Kathleen, her husband and Baby B went out to dinner last night and the three of them got sucked into the show that was on the nice flat screen at Flipper's: Greatest 4th Quarters Ever! And after watching a rather uneventful fourth quarter segment between the Redskins and Eagles, Kathleen determined...
The problem was the producers' apparently incorrect understanding of both "Greatest" and "Quarter".
(snip)
Somewhat Interesting Last 90 Seconds: yes. Greatest 4th Quarters Ever: Fail.
Her post reminded me of my favorite, most exciting fourth quarter ever. I didn't watch it on a nice flat screen, I was there. It was 1977, I was a freshman in high school and our varsity team was playing for the Southwestern Conference Championship. I still remember the blizzardy night, the agonizing feeling of defeat and then the last second win, but only remember the details because I have the newspaper clipping in my old scrapbook...
Olmsted Falls wins title in the (flea) flick of time
By TIM ROGERS
It was the kind of play of which legends are made.
They come along maybe once every 18 or 20 years and as the story is told and retold, the legend grows, sometimes out of proportion. You can almost see the old-timers 20 years from now, recalling the night little Olmsted Falls won a share of the Southwestern Conference football championship during a driving snow storm on an incredible last minute play.
With 2:17 to play last night things were looking bleak for Olmsted Falls. Fairview's Dana Destro had just gathered in a 12-yard scoring pass from Dave Eucker to wipe out a 3-0 lead the Bulldogs had tried gallantly to save since the second quarter when Dave Rutz kicked a 27-yard field goal. Fall's hopes for a share of the SWC title took a nosedive as Fairview put itself in the lead role as The Spoiler.
And it looked even worse when the Bulldogs had to give up the football on their own 35 with 1:22 to play. More than a few of the hearty fans started the long walk to the exits.
But on Fairview's first down, Eucker was forced out of bounds to stop the clock. On second down he was dropped for a seven-yard loss and a third down running play netted another five yard loss. Fairview lined up to punt with 52 seconds to play, getting off three plays in a scant 18 seconds.
Falls got the ball back on its own 17 with 45 seconds to go. Quarterback Brad Owen, who up until now had completed just two of 11 passes, dropped back one more time. He let it go in the direction of split end Jeff Apple. The ball was deflected, but Apple was able to snag it and just as he was tackled, he lateralled it off to Jim Owen, the Bulldogs' hard-running tailback. Owen, who had gone over the 1000-yard mark for the season in the second quarter, broke a tackle and suddenly was in the clear.
Those fans who had committed themselves to staying to the bitter end were now on their feet. Could it be? Owen won the race down the sideline, completing the 73-yard play with 31 seconds to go. Falls wins, 9-7 on a flea-flicker.
"You don't win too many like that. We never dreamed we could win it all." Cromwell explained after riding off the field on the shoulders of fans.
Wally Hood was the coach the last time a Falls team won the SWC. Earlier in the week Hood, now the head coach at Ohio Northern University, sent the Bulldogs a telegram, telling them it was time for another championship.
But he didn't say anything about winning it in the last seconds on a play they'll talk about for years.
Being an old-timer (!), I remember the instant everyone realized that Jim Owen was in the clear. It was windy and pouring the snow and everyone was jumping up and down and screaming and cheering at the top of their lungs. 73 yard play with just seconds to go! It was fantastic!
Somewhat Interesting Last 90 Seconds: Absolutely. Greatest 4th Quarter Ever: Total WIN!
Kathleen, I wish you could've seen it.
what a great memory Blue Girl!
I love it!
Posted by: Kathleen (in Oakland) | October 26, 2009 at 04:06 PM
Now that is a 4th quarter comeback!
Posted by: Brando | October 26, 2009 at 04:49 PM