Category: History and More

At some point on Friday I’ll turn on the television, go to the YouTube channel, and find the 1969 Texas-Arkansas football game.

Once I do, I’ll make myself comfortable and watch all two hours, 53 minutes and 39 seconds of the broadcast, coming to me live from chilly, wet Razorback Stadium.

OK, it’s not live anymore, but half a century later it’s still a major reference point of my life as a sports fan.

Football historians remember it as the final “Game of the Century” of the 1960s, a de facto national championship contest between the No. 1 Longhorns and No. 2 Razorbacks played on December 6, 1969.

Texas won, 15-14, in a thrilling comeback that remains a source of pride for “Boomers” who bleed burnt orange and an important football history lesson for younger fans.

So why do I – who grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and has no ties to either school – feel such a strong connection to it?

Simple.

It’s the first college football game I ever remember watching.

Now to be clear, 50 years was a long time ago and I don’t claim to have total recall of my childhood sports memories. I know that by 1967 I was already big into pro football, cheering on the New York Jets in the American Football League and Los Angeles Rams in the NFL.

And growing up in the “Football Capital of the South” it would stand to reason that at some point I’d seen Alabama and Auburn while perched in front of the Curtis Mathes color TV console.

And I’m almost sure I did but – if so – I can’t recall.

That Texas-Arkansas clash played 50 years ago today, however, is unforgettable.

It was the only major college football game played that day, and the fact that it featured the two top ranked teams in the country made it seem more special – something like a college football Super Bowl.

Mom made a rare appearance in the den to watch (she didn’t care much for sports) and decided she’d pull for Arkansas.

Pop also went with the Hogs because they were the underdogs.

I had no string feelings one way or another; the Jets were playing the Houston Oilers at 1 p.m. and I was gonna try to talk my folks into changing channels once that game kicked off.

As it turned out, I got so engrossed in the college clash I forgot to ask.

While I’ve always been dazzled by high-powered offenses (that’s one of the reasons I loved the AFL), there was something about this sloppy game played in sloppy weather that was mesmerizing.

Aesthetically it wasn’t much to look at – Texas had four fumbles and two interceptions working out of the wishbone while Arkansas threw two picks from its pro-style attack. Still, the hard hits and emotion resonated with me.

Frank Broyles’ charges led 14-0 heading into the fourth quarter and looked to be well on their way to victory.

But Texas coach Darrell Royal pulled out all the stops over the final 15 minutes.

A 42-yard touchdown run by quarterback James Street and 2-point conversion cut the Razorbacks lead to 14-8 early in the fourth quarter, making things interesting.

Then facing a fourth-and-3 at his own 43 later in the frame, Street dropped back and hit Randy Peschel on a 44-yard bomb that gave the Longhorns a first down at the enemy 13.

Jim Bertelsen scored the tying TD from the 2 a couple of snaps later, and Happy Feller kicked the extra point to make it 15-14.

Although I hadn’t cheered for either team up to that point, I was happy when Texas snagged an interception with under a minute to go to clinch the victory. The guts and the drama turned me into a college football fan for life – so much so that I didn’t even mind missing a good chunk of the Jets game.

Several years ago I found a shortened version of this 1969 classic on YouTube, and back in 2017 the complete ABC telecast was posted.

Listening to Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson call the game is like travelling through time.

And watching it in its entirety makes it worth the journey.

September 21, 1976, was a big day for Birmingham, Alabama.

Turns out, it was a pretty big day for me, too.

The brand new Birmingham Civic Center Coliseum opened for business – a 17,000-plus seat palace designed for sports and concerts. What I remember most as I walked through the doors were the smells … popcorn, hot dogs and just a hint of Hai Karate aftershave, which was apparently standard issue for Southern adult males.

But I wasn’t there for the olfactory sensations or a tour of the facility.

I was there for professional hockey – something as alien to Birmingham as glaciers and polar bears.

By the end of the night, however, the Civic Center felt like home. And the Birmingham Bulls became a part of my family.

Just a few months earlier, the World Hockey Association franchise was based in Toronto and known as the Toros. But owner John Bassett (who I was familiar with because he owned the Memphis Southmen of the defunct World Football League) decided to take a big gamble by moving his team to the Deep South.

The Bulls’ first introduction to fans came a few days earlier when 4,000 showed up to watch an intrasquad scrimmage. On this night, though, the National Hockey League’s Atlanta Flames provided the opposition in an exhibition game, and it was hard to imagine a better opening gambit.

I don’t think anyone had a clue how many people would show up on a Tuesday night (although 4,000 season tickets had been sold), but by the time the teams took the ice 8,868 sports fans were in the building.

I try to avoid using the word “awesome” because it’s so overused it has lost much of its meaning.

But man, that night was awesome.

From the moment the skaters left the tunnel and glided in formation on the frozen pond, I was mesmerized.

But, I was also prepared.

When it was announced in June that the Toros were headed to Alabama, I made a point to read everything I could about the sport – the rules, the history, and the stars.

Birmingham, for example, featured Frank Mahovlich, who was already one of the most decorated players in hockey history.

The “Big M” had played on six Stanley Cup-winning teams, and was a cinch for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Paul Henderson was another Bulls standout. The two-time NHL All-Star led Canada to victory over the Soviet Union in the famous 1972 Summit Series, scoring the game-winning goals in the sixth, seventh and eighth games.

And then there was Mark Napier, a 19-year-old phenom who was named WHA Rookie of the Year in 1975.

The public address announcer spent much of the night explaining nuances of the game, but I was already a step ahead of him. I studied hockey rule books like I was prepping for a test, and not only knew why the ref blew his whistle but was happy to explain it to anyone sitting near me.

It was the first time I had ever seen this high speed collision sport up close and personal, and I was hooked. It was ice skating with attitude, and I absolutely loved it.

With the death of the WFL less than a year earlier, I wondered if there was any team – in any sport – that could fill the void.

After a couple of hours, I wondered no more.

For the record, Birmingham won the inter-league showdown in overtime, 7-6. Napier scored three goals, his last coming with just 46 seconds remaining in O.T. to clinch it for the WHA side.

I don’t know how many fans understood everything that was going on, but they all understood what a game-winning goal was. The place erupted when Napier’s backhander flew past Atlanta goalie Dan Bouchard’s glove and the red light behind goal lit up.

Normally all I would ever talk about in a given September would be football, but thanks to one magical night in the Magic City, hockey moved to the top of the chart and remained there throughout the Bulls’ history.

Even though the WHA is now just a distant (but fond) memory, it brought professional hockey to my hometown. Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier – Birmingham was never one of the league’s better teams, but the Bulls faced some of the best players on the planet. I’m extremely lucky I got to see them in the flesh.

And while that exhibition game 43 years ago didn’t count, don’t ever tell me it didn’t matter.

It did … and still does.

With the rollout of team nicknames on Wednesday, the XFL teased fans about what they’ll see when the rebooted football league kicks off next spring. It’ll be another in an increasingly long line of pro upstarts that are formed on the premise that gridiron fans have an insatiable desire for the game.

And that got me wondering … are there any other sports that fans yearn to see year round? You don’t ever hear much about that – at least I don’t.

Soccer is the exception because, frankly, it already is year round. If you want to find a competitive league in any given month, you can.

Today, though – just for fun – I’m gonna look at a handful of sports and wonder out loud (and in print) how they might fare if they played in their offseasons and were bankrolled properly.

Please be sure to keep a grain of salt handy as you read,

BASEBALL

Would there be an interest in a pro baseball league that starts, say, in November and ends in March? I realize there are already winter leagues, but they’re short, mostly of the instructional/ rehab variety, and designed to give players a nudge up the Major League Baseball farm system ladder.

What I’m talking about is a kinda/sorta “competitor” to the bigs, or at least one that would aspire to independent Triple-A status.

Teams would have to play in warm weather climates or in cities with a dome, so automatically you could forget major markets such as New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.

That would be a huge negative if this league was looking for a major TV contract.

With the “real” baseball season already at 162 games and a World Series that bleeds into late October, another league might be a tough sell. Considering I have a hard enough time watching the MLB these days anyway, I’m guessing the novelty would wear off quite quickly for me.

Still, if I ran it, two of my major rule innovations would be a two and a half hour time limit on regular season games and a home run derby (penalty kick-style) to break ties.

BASKETBALL

This sport is already almost year round thanks to the WNBA, which I enjoy watching very much. Still, a men’s league that started up right after the NBA crowned its champion would interest me, too.

I love watching the NBA summer league, and if a new circuit was formed that started in the hotter months and played until the fall, I’d definitely support it. Roundball is something I never, ever tire of, and if you put some good players out on a court, I’ll pay to watch them.

And there are plenty of great players across the globe that would easily fill roster spots. When you realize there are only 450 players in the NBA in a given season, that means there’s a whole lot of talent looking for work.

I think with the right marketing and media partners, a June through October basketball league would have a puncher’s chance of making it.

Rule changes would include teams having the option to take the ball instead of shooting free throws following a foul, and making traveling an enforceable call.

Then again if you wanted to go way outside the box, how about a co-ed pro league? Lineups featuring three men and two women and three women and two men would alternate each quarter, and the shifts would be determined randomly before games.

HOCKEY

Now that’d be a hoot. All you need are arenas, water filtration/advanced refrigeration systems and Zambonis, and you’re good to go.

Oh, and players – quality players would help. (Raiding the Kontinental Hockey League would be a good start to that end).

I fell in love with hockey back in the 1970s and the affair is still going strong. Therefore, if I lived in a town with a team that skated on Saturday nights in June, I’d gladly give it my money (even though it would be weird to wear shorts to a hockey game).

Rule-wise, I really can’t think of much I’d change. To me it’s one of those “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” kinda things. But … if I could do one thing, it would be to increase the goal size from 6×4 feet to 7×5 feet. Goalies have gotten bigger over the years, so maybe the nets should reflect that growth spurt.

The question, of course, is whether enough people would pay to see summer hockey to make it worthwhile.

Last year the NHL averaged 17,377 fans per game and drew over 22 million for the season. Open up the checkbooks to get a few name players, put franchises in hockey hotbeds, and who knows?

I can’t think of a single entrepreneur chomping at the bit to form such a league, but I’ll lend my encouragement if they do.

Yet while we might never see major attempts at second seasons for baseball, basketball or hockey, you can always count on football to give it a try. Aside from the XFL, the Freedom Football League and Pacific Pro Football are scheduled to debut next summer.

And since I keep hearing that everyone wants football 12 months out of the year, it’d be nice if one of these leagues actually proved it to be true.