One of the most controversial plays in the New England Patriots’ history occurred years before the Tuck Rule Play (Jan. 19, 2002), the Snow Plow Game (Dec. 12, 1982), and the Ray Hamilton Roughing the Passer Call (Dec. 18, 1976). In the second season of the AFL, the Boston Patriots (4-3-1) were hosting the Dallas Texans (3-4) on a Friday night game at Nickerson Field.
The Patriots had fired Coach Lou Saban after a 2-3 start and had gone 2-0-1 under new coach Mike Holovak, with the tie being against the defending champion Houston Oilers. Fans responded with the largest crowd of the season – 25,063 jammed into Nickerson Field. Only a rope line separated the fans from the end zone.
The Patriots led 28-21 but the Texans had driven inside the 5-yard line with time running out. The Texans’ final shot at the end zone failed, but the referees gave them another shot since Boston fans had run onto the field. As the Texans got ready for the snap, a fan in a trench coat slipped onto the field behind the referees. As Quarterback Cotton Davidson dropped back, the fan slipped behind the Patriots’ defensive line. Davidson spotted Chris Burford open in the end zone, but his pass was incomplete as the fan reached out to deflect the pass. Amazingly, while the announcer spotted the fan, the referees apparently did not with the result being a third consecutive win for the Patriots.
The fan was never identified although there are rumors that it was Patriots Owner Billy Sullivan because he was often seen wearing a London Fog trench coat. Texans’ coach Hank Stram called the play the “best defensive play” of the season.
Epilogue: The Patriots would lose the next week on the road against Houston, but win their final four (including a 41-0 blowout of the Chargers in San Diego) to finish 9-4-1. The loss to Houston, however, proved to be costly as the Oilers won the division with a 10-3-1 record. The Oilers then went on to beat the Chargers in the AFL Championship Game.
Hank Stram would coach the Dallas Texans to the AFL Championship in 1962 with Len Dawson as the Quarterback. The Texans would move to Kansas City the following year and Stram and Dawson would lead the Chiefs to two Super Bowls – losing Super Bowl I to the Green Bay Packers 35-10 and winning Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings 23-7.
Trophy Lives 