably has the shortest name in the Hall as well?
** Note: It is now our assumption that Ty Law actually has the shortest name in the Hall of Fame
It's The Amazing Blaze Zine !!!
Highest Scoring NBA Game
On December 13th, 1983 an obscure cast of late night east coast cable TV watchers bore witness to the highest scoring game in NBA History. The Detroit Pistons topped the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in a 3OT mile high marathon. Isiah Thomas led the victorious Pistons with 47 points and 17 assists. Nugget Kiki Vandeweghe led all scorers with 51.
Haywood Jeffires
Happy Birthday Haywood Jeffires! The 3x Pro Bowler and member of the famous ‘Run & Gun’ Offense of the early 90’s Houston Oilers led the NFL in receptions in 1991 with 100 catches! Warren Moon’s statistics that season are pretty crazy. 404 completions for 4,690 yards and 23 touchdowns. He did lead the league with 21 interceptions though.