He Returned the Opening Kickoff for a Touchdown. She Lost Her Car

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

At one point in the video, I accidentally say that teams didn't like deferring back in 1998 on kickoffs. Meant to say that they could not defer, as there was no option to defer back then. Doesn't change anything about the story, but just thought I'd make a note of that. Apologies for the error!

[@Rockhound6165]

You weren't wrong per se. While you couldn't defer, you did have the option of kicking off instead of receiving.

[@pronkb000]

@@Rockhound6165 ...which meant that you kicked off in both halves, since the other team then had the choice coming out of halftime and would naturally elect to receive.

[@Rockhound6165]

@@pronkb000 why would you think I didn't know this?

[@pronkb000]

@@Rockhound6165 It's rare for the weather to be SO bad that you're willing to forego both kickoffs. You can probably do it with the new OT rules, especially in the playoffs, and maybe you could do it in the 2nd half depending on how the game is going (i.e., the team receiving isn't going to double-dip).

[@Rockhound6165]

@@pronkb000 in the infamous Georgia Tech 222-0 win, the losing team thought kicking off after getting scored on would be better than receiving. They were wrong.

[@shifty1927]

And now Brian Mitchell is a sports radio host here in the DC area. Wonder if he'll ever run a similar promotion.😂

[@chrisguardiano6143]

This is very similar to what happened in the Premier League 3 years later between MG Cars & Aston Villa where MG would give a fan a brand new ZS (the top of the line four door that cost 40,000 pounds) if one of their goalies could score a goal in a match. For some context, a goalie scoring in soccer (and in hockey) is one of the rarest things to happen & prior to 2001 it had never been done before in the Premier League. Heck it had never even been done in the over 100+ year history of English soccer at the time. However during Aston Villa's match vs Everton, it actually happened when legendary goalie Peter Schmeichel scored a volley off of a last minute corner to score in a 3-2 defeat. Unlike what happened in the video, this goal stood which meant MG had to hold up their end of their deal which they gave to a 75 year old lifelong Aston Villa supporter who then gave the car to his 18 year old grandson as a first car. Since this goal happened, goalies scoring in the Premier League has happened 5 more times with USMNT legends Tim Howard & Brad Friedel being added to this list. As for MG, they got bought by a Chinese car company in 2005 due to the serious financial problems of the MG Rover Group & are an absolute shell of what they were back in the 1960's when the MGB (the brands most famous car) was a pop culture icon especially in the UK.

[@floydian022]

Giving away a car on a Redskins Football radio promotion on WJFK 100% sounds like some Don & Mike shit lol 😂

[@paulyguitary7651]

I mean it would have to be right? The Junkies if they were around then, it was only on weekends and didn’t have the pull they do now. Stern was mornings, G. Gordon Liddy was midday (and certainly didn’t fit the format), so it would have to be Don and Mike unless it was some pregame show stuff. I miss those days on WJFK.

[@levikatriel]

A very similar thing happened in the CFL. A radio did a promotion where if a team returned TWO kickoffs for touchdowns in a game, someone previously chosen would win $1 Million. Amazingly, they did return two kickoffs for touchdowns, but the second one was called back due to one of the worst holding calls ever

[@shifty1927]

Brian Mitchell is 2nd in total yards in NFL history. Behind only Jerry Rice. He deserves the HOF.

[@Rockhound6165]

Sproles is #6 and deserves consideration also.

[@davidfiddleman2312]

Wow! I watched the end of this game but didn’t see this play. Man I enjoyed watching Brian Mitchell return kicks. No BS, straight up the gut. He’s a host in DC and has the exact same style.

[@brettpatterson404]

There’s a grocery store in Canada (Save on Foods). That gives away a million dollars if two kickoffs are returned for a TD in a CFL game. A few years ago the opening kickoff was returned and later in the game a second was returned but seconds after the player crossed the goal line a flag was thrown an a phantom holding penalty.

[@RySenkari]

I'd say Alexander should've stepped up and bought her the car, but after getting cut I doubt he could afford it XD Nowadays, you better believe whoever did something that boneheaded would've bought her the car or he'd be ran off social media so fast!

[@bmasters1981]

If I were that kickoff returner, and thought I had a touchdown, only to discover this absurdity, I would for sure have had a word of prayer with that Alexander joker who cost me that achievement.

[@Rockhound6165]

Funny thing is, McCleskey looked like he was giving up on the play.

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

What a stupid penalty. This is one of the worst ways to cost your team and it’s no wonder they cut him the next day. Scapegoated my ass. He scapegoated himself to pretend he was important

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

@@matthewdaley746 at least he had some reason to believe he had already won the game. He didn’t see the lateral and assumed he had sacked him. It was a weird penalty to say the least, but it was the correct call in that situation as well. I felt the Browns bigger issue that game was letting the Chiefs come back from 2 touchdowns down than that specific penalty

[@Tubewings]

@@marcusmcgraw3519 Secret Base should look at that game for REWINDEЯ.

[@DolFan316]

@@marcusmcgraw3519 Matthewdaley746 has to be the only person on KZbin whose had more comments mysteriously disappear than me. I'm assuming he was talking about the ending of a Chiefs-Browns game where a Browns player removed his helmet not realizing the final play was still going on? I actually remember that.

[@marcusmcgraw3519]

@@DolFan316 that’s the one. He was making the comparison between the two incidents. I saw the point he was trying to make and agreed to an extent, I just thought this specific incident was much more boneheaded than the other one

[@bmasters1981]

Just happened to think, also, that maybe Dawn wouldn't have had the car anyway, because nothing is really free (on TPIR and WOF, as well as any and all game shows, you had to pay beaucoup taxes on all winnings, both to your home state and to Washington, so depending on taxes, this thing that cost her that car may actually have been a blessing finance-wise).

[@lonewolfjedi493osswfan]

Brian Mitchell was arguably one of the best kickoff returners in the NFL, he was so dangerous, kickers would kick away from him

[@CTubeMan]

This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made a video about a 1996 game between these same teams and how Washington lost the game because of two late penalties.

[@pronkb000]

"...since teams did not like deferring back then." No, NFL teams COULDN'T defer back then. The NFL did not add deferring to the coin toss options until 2008.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

Yep that’s an error on my end. I’ll put a comment at the top of the section!

[@jackmessick2869]

The very first regular season game of the Miami Dolphins in 1966, and thus the first official play in Dolphins history, kick returner Joe Auer ran back for a touchdown. But they lost the game to the Raiders, 23-14.

[@taylorclouse7636]

that be like today if the comanders returned the opening kcikoff for a touchdown you half off pizza from papa johns from 106.7 the fan wjfk

[@LegendaryDorkKnight]

>Washington is 1-7. Me: Hmph! Pathetic! >"Tied with the Philadelphia Eagles..." Me: I would like to retract my earlier statement.

[@samborgensjr6456]

How did I not know this??? Where do you get this info from?

[@glennrugar9248]

I remember this kind of promotion being run for the super bowl, as in the opening kickoff is returned for a TD by either team at the super bowl and whoever was picked won a car, and I believe it was the year Devin Hester actually did return the opening kickoff for a touchdown in the super bowl but I never found out what happened. It may have been a local promotion where I lived in Tucson AZ. I always wondered what happened with that

[@SuperMutant2099]

For those who don’t know cardinals were in St. Louis until 87. Chicago before that. So being in the east when there wasn’t as many divisions then isn’t as bad. Say Atlanta falcons being in nfc west from the start of it. Team that was east coast team its whole history. Only was in one east conference division for one season. NFL was weird. I figure jaguar knows a lot of this but just thought mention it for those nfl fans who might not in comment section.

[@Unknown-bq9id]

The Devin Hester return in Super Bowl XLI was impressive, IMO--a shame the Bears had Rex Grossman at QB...

[@DolFan316]

Before watching, I actually thought the station had somehow reneged on the deal, or it somehow turned into the woman losing the car she already had. So when I found out she simply didn't win because of a blatant penalty I was like oh, that's not so bad 🤣

[@Rockhound6165]

Not to nitpick but 1998 was not the first time the Cards were in the playoff hunt in Arizona. In their first season there in 1988, after week 11, they were 7-4 and in first place. They then did the Cardinal thing and lost their last 5 games to finish 7-9 in what would be Neil Lomax's final season. Incidentally, the Deadskins lost this game because of a bad snap on a punt that ended up being a safety. And this was also the season of the Cardiac Cards 2.0 as they won 6 games on last minute field goals including the game that sent them into the playoffs, a 16-13 win on a 52 yard Chris Jacke FG as time expired.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

Yeah that was poorly worded on my end. Was trying to get across that they were trying to make the playoffs for the first time since moving to Arizona

[@ridnolan2029]

Alexander was the radio station’s insurance policy. 😅

[@jeromehoward1249]

My heart goes out to Dawn.

[@mireyajones810]

OMG. That is the WORST action ever. He must have been paid by the radio station.

[@womba68]

literally thinking the same thing. he even seems to slow down so the guy can run past him before tackling him.

[@bmasters1981]

If he were indeed paid by the station, would that not be a conflict of interest?

[@DolFan316]

It's the only explanation that makes any sort of sense TBH. Of course, the station would've had to pay him less than the cost of the car or else it would've been utterly pointless.

[@packerfan10]

That is heartbreaking. My friend a few years ago was crushed when he made a huge parlay a few years ago that every Home Team score a touchdown in the morning block of Games. He almost won it but Seattle fumbled the ball at the 2 yard line or something like that. He could have been able to pay off the car he just bought.

[@Tker1970]

Ravens/SF Superbowl a Baltimore furniture store had a promo that all sales SB week would be refunded if the Ravens opening half kickoff was a TD. It was. A lot of happy people in Bmore.

[@JohnSmith-zw8vp]

15:10 -- At least she didn't end up with just a WJFK sweatband!

[@andrewpadaetz5549]

Easy to recognize the ref who announced the penalty-number 9, Jerry Markbreit.

[@georgeblangfordjr.1771]

Also in 1967 the NHL debuted six new teams that would be the LA Kings, Minnesota Northstars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and the St Louis Blues were put in the West Division and the East Division would feature the Original 6 teams, they are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadians,NY Rangers & Toronto Maple Leafs

[@maxscameraguy]

I met Brian Mitchell last weekend after a DC Defenders game. Nice guy.

[@marcuswashington5159]

Pretty much summed up the Snyder era😢

[@timskywalker]

Redskins fan here, I remember this game, I was 10 years old.

[@timwalkerfukyt]

Cool background big Packers fan Love The Dorsey levens Jersey but my favorite is all the Redskins helmet go Redskins

[@DolFan316]

One of the biggest regrets of my life was not placing a prop bet on Devin Hester returning the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl for a score. I didn't just feel he would, I KNEW he would. But I just didn't have the guts to place the bet. To this day I wonder how much I'd have won by betting $200 on it.

[@Jason_Maier]

Before I clicked on the video to watch it, I was thinking "She lost her car because WJFK had a loophole in their agreement". But glad that Norv Turner cut the dumbass who committed the penalty. Then again, maybe Dawn would've sold the car because she wanted the $$$. Of course the Redskins had the longtime radio trifecta of Frank Herzog, Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff (all 3 worked together from 79-04. Individually; Frank worked for the team 79-04, Sam 75-12 and Sonny 81-18).

[@wingedbuffalo4670]

Well, actually the Redskins DID run the opening kickoff back for a TD subsequent to the 1967 season -- I know this because I was a kid and saw it happen -- much to the embarrassment of the home team and entire crowd. Unfortunately, it didn't "count" for NFL game statistics because it was a PRESEASON game as opposed to a regular season game. But make no mistake: it was every bit a "real" game with real "starting players" at the outset, and the TD was 100% legit. The name of the Wasington player was seared into my disappointed mind: Herb Mul-Key (sp?) Here is the setting: it was the opening NFL preseason game of 1973, and the game was in Buffalo between the visiting Redskins and the host Bills. What made the play more difficult to stomach is the fact that it was the opening kickoff in the FIRST-EVER/INAUGURAL game at the Bills' BRAND NEW STADIUM -- then called Rich Stadium (now called Highmark Stadium) ... which will be replaced at the start of the 2026 NFL season with a new stadium currently under construction across the street from the current stadium. Even back then the Bills couldn't catch a break!

[@marcus813]

I know about Mitchell's kickoff return credentials as a Buccaneers fan. I still remember him taking the opening kickoff of January 2003's NFCCG deep into Bucs territory when he was an Eagle. As for Mitchell's return in the game discussed here, Patrice Alexander deserved to be fired. I've seen tons of braindead penalties in my 38+ years of watching football, but this one was especially asinine because by the time Alexander made that unnecessary tackle, Mitchell had smoked everyone wearing cardinal, white and black.

[@pathutchison7688]

Not only was Arizona in the NFC East, but Atlanta and Carolina were in the NFC West and Tampa Bay was in the Central.

[@rtyable]

Hey man Arizona being in the east is crazy but not as wack as Stl, Atl, NO, and Car being in the NFC West with the 9ers lol

[@rngfootball759]

98 Redskins had Trent Green the following year under Brad Johnson, they made the playoffs. Would they make the playoffs had Green resigned instead of going to St Louis? If Trent Green re-signed with Washington i doubt the Rams will have Warner under center (either they take qb in the 1st round instead of Holt or a veteran going against Germaine and Warner)

[@spjunkies]

Now Mitchell is a morning host on WJFK (the fan). Funny how time works 😅

[@firewalker1372]

It is extremely exciting, especially when it’s your team running it down the field. What’s even more exciting is when your team hadn’t ran down the field to score on the opening kick off in 30 years. 😂. Edit: Never mind 🤣.

[@VisualTedium]

I bet he got up and danced after that tackle

[@MichaelPiz]

Of those three songs you mention early on, what's the middle one? I've listened 5 times and can't make out what you're saying.

[@mrmoose6619]

Sittin on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding

[@MichaelPiz]

@@mrmoose6619 Thanks.

[@arizonawrestlinginterviews1040]

The Redskins actually got slightly better after this game

[@JohnSmith-zw8vp]

No wonder Forrest Gump made All-American as a kick returner...probably back before most teams even had a for real kick returner (not just some guy who plays another position and just returns kicks "on the side")! The question is, would Joe Namath had made the big leagues (there was two back then; NFL/AFL) and did his guaranteed SB win if he hardly ever got the chance to play?

[@afbocc]

Look like I saw some multiple holdings on the return.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

Washington started the drive at the 49 yard line. They didn’t call anything before the tackle at the end

[@Boomhower89]

🇺🇸👍

[@gregory8140]

It was at that moment that Dawn Smith became a Dallas Cowboys fan for LIFE and the President of the Lloyd Patrise Alexander Haters Club!! 😂

[@tyreechiejackstone7379]

I guess the Redskin player was her ex-boyfriend or something? How else to explain doing something that stupid? He was like, "You're gonna win a car, huh? Oh no you don't, watch this!"

[@richardsimmonsjuggernautof9781]

Refs should’ve left that one go when it was so far behind the play

[@DolFan316]

Yeah, no. You can't just ignore someone literally being tackled from behind.

[@richardsimmonsjuggernautof9781]

@@DolFan316 when it has zero affect on the play you absolutely can

[@TheOriginalLeapyearSheldon]

Hey man! I won an Autographed Fred Taylor Rookie Card in an auction and I automatically thought about you. I know you probably already have something like this, but I'm a Lions fan although I was a Taylor fan and it's a trafisty that he isn't in the HOF. Would you like to trade for the card???! Let me know

[@j.b3377]

Are you a former Washington fan?

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

Nope. Diehard Jags fan since 2005 when I really started getting into football

[@Cityofstroud]

W

[@MWH12085]

Aaaaaand cursed again.....

[@markphelt6395]

1st!!!

[@frankez99]

This is insane! Almost as insane as an actual adult refusing to say the word Redskins like they are making a difference 😂 Hail to the Redskins and I’m na 254 Rez Devils Lake ND. 😂 dude probably puts preferred pronouns in his signature block.

[@davemi00]

Dude you got the Year All Wrong 👎

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

I have no clue what you're talking about

[@Rockhound6165]

Um, this was the 1998 season.

[@jackmessick2869]

He said 1998. At least once. I didn't catch him misspeaking.

[@iamhungey12345]

I don't get it.