I watched the '69 Thanksgiving Day game on a black and white tv...couldn't tell the teams apart...couldn't tell where the teams were on the field of play. I loved it! I ageee with you, David; I miss the multipurpose grass stadiums, too!

i watched that game also.the next year i fell in love with the nfl watching the vikings/rams playoff game.

Believe or not Vince Lombardi wanted artificial turf for RFK Stadium. the landlord the Stadium-Armory board proposed a 3 way deal, the Senators, Redskins and Armory Board would contribute one third each, Senators owner Bob Short vetoed it and tried to sue the Skings for tearing up the turf during the preseason which was thrown out.

Wow, that is great information, Joshua. Thank you for sharing!

Eagles ended a 12 game losing streak 12-0, on 4 field goals I think. Same year a 19 year old kid in a shabby Santa costume had snowballs thrown at him. He laughs about it himself, he’s an Eagles fan.

I had to laugh at that one, Tom! Can you imagine a ref telling Butkus "Make sure to clean up the rough stuff, OK Dick?" "Sure thing!" Yeah, right. Lotsa luck.

That’s pretty much true. If a guy was close to the sideline nobody expected a tackler to control his momentum. And QBs often took hits well after the ball was gone.

@@TheYamahog12 Case and point the infamous Len Dawson late hit by Ben Davidson. My Dad saw that live and always pointed out how Otis Taylor was the first in there getting revenge on Davidson. Davidson always claimed 'I was just making sure he was down'.

@@markgardner9460 Oh,Mr.Butkus, please don't hit him so hard! Yeah,sure thing 😀

The Refs are like modern day progressive Dems on crime.

Thank you, Michael. I really appreciate it!

Well said! I agree!

When I need a nap now I'll watch the NFL growing up in the 60s 70s and 80s you couldn't get me away from watching football. Rather watch golf now

One of the things that stand out from those eras was the rules were vastly different than today. Especially the passing. Most teams ran 50% to 70% of their plays. Quarterbacks were treated pretty much like anyone else on the field.

@@jeffreyirish3646 just the size difference in the football itself

@@bobbeckhart1707 Today's game is BORING. I couldn't get enough of it in the '70's and '80's...just like you

Wholeheartedly agree!

@@markgardner9460 So we have two idiots - got it. You kids weren't old enough to have watched this live anyway.

I guarantee you they said the same exact thing in the 60s about this style compared to the 30s.

They’re just high paid actors now.

@@miccal99 well, I wouldn't doubt it one bit

Thank you, Rich. I appreciate it! I think you're right. It seems that there are more injuries today. Maybe because they don't wear enough pads. Also, today's shoulder pads are a joke...tiny.

@@markgardner9460 were the shoulder pads bigger back then

@@JJ-vp3bd the shoulder pads were considerably bigger back then

The speed of the game back then wasn't like it is now... And the players then didn't take care of their bodies like they do now - they would show the players smoking cigarettes on the sidelines during the game...

@@johnm24358 Yeah they were MEN!

Thank you, Jody. Sorry for getting back to you so late.

You nailed it!!

pointless foul play isnt character

trying to injure your opponent is not something to be proud of...

And CHARACTERS....

the nfl today is crap

@@mikeorfe1188 Then don't watch it...

I also grew up in MN and recall seeing Kapp knock out cold a Linebacker on a scrambke run. It may have been a '69 game. Kapp had a long scar across his chin which was compliments of a broken beer bottle during a bar fight.

@@markgardner9460You are correct. Kapp laid out the linebacker in the NFL Championship game against Cleveland during the '69 postseason.

Yep, it was Jim Houston of Cleveland.

Joe Kapp was a middle linebacker who played quarterback.

@@3243_ That's right...that's the guy. Went out like a light.

We didn't have cable until the early '80's. I wonder how much that 24" tv cost back then - more than now, I'm sure.

and no targeting calls !

The rosters were only 40 players back then and there were only 26 teams, so jobs were more difficult to come by than today.....so they had to be tough and play with injuries or probably be out of a job.

Classic statement, James!

Thanks for the kind comment. I agree with you - John Madden said a few years ago that if you don't want the Quarterbacks to be hit, then just make it a rule. It could be that they put flags on QB's in the future or leave it up to the refs to determine if a defender has touched the QB with both hands, then consider the QB to be downed.

@@markgardner9460 you’re welcome and I agree! I truly understand everything about player safety. But I think they take it to the extreme sometimes. These guys are professional athletes. Strong big in and way better shape than players of yesteryear. But I truly believe overprotecting the quarterbacks today is all about ratings. If you have a handful of star quarterbacks that go down, then the NFL is gonna panic that their ratings will go down cause everyone will find it boring. It’s part of the game. It’s a violent physical game and you can’t take that out of the game. But it seems like the NFL tries every year to do so. And the hit on a defenseless receiver, cracks me up. I’m 5’11 and 170. If I go across the middle against those guys, I consider myself defenseless! But if I’m a 6’3 230 pound tight end ..don’t find that defenseless.

I think they overdo it, too. What happened in the '70's is that star QB's were missing substantial playing time due to serious injuries (Bradshaw, Bert Jones, Joe Namath, Ken Anderson, etc) and this was when teams were starting to pay big bucks for these guys. Well, they wanted to protect their top investment, so they lobbied to have the rules changes to protect their QB's (what business owner wants to pay for a car that can't be driven?) You are right about the tv ratings issue - while a non-New York football fan will watch a game with Joe Namath at the helm, he/she is less likely to watch the Jets with J.J. Jones or Al Woodall quarterbacking.

@@markgardner9460 yep. All very valid points. Have a great day 👍😀

Also guys, it's money . . money . . money . .

Glad you like it!

Good times, bad times? Led Zepp fits anytime.

I know Football and Led Zeppelin, perfect match. 👍🏻

Black Sabbath too. Wonderful presentation by SportsGabNGrab.

Thank you, Randall. I appreciate it!

Moose Eller used the helmet slap just as effectively as Deacon Jones! I lived in MN and saw a good part of his career on tv every week, so I can appreciate your fondness for his hard-nosed play! He really knocked the snot out of Starr on that play.

Deacon Jones & Carl Eller we're the shit back in the day. Real defensive ends there.hof!

Another defensive end from that era whom I would put right up with Eller and the Deacon was Rich "Tombstone" Jackson of Denver. Before he suffered a severe knee injury at Philadelphia on their turf field in 1971 and new Bronco coach John Ralston made him return to the field too soon in early 1972, Jackson was clearly heading for the Hall Of Fame.

@@3243_ same thing happened to Bubba Smith, except he was instructed to get back into a pre-season game because the score was too close

Thanks for bringing that up. I had not heard that story before.

@@markgardner9460 Check out his Wikipedia page. They called him “Psycho”.

@@denisceballos9745 Yeah, chiefs.com refers to that same nickname. I did not know that he was a 3X All-Pro and 4X Pro Bowler. Thanks for the info, Denis!

Now those are some great memories, Steven. I'm guessing that you got McCutcheon, Harold Jackson and Jack Youngblood's autographs. That would have been cool to see them in person like that. Thanks for sharing!

Iffy pass interference calls are the worst. Huge chunks of yardage get eaten up just like that

Yeah. You'd think Gabriel would have went to a double-bar facemask after that, but no.

hopefully you didn't emulate the cheap shots and late hits that were prevalent back then...

I'm with ya, Bill. I have a difficult time watching today's game, too. To me, it's become more entertainment than sport.

@@johnm24358 oh heck yeah. You played to win.

@@billj8513 astounding... hopefully you haven't passed down the late hit/cheap shot mentality... it is possible to play to win without playing dirty....

@@johnm24358 sounds like you never played the game against people who didn’t like you and you didn’t like them. In high school and college we knew the team that won has the team who could dish out and handle pain. The guys I watched and learned the game from were coming back from Vietnam, nothing scared them. It wasn’t “only a game”. Football was only for the baddest dog on the field. I would consider todays game something very sterile and emotionless. The fear has been legislated out. Back in the day the cartoon “The Jetsons” had football teams made up of robots. That’s all I see.

100% correct...every game was like that!

In today’s world? Never happen.

Back when men were real men and the sheep were real nervous.

Him and Red Grange.

I agree. I think that Don Perkins belongs in the Hall of Fame. He was either 5th or 6th on the all-time rushing yardage list at the time of his retirement. l will be publishing a 1967 video that shows some huge hits that Don Meredith took

@@markgardner9460 It's a shame that Lee Roy Jordan and Cornel Green and Ralph Neely are not in the HOF. Perkins was the 1st great Cowboys RB. The size and quickness to play both FB and HB. And had very good hands.

@@jstube36 Chuck Howley has been named a finalist for the HOF, so I hope that he makes it. I think that Neely and Jordan should be in the HOF. If they played for the Packers of the '60's, they would have been in there already.

@@markgardner9460 Another shame is that Jim Marshall is not in. Why he has been left out is such a mystery.

I'm from MN and watched much of his career. I think the knock on him is that he only had 2 Pro Bowls and was pretty much dominated in all 4 Super Bowls (not that that should account for his HOF exclusion, but that's what I've read). His main claim to fame is the consecutive game streak, but I know that during the last year , he'd start the first series of downs, then not play again until the start of the second half of the game, then go back to the bench for the majority of the remaining gametime. It wouldn't be a crime if he was let into the HOF because he did hold the career fumble recovery record and was the leader of The Purple People Eaters, plus he was tough as nails to have played as long as he did - 20 years....when it was a real man's game!

Thank you, Lonnie! I need to make that correction and I appreciate your comments.

Kermit Washington was a forward for the Lakers. Infamously known for smashing the face of Houston's Rudy Tomjanovich in a game in 1977

And the Vikings also had a wide receiver at the same time named Gene Washington. He had gone to Michigan State and had a few decent years, but he wasn’t nearly as explosive as the 49ers receiver of the same name.

@@ciesaro A sucker punch that ended Tomjanovich’s career.

@@TheYamahog12 He eventually played a few seasons after that

You got that right, Hot Rod. League has legislated that it wants pushing players out of bounds, bumping players to the ground and simply holding the ballcarrier upright when forward progress has been stopped rather than tackling.

@@markgardner9460 i went to school in Duncanville Tx. and Mean Joe Green lived down the street. I played with his younger son Delon. He had all the cool toys. It always killed me that he played for the Steeler’s and not the Cowboys. 😂

@@hotrod2804 Yeah, I can see why you'd say that. The other 3 libemen of the Steel Curtain have passed on. Joe was a gentle giant off the field. He's probably the only player that Dick Butkus backed down from...Butkus walked away from an inevitable physical confrontation.

You're welcome! Thank you for watching.

How long do you think he would have survived?

I agree. Now he gets a penalty called on the defense if they even touch him.

Thank you! Feel free to check out my playlist for other good videos that show how the game used to be played. I appreciate it.

Yes, they did. These guys played because they loved the game. They only played 12 games a season, and many players then held regular jobs during the offseason.

Thank you for your comments! You hit it out of the park.

What's your take on the widespread use of multi-purpose stadiums that were utilized back then, Eric? (OK with the dirt infields on the gridiron?) The Cowboys/Bears game was at Wrigley Field. Was the Cowboys/Giants game at Yankee Stadium?

@SportsStatsNGab I was in favor of multipurpose stadiums as they added character, but man, there were a few times when the fields turned into "astro mud" during heavy rains. The Cowboys/Browns game that was played in Cleveland near the end of the 1970 regular season that the Cowboys won 6-2 was a classic example. The Cowboys/Giants game was played at Yankee Stadium. What did you think of multipurpose stadiums? Thanks for the quick reply. Do you have other videos?

Yes, Eric, I currently have about two dozen videos, so please check them out in my Playlist! I think that multi-purpose stadiums were a necessity back in the day because the owners did not have enough cash/finances to have a stadium just for football in many cases. I liked the baseball infields being a part of the gridiron; I think it added an entertainment element. However, when some fields like the Oakland-Alameda County Colisium didn't "shave" the pitching mound even with the ground, that was a hazard to any player who may have stumbled over it.

@SportsStatsNGab I was very certain that financial limitations were the reason so many multipurpose stadiums existed. Cleveland Municipal Stadium was a major league problem, though, because the Indians had so many bad teams. Your comments on infields are right on, especially about the pitching mounds. When the Senators played at D. C. Stadium, the turf almost looked like the nuclear testing grounds in Nevada, which must've thrilled the Redskins. Thanks for telling me about your other videos. I'll be sure to check them out. Thanks for your commentaries. It was great chatting with you.

Earlier that season the Giants upset the Cowboys 27-21 at the Cotton Bowl

A Raiders player intentionally trying to injure an opponent? That's highly plausible. I assume that the NFL office told the Raiders "Now cut that out!"

You got it...thank you!!

That is a quite the clip! I shook my head when I came across that footage. Thanks for watching and commenting, Chuck.

@@markgardner9460 No thank you. I'm a hug football historian. I appreciate these old clips. Very grateful.

Thank you! I appreciate it very much and am working on providing consistently entertaining videos. Please feel free to check out my existing videos in my playlist. Thank you for watching!

Thank you. I appreciate it!

Yes, Washington decked Tomjanovich.

Cheap and very damaging shot.

Thank you! I appreciate your comments - agree on everything you said.

Thank you, Tim. I appreciate it!

Thanks, will do!

I can hear Andy's voice now! Yep, I messed up on the DB's last name. I've seen footage of the Alexander hit on Sayers and it wasn't dirty, it was just bad timing when he hit him. Thank you for your comments, Matthew!

@@markgardner9460 I was watching the game on TV when it happened (yeah I feel old now). It was definitely NOT dirty and I remember Alexander talking to Sayers and trying to help out. I’ve been a Packer fan my whole life and Gale Sayers was unstoppable he was one of my favorite players in spite of being a Packers fan. It’s great to see those clips and hear those names again. Well, maybe not the ones where Bart Starr gets his head taken off. :)

@@mattybob59 When you consider that Sayers never had a decent QB or any offensive lineman to have made a Pro Bowl, it's amazing to think of the big numbers that he put up.

Yes! Thank you!

You're welcome. I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

That's about right!

Wow. Great pick up...I didn't notice that!

@@markgardner9460 thanks for sharing, good video man 👍

Thank you! I have so many more videos that I want to make. I hope that you enjoy them.

You are correct! That squad had HOF'ers at QB, (2) RB's, (3) Offensive Lineman, (2) Defensive Lineman, (2) LB's and (2) DB's....yet they never had a nickname for any of those positions, offense or defense. Strange.

whoa. So sorry. I was noting the Packers of the '60's! Could say about the same for the Colts though!

@@markgardner9460 You had Dallas Doomsday Defense, The Fearsome Foursome in Los Angeles, but no name for that marrauding front in Baltimore. And, to make matters worse for opponent QBs, they blitzed a lot.

The mid-1970's Colts defensive line was nicknamed The Sack Pack. John Dutton, Joe Ehrmann, Fred Cook and Mike Barnes comprised that unit....but no nickname for the 1960's unit

@@markgardner9460 They were bad for a while after the older players from the Glory Days retired, 1972-'74, but didn't stay down for long. They were for real in the mid-1970s, but the Raiders and Steelers were older, playoff-seasoned squads. They could not master those teams in the playoffs.

I've never heard that before. That's great!!!

"OH No!!! Number 53 spiked Little Jimmy in the end zone. 👀🧒🏈💥😲😱

I was in MN at that time and the winters were brutal, so I can relate, Richard.

@@markgardner9460 yea,I feel ya.I was a Rams fan & remember the torches to thaw out the field! New sub here in warm Tampa..

And under paid they were real warriors.

And died early deaths. Yeah, fucking real men don't live to old age. 😂

And have little memory of it if they happen to have made it to their 80s, with the dementia they are likely suffering (on top of wrecked knees, spines, shoulders and so on).

@@billplaney2585 very true, but nobody put a gun to their heads and forced them to play a game that is dangerous and that they loved, it's also true that those older players didn't get paid like today's over paid babies that celebrate getting a first down even if their team is down by 30 points.

@@jorgeguardado6015 Well true, but they also didn't have the medical knowledge of what was in store for them. The oldest NFL veterans (who they might have served as examples of what was their physical future) did not suffer the same head trauma because they came from the time of trivial helmets. The polycarbonate helmet was NEW in the early 1960s, so players thought that it was going to give greater protection than the leather helmets of earlier times (or simpler helmets without face masks) when the opposite was actually true. It facilitated the weaponization of their heads. So it's not fair to say "no one put a gun to their heads" - they simply didn't have the data available now. Of course they knew there were other dangers, but they truly thought their heads were protected. CURRENT players - you can make your initial statement to.

Thank you, Robert! I plan on continuing to produce more videos - feel free to check out my playlist for other cool stuff from the glory days. Also, I hope to publish this type of video for each year of the 1970's decade.

Thank you for subscribing. I will be putting out more old footage on a consistent basis. My wheelhouse is the late '60's through about 1981, so I hope that you enjoy my videos. Feel free to check out my playlist for other videos. Thanks again!

Hey, your wheelhouse just so happens to be the peak era of pro football. Keep up the great videos.

You must be a 2000's baby lmfaoooooooo!!!😆 "Disturbingly" smh. Get some speedo draws and take swimming lessons...FOH🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂✌🏾

You and me both!

As rough as this was, can you imagine how it must have been decades earlier? Guys playing in leather helmets with no facemask - had to be a lot of broken noses and missing teeth.

Wilson was such a brilliant safety.

@@henrybrowne7248 😎👍

Very cool - thanks for watching and commenting!

That's a great point that you bring up, Jeff. All the posing and posturing.......how 'bout giving it up for your blockers who, without them, your good play would have never have happened? Thank you for watching and commenting!

Thank you for watching, Eric. I'm glad you liked it! I have a lot more vintage stuff that I want to publish.

Thank you. I appreciate it!

Thank you. I appreciate it! I plan on doing more of these types of videos.

Thank you...appreciate it!!

Yeah, feel free to check out my other videos in my Playlist! Thank you!

Yes, you are absolutely correct. It was an entirely different situation back then. Thank you for watching and commenting!

Thank you. I appreciate it! I'm looking to make more of these types of videos.

Glad you like it!

That's a stone cold fact, Jerry!

The Rams Kicker who kicked off to the Saints John Gilliam who ran it back for a touchdown was targeted. Right after he kicked the ball, a Saints player was running at him full speed looking to lay him out. Yes, it was much more brutal. Thank you for watching and commenting!

Well stated

Thank you.

I agree with penalizing late hits but they’ve gone way too far when it comes to QBs. It’s ridiculous now.

Oooh, I'd love to, but my wheelhouse is really the '70's + footage from the '50's is pretty tough to find. Maybe on down the line, though!

@@markgardner9460 teams have a lot of it, they just aren’t bothered to release it. When they could hit guys after they were on the ground…good times there. I have an idea for a segment. The Vikings Cowboys Hail Mary game… a play or two before the Hail Mary, Dallas converted a fourth and long….a police officer goes nuts on a young fan on the sidelines…I’ve always wondered about that when I was watching the replay of the game on KZfaq a couple of years ago. but here it gets strange. About three months ago NFL films came out with a story of that sideline skirmish…BUT…it wasn’t about the cop and kid…but something else that happened in that scenario that I never noticed…. Apparently a Met Stadium security guard kicked Pearson after he made the catch. The Segment was about Pearson and the guard meeting and making amends. Nice story……meanwhile…much to my shock…the cop and the kid were completely ignored. This story is now ready …especially with only half of the moment captured. Well…not sure why I’m telling you this…but could be a popular story especially since NFL films remembered….half of it

@@Playsinvain I had not heard of that. Thank you for sharing!

@@markgardner9460 I’d have let it die if NFL Films didn’t produce this great story…but fail to mention the boy and the cop. You have to see that part by looking at the play. This is pretty funny too…but there is more. Lol. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ntpggMWY2ZfIm4U.html

@@Playsinvain I watched it all. Great clip!

🇺🇸 🇺🇸🇺🇸

Marty 🤷‍♂️ you also conveniently forgot to mention the redneck trailer trash slogan let's go Brandon 🤦‍♂️😂 NO Red wave 😱😆 nothing political here just like your reply 😮

@@thomaswilson5966 lol. Well I’m not going to lower myself with insults. You are very WOKE but not awake. I don’t see nor hear Brandon being pushed by the NFL, NHL, NBA or MLB. If anything major league sports in America have become a talking point for the WOKE movement.

@@martym.6274 grandpa you better go back look at your reply quoting from you football in the 60s there was no politics no activism no disrespecting Americans and hard Core tough players I'll give you the tough players but the rest is nothing but political statement you just counter addicted your argument because you're applying that all these things are going on now but they didn't in the past 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️ talk about a senior moment 👴 so that argument 🤥is as ridiculous as the political fascist party that you belong to no insults just facts I'm sure it's your naptime 🥱😴

@@thomaswilson5966 well young man perhaps you’re literate enough to read a book, you’ll find race relations were far worse in the 60’s and 70’s than now. I guess call to duty doesn’t teach that. I know my history, you don’t.

enough is enough, as they say. The last thing you want to have happen is to have play resume, then another fisticuff takes place. They did the right thing, I think. Thanks for watching and commenting, Joey - I appreciate it.

@SportsStatsNGab I appreciate you and your work with these videos. I love the big four sports, and football is one. It's history, and that is what makes it specia.l

Thanks, Joey. I'm planning on publishing some baseball videos soon, so that will be different for me. I'm big on history - I enjoy commenting on how things used to be....for better or worse.

Absolutely sir

@@markgardner9460 Great! BASEBALL is Mt favorite. Ca not wait!

Yeah, there are a few other viewers who are with you on that.

Just getting to this now Tutke is a bit long, but I hear ya

Yeah, I plan on it! Takes a lot of time and effort, but I like the results. Hope you do, too.

I hear ya, Frank. Very diffucult to get excited by today's product

He ran like a scared cat and it served him well.

@@markgardner9460 Cosell called him a scrambler

Fran didn't care for the nickname too much. I think he liked Sir Francis much better.