NFL in the 1970s #2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The league lifted rules that had prohibited the televising of home games

Since 1951, the NFL had prohibited television stations from broadcasting games being played within 75 miles of the station, forcing fans to either attend the games in person, or drive far enough away to be able to watch the game in a distant city. Beginning with Super Bowl VII, played in Los Angeles in January 1973, the league allowed home games to be televised, if they had been sold out for 72 hours prior to kickoff.

The 1973 season set a new record for in-person attendance at NFL games, so the new rules satisfied both fans and the league.

Answer: You already know who won

The Electric Company was the clever name given to OJ Simpson's Buffalo Bills offensive line from the 1970s (they "turn on the Juice," get it?). The Miami Dolphins defense of the 1970s created the nickname "No Name Defense" after hearing too many cracks that they lacked any players with name recognition. Bitter divisional rivals since the Dolphin franchise started in 1966, the teams locked horns twice each season.

Although they had many memorable contests, Miami managed to win every one of the 20 games from 1970 through 1979. So whatever drama those games may have had, if you're watching a Miami-Buffalo game from the 1970s, you can easily predict the winner.

Answer: Led a thrilling comeback win by the Dallas Cowboys over the Washington Redskins on Thanksgiving Day

"The triumph of an uncluttered mind", was how Dallas Cowboys lineman Blaine Nye described 22 year old Clint Longley's 1974 moment in the sun. On Thanksgiving day that year, the archrival Washington Redskins built up a 16-3 third quarter lead over the Cowboys, then knocked starting quarterback Roger Staubach out of the game. Longley, the backup quarterback, entered the game and went 11 for 20 with two touchdown passes, including a 50 yard bomb with 35 seconds remaining, to give the Cowboys an improbable 24-23 win over the Redskins.

The following week, Staubach returned, and Longley's NFL career had only two years and 48 passes left in it. After his Thanksgiving heroics, he became enamored of himself, to the great annoyance of his teammates. During training camp in 1976, Staubach promised to "knock those Bugs Bunny teeth out of Longley's mouth", arranged for some friends to distract the coaches, then beat Longley. Two days later, Longley told friends he'd figured out a way to get traded and punched Staubach.

He was dealt to San Diego within days.

Answer: Minnesota Vikings

From 1969-76, the Minnesota Vikings may have been the most feared team in the NFL, rolling up an 87-24-1 record and usually annihilating opponents in the process. Their quarterback, Gary Cuozzo, who backed up Joe Kapp in 1968-69 and started the next two seasons, was a practicing dentist and orthodontist in the offseason. Defensive lineman Alan Page, a future Hall of Famer and the 1971 league MVP, earned a law degree while in the NFL and went on to become an assistant attorney general in Minnesota before being elected to the state's Supreme Court in 1993.

Answer: Conrad Dobler

Dobler, who shows up on many lists of the dirtiest NFL players of all time, managed to avoid showing up on what was the first list of dirty players ever compiled from sworn court testimony. After a 1976 game in which George Atkinson of the Oakland Raiders injured Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann with a vicious blow to the head, Noll told reporters that Atkinson was part of a "criminal element" in the NFL. Atkinson sued Noll for slander. During the trial, while under oath, Noll added Raider Jack Tatum and his own player Mel Blount to the "criminal element" collection.

Although Noll prevailed in the lawsuit, he was then threatened with a lawsuit from Blount after the player took offense with his coach's testimony. The two worked out their differences, however, and Blount remained with the team until his 1983 retirement.

Answer: Alternating quarterbacks with each offensive play

In the NFL of the early 1970s, it was quite common for teams to situationally substitute quarterbacks, and Tom Landry took this approach to the extreme in the first half of 1971. Craig Morton had been the team's starting quarterback the previous season and taken the Cowboys to the Super Bowl. Roger Staubach had shown promise as a backup and in training camp. So Landry had the two quarterbacks alternate offensive plays for the first half of the season.

After the team had struggled to a 4-3 record, including losses to the awful New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears, Landry made Staubach the starter and full-time quarterback.

The team ended the season 7-0, then sailed through the playoffs and into the Super Bowl, where they defeated the Miami Dolphins 24-3. Under Staubach, the Cowboys played in three more Super Bowls in the decade. Morton had a solid NFL career, but may be best remembered for his woeful performance in two Super Bowls: 16/41 passing, with 166 yards, one touchdown, and seven interceptions.

Answer: He rushed for 968 yards in 1972

If Woody Hayes had seen Bobby Douglass play, he might have changed his famous adage ("There are three things that can happen when you pass, and two of them are bad") to say "and they're all bad." Douglass's 1972 Chicago Bear season saw him obliterate the existing NFL rushing record for quarterbacks, with his 968 yards almost cracking the list of the league's top 10 rushers. Typically for Douglass, this was far more impressive than his passing line for the year (38% completions, nine TDs, 12 INTs).

In 10 NFL seasons, Douglass only once completed more than half his passes, never had more touchdowns than interceptions, and somehow wound up with a rushing average (6.5 yards per carry) that dwarfed his passing average (5.5 yards per completion).

Answer: It was the first regular season overtime game in NFL history

The NFL became increasingly frustrated with the prevelance of tie games. Starting in 1972, the league began counting ties as half a win and half a loss in the standings (previously, they had counted as neither), hoping to encourage teams to play for a win.

There had been nine ties in 1970 and eight in 1971; the number dropped to five in 1972, but increased to seven the following year. Hoping to eliminate ties altogether, and anticipating a good amount of excitement from using overtime, the NFL again changed the rules in 1974, mandating a ten minute overtime period for regular season games that were tied after 60 minutes.

However frustrated the league must have been when the first overtime game ended in a tie, they must have been delighted with the long-term results: after the Steeler-Bronco contest, there were only two more tie games for the remainder of the 1970s.

Answer: Earl Campbell

Campbell joined the Houston Oilers in 1978 and came into the league like a sledgehammer, leading the NFL in rushing each of his first three years. He piled up 9,407 yards during his career, but his love of slamming into people took a quick toll on him, putting him out of the NFL after just eight seasons.

Answer: Seattle Seahawks & New England Patriots

The best the NFL had to offer was no match for Madden's Raider teams. Against the Dolphins of Shula, the Steelers of Noll, and the Vikings of Grant, they were 9-3-1. Against the NFC East, which included Tom Landry's Cowboys and George Allen's Redskins, the Raiders went 7-0. Yet somehow, the Seahawks (16-28 while Madden was coaching) managed to take two of three from his Raider teams, and the Patriots (61-81) took three of five.

Other than going 1-1 against three NFC West opponents (49ers, Falcons, Rams), Madden's Raiders had winning records against every other team in the league.