Cal-Stanford, "The Play"
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The Play refers to a last-second kickoff return during a college football game between the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University on November 20, 1982. Given the circumstances and rivalry, the wild game that preceded it, the bizarre and heavily disputed way in which The Play unfolded, and its lingering aftermath on players and fans, it is often recognized as the most memorable play in college football and among the most memorable in all of American sports.
With Cal leading 19-17 late in the fourth quarter, quarterback John Elway and the Cardinal overcame a 4th-and-17 on their own 13-yard line with a 29-yard completion, then managed to get the ball within field goal range for placekicker Mark Harmon. Elway called a timeout with eight seconds left on the clock. Had Elway realized there was plenty of time to call a timeout and let the clock run down to about 3 seconds, a kickoff following a successful field goal may have never been necessary (the field-goal play would have used up the remaining time); some sources do point out that Elway saw the time left on the clock and immediately realized his mistake (leaving too much time on the clock). Regardless, Harmon's 35-yard kick was good, putting Stanford ahead 20-19, but the team's celebrations drew a 15-yard penalty, enforced on the ensuing kickoff. At that point, Cal announcer Joe Starkey praised Stanford and Elway for their efforts, and added, "Only a miracle can save the Bears now!"
With four seconds left, Stanford special teams coach Fred von Appen called for a squib kick on the kickoff. In the meantime, Cal coach Joe Kapp may have told his players to try and get out of bounds to set up a last second Hail Mary, but the players on the field decided to go for the win. What happened next became arguably the most debated and most dissected single play in college football history.
- Harmon squibbed the kick and Cal's Kevin Moen received the ball inside the Cal 45 near the left hash mark. After some ineffective scrambling, Moen lateraled the ball leftward to Richard Rodgers.
- Rodgers was very quickly surrounded, gaining only one yard before looking behind him for Dwight Garner, who caught the ball around the Cal 45.
- Garner ran straight ahead for five yards, but was swallowed up by five Stanford players. While Garner was being tackled, however, he managed to pitch the ball back to Rodgers.
- Rodgers dodged another Stanford player and took the ball to his right, toward the middle of the field, where at least four other Cal players were ready for the next pitch. Around the Stanford 45, Rodgers pitched the ball to Mariet Ford, who caught it in stride.
- Ford avoided a Stanford player and sprinted up the field while moving to the right of the right hash mark. Around the Stanford 25, three Stanford players smothered Ford, but he threw a blind lateral over his right shoulder.
- Moen caught it and charged toward the end zone. One Stanford player missed him, and another could not catch him from behind. Moen ran through the scattering Stanford Band members, who were pouring onto the field because they had thought that the game was over, for the touchdown, which he famously completed by running into unaware trombone player Gary Tyrrell.
The Cal players celebrated wildly—but the officials had not signaled the touchdown. Stanford coach Paul Wiggin and his players argued to the officials that Dwight Garner's knee had been down, rendering what had happened during the rest of the play moot. But after a few minutes, the touchdown was signaled by referee Charles Moffett and a penalty was called on Stanford for having too many players on the field, which was presumably declined by Cal.
