Kerry Meacham and I will be rooting against each other on Sunday when his Tennessee Titans visit my Pittsburgh Steelers for a game at Heinz Field. But if my boys have to lose, I’ll be glad for Kerry and his wife. He’s a great guy and the author of today’s guest post in which he recounts a rare perspective of one of the greatest plays in NFL history. You should read his blog and find him on Twitter. Okay Kerry, the field is yours!
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When Clay asked if I would write a guest post for his blog, the first thing that popped into my head was the Tennessee Titans. Just so you know, I’m a true fan, but my wife is a fanatic. One of her parameters for me accepting my current job in St. Louis was that we would still go back to Nashville for all Titans’ home games. Done.
My wife and I at this year’s first home game, where we WAXED the Baltimore Ravens 23-16 thank you very much.
Yes, you’re right. When I wear that jersey people are constantly bugging me for an autograph thinking I’m the real Chris Johnson (#28). I constantly have to remind them that he’s the one with the dreads. Sheesh, people can be so annoying when you look like a sports celebrity.
Each year when we go to the first Titans’ home game, I get a feeling of anticipation like I did that first season the Titans came to Nashville in 1999. It was an exciting time, and Nashville was all abuzz. My wife and I bought season tickets when they became available, and we ended up with seating on the second row in the south end zone. It was truly a Cinderella year where the Titans won every home game during the regular season. Momentum built each week they won.
We hosted the Buffalo Bills on the first game of the wildcard round. It is a game that will be remembered for the play that became known as The Music City Miracle. The city was electric for the week leading up to the game. We had a great team, with players like Jevon “The Freak” Kearse, Steve “Air” McNair, and of course, Eddie George [Ed. Note: One of my all-time faves].
Since we had not lost a game at our home field during that inaugural season, it made the anticipation of the first playoff game unbelievable. During the game, we couldn’t hear ourselves think when the Bills had the ball. The home crowd chanted “Ed E, Ed E, Ed E, Ed E” when Eddie George made a good play. The stadium was literally rocking and shaking.
The game was split into three distinct sections. The first half was all Titans, with a 12-0 lead. The third quarter and early fourth belonged to the Bills, where they took a 13-12 lead. As it does in any good game, everything came to a head in the fourth quarter when Buffalo kicked a 41 yard field goal to go ahead 16-15 with 16 seconds left.
I had heard the phrase “you can feel the air being sucked out of the place,” but I had never experienced it until that moment. 68,000 fans that had been screaming, stomping, and clapping a few seconds earlier were completely quieted. A lot of people left at that time, including a very vocal fan behind me that I had gotten to know well during the regular season. There was some cussing and yelling at the head coach and players, but mostly it was stunned silence. My wife looked at me in disbelief and said, “I can’t believe the only game we’re going to lose this year is the last one.” I can still picture the disappointment in her face.
We still had 16 seconds left, but everyone that follows football knows the chances of a kick-off return in the NFL for a touchdown only happens a few times during the entire season. In a situation like this, the Bills weren’t going to take any stupid chances. We were just hoping for a decent return, a long pass with an interference penalty call, and then a crazy long field goal from kicker Al Del Greco. But a kick-off return for a touchdown? Nah, that would never happen.
But head coach Jeff Fisher had been holding a card in his pocket for the entire season. It was a play they had practiced since training camp called “Home Run Throwback.” The only problem with it was the player who had practiced the play all year, Derrick Mason, had been injured during the third quarter. His substitute, Kevin Dyson, will always be remembered for this play.
From my vantage point in the south end zone, the Bills were kicking toward me. Our seats are a little to the west, about half way between the sideline and the goal post. It really did seem like it was in slow motion, because I still remember everything about the play.
- Our fullback Lorenzo Neal takes the kick and starts moving to his right.
- He pitches it back to tight end Frank Wycheck. My first thought is, “Why the hell did he pitch it to Frank? He’s a tight end. He isn’t going to out run anybody.” The Bills and I should have known something was up, because Frank was never on the kick-off squad the entire season.
- Frank runs to his right then, just before being tackled, turns and throws the ball back across the field to Kevin Dyson.
- Kevin catches the ball about an inch off of the ground, not that hitting the ground would have made a difference on a backwards lateral, but it made it that much more exciting. When this happens, Kevin is directly in front of me. I still get a chill when I remember that moment because from my seat, where I could look right down the length of the field, I could see there wasn’t a single Bill’s player on that side of the field. They had all moved to the other side with Wycheck. Kevin then ran 75 yards without being touched.
There were no penalty flags on the field.
Absolute pandemonium broke out. I’ve never been in a mob scene like that before. You get a little of a feeling of it in the video, but it was exhilarating, euphoric, and a little scary. Grown men I had never seen before hugged me. The crowd went crazy for a good 20 minutes after the game was over. This was the last game in the stadium that year, because the rest of the games were going to be away.
We ended up defeating Indianapolis and Jacksonville at their fields. Eventually, we met our match against the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl 34 in Atlanta. They won by a touchdown, but The Music City Miracle will always be the play that will define the Titans franchise during that era.
So now that it’s time for football again, I invite you to watch the video and feel the excitement of a play that comes along very infrequently, and even less frequently at the end of a playoff game. To this day, almost 12 years later, I still get a chill EVERY time I watch the play. If you watch the attached video, hit the stop button at exactly 14 seconds into it. You’ll see in the bottom right of the picture a guy with a #90 jersey on. That’s me, and my wife is standing beside me. I still think that’s pretty cool.
I would like to thank Clay for letting me relive that moment. I hope you enjoyed it from a fans perspective.
What special event have you been to in your life that was super-special: a sporting event, or a concert, or meeting a celebrity, or whatever.
Wow – I don’t even watch football or understand the game but was at the edge of my seat reading this post. I can ONLY imagine how insane the crowd went. Ahmazing to have been there in person to see it and experience it! Fantastic post!
Thanks Nat. It was an awesome experience to be a part of. Thanks for stopping by Clay’s blog. ~clink~ GO TITANS!!!
Go Titans!
Woot Woot !!! TITANS RULE – STEELERS DROOL!!! ~clink~
Awesome description, Kerry, really made it feel like I was right there living it with you. I’m going to cheer for both teams and I hope you both win (cause that happens often in pro football, yeah)
I’m glad you enjoyed it ROWbro. Thanks for dropping in and commenting. ~clink~
Great story Kerry! Would love to have a football moment like that someday. Meanwhile, I will be rooting for the “cape of hair” this weekend, no offense.
No offense? Was that meant to be a pun? LOL. Troy is a great player. You’ve got to love his heart…and his hair.
It’s very hard to write a sports scene that puts the reader there, but you scored on this piece, Kerry. Wow. Sports = the Western world’s modern-day tribalism.
My memory is a TV one. I will always remember when Ben Johnson ran the 100 m in 9.79 at the Seoul Olympics in September 1988. He captured the gold that Friday night. I has just started twelfth grade and I witnessed it with my boyfriend. About 30 minutes later, I broke up with my boyfriend, who was actually a really nice guy. Somewhere in the midst of this break-up, his father walked downstairs with a big bowl of popcorn and quickly retreated.
Then on Monday, Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal. Anabolic steroids. And newly-single me found out I had mono. I missed the next 5 weeks of school, including most of my Senior Volleyball season.
Sometimes I think I’m a walking cliche.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post Leeann. I remember that race. He looked like a man racing boys. I can only imagine your father’s spin and turn once he realized you guys were fighting. That sucks about the mono and missing your volleyball season.
What a great memory. And what a vantage point. Awesome.
It was in a great location, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. Thanks for stopping by Chase. ~clink~
I was actually in town for the Music City Miracle, as I live here…in a town that’s NASCAR and college football obsessed, it was one for the ages. They still play the radio call all the time on our local sports radio shows. Really awesome moment, and I loved reading your perspective. The Titans’ glory days may be gone, but they’re not forgotten.
Hey Heather. Great to hear from a fellow Nashvillian (I’ll always be from there, regardless of where I live). It was a great time for Nashville, and I hope things go well for them Sunday against the Steelers. Thanks Heather.
Great job indeed Kerry. I think the story’s a classic and you even have video confirmation! Thanks a lot for contributing.
I think it is so cool that I love pro football so much, and I’ll always be able to show people that I was really there because of this video. Thanks for inviting me to guest post Clay. You’re the best bro.
How awesome to actually be in the video confirming your presence on the front row of your team’s greatest moment.
I know. What are the chances?
Yea! I love seeing two of my favorite people in the same place.
I understand exactly nothing about football, but I do understand the ecstasy of seeing my team (the Yankees) pull from behind in the 9th inning and win a game. So cool!
Thanks for the great blog, Kerry, and thanks for hosting him, Clay.
Thanks for coming by Piper. I love baseball too, and living in the St. Louis area when they’re in the playoffs is pretty crazy. Have a great week! ~clink~
Wow. Hell of a post, Kerry! I am 99% sure this is the only time I’ve shed tears while reading about football. I’m from Indy, so I relate to that feeling of suddenly having a football team where there was none before (although the Colts didn’t start off with a season like your Titans did, that’s for damn sure). Good to see you here!
Wow! I’m glad I was able to get the feeling of the moment across to you JM. That means a lot to me as a writer. The Colts are our arch rival, now that Pittsburgh is in a different division. Too bad the Titans got killed today. Oh well, there’s always next week. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. ~clink~
This is fantastic, Kerry! I feel like I was there. There’s nothing better to me than a game that comes down to the last seconds and some miraculous comeback. It’s neat that you’ve got video proof, too. I hope to one day be in attendance when such an unbelievable play happens. The best part about these plays is that you never know when they’re going to happen, but it’s an unforgettable moment when they do. The only thing I have anywhere close to that is going to the French Quarter about an hour after the Saints won the SuperBowl. I’ve never seen that many people so elated at the same time. It was electric!
That is so cool, Kerry! I got absolute goosebumps watching the video. I went to the 2008 ALDS playoffs, White Sox vs. Rays. Our GM Kenny Williams put out the call for a “black out” after we’d lost the first two games and the entire stadium was filled with Sox fans wearing mostly head to toe black. Though, we ended up losing the ALDS, we won that night! I’ve been to some electric Sox games but that one still stands out in my mind.