The Play refers to a last-second kickoff return during a college football game between the University of California, Berkeley ("California" or "Cal") Golden Bears and the Stanford University Cardinal on November 20, 1982. Given the circumstances and rivalry, the wild game that preceded it, the bizarre and heavily disputed way in which The Play unfolded, and its lingering aftermath on players and fans, it is often recognized as the most memorable play in college football and among the most memorable in all of American sports. A kickoff is a method of starting or restarting play in American football. ... A college football game between Colorado State and Air Force. ... Sather tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ... Cal Logo The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 27 varsity athletic programs of the University of California, Berkeley. ... “Stanford” redirects here. ... Having no offical mascot, the athletic teams at Stanford University are referred to as Stanford Cardinal. ... is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Sports in the United States, as in other countries, are an important part of the national culture. ...

After Stanford took a 20-19 lead on a field goal with four seconds left, the Golden Bears used five lateral passes on the ensuing kickoff return to score the winning touchdown and turn defeat into a 25-20 victory. Members of the Stanford Band had come onto the field midway through The Play, believing that the game was already over, and this was the basis for some protests as to the legitimacy of The Play, but the touchdown stood. However, there remains some controversy as to the legality of all the laterals. In American football and Canadian football a lateral pass — usually called simply a lateral, but officially called a backward pass in American football, and also called an onside pass in Canadian football — is a sideways or rearward throwing of the football to a teammate. ... For a landing Touchdown in aviation, see Touchdown (aviation) For the song by T.I. featuring Eminem, see Touchdown (song). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

(Notice that no American Football quarter can end until the ball is dead, therefore, even with the game clock running out of time while the play was in progress, the play continued to its conclusion.)

Background

This was the teams' 85th "Big Game", and it was played on Cal's home field, California Memorial Stadium.^[1] While Cal was out of contention for a postseason bowl game, the implications of this game were far more important to Stanford, led by quarterback John Elway, playing in his last regular season game before heading off to become a future National Football League star enshrined in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. The Cardinal football squad was in the midst of an exciting season—they were 5-5 but had victories over highly ranked Ohio State and Washington—and needed a win to be invited to a bowl game. In fact, representatives of the Hall of Fame Classic committee were in attendance, ostensibly to extend an invitation to Stanford, should The Cardinal win. The Big Game is the annual football game between Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley (known simply as Cal), held in November. ... Officially named California Memorial Stadium, Memorial Stadium is the current home for Cal football. ... A bowl game is a post-season college football game, typically at the Division I-A level. ... Navy quarterback Aaron Polanco sets up to throw. ... John Albert Elway, Jr. ... NFL redirects here. ... The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of the National Football League (NFL). ... College Football Hall of Fame front. ... This article is about Ohio State; there is also an Ohio University. ... The University of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. ... The All-American Bowl was an annual post-season college football game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977 to 1990. ...

Also at stake was possession of The Stanford Axe, an axe-head trophy that is awarded to the winner of their annual matchup. Its origins date back to 1899, but in 1933, after years of increasingly more elaborate thefts of The Axe by students from one or the other school, the two schools agreed that the winner of the Big Game would take possession of the axe. The plaque upon which the axe is mounted carries the scores of previous Big Games. The Stanford Axe is a trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Big Game between the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Situation

With Cal leading 19-17 late in the fourth quarter, quarterback John Elway and the Cardinal overcame a 4th-and-17 on their own 13-yard line with a 29-yard completion, then managed to get the ball within field goal range for placekicker Mark Harmon. Elway called a timeout with eight seconds left on the clock. Had Elway realized there was plenty of time to call a timeout and let the clock run down to about 3 seconds, a kickoff following a successful field goal may have never been necessary (the field-goal play would have used up the remaining time); some sources do point out that Elway saw the time left on the clock and immediately realized his mistake (leaving too much time on the clock). Regardless, Harmon's 35-yard kick was good, putting Stanford ahead 20-19, but the team's celebrations drew a 15-yard penalty, enforced on the ensuing kickoff. At that point, Cal announcer Joe Starkey praised Stanford and Elway for their efforts, and added, "Only a miracle can save the Bears now!" John Albert Elway, Jr. ... A field goal (formerly goal from the field) in American football and Canadian football (collectively called gridiron football) is a goal that may be scored during general play (from the field). Execution of a field goal A field goal may be scored by a placekick or the very rare drop... An amateur place kicker attempts to kick a field goal Placekicker, or simply Kicker, is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points, and, in many cases, kickoffs. ... Joe Starkey. ...

With four seconds left, Stanford special teams coach Fred von Appen called for a squib kick on the kickoff. In the meantime, Cal coach Joe Kapp may have told his players to try and get out of bounds to set up a last second Hail Mary, but the players on the field decided to go for the win. What happened next became arguably the most debated and most dissected single play in college football history. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Kapp on Sports Illustrated Cover Joseph Robert Kapp was an American football quarterback. ... A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary play in American football is a forward pass made in desperation, with only a very small chance of success. ...

The Play

• Harmon squibbed the kick^[2] and Cal's Kevin Moen received the ball inside the Cal 45 near the left hash mark. After some ineffective scrambling, Moen lateraled the ball leftward to Richard Rodgers.

• Rodgers was very quickly surrounded, gaining only one yard before looking behind him for Dwight Garner, who caught the ball around the Cal 45.

• Garner ran straight ahead for five yards, but was swallowed up by five Stanford players. While Garner was being tackled, however, he managed to pitch the ball back to Rodgers.

• Rodgers dodged another Stanford player and took the ball to his right, toward the middle of the field, where at least four other Cal players were ready for the next pitch. Around the Stanford 45, Rodgers pitched the ball to Mariet Ford, who caught it in stride.

• Ford avoided a Stanford player and sprinted up the field while moving to the right of the right hash mark. Around the Stanford 25, three Stanford players smothered Ford, but he threw a blind lateral over his right shoulder.

• Moen caught it and charged toward the end zone. One Stanford player missed him, and another could not catch him from behind. Moen ran through the scattering Stanford Band members, who were pouring onto the field because they had thought that the game was over, for the touchdown, which he famously completed by running into unaware trombone player Gary Tyrrell.

The Cal players celebrated wildly—but the officials had not signaled the touchdown. Stanford coach Paul Wiggin and his players argued to the officials that Dwight Garner's knee had been down, rendering what had happened during the rest of the play moot. But after a few minutes, the touchdown was signaled by referee Charles Moffett and a penalty was called on Stanford for having too many players on the field, which was presumably declined by Cal. Latrell loves him some MIRACLE WHIP!! sho nuff and mashmell The end zone is a term in both Canadian football and American football. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For a landing Touchdown in aviation, see Touchdown (aviation) For the song by T.I. featuring Eminem, see Touchdown (song). ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ...

Controversy

Many Stanford officials, players, and fans objected to the ruling on two grounds. First, it was claimed that Dwight Garner's knee was down moments before he lateraled to Richard Rodgers. Second, the last lateral from Mariet Ford to Kevin Moen was said to be in reality an illegal forward pass.

Regarding the first claim, both Garner and Rodgers asserted afterwards that Garner's knee was not down. Kevin Lamar, a Stanford player who tackled Garner, however, maintains that the ball-carrier's knee hit the turf before the lateral left his hands. Loyal Stanford fans insist that the TV replay proves Garner was down, while loyal Cal fans assert that replays prove the opposite; an unbiased assessment of the grainy footage suggests that the evidence is inconclusive.

The video evidence is somewhat more definitive on the second claim, that the final lateral from Ford to Moen actually traveled forward. Replays suggest that Ford's over-the-back heave left his hands at Stanford's 27-yard-line and was caught by Moen just outside the 25. Because both players were in full stride, and because the lateral traveled some distance, the ball appears to have traveled backwards relative to the two players' forward motion, but forward relative to the stationary field. Under the rules of football, the direction of a pass is judged relative to the field, so this appears to have been an illegal forward pass. Such a frame-of-reference distinction can be difficult for a football referee to judge even in optimal circumstances, and it may have been compounded in this case by the many band members in the vicinity. Also, Moen appeared to have overstrided the ball. The position where the ball was when he caught it appears to show that it may have gone straight sideways. ^{[citation needed]}

On the field, the officials huddled and ruled that all five laterals were legal. Numerous penalty flags had been thrown, but all were for Stanford having too many men on the field—many players on the Cardinal sideline, as well as the marching band, had run onto the field. According to referee Charles Moffett, the officials had the option of awarding a touchdown to Cal due to interference from the band, and Moffett later recalled that he was shocked and "kind of relieved" (full quote) to learn that Moen had reached the end zone, sparing Moffett the decision.

Given their objections, some Stanford fans refer to The Play as the "Screw of '82". Whenever Stanford holds the Stanford Axe, the plaque is altered in protest so that the outcome reads as a 20-19 Stanford victory. When the Axe is returned to Cal's possession, the plaque is changed back to the official score: California 25, Stanford 20. For the rugby league player nicknamed The Axe, see Trevor Gillmeister The Stanford Axe is a trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Big Game between the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. ...

Aftermath

Several days after the game, Stanford students published a parody version of Cal's student newspaper, The Daily Californian, with the lead story claiming that the NCAA had declared Cal's last play to be dead in a ruling three days after the game. According to that bogus paper, the official score would be recorded in the NCAA record books as Stanford 20, California 19. The Stanford students then distributed the parody on the Cal campus. The Daily Californian (or Daily Cal) is an independent, student-run newspaper that serves the University of California, Berkeley campus and its surrounding community. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often pronounced N-C-Double-A or N-C-Two-A ) is a voluntary association of about 1,200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ...

For many years, John Elway was bitter, on both a personal level and on behalf of his team, about the touchdown being allowed: "This was an insult to college football... They [the officials] ruined my last game as a college football player."(full quote) The Play cost Stanford an invitation to the Hall of Fame Bowl, and Elway completed his college career having never played in a bowl game. Furthermore, The Play arguably cost Elway the 1982 Heisman Trophy Award ^{[citation needed]}, which was eventually awarded to University of Georgia running back Herschel Walker. (Elway finished second.) Elway would nevertheless enjoy a very successful NFL career, winning two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, being enshrined in both the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame, where he came to terms with The Play, stating that "each year it gets a little funnier."^[3] “Heisman” redirects here. ... The University of Georgia (UGA) is the largest institution of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. ... P.J. Daniels was a star running back for Georgia Tech from 2002-2005. ... Herschel Walker (born March 3, 1962 in Wrightsville, Georgia) is a former professional American football player in the United States Football League and the National Football League. ... NFL redirects here. ... The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League, the pinnacle of American football. ... City Denver, Colorado Other nicknames Orange Crush (1977-1979 defense) Team colors Orange, Broncos Navy Blue, and White[1] Head Coach Mike Shanahan Owner Pat Bowlen General manager Ted Sundquist Mascot Miles League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Western Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American... The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of the National Football League (NFL). ... College Football Hall of Fame front. ...

The Play's legacy remains controversial among Stanford fans and some in the broader college football community. Little consensus has emerged on the points of contention. Examples:

• The national magazine Sports Illustrated, as part of a 12-page article that appeared the following fall ("The Anatomy of a Miracle," September 5, 1983), found no mistakes in officiating. "The best Stanford could do was to persuade conference Executive Director Wiles Hallock to issue a public statement acknowledging that Cal had only four men in the restraining area on the fatal kickoff. Hallock added, however, that it was a violation that required no penalty. [...this violation calls for only a correction by the officials before the kick, not a penal­ty that would nullify the return.] And, he said later, "I'm pleased that in all the confusion the officials never stopped officiating." As for the play? "Well, it was just one of those marvelous things that happen in football."^[1]

• The article further claims the fifth lateral was legal. "Moen, racing under Ford's blind toss, actually overran it. He reached back for it at the 25, at approximately where it had been released. Embittered Stanfordites later protested that this pass, though thrown back over the shoulder, was still somehow forward. The film clearly shows that the ball was thrown backward and if Moen hadn't reached back for it, it would have hit the turf at around the 27."^[1]

• Contradicting this, and in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of The Play, San Jose Mercury News sportswriter Jon Wilner published an opinion column about "six things you might not know about The Play." Three of the six had to do with officiating mistakes. Wilner noted that Cal had only 4 players within the restraining area at kickoff (as the Pac-10 acknowledged). Also, on the basis of his own frame-by-frame review, Wilner decided that Garner's knee hit the turf before he released the ball. Wilner also decided that the fifth lateral was indeed an illegal forward pass. However, the column was constituted of the editorial opinions of one sportswriter, and was essentially a restatement of the arguments of Stanford fans. It was not an official, objective investigation commissioned by a journalistic enterprise, as the Sports Illustrated article was. ^[4]

• Several web sites and videos on the Web are dedicated to dissecting The Play, including a seemingly sophisticated computer simulation (see External Links) that purports to show all five laterals were legal.

Given the pitched disagreements and high emotions that The Play still generates two decades later, it is perhaps safe to say only that its humor, legality, and legacy are highly subjective matters. The first issue of Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1954, showing Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat in Milwaukee County Stadium. ... The Mercs sections vary by day of the week, but Business, Sports, and The Valley are standard daily fare. ...

The participants in The Play, with the exceptions of Elway and announcer Joe Starkey, faded into relative obscurity in the years since.

The most infamous participant in The Play is Mariet Ford. Ford, who briefly played wide receiver for the Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League, was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and 3-year-old son in 1997. He is serving a 45 years-to-life sentence.^[5] Oakland Invaders were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 through 1985. ... “USFL” redirects here. ...

Kevin Moen had a short-lived professional career and is now a real estate broker in the Los Angeles area. Gary Tyrrell, the Stanford trombonist who was run over by Moen, is a venture capital CFO and amateur brewer; he appeared on The Tonight Show along with the key Cal players shortly after The Play; his smashed trombone is now displayed in the College Football Hall of Fame. Dwight Garner, who later spent two years with the Washington Redskins and retired, is now a risk manager with The Sports Authority chain of sporting goods stores. Richard Rodgers played in the CFL and is now the defensive coordinator at Holy Cross. Kenny Williams, a member of the Stanford team, is now the GM for the White Sox. Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... College Football Hall of Fame front. ... For other uses, see Redskins (disambiguation). ... The Sports Authority is the Americas largest sporting goods full line sporting goods retailer. ... “CFL” redirects here. ... Not to be confused with Holy Cross College (Indiana) or other similarly named Holy Cross Colleges. ... Kenneth Royal Williams (born April 6, 1964 in Berkeley, California) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball and the current general manager of the Chicago White Sox. ...

The Play is ranked number 16 on the list of The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments as compiled by TV Guide and TV Land in December 2005. TV Guide is the name of two North American weekly magazines about television programming, one in the United States and one in Canada. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

It ranked number 3 on The 50 Most Outrageous Moments in Sports that aired on The Best Damn Sports Show Period. The Best Damn Sports Show Period is a sports talk show on Fox Sports Net. ...

It ranked number 1 on The 50 Greatest Football plays of All Time that aired on The Best Damn Sports Show Period. The Best Damn Sports Show Period is a sports talk show on Fox Sports Net. ...

Based on online voting, Pontiac announced the California v. Stanford game of Nov. 20, 1982, as its "Ultimate High-Performance Play of the NCAA," crowning the play as NCAA Football's most memorable moment of all-time in December 2003.

Similar plays

• The Play also provided the inspiration behind an attempt by the Michigan Wolverines to score in the last seconds of its loss to Nebraska in the 2005 Alamo Bowl. This ill-fated play had much the same result as the original: massive confusion and both teams were on the field at the end of the play. Unlike the Golden Bears, however, Michigan was stopped (after seven lateral passes) by one of the last Nebraska defenders 15 yards from the endzone and thus was unable to score a game winning touchdown. It also evoked memories of the Bluegrass Miracle of 2002, when Kentucky players dunked the coach with Gatorade shortly before LSU pulled off a last-second win; the Huskers also dunked their coach before the game ended, but won this time.

• On September 30, 2006, a similar play occurred at the end of a CFL game between the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders. With 42 seconds left, and his team trailing 25-23, Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray ran in a touchdown for a 30-25 lead. However, on the ensuing drive the Roughriders managed to get to the centre line before the clock ran out. On the last play, with his team needing a miracle touchdown to win the game, Saskatchewan quarterback Rocky Butler was sacked, and a number of the Eskimos players started celebrating their apparent win. However, the sack had inadvertently jarred the ball loose, and Charles Thomas recovered for the Roughriders, who then completed four laterals before Andy Fantuz threw the ball away to avoid a tackle. Corey Grant recovered the ball and lateralled to running back Kenton Keith, who fumbled the ball at the 7-yard line. The Eskimos recovered and won the game, but the play is still remembered as one of the greatest near-misses in Roughriders history.

• A similar play also occurred at the conclusion of a December 21, 2003 NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Saints completed a pass and several subsequent laterals as time expired to travel 75 yards to the endzone. However, Saints kicker John Carney missed the extra point which would have sent the game into overtime, and the Saints lost the game, 20-19. The play won an ESPY award for the best play of that season and it has since been dubbed the "River City Relay".

• Another finale inspired by The Play occurred on October 1, 2006, in an NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Jets. This play came off a pass from Jets quarterback Chad Pennington and featured four laterals and two fumbles recovered by the Jets before a final fumble surrendered the ball to the Colts after time had expired; the Colts won, 31-28.

• On January 8, 2000, an NFL playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans, later dubbed the Music City Miracle, was decided on a mildly similar play (similar only in that it decided the game, involved at least one lateral, and also came on a kickoff return) with only three seconds remaining. After the Titans winning score, ABC commentator Joe Theismann remarked "All that's missing is the band!"

The University of Michigan features 24 varsity sports teams called the Wolverines, which compete in the NCAAs Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except mens ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association. ... The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a state-supported institution of higher learning located in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Often referred to as simply Nebraska or UNL, it is the flagship and largest campus of the University of Nebraska system. ... The Bluegrass Miracle refers to one of the most improbable finishes in NCAA college football history. ... Gatorade is a non-carbonated sports drink marketed by the Quaker Oats Company, a division of PepsiCo. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian Football League team based in Edmonton, Alberta. ... The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan, founded in 1910. ... This article is about the American quarterback Ricky Ray. ... Ian Rocky Butler (born August 7, 1979 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is a quarterback playing for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. ... Andrew Fantuz, also known as Andy Fantuz, (born December 18, 1983) is a slotback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. ... Corey Grant (born December 22, 1976 in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada) is a wide receiver playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. ... Kenton Jermaine Keith (born July 14, 1980 in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA) is a running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. ... is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... City Jacksonville, Florida Team colors Teal, Black, White, and Gold Head Coach Jack Del Rio Owner Wayne Weaver General manager James Harris Mascot Jaxson de Ville League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1995–present) American Football Conference (1995-present) AFC Central (1995-2001) AFC South (2002-present) Team history Jacksonville... John Michael Carney (born April 4, 1964 in Hartford, Connecticut) is an American football placekicker. ... The River City Relay is a famous play in a National Football League game involving the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars that took place on December 21, 2003 in Jacksonville, Florida. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... City Indianapolis, Indiana Other nicknames The Horseshoes Team colors Speed Blue and White Head Coach Tony Dungy Owner Jim Irsay General manager Bill Polian Mascot Blue [2] League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1953–present) Western Conference (1953-1969) Coastal Division (1967-1969) American Football Conference (1970-present) AFC East... City East Rutherford, New Jersey Other nicknames Gang Green, the Green and White Team colors Hunter green and white Head Coach Eric Mangini Owner Woody Johnson General manager Mike Tannenbaum League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Eastern Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference... James Chadwick Chad Pennington [1](born June 26, 1976 in Knoxville, Tennessee) is an American football quarterback for the NFLs New York Jets. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... City Orchard Park, New York Team colors Navy blue, light blue, Red, light Red, White, Royal, and Nickel Head Coach Dick Jauron Owner Ralph Wilson General manager Marv Levy Mascot Billy Buffalo League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Eastern Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Music City Miracle is a famous play in the NFL Wild Card Playoffs involving the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills that took place on January 8, 2000 (following the 1999 regular season) at Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville, Tennessee. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Joseph Robert Theismann (born September 9, 1949 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA), is a former American football quarterback in the NFL. He was born to an Austrian father, Joseph John Theismann and a Hungarian mother, Olga Tobias and was raised in South River, New Jersey. ...

The play-by-play call

Cal announcer Joe Starkey of KGO-AM 810 radio called the game. The following is a transcript of his famous call: Joe Starkey. ... KGO 810 kHz on the AM band, is a news-talk format radio station based in San Francisco, California. ...

The actual national television call was made by USA Network play by play commentator Barry Tompkins and color analyst John Beasley. It is a much lesser-known call as it was overshadowed by Starkey's delirious exclamation of The Play on radio. Aside from that, Tompkins may have taken the excitement out of The Play himself by focusing more on the apparent tackle of Garner at midfield and the penalty markers on the field than on the last few laterals and subsequent Cal touchdown. The following is a transcript of Tompkins and Beasley's national television call. USA Network is a popular American cable television network with about 89 million household subscribers as of 2005. ... Barry Tompkins (born circa 1940) is a well known American sports-caster. ... John Beasley (born April 6, 1945 in Pasadena, California), is a former American professional football player. ...

Tompkins: "Mark Harmon will boot it away after the penalty was assessed back to the twenty-five yard line. California right now has ten men on the field, John, and again you gotta say there's something wrong. They only have ten men on the field. And Harmon does the wise thing, he bounces it back here, here—this will be a rugby play. There's Rodgers at the outside, pitch it back to Garner. And Garner's got no place to go, and no one to pitch it to, and he's still on his feet."

Beasley: "This game's not over yet!"

Tompkins: "Now here's another man. FLAG IS DOWN! A FLAG IS DOWN!"

Beasley: (in disgust) "Ohhhhh"

Tompkins: "As Kevin Moen takes it into the endzone. Now THE FLAG IS DOWN! We have chaos! There's a flag down on the field. The Cardinal is pointing to the flag. I believe the officials are saying the play was stopped and the game is over. Now we'll have to see. I believe they're saying the play was stopped and the game is over."

Beasley: "I don't know what you can do in a situation like there. [sic] Well here's an interesting situation, Barry, where you have a lot of the Cal football players playing on the National Championship rugby team."

Tompkins: "Now here's another look."

Beasley: "And you're having a passing rush, you're having a passing rush in rugby right here. Watch him."

Tompkins: "Now there is where I think they're saying--"

Beasley: "That looked like a loose ruck in rugby here."

Tompkins: "But there's no signal from the officials."

Beasley: "Now you have a clear cut shot for a, for a touch--"

Tompkins: "IT IS A TOUCHDOWN FOR CALIFORNIA!"

Beasley: "It is a touchdown!"

Tompkins: "How do you like it!"

Beasley: "This is the Big Game, Barry! I mean I didn't know the situation that was, Stanford Band was right in the way."

Tompkins: "AN ABSOLUTELY BIZARRE ENDING TO A TREMENDOUS FOOTBALL GAME! It took a rugby play to win it. I don't know what you can say, there are simply no words to describe it! The Cal Bears have won the eighty-fifth Big Game. For John Beasley..."

Beasley: "Barry, go Bears."

Tompkins: "... I'm Barry Tompkins, and we'll see you next time." (commercial break)

Tompkins: "Words simply will not describe the California victory here in the eighty-fifth Big Game, but let's take a look and do what we can. You will find six (actually five) laterals on this play. These, remember, in the final four seconds, that's the one that could be in question, and I'm sure coach Paul Wiggins and Andy Gardner, the Athletic Director at Stanford are complaining long and loud about right now. Mariet Ford gets it back to Kevin Moen, and Moen outruns the tuba player into the endzone for a twenty-five to twenty victory. I just don't know what you can say about it, John, other than bizarre, strange, exciting, and a wonderful football game."

Beasley: "This was a beautiful Big Game. Bizarre, you used the term early in the broadcast, and I'm gonna tell you, this is the epitome of bizarre. I have been around football twenty years and have never seen anything at any level like this."

Tompkins: "Well you had to say that even if the score ended at twenty to nineteen, it was a great football game. The final score once again, California twenty-five and Stanford twenty. What an eighty-fifth Big Game in Berkeley!"

• • • SportsByline USA's Ron Barr has claimed, on air, to have called the final play of this game, but no audio verification of his proported call can be located.

Referee Charles Moffett on the officials' ruling

It is difficult to conclusively determine anything from the footage. The game officials, however, ruled that all five of the laterals were legal; the flags, according to referee Charles Moffett, were, in fact, on Stanford for having too many men on the field. Moreover, even if Moen had not scored, the officials, per NCAA rules, could have awarded Cal with the touchdown on the basis of the band's interference. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often pronounced N-C-Double-A or N-C-Two-A ) is a voluntary association of about 1,200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ...

Moffett recalls "The Play": "I called all the officials together and there were some pale faces. The penalty flags were against Stanford for coming onto the field. I say, 'did anybody blow a whistle?' They say 'no'. I say, 'were all the laterals legal'? 'Yes'. Then the line judge, Gordon Riese, says to me, 'Charlie, the guy scored on that.' And I said, 'What?' I had no idea the guy had scored. Actually when I heard that I was kind of relieved. I thought we really would have had a problem if they hadn't scored, because, by the rules, we could have awarded a touchdown (to Cal) for (Stanford) players coming onto the field. I didn't want to have to make that call." There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

"I wasn't nervous at all when I stepped out to make the call; maybe I was too dumb. Gee, it seems like it was yesterday. Anyway, when I stepped out of the crowd, there was dead silence in the place. Then when I raised my arms, I thought I had started World War III. It was like an atomic bomb had gone off."^[6]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Fimrite, Ron. "The Anatomy Of A Miracle", Sports Illustrated, 1983-09-01, pp. 212-228. 
2. ^ Transcript of Joe Starkey's call of The Play.
3. ^ "And The Band Played On" by Jackie Krentzman, Stanford Almuni Magazine Nov/Dec 2002
4. ^ Wilner, Jon. "20 Years Later, 'The Play' a Tough Act to Forget", San Jose Mercury News, 2002-11-19. 
5. ^ "From The Play to hard time", San Francisco Chronicle. 
6. ^ sfgate.com – The Play: The Defining Moment of the Big Game, by Jake Curtis, San Francisco Chronicle November 20, 1997

Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

The Play

• Video of The Play on the UC Berkeley website
• 3 different videos of the play - 1)Normal TV, 2)CPU 3D Animation, 3)Sony Lo-Def
• The Play Lives On
• Transcript of Joe Starkey's call of The Play
• Partial "where are they now" article
• Cal Athletics website
• Stanford Athletics website
• Ten Best Damn unforgettable sports moments from FOX Sports
• Sports Illustrated's long, illustrated story on The Play