Things We Miss In Football

SI Staff | Aug 11, 2009

Things We Miss In Football

Spiked footballs after touchdowns

John Iacono/SI

In 1965, Homer Jones of the Giants became the first NFL player to spike a football. Ironically, the receiver did it to avoid being fined by the league for throwing the ball into the stands. He inspired a host of imitators, including Washington's Darryl Grant (pictured).

Stickum

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

The gooey substance that Lester Hayes lathered on his arms and hands helped the cornerback become a perennial Pro Bowl selection and a Raiders legend.

NFL Football in Los Angeles

Marvin E. Newman/SI, Peter Read Miller/SI

Los Angeles has been without an NFL team for nearly 15 years since Al Davis and the Raiders left town in 1995. The Rams played in the city from Sept. 29, 1946, to Dec. 24, 1994. They moved to St. Louis in 1995.

Single-bar facemasks

Fred Kaplan/SI

The single-bar facemask was once a staple for NFL players. Free-agent kicker Scott Player was the last pro to wear this uniform classic; the single-bar was banned in 2004.

Over-the-top touchdown/sack dances

AP, Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Sure, it's obnoxious, but we like the individualism of Chargers linebacker Shawn Merriman's "Lights Out" sack dance and the classics such as "The Ickey (Woods) Shuffle."

College All-Stars vs. defending Super Bowl champs game

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

A group of College All-Stars played against the defending NFL champions or Super Bowl champions every year except 1935 (when the Bears represented the pros). The series was cancelled in 1977, with the NFL champs holding a commanding lead (31-9-2).

Well-dressed coaches

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

Once upon a time coaches actually dressed for work. Cowboys coach Tom Landry famously wore a suit before the NFL mandated (in 1993) that coaches wear team-issued clothing.

Famed Nicknames within teams

Walter Iooss Jr./SI

NFL defenses from yesteryear featured some lyrical nicknames, from The Steel Curtain (Steelers) to The Purple People Eaters (Vikings) to Doomsday (Cowboys).

The USFL

Manny Millan/SI, Andy Hayt/SI, Lane Stewart/SI, Chuck Solomon/SI, Ronald C. Modra/SI

The USFL featured free-wheeling offense and plenty of future NFL stars, including (from clockwise left) Reggie White, Steve Young, Jim Kelly and Herschel Walker. It was also home to Doug Flutie (bottom left).

Barefoot kickers

John Iacono/SI, Tony Tomsic/SI

Tony Franklin (left) and Rich Karlis were the NFL's most famed barefoot kickers.

Al Davis...when he was a genius

AP

We swear: Al Davis was once the most respected man in football. His Raiders won 13 division championships, an AFL title, three Super Bowl championships and 15 playoffs appearances in a 19-year stretch.

Jack Buck and Hank Stram calling Monday Night Fooball games

AP, David Maxwell/Getty Images

For nearly 20 years (1978-1995), Buck and Stram entertained and informed millions of football fans as the radio voice of Monday Night Football.

Bear Bryant

AP

For as wealthy and famous as college coaches are today, Bryant (pictured here with Joe Namath before the Orange Bowl, in 1964) remains the stndard-bearer of the profession. The Sporting News recently named him the third greatest coach of all-time behind John Wooden and Vince Lombardi.

The Drop Kick

Al Bello/Getty Images

Patriots quarterback Doug Flutie converted the league's last drop kick in New England's season finale against the Dolphins in 2006. His point-after attempt was the first successful drop kick in 64 years.

Statue of Liberty play

AP

The schoolyard favorite is hardly used in the NFL but was famously pulled off in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl by Boise State, and the magic of quarterback Jared Zabransky and running back Ian Johnson (whose two-point conversion sealed the upset victory).