The Vintage Sports Then and Now Athlete of the Month was the
key weapon behind the most important upset in pro football history.
While Joe Namath was the face of the 1968 New York Jets and
Super Bowl III, Matt Snell was the backbone of the New York offense and primary
weapon during the shocking victory.
In many ways, the foundation for the 1968 championship squad
started to be built in the 1964 AFL Draft when the Jets selected Snell, a star
at Ohio State, with the third pick in the first round. Occurring at the height
of the AFL-NFL player war, Snell was also drafted by the New York Giants in the
4th round of the NFL Draft (49th overall pick).
The Super Bowl
is coming around again. It’s that time of the year when everyone is watching. A
spectacle of truly epic proportions, the event not only commands the highest
prices for its commercial broadcasts, and an extended halftime for musicians to
enjoy an international stage, but an end-of-season match-up that has, on many
occasions, produced football games that are celebrated and talked about long after the
final whistle.
So, if you’ve
got your ticket for this year’s Championship Game in Miami, let’s see how you
can occupy yourself during Super Bowl weekend with a look at Miami’s sporting
heritage.
Miami Sports Hall of Fame
Known for its
production of top-class football players, the Miami Sports Hall of Fame
celebrates the talented alumni who have gone on to great things in the NFL.
Here, at the Coral Gables Campus, you’ll find class photos, equipment, jerseys,
and other memorabilia from a university that has, amongst many others, seen the
likes of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Reggie Wayne, Vince Wilfork, and Andre Johnson
enjoy stellar professional careers.
Jai-Alai at Magic City
The warp-speed
attraction of old school Miami is still thriving and Magic City is one of the
few places in the United States where you can catch the action or get involved
yourself. Now a novelty rather than a recognized sport, Jai-Alai is preserved
thanks to its attraction for gamblers. Indeed, its home at Magic City, a
6,500-capacity indoor arena and casino, boasts a lavish poker room and a number
of electronic table games. If you’ve done your football
betting at Space Casino, for example, one of the many popular websites
providing sportsbooks and casino games like Blackjack VIP and Lightning
Roulette, you’ll be pleased to know Magic City has electronic versions of
craps, baccarat, roulette, and blackjack to complement its Jai-Alai courts.
Joe Namath dominated the attention prior to Super Bowl III, but few expected his team to win.
With apologies to boxing legend Muhammad Ali, the most shocking sports victory of the 1960s took place 50 years ago on January 12, 1969 when the underdog New York Jets lifted the fortunes of an entire league by defeating the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.
Though the American Football League (AFL) was completing its ninth season and the champions of the AFL and National Football League (NFL) were meeting for the third straight year, most people did not consider the two leagues to be equal. In fact, it is reported that NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle believed it might be another decade before the AFL would be an equal to the NFL and that a new format for the Super Bowl might be needed.
In hindsight, we know that the two leagues were indeed much closer in competitiveness than Rozelle believed, but at the time his reasoning was hard to argue against. The NFL Champion Green Bay Packers had claimed the first two Super Bowls by a combined margin of 68-24 and the current NFL Champion Baltimore Colts were perhaps an even more dominant champion than Green Bay.
While the Colts were an established NFL power, the New York Jets were an AFL upstart that had just completed the second winning season in franchise history and were making their first-ever trip to the playoffs.
However, one “ace in the hole” for the Jets was roaming their sidelines. Head Coach Week Ewbank had won two NFL Championships during his nine year tenure as coach of the Baltimore Colts. After moving to the Jets, he had taken the team from a basement dweller to league champions.
During both his time with the Colts and the Jets, Ewbank had the benefit of having an elite franchise quarterback leading the offense.
In Baltimore, he turned Johnny Unitas into an all-time great. Though New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath had not yet reached that status level, in 1967 he did become the first quarterback in pro football history to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season. Read the rest of this entry →
The Super Bowl is one of the largest, most high-profile events held in the U.S. every year. Teams work toward the big game all year, and fans — at least those of the teams that do well — spend the whole season looking forward to it. Tens of thousands of fans attend the game, while millions more watch it at home or their local sports bar.
Planning security for such a large-scale event is no small matter. Law enforcement spent two years planning security for last year’s Super Bowl, which was held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. This season’s Super Bowl, which will be held at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, will require a similar level of preparedness.
Policing the Party
Last year, the Minneapolis Police Department was the lead agency in charge of security for the Super Bowl. It certainly did not do it alone though. The department’s approximately 840 officers worked together with various federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. More than 400 Minnesota National Guardsmen helped provide security. In total, nearly 2,000 federal agents played in a role in security for last year’s Super Bowl, including members of the FBI, which heads up the counterterrorism efforts surrounding the big game each year. Read the rest of this entry →
It’s just days until the 52nd Super Bowl and the excitement is mounting. Even those of you who aren’t avid American Football fans will be tuning into watch this epic battle which will take place in Minneapolis.
Tom Brady is, once again, leading the Patriots onto the field; he’s chasing his sixth Super Bowl win and hoping to be named MVP. That’s not even all the records he’s hoping to break.
Money certainly isn’t a motivating factor, although the winners and the losers both get a reasonable chunk of change.
If you’re a gambling person, and let’s face it who doesn’t like a flutter on the Super Bowl, then you might be considering putting some money on the Patriots.
Tom Brady joins Charles Haley as the only players in NFL history to win five Super Bowls.
For the first 45 minutes of Super Bowl LI, it looked like the young gun Atlanta Falcons weren’t just going to win their first Super Bowl, but were going to embarrass the New England Patriots in a way that hadn’t happened since they lost Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the end of the Patriots dynasty.
Trailing 28-3 midway through the third quarter, the Patriots dug deep and showed their greatness on both offense and defense on their way to scoring 31 straight points to win 34-28 in the first Super Bowl ever decided in overtime.
With the victory, quarterback Tom Brady joins Bart Starr as the only quarterback to win five NFL Championships and the only one with five Super Bowl victories (he joins Charles Haley as the only players with five Super Bowl titles). Head coach Bill Belichick now joins Vince Lombardi and George Halas as coaches with five NFL Championships and is the only one with five Super Bowl wins as a head coach.
Much like when the Green Bay Packers needed a final memorable drive to overcome a deficit to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the Ice Bowl to claim their fifth NFL title, the Patriots needed some late miracles to claim their fifth title.
However, while Starr needed just one late drive to win, Brady and the Patriots had to score on their final five possessions to claim their championship.
Though he struggled early, Brady proved in the second half that he is the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He finished the game completing 43 of 62 passes for 466 yards and two touchdowns.
After the Falcons scored early in the third quarter to take a 28-3 lead, Brady led the Patriots on scoring drives of 75 yards, 72 yards (field goal), 25 yards and 91 yards to send the game to overtime. They then marched 75 yards in eight plays to win the game. Brady passed for all 91 yards in the tying job and 63 yards in the final winning drive. Read the rest of this entry →
Louie Dampier’s name might not resonate as widely as other basketball legends, but the Sports Then & Now Vintage Athlete of the Month’s impact on the game, particularly during the American Basketball Association (ABA) era, is undeniable. Known for his pinpoint shooting, exceptional ball handling, and relentless work ethic, Dampier enjoyed a stellar basketball career that saw him thrive in both the ABA and NBA. As one of the most consistent and prolific guards of his time, Dampier left a lasting legacy, and his role in the ABA’s history solidified his place in the annals of basketball greatness.
Loading ...