Gridironfans.com Hall of Fame

[RetroDan#16]

Not sure if I've posted this in the right section or not, but over on one of the Uk sites, we had a Hall of Fame section, which ran successfully for a good while and prompted some interesting debate as well as sometimes being educating, sometimes controversial but always interesting.

I'll explain how it works:
Over a two week period, members can nominate any player, coach or significant moment from the NFL or NCAA's history. Basic criteria is the player or coach has to be retired, while the significant moment can be a game, a particular play or any other memorable event that you think should be Hall-worthy.

If you want to nominate for any of the above, offer your nomination in the two week period by posting your nomination and why you have decided to nominate who/whatever you have chosen. Give your reasons, write a short piece, copy and paste, whatever - as long as you give the judges something to consider. Maybe it was your favourite player, who perhaps wasn't a legend, perhaps it's someone who has been cruelly omitted from the real Hall of Fame - so give them the recognition you feel they deserve!

Once voting is closed, a panel of judges will go through the nominations (if any!) and decide on that weeks enshrinees, up to a maximum of 6 in any given week. Myself, Horrorshow and Stockers are the judges, as we have all successfully worked together on a HOF before.

Anyone can nominate, the only guidelines being no more than 2 nominations per voting period. You can re-nominate as many times as you like, if your pick doesn't get in first time. Judges are permitted to vote as well, although this in no way means that their picks get in every time - it's all based on majority votes, and the judges only have a certain amount of votes they can allocate.

Voting will be from Saturday to Saturday over a two week period. At sometime on the Sunday, the judges will make their selections, to be posted when we've made our minds up.

So, if you're interested, get your nominations in as the nomination window is open now until the 19th May.

Hopefully, we can create some debate, and remember some of the great (and perhaps unsung) heroes of our past.

If we get enough response to open the Hall, myself or one of the judges will post the successful candidates into a seperate thread which will serve as the Hall.

Hope this works! :D

[Sweets]

I guess I'll start it off as I have a few in mind, however, the largest ERROR in the HOF in my opinion is (drum roll please)

[img:320:240:7b5c679c42]http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/2452/artmonk2ck9.jpg[/img:7b5c679c42]


ART MONK

His stats alone should make him Hall worthy and here is a little background for all you people that have been living under rocks or born in the 90's. (Dan, great thread to get people in here and typing, thank you)

James Arthur "Art" Monk (born December 5, 1957, in White Plains, New York), is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League. Nicknamed "Quiet Man" or simply "#81" for his humble and professional demeanor, he played collegiately at Syracuse University as a receiver and running back. The Washington Redskins drafted Monk in 1980 and converted him to flanker, a position that he pioneered as a member of Coach Joe Gibbs' innovative offense.

Along with Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders, he was part of a prolific wide receiver trio nicknamed "The Posse," as they became the first trio of wide receivers in NFL history to post 1,000-plus yards in the same season (1989). At the end of his career, he played briefly for the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring as a Redskin. The NFL honored Monk by naming him to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team.

With the Redskins, Monk played in Super Bowl XVIII, Super Bowl XXII and Super Bowl XXVI. He also won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the team in Super Bowl XVII, but did not play in it due to injury. Monk finished his 16 NFL seasons with 940 receptions for 12,721 yards and 68 touchdowns, along with 332 rushing yards. Monk's most noteworthy NFL accomplishment was his record for career receptions (940), broken by Jerry Rice during the final week of 1995, Monk's last season in the league.

Despite being the first to eclipse 900 receptions, as well as retiring with the single season receptions record (106) and the most consecutive games with a catch (183), Art Monk has been passed over several times for entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including 2007, when Michael Irvin was the only wide receiver inducted. He is ranked fifth for all-time receiving (receptions) on the NFL Hall of Fame top 20 list [1], 8 places above Michael Irvin.

Ronnie Lott, HOF inductee says:

"Art Monk was an example for Jerry Rice. That's what Jerry always told me."

"There's nothing negative to say. He has the numbers, the catches, the championships."

"You have a Hall of Fame for all it represents. I know he represents all that it's about. Integrity, love and passion for the game, community, what he gave back. Look how he conducted himself. Nobody I know deserves it more."

[Horrorshow]

Sincere thanks to Dan the Curator for implementing the GIF.com Hall of Fame! In honour of the Retro Artiste I'd like to present my first nomination, San Francisco Wide Receiver Dwight Clark...

Clark certainly wasn't a Collegiate Superstar - he caught just 33 passes during his career at Clemson. In fact Clark was only discovered by Bill Walsh in the process of the Forty Niners scouting quarterback Steve Fuller.

In terms of size and speed Clark was far from the prototypical NFL receiver - although in time this would prove to be a boon for the rangy WR. Clark was tall and bulky and resembled a brutish tight end rather than a nimble, mercurial pass catcher - but Walsh saw in Clark a great attitude and wonderful work ethic. Subsequently San Francisco selected the Clemson senior in the tenth round of the 1979 draft.

In the pro's Clark soon started to pose unusual and troublesome match-up problems for pass defenses. Cornerbacks were too small to cover Clark, linebackers too slow and if teams brought a safety up to blanket the big man the defense ran the risk of exposing themselves deep to speedy threats like Freddie Solomon, Renaldo Nehemiah, Carl Monroe and Jerry Rice.

Clark carved out a brilliant career as an ultra-reliable, clutch possession receiver and Joe Montana's favourite target that included two Super Bowl victories, two Pro Bowl selections, 550+ regular and post season receptions, 7000+ yards and more than 50 touchdowns. Between 1980 and 1986 no one in the NFL caught more passes than Clark, including the likes of Steve Largent, Art Monk, James Lofton and Charlie Joiner.

Despite these highly impressive numbers Clark will always be remembered for one accomplishment, something that cemented his immortality in the Bay Area and NFL folklore for all time - a single play that will always be known simply as " The Catch "...

From Wikipedia...

The Catch was the winning score in the January 10, 1982 NFC Championship American football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.

In a game where the lead shifted back and forth repeatedly, the 49ers took over the ball and marched down to the 6-yard line with 58 seconds left on the clock. When Joe Montana took the snap, the play, known as Sprint Right Option, was intended to be a pass to wide receiver Freddie Solomon; earlier in the game, Solomon scored a touchdown on that exact play. However, the Cowboys covered Solomon perfectly.

Making matters worse, the pass rush of the Cowboys collapsed the 49ers offensive line. Three Cowboys, defensive ends Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Larry Bethea, plus linebacker D. D. Lewis, chased a backpedalling Montana to the sideline and were certain to send him out of bounds or make a sack. At the last moment, Montana threw a very high pass to the back of the endzone. 49ers receiver Dwight Clark made a leaping grab from the back of the end zone for the winning touchdown with 51 seconds left in the game.

The play, remembered in 49er lore as "Red Right Tight--Sprint Right Option" had called for both the primary receiver, Freddie Solomon, and Clark to line up on the right. Montana was supposed to roll to his right and find Solomon. Clark's pattern called for him to cut left across the end zone, stop, and immediately reverse his path to the right. If Solomon were covered, it would be up to Montana to find Clark. Due to the pressure, Montana's pass was high, but Clark was in position to make his memorable grab.

The rest as they say, is history...

[RetroDan#16]

A great start with two very nicely written nominations, thanks!
My nomination for the first week won't be a former player, but an event, or more specifically, a series of downs which still give me goosebumps every time I see them:

'The Goal Line Stand' (Super Bowl XVI, 1982)

A defining Super Bowl moment, a goal line stand upon which a Championship can be won or lost, and a stand which snuffed out a comeback.

The Bengals, at the time, were trailing the 49ers 20-7 late in the third quarter. But Cincinnati had the momentum, and were looking all the more threatening with each movement of the ball. Now the Benglas had moved themselves into a 1st and Goal at the 3.
A First and Goal at the one for Cincinnati was a no brainer play. Give the ball to the bruising fullback Pete Johnson - he'd been running these in all year.
Anderson did just that, and Johnson ran left behind Anthony Munoz for a two yard gain.
2nd and Goal at the 1.
Anderson handed off to Johnson, running left again. Right into young linebacker John Harty and grizzled old linebacker Jack Reynolds. No gain.
The Niners were holding. But the Bengals weren't worried, they still had two downs to make a yard.
Anderson changed tack for third down, throwing a short screen to Charles Alexander. In the open field, Alexander met linebacker Dan Bunz. In possibly the most important tackle of his career, Bunz made a textbook tackle, flooring Alexander at the one yard line.
Fourth and 1. Surely the Niners couldn't hold.
All eyes were on Pete Johnson. Everyone knew he would get the carry.
He did.
Surprisingly, Johnson didn't run behind Munoz this time, and he ran right. I say 'ran' loosely. Nigh on the entire San Francisco defense converged over the right, led by Hacksaw Reynolds, Ronnie Lott and Dan Bunz.
Johnson might have gained an inch, but not a yard. Ronnie Lott jumped around in celebration like the kid that he was back then. Archie Reese, on top of the pile knew Johnson had been stopped. And so did the Bengals.

[nastynate184]

I like this idea and will start off with in my opinion the biggest screw job out there.... Jack Tatum.

from wikipedia
Tatum was a first team All-Big Ten in 1968, 1969 and 1970. In 1969 and 1970 he was a unanimous All American. In 1970 he was selected as the National Defensive Player of the Year and was among the top vote getters for the Heisman Trophy which is given to the nation's best college football player.[6] Tatum helped lead the Buckeyes to a 27-2 record in his three seasons as a starter, with two national championship appearances and one national championship win in 1968, Tatum's first season with the team.

John David Tatum (born November 18, 1948) is a former American football defensive back who played ten seasons from 1971 to 1980 for the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers in the National Football League. He is popularly known as the "Assassin." [1] He was voted to three Pro Bowls (1973-1975) and was a member of one Super Bowl winning team in his nine seasons with the Raiders.

Tatum earned a reputation as a fierce competitor and was considered as one of the hardest hitters ever to play the game.[2] In a recent poll by Sports Illustrated on the century's best defensive backs, Tatum finished with eight percent of the vote.

In one of the most lasting images from Super Bowl XI, Tatum knocked the helmet off Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sammy White. This is considered as one of the biggest hits in Super Bowl history.

My nomination is Jimmy Johnson (All info is gleaned from Wikipedia):



James William Johnson (born August 14, 1943) is an American football coach and broadcaster. He was the first football coach whose teams won both a NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a Super Bowl. In 1987, Johnson wrote Turning The Thing Around: My Life in Football (ghostwritten by Ed Hinton). Johnson currently lives in Islamorada in the Florida Keys where he spends most of his time fishing.

Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Johnson graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School (now Memorial High School) in Port Arthur, where one of his classmates was future rock superstar Janis Joplin, whom Johnson nicknamed "beat weeds".

He went to college at the University of Arkansas and won a national title on the football team, where he was an all-SWC defensive lineman for Hall of Fame coach Frank Broyles, and a teammate of future Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Johnson was nick-named "Jimmy Jumpup" because he never stayed down on the ground for long during football practices or games as it was said his determination was boundless.

Early football career

Johnson began as an assistant coach at Lousiana Tech in 1965 and Picayune College in 1966. In 1967 he was an assistant at Wichita State, then in 1968 and 1969 he served under Johnny Majors at Iowa State University in Ames. In 1970 he moved on to another Big 8 school to become a defensive line coach at the University of Oklahoma, working alongside future rival Barry Switzer. In 1973, he returned to Arkansas, where he served as defensive coordinator through the 1976 season. Johnson had hopes of being named head coach when Frank Broyles retired, but was passed over for Lou Holtz. Holtz offered to retain Johnson on his staff, but Jimmy decided it would be better to move on and amicably parted company with his alma mater. He then moved on to become an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh under Jackie Sherrill in 1977 and 1978. His tenure at Pittsburgh was also highlighted by his introduction to a Pitt defensemen and then assistant coach Dave Wannstedt who eventually teamed up with Johnson again at the University of Miami, the Cowboys and the Dolphins. He coached for five seasons at Oklahoma State University from 1979 to 1983 before taking the head coaching job at the University of Miami.

Oklahoma State University

Johnson's tenure at Oklahoma State University is noteworthy for his successful rebuilding of one of college football's perennial losers and for his inability to beat Barry Switzer's University of Oklahoma teams, despite hotly contesting several games, including the 1983 contest in which Johnson's team was leading 20-3 with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and ended up losing the game.

Johnson interviewed for the head coaching job at Arkansas following the 1983 season after Lou Holtz left, only to find out shortly afterwards that former Razorback teammate and classmate Ken Hatfield had already been hired and that athletic director Frank Broyles made no mention of this during the interview. In contrast to 1977, Jimmy was understandably upset about what turned out to be a mock interview and has distanced himself from his alma mater ever since. In 1987, Johnson gained a measure of revenge on the Razorbacks by leading his Miami team to a 51-7 victory at Little Rock, a loss that is still the most lopsided home defeat in Arkansas history.

University of Miami

In 1984, Johnson was hired by the University of Miami to replace former coach Howard Schnellenberger who had won Miami's first national championship in 1983 and who had departed for the recently formed United States Football League. Amidst an initial response of "Jimmy Who?" by the fans and media and a shaky 8–5 record his first season (which included a game in which Johnson's Hurricanes blew a 31-0 halftime lead in a loss to Maryland and also included a 47-45 loss to Boston College immortalized by Doug Flutie's "Hail Mary" touchdown pass on the game's final play), Johnson continued what came to be known as "The Decade of Dominance". In his five years at Miami, Johnson compiled a 52–9 record, appeared in five New Year's Day bowl games, winning one national championship (1987) and playing for a second.

Johnson's program was also marred by several off-the-field problems, including an alleged pay-for-play scheme funded by 2 Live Crew member Luther Campbell reported to have occurred between 1986 and 1992 inclusive. He was also widely accused of deliberately running up the score against Notre Dame in the 1985 season finale, a 58-7 shellacking in which Miami was still throwing passes in the fourth quarter after the Irish had clearly given up in the second half. Faced with a barrage of criticism, Johnson maintained that the Hurricanes were simply playing their game and that it was up to their opponent to hold down the score. In his book, Jimmy mentions that he knew Irish coach Gerry Faust had resigned and that it was his last game, but had no idea of just how bad the situation was with the Notre Dame squad - that many of the players were miserable and fed up with Faust. A blowout win was the last thing he expected; in fact, Jimmy was certain his team would run into a buzzsaw. In his opinion, Miami had put a score on Notre Dame that they'd been putting on other teams for years and as he pointed out, "I couldn't help it if Gerry Faust had a demoralized football team." Jimmy now admits he's a big Notre Dame fan, although for a time he was probably the most despised man in South Bend.

Johnson's Hurricanes would post the school's first undefeated regular season the following year only to lose the National Championship Game that year to #2 Penn State. This along with losses in Miami's prior two bowl games began to raise questions about Johnson being able "to win the big ones". Miami's response would be a 1987 season where they went undefeated for the regular season yet again and winning the school's second National Title by defeating Johnson's old tormentor Oklahoma for the third season in a row.



Dallas Cowboys

In 1989, Jerry Jones, the new owner of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, a long-time friend and former University of Arkansas teammate of Johnson's, asked him to be the new head coach, replacing Tom Landry, who had coached the team since its beginning in 1960. Johnson was reunited with former Miami standout Michael Irvin, and in Johnson's first season as coach, the 1989 Cowboys went 1–15. However, Johnson's rebuilding of the team soon took off. This was due in part to Johnson's ability to find talent in the draft (helped in large part by the trade of Herschel Walker, which yielded six draft picks), and by signing quality players as free agents in the age before the NFL had imposed a salary cap. Jimmy Johnson served as head coach of the Cowboys from 1989 through 1993. He became only the fourth man in NFL history—after Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, and Chuck Noll—to coach consecutive Super Bowl winners, winning Super Bowl XXVII in 1992 and Super Bowl XXVIII in 1993.

After the 1993 Super Bowl victory, Johnson walked away from the Cowboys due largely to his inability to work with Jones and Jones' desire to start being actively involved in which players were selected, while Johnson's contract gave him complete control over player personnel moves. Jones later hired another former teammate at Arkansas, former University of Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer and saw his Cowboys win another Super Bowl two seasons after Johnson's departure, although Johnson still received a significant amount of credit for that third Super Bowl victory, as he was generally credited with having put together the team.



Miami Dolphins

After being a TV analyst with Fox Sports for two years with a brief flirtation with an offer of the head coaching job of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994, Johnson joined the Miami Dolphins in 1996 replacing legendary head coach Don Shula, who retired at the end of the 1995 season. After a below-expectations year for the Dolphins capped off by a blowout loss in the playoffs versus Buffalo, there was a groundswell among Dolphins fans who wanted Shula to step aside in favor of Johnson.

Johnson's tenure in Miami was marginally successful, but it did not match that of Shula nor live up to expectations. Johnson won fewer games in his first season than Shula had in his final season (8–8 vs. 9–7), and Johnson's overall winning percentage at Miami was 55.3% vs. 65.8% for Shula.

Johnson inherited one of the NFL's best offenses, led by Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Marino, but only a mediocre defense. As a defensive specialist, Johnson was expected to put together a championship defense to finally give Dan Marino the Super Bowl that had previously eluded him. With complete control over personnel decisions, Johnson and his staff signed several excellent defensive players, drafting future pro bowlers Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor, Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain. But Johnson's draft record is blemished by several high profile first round busts on the offensive side of the ball including running back John Avery and wide receiver Yatil Green.

For 24 hours in January of 1999, Johnson resigned as Dolphins head coach, citing burnout. He reversed his decision after Dan Marino—with whom Johnson had a strained relationship due to Johnson blaming him for the team's lack of success in private conversations with the media —pleaded with Johnson to come back, and Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga brought in the recently-fired Chicago Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt—a former assistant under Johnson both at the University of Miami and in Dallas—as Defensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach in order to ease the burden on Johnson.

In the face of Super Bowl–level expectations, Miami faded down the stretch, Johnson's relationship with Marino dissolved completely, and their last game of the season was an embarrassing 62–7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Playoff Round, which proved to be the last game for both Marino and Johnson, as Johnson would resign the day after the game and Marino would soon announce his retirement.

Johnson never won a Super Bowl in Miami and retired in 2000 after compiling a 26–21 record. He was succeeded by Dave Wannstedt. The Dolphins went 65–40 from 1996 to 2003 with a core group of players assembled by Johnson and his staff.

After leaving the Dolphins, Johnson became a TV studio analyst again for Fox Sports, and is currently part of their NFL pregame show. He has been assigned as a studio analyst for Fox's coverage of the Bowl Championship Series in January with Chris Rose as the host.

Jimmy Johnson's W-L Record (NCAA/NFL):

NCAA: 82-34-2, NFL: 80-64-0 (Regular Season), 9-4 (Postseason)
Championships Won: NCAA: 1987 Miami Hurricanes; NFL: Dallas Cowboys, 1992, 1993 Super Bowls 27 and 28

I think it is safe to say that his body of work speaks for itself.

[PSID412USM]

I like to nomination - Barry Sanders

From - Hall of fame website.
One of the games most electrifying runners, Barry Sanders rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his 10 seasons with the Detroit Lions (1989-1998). He was the first running back ever to do so. The 1988 Heisman Trophy winner was also just the third person to gain more than 2,000 yards in a season, a feat he accomplished in 1997.
Sanders, after forgoing his senior season at Oklahoma State, made his pro debut just three days after signing with the Lions, who had made him their first-round pick and the third overall pick in the 1989 draft. He absolutely dazzled a Pontiac Silverdome crowd when he dashed for an 18-yard gain on his first carry as an NFL running back. But that was just the beginning. His 1,470 yards rushing that season, a-then Lions record, fell just 10 yards short of the leagues best for the year.

In 1990, Sanders, with 1,304 yards rushing, topped all ground gainers, something he would do again in 1994 (1,883 yards) and in 1996 (1,553 yards). His 44 receptions for 283 yards in 1994 gave him a combined 2,166 yards from scrimmage. The most impressive feat of his remarkable career, however, came in 1997, when he rushed for a league-best 2,053 yards and gained another 305 yards on 33 catches for an amazing 2,358 combined yards gained. That year, Sanders, who was named league Most Valuable Player, gained more than 100 yards rushing in an NFL record 14 consecutive regular season games.

Though not big by most standards, Sanders capitalized on his size by running low to the ground making him less of a target for would-be tacklers. His elusiveness and ability to reverse direction seemingly at will, often left defensive players grasping at air. He makes you miss so bad, you kind of look up in the stands and wonder if anybodys looking at you, Atlanta Falcons cornerback D.J. Johnson once remarked. Youve got 60,000 people in there and you wonder if anyone saw you miss that tackle.

A first- or second-team All-Pro ten consecutive seasons, Sanders became the first NFL running back to record five 1,500-yard rushing seasons, in addition to being the only back to do so in four consecutive seasons (1994-1997).

Selected to play in the Pro Bowl each of his 10 NFL seasons, Sanders held nearly every Lions rushing record and numerous all-time NFL records, at the time of his retirement.

[Dam8610]

I nominate the 2006 AFC Championship Game (played 1/21/07). Some of the historical events in the game:

- Only game in NFL history in which 3 lineman (2 offensive, 1 defensive) scored a TD.

- Only game in NFL history in which both teams scored on a fumble recovery by an offensive lineman.

- Largest comeback in Conference Championship Game history.

This rivalry, to me, is this era's version of Cowboys-49ers, Steelers-Raiders, etc. The matchup was and is all too familiar to the current NFL fan. Almost unarguably the two best franchises in the NFL over the last 5 years facing off yet again in another high stakes battle. The New England Patriots vs. The Indianapolis Colts. But this matchup was different from previous postseason encounters between the two teams. This time, for the first time, the Patriots had to come to the RCA Dome in Indianapolis instead of facing the Colts in frosty Foxborough, where they've held a psychological advantage in prior matchups. The game was a tale of two halves.

The First Half

Both teams stalled on their first drive offensively, then the Patriots put their first drive of the game together, getting the ball to the Indianapolis 4 yard line. On 3rd and 1, the Patriots attempt a Laurence Maroney run to the right, but Tom Brady's handoff never reaches Maroney's hands, and the ball rolls around into a mass of Colt defenders. Then, as if the football gods were yet again smiling upon the Patriots, in a "Holy Roller" like sequence of events, the ball squirted out of the mass of Colts defenders, bounced into the endzone, and was recovered by Patriots G Logan Mankins, making the score 7-0 Patriots. The Colts answered with a 14 play 56 yard FG drive that took 6:36 of gametime, making the score 7-3 Patriots. The Patriots then got the ball back and marched down the field, but seemingly stalled at the 34 yard line when they failed to convert a 3rd and 6, but anyone who knows this matchup knows what follows. Bill Belicheck, in his usual aggressive style in games of this magnitude, decided to leave his offense on the field to try to convert a 4th and 6, and, as usual against the Colts, his gamble pays off and eventually leads to another Patriot touchdown, making the score 14-3 Patriots. The Colts, desperate for an answer, take the field on offense, but instead of the answer the seek, they get a rude awakening. Peyton Manning, desperate to make something happen, attempts a pass to Marvin Harrison on a comeback route, which had previously failed twice in the game due to Asante Samuel jumping the route and breaking up the pass. This time, Samuel again jumps the route, but instead of batting the ball down, he intercepts it and takes it in for the third Patriots' score, making it 21-3 Patriots, and seemingly sealing the game and a 4th Super Bowl birth in 6 years for the Patriots. After all, no team in Conference Championship history had ever overcome an 18 point deficit. After two uneventful drives, the Colts would get the ball with 3:06 remaining in the half, and march 80 yards down the field in 15 plays to setup an Adam Vinatieri FG, making the halftime score 21-6, but something happened on that drive that would change the course of the game. For the first time in the game, the Colts used their no huddle offense, and it proved to be extremely effective. Both teams would at game's end call this the turning point in the game.

The Second Half

The Colts got the ball first after halftime and made the most of it, methodically marching 76 yards down the field on 14 plays, capping the 6:47 drive off with a 1 yard QB sneak by Peyton Manning, making the score 21-13 Patriots. After a quick 3 and out by the Patriots offense, the Colts get the ball back. This time, they use the quick strike, driving 76 yards in 6 plays to another TD, a Peyton Manning pass to Dan Klecko. Then, Tony Dungy makes a decision extremely uncharacteristic of him in this rivalry. Down 21-19 midway through the 3rd quarter, Dungy decides to buck conventional wisdom and leave his offense on the field for the 2 point conversion and the tie. His gamble pays off when Peyton Manning finds Marvin Harrison on an out and up route, and Marvin does his signature sideline toetap, tying the game at 21-21. The Colts now seemingly hold all the momentum, as in a span of 11:05 of gametime, they have gone from 18 down to tied, and now look poised to make the largest comeback in Conference Championship history, but all that changes in an instant (or, more accurately, 11), when Ellis Hobbs runs Adam Vinatieri's kickoff back 80 yards, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 21. The Patriots capitalize on this great field position, capping off the short drive with a 6 yard TD catch by Jabar Gaffney. It was a controversial play because Gaffney was out of bounds when he came down with the ball, but the refs ruled it a force out, a call which was challenged by the Colts and upheld, making the score 28-21 Patriots. After a short kick by Gostowski, the Colts get the ball back on their own 33 and again march down the field. They get to the 2 yard line when, on 2nd and Goal, Dominic Rhodes fumbles at the 1 yard line, a break characteristic of this rivalry, but then, something unusual happens. Jeff Saturday falls on the ball in the endzone, and the Colts once again tie the game, this time at 28-28, and make history in the process, making this the first time in NFL history that two offensive lineman have scored a TD in a game. After two uneventful 3 and outs, the teams exchange field goal drives. On the ensuing kickoff following the Colts' field goal drive, Ellis Hobbs once again gives the Patriots great field position, running back Vinatieri's kick 41 yards to the New England 46. 5 plays and 29 yards later, the Patriots hold a 34-31 lead with 3:49 remaining in the game. A quick 3 and out by the Colts offense gives the ball back to the Patriots with 3:22 remaining, and a chance to close out the game. After a false start, Brady completes short passes to Ben Watson and Reche Caldwell, setting up a 3rd and 4. The Patriots try a staple play of their offense, a curl route to Troy Brown, but Bob Sanders sniffs it out, jumps the route, and bats the ball down, forcing a 4th and 4 and a Patriots punt. The Colts have the ball at their own 20 with 2:17 remaining and down by 3. To paraphrase Jim Nantz, "This will be the drive that defines Peyton Manning's career." It begins with an 11 yard completion to Reggie Wayne, followed by a drop by Bryan Fletcher. Almost as if Manning had completely erased the previous play from his memory, he goes right back to Fletcher on the next play, hitting him on a corner route for 32 yards. On the next play, Reggie Wayne caught a pass over the middle for 14 yards, but, in seemingly usual fashion, Wayne fumbled the ball up into the air. Then, almost as if to signify it was in fact finally the Colts' time, Wayne came down with the ball, and Tully Banta-Cain was assessed a roughing the passer penalty, thus negating the fumble even if it hadn't been recovered by Wayne, and giving the Colts the ball on the New England 11 yard line. After runs of 5 and 3 yards by Joseph Addai, the Colts had a 3rd and 2 on their own 3. Then came the play that will forever be known as

"The Block"

"The Block"

. Jeff Saturday flatbacks (aka pancakes) Vince Wilfork, giving Joseph Addai a HUGE hole in the middle of the field, which he quickly bursts through to give the Colts a TD and their first lead of the game at 38-34 with 1:00 remaining, but they have left Tom Brady and the Patriots some time. Would Brady be able to pull off a miracle and lead the Patriots on a game winning TD drive in 1 minute of gametime? The Patriots get the ball back at their own 21, and Brady starts off by throwing deep to Reche Caldwell, but it falls incomplete. With 49 seconds left in the game, Brady fires a pass over the middle to Ben Watson, which he takes 19 yards up the field. Instead of stopping the clock, Brady then finds Heath Evans over the middle with 31 seconds left, and again elects to run off another play instead of stopping the clock. With 24 seconds left, Brady again tries to find Ben Watson, but instead throws into the waiting arms of Marlin Jackson, who jumped the route, and then, learning from Marlon McCree's mistake the prior week (McCree fumbled a seeming game clinching interception away, leading to an eventual Patriots win in the divisional round), slides down and lets himself be downed, sealing the game and the first Super Bowl appearance in 36 years for the Colts, and their first appearance in the game for the franchise since moving to Indianapolis.

I nominate this game because I feel that it was one of the greatest games in NFL history, and it has special meaning to me as it is by far the best game I have ever attended (and probably will remain that way for a very long time, if not forever).

[Anidem]

I nominate former NFL official Fred Swearingen.

It was Fred who had the clairity of vision and strong heart to defy logic and rules to award the Pittsburgh Steelers a TD on the famous "Immaculate Reception". If it were not for Freds decisive stand against the obviously evil Oakland Raiders the Steelers might have never launched their Dynasty and the NFL would have surely folded due to lack of interest.

Originally Posted by Anidem

I nominate former NFL official Fred Swearingen.

It was Fred who had the clairity of vision and strong heart to defy logic and rules to award the Pittsburgh Steelers a TD on the famous "Immaculate Reception". If it were not for Freds decisive stand against the obviously evil Oakland Raiders the Steelers might have never launched their Dynasty and the NFL would have surely folded due to lack of interest.

I'm pretty sure the NFL would've carried on no matter the result of that play.