Monday Night Football 39 years ago - who remembers?

[row_33]

3 hours ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

Not me... first tragedy I remember as a kid was when Brady, Reagan's Press Secretary, was shot in 1981.

same day as the Oscars and NCAA hoops final

 

Used to be the same night, into the 1990s, households would fight over what would be on the only TV in the house 

 

 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

3 hours ago, SinceThe70s said:

I'm glad the Pats lost.

Too soon. 

3 hours ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

Not me... first tragedy I remember as a kid was when Brady, Reagan's Press Secretary, was shot in 1981.

The Challenger explosion—that one sticks out to me as a youngster

[Just Jack]

3 hours ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

Not me... first tragedy I remember as a kid was when Brady, Reagan's Press Secretary, was shot in 1981.

 

I remember that, mainly because getting off the bus after school, I wondered why my father was home from work already. Typically he'd be a couple more hours before getting home. 

[Gugny]

My mom woke me up the following morning for school.  She told me the news.  I was 5 weeks short of my 10th birthday.  I was heartbroken.  I came downstairs to the Beatles being played on the radio.  I cut the article out of the newspaper and taped it to my wall in my bedroom.  To this day, I swear that his picture on that newspaper clipping glowed some nights.

 

Every year, my son and I do a long weekend in Manhattan.  Every year we pay our respects at the Dakota and at Strawberry Fields in Central Park.

 

He wasn't even my favorite Beatle (Paul).  But his death had a lifelong impact on me.  He was not a perfect man, but he turned out to be a wonderful man.  The world could use more like him.

 

RIP

[Chandler#81]

I remember it vividly, as I was -and still Am, a huge Beatles fan. Just got home from working 2nd shift. Mamma was asleep.

I sat in stunned silence. 

 

Next year, he’ll have been dead as long as he was alive. ?

[Boatdrinks]

I remember watching the game, but went to bed before it was announced ( I was in 5th grade). Mom told me in AM when she found out and I was stunned and devastated. Was already a huge Beatles fan. Didn’t go to school that day. Amazing that it  was 39 years ago. 

[bbb]

 

4 hours ago, ticketssince61 said:

If I remember correctly, the result of that  game put the bills into the playoffs or at least made it very likely

 

 

John Lennon RIP

 

After a decade of rooting against the Dolphins, I was forced to root for them.  I used to say I'm never doing that again.  Last time I did that, they killed John Lennon.

 

4 hours ago, SectionC3 said:

friend of a friend was with Bono from u2 when the news broke.  Interesting story.  U2 was playing a club in Buffalo that night.   

 

So, every time I've seen U2 in Buffalo, Bono talks about that night.  And, he did again the other night, in Seoul.  But, this is what he said (WTF?!?)

 

“Let’s turn this concrete sky arena into a cathedral,” Bono said. “We think about a great peacemaker we lost December 8th, 39 years ago tonight: John Lennon. We lost John Lennon, great peacemaker, great soul. This band were right outside of New York City when we heard the news. We still feel it.” (To be more exact, the band was in Buffalo, New York, playing a gig at Stage One when it happened. They’d just played their first American show two days earlier at the Ritz in New York City to about 25 people.)

 

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-u2-dedicate-pride-to-john-lennon-at-first-ever-south-korea-concert-924048/

 

3 hours ago, cwater10 said:

No.  Not exactly.  The Bills had just beat the Rams and danced on the field afterward in the fog (great memories... favorite Bills season ever), but they still had some good old fashioned Bills drama left.  The lost the following weekend in New England and Ferguson broke his foot.  Because it was 1980, he played through it and nobody really acknowledged that it was broken.  The final week it was all or nothing in San Fran in the Candlestick mud against a young Joe Montana that was still learning how to be Joe Montana.  

 

There is a famous Van Miller call floating around on You Tube of the final play that goes something like "And so the season all comes down to this one final play."  Montana heaved a Hail Mary into the end zone that was close, but batted away at the last moment by the Bills, finally giving them the AFC East crown.  Interesting footnote to that season: every AFC playoff team, division winners and wild cards included, finished 11-5.  If Montana completes that pass, Bills would have been out.  It seemed like an unnecessarily close scare to the 6-10 49ers.  The following year, Montana figured out who he was going to become and won his 1st Super Bowl. Super fun season in 1980.  

 

And it was also tragically memorable due to the event referenced by OP.  I remember sitting in silence with friends in a dorm room at St. Bona in disbelief as Howard broke the news.  I think I heard nothing but John Lennon music for the next month.  RIP John!  

 

Still missed.

 

 

 

I was a freshman at Bona!.........My favorite team ever, too...........I was at the library and was told the Dolphins scored, so I went back to 4th Shay to watch the rest in the only room on the floor with a TV.  I get in the room, with about 15 hallmates crammed in there, and they say "Did you hear what happened??"   I said Yeah, the Dolphins scored...........No, John Lennon got killed!

 

How do you know that Fergy's foot was broke?  I always heard it was a badly sprained ankle.  

[fansince88]

My screen name should say it all. That said, I was 10 years old. I can barely remember my grade school teacher Mrs Harrington and she was yelling at me every day. Could be the blows to the back of the head when I wasnt paying attention

[CSBill]

I know I'll be in the minority here, but I'm old enough to remember the Beatles and Lennon and all, so I'll say it to all you younger types, Lennon was overrated! His death was tragic, and what it met most to people then was the hoped for Beatles reunion would never happen.

 

But as a musician, he was good, but nothing special. He was odd and his music was hard to listen to once he left the Beatles. Again, no one deserves to die the way he did, but his death and the way it occurred did more to make him an icon than his music did--at least his music post-Beatles.

 

There, I said it, you can flame away at me now . . .

[cwater10]

1 hour ago, CSBill said:

I know I'll be in the minority here, but I'm old enough to remember the Beatles and Lennon and all, so I'll say it to all you younger types, Lennon was overrated! His death was tragic, and what it met most to people then was the hoped for Beatles reunion would never happen.

 

But as a musician, he was good, but nothing special. He was odd and his music was hard to listen to once he left the Beatles. Again, no one deserves to die the way he did, but his death and the way it occurred did more to make him an icon than his music did--at least his music post-Beatles.

 

There, I said it, you can flame away at me now . . .

No flames.  A few tears perhaps, but no flames...  "Imagine all the people, living life in peace"...  For whatever your personal experience of John Lennon was, for whatever magic that was there that for some reason you were not experiencing, you missed something damn special.  John Lennon changed the world, but not every individual in it.

 

I honestly never viewed Lennon's death in the context of nixing a reunion and I don't know anyone that did.  Sure, we may have observed that it would no longer be possible, but that was very far removed from what the moment was about, or what it meant.  It was only ever about the tragic and violent loss of a legend, an icon, and a rare cultural world leader.

 

Again, no flames, I always enjoy your posts.  More power to you and your insights.  This one simply dropped my jaw and reinforced John's own words:

 

"Yeah we all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun."

 

  - John Lennon (after he left The Beatles)

 

 

[cwater10]

6 hours ago, bbb said:

After a decade of rooting against the Dolphins, I was forced to root for them.  I used to say I'm never doing that again.  Last time I did that, they killed John Lennon.

Perfect!

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

Wow they had overtime 39 years ago.  I'd have guess that was added more like late 80's or so.  I do remember when games ended in ties in regulation.

[Greg S]

When it comes to death in the music industry 8/9/95 was the hardest one to take.

[cwater10]

13 minutes ago, Greg S said:

When it comes to death in the music industry 8/9/95 was the hardest one to take.

I think I'd rather rank my children in a Facebook post than to attempt to triage 8/9/95 vs 12/8/80.  Close, but I've gotta go Lennon.  Why did you make me think of this....  You must be my long lost Bertha...  Sorry kids, I am keeping the other list to myself.

Edited December 10, 2019 by cwater10

[Cripple Creek]

11 hours ago, Stallions said:

There were three seconds left in the game, score tied at 13, and million of viewers watching "Monday Night Football" as New England Patriots kicker John Smith trotted onto the Orange Bowl field 39 years ago.

Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell called the famous "Monday Night Football" game the night John Lennon was shot and killed.

 

 

 

For those who remember the next few moments of that night, Dec. 8, 1980, Smith and the game itself have become historical and cultural markers overshadowed by but forever connected to Howard Cosell's announcement that John Lennon had been shot and killed.

 

"Remember, this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses," Cosell told TV viewers. "

 

Players and fans inside the stadium were not aware of what Cosell had just announced on national television. There was no public-address announcement or murmur through the crowd, like there would have been today with people scanning social-networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

 

Instead, fans inside the stadium watched as Smith's kick was blocked, disappearing into the aqua and orange of Miami's defensive line. The Dolphins scored on the first possession of overtime to win 16-13. 

 

Was tending bar with the game on of course.

[cwater10]

9 hours ago, bbb said:

 

How do you know that Fergy's foot was broke?  I always heard it was a badly sprained ankle.  

I seem to remember it being reported in the aftermath of the SD playoff loss.  It's all hazy now.  If I am mistaken, blame it on some tainted bash from a 4th Dev floor party/exorcism.  I was actually three floors down in Shay.  When I think of 4th Shay, I can only think of a dude we just called Grateful Kevin! Good man!

Edited December 10, 2019 by cwater10

[KD in CA]

4 hours ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

Wow they had overtime 39 years ago.  I'd have guess that was added more like late 80's or so.  I do remember when games ended in ties in regulation.

Yes.  Aside from Lennon, all people could talk about was how ‘the game was decided by a coin flip’.

[row_33]

23 minutes ago, KD in CA said:

Yes.  Aside from Lennon, all people could talk about was how ‘the game was decided by a coin flip’.

 

and yet it wasn't remotely a noticeable advantage to win the flip

 

when you looked at the results instead of whining because your team lost

 

[Royale with Cheese]

I was not old enough so I don't remember.

 

I guess my major one was Princess Diana when I was around 16.  

 

The first one I remember that hit me was River Phoenix because Stand by Me was my favorite movie growing up.  I was about 7 or 8 when that happened.  

[ColoradoBills]

17 hours ago, Stallions said:

There were three seconds left in the game, score tied at 13, and million of viewers watching "Monday Night Football" as New England Patriots kicker John Smith trotted onto the Orange Bowl field 39 years ago.

Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell called the famous "Monday Night Football" game the night John Lennon was shot and killed.

 

 

 

For those who remember the next few moments of that night, Dec. 8, 1980, Smith and the game itself have become historical and cultural markers overshadowed by but forever connected to Howard Cosell's announcement that John Lennon had been shot and killed.

 

"Remember, this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses," Cosell told TV viewers. "

 

Players and fans inside the stadium were not aware of what Cosell had just announced on national television. There was no public-address announcement or murmur through the crowd, like there would have been today with people scanning social-networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

 

Instead, fans inside the stadium watched as Smith's kick was blocked, disappearing into the aqua and orange of Miami's defensive line. The Dolphins scored on the first possession of overtime to win 16-13. 

 

 

I was stationed just south of Miami when that happened.

I don't remember the game but we we're watching it and then tuned into the radio stations for details.