To know list: 6 displays of good sportsmanship

Sporting News, The, Nov 29, 2004

(1) TURKEY DAYS

We'll always give thanks for these moments

Football on Thanksgiving is as old as Aunt Bessie's pumpkin pie recipe. It was on Thanksgiving in 1929 when the Cardinals' Ernie Nevers scored 40 points against Red Grange's Bears, setting a record that remains the oldest in NFL annals. Though a full stomach can play tricks with your memory, the five greatest Thanksgiving Day moments--all in the age of TV--are hard to forget. Sorry, Ernie.

1 Hello, Clint Longley--November 28, 1974. After coming off the bench for injured Roger Staubach in the third quarter with his team trailing, 16-3, backup quarterback Longley, a rookie playing in his first NFL game, throws a 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson with 28 seconds left, giving the Cowboys a 24-23 win over Washington. Redskins coach George Allen calls it "the toughest loss I ever had."

2 Working overtime--November 27, 1980. Bears quarterback Vince Evans forces the game into overtime by scoring on a 4-yard run as time expires, and Dave Williams then returns the overtime kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to beat the Lions, 23-17.

3 Leon lets one get away--November 25, 1993. Dallas' Leon Lett turns a certain Cowboys victory into defeat by sliding into the loose football on the icy Texas Stadium turf after teammate Jimmie Jones blocked a 41-yard field-goal attempt by Miami's Pete Stoyanovich with 15 seconds left. The Dolphins, trailing 14-13, recover the ball at the Dallas 1, and Stoyanovich hits the game-winner on the next play.

4 Walter Stanley's triumphant return--November 27, 1986. Green Bay's Stanley, who caught two touchdown passes earlier in the game, runs back a punt 83 yards for a score with 41 seconds left, and the Packers win 44-40 over the Lions. They are the first three touchdowns of Stanley's career.

5 The Game of the Century--November 25, 118 1971. In what many consider the greatest college game ever, top-ranked Nebraska beats second-ranked Oklahoma, 35-31, on a day the pro game takes a back seat to the colleges. The Cornhuskers and Sooners trade the lead three times before Nebraska's Jeff Kinney scores the game-winner on a 2-yard run with 1:38 left. It is the only defeat either team suffers all season.--Dave Sloan

(2) RIVALRY GAMES NBA action--it's bombastic

Last week's Pistons-Pacers nightmare (see page 10) was a black eye for the NBA, and commissioner David Stern has stressed that the league will come down hard on such behavior. Still, emotions could get the better of some teams-especially those that have standing tensions. We'd advise the commish to keep an eye on these games:

Cavaliers at Celtics, November 26. In the last week of the preseason, the Cavaliers played at home against Boston. According to Cars guard Jeff McInnis, Celtics guard Paul Pierce saw several Cleveland players in a restaurant before the game. "He was talking junk about what they might do to us; McInnis told reporters. "That might work with other teams, but not with us." Pierce got into an on-court shouting match with LeBron James and was accused of spitting at the Cavaliers bench (he was fined $15,000 by the league). The ruckus restarted in the hallway outside the locker rooms after the game.

Bulls at Wizards, December 4. The Wizards were blowing out the Bulls in a preseason game when Larry Hughes shoved Kirk Hinrich into Luol Deng on a layup attempt. When Bulls forward Antonio Davis intervened, Wizards center Brendan Haywood slapped him, prompting a body slam by Davis. That was followed by a punch below the belt from Eddy Curry while Haywood was lying on the ground. Several Bulls have noted that the game will be circled on the schedule.

Lakers at Sonics, December 14. Sonics guard Ray Allen had some choice thoughts on Kobe Bryant after a preseason game. Allen predicted Bryant would be "selfish" this year without Shaquille O'Neal in town. "In about a year or two," Allen said, "he will be telling Jerry Buss that 'We need some help in here', or 'Trade me' We'll all be saying, 'We told you so'" Bryant then said of Allen, "Don't even put me and that dude in the same breath."--Sean Deveney

(3) THE PIGSKIN PROFESSOR

True or false: Spurrier is making a smart move

The answer is false. (Turn to page 18 to take the Professor's full test.) Spurrier's anticipated hiring at South Carolina is good news for us because of how much fun it will be to have his divisive personality back in the college game. Watching his gestures and gyrations on the sideline is great theater. And I can't wait to see how he'll be greeted upon his return to The Swamp in 2006.

But what does he have left to prove on Saturday afternoons? Been there, done that. In 12 years at Florida, Spurrier won six SEC titles and a national championship. How challenged and motivated will he be? He wasn't a sleep-in-the-office maniac to begin with. Think he's going to be fired up to drive to places such as Irmo, S.C., to sit in a living room and play footsie with recruits and their parents?

Plus, he's closing in on 60. How much longer is he going to coach? Five years? It's hard--no, impossible--to see him pulling a Bobby Bowden and X-ing and O-ing into his 70s. Spurrier hardly is a long-term solution for a Gamecocks program that has been lost in the dark for years.