Professional Football Researchers Association Forum
PFRA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the history of professional football. Formed in 1979, PFRA members include many of the game's foremost historians and writers.
BD Sullivan wrote:1975: The Mel Gray non-catch against the Redskins to help the Cardinals win in OT.
That's always the first one that pops into my mind.
Speaking of missing the playoffs, that call against the Redskins caused them to miss the playoffs, IMO. Washington lost the final game of the 1975 season against Philadelphia, which was meaningless as a result of the loss against the Cards. The Redskins win the Cardinals game, as they should have, and the Philadelphia game would have been for the division title, and I am sure that George Allen would have had the Skins up for it, and I believe that they would have won it and the division with a 10 and 4 record.
Thanks Guys! All great responses! Playing the "if" game, if the refs did not penalize Sugar Bear Hamilton in 1976, the Oakland Raiders are not crowned Super Bowl XI Champions. Anyone agree with me?
I will include the pass interference called on Benny Barnes over Lynn Swann in Super Bowl XIII. Even Pete Rozelle siad afterwards that it was a bad call by field judge Fred Swearingen.
Joe Zagorski wrote:Thanks Guys! All great responses! Playing the "if" game, if the refs did not penalize Sugar Bear Hamilton in 1976, the Oakland Raiders are not crowned Super Bowl XI Champions. Anyone agree with me?
Teo wrote:I will include the pass interference called on Benny Barnes over Lynn Swann in Super Bowl XIII. Even Pete Rozelle siad afterwards that it was a bad call by field judge Fred Swearingen.
Don't forget, Pete Rozelle was close friends with Dallas GM Tex Schramm. Both stood up for the other at their weddings and they worked together with the Rams before Rozelle became commissioner.
Teo wrote:I will include the pass interference called on Benny Barnes over Lynn Swann in Super Bowl XIII. Even Pete Rozelle siad afterwards that it was a bad call by field judge Fred Swearingen.
Don't forget, Pete Rozelle was close friends with Dallas GM Tex Schramm. Both stood up for the other at their weddings and they worked together with the Rams before Rozelle became commissioner.
I think Tex hired him while with the Rams, which got Pete's foot in the NFL door.
Joe Zagorski wrote:Thanks Guys! All great responses! Playing the "if" game, if the refs did not penalize Sugar Bear Hamilton in 1976, the Oakland Raiders are not crowned Super Bowl XI Champions. Anyone agree with me?
Joe Zagorski
Of course, a quarter century later, the Pats got revenge with the Tuck Rule.
I don't know how many of these calls are really "controversial"...more liked "botched". The Renfro call was just a bad call, much like the Rob Lytle non-fumble. At least the Mel Gray TD call has a gray area (pun)...the ball WAS in his hands at some point during the play. Same with the Billy Ray Smith call in Super Bowl V...you can't say definitively that he DIDN'T recover the fumble.
I never understood the controversy with the Sugar Bear Hamilton call. He hit Stabler in the head. I thought the more damning call/non-call was the 3rd down on the Pats previous possession...Grogan rolls right and throws to Russ Francis for the first down, but Phil Villapiano puts a bearhug on Francis before the ball reaches him. An official is looking right at this a mere 5 yards away, yet no flag is thrown. New England has to punt, and the Raiders drive for the winning TD aided by the Hamilton penalty.
I think the Benny Barnes call has been overhyped. You can tell whats going on...Bradshaw throws the ball early, Swann is trying to get to the ball. Barnes is in front of Swann but doesn't know where the ball is, so he slows down in an attempt to cut off Swann while he can locate the ball. Swann has to cut to the middle of the field to get the ball and trips over Barnes' legs. Should it have been a penalty? Probably not, but I can understand why the ref threw the flag. Cowboys try to spin it as if Barnes had perfect coverage on Swann, and it was Swann who actually tripped Barnes. Barnes had no idea what was going on. Then, after the penalty, the Cowboys had the Steelers in a 3rd-and-9 from the Dallas 22, yet listening to the Cowboys you would have thought the ball was placed on the 1-yard line after the Barnes penalty.
Bryan wrote:
I never understood the controversy with the Sugar Bear Hamilton call. He hit Stabler in the head. I thought the more damning call/non-call was the 3rd down on the Pats previous possession...Grogan rolls right and throws to Russ Francis for the first down, but Phil Villapiano puts a bearhug on Francis before the ball reaches him. An official is looking right at this a mere 5 yards away, yet no flag is thrown. New England has to punt, and the Raiders drive for the winning TD aided by the Hamilton penalty.
A hit to the head wasn't against the rules in 1976. In any event, replays show that Stabler avoided the hit; Hamilton barely grazed him.
