Gridiron Magazine: Issue XIX
Across America, and a growing part of the UK, the outside world will soon be shut out for the holiday feast of football. But just how did such fanaticism come to pass? We’ve trawled back through the archives, deep into the annals of pro- football history, to serve up an edition so delicious it will take away that yearning for just one more Christmas pudding. Gridiron brings you a fascinating look back at the 25 defining dates in NFL history.
We’ve also put together a comprehensive preview of Bowl Season in the college game as Ian Parker digs deep, in particular, on the four teams fighting it out for the National Championship.
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For now, here are some goodies to whet your appetite:
Three days before Favre’s welcome back into Green Bay’s inner circle, the NFL’s latest anti-hero, bad-boy quarterback found himself on America’s ever-growing platform for sporting scandal and debauchery: TMZ. – Matthew Sherry on why there is hope for a Johnny Manziel redemption tale.
A famous saying claims that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Then there is the lesser-known adage that when the going gets tough in the NFL, players and coaches have a good old moan at the media. – Neil Reynolds is far from impressed as NFL players and coaches continue to attack the media.
The story of the Baltimore Colts’ move to Indianapolis is one of the most remarkable in sporting history. How a team skipped town in the dead of night, leaving deep wounds in a devoted fanbase is by turns shocking, thrilling and treacherous. – Simon Clancy looks back at the day the Colts broke Baltimore hearts.
While some within San Francisco’s organisation felt Montana was the best quarterback in the 1979 NFL Draft, it would be foolish to think that belief was unanimous. – Neil Reynolds lifts the lid on how San Francisco stumbled upon Joe Cool accidentally.
There is so much hype around the upset that it’s sometimes forgotten how many hardcore NFL supporters regarded the result as a fluke. – Iron Mike Carlson tells the tale of Super Bowl III and explains how it changed the face of football.
Sixty-million people tuned in to watch at home; tickets priced at $6, $10 and $12 (called “exorbitant” by some) and poor promotion meant Los Angeles’ Memorial Coliseum was only two-thirds full. – The first edition of the Super Bowl was very different to the showcase we see today.
While the dark cloud hanging over the United States had long since lifted nearly 40 years on from Kennedy’s death, on September 11, 2001, there came an unwelcome reminder of how a vast nation can be sent into mourning with chilling immediacy. – Matthew Sherry on how the NFL helped America heal after 9/11 on the day a future star was born.
With fresh life, the resolute Unitas found his rhythm, calling a series of deceptive plays, each going counter to what the Giants defense expected. – Legendary author Michael MacCambrdige, who penned America’s Game, recounts the day that football truly captured the hearts of the American public.
