Your first NFL watching memories

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Bryan
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Your first NFL watching memories

Post by Bryan »

First game that I can remember watching: Cowboys 51 Seahawks 7 on Thanksgiving Day, 1980

First game that I can remember attending in person: Packers 33 Bills 21 in 1982

First NFL play I can remember: Reggie Rucker not catching an endzone pass and falling into the baseball dugout during Raiders 14 Browns 12 1980 playoff
JuggernautJ
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Re: Your first NFL watching memories

Post by JuggernautJ »

I have lots of memories of watching football with my dad when I was a wee lad but not of specific games.

The first game I actually remember is Super Bowl III which I watched at my best friend's house.
He was several years older than me and a die-hard Colts fan. I can still recall the shock and disappointment growing on his face as the game proceeded. I was nine years old.

I wish I could recall the date of the first game I went to...
It would've been a Niners vs Rams game at Kezar stadium but I am unsure of the year (it would've been around the same time so I am thinking 1970 or '71).

I can't say I recall a specific first play I saw/remember but I do know, in general, I (kind of) understood the Green Bay Sweep when I was about six or seven. My dad diagrammed it for me so I could follow what my favorite Packer (Paul Hornung) was doing.
When I got my first football helmet (a plain white Riddell) I made a "5" on the back center of it with electrician's tape in his honor. I think I still have that helmet somewhere in storage...
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JohnR
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Re: Your first NFL watching memories

Post by JohnR »

Super Bowl V. I recall growing impatient with the lack of offensive consistency and checking out at the half. The Rose Bowl a few days earlier was our family's big TV event. (Plunkett to Vataha!)
The first NFL game I attended was the '75 Falcons at Raiders. My sister played in the half time marching band. Game went to OT and Blanda kicked the winner near the end of qtr 5.
nicefellow31
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Re: Your first NFL watching memories

Post by nicefellow31 »

I recall the aftermath of Super Bowl VII with everyone in my household being disappointed that the Redskins lost. I was 5 at the time. Then it disappears and my next memory is the end of Super Bowl IX. Don't remember much about watching the game beside it ending.

Super Bowl X was my 1st watching year. Being a Redskins fan I was rooting hard for the Steelers. Ernie Holmes was my guy but I was doing some Swann leaps in the living room after his acrobatic catch.

Another thing I remember about that one was that there was an NBA game on CBS before the Super Bowl was played that we watched. All these years I thought it was Boston and Phoenix. Looked up the date on Pro Basketball Reference and Boston and Phoenix played games that day (there were only 2 games on the schedule) but not against each other. :lol: :lol:
nicefellow31
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Re: Your first NFL watching memories

Post by nicefellow31 »

nicefellow31 wrote:I recall the aftermath of Super Bowl VII with everyone in my household being disappointed that the Redskins lost. I was 5 at the time. Then it disappears and my next memory is the end of Super Bowl IX. Don't remember much about watching the game beside it ending.

Super Bowl X was my 1st watching year. Being a Redskins fan I was rooting hard for the Steelers. Ernie Holmes was my guy but I was doing some Swann leaps in the living room after his acrobatic catch.

Another thing I remember about that one was that there was an NBA game on CBS before the Super Bowl was played that we watched. All these years I thought it was Boston and Phoenix. Looked up the date on Pro Basketball Reference and Boston and Phoenix played games that day (there were only 2 games on the schedule) but not against each other. :lol: :lol:
First play I recall is Billy Kilmer scoring an overtime TD against the Cowboys in 1975 I think.
SixtiesFan
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Re: Your first NFL watching memories

Post by SixtiesFan »

The first NFL games I remember watching on TV were the 1958 Redskins, who were on TV every week. My favorite player was Eddie Lebaron. I was eight years old. I saw the 1958 Colt-Giant championship game on TV. The Colts lining up for the FG attempt and Steve Myra kicking the game-tying FG has stayed in my memory. It was exciting hearing the announcers say "Sudden Death." The other play that stuck in my mind's eye is the teams lining up, followed by Ameche going in for the winning TD.
Reaser
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Re: Your first NFL watching memories

Post by Reaser »

Likely went to a preseason game before this but first regular season game I know I went to was Dolphins @ Seahawks in 1987. Notable for an obvious reason.

First game I actually remember being at was Bills @ Seahawks in 1989. Had some cool things happen like Largent running in a PAT, John L. Williams having a long TD, Eugene Robinson int sticks out, as does Andre Reed having a long TD reception. Most notable is probably the guy behind me spilling beer on me and I didn't care at all and kept watching the field, then during a timeout while my mom was yelling at the guy I looked back at the exact moment he blacked out while standing and fell face first.

As for on TV, don't remember a "first", I just have memories of always sitting on the floor way too close to the TV, I know if football was on then that's what I was doing and what I watched. Have vague memories of a game starting with Bobby Joe Edmonds back to return so that could be close to a first NFL on TV memory ... and my first SB memory is vague memories of Doug Williams.

Grew up watching a lot of my high school football team's games so that was was a lot of "first" football memories and games I went to, for me.
ehaight
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Re: Your first NFL watching memories

Post by ehaight »

Best guess is a Colts/Bills game on December 5, 1971. I remember seeing a 17-0 score flashed on the screen and the game ended at 24-0 so that was probably it. I was six and watching with my dad. The most memorable thing about it was that I wanted a snack at some point and told my dad I was hungry. He said, "Hungry? Hungry for a win?" He wasn't free and easy with the between-meal snacks like my mom was -- she must have been out of the house -- and I went without. Traumatic enough to my young self that I remember it to this day.
ChrisBabcock
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Re: Your first NFL watching memories

Post by ChrisBabcock »

The first game I remember seeing on TV is opening day 1980 Dolphins @ Bills... The goalposts came down after 0-20 vs. the Dolphins in the 1970s. My most memorable game of that season though would be at the opposite end of the regular season schedule. The finale @ San Francisco and I being fascinated at the quagmire of mud everyone was playing in and by winning the Bills clinched a playoff birth.

The first game I attended was a Chiefs @ Bills game at some point in the mid-80s. I couldn't tell you which one and it may even have been a preseason game.
JohnTurney
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Re: Your first NFL watching memories

Post by JohnTurney »

First game that I can remember watching: Cowboys-Rams Thanksgiving 1971

First game that I attended in person: 1972 Giants at Cowboys

First NFL play I can remember: Lance Alworth TD vs Miam in SB and Bob Lilly's sack of Greise
Last edited by JohnTurney on Wed Feb 05, 2020 12:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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