The Rusty Trombone

One of the most famous plays in the history of football occured during a college football game between the University of California Golden Bears and the Stanford University Cardinal on November 20, 1982.

With the Golden Bears losing 20-19 with 4 seconds left, upon receiving a kick-off, they used five lateral passes to score a touchdown to make the final score 25-20.

What is most memorable is that the play looks to be almost dead so the Stanford University band runs on the field for the celebrations. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears are rushing down field trying to score a touchdown. The final lateral occured on the Stanford 26 yard line as Mariet Ford blindly threw behind him to Kevin Moen. Moen then charged through the entire Stanford band finally ending with a touchdown as he crashed into trombone player Gary Tyrell knocking him flying.

Here is the play, my favourite part is when the announcer Joe Starkey who is doing the play-by-play on TV first realizes that as the play is going on, that the band is on the field and he hoarsely screams, "the BAND is on the field!".



The quarterback for the losing squad was future hall-of-famer John Elway. The following quotes have been attributed to him regarding that game.

• "I don't think that a touchdown can be scored when you've got a whole band on the field. Now if he runs through three trombone guys, a tuba player, and two drum players, and dodges... and then runs right over a trombone player at the goal line and they call it a touchdown then, yeah, I think that that probably shouldn't have been called."

• "This was an insult to college football... it was just a farce. They [the officials] didn't have control of the whole game. They ruined my last game as a college football player. I don't believe they can take something away like that. I don't believe they can take something like that away from this program. Something has to be done about the referees.. There's no doubt in my mind. It's all right to make a mistake, but somebody should be man enough to stand up and admit it. It was a very bittersweet ending. I did not want it to end this way. It's something I'll have to live with the rest of my life."

This game probably cost Elway the Heisman trophy as it ended up going to Georgia running back Herschel Walker.

The trombone player that Moen knocked into to score the touchdown has also been using his noteriety to stay in the news. Gary Tyrell, has his own microbrewery called Trombone Guy Pale Ale. He was recently interviewed in the LA Times as the 24 year anniversay of "The Play" is next week. In the interview he talks about his "fame", the fact that he no longer plays the trombone and that he still remains a Stanford football season-ticket holder.

Top 5 Football Movies

1. Remember The Titans

2. Any Given Sunday

3. North Dallas Forty

4. The Longest Yard (1972)

5. Jerry Maguire