1982 Cal vs Stanford

[@80svideoluvr]

"The band is out on the field!" Still my favorite college football moment of ALL TIME.

[@bvalenz]

Happened @ the moment Ford threw the last blind lateral that took out 3 defenders

[@wifi-YT]

@@bvalenz Except the last “lateral” was actually an illegal forward pass. The video, run in slow mo, makes that very clear and indisputable.

[@epicgamerrr263]

Nothing from the CFP era rivals it. All the CFP era has is Milroe stopped and one yard short

[@SodaAnt7]

In my four years at Cal, I only saw one game in person, and it was this one.

[@ggaccentc]

""THE BEARS HAVE WON!!" Hahahha that brought a tear to my eye.

[@Xo_miss_vee]

I'm in a puddle of tears.

[@BeerMe150]

31 years later to the date, still the best play ever. Its ridiculous, but amazing. It never gets old.

[@alphadrewaz88]

THE BAND IS ON THE FIELD!!!! Iconic, and timeless.

[@AltoonaYourPiano]

One thing that doesn't often go mentioned is that Joe Starkey is such a great announcer that he manages to sound excited for Stanford when they're driving and took the lead with the field goal, the events leading up to The Play.

[@stephaniegormley9982]

Correct. He was a "Cal homer" type announcer but it wasn't at the expense of the other team's dignity. All the great ones are like that. Jack Buck, Bill King, Ernie Harwell. Chuck Thompson.

[@tylerschroeder3722]

Wow.. I was born in 1987 so I was 5 away from being a twinkle in my dad's eye but this video puts the entire game into perspective. I grew up in the Bay Area and I'm a huge Bay Area sports fan both Cal and Stanford... I've heard and seen the "Play" 100's of times but I never actually saw the last 2+ minutes leading up to the "Play"... Seeing how Stanford came back to take the lead with John Elway at the helm is amazing. It really puts the game into perspective and makes the "Play" more exciting!

[@thomasbraunjr.1025]

Honestly, this might be my favorite call of any sport from any commentator

[@jameslisle7775]

Best moment in CFB history! One of the best moments in Sports history!

[@koa2341]

One of the happiest days of my life (Please, no comments on my life- I already know !!). I sold concessions at Memorial Stadium in 1959 and always loved Cal.

[@jkdueman6065]

Dude that's freaking badass sir!!

[@Ceremor]

I fucking love the announcer

[@MrZay11]

Sheeesh. Everybody was needed for this play! Elway, Cal, 4 secs on the clock, announcers, packed stadium and band!! Classic!!!

[@joesakic91]

You also forgot rivalry.

[@pumareyes1]

Still gives me goose bumps, I remember it like it was yesterday. This and Miracle pass radio call are my favorite calls of all time.

[@may151960]

"There will be no extra point"

[@herostatus]

Best call of all time. Gives me chills each time I hear it.

[@lionsfan7500]

I still get goosebumps watching and hearing the announcer. I was 10 years old when this happened and living in metro Detroit. I was watching Michigan just win their game and then abc showed this highlight and my cousins and their friends and I all went right outside with a football trying to duplicate the run back. Us kids just had so much fun that day trying to mock that play. This is what makes sports and childhood awesome!

[@koa2341]

It’s Joe Starkey calling “The Play”. One of the happiest days of my life ! The Bear never dies

[@chriscool7811]

Well technically they exterminated all Grizzlies in Cali.......no bears to be found

[@snowflakepillow8697]

@@chriscool7811 Maybe they'll be back soon. I think they should reintroduce them to the UC Berkeley campus first.

[@koa2341]

They did find plenty of Stanford whiners

[@bigbadjohn61]

I follow the NFL from the UK but don't know anything about College Football. However, a commentator referred to this match in NFL Redzone on Sunday so I KZbind it. Amazing final play and great commentary. I particularly liked the end bit, "... I have never never seen anything like it in the history of I've ever seen any game in my life!"

[@gregfox51]

Watching in 2018. Never gets old

[@tylerschroeder3722]

Epic call by Joe Starkey!

[@johnnyroberts3761]

I don't laugh at this game, but I laugh at the fact it was John Elway's last game at Stanford, and for 25 years, how he complained that Stanford should of won that game, even though he has two Super Bowl rings.

[@koa2341]

Cal ruined his college career- He ended up with a career losing record and never went to a bowl game.

[@tbarnes088]

In 4 years Elway never beat Cal.

[@MovieMakingMan]

Johnny Roberts Now 38 years later and that game still torments Elway. He has constant nightmares and has been in therapy every week for the past 38 years. When reporters ask him about that game Elway’s face turns to complete anguish.

[@ryanstrnad1852]

@@koa2341 weren't they supposed to go the the Independance Bowl had it not been for this play?

[@69FOSTER]

@@MovieMakingMan LOL, hilarious! The Stanford players should form a support group.

[@jsbx5]

I've seen this play various times, and it's still amazes me, never gets old! Thanks for the post..AMAZING! The best play ever!!

[@Blairpark]

I live in Virginia and remember seeing this on sports shows all night long after the game. Folks could not get enough of it, especially the announcer's delivery. I just showed this to my son's girlfriend, who was not born in 1982 and had never seen it. She loved it.

[@nickellicker]

I consider Joe Starky's broadcast of this game the greatest in college football history, but to Stanford fans, remember; they got a 15-yard excessive celebration penalty after the go-ahead field goal, and otherwise, I don't know if California could have pulled off those multiple laterals to win the game, being 15 yards further back...

[@jamesz.brooks721]

The electricity from the voice of Joe Starkey casting that game, 41 years old and he sounded as giddy as a schoolboy from that final play, regardless of what the true reality was, Joe Starkey's reaction and ecstatic disbelief just about immortalized that play in my mind. The emotion and heart in his voice shook me to the core although I have only seen replays of that game. I was born a decade afterwards but I can imagine a scene, "Those working on the road or at the office or outside without a television huddled around a radio, Stanford fans just about ready to pop a wine cork and Cali Bear fans biting their nails or face in their hands or maybe downright getting on one knee and praying, just as the kickoff occurs, they go silent. After that discharge of adrenaline through the mic from Starkey, Cali fans are celebrating like no other and Stanford fans have jaws dropped unable to process what just occurred, the score of 20-19 of a close victory shattered like glass in a mirror as the score becomes 20-26, 165 feet or 55 yards with only 4 seconds left and the Bears are able to scramble and keep the ball alive for 15-20 seconds and the ball carrier is met in the end zone by a trombone player, assured of what would be an unbeatable time crunch that wouldn't require the use of Stanford's end zone for the rest of that night."

[@michaelf6327]

WOW!!!! Dreams really do come true!

[@WJHandyDad]

I was actually there, our seats were just above where he ran into the end zone for the final touchdown

[@thedavidmo]

What's crazy is that even without The Play at the end, it's still an incredibly exciting game, with Elway leading an insane drive in the final minute. Joe Buck says, "This is one of the most exciting finishes you'll ever see"--and that's BEFORE The Play even happens!

[@HolmanHal]

Joe Starkey.

[@jazzbassoonpaul]

NOT Joe Buck-you mean Joe Starkey. I was on the field under the same goalposts that the Stanford kicker made his kick to put Stanford ahead-in 1974. That was the game Joe was referring to in this clip as Stanford was moving up the field. That was an awful loss and a very similar game. Except of course Cal didn’t win in 1974.

[@AintNobodyRight]

Why is this STILL one of the coolest and best moments in football history? Super Bowl XLII comes very close. But we're dealing with two different sides of the field. Pro and College. Either way. TOO COOL! Can't get enough.

[@oneeyedman99]

I love the body language of the band as they see the guy go into the end zone, a mass realization that they REALLY screwed up.

[@Emper0rH0rde]

They were all thinking, "Oh shit, the game is still live! RUN!!!"

[@thatawsomekid1234]

Haha he says "only a miracle could save the bears." And it does!

[@DonCarlosHormozi]

Wow!!!! It was my Commanding Officer, CAPT James Black who brought me here. He kept referring to this game in terms of leadership and management.

[@tgifhounds]

Chills every time.

[@UnderStoryProd]

RIP Pac12. Thanks for the memories.

[@StFidjnr]

that's one of the great plays taken form any American Football competition either from HS, college football, NFL or around the world.

[@chozie7]

This is seriously like tonight's game with Duke vs. Miami. This is awesome.

[@gustavopereirabr]

One of oldest "HOLD MY BEER" cases in modern history

[@cdelano81]

Poor John Elway. He broke down in tears after this play. I wonder whatever became of John Elway............

[@kingofalljanitors]

it gives me goose bumps every time i see it

[@ericnorge7413]

Coach never mentioned in comments: Joe Kapp quarterback of the Vikings in 1969 A lot of Joe Kapp attitude in that last play!

[@koa2341]

Eric Norge Joe Kapp, the only guy that ever participated in the Super Bowl, Grey Cup and Rose Bowl.

[@knaankos]

Some insane endings the last few weeks in college football. But this one is still the all-timer

[@vilamoral]

me too. everytime i watch it i get the chills

[@ohjoey8988]

This call always makes my eyes watery 😆

[@Poptart2828]

best commentary ever in a college football game ever.

[@joesakic91]

Joe Starkey will call his final Big Game between Cal and Stanford on the 40th anniversary of 'The Play' this Saturday from Berkeley's California Memorial Stadium.

[@trailerparkpimp]

TFW> You will never run on to the field and share in the glory of your college's dramatic win.

[@WilliamSynn]

38 years later and I’m still watching the “miracle”...

[@InterventionAddict]

That's why you don't leave 8 seconds on the clock to kick a field goal.... I bet he never made that mistake again. It's hilarious to imagine being that trombone player, going from a victory march to getting fucked up by the guy who just beat you.

[@bluebear1985]

Maybe Stanford wanted to make sure the clock didn't run out on them while setting up for the field goal.

[@RockSmithStudio]

3:19 "Only a miracle can save the Bears" 5:07 - A miracle

[@RockSmithStudio]

@@wifi-YT Denial

[@bonvoyage830]

Best line ever @ 3:20

[@Jivvi]

4:17

[@BenjoMegaManMorrow]

And that children is why football players hate band geeks.

[@justletmeuseit]

It always seems like there's a coffee stain on Elway's resume.

[@NortonsNestMonthly]

justletmeuseit, Well said.

[@vanillabryce24]

None of this was elways fault. He did his job. It's his kickoff teams fault.

[@koa2341]

Elway was 0-4 big game

[@bvalenz]

@@vanillabryce24 2:20 lower part of screen: Elway calls timeout 4 secs too soon

[@rpm773]

I turned this off @5:00 and missed the end. What happened?

[@mgargs]

Still get goosebumps when I watch this! GO! Bears!

[@acmodelmaster1944]

In 1982, California finished the season 4-4 in the PAC-10, 7-4 o’all. Stanford on the other hand went 3-5 in the PAC-10, 5-6 o’all. Neither team went to a bowl game. UCLA won the PAC-10 championship going 5-1-1 in conference play, 10-1-1 o’all despite not playing Arizona State for some reason. UCLA went on to win the Rose Bowl 24-14 over Michigan.

[@69FOSTER]

Didn't Joe Kapp win Coach of the Year for that season? That was a great day, I got home from the UCLA 20-19 win over USC, Washington State knocked heavily favored Washington out of the Rose Bowl. When I got home, Jim Lampley on the ABC Football Scoreboard show said Cal ran the kickoff back for a TD in the last four seconds, stating that Kevin Moen ran it back 56 yards. Little did most people know how the TD was scored at that time. Sports did not have the coverage that they have today, it wasn't shown at least in L.A. until hours later. Then of course, it was all over the air.

[@michaelleroy9281]

What a finish, like the Yale Harvard game of 1968

[@TexasMan77]

The bent trombone is in the hall of fame.

[@Poptart2828]

Listen, the whole point of this video is the commentary. Best ever!

[@grbradsk]

Clearly, Stanford had neglected to drill their band in basic blocking and tackling.

[@Jivvi]

"Too many men on the field" "Unnecessary roughness" "Unsportsmanlike conduct" "Face to helmet collision"

[@ryanstrnad1852]

Ironically, this would turn out to be John Elway's last series playing for Stanford (& in college). I think his team was in line to go to the Independence Bowl but "the band is out on the field!" kept them out of it.

[@universeforce]

Awsome finish. It´s like a fatality and ultra finish combo whit humillation.

[@stonesinmyblood27]

I saw the game live on tv and we went crazy with stoned laughter

[@waltbabyluv203]

wow, the call on that game is amazing, greatest play ever IMO

[@LtGiant]

This Is The Greatest Football Game In College Football In History.. This Stanford-Cal Football Game Is Turning 30 Years Old This Year..

[@Xo_miss_vee]

Such a great play.

[@joesakic91]

The 15 laterals from Trinity to score a TD to defeat Millsap was also crazy. Gotta love college football no matter if it's FBS, FCS, Division II, or Division III. You don't see this often in the NFL.

[@mclennon427]

perhaps the greatest moment in the history of ever

[@NMMojavePoet]

The extra team on Cal's side was made up mostly of their All American Ranked Rugby Team... Awesome Awesomeness!

[@69FOSTER]

Kevin Moen, the Cal player who scored, got a key block from the Stanford tuba player!

[@agustinmanyari]

5:32 best part of the game! hahahaha That boy really deserves it!

[@picark]

I miss Joe Starkey.........

[@boomdos4265]

Funny how the radio guy was saying this was the most dramatic finish he's seen...relative to Elway's final drive....before the final kickoff to Cal. As for Bama-Auburn 2013, people seem to have a bias toward the recent. This definitely beats that.

[@crysjumar1]

I don't know. I was alive and watch that game live in 1982 and it was helluva. By the way I am a trojan. But that Auburn run vs Bama I just loved how they kicked Batman in the teeth.. That run back was awesome

[@tylerschroeder3722]

This finish is stellar and will most likely never be duplicated but it didn't have any major implications. The Bama-Auburn game may have been less crazy but it had national title implications for both teams so IMO it's the biggest single play in college football history. This is coming from a Bay Area fan that hates the SEC...

[@nominalize8162]

When there are five laterals on the final play and it's the 3rd most thrilling part of the final minute... yeah

[@vincesmith2499]

What a way to end John Elway's NCAA career! I see he was clutch even in his college days, but his team still lost.

[@bvalenz]

2:20 Watch Elway #7 call timeout w/8 secs left. He lost the game right there

[@KD5HIR]

@@bvalenz So what, even if Cal only had one tick left they still would’ve won. The 15 yard penalty influenced the ending more. But who knows, Cal still would’ve probably won regardless.

[@arejayseeottawa]

Just goes to show how unpredictable sports can be! (Loved seeing the trombone player getting spiked!)

[@andydeceunynck1766]

When this play happened 40 years ago, I was in high school. Just 10 days later, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album was released. Where did the last four decades go??

[@jordysix]

This is amazing i am from Austraila and love the Football over there, best play i have seen, but who is the guy who returns the kick?

[@koa2341]

6jordy6 Kevin Moen touched it twice and scored the TD

[@bobjenkins643]

Chris Halladay just pointing this out but Mark Harmon didn't play for Stanford. coincidentally it had a kicker named mark harmon and Mark Harmon did play football but for UCLA and he was a quarterback

[@atommy4625]

Joe Starky "Only a Miracle can Save the Bears" . Then a miracle saved the Bears

[@NewWaveFan1]

"Only a miracle can save the bears". And boy did it.

[@johnkoehl7125]

The mistake by the Stanford coach or Elway was not letting the clock click down to 2 seconds before calling time out.

[@shable1436]

Somebody was up on their praying

[@vccstudents]

What amazes me is the Stanford quarterback, some guy named John Elway, went on to a Hall of Fame Career, won two Super Bowls, and was a front office executive for a third Super Bowl, yet he says this loss still hurts the most.

[@TexasMan77]

vccstudents Yes I’ve heard that too. Also the bent instrument suffered in the end zone is in the football hall of fame.

[@russs7574]

Elway is one of the biggest crybabies in the history of football.

[@michaelsharp3615]

crazy game ive seen finishes like the bama auburn game and other games but not like that

[@rodneyrabbit6474]

The guy that made the last catch, and ultimately scored the winning touchdown, was the most genuine hero of this final, amazing play. He caught that ball out of nowhere!...Watch it!....It comes out of nowhere, and he caught it!

[@bvalenz]

Mariet Ford’s last blind over-the-shoulder toss that took out 3 defenders was also epic

[@francoamerican4632]

And the guy (Moen) who ran it into the end zone was the guy who initially fielded the squib kick, so it was the second time that he had possession of the ball on the play.

[@lordbyronblack]

I love the flying elbow!

[@rokyericksonroks]

Elway was the best QB in the country and Stanford was only 5-6. Cal's Joe Kapp was 1982 Pac-10 Coach of the Year.

[@picark]

Joe Starkey your the best!!!!!!!!!

[@wftjet]

Garner was not down. His knee was a good quarter of an inch above the turf before he lateraled it. Also all the flags were on the Stanford side (too many players on the field and then the band interference).

[@andrewrobinson619]

The Bears have won it! There will be no extra point! Joe Starkey's emotional call at 6:43

[@MacClay8]

Let's be honest here. No matter what team you were rooting for, EVERYONE wanted to see a bunch of band people get run over by football people.

[@VRichardsn]

I came here to see exactly that (I am not a football fan, rather a soccer one, so I am a big ignorant when it comes to the first)... but I was amazed by the entire video. What a great finish!

[@chrisgonzalez3808]

true, and tbh that was bc of a song I heard

[@Sardine4189]

The color commentator was like WOOO HOOO!!! lol

[@MordecaiTheAwesomeBluejay]

19-20 Stanford Face: :D 25-20 Stanford Face: D:

[@ericlebo]

What the fuck! Thats one of the craziest football games I think I've seen.

[@OvSpP]

I wish this would work more often. If I coached a team I would practice this

[@HHIto]

Stanford is jumping up & down after the field goal, & the S-Band played "their role"!

[@DanielMorales-ph3vd]

One of my teachers who still teaches was playing for cal number 97 I think 6:37

[@Asylum31]

Yes, that John Elway.

[@Raeman700]

I wish Jim Ross would commatary this game

[@rustyshackleford1114]

This video was posted 18 years ago. Ancient, by internet standards.

[@wpghi5]

I was 7 months old when this happened.

[@HolmanHal]

Congratulations.