Kardiac Kids
Encyclopedia
The Kardiac Kids is a reference to the 1980
Cleveland Browns
, who had a penchant for having games decided in the final moments. Finishing 11-5, the Browns captured their first division title since 1971, winning a tiebreaker with the Houston Oilers
. To commemorate the Browns success during the 1980 holiday season, a version of The Twelve Days of Christmas was recorded by Clark Walter, Mack Hayes and Sandra Hayes. Entitled, The Twelve Days of a Cleveland Browns Christmas, each day mentioned a hero on a "Rutigliano Super Bowl team". (The Browns did not win the Super Bowl
or reach the AFC Championship Game
that year.)
21
Week 8 (Home) - Browns 27, Pittsburgh Steelers
26
Week 9 (Home) - Browns 27, Chicago Bears
21
Week 11 (Away
)- Browns 13, Pittsburgh Steelers 16
Week 15 (Away
) - Browns 23, Minnesota Vikings
28
Week 16 (Away) - Browns 27, Cincinnati Bengals
24
14
In sub-zero conditions on Cleveland's windy Lakefront, the Browns and Raiders battled into the waning moments of the contest. Down 14-12 and having mounted a 72-yard drive, the Browns were within striking distance at the Oakland 13 yard line with less than a minute remaining. Although it was only second down, Don Cockroft had already missed two field goal attempts in the swirling winds. Browns Coach Sam Rutigliano
chose a more aggressive strategy, opting to go for the kill and pass the ball on second down instead of conservatively running the ball and then, perhaps, settling for a last second field goal. The play called was Red Right 88
, which was intended for Dave Logan. However, Ozzie Newsome managed to get clear in the Raiders endzone and Sipe fired the ball to him -- but the wind managed to interfere with the plan and heartbreak was the outcome for the frozen 77,655 Cleveland faithful: the ball was intercepted by Oakland Cornerback
Mike Davis
. The 1980 season will be remembered fondly albeit bittersweet, but the game would go down in Browns history (along with The Drive
and The Fumble
) as one of the franchises sadder moments.
Cleveland Browns have had a season similar to the Kardiac Kids, with several games being decided in the final minutes or in overtime. One game in particular against the Baltimore Ravens, which the Browns won in overtime because of a reversed call on a field goal by kicker Phil Dawson, led the Cleveland Plain Dealer to publish an editorial calling the 2007 Browns "The 'Son of the Kardiac Kids'" http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2007/11/call_them_the_son_of_the_kardi.html. The similarities have been at least acknowledged by the organization, with offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski being quoted in the article calling his team "The Kardiac Kids' little brother."
1980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who had a penchant for having games decided in the final moments. Finishing 11-5, the Browns captured their first division title since 1971, winning a tiebreaker with the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
. To commemorate the Browns success during the 1980 holiday season, a version of The Twelve Days of Christmas was recorded by Clark Walter, Mack Hayes and Sandra Hayes. Entitled, The Twelve Days of a Cleveland Browns Christmas, each day mentioned a hero on a "Rutigliano Super Bowl team". (The Browns did not win the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
or reach the AFC Championship Game
AFC Championship Game
The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
that year.)
Memorable moments
Week 7 (Home) - Browns 26, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
21
- Facing a third and 20 from the Packers 46 yard line with 16 seconds left, Brian SipeBrian SipeBrian Winfield Sipe is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League from 1984 to 1985....
completed a pass to Dave LoganDave Logan (American football)David Russell Logan is a former American football player. Logan played in nine National Football League seasons from 1976 to 1984, primarily for the Cleveland Browns...
for the winning touchdown.
Week 8 (Home) - Browns 27, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
26
- A fantastic effort to overcome the arch-rival Pittsburgh. Sipe and company fought back from deficits of 10-0, 20-7, and 26-14 to defeat the Steelers in Cleveland. The winning catch was hauled in by Ozzie NewsomeOzzie NewsomeOzzie Newsome Jr. and a 1974 graduate of Colbert County High School in Leighton, Alabama, is a former American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns, an inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the current General Manager of the Baltimore Ravens.-College career:Before his NFL career,...
with 5:35 to play.
Week 9 (Home) - Browns 27, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
21
- Although it was Mike PruittMike PruittMichael Pruitt is a former American football running back who played eleven seasons from 1976 to 1986 with the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs in the National Football League...
's 56-yard touchdown run that ultimately won the game for Cleveland, Sipe threw for 298 yards and reached a milestone in Browns history, becoming the Browns' all-time passing leader.
Week 11 (Away
Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...
)- Browns 13, Pittsburgh Steelers 16
- Seeking their first ever win at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers StadiumThree Rivers StadiumThree Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...
, the Browns were once again denied, this time on a Terry BradshawTerry BradshawTerry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
to Lynn SwannLynn Swann-Collegiate:Swann attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American on the Trojans football team. He played under legendary coach John McKay, including the 1972 undefeated and national championship season. McKay said of Swann, "He has speed, soft hands, and grace." He...
touchdown with eleven seconds left. It marked the Browns 11th consecutive defeat at Pittsburgh.
Week 15 (Away
Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America...
) - Browns 23, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
28
- The Browns relinquished what had been a 23-9 lead with only 7:15 remaining. The game is probably most remembered for Browns SafetySafetySafety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
Thom DardenThom DardenThomas Vincent Darden is a former American football cornerback, safety, and punt returner who played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League . In the NFL, he was a three-time All-Pro free safety. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 1978. He holds most Cleveland Browns franchise...
's deflection of Tommy KramerTommy KramerThomas Francis Kramer is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the NFL from 1977 to 1990...
's "Hail Mary passHail Mary passA Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
", which was caught by Ahmad RashadAhmad RashadAhmad Rashād is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. An All-American running back and wide receiver from Oregon known as Bobby Moore, Rashad was the fourth overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals...
as time expired. Kramer's 456 passing yards were the most ever given up by the Browns.
Week 16 (Away) - Browns 27, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
24
- Needing a win to secure the Central Division title, the Browns hold off the Bengals 27-24. Don CockroftDon CockroftDonald Lee Cockroft is a former American football punter and placekicker who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns...
's game winning field goal came with 1:25 left to play.
Red Right 88
AFC Divisional Playoff Game (Home) January 4, 1981 - Browns 12, Oakland RaidersOakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
14
In sub-zero conditions on Cleveland's windy Lakefront, the Browns and Raiders battled into the waning moments of the contest. Down 14-12 and having mounted a 72-yard drive, the Browns were within striking distance at the Oakland 13 yard line with less than a minute remaining. Although it was only second down, Don Cockroft had already missed two field goal attempts in the swirling winds. Browns Coach Sam Rutigliano
Sam Rutigliano
Sam Rutigliano is a former National Football League head coach.Rutigliano, the son of Italian immigrants, played high school football at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. He played college football at Tennessee and Tulsa. He coached at the high school level in New York...
chose a more aggressive strategy, opting to go for the kill and pass the ball on second down instead of conservatively running the ball and then, perhaps, settling for a last second field goal. The play called was Red Right 88
Red Right 88
Red Right 88 was the designation of a Cleveland Browns passing play that was called during the January 4, 1981 American Football Conference divisional playoff game against the Oakland Raiders; in the years since, the term has been used to refer to the game itself and its ending.Trailing 14-12 with...
, which was intended for Dave Logan. However, Ozzie Newsome managed to get clear in the Raiders endzone and Sipe fired the ball to him -- but the wind managed to interfere with the plan and heartbreak was the outcome for the frozen 77,655 Cleveland faithful: the ball was intercepted by Oakland Cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Mike Davis
Mike Davis (American football)
Michael Leonard Davis is a retired American football safety.-College career:Davis played college football at the University of Colorado.-Professional career:...
. The 1980 season will be remembered fondly albeit bittersweet, but the game would go down in Browns history (along with The Drive
The Drive
The Drive refers to an offensive series in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game played on January 11, 1987, between the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns. Broncos quarterback John Elway, in a span of 5 minutes and 2 seconds, led his team 98 yards to tie the game with 37 seconds...
and The Fumble
The Fumble
In American football, The Fumble refers to a specific incident in the AFC Championship Game between the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos on January 17, 1988 at Mile High Stadium...
) as one of the franchises sadder moments.
Son of the Kardiac Kids
The 20072007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
Cleveland Browns have had a season similar to the Kardiac Kids, with several games being decided in the final minutes or in overtime. One game in particular against the Baltimore Ravens, which the Browns won in overtime because of a reversed call on a field goal by kicker Phil Dawson, led the Cleveland Plain Dealer to publish an editorial calling the 2007 Browns "The 'Son of the Kardiac Kids'" http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2007/11/call_them_the_son_of_the_kardi.html. The similarities have been at least acknowledged by the organization, with offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski being quoted in the article calling his team "The Kardiac Kids' little brother."