Plays of the Year from 1985: Animated and Annotated

For a sports fan, 1985 was an interesting year.  The teams you followed were likely your local teams, and you watched their brief highlights on your local 11:00 news broadcasts.  ESPN was still an oddity, one of only 30 cable networks in existence (and only rich people had cable!)  You might see Wide World of Sports on the weekend, or perhaps syndicated TV specials from NFL Films, or Mel Allen's This Week in Baseball -- but otherwise, most of us got our sports fix by reading the newspaper.

Enter Warner Wolf, and the birth of the sports blooper reel.  A sports anchor on New York's WCBS, Warner's TV segments largely focused on local teams, like the Mets and Knicks -- but every Friday he also compiled the best highlights from all teams in all sports, calling them the "Plays of the Week."  A typical segment might include amazing plays from the major leagues, but also odd plays and bloopers from obscure college and high school sports, as well as boxing or wrestling.  Warner injected the presentation with true vaudeville, gearing up his audience with his signature catchphrase, "Let's go to the videotape!"  He'd tease the subjects of the bloopers ("Nice catch, Eric!") or, if the players were running toward the camera, he'd warn the audience ("Boom, into your living room!")  Even the background music, a dixieland song called "That's a-Plenty", is an homage to Jackie Gleason, who used to kick off his show with his own signature catchphrase: "And awaaay we go!"

Today's sports fan takes for granted that "best of" sports highlight reels are served up every night, catchphrases a-plenty, delivered to mobile phones and social media accounts on demand.  But Warner's "Plays of the Week" was so unique and popular in the early 1980s, that the CBS Morning News (also broadcast from New York) would welcome Warner every Friday morning for a nationwide showcase of his videotapes and his special perspective on sports.  By 1985, many imitators had followed suit; George Michael pushed buttons on his Sports Machine, Bob Uecker trawled the public domain for his Wacky World of Sports, and Marv Albert brought his Albert Achievement Awards to David Letterman.  My local sportscasters called their segment the "Highlight Zone."

But Warner was the real deal -- and not just because he was the first to do it in an entertaining manner.  Having covered sports since the 1960s, he also had a critical historical perspective.  When one-armed pitcher Jim Abbott gained baseball notoriety in the 1980s, Warner showed films of Pete Gray, who played left field with one arm in 1945.  If other sportscasters hailed the rough-and-tumble Detroit Pistons as NBA's "Bad Boys," Warner would roll an interview with Celtics hall-of-famer Sam Jones, who in the 1960s had threatened to break the kneecaps of Wilt Chamberlain.

That's why, starting in 1985, I followed Warner's lead in compiling my own highlight reel -- preserving Warner's "Plays of the Week" segments on VHS tape.  Now, 30 years later, we can watch these sports time capsules with our own historical perspective.  Hulk Hogan being fake on TV, before fakeness on TV became a virtue.  Manute Bol getting into a fight, before Celebrity Boxing.  The New England Patriots admitting to wrongdoing.

Every week, we will share Warner's "Plays of the Week" TV segment from exactly 30 years ago, discussing the issues that were relevant then, and remain relevant today.  We will provide "Where Are They Now?" links to some of the more notable names and faces mentioned in the highlight reel.  We'll even follow up on some of Warner's co-hosts (whatever happened to that Maria Shriver?)  And of course, your memories and perspectives are always welcome.

We begin with Warner's "Plays of the Year" for 1985.  Let's go to the videotape!

Where Are They Now?
Plays of the Year: 1985

• 0:05 The Milwaukee Bucks played in the MECCA Arena until 1988.  Leaving aside how the name of the arena might ruffle a few feathers today (MECCA stands for Milwaukee Exposition Convention Center and Arena), the floor itself became a coveted objet d'art, as told in this ESPN 30-for-30 short.  Today, the Bucks actually change their court for certain games to match their new black uniforms.
• 0:23 Michael Jackson, who slid into fame while playing basketball at Georgetown, eventually became president of the YES Network, and now is VP of Global Basketball at Nike.
• 0:28 After the Florida State-Louisville brawl, four players were ejected -- but not Herb Crook, whom Warner complimented on his "nice placekick."  In fact, Crook went on to score the game-winning layup as time expired!
• 0:52 Alpine skier Klaus Gattermann (of what was then called West Germany) survived this horrific crash in Kitzbuhel, Austria, but was no longer willing to risk his life on the fast downhill courses.  He now works for German ski manufacturer Völkl.  In the thirty years since then, Kitzbuhel has claimed many victims; read this terrifying list of injuries suffered at the most dangerous downhill course in the world.
• 1:00 Think that Michael Adams falling-out-of-bounds shot is impressive?  Look at how Adams shot his free throws.  He remains one of the few NBA players in the modern era to embrace the push shot (Shaquille O'Neal doesn't count), as Adams became an All-Star and played in the league for 11 years.
• 1:06 The longest basketball shot in history, an 89' 10" hook shot by Bruce Morris of Marshall, is immortalized by green footprints that remain on Marshall's home court to this day.  Check out these current players attempting to duplicate the feat in his footsteps.  Since a basketball court is 94 feet long, and the basket is set 4 feet in, this record will likely never be broken.
• 1:13 Dr. J retired in 1987, while Mo Cheeks eventually coached the 76ers. Sadly, 21st-century Philly fans have become so acquainted with losing, the only way they could break an NBA record 27 consecutive losses was by reliving 30 years ago with throwback uniforms and nostalgic tribute nights.
• 1:26 Name a golfer today who shows as much flair and enthusiasm as Chi Chi Rodriguez, who lit up the golf world with his toreador putter/sword celebration (here he demonstrates how to do it properly).  1980s TV fans might also remember him from the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, where Les Nessman always mispronounced his name.
• 1:49 Clothesliner Micheal Ray Richardson played in the NBA for 8 years, and in Europe for another 14 years.  In the first ever season of the National Basketball League of Canada in 2011, he became the head coach of the London Lightning, who won the championship with Richardson being named Coach of the Year.
• 2:01 In the Orlando Renegades' colorful USFL history, Mike Guess' butt-wiggle might have been one of the few highlights; under head coach Lee Corso, the team never had a winning season.  Interesting fact: the team was brought to Orlando by a businessman named Donald Dizney (no relation to the Mouse or the Duck!)
• 2:08 For what it's worth: in the battle of "coolest" boxers, Norberto Sabater defeated Bill Lee by split decision after 8 rounds.
• 2:45 Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon's sucker punch of Billy "The Whopper" Paultz may have been a lowlight of The Dream's career, but it was a highlight of Paultz's final year in the NBA.  Read this hilarious retrospective of how Jazz coach Frank Layden had to replace injured superstar center Mark Eaton with Billy Paultz, telling him to get under Olajuwon's skin.  Spoiler alert: it worked, and the Jazz upset the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
• 2:51 Irate goalie Kelly Hrudey, after playing 15 years in the NHL, became a broadcaster for CBC's Hockey Night in Canada.
• 2:56 What an amazing 21st century we live in.  The hockey fight between Ed Hospodar and George McPhee is one of thousands that have been catalogued at dropyourgloves.com, including punch counts, descriptions, video clips, and judges' scorecards! (Reviewers called this one a draw).
• 3:12 Marvin Hagler vs Thomas Hearns, which only lasted three rounds, is still considered one of the finest boxing matches in history.  Hagler, after losing a similarly enormous "Fight of the Year" to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987, never fought again; Hearns won several titles through the 80s and 90s, finishing in 2006 with a record of 61-5-1.  Fun fact: Hagler loved his nickname so much, he legally changed his name to Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
• 3:44 Minor-league umpire Denny Cregg, who was clobbered by Mike Hart, has another claim to fame. He umpired the longest professional baseball game in history: a 1981 minor-league marathon in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, featuring 8 1/2 hours, 33 innings, and no bathroom breaks!  The game also featured 80s superstars Wade Boggs, Cal Ripken Jr., and Bob Ojeda.
• 3:59 It's somewhat shocking to see Robert Parish -- someone so stoic, his nickname was "The Chief" -- punch another player in the face.  But if anyone could rile him up, it would be Bill Laimbeer, whose physical play was so notorious, he even had his own video game called Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball.  Both also are well-known for their longevity; Parish played more regular season games than anyone in NBA history, over an incredible 20 years.  Laimbeer has now coached longer than he has played; he has won three titles leading the WNBA's Detroit Shock and New York Liberty.
• 4:05 Alabama native Joey Jones stayed close to home, not only catching this amazing touchdown for the USFL's Birmingham Stallions, but becoming head coach for the University of South Alabama's first football team in 2008.  Perhaps more notable from this clip: sure it gets hot in Alabama during the summer, but USFL referees wore shorts?!?
• 4:13 Bullfighter Jose Manzanares passed on his dangerous profession to his son, Jose Maria -- who hedged his bets this year by also becoming a fashion model for Dolce & Gabbana.
• 4:58 Where does the karate kick by George Bell rank among baseball fights?  Is it better than Chan Ho Park's leaping kick in 1999, or Izzy Alcantara mule-kicking the catcher in 2001? Either way, in 1987 Bell became the only Blue Jay to win an MVP award -- until Josh Donaldson in 2015.
• 6:29 Mike Scioscia, now the longest tenured manager in Major League Baseball, had his fair share of collisions as a major league catcher.  Those collisions are now history, since blocking the plate became illegal in 2014.
• 6:42 Boris Becker is still the youngest man to win Wimbledon; the youngest female was Maria Sharapova (also 17) in 2004.  The youngest overall major winners?  Michael Chang (17) at the 1989 French Open, and Martina Hingis (16) at the 1997 Australian Open.  For the record, Serena Williams was 2 weeks shy of her 18th when she won her first major, the 1999 US Open.  Also for the record: tennis players can join the professional Seniors Circuit at age 35!
• 6:52 For young people watching the highlight of Ken Griffey's "catch of the year," keep in mind that it was Ken Griffey Senior.  Junior was a high school freshman at the time -- although he would make his own bevy of spectacular catches after his MLB debut four years later.
• 7:03 Von Hayes might have biffed on that catch, but he had already made history that year by becoming the first MLB player ever to hit two home runs in the 1st inning of a game.  The feat has been achieved four more times in the last 30 years -- two of them by brothers Bret and Aaron Boone! 
• 7:24 Yogi Berra's son Dale played in the majors for 10 years, but might be best remembered as the second person tagged out in succession by Carlton Fisk, in a play Yankees manager Billy Martin said he'd never seen "in grammar school, let alone the major leagues."  It's worth mentioning that Fisk, who played 24 years as MLB catcher, didn't block the plate -- meaning the play would still be legal under today's stricter rules (see above).
• 7:40 Today's generation knows Ed "Too Tall" Jones from this Geico commercial.  But 1980s aficionados might also remember him from an episode of Diff'rent Strokes, where he's sent out onto a window ledge to rescue Arnold, only to discover that "Too Tall" is afraid of heights!
• 7:45 Does the name "Norberto Sabater" ring a bell?  He's the "cool" boxer Warner highlighted earlier.  This knockout from Iran Barkley was Sabater's second-to-last bout.
• 7:58 Warner makes a mistake describing the sliding catch by a third baseman; Wade Boggs was not involved.  The catch was made by Blue Jays 3rd baseman Rance Mulliniks, who robbed Dwight Evans of the Red Sox.
• 8:32 Earl Weaver would only manage the Orioles for one more season before retiring.  He and fellow Hall-of-Famer Stan Musial died the same day, January 19, 2013.
• 8:38 As the Colts had just moved to Indianapolis a year earlier, punter Rohn Stark holds an interesting place in NFL history: the only player to play in the era of both the Baltimore Colts and the Baltimore Ravens.  Video gamers also know Stark from 1991's Tecmo Super Bowl, in which the punter was the best statistical player on the lowly Colts roster.
• 8:45 Yes, that's Giants defensive coordinator Bill Belichick receiving an "impromptu cold shower" from linebacker Harry Carson.  Could this be the first recorded Gatorade shower?  Read this comprehensive history and decide for yourself.  For all the showers he got as a Giants assistant coach, Belichick successfully avoided Gatorade showers after his first two Super Bowl wins with the Patriots in 2002 and 2004.  He did get dunked in 2005, and even got two dunkings in 2015.
• 8:50 Tennis great Yannick Noah, father of current NBA star Joakim Noah, is often credited with inventing the "between the legs" shot (though he is only its most famous practitioner).  He did, however, invent a shot called the Jump Smash.
• 9:13 Ozzie "The Wizard" Smith developed his famous backflip as a kid, playing with his friends in a lumberyard.  The best front flip in baseball history has to be this 2010 highlight from Fordham University.
• 9:21 "Spike it, Willie!" Refrigerator Perry certainly made the most out of his 1985 rookie year, running for a touchdown against the Packers, and later doing the same against the Patriots in Super Bowl XX.  Within a year, he had also guest starred on the A-Team, rapped on the Super Bowl Shuffle, participated in a Royal Rumble at Wrestlemania 2, been immortalized as a GI Joe action figure, and received the largest Super Bowl ring ever made.  Unfortunately, the Fridge had to sell his ring to pay for multiple medical issues later in life.  It also bears pondering that Warner calls Perry "the biggest running back in football history"; today, at 308 pounds, Perry would rank as midsize, even on a college football team.  He's also no longer the heaviest player to score in the postseason; 337-pound Packers nose tackle BJ Raji ran back an interception for a touchdown in the 2011 NFC Championship.
• 9:30 Football H-style goalposts used to sit on the goal line, making them even more dangerous than this collision.  But the policy to move them back to the end line in the 1970s wasn't made for safety reasons; it was because soccer-style kickers were too accurate in their kicks, making the game less exciting for the fans.  (In 2015, the NFL again tried to address this accuracy "problem," moving extra points back from the 2-yard line to the 15.) As for colliding tight end Scott Helverson, he stayed in the game as a referee, working as a back judge in two Super Bowls.
• 9:38 South Carolina quarterback Mike Hold and receiver Raynard Brown had an amazing 1984 season -- the best in South Carolina history to that point.  Unfortunately, 1985's campaign was pretty forgettable, save for this one "play of the year"; it was the team's only score in a 42-7 loss at Pitt.
• 10:15 Craig Hodges certainly knows his way around a long-distance shot; in 1991, he set a Three-Point Shootout record, hitting 19 in a row.
• 10:31 Does this John Stallworth catch remind you of another famous Steelers circus catch, 10 years earlier?
• 10:39 Clemson fans still remember the backstory to this brawl: Maryland beat Clemson for the ACC Championship on a last-second touchdown catch in which the receiver clearly did not hang on to the ball.  Tigers players took out their frustrations on Maryland's Lewis Askew, who had nothing to do with the play.  Meanwhile, Clemson coach Danny Ford took out his frustrations on the officials, leading to an unprecedented instance for the 1986 rematch in which both head coaches were banned from the game.
• 10:47 Phil McConkey had served a full four-year hitch in the Navy before being signed by the Giants as a 27-year-old rookie, specifically to catch punts (Tom Landry once said that McConkey could catch a punt "in a rock slide.")  He became a folk hero for his efforts in Super Bowl XXI a few months later, where he ran back punts and caught a touchdown pass.   Military academies loosened their rules in 2008, allowing athletes to pursue athletic goals before their active duty commitments.
• 10:51 Ken Stills is proud of his role in the Packers/Bears rivalry, but is not particularly proud of this extremely late hit against Matt Suhey, which took place during Ken's first ever NFL game.  Check out this YouTube comment where Ken apologizes for his poor sportsmanship.
• 10:58 See something else flying, other than side judge Bill Quinby's arms as he fell down?  This is the infamous "Snowball Game," where Denver fans pelted the field with snowballs -- one of them disrupting a San Francisco field goal attempt, ultimately costing them the game!
• 11:10 Vinny Pazienza, who went on to gain 5 world titles after a life-threatening car accident, is being portrayed on the silver screen by Miles Teller in an upcoming film called "Bleed for This."  For the record, Paz's opponent (Melvin Paul) only fought once more after this knockout.
• 11:17 Ainge-to-Bird-to-McHale, 30 years later, would involve an NBA president-to-president-to-head-coach. [UPDATE: McHale was fired last week. C'mon Kevin! Become president so you can complete the fast break!]