Friday NFL games (regular season)

[74_75_78_79_]

I believe near the end of the '86 season, there was a special Friday Night game. Don't remember who the teams were, but I'm pretty sure at halftime someone - I think it was a comedian - going over all the possible playoff scenarios; and there were a ridiculous amount as that season was concluding. Does anyone remember who both teams were and what other Friday games has there been historically?

[BD Sullivan]

I believe near the end of the '86 season, there was a special Friday Night game. Don't remember who the teams were, but I'm pretty sure at halftime someone - I think it was a comedian - going over all the possible playoff scenarios; and there were a ridiculous amount as that season was concluding. Does anyone remember who both teams were and what other Friday games has there been historically?

From 1983-86, ABC had a Friday night game at the end of the season. In '86 (like in '84) it was the Rams at SF.

The Friday game was something of a staple in the early AFL years, especially with the Patriots, who didn't want to go up against Giants games on Sunday (list courtesy of www.shrpsports.com):

1935 season: Week 1 Fri Sep 13 1935 at Phi Pit Pirates 17, Philadelphia 7
1935 season: Week 2 Fri Sep 20 1935 at Det Detroit 35, Philadelphia 0
1937 season: Week 2 Fri Sep 10 1937 at Phi Brooklyn 13, Philadelphia 7
1937 season: Week 2 Fri Sep 10 1937 at ClR Detroit 28, Cle Rams 0 at Philadelphia, PA
1937 season: Week 4 Fri Sep 24 1937 at Wsh Chi Cardinals 21, Washington 14
1938 season: Week 1 Fri Sep 9 1938 at Det Detroit 16, Pit Pirates 7
1938 season: Week 2 Fri Sep 16 1938 at PiP Philadelphia 27, Pit Pirates 7 at Buffalo, NY
1938 season: Week 3 Fri Sep 23 1938 at Bkn Pit Pirates 17, Brooklyn 3
1939 season: Week 2 Fri Sep 15 1939 at Chi Chicago 30, Cle Rams 21
1940 season: Week 3 Fri Sep 20 1940 at ClR Cle Rams 21, Philadelphia 13
1940 season: Week 6 Fri Oct 4 1940 at Bkn Brooklyn 30, Philadelphia 17
1946 season: Week 1 Fri Sep 20 1946 at Pit Pittsburgh 14, Chi Cardinals 7
1948 season: Week 1 Fri Sep 17 1948 at BsY Green Bay 31, Bos Yanks 0
1948 season: Week 2 Fri Sep 24 1948 at ChC Chi Cardinals 21, Philadelphia 14
1949 season: Week 1 Fri Sep 23 1949 at Ram LA Rams 27, Detroit 24
1949 season: Week 2 Fri Sep 30 1949 at NYB NY Giants 38, NY Bulldogs 14
1949 season: Week 3 Fri Oct 7 1949 at NYB Green Bay 19, NY Bulldogs 0
1950 season: Week 2 Fri Sep 22 1950 at Ram LA Rams 45, NY Yanks 28
1950 season: Week 3 Fri Sep 29 1950 at NYY NY Yanks 44, Detroit 21
1951 season: Week 1 Fri Sep 28 1951 at Ram LA Rams 54, NY Yanks 14
1952 season: Week 2 Fri Oct 3 1952 at Ram Detroit 17, LA Rams 14
1953 season: Week 2 Fri Oct 2 1953 at Phi Philadelphia 21, Washington 21 (tie)
1960 season: NWeek 1 Fri Sep 23 1960 at Ram StL Cardinals 43, LA Rams 21
1960 season: NWeek 2 Fri Sep 30 1960 at Dal Philadelphia 27, Dallas 25
1960 season: AWeek 1 Fri Sep 9 1960 at Bos Denver 13, Boston 10
1960 season: AWeek 2 Fri Sep 16 1960 at Oak Dal Texans 34, Oakland 16
1960 season: AWeek 3 Fri Sep 23 1960 at NYT NY Titans 28, Denver 24
1960 season: AWeek 3 Fri Sep 23 1960 at Bos Buffalo 13, Boston 0
1960 season: AWeek 8 Fri Oct 28 1960 at Bos LA Chargers 45, Boston 16
1960 season: AWeek 8 Fri Oct 28 1960 at NYT Oakland 28, NY Titans 27
1960 season: AWeek 9 Fri Nov 4 1960 at NYT LA Chargers 21, NY Titans 7
1960 season: AWeek 9 Fri Nov 4 1960 at Bos Boston 34, Oakland 28
1960 season: AWeek 10 Fri Nov 11 1960 at Bos Boston 38, NY Titans 21
1960 season: AWeek 11 Fri Nov 18 1960 at Bos Boston 42, Dal Texans 14
1960 season: AWeek 12 Fri Nov 25 1960 at Bos Hou Oilers 24, Boston 10
1961 season: AWeek 6 Fri Oct 13 1961 at Bos Boston 31, Hou Oilers 31 (tie)
1961 season: AWeek 9 Fri Nov 3 1961 at Bos Boston 28, Dal Texans 21
1961 season: AWeek 11 Fri Nov 17 1961 at Bos Boston 20, Oakland 17
1962 season: AWeek 1 Fri Sep 7 1962 at Den Denver 30, San Diego 21
1962 season: AWeek 3 Fri Sep 21 1962 at Bos Boston 41, Denver 16
1962 season: AWeek 5 Fri Oct 5 1962 at Den Denver 44, Oakland 7
1962 season: AWeek 6 Fri Oct 12 1962 at Bos Dal Texans 27, Boston 7
1962 season: AWeek 7 Fri Oct 19 1962 at Bos Boston 24, San Diego 20
1962 season: AWeek 8 Fri Oct 26 1962 at Bos Boston 26, Oakland 16
1962 season: AWeek 12 Fri Nov 23 1962 at Bos Boston 21, Buffalo 10
1962 season: AWeek 13 Fri Nov 30 1962 at Bos Boston 24, NY Titans 17
1963 season: AWeek 6 Fri Oct 11 1963 at Bos Boston 20, Oakland 14
1963 season: AWeek 7 Fri Oct 18 1963 at Bos Boston 40, Denver 21
1963 season: AWeek 9 Fri Nov 1 1963 at Bos Boston 45, Hou Oilers 3
1963 season: AWeek 10 Fri Nov 8 1963 at KC Oakland 22, Kansas City 7
1964 season: NWeek 3 Fri Sep 25 1964 at NYG NY Giants 13, Washington 10
1964 season: AWeek 5 Fri Sep 9 1964 at Bos San Diego 26, Boston 17
1964 season: AWeek 6 Fri Oct 16 1964 at Bos Boston 43, Oakland 43 (tie)
1964 season: AWeek 7 Fri Oct 23 1964 at Bos Boston 24, Kansas City 7
1964 season: AWeek 9 Fri Nov 6 1964 at Bos Boston 25, Hou Oilers 24
1964 season: AWeek 11 Fri Nov 20 1964 at Bos Boston 12, Denver 7
1965 season: AWeek 3 Fri Sep 24 1965 at Bos Denver 27, Boston 10
1965 season: AWeek 5 Fri Oct 8 1965 at Bos Oakland 24, Boston 10
1966 season: NWeek 2 Fri Sep 16 1966 at Ram LA Rams 31, Chicago 17
1966 season: NWeek 4 Fri Sep 30 1966 at Ram LA Rams 34, San Francisco 3
1966 season: AWeek 1 Fri Sep 2 1966 at Mia Oakland 23, Miami 14
1966 season: AWeek 2 Fri Sep 9 1966 at Mia NY Jets 19, Miami 14
1967 season: NWeek 2 Fri Sep 22 1967 at Ram LA Rams 39, Minnesota 3
1968 season: AWeek 1 Fri Sep 6 1968 at SD San Diego 29, Cincinnati 13
1970 season: Week 1 Fri Sep 18 1970 at Ram LA Rams 34, StL Cardinals 13
1983 season: Week 16 Fri Dec 16 1983 at Mia Miami 34, NY Jets 14
1984 season: Week 16 Fri Dec 14 1984 at SF San Francisco 19, LA Rams 16
1985 season: Week 16 Fri Dec 20 1985 at Sea Denver 27, Seattle 24
1986 season: Week 16 Fri Dec 19 1986 at SF San Francisco 24, LA Rams 14
1993 season: Week 18 Fri Dec 31 1993 at Wsh Minnesota 14, Washington 9
1999 season: Week 16 Fri Dec 24 1999 at NO New Orleans 31, Dallas 24
2004 season: Week 16 Fri Dec 24 2004 at Min Green Bay 34, Minnesota 31
2005 season: Week 7 Fri Oct 21 2005 at Mia Kansas City 30, Miami 20
2009 season: Week 16 Fri Dec 25 2009 at Ten San Diego 42, Tennessee 17

[Mark L. Ford]

Looking at the list below, it's remarkable how many Friday night games the Boston Patriots played in the early 1960s-- including all but one of their home games in 1962 and 1964. I'll pose the question on this to OldeCapeCod, one of PFRA's experts who lived in New England back in that era-- would it have had something to do with a prohibition against Sunday beer sales?

Slightly less remarkable is that Dallas Cowboys game in 1960. The NFL playing Friday night football, during the high school season.... in Texas? Say it ain't so, Tom Landry...

[mwald]

In compiling start times I noticed the number of Patriots Friday games, as well. Interested in hearing the reason why.

Reminds me of how Colts games in the old days started at 2 pm instead of 1 pm so they didn't interfere with Baltimore church services.

[BD Sullivan]

Looking at the list below, it's remarkable how many Friday night games the Boston Patriots played in the early 1960s-- including all but one of their home games in 1962 and 1964. I'll pose the question on this to OldeCapeCod, one of PFRA's experts who lived in New England back in that era-- would it have had something to do with a prohibition against Sunday beer sales?

Slightly less remarkable is that Dallas Cowboys game in 1960. The NFL playing Friday night football, during the high school season.... in Texas? Say it ain't so, Tom Landry...

The 1960 Cowboys game was due to the fact that the Texans had priority over dates at the Cotton Bowl and Pete Rozelle didn't want to go up against the Arkansas-TCU game in Fort Worth the following night.

[oldecapecod11]

"...pose the question on this to OldeCapeCod, one of PFRA's experts who lived in New England back in that era-- would it have had something to do with a prohibition against Sunday beer sales?.."

A better person to ask might be Ralph Hickok. It is likely he was in the area before this individual.
OCC did not move to Massachusetts until July of 1966 but, at that time, he did live in a small (4 building gated complex)
where about a dozen of the Patriots also lived: Tommy Neville, Justin Canale, Tom Fussell, Aaron Marsh, Johnny Outlaw,
and a few others whose names would have to be recalled by reading a roster.
Two of the coaches lived there as well. (Marsh and Outlaw, by the way, are cousins.)

However, from 1962 until moving, many business trips were made to Boston and the counties surrounding Suffolk.
This was true even during the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair which did not operate during most of the football season.

In the 1962-1966 and beyond period, there never seemed to be any restriction - legal or otherwise - of the sale of beer.
Many a flagon was quaffed at Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics games for the enjoyment of the beverage. With the Patriots,
it was more for the numbing effect during their troubled years.

The Friday avoidance that was practiced by most, if not the rest, of professional football did not impact metro-Boston.
Most of the colleges did not play night games because most of them did not have lights - usually a pretty good reason.
The same was true for most of the high schools. Facilities in Lowell, Lynn, and Worcester had lighted fields and, of course,
the little park near the Fenway did for sure.

The major reason for Friday games was the public outcry when threatened with something that would interfere
with New York Giants broadcasts. (Ralph alluded to this in a post that the former bored members decided to trash
when he mentioned going to a bar and the beertender refused to put on a Patriots game. Or was it vice-versa.
To bad we do not have the reference work.)

So, hardly an expert (except maybe with the consumption of a few pints of good lager) but it must be stated that beer
did not force the Patriots to Friday games - it was the long-time love and affection for the New York Football Giants
that gave the Patsies the opportunity to become legends and for home-town boy Al Carmichael to live forever
in football lore as the first player to score an AFL touchdown.
But... and there does always seem to be a but... beer WAS the cause of the Patriots being banned
from MONDAY Night Football due to the fans attempts to emulate those fools at the confluence of the Allegheny,
Monongahela, and Ohio.

It should be noted that "Cheers" patron Cliff, has an excellent explanation as to why we should drink beer.
The "Cheers" venue is the Bull and Finch Pub on Beacon Street just off the Common and the basement bar
has three more on the levels above - street-level open to the public and the others private.
The Young Republican Club often held affairs there which, of course, were crashed.

[mwald]

"...pose the question on this to OldeCapeCod, one of PFRA's experts who lived in New England back in that era-- would it have had something to do with a prohibition against Sunday beer sales?.."

A better person to ask might be Ralph Hickok. It is likely he was in the area before this individual.
OCC did not move to Massachusetts until July of 1966 but, at that time, he did live in a small (4 building gated complex)
where about a dozen of the Patriots also lived: Tommy Neville, Justin Canale, Tom Fussell, Aaron Marsh, Johnny Outlaw,
and a few others whose names would have to be recalled by reading a roster.
Two of the coaches lived there as well. (Marsh and Outlaw, by the way, are cousins.)

However, from 1962 until moving, many business trips were made to Boston and the counties surrounding Suffolk.
This was true even during the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair which did not operate during most of the football season.

In the 1962-1966 and beyond period, there never seemed to be any restriction - legal or otherwise - of the sale of beer.
Many a flagon was quaffed at Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics games for the enjoyment of the beverage. With the Patriots,
it was more for the numbing effect during their troubled years.

The Friday avoidance that was practiced by most, if not the rest, of professional football did not impact metro-Boston.
Most of the colleges did not play night games because most of them did not have lights - usually a pretty good reason.
The same was true for most of the high schools. Facilities in Lowell, Lynn, and Worcester had lighted fields and, of course,
the little park near the Fenway did for sure.

The major reason for Friday games was the public outcry when threatened with something that would interfere
with New York Giants broadcasts. (Ralph alluded to this in a post that the former bored members decided to trash
when he mentioned going to a bar and the beertender refused to put on a Patriots game. Or was it vice-versa.
To bad we do not have the reference work.)

So, hardly an expert (except maybe with the consumption of a few pints of good lager) but it must be stated that beer
did not force the Patriots to Friday games - it was the long-time love and affection for the New York Football Giants
that gave the Patsies the opportunity to become legends and for home-town boy Al Carmichael to live forever
in football lore as the first player to score an AFL touchdown.
But... and there does always seem to be a but... beer WAS the cause of the Patriots being banned
from MONDAY Night Football due to the fans attempts to emulate those fools at the confluence of the Allegheny,
Monongahela, and Ohio.

It should be noted that "Cheers" patron Cliff, has an excellent explanation as to why we should drink beer.
The "Cheers" venue is the Bull and Finch Pub on Beacon Street just off the Common and the basement bar
has three more on the levels above - street-level open to the public and the others private.
The Young Republican Club often held affairs there which, of course, were crashed.

OCC, I'm tempted to ask for your thoughts on the Baltimore 2pm vs 1pm thing just to be treated to 100 more nuggets of interesting historical information.

[Mark L. Ford]

All interesting information, and I mean that sincerely. Thanks, OCC. I'd forgotten about the Monday Night Football disaster in Foxboro-- that was in the early 80s, I recall, and at least one person got killed outside the stadium.

[oldecapecod11]

Let's not get off-topic and keep the focus on the Patriots.
But, since you asked...
In olden days, not only was a glimpse of stocking looked upon as something shocking, but on sleepy Cape Cod, different towns had different closing times. You will have to look at a map to apreciate this, but the town of Mashpee is, and always was, surrounded by the towns of Barnstable, Falmouth and Sandwich. Those three towns had a 12:00 o'clock (midnight) closing time. In Mashpee, the watering holes were open until 1:00 A.M. but there were only about four of them. The most popular (among Patriots' fans, that is) was The Farm on Route 151.
So, at the stroke of twelve, Pats' fans made a beeline to Mashpee. Trouble was: the local constabulary knew this.
Until the three towns went to 1:00 closing, the Friday and Saturday night happenings led to the use of a designated driver. That poor soul had to sit for an hour and wait for the ride home.
Meanwhile, while living just outside Kansas City for six months, another phenomenon was learned about Chiefs' fans.
The establishments in Missouri closed at midnight but, across the line, in Kansas they were open until 1:30. More fun.
As for Baltimore, little can be said.
New York City has a 4:00 A.M. closing except Sunday morning when it is 3:00 A.M. During the week, they can reopen
at 8:00 A.M. but on Sunday not until 1:00 P.M.
Thus, one Saturday, three friends drove to Baltimore for breakfast. When we arrived, no one knew why.
Sorry.

[BD Sullivan]

All interesting information, and I mean that sincerely. Thanks, OCC. I'd forgotten about the Monday Night Football disaster in Foxboro-- that was in the early 80s, I recall, and at least one person got killed outside the stadium.

Actually 10/18/76 in a 41-7 blowout against the Jets. Nobody was "killed," but two people did die from heart attacks, 30 people needed hospital treatment and a policeman had his jaw broken, with the assailant briefly stealing his gun before being captured. All told 49 people were arrested. The most infamous part (which I think I've mentioned before) of the two deaths was that while paramedics were trying to save one of the heart attack victims, some jackass decided to start urinating on a paramedic.