PLAYS THAT CHANGED
THE RULES
As veteran football coach Herm Edwards likes to say, “You play to win the game.” But these players ended up playing to change the rules.
THE SLAPPY SACKER
THE SETUP: One of the greatest defensive ends in NFL history, Hall of Famer Deacon Jones played for several teams from 1961 to 1974. Jones revolutionized his position—and the game—with his prowess for tackling quarterbacks in the backfield before they could throw the ball. That’s known as a “sack,” a term that Deacon himself helped popularize in the 1960s.
THE PLAY: Jones made his 173 career sacks with the help of a secret weapon: right after the ball was snapped, he would slap the opposing offensive lineman on the side of his head, distracting him long enough for Jones to get a jump start.
NEW RULE: Three years after Jones retired, the NFL banned slapping. “The head slap was not my invention,” Jones remarked, “but Rembrandt, of course, did not invent painting. The quickness of my hands and the length of my arms, it was perfect for me. It was the greatest thing I ever did, and when I left the game, they outlawed it.”
THE HOLY ROLLER
THE SETUP: Completing the trifecta of biblical football plays—after a “hail Mary” (a last-second throw down the field) and “the Immaculate Reception” (Terry Bradshaw’s touchdown pass that bounced off one player and was caught by another)—the “Holy Roller” was also attributed to divine intervention. Or, as the TV sportscaster excitedly described it: “the most zany, unbelievable, absolutely impossible dream of a play!”
THE PLAY: With 10 seconds left in a 1978 game, the Oakland Raiders were down by six points against the San Diego Chargers, and they were on the Chargers’ 14-yard line. They had time for one more play to try to score a touchdown and win the game. Right after the ball was snapped, the Chargers’ defense broke through. Just as they were about to tackle Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler, he tossed the ball forward, underhand-style, and it bounced to Raiders running back Pete Banaszak on the 10-yard-line. Unable to grab the ball, Banaszak clumsily kicked it forward and it bounced and rolled to tight end Dave Casper, who rolled it and then kicked it into the end zone, where he fell on top of it for the game-winning touchdown.
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NEW RULE: Because the referees had ruled Stabler’s underhanded toss a fumble, the touchdown stood. If he’d tossed it on purpose, it would be an incomplete pass. Either way, it’s up to the referee’s discretion as to the player’s intention. But that off-season, the NFL changed its fumble rules to prevent any future last-minute trickery. Now, if a player fumbles during the final two minutes of play, only the fumbling player is allowed to advance the ball.
THE TOM DEMPSEY RULE
THE SETUP: New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey was born with a stub for a right hand and no toes on his right foot, so he wore a specially modified shoe with a flat toe.
THE PLAY: It was while wearing this flat-toed shoe that Dempsey kicked a record 63-yard field goal to give the Saints a 19–17 win against the Detroit Lions in 1970.
NEW RULE: The front offices of several other teams complained to the NFL about Dempsey’s “advantage.” Then rumors spread that Dempsey had a steel plate hidden in his shoe. He denied it. Near the end of his career in 1977, the NFL rule book was changed to state that “any shoe that is worn by a player with an artificial limb on his kicking leg must have a kicking surface that conforms to that of a normal kicking shoe.” Dempsey was grandfathered in and allowed to use his shoe for his final years, and he maintained that it never gave him an unfair advantage. “Unfair, eh? How about you try kicking a 63-yard field goal to win it with two seconds left and you’re wearing a square shoe, oh yeah, and no toes either!” Did Dempsey’s shoe give him an advantage? No other kicker was able to make a longer field goal for 43 years.
THE ROB RAY RULE
THE SETUP: During a fight in a National Hockey League game, it can be hard for a player to throw a punch because of the whole “standing on slippery ice” problem. So to keep from falling down, the two fighters will use one hand to throw punches, and the other hand to hold on to their opponent’s jersey. But what happens if you don’t have a jersey for them to hold on to?
THE FIGHT: In the late 1990s, Buffalo Sabres enforcer Rob Ray used this disadvantage to his advantage in fights by taking off his jersey, elbow pads, and shoulder pads. Then, looking like an old-time boxer with big pants and no shirt, he would use both fists to devastate his opponents.
NEW RULE: That is, until the NHL instituted the Rob Ray rule. Now, if a player intentionally removes his clothing during a fight, he is ejected. Following the rule change, Ray continued his long career of beating people up, but with his jersey on.
In the 1970s, Playskool made Gilligan’s Island bath toys for toddlers.