The Play (American football) facts for kids
"The Play" is a famous moment in college football history. It happened on November 20, 1982, during a game between the Stanford Cardinal and California Golden Bears. This game-winning touchdown was scored in the very last seconds. It involved a kickoff return with many lateral passes.
Stanford was ahead 20–19 with only four seconds left. But the California Golden Bears used five backward passes to score a touchdown, winning 25–20. What made it even crazier was that the Stanford Band ran onto the field too early. They thought the game was over! People still argue if all the passes were legal. This makes the story even more exciting for the "Big Game" rivalry.
Game Background
This was the 85th "Big Game" between Stanford and Cal. It took place at Cal's home stadium, California Memorial Stadium.
For Stanford, this game was very important. Their star quarterback, John Elway, was playing his last regular season game. Stanford needed to win to be invited to a bowl game. A bowl game is a special post-season game. Representatives from the Hall of Fame Classic were there, ready to invite Stanford if they won.
The game also decided who would get the Stanford Axe. This is a special trophy given to the winner of the "Big Game." The Axe has the scores of past games written on it.
Game Highlights
Cal started strong, leading 10–0 at halftime. They scored with a field goal and a long touchdown pass.
In the second half, Stanford fought back. They scored their first touchdown with an 80-yard drive. John Elway threw passes to Vincent White for the score. Stanford then took the lead, 14–10, with another touchdown catch by White.
Cal quickly got the lead back, 19–14. Stanford then scored a field goal, making the score 19–17. This meant Stanford was only one field goal away from taking the lead again.
With just 1 minute and 27 seconds left, Stanford got the ball back. The lead had already changed twice in the second half. It was about to change two more times!
The Final Play
Cal was leading 19–17. John Elway led Stanford down the field. With 8 seconds left, Stanford's kicker, Mark Harmon, made a 35-yard field goal. This put Stanford ahead 20–19!
But Stanford got a penalty for celebrating too much. This meant they had to kick off from their own 25-yard line instead of the 40. Cal's announcer, Joe Starkey, famously said, "Only a miracle can save the Bears now!"
With only 4 seconds left, Stanford kicked the ball. Cal's Kevin Moen caught it. What happened next became one of the most talked-about plays ever:
- Moen passed the ball backward (a lateral pass) to Richard Rodgers.
- Rodgers was quickly surrounded but managed to pitch the ball backward to Dwight Garner.
- Garner ran a few yards. As he was being tackled, he threw the ball backward to Rodgers again. At this moment, many Stanford players and the entire Stanford Band ran onto the field. They thought the game was over!
- Rodgers dodged a player and pitched the ball to Mariet Ford. Ford caught it and ran toward the end zone. The Stanford band members were all over the field.
- Ford was tackled but threw a blind backward pass over his shoulder.
- Kevin Moen caught the ball again! He ran through the scattering band members and scored the touchdown. He even ran into a trombone player named Gary Tyrrell!
The Cal players celebrated, but the officials had to decide if the play was legal. The field was full of people, making it hard to see. The referee, Charles Moffett, gathered his team. No one had blown a whistle, and all the passes seemed legal. Moffett signaled the touchdown, and the game ended. Cal won 25–20, and they took home the Stanford Axe.
After the Game
A few days later, students from The Stanford Daily made a fake version of Cal's newspaper. It claimed the NCAA had said Cal's last play was illegal. They spread 7,000 copies on Cal's campus! Soon after, blue and gold t-shirts showing "The Play" with diagrams appeared.
The season after "The Play," Stanford had a very bad record. Their coach, Paul Wiggin, was fired. He said "The Play" hurt their team a lot. Some people even blamed the Stanford Band. The Stanford band manager now passes their job to the next manager with 4 seconds left in the Stanford–Cal game each year.
When Stanford wins the Stanford Axe, they change the score on the plaque to show Stanford winning 20–19. When Cal has the Axe, they change it back to the official score: California 25, Stanford 20.
For many years, John Elway was very upset about the touchdown. He felt it ruined his last college game. "The Play" cost Stanford a chance to play in a bowl game. Elway never played in a bowl game during college. However, he had a great career in the NFL, winning two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos. He is now in both the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame. Years later, Elway said "The Play" "gets a little funnier" each year.
Most players from "The Play" are not famous today. But some went on to have interesting careers:
- Ron Rivera, a linebacker for Cal, played in the NFL and later became a successful head coach.
- Emile Harry, a wide receiver for Stanford, played 8 seasons in the NFL.
- Gary Plummer, a linebacker for Cal, played in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers.
- Kevin Moen, who scored the touchdown, became a real estate broker and a high school football coach.
- Gary Tyrrell, the trombonist Moen ran into, became friends with Moen. His smashed trombone is now in the College Football Hall of Fame.
- Dwight Garner played for the Washington Redskins and now works as a risk manager.
- Richard Rodgers Sr. played in the CFL and is now an assistant coach in the NFL. His son, Richard Rodgers II, also played for Cal. In 2015, his son caught a "Hail Mary" touchdown, a famous last-second play, for the Green Bay Packers.
- Gale Gilbert, Cal's starting quarterback, is the only player to be on five straight Super Bowl teams in the NFL. His son, Garrett Gilbert, also became a quarterback in the NFL.
- John Tuggle, Cal's starting fullback, was the very last pick in the 1983 NFL draft. He played one season for the New York Giants before getting sick and passing away.
After the game, Cal's coach, Joe Kapp, famously said, "The Bear would not quit, the Bear would not die." This became a motto for the Cal team.
