The Play: 37 Years Later
November 20, 1982.
One of the greatest finishes in college football history.
A great day for Cal fans. A not so great day for Stanford fans.
Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of California Berkley hosted a sold-out crowd of 75,000 plus fans. The 85th installment of the Big Game between the Cal Golden Bears and the Stanford Cardinal ended in the most unthinkable way.
Cal led Stanford 19–17, with 53 seconds left in the game. The Cardinal had the ball on their own 13-yard line on a 4th and 17. Future NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback, John Elway, lead the comeback, as he delivered a completion to a Stanford Receiver.
The reception put Stanford at their own 42-yard line. A few plays later, Elway pitched the ball to Stanford Running Back Mike Dotterer, which brought the ball up to Cal’s 18-yard line. Stanford called a timeout with eight seconds left.
Stanford Kicker Mark Harmon delivered a 35-yard field goal to give Stanford a 20–19 edge over the Golden Bears with 4 seconds left in the game.
Cal radio play by play broadcaster, Joe Starkey, also thought the game was over.
“Only a miracle could save the Bears as Stanford piles out on the field,” Starkey said.
After the made 35-yard field goal by Harmon, the referees tacked on a 15-yard penalty against Stanford for unsportsmanlike conduct. It was pandemonium as a mix of cheers from Stanford fans, mixed with boos from Cal fans echoed throughout Memorial Stadium.
The penalty would result in Stanford kicking from their own 25-yard line, instead of the 40-yard line. This was key in making the miracle a reality.
Mark Harmon would deliver a squib kick to Cal’s Kevin Moen at the 45-yard line. The play resulted in five laterals before Moen would get the ball back in the end, and run 25 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
Five laterals are an impressive feat of its own, while avoiding all of the Cardinal defenders. There was another obstacle in the way of Moen reaching the end zone…the STANFORD BAND.
Stanford’s band members were on the field getting ready for the post-game festivities. Stanford band member and trombonist, Gary Tyrrell, had no clue what was going on.
“We were down on the field already for our postgame concert,” Tyrell said. “I didn’t see the kickoff. I saw this Cal football player (Kevin Moen) running through the end zone and next thing I knew I was down.”
Tyrrell refers to the famous shot of Moen leaping up in the air in the end zone right before he runs over a Stanford band member. That band member was Tyrrell himself.
Although not seen in the footage itself, there were 11 illegal players on the field from the benches of the teams. The Stanford Axe Committee were celebrating on the field with the Axe in the Committeemen’s hands; they were waving it in front of the Cal section. In the video, you could see two cheerleaders running off the field near the 17-yard line as Moen moves toward the end zone.
As the play happened, flags were thrown all over the field. There was some confusion about what just happened. About 30 seconds passed after Moen scores the touchdown, and the referees confirmed the score.
The touchdown counted. Cal beats Stanford 25–20.
Back in 1982, not every single college football game was on television, and this was one of them. Joe Starkey’s call was pulled from the radio side to match the highlight of the play, which is who many hear when they see “the play.”
Barry Tompkins, who was the play by play broadcaster for the Cal highlight show, and Pete Libengood, who was the Stanford play by play broadcaster were at the game and did a live recording.
Tompkins and Libengood’s broadcast would be re-aired for their respective Cal and Stanford networks the next day. Tompkins explained how these broadcasts worked in those days.
“Those broadcasts were edited down to the point that throughout the TV broadcast you’d hear things like, due to time constraints, we move ahead to action further in the game,” Tompkins said through email. “They had to fit, I believe, a two-hour hole.”
I asked Tompkins what was going on through his mind as the play unfolded. I also asked why he said in a previous article, that it was one of a few calls he wanted back.
“I did say — and still believe — it was one of a couple of calls during my career that I’d like to have back,” Tompkins said through email. “The reason was that I saw the penalty flag fall and I was sure that it was thrown because one of the players' knees hit the ground somewhere in the middle of that series of laterals.
“I was always taught that if you see a flag, you don’t get overly excited until you know what the flag is all about,” Tompkins continued. “So, when it was called a touchdown, I deferred to, “It’s called a touchdown, but there’s a flag…. let’s see what the flag is all about….the officials are huddling…. let’s wait…..TOUCHDOWN!!!!””
Tompkins was not sure about what was going to be called by the officials, just like many people in attendance or those tuning in on the radio. Tompkins did say that he liked one thing about his call. Before the kickoff by Mark Harmon Tompkins foreshadowed the five laterals that ensued.
“We’re going to be seeing a little rugby here,” Tompkins said.
It was not only a wild day for the teams on the field. It was also a wild one for the fans in attendance, those tuning in, and those behind the scenes.
Joe Starkey said it best himself.
“The most amazing, sensational, traumatic, heart-rending… exciting thrilling finish in the history of college football,” Starkey said.
