It’s hard to imagine that Monday Night Football turned forty this year. Besides reaching such a historic landmark, the 40th Anniversary of Monday Night Football has also seen it’s share of sadness, like the recent passing of one it’s first commentator’s, and Cowboys Quarterback, Don Meredith. But overall, the Monday Night Game has become something more than a football game. After 641 games, it’s become a cultural phenomenon utterly American, where records, legends, dreams, and heartache have all taken place. Here’s a look at Monday Night Football’s forty years.
Monday Night Football was the brainchild of NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle in the 1960′s. After conceiving the idea of playing games on Monday nights, Rozelle tested the concept on September 28, 1964 in a non-televised match between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions at Tiger Stadium. At that point it was the largest crowd to ever watch a football game in Detroit with over 59,000 fans. During the next four years Rozelle continued his experiment by airing a prime-time game on CBS in 1966 and 1967, NBC did the same with the AFL. Oddly enough, CBS and NBC didn’t want to take a chance on Monday Night Football, so Rozelle struck a deal with ABC.
The first Monday Night Football game took place on September 21, 1970 at Cleveland Stadium, with the Browns defeating the New York Jets 31-21. The announcers were Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, which remained intact until 1974. During the fist season, on November 16, the Cowboys were shut out by the St. Louis Cardinals 38-0, which prompted the Dallas fans to chant “We want Meredith!” It was also an era when people smoked in the booth, and got drunk, like when Cosell was so hungover on the November 23 game, that he threw up on Meredith’s shoes. There were also celebrity drop-ins, like John Lennon and Ronald Reagan. It’s was a simpler time. A time when men where still men. Of course there was football going on during those first years, like the first tie in Monday Night Football history between the Lions and Packers on November 1, 1971.
The commentator’s for the rest of the decade went as follows:
1974: Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Alex Karras, Fred Williamson
1975: Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Alex Karras
1976: Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Alex Karras
1977: Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Don Meredith
1978: Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Don Meredith
1979: Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, Fran Tarkenton
The 1980′s also saw it’s fair share of great moments. The December 8, 1980 game between the Pats and Dolphins is most remembered for Cosell breaking the news that John Lennon had been murdered. On January 3, 1983, Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett set the NFL longest running play from scrimmage record with a 99 yard touchdown run. Dan Marino made his NFL debut on September 19, 1983. Lawrence Taylor ended Joe Theismann’s career on November 18, 1985. Bo Jackson made his famous debut on November 30, 1987. Tom Landry would coach his final game on October 3, 1988. Art Shell became the first African-American coach in the NFL on October 9, 1989. Perhaps the most important event was during the 1989 season, when Hank Williams, Jr. reworked his 1984 hit “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” as the show’s intro.
The commentating crew for the 1980′s included:
1980: Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, Fran Tarkenton
1981: Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, Fran Tarkenton
1982: Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, Fran Tarkenton
1983: Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, O.J. Simpson
1984: Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, O.J. Simpson
1985: Frank Gifford, O.J. Simpson, Joe Namath
1986: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford
1987: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
1988: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
1989: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
The 90′s continued to see Monday Night Football as more than a weekly sporting event, it cemented itself in American pop culture, but still most importantly, football came first. The November 12, 1990 game between the Eagles and Redskins is known as the “Body Bag Game,” after Buddy Ryan promised a beating so brutal for the Skins that players would have to be hauled off in body bags. November 25, 1991 was the last game in L.A. for the Rams. The 100th anniversary of a nighttime game occurred on September 28, 1992 at Arrowhead Stadium when the L.A. Raiders visited the Chiefs. The last game of the 1993 season, on January 3, ended dramatically between the Eagles and 49ers. The game was tied, Philly missed the game-winning field goal, but a penalty against San Fran allowed the Eagles a re-kick, which was good. On September 5, 1994, Jerry Rice broke Jim Brown’s touchdown record. Steve Young suffered a career-ending concussion on September 27, 1999.
The 1990′s commentators included:
1990: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
1991: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
1992: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
1993: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
1994: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
Sideline: Lynn Swann
1995: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
Sideline: Lynn Swann
1996: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
Sideline: Lynn Swann
1997: Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf
Sideline: Lynn Swann
1998: Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason
Sideline: Lesley Visser
1999: Al Michaels, Boomer Esiason
Sideline: Lesley Visser
The 2000′s not only brought in a new decade, and century, but major changes to Monday Night Football. October 23, 2000 was the “Monday Night Miracle,” when Vinny Testaverde and the Jets scored 30 points to come back against the Dolphins, which lead the Jets to an overtime victory. November 11, 2002, in a division battle between the Raiders and Broncos, was the 500th Monday Night game. The 2003 season saw two remarkable comebacks. The first was on September 15, when the Cowboys beat the Giants, and the second was on October 6 with the Colts topping the Bucs. The 2005 season was the last for Monday Night Football on ABC. During this season, Seattle beat Philly 42-0 on December 5, which tied the largest victory on MNF, but was beaten two weeks later, with the Ravens pounding on Green Bay 48-3. 2006 was the first season of Monday Night Football on ESPN. The unquestionable highlight of the inaugural season was on September 25, with the Saints emotional return to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. September 8, 2008 was the beginning of the Aaron Rogers era for Green Bay.
The commentator’s for the 2000′s:
2000: Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller
Sideline: Eric Dickerson, Melissa Stark
2001: Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller
Sideline: Eric Dickerson, Melissa Stark
2002: Al Michaels, John Madden
Sideline: Melissa Stark
2003: Al Michaels, John Madden
Sideline: Lisa Guerrero
2004: Al Michaels, John Madden
Sideline: Lisa Guerrero
2005: Al Michaels, John Madden
Sideline: Michele Tafoya
2006: Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann, Tony Kornheiser
Sideline: Suzy Kolber, Michele Tafoya
2007: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser
Sideline: Suzy Kolber, Michele Tafoya
2008: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser
Sideline: Suzy Kolber, Michele Tafoya
2009: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden
Sideline: Suzy Kolber, Michele Tafoya 2010: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden
Sideline: Suzy Kolber, Michele Tafoya
Albert Costill
Latest posts by Albert Costill (see all)
- Finally! Home Brewing Will Be Allowed in All 50 States - May 16, 2013
- The 10 Most Impressive Players Remaining in the 2013 NBA Playoffs - May 15, 2013
- The 10 Sexiest Female Video Game Characters of All Time - May 14, 2013
Subscribe to SoJones RSS feed