Wichita State vs Arkansas (1970); Rams-Saints (2011)
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I have two.
1) October 24, 1970. It was between unranked Wichita State University and #9 nationally-ranked Arkansas. It was the first game to be played after the Oct 2 airplane crash that claimed the lives of 32 WSU players, coaches, and boosters. It was also the first college football game in the country to be played with freshmen players as starters. Back in the day, colleges had two teams... a varsity team and a freshman team and freshmen did NOT play with the big boys. But after the two airplane crashes (Marshall and Wichita State) in 1970 that occurred within weeks of each other where both schools lost their starters because they died in the crashes, the NCAA changed the rules to allow freshmen to play varsity ball... essentially eliminating the need for a freshman team in the years that followed. I was a WSU cheerleader at the time and made the long trip from Wichita to Little Rock in a bus caravan of hundreds of family, students, boosters, and WSU football fans. It's hard to describe how we felt. We knew we didn't have a prayer at winning, but we all knew we had to play on. The football team had voted to continue the season rather than cancel their remaining games. John Hoheisel, a linebacker who had survived the crash, led the team onto the field and hobbled to the center of the field on crutches for the coin toss. The stadium was packed with about 40,000 people who gave the team a standing ovation when they came out of the tunnel. There was lots of tv and national media coverage of the game, just as there had been ever since the crash occurred. WSU's freshman quarterback, Tom Owen, did his best to guide the team, now comprised of freshmen and second-teamers. WSU was never a football powerhouse anyhow and Arkansas absolutely crushed them 62-0, even though they played most of the game with their scrubs. Even so, at the end of the game , Arkansas players rushed onto the field to hug their WSU counterparts as the fans gave them another standing ovation. The football program struggled for years after the plane crash and and in the mid 1980's, it was finally dropped.. never to return.
2) October 30, 2011. When the St Louis Rams who were 0-6 beat the New Orleans Saints who were 5-2. This was the game that was played 2 days after the St Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers in 7 games to win the World Series. The city was still giddy and joyous, the Cardinals baseball players and coaching staff were partying in the Dome with their World Series trophy and there was an energy in the air which I've never felt before or since. Nobody expected the Rams to beat the Saints and it was a spectacular upset. I'm pretty sure we were literally walking on air after that game and there wasn't a WHO DAT chant to be heard as their fans filed out. We only won one more game that year, but THAT particular game... I'll always remember.
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2019 07:22PM by MamaRAMa.
1) October 24, 1970. It was between unranked Wichita State University and #9 nationally-ranked Arkansas. It was the first game to be played after the Oct 2 airplane crash that claimed the lives of 32 WSU players, coaches, and boosters. It was also the first college football game in the country to be played with freshmen players as starters. Back in the day, colleges had two teams... a varsity team and a freshman team and freshmen did NOT play with the big boys. But after the two airplane crashes (Marshall and Wichita State) in 1970 that occurred within weeks of each other where both schools lost their starters because they died in the crashes, the NCAA changed the rules to allow freshmen to play varsity ball... essentially eliminating the need for a freshman team in the years that followed. I was a WSU cheerleader at the time and made the long trip from Wichita to Little Rock in a bus caravan of hundreds of family, students, boosters, and WSU football fans. It's hard to describe how we felt. We knew we didn't have a prayer at winning, but we all knew we had to play on. The football team had voted to continue the season rather than cancel their remaining games. John Hoheisel, a linebacker who had survived the crash, led the team onto the field and hobbled to the center of the field on crutches for the coin toss. The stadium was packed with about 40,000 people who gave the team a standing ovation when they came out of the tunnel. There was lots of tv and national media coverage of the game, just as there had been ever since the crash occurred. WSU's freshman quarterback, Tom Owen, did his best to guide the team, now comprised of freshmen and second-teamers. WSU was never a football powerhouse anyhow and Arkansas absolutely crushed them 62-0, even though they played most of the game with their scrubs. Even so, at the end of the game , Arkansas players rushed onto the field to hug their WSU counterparts as the fans gave them another standing ovation. The football program struggled for years after the plane crash and and in the mid 1980's, it was finally dropped.. never to return.
2) October 30, 2011. When the St Louis Rams who were 0-6 beat the New Orleans Saints who were 5-2. This was the game that was played 2 days after the St Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers in 7 games to win the World Series. The city was still giddy and joyous, the Cardinals baseball players and coaching staff were partying in the Dome with their World Series trophy and there was an energy in the air which I've never felt before or since. Nobody expected the Rams to beat the Saints and it was a spectacular upset. I'm pretty sure we were literally walking on air after that game and there wasn't a WHO DAT chant to be heard as their fans filed out. We only won one more game that year, but THAT particular game... I'll always remember.
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2019 07:22PM by MamaRAMa.
