NFL Today Opening, 1969

Opening bumper for The NFL Today on CBS, used during the 1969 season.

[@JJJBRICE]

The old days when the NFL Today intro began with the warm ups before the game , and Pro Football Report intros began after the game had ended with the referees gun to end the game and the opposing teams would leave the field with the men who had tried to kill each other during the game shaking hands and walking side by side to their locker rooms exchanging pleasantries .

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Fitting that the montage ends with Unitas

[@RickinBaltimore]

Manu Ginobilis Bald Spot 19>18

[@brentmann2988]

Yes, that is the unmistakable voice of Don Criqui. He grew up in the Buffalo area, and you can clearly hear that distinctive Upstate New York/Buffalo accent, especially in the pronunciation of the words "banks" and "behalf." The Buffalo accent has a Midwestern twang to it, and Don Criqui's voice has always provided a great example of it.

[@fitronald09]

CALLED THE 63 YARDER BY TOM DEMPSEY!!!

[@Fireyninjadog]

He called so many bills games

[@TheBrooklynbodine]

When you mentioned his name, I knew right away that was who it was.

[@brentmann2988]

@@TheBrooklynbodine Yeah, Don Criqui had a very distinctive voice.

[@jeffreyt.steptoe5306]

Awesome to see the "Browns", "Colts" and "Steelers" in with all the other "Old-line" N.F.L. teams as this was pre-fledged merger days(1969).

[@chrisrose6014]

This was the first season I paid attention to pro football. My parents got me some of the TOPPS 1969 football cards and the NFL has been my favorite sport ever since.

[@jamessollazzo4860]

jets were champs heading in

[@rokrok60]

Memories of my dad, & Fall Sunday afternoons.

[@kingporter67]

Wow, I love this 1969 NFL Today Opening classic!

[@carolgriffith5386]

Great video clip! Love the old team mascots -- such as the Cleveland Brownie, the Baltimore Colt jumping over the goal-post (with helmet flying up), and the St. Louis Cardinal running with the Gateway Arch in the background, and the comic Dallas Cowboy riding a pony.

[@ebf1957]

+Carol Griffith If the NFL is smart (and I doubt it) they'll bring back those and the logos for the AFL for their centennial season.

[@MKIVWWI]

+ebf1957 Good idea -- I'd enjoy seeing the old logos and uniforms, with nothing new!

[@rockvilleraven]

The Ravens will not bring back the "Winged B" as a throwback because of a lawsuit between Stephen Bouchat, a Security Guard who designed a similar logo and was awarded a small award. And that's why they went with the purple Ravens head with a gold "B". Still a test of a die hard Ravens fan, like me is watching the first three years in Baltimore with that ugly logo and Coach Ted Marchibroda's record of 16-31-1.

[@tchase68]

That's a shame because the 'Winged B' is an excellent logo. I thought it was one of the best in the NFL.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

I remember when the Baltimore Ravens left Memorial Stadium and headed downtown for their home, M and T Bank Stadium (then the generically named NFL Stadium at Camden Yards) in 1998, the team had a contest for fans to get a new team logo to replace the original mark, the winged B motif. Because the league stole that motif from that fan, who came up with that design, the late Art Modell said it thusly, "We are not playing any games under a contested mark." The winning logo is the team's current logo-the fierce raven's head with the "B" inside.

[@frankdenardo8684]

In 1969 they were still airing cigarette commercials.

[@WaltGekko]

And that would continue through January 1, 1971.

[@frankdenardo8684]

@@WaltGekko 1969 was the year the tobacco companies went to Congress and told them they want to stop airing cigarette commercials on TV and radio. In 1970. President Nixon signed into law that on Friday January 2nd, 1971. No more cigarette ads would air on TV and radio. New Years Day had a large onslaught of cigarette commercials aired during the annual college football bowl game classic. Sporting events on TV was the big thing.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

I like the 16 teams being shown in that opening: Bears Browns Cardinals (then in St. Louis, of course) Colts (then in Baltimore, of course) Cowboys Eagles Falcons 49ers Giants Lions Packers Rams Redskins Saints Steelers Vikings One more fact: The NFL was in the last season of the three season "Four C's" alignment (Capitol,Century,Coastal and Central Divisions).

[@jimwilliams4088]

Nice, I didn't know that was the original alignment

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

@@jimwilliams4088 After the New Orleans Saints were formed in 1967, the NFL could not have sixteen teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences of eight teams apiece, so the league came up with an idea of having four teams in each division, hence "The Four C's" (Capitol,Central, Coastal, and Century) . This lasted between 1967-69.

[@skinsman3]

Damn I loved this as a kid..

[@patricksmith5282]

Mark C Me too!

[@mycolortv1]

Mark C ..lol tell me about it

[@CurrentEntertainmentProduction]

It’s awesome the drum pumps you up

[@thetruthful9805]

I remember the gooood old days. I was 13!!,

[@canadianmike711]

Back in the farewell year when most of Atlantic Canada was giants fans before switching to the Patriots.

[@altfactor]

Perhaps CBS could use an updated version of this open for their Super Bowl 50 pre-game show with the current CBS Sports logo printed on the tickets, then show the tickets with all the NFL teams and logos, ending with those of the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos (the two teams playing this year), which would both appear on-screen at the same time.

[@ebf1957]

+altfactor I had that same thought when I saw the the current CBS Sports logo and maybe did an updated version of the song "Confidence" for the game.

[@josephgeorge7385]

Thanks for posting

[@MrMobilerocker]

i remember this as a kid with my dad wathcing

[@robparadise6099]

Opening day - when EVERY team believes they have a chance to win the Super Bowl.

[@richardmorris7063]

That was fabulous!

[@toddwacha5108]

I remember watching that as a baby!

[@richardlenoir7973]

That is awesome thanks for sharing this

[@joebradio]

before the Steelers and the Browns jumped to the AFC

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

joebradio and Colts

[@doctorgarbonzo2525]

Great & Powerful Stuff! Last year before the Merger!

[@rockvilleraven]

Actually the merger started in 1966, common draft, inter league preseason games and the AFL-NFL World Championship game now known as the Super Bowl. A couple of expansion teams added in each league The combination of both leagues was completed in 1970 with the old AFL teams with a couple of NFL ones becoming the American Football Conference and the NFL teams became the NFC.

[@jimwilliams4088]

@@rockvilleraven Hence the 1st 2 super bowls were called Championship Game

[@janettemcclelland2959]

Ladies and gentlemen,Don Criqui.

[@ciesaro]

That's MISTER Don Criqui

[@jamallugo6544]

ciesaro u mean Don Criqui the best announcer ever

[@ciesaro]

Criqui is amoung the best

[@donaldreaves3533]

Mr Orange Bowl

[@dietpepsivanilla3095]

Hall of Famer Larry Wilson doing a somersault at :43.

[@deeptime5]

The first two numbered uniforms you see are 68 - Alex Sandusky and 32 - Mike Curtis of the Colts

[@jasonmullins7115]

I wonder why the "Partial Service Banks" didn't sponsor games back then? One would think it would have helped with gaining business.

[@jamessollazzo4860]

they needed to be full service banks! only kidding1

[@donaldcasalone4243]

Sounds like Don Criqui

[@mf7482]

+Donald Casalone The voice was that of Mr. Whitaker. Sorry I forgot his first name. This was the beauty of 1960's CBS pro football broadcasts. I really miss all the simplicity of the league before the expansion and merger.

[@RayNDeere]

+Marc Freedman Don Criqui was working for CBS at the time. Sounds a lot more like him than Jack Whitaker

[@Mryrhodesian]

+Marc Freedman Jack.

[@milwaukeem5019]

+Donald Casalone Criqui, easy call

[@janettemcclelland2959]

Yep. A very young Don Criqui here.

[@mikevanriel7573]

I always thought the NFL Today debuted in 1975

[@xSoccerxCorex]

under the current format, yes. but "the nfl today" has been the de facto name of the cbs nfl pregame since 1965 at least.

[@jimwilliams4088]

@@xSoccerxCorex I love the theme music to opening of "NFL TODAY". I found out yesterday that the music is called "Confidence".

[@michaelj.richard8353]

From (1969)

[@johnmcjunkin4613]

Back when football was a real game played by athletes who loved our country and appreciated the fans. Unlike today's overhyped and overpaid primadonnas, who would no sooner than spit on their fans, as they would our flag.

[@Fireyninjadog]

Mvp of nfl commentators

[@dietpepsivanilla3095]

Good stuff, but I preferred the other (and better) league. The American Football League.

[@anilnanda5012]

Racism

[@thememo9941]

boring. no rousing music like before

[@mycolortv1]

By the look of your picture dont you have a soccer game to go to