2007 Trinity vs. Millsaps football game
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Trinity vs. Millsaps football game is best known for the memorable play that occurred in the game's last minutes. On October 27, 2007, the NCAA Division III 19th-ranked Trinity University
Tigers
threw 15 lateral pass
es and scored a 61-yard touchdown
to win a game against the 24th-ranked Millsaps College
Majors
as time expired in the game. Media sources called the play
the "Mississippi Miracle" or "Lateralpalooza." ESPN
and other sources said the play was probably "the longest play in college football history" in terms of how much time the play took to complete (over one minute). On January 7, 2008, the final play of the game was named the Pontiac Game Changing performance of the year.
's automatic playoff
bid on the line. A Millsaps win would secure the playoff berth for the Majors; a Trinity victory would give them control of their own destiny–if they could win their remaining conference games Millsaps would be unable to overtake them.
Coming into the game, Trinity was ranked #19 in the country, while Millsaps was ranked #24 according to the D3football.com poll, despite the Majors one game lead in the conference standings. The previous year, Millsaps had ended Trinity's streak of 13 consecutive SCAC titles with an astonishing 34-12 upset over the Tigers on the same field to clinch the 2006 SCAC crown.
Trinity got the ball to start the game and used four plays, culminating in a 25-yard run by Chris Baer, to score a touchdown. Millsaps was unable to get a first down and they punted back to Trinity. On the punt, Trinity's Caleb Urban fumbled the ball and Eric McCarty of the Majors recovered at the Trinity 40-yard line. The Tigers defense prevented the Majors from reaching the end zone so the Majors attempted a field goal
, which was no good. The Tigers punted on their next possession and then Majors quarterback
Juan Joseph
's pass was intercepted by Lee Patterson at the Trinity 4-yard line. The Tigers also ended their drive when Blake Barmore's pass was intercepted by Ray Kline. Millsaps took over at the Trinity 20-yard line and four plays later scored a touchdown on a 12-yard pass from Joseph to Louis Conley. A punt by each team left Trinity with the ball and the score was tied 7–7 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Trinity held the Majors scoreless and made a field goal to take a 10–7 lead into halftime. The third quarter brought a field goal by the Tigers and a touchdown by the Majors. The score was 14–13 Millsaps coming into the final period of play.
Millsaps widened their lead with a 9-play 44-yard touchdown scoring drive that used 3:03 of game time. That gave them a 21–13 lead. The Tigers trimmed the lead to 21–16 with a 22-yard field goal by Peter Licalzi. The Majors answered with their own field goal to go up 24–16. Trinity drove to the Millsaps 13-yard line. On fourth down, Blake Barmore completed a pass to Riley Curry for 13 yards for a touchdown, making the score 24–22. The Tigers tried to tie the game with a two point conversion but Blake Barmore's pass attempt failed and Trinity had to kick the ball to Millsaps.
Leading 24–22, Millsaps got the ball at the Trinity 43-yard line with 2:03 left in the game. They ran four straight rushing plays but were unable to run out the clock. On fourth-and-two with eight seconds remaining, Millsaps backup quarterback Burt Pereira ran to his left in an attempt to run out the clock; however, he went down with two seconds remaining, which gave Trinity possession of the ball and one final play in which to score.
The Tigers had time for only one snap so there was no time to move into field goal range. They needed to score a touchdown in one play, working from their own 40-yard line. The play they ran involved seven players and 15 laterals
. The players who touched the ball for Trinity were (in order, number of touches in parentheses):
Here is the sequence of the play, broken down for every time the ball changed hands:
NCAA statistical guidelines state that the yardage on a play with multiple laterals goes to the ball carrier who had the ball the longest, or the player scoring a touchdown. This is done to simplify things for the official scorer, as opposed to having to record each independent lateral. As a result, the play-by-play record of the game officially records the play as "Blake Barmore pass complete to Shawn Thompson for 16 yards to the MSPS44, Riley Curry for 44 yards to the MSPS0, 1ST DOWN TRINITY, TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:00."
In the video, it is clear that several Millsaps defenders stopped playing before the play was over. On the thirteenth lateral, Tomlin was taken down but tossed a no-look pitch over his shoulder to Maddux just before his knee hit the ground. Many Millsaps fans believed the play to be over and fireworks were shot off from behind the endzone in celebration. Maddux's final lateral hit the ground and bounced into Curry's hands. It appeared as though two defenders near Curry believed the play was over at that point, and Curry scampered into the endzone untouched. [This contradicts what is listed above for the last three laterals: Tomlin-Hooten, Hooten-Maddux, Maddux-Curry.]
The play took more than a minute of real-time to conclude and analysts have said it is the longest or possibly the longest play in college football history. ESPN said the play took 62 seconds and reports may be the longest play in college football history
. The Frederick News Post said the play took 63 seconds and they also stated "it might very well be the longest play in college history." NBC said "If this wasn't the most memorable game-ending play in college football history, it likely was the longest play -- by a multiple of two -- in the game's history." SouthernCollegeSports.com called it the longest play and commented "Perhaps the most amazing thing about this longest play ever is the fact that not a single flag was thrown for a rules infraction."
The San Antonio Express-News
, San Antonio's WOAI
, MSNBC
, CBS Sports
and The Dallas Morning News
called the play the "Mississippi Miracle". The Dallas Morning News, Sports Illustrated
, and ESPN used the term "Lateralpalooza".
, "Wiener kept his cool through the frenzy and described most of the details precisely as they occurred. The replay of the video with Wiener’s description has been shown on national television and has become a hit on the Internet." See External Link section below for video links.
As Curry scored the touchdown, Wiener shouted, "Curry scores! The game is over! The Tigers lateraled it and kept lateraling!! And the game is over! The Tigers win! The Tigers win!"
(SCAC) championship as well as an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs. Millsaps would have secured a spot in the playoffs had they won. Trinity won the championship for 2007, receiving a playoff berth but was ultimately eliminated in the first round by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
.
Sports analysts compared the ending to The Play
, the last-second, five-lateral kickoff
return during a college football game between the University of California, Berkeley
Golden Bears
and the Stanford University
Cardinal
on November 20, 1982. Jake Curtis of the San Francisco Chronicle
said that the Trinity play made the play by California "look like conservative play-calling." Joe LaPointe of The New York Times called the broadcast of the play "The laterals heard round the world." The San Antonio Express-News
ran a byline calling it "'The most sensational, incredible ending in all of Division III' and then some". Mike Christensen of The Clarion-Ledger
, the hometown newspaper of Millsaps, called it "one of those you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it plays". David Chancellor of San Antonio's WOAI called it "one of the greatest plays in sports history".
ESPN reported, "In the digital age, even D-III games can go global in a flash. And so a slice of fame normally reserved for the semiprofessionals at the big-dollar Division I programs was bestowed upon the Tigers. That night they gathered in the lobby of their hotel near the Millsaps campus to watch, in disbelief, as they made SportsCenter
."
Trinity University (Texas)
Trinity University is a private, independent, primarily undergraduate, university in San Antonio, Texas. Its campus is located in the Monte Vista Historic District and adjacent to Brackenridge Park....
Tigers
Trinity Tigers
The Trinity Tigers is the nickname for the sports teams of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. They participate in the NCAA's Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The school mascot is LeeRoy, a Bengal Tiger...
threw 15 lateral pass
Lateral pass
In American football, a lateral pass or lateral, officially backward pass , occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to any teammate behind him or directly next to him...
es and scored a 61-yard touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
to win a game against the 24th-ranked Millsaps College
Millsaps College
Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college located in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded in 1890, the college is recognized as one of the country's best private colleges dedicated to undergraduate teaching and educating the whole individual. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, Millsaps...
Majors
Millsaps Majors
The Millsaps Majors is the nickname for the sports teams of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi and their colors are purple and white. They participate in the NCAA's Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference....
as time expired in the game. Media sources called the play
Play from scrimmage
A play from scrimmage is the activity of the games of Canadian football and American football during which one team tries to advance the ball or to score, and the other team tries to stop them or take the ball away. Once a play is over, and before the next play starts, the football is considered...
the "Mississippi Miracle" or "Lateralpalooza." ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and other sources said the play was probably "the longest play in college football history" in terms of how much time the play took to complete (over one minute). On January 7, 2008, the final play of the game was named the Pontiac Game Changing performance of the year.
Background
Millsaps brought a 5-0 conference mark into the game, Trinity a 3-1 conference record, essentially turning the regular season contest into a play-in game with the Southern Collegiate Athletic ConferenceSouthern Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference , founded in 1962, is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas...
's automatic playoff
NCAA Division III national football championship
The NCAA Division III National Football Championship began in 1973. Before 1973, most of the schools now in Division III competed in the NCAA's former "College Division"....
bid on the line. A Millsaps win would secure the playoff berth for the Majors; a Trinity victory would give them control of their own destiny–if they could win their remaining conference games Millsaps would be unable to overtake them.
Coming into the game, Trinity was ranked #19 in the country, while Millsaps was ranked #24 according to the D3football.com poll, despite the Majors one game lead in the conference standings. The previous year, Millsaps had ended Trinity's streak of 13 consecutive SCAC titles with an astonishing 34-12 upset over the Tigers on the same field to clinch the 2006 SCAC crown.
Game summary
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
, which was no good. The Tigers punted on their next possession and then Majors quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Juan Joseph
Juan Joseph
Juan Joseph is a former professional Arena football quarterback who has also played American and Canadian football. He last played for the Lafayette Wildcatters of the SIFL. He was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
's pass was intercepted by Lee Patterson at the Trinity 4-yard line. The Tigers also ended their drive when Blake Barmore's pass was intercepted by Ray Kline. Millsaps took over at the Trinity 20-yard line and four plays later scored a touchdown on a 12-yard pass from Joseph to Louis Conley. A punt by each team left Trinity with the ball and the score was tied 7–7 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Trinity held the Majors scoreless and made a field goal to take a 10–7 lead into halftime. The third quarter brought a field goal by the Tigers and a touchdown by the Majors. The score was 14–13 Millsaps coming into the final period of play.
Millsaps widened their lead with a 9-play 44-yard touchdown scoring drive that used 3:03 of game time. That gave them a 21–13 lead. The Tigers trimmed the lead to 21–16 with a 22-yard field goal by Peter Licalzi. The Majors answered with their own field goal to go up 24–16. Trinity drove to the Millsaps 13-yard line. On fourth down, Blake Barmore completed a pass to Riley Curry for 13 yards for a touchdown, making the score 24–22. The Tigers tried to tie the game with a two point conversion but Blake Barmore's pass attempt failed and Trinity had to kick the ball to Millsaps.
Leading 24–22, Millsaps got the ball at the Trinity 43-yard line with 2:03 left in the game. They ran four straight rushing plays but were unable to run out the clock. On fourth-and-two with eight seconds remaining, Millsaps backup quarterback Burt Pereira ran to his left in an attempt to run out the clock; however, he went down with two seconds remaining, which gave Trinity possession of the ball and one final play in which to score.
Final play
Lateral pass
In American football, a lateral pass or lateral, officially backward pass , occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to any teammate behind him or directly next to him...
. The players who touched the ball for Trinity were (in order, number of touches in parentheses):
- #13 Blake Barmore, QuarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
(2) - #80 Shawn Thompson, Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
(3) - #7 Riley Curry, Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
(4) - #50 Josh Hooten, Offensive Lineman (2)
- #3 Michael Tomlin, Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
(2) - #68 Stephen Arnold, Offensive Lineman (1)
- #25 Brandon Maddux, Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
(3)
Here is the sequence of the play, broken down for every time the ball changed hands:
- The Pass (Barmore-Thompson)
- Trinity QuarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Blake Barmore (#13) took the snap out of a 5-wide shotgun set at the Tigers' 40 yard line, stepped up in the pocket and completed a passForward passIn several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
over the middle to Tigers' Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Shawn Thompson (#80) at Millsap's 49 yard line.
- Trinity Quarterback
- Lateral #1 (Thompson-Curry)
- Thompson (#80) cut back to his right and reached the Majors' 44, then turned around and tossed the ball to Wide Receiver Riley Curry (#7) a few feet away on the Majors' 47.
- Lateral #2 (Curry-Hooten)
- Curry (#7) advanced the ball to the Millsaps 43 yard line, where he was grabbed by a Millsaps defender near Trinity's sideline. Before he could be downed, Curry lobbed the ball back to Offensive Lineman Josh Hooten (#50), who caught the ball around the Majors' 45.
- Lateral #3 (Hooten-Tomlin)
- Hooten (#50) immediately flipped the ball behind him to Wide Receiver Michael Tomlin (#3), around the 47.
- Lateral #4 (Tomlin-Arnold)
- Tomlin (#3) had a pair of Millsaps defenders on him almost instantly and quickly pitched the ball back to Offensive Lineman Stephen Arnold (#68), around the Majors' 48 yard line.
- Lateral #5 (Arnold-Thompson)
- Arnold (#68) immediately turned and pitched the ball to Thompson (#80), who caught the ball in stride around Trinity's 48.
- Lateral #6 (Thompson-Maddux)
- Thompson (#80) sprinted left, back towards the middle of the field, but was not able to make any forward progress. Just before he could be tackled, Wide Receiver Brandon Maddux (#25), who was waiting behind Thompson (#80) at Trinity's 46, received the quick pitch.
- Lateral #7 (Maddux-Curry)
- Maddux (#25) took the ball and cut back in the opposite direction, to the right, towards the Trinity sideline. He raced across the field and down the sideline, all the way across midfield to the Majors' 43. As defenders closed in on him, Maddux (#25) picked up a block from Tomlin (#3) that gave him just enough time to turn around and find a waiting Curry (#7) at midfield.
- Lateral #8 (Curry-Maddux)
- Curry (#7) caught the backwards pass and was able to reach the Majors' 47 before being pinned on his own sideline by closing Millsaps defenders. Curry (#7) threw the ball back to Maddux (#25) as he was being pushed out of bounds.
- Lateral #9 (Maddux-Barmore)
- Maddux (#25) caught the ball on Trinity's own 45 near the Tigers' sideline. With two Millsaps defenders closing quickly, he passed the ball across the field to Barmore (#13), who caught it in stride at Trinity's 42.
- Lateral #10 (Barmore-Thompson)
- Barmore (#13) took the pass and sprinted around the left side all the way down to the Majors' 34. As he was being tackled he turned and threw a backwards pass to Thompson (#80).
- Lateral #11 (Thompson-Curry II)
- Thompson (#80) caught the ball around the Majors' 37, on the numbers near the Millsaps sideline. He advanced to the Majors 30, stopped, turned and threw a pass to his right.
- Lateral #12 (Curry-Tomlin)
- Curry (#7) caught the ball in stride at the Majors' 36. He retreated behind the 40 to avoid a defender then cut back to the right. Curry (#7) ran past one defender near the Majors' 40 and pitched the ball backwards just before being tackled around the Majors' 37.
- Lateral #13 (Tomlin-Hooten)
- Tomlin (#3) caught the pass at the Majors' 41 yard line in the middle of the field with no defenders near him. He raced to the right and managed to flip the ball back to Hooten (#50) at the Majors' 30 before being tackled by a pursuing Millsaps defender.
- Lateral #14 (Hooten-Maddux)
- Hooten (#50) caught the ball and pitched it to Maddux (#25) who was waiting on the Majors' 31, near the Trinity sideline.
- Lateral #15, Fumble, Score (Maddux-Curry)
- With several defenders closing Maddux (#25) attempted a backwards pass, however the ball was tipped as he released it and bounced to the turf (technically making it a fumble) and into the waiting hands of Curry (#7), who took the ball at the Majors' 34 in the middle of the field, picked up a block and raced past the last Millsaps defender for the score and the win.
NCAA statistical guidelines state that the yardage on a play with multiple laterals goes to the ball carrier who had the ball the longest, or the player scoring a touchdown. This is done to simplify things for the official scorer, as opposed to having to record each independent lateral. As a result, the play-by-play record of the game officially records the play as "Blake Barmore pass complete to Shawn Thompson for 16 yards to the MSPS44, Riley Curry for 44 yards to the MSPS0, 1ST DOWN TRINITY, TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:00."
In the video, it is clear that several Millsaps defenders stopped playing before the play was over. On the thirteenth lateral, Tomlin was taken down but tossed a no-look pitch over his shoulder to Maddux just before his knee hit the ground. Many Millsaps fans believed the play to be over and fireworks were shot off from behind the endzone in celebration. Maddux's final lateral hit the ground and bounced into Curry's hands. It appeared as though two defenders near Curry believed the play was over at that point, and Curry scampered into the endzone untouched. [This contradicts what is listed above for the last three laterals: Tomlin-Hooten, Hooten-Maddux, Maddux-Curry.]
The play took more than a minute of real-time to conclude and analysts have said it is the longest or possibly the longest play in college football history. ESPN said the play took 62 seconds and reports may be the longest play in college football history
History of American football
American football can be traced to early versions of rugby football and association football. Both games have their origin in varieties of football played in Britain in the mid-19th century, in which a football is kicked at a goal and/or run over a line....
. The Frederick News Post said the play took 63 seconds and they also stated "it might very well be the longest play in college history." NBC said "If this wasn't the most memorable game-ending play in college football history, it likely was the longest play -- by a multiple of two -- in the game's history." SouthernCollegeSports.com called it the longest play and commented "Perhaps the most amazing thing about this longest play ever is the fact that not a single flag was thrown for a rules infraction."
The San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Express-News
The San Antonio Express-News is the daily newspaper of San Antonio, Texas. It is ranked as the third-largest daily newspaper in the state of Texas in terms of circulation, and is one of the leading news sources of South Texas, with offices in Austin, Brownsville, Laredo, and Mexico City...
, San Antonio's WOAI
WOAI-TV
WOAI-TV, virtual channel 4 , is the NBC affiliate television station serving the San Antonio, Texas metropolitan area. Its transmitter is located in Elmendorf, Texas, with its studios located in downtown San Antonio....
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
and The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
called the play the "Mississippi Miracle". The Dallas Morning News, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, and ESPN used the term "Lateralpalooza".
Broadcast
The announcing crew for the game consisted of a five-person team with only one video camera. Jonathan Wiener, a Trinity sophomore English major from Jackson, Mississippi, had the play-by-play. Justin Thompson, (brother of Shawn Thompson, one of the play participants) of New Braunfels, Texas, was the color analyst. Bill Swint of New Braunfels, Texas, ran the video camera assisted by Butch Maddux of China Spring, Texas. The video and audio feeds were mixed and uploaded live to a streaming videocast server by Bob Edwards of Dallas, Texas. The game was broadcast live on the internet but was not otherwise televised. According to The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, "Wiener kept his cool through the frenzy and described most of the details precisely as they occurred. The replay of the video with Wiener’s description has been shown on national television and has become a hit on the Internet." See External Link section below for video links.
As Curry scored the touchdown, Wiener shouted, "Curry scores! The game is over! The Tigers lateraled it and kept lateraling!! And the game is over! The Tigers win! The Tigers win!"
Analysis
With the win, the Trinity Tigers remained in contention for the Southern Collegiate Athletic ConferenceSouthern Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference , founded in 1962, is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas...
(SCAC) championship as well as an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs. Millsaps would have secured a spot in the playoffs had they won. Trinity won the championship for 2007, receiving a playoff berth but was ultimately eliminated in the first round by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
The University of Mary Hardin–Baylor, generally referred to as UMHB, is a Christian co-educational liberal arts institution of higher learning located in Belton, Texas, United States. Founded by the Republic of Texas in 1845 as "Baylor Female College," it has grown to approximately 2,700 students...
.
Sports analysts compared the ending to The Play
The Play
The Play refers to a last-second kickoff return during a college football game between the and the Stanford University Cardinal on Saturday, November 20, 1982...
, the last-second, five-lateral kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
return during a college football game between the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
Golden Bears
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
and the Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
Cardinal
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
on November 20, 1982. Jake Curtis of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
said that the Trinity play made the play by California "look like conservative play-calling." Joe LaPointe of The New York Times called the broadcast of the play "The laterals heard round the world." The San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Express-News
The San Antonio Express-News is the daily newspaper of San Antonio, Texas. It is ranked as the third-largest daily newspaper in the state of Texas in terms of circulation, and is one of the leading news sources of South Texas, with offices in Austin, Brownsville, Laredo, and Mexico City...
ran a byline calling it "'The most sensational, incredible ending in all of Division III' and then some". Mike Christensen of The Clarion-Ledger
The Clarion-Ledger
The Clarion-Ledger is the Pulitzer Prize winning daily newspaper of Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second oldest company in the state of Mississippi and is one of only a few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide...
, the hometown newspaper of Millsaps, called it "one of those you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it plays". David Chancellor of San Antonio's WOAI called it "one of the greatest plays in sports history".
ESPN reported, "In the digital age, even D-III games can go global in a flash. And so a slice of fame normally reserved for the semiprofessionals at the big-dollar Division I programs was bestowed upon the Tigers. That night they gathered in the lobby of their hotel near the Millsaps campus to watch, in disbelief, as they made SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
."
See also
- River City RelayRiver City RelayThe River City Relay is a famous play in a National Football League game involving the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars that took place on December 21, 2003 in Jacksonville, Florida.-Background:...
, a similar last-second play in a 20032003 NFL season-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
game - List of historically significant college football games