It was Nov. 12, 1978, when New Orleans Saints fans discovered the kind of true happiness that only the hatred of a bitter rival can produce.
With the Saints still in playoff contention on that fall afternoon 31 years ago, Archie Manning and a stubborn defense held the Steve Bartkowski-led Atlanta Falcons at bay for 59 minutes.
The Falcons had closed the gap to 17-13 on a Hascal Stanback touchdown run with 57 seconds to go. Then, the Saints took over presumably to run out the clock.
Legendary Saints radio Voice Wayne Mack , a Chicago native, had the call:
"With this big win, the fans will be dancing on the tables at Pat O'Brien's."
A melancholy Mack would say later, "I should have learned from the Chicago Tribune headline that proclaimed, incorrectly, the victory of Tom Dewey over Harry Truman in the presidential election of 1948."
On fourth and two, Saints coach Dick Nolan decided to run Chuck Muncie. The Falcons defense held. Then, Big Ben, and we're not talking Roethlisberger here, reared his ugly head.
With 19 seconds remaining, Atlanta QB Steve Bartkowski lined up in what came to be known as the Big Ben formation: three wide receivers on his right. At the snap, the receivers started flying toward the New Orleans end zone with seven defensive backs in hot pursuit.
Bartkowski launched a missile to the goal line and then everything seemed to move in slooooowwwwww motion.
Ten bodies collided around the ten yard line, like tourists at Mardi Gras fighting for a pair of beads flung from a Bourbon Street balcony.The ball seem to hang in the air forever.
It was then that diminuitive Falcons receiver Alfred Jenkins attained his moment of glory.
Jenkins caught his only pass of the afternoon emerging from the sea of bodies and darting into the end zone.
An eerie silence followed in the jam-packed Superdome. Kind of like one of those spooky New Orleans Victorian mansions on Halloween night.
The crowd sat in stunned silence enduring sheer agony no sports fans should ever have to endure but ultimately does.
Atlanta had won 20-17, cruelly dashing the Saints' playoff hopes.
I remember this so well. I had about 12 friends over to watch the game and every single one of them left the TV and decided to go play cards in the other room telling me to give it up and join them. I said no frickin way still plenty of time left. When I started yelling when Big Ben worked they all though t I was lieing at first and then they started flooding in and the party was on!
Great moment!
ta ta
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