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Great Moment: Dorsett's 99 1/2 yard run!

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Great Moment: Dorsett's 99 1/2 yard run! Empty Great Moment: Dorsett's 99 1/2 yard run!

Post by MRich Mon Aug 22, 2016 4:29 pm

Great moment. 10 men on offense, too...

I was six years old.

Edit: Apparently the NFL won't allow the video to be embedded in this site (probably Copyright), but it can be viewed on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOBkEW-8sog
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Post by Cowboy1959 Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:52 pm

If I can post it here, I'll be able to provide you a much better video of the play from my archives.

That was one of the greatest individual achievements in pro football history, because it wasn't just a case where he blew past the line and was on his way. He had to dodge men all along the journey, and even had to tightrope the sideline after the last guy hit him. I just counted: he beat about 7 guys on that play.

As soon as I figure out how, I'll upload a segment from the original network broadcast.
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Post by MRich Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:55 pm

I don't think you'll be able to upload a video. I think a lot of these forums have limits on file size/type.

Though if you can put it up somewhere temporarily, you can probably just post a link to it here, and then just remove it after a period of time.
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Post by Cowboy1959 Tue Aug 23, 2016 12:35 am

Here's a better version of the play: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4f4_DTJA4WvVHI2VU9lVDBxdUE/view?usp=sharing

This is a nearly 6-minute excerpt from the ONB, which will give you more context of what happened.

The action starts with the first play of the fourth quarter. The Cowboys haven't been playing particularly well, but they are still within reach of the Vikings, trailing 17-13. They are facing a 3rd and 2 from their 29-yard line. You'll see what happens next.



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Post by MRich Tue Aug 23, 2016 7:42 am

Ha...it's weird to see "toe punch" style kickers in games in the 1980's. Especially that view from behind.

Dang it, Timmy Newsome...

I'd always wondered how they started off there for that run.

Meredith says "99 yards and a half" before Dorsett even gets halfway there...

Ha ha ha ha!! "Who's that poor lady? She must've been a Minnesota fan..."

Popular belief is that a fullback was missing. I did count 11 people when they broke the huddle, but I guess one of them ran off the field, and the FB didn't get on. Unless I miscounted.
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Post by lgkehoe Tue Aug 23, 2016 12:03 pm

What a great little nugget that was!! That even had pretty decent video quality. Thanks!

I remember watching that live, but like on all Monday night games then, I had to go to bed before the game's conclusion. I caught the best part.

I have a Viking friend who is still pissed about that play. Give him some Hershel Walker and throw in the Hail Mary and he just shuts off in disgust. Randy Moss is his only retribution.
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Post by Cowboy1959 Tue Aug 23, 2016 12:21 pm

MRich wrote:
Dang it, Timmy Newsome...

I'd always wondered how they started off there for that run.

Popular belief is that a fullback was missing. I did count 11 people when they broke the huddle, but I guess one of them ran off the field, and the FB didn't get on. Unless I miscounted.

Yes you did.  And, in fact, just as they break the huddle you'll see the guy (Springs, I think) run off the field.  Watch it again.

Yes, Newsome made a very bad and unathletic play.  But if he hadn't, we wouldn't have seen history.

Not to dispute the late, great, Dandy Don, but it was more like 99-3/4 yards.  That run can never be surpassed, even by another 99-yard run, because the back end of the football was as close to the goal line as it can get.  In terms of measuring actual distance of the play, you'd need a micrometer to figure out how far from the end zone it was.  That was as close as you're ever going to get to a 100-yard play from scrimmage.

I included some of the surrounding plays before the run because I thought you guys would enjoy seeing the context in which it occurred.  Too often when we look at great plays in NFL history we just see the play itself and have no idea of the circumstances around it.  I think it makes the play come alive a bit more to understand its place in the larger scheme of the entire game.
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Post by Cowboy1959 Tue Aug 23, 2016 12:26 pm

lgkehoe wrote:What a great little nugget that was!! That even had pretty decent video quality. Thanks!

I remember watching that live, but like on all Monday night games then, I had to go to bed before the game's conclusion. I caught the best part.

I have a Viking friend who is still pissed about that play. Give him some Hershel Walker and throw in the Hail Mary and he just shuts off in disgust. Randy Moss is his only retribution.

You're welcome! I have a lot of those nuggets to share, and I'll be doing that as we move along.

That's the highest-quality surviving copy of the game known to be out there. It's possible that the NFL has something better in its vault, but for now that's the "state of the art" for that game.

You must not have been living on the East Coast in 1983, or you had a late bedtime. That play occurred at the beginning of the 4th quarter.

Your friend may be bitter about that play but, jeez, they won the game.
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Post by MRich Tue Aug 23, 2016 7:33 pm

Cowboy1959 wrote:
MRich wrote:
Dang it, Timmy Newsome...

I'd always wondered how they started off there for that run.

Popular belief is that a fullback was missing. I did count 11 people when they broke the huddle, but I guess one of them ran off the field, and the FB didn't get on. Unless I miscounted.

Yes you did.  And, in fact, just as they break the huddle you'll see the guy (Springs, I think) run off the field.  Watch it again.

Yes, Newsome made a very bad and unathletic play.  But if he hadn't, we wouldn't have seen history.

Not to dispute the late, great, Dandy Don, but it was more like 99-3/4 yards.  That run can never be surpassed, even by another 99-yard run, because the back end of the football was as close to the goal line as it can get.  In terms of measuring actual distance of the play, you'd need a micrometer to figure out how far from the end zone it was.  That was as close as you're ever going to get to a 100-yard play from scrimmage.

I included some of the surrounding plays before the run because I thought you guys would enjoy seeing the context in which it occurred.  Too often when we look at great plays in NFL history we just see the play itself and have no idea of the circumstances around it.  I think it makes the play come alive a bit more to understand its place in the larger scheme of the entire game.

Great points there, Cowboy!

Makes me wonder if somehow, someway Cowboys fans could get that converted to a 100 yard run. Smile

But yeah, that's like if the ball is on the "one inch" line. It's well inside the one-yard line on that play. The plays leading up to it do actually give context. I'm sure it's like that with most great (and not so great) plays.
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Post by Cowboy1959 Tue Aug 23, 2016 7:40 pm

It's the length of a football away from being a 100-yard run. It really should be classified as that, because there's no way the ball could be any closer to the goal line. By rule the ball has to be spotted completely out of the end zone. I can't imagine it being spotted any closer than it was in that game.

Did you see the FB run off the field? Definitely only 10 guys out there on the play.
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Post by MRich Tue Aug 23, 2016 8:17 pm

Well, look at it this way: If a team is on the other team's goal line (say, the half yard line), and they score a rushing TD, it goes down as a 1 yard run.

I did see the FB run off the field. I had to re-watch it, because I wasn't sure originally if it was maybe a WR that was setting up at the top of the formation, out of frame.
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Post by lgkehoe Fri Sep 09, 2016 3:28 pm

Cowboy1959 wrote:
lgkehoe wrote:What a great little nugget that was!! That even had pretty decent video quality. Thanks!

I remember watching that live, but like on all Monday night games then, I had to go to bed before the game's conclusion. I caught the best part.

I have a Viking friend who is still pissed about that play. Give him some Hershel Walker and throw in the Hail Mary and he just shuts off in disgust. Randy Moss is his only retribution.

You're welcome!  I have a lot of those nuggets to share, and I'll be doing that as we move along.

That's the highest-quality surviving copy of the game known to be out there.  It's possible that the NFL has something better in its vault, but for now that's the "state of the art" for that game.

You must not have been living on the East Coast in 1983, or you had a late bedtime.  That play occurred at the beginning of the 4th quarter.

Your friend may be bitter about that play but, jeez, they won the game.

Correct, not on the east coast. I seemingly always had to go to bed just as the games were getting good. I listened to many a MNF ending with a strained ear coming from the TV down the hall. Glad I missed the ending of this one.

Re: My friend...Right?!?!?! I think the Herschel Walker thing eats him up the most. I made sure to let him know Philly just got their version with the Bradford Trade. He's been speaking to me less since for some reason Wink
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