1982: Patriots Beat Dolphins in “Snowplow Game”

It was a snowy day in Foxboro, Massachusetts on December 12, 1982 as the New England Patriots hosted the Miami Dolphins. Temperatures were in the 20s with the wind gusting up to 30 mph. The artificial surface was frozen, having been soaked by rain the previous day, and now a heavy snow was falling. Snowplows and sweepers were busily employed at clearing the field during the pregame warmups and beyond.

The Patriots had a 2-3 record thus far in the season that was interrupted by a 57-day players’ strike, which was as many wins as the team had compiled in going 2-14 in ‘81. The roster had been significantly overturned upon the arrival of new Head Coach Ron Meyer. QB Steve Grogan had reclaimed his starting job from Matt Cavanaugh while 30-year-old FB Mark Van Eeghen, formerly of the Raiders, joined a good group of running backs that included FB Mosi Tatupu and HB Tony Collins. Veteran PK John Smith was just returning after missing all of the season thus far due to a knee injury.

Miami, in its thirteenth season under Head Coach Don Shula, was at 4-1. The ground-oriented offense was directed by QB David Woodley and included FB Andra Franklin and HB Tony Nathan. The 3-4 defense was tough up front with ends Doug Betters and Kim Bokamper and NT Bob Baumhower. Backing them up were linebackers A.J. Duhe, Bob Brudzinski, and Larry Gordon.

Only 25,716 fans were in attendance at Schaefer Stadium, the smallest regular season turnout in the stadium’s history going back to 1971. The teams exchanged punts throughout the first quarter. Late in the opening period, the Patriots took possession at their 20 and mounted a long 19-play drive that extended into the second quarter. Mark van Eeghen carried twice for four yards, Steve Grogan converted third-and-six with a pass to TE Lin Dawson for seven yards, and van Eeghen ran three more times for 13 yards before Mosi Tatupu carried eight consecutive times, picking up 27 yards. But the last of those carries came on third-and-goal at the Miami one and Tatupu was stopped for no gain. John Smith came in to try for an 18-yard field goal, but the kick was partially blocked and missed the mark.

The Dolphins responded with a long drive of their own. Andra Franklin (pictured at right) started off with 20 yards on two carries and David Woodley threw to TE Bruce Hardy for 12 more yards to the New England 48. Franklin and Tony Nathan ran the ball to pick up another first down and Woodley took off for 14 yards. But after Nathan gained six yards to the 18, Franklin lost a yard and Woodley was sacked by LB Clayton Weishuhn for a loss of 12 yards. Miami had to punt with 19 seconds remaining in the first half and the game remained scoreless at the intermission.

The snow was still falling steadily as the clubs traded punts during the third quarter. The Dolphins again advanced into New England territory as Woodley completed two short passes and Nathan, Franklin, and HB Tommy Vigorito ran effectively. But after getting a first down at the 28, Woodley’s next three throws fell incomplete and Uwe von Schamann’s 45-yard try for a field goal was blocked and rolled into the end zone.

The Patriots had the ball as the period ended and, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Grogan’s pass was intercepted by CB Gerald Small at the Miami 30, and he returned it 21 yards to the New England 49. The Dolphins were able to reach the 34 before punting.

Taking possession at their own seven, the Patriots drove 77 yards in 11 plays. Van Eeghen carried for the first four and gained 25 yards. Tatupu took his place and immediately ran for 15 yards off tackle, followed by a burst through the middle in which he shook off two tackles and picked up 26 yards to the Miami 28. Three more carries by Tatupu gained 13 yards and Tony Collins then ran for two. But Collins fumbled the next handoff, and while he recovered, the play lost three yards and created a fourth-and-ten situation.

The Patriots called timeout and Coach Meyer waved one of the tractor-driven snowplows, which had been periodically used to clear the yard stripes, onto the field. Mark Henderson, a prisoner on work release who was its driver, cleared an arc that included the area from where the kick would occur (pictured at top). While some observers stated afterward that the plowing was of little consequence, whether or not that was the case Smith kicked a 33-yard field goal to finally break the scoreless tie.

There was still 4:33 to go as Miami came on offense after the ensuing kickoff. Woodley immediately passed to WR Duriel Harris for 17 yards to the New England 48 and then connected with TE Joe Rose for four. Woodley picked up five yards on a quarterback draw and, on third-and-one, Franklin hit the line but a measurement showed he was inches short of a first down. Nathan dove for two yards to keep the series alive and a sideline pass by Woodley to Harris was complete for 16 yards to the 20. Franklin ran for a yard, Woodley threw an incomplete pass, and then on third-and-nine Woodley went to the air again and was intercepted by LB Don Blackmon.

There were just 30 seconds remaining but the Dolphins used all three of their timeouts while Van Eeghen ran three times and the Patriots punted. There was only time for one long pass by Woodley from midfield, and it was picked off near the goal line by SS Roland James to end the game. The Patriots, thanks to the controversial field goal, came away winners by a final score of 3-0.

In the slippery conditions, Miami had the edge in total yards (235 to 212) and first downs (16 to 13). 199 of New England’s yards came on the ground, to 176 for the Dolphins. The Patriots went to the air just five times and gained 13 net passing yards to Miami’s 59. The Dolphins turned the ball over twice, to one suffered by New England.

Mark van Eeghen (pictured at left) rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries (his only hundred-yard performance in two seasons with New England) and Mosi Tatupu contributed 81 yards on his 13 attempts. Steve Grogan completed two of five passes for 13 yards and gave up one interception. Both completions were to Lin Dawson.

For the Dolphins, David Woodley was successful on 9 of 18 throws for 76 yards and tossed the two late interceptions. Andra Franklin gained 107 yards on 23 carries and Tony Nathan added 29 on 10 attempts in addition to two catches for 14 yards. Two other Miami receivers caught two passes apiece, with Duriel Harris gaining a team-leading 33 yards on his. 

“I did wave the guy on the field,” admitted Ron Meyer regarding the tractor affixed with a plow and power brush that cleared the space for the winning field goal. “I would have waved the guy on the field for the Dolphins in a similar situation. It was just something that happened. The main thing is that we kicked the field goal and earned a great and very gratifying win for the Patriots.”

“The officials shouldn’t have let it happen,” said Miami’s Don Shula, who had a less charitable view of the snowplow incident. “The official nearest me said he didn’t see the guy come out before it was too late.”

“Game officials have no control over the removal of the snow done by a maintenance man with a power brush on the plow,” explained referee Bob Frederic (a situation that would be addressed in the offseason).

“The Dolphins players weren’t happy,” said Henderson, the snow plow operator, who became something of a minor celebrity. “They called me an (expletive), but maybe that was because I sprayed them with snow… It wasn’t intentional.”

The Patriots went on to win two of their remaining three games to finish with a 5-4 record that, in the revamped division-less format that the NFL implemented due to the strike, placed seventh in the AFC and qualified them for a spot in the resulting postseason tournament. They faced Miami, who finished second with a 7-2 tally, and the Dolphins gained a measure of revenge by winning 28-13. The Dolphins continued on to the Super Bowl, where they fell to the Washington Redskins.

The NFL banned the use of snowplows on the field the next year, but the John Deere tractor which was used to clear the spot for Smith’s field goal remains on display at the Patriots Hall of Fame.

1977: Raiders Score 2 TDs in 4th Quarter to Overcome Todd & Jets

The Oakland Raiders, defending NFL Champions, were heavy favorites as they faced the New York Jets on October 23, 1977. Head Coach John Madden’s team was 4-1 and coming off a loss the previous week to the upstart Denver Broncos. QB Ken “The Snake” Stabler (pictured at right) gave up seven interceptions against the Broncos, but was still a highly capable passer while FB Mark van Eeghen led the ground attack, and the line was very much a strong point. The aggressive defense was showing some age in spots but remained a tough unit.

New York, meanwhile, was 2-3 under new Head Coach Walt Michaels and in the process of rebuilding. Gone was star QB Joe Namath, and in his place was another quarterback out of Alabama, Richard Todd. The team’s 1976 first draft choice was showing potential, but had tossed only three touchdown passes thus far. Another player displaying potential was swift rookie WR Wesley Walker, who could make big plays but also had many drops in the early going.

There were 56,734 fans in attendance on a sunny afternoon at Shea Stadium. The Raiders took the opening kickoff and drove 72 yards in 12 plays. Mark van Eeghen ran the ball seven times for 48 yards, with a 19-yard carry setting up his three-yard touchdown run. Errol Mann kicked the extra point to give the visitors the early 7-0 lead.

The Jets responded with a six-play, 73-yard possession. Richard Todd completed three passes to TE Jerome Barkum, the second for 39 yards to the Oakland 22 and the last for an 18-yard TD. Pat Leahy converted to tie the score.

Oakland came back with a long scoring drive of 76 yards in 13 plays. Ken Stabler completed a pass to TE Dave Casper for 13 yards in a third-and-12 situation and connected with Casper again for a 19-yard touchdown. Mann’s kick gave the Raiders a 14-7 lead.

The Jets then struck quickly in return. On the second play after the kickoff, and following a holding penalty that backed them up to their 13 yard line, Todd fired long down the right sideline for Wesley Walker (pictured at left), who beat CB Skip Thomas to make the catch and went the distance for an 87-yard TD. However, Leahy missed the extra point and Oakland was still ahead by 14-13 at the end of the eventful opening period.

Following a quarter of unstoppable offense, the teams traded punts to start the second quarter. Midway through the period, the Jets again moved rapidly to put points on the board. On first down, Todd again went long for Walker and it was complete for a 52-yard gain to the Oakland 22. FB Clark Gaines picked up eight yards on a draw play and then Todd passed to WR Rich Caster coming across the middle for a 14-yard TD. This time Leahy made good on the PAT and New York held a 20-14 lead.

On the next series, the Jets got the ball back when Stabler, pressured by DE Lawrence Pillers, threw a pass that was intercepted by LB John Ebersole. But two plays later, Todd was picked off by CB Neal Colzie. The visitors went three-and-out on the resulting possession and punted, and, taking over with 1:41 left in the first half, the Jets advanced 58 yards in eight plays to extend their lead. Todd completed four straight passes at one point, the first to Walker for 21 yards, and he finished off the drive with a throw to Gaines in the middle of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown. Leahy converted and New York had a 27-14 halftime margin.

The third quarter started with turnovers as Todd fumbled the ball away while attempting to pass, Casper coughed up the football after making a catch, and Colzie intercepted a throw from Todd. The last gave the Raiders the ball at their own five yard line, and unable to move on offense, they punted and the Jets had good starting field position at the Oakland 43. Two carries by HB Kevin Long and a screen pass to Gaines advanced the ball to the 20, but the drive stalled and Leahy was wide on a 32-yard field goal attempt.

In a series that extended into the fourth quarter, the Raiders drove 80 yards in 11 plays. Stabler completed five passes, including one to Casper that gained 18 yards in a second-and-11 situation, and the drive was capped by a throw to WR Fred Biletnikoff for a seven-yard touchdown. Mann added the extra point and New York’s lead was cut to six.

The Jets had to punt after a short series but retained possession due to a penalty on the Raiders. Todd threw to Caster for a 58-yard gain to the Oakland 10, but the Raiders held and Leahy missed another field goal try, this time from 26 yards.

On the ensuing series, Stabler threw to WR Mike Siani for gains of 29 and eight yards to reach the New York 43, and following a short carry by van Eeghen, “The Snake” connected with Casper for 15 yards. Two more runs by van Eeghen picked up eight yards before Stabler found Siani in the left corner of the end zone for a 24-yard TD. Mann’s conversion put the Raiders in front by a point.

Pinned deep in their territory following the kickoff, the Jets couldn’t get beyond their 14 and had to punt. Oakland took possession at the New York 44 with 6:11 left and never relinquished it. van Eeghen and HB Clarence Davis chipped away and reached the 11, from where Mann attempted a 27-yard field goal that missed to the right. However, the Jets were penalized for running into the kicker and that clinched it. The Raiders won by a final score of 28-27.

The game was reminiscent of the old shootouts so common when the teams were in the AFL. The Jets had the edge in total yards (442 to 423), although Oakland was more balanced with 213 net passing yards and 210 on the ground, while the Raiders had the lead in first downs (29 to 17). New York turned the ball over three times, to two by Oakland, but ultimately the game came down to Pat Leahy’s missed extra point and two errant field goals.

Mark van Eeghen (pictured at right) had a big rushing performance, gaining 143 yards on 36 carries that included a touchdown. Ken Stabler completed 19 of 26 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, two of them in the fourth quarter, and gave up one interception. Dave Casper had 7 catches for 92 yards and a TD and Mike Siani contributed 86 yards on his five receptions that also included a score.

For the Jets, Richard Todd had a big performance as he hit on 17 of 29 throws for 396 yards and four touchdowns while being picked off twice. Wesley Walker caught four of those passes for 178 yards and a TD, Jerome Barkum added another 94 yards on four receptions that included a score, and Rich Caster pulled in three catches for 82 yards and another TD. Clark Gaines had 5 pass receptions for 38 yards and a TD and also led the club with 9 carries for 35 yards on the ground.

“We all knew what we had to do,” said Ken Stabler regarding the Oakland comeback. “We were 13 points down but we knew we had plenty of time. We kept our poise.”

The Raiders went on to win their next three games on the way to an 11-3 record, although for the first time in six years they failed to finish first in the AFC West. They were second to the Broncos, but qualified for the playoffs as a Wild Card and reached the conference title game before falling to Denver. New York continued to struggle and won only one more contest the rest of the way to end up fourth in the AFC East at 3-11.

Ken Stabler passed for 2176 yards and his 20 touchdowns ranked second in the NFL, although he also gave up 20 interceptions. He was chosen to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time. Mark van Eeghen led the AFC with a career-high 1273 yards on 324 carries (3.9 avg.).

Richard Todd (pictured at left), who missed three games due to injury, had a respectable season with 1863 passing yards and 11 touchdowns while being intercepted 17 times. Wesley Walker had 35 catches for 740 yards and three TDs, and his 21.1 yards per reception led the NFL.