Research Help: Seeking Info on 1-point PAT Conversions by Run or Pass

[timcastelli]

All,
Currently I am finalizing an article on the history of the 1-point PAT conversion, whether by run or pass, between 1950 – 1993 in the NFL. I have successfully tracked down the details for most of these plays, but I have hit a wall about the specific circumstances on three plays.
I have already reviewed game books, Newspaper.com, ProQuest, The Sporting News, and local newspaper archives for information. In addition, I have mailed letters to the surviving players, but I am not counting on replies.
I am hoping the collective experience here might have some insights, newspaper clippings, videos, or other notes on how these specific extra points went awry. Below are the four conversions I am seeking more information on:
1) Lynn Dickey (Houston) ran in XP on November 4, 1973 vs. Baltimore. What were the details on the breakdown that forced Dickey (holder) to run for the conversion?
2) Mike Fuller (San Diego) ran in for the conversion on November 7, 1976 vs. Baltimore. What were the details on the breakdown that required Fuller (holder) to run in for the XP?
3) Steve Mike-Mayer (Baltimore) ran in for the XP on October 28, 1979 vs. New England. What were the details on the breakdown causing Mike-Mayer’s (kicker) run for the conversion?
Any information or guidance on the details of these plays would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Tim Castelli

[TodMaher]

All,
3) Steve Mike-Mayer (Baltimore) ran in for the XP on October 28, 1979 vs. New England. What were the details on the breakdown causing Mike-Mayer’s (kicker) run for the conversion?
Any information or guidance on the details of these plays would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Tim Castelli

This was a kick not a run.

[Gary Najman]

I remember Steve Largent doing it twice in the 1980s, vs. the Falcons in 1985 and vs. the Bills in 1989.

[Reaser]

I remember Steve Largent doing it twice in the 1980s, vs. the Falcons in 1985 and vs. the Bills in 1989.

I was at the game against the Bills in the Kingdome. Was cool to see.

[ChrisBabcock]

I remember Steve Largent doing it twice in the 1980s, vs. the Falcons in 1985 and vs. the Bills in 1989.

I was at the game against the Bills in the Kingdome. Was cool to see.

I don't know why this sticks in my brain but to this day, this game remains the only one that I've ever bothered to predict the score and nailed it exactly. Seahawks 17, Bills 16
I also remember being one off for Super Bowl 21 (38-20) and Super Bowl 45 (31-24)

[timcastelli]

All,
3) Steve Mike-Mayer (Baltimore) ran in for the XP on October 28, 1979 vs. New England. What were the details on the breakdown causing Mike-Mayer’s (kicker) run for the conversion?
Any information or guidance on the details of these plays would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Tim Castelli

This was a kick not a run.

Thank you for your feedback. For a play with inconsistent record keeping due to its near-automatic nature, the Steve Mike-Mayer play is easily the most inconsistent. My research shows that a slight majority of the dozen or so local newspaper box scores I reviewed had the Mike-Mayer play as a run and not a kick. Interestingly, a Delaware paper has the only mention I found of the play in a game description; it noted it as a kick in the article but listed it as a run in the box score. I suspect the lack of mentions in game articles was because it was a close high-scoring game and newspapers did not want to use column space on an XP in the first quarter. The LineScore shows as a run, ProFootball Reference lists as a run in the box score and a kick in the play-by-play (https://www.pro-football-reference.com ... 80clt.htm), while the Gamebook and Pro Football Archives show it as a kick.
Despite the split in scoring the play, my strong belief is that it was a run. Because PAT runs were very unusual and kicks were a near-certainty, it is highly improbable a scorer would mistakenly list it as a run when it was actually a kick. On the other hand, scorers often were on “automatic pilot” for extra points and marked the play as a kick out of habit. Additionally, because the kicker ran in the PAT, not the holder, it is easy to speculate that the scorer would more easily make a mistake about the type of conversion. Earlier I tried contacting Mike-Mayer with no luck. I still hope to find definitive proof either way, hopefully via video, but I think the circumstances heavily favor it being a run.

[timcastelli]

I remember Steve Largent doing it twice in the 1980s, vs. the Falcons in 1985 and vs. the Bills in 1989.

You have a good memory. Largent’s 1985 PAT was another example of shoddy recordkeeping, in checking three local Seattle papers, two had the play as a Norm Johnson kick. His 1989 conversion was a “game-winner” in a 17-16 Seahawks victory. Also, it was impressive watching the video of the play that Al Michaels mentioned this was the second time for Largent, either a good memory or good notes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYgu9aGQuGI&t=1136

[Syeroy]

the Bears did it in around 1971, Bobby Douglass was the holder and there was a botched xp, and he threw to Dick Butkus for the PAT. i think it may have been against the Packers (could have been 1972...)

[RichardBak]

The Butkus PAT game was Nov. 14, 1971 vs Washington.

https://www.chicagobears.com/news/butku ... s-19009184

[RichardBak]

All,
3) Steve Mike-Mayer (Baltimore) ran in for the XP on October 28, 1979 vs. New England. What were the details on the breakdown causing Mike-Mayer’s (kicker) run for the conversion?
Any information or guidance on the details of these plays would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Tim Castelli

This was a kick not a run.

Thank you for your feedback. For a play with inconsistent record keeping due to its near-automatic nature, the Steve Mike-Mayer play is easily the most inconsistent. My research shows that a slight majority of the dozen or so local newspaper box scores I reviewed had the Mike-Mayer play as a run and not a kick. Interestingly, a Delaware paper has the only mention I found of the play in a game description; it noted it as a kick in the article but listed it as a run in the box score. I suspect the lack of mentions in game articles was because it was a close high-scoring game and newspapers did not want to use column space on an XP in the first quarter. The LineScore shows as a run, ProFootball Reference lists as a run in the box score and a kick in the play-by-play (https://www.pro-football-reference.com ... 80clt.htm), while the Gamebook and Pro Football Archives show it as a kick.
Despite the split in scoring the play, my strong belief is that it was a run. Because PAT runs were very unusual and kicks were a near-certainty, it is highly improbable a scorer would mistakenly list it as a run when it was actually a kick. On the other hand, scorers often were on “automatic pilot” for extra points and marked the play as a kick out of habit. Additionally, because the kicker ran in the PAT, not the holder, it is easy to speculate that the scorer would more easily make a mistake about the type of conversion. Earlier I tried contacting Mike-Mayer with no luck. I still hope to find definitive proof either way, hopefully via video, but I think the circumstances heavily favor it being a run.

The Steve Mike-Mayer PAT in question was def a run. Although I'm in Detroit, the reason I remember it (if vaguely) is because Mike-Mayer had kicked for the Lions a couple years earlier, and the play was kind of unusual, so it had a somewhat local connection. The mention of it popped up on a sports hi-lites show--TV or radio, can't remember---and its mention may have had something to do with the Lions' loss that same day to Buffalo, whose kicker was Steve's brother, Nick. It's all a jumble, but just for the hell of it I checked a few online newspapers. About 1 out of 3 described it as a run in the box score, but even in those instances there was no mention of it in the main piece. If you can't find video, check out Baltimore's 1980 guide. Sounds like the kind of arcana that usually appears in the player's notes or in the game recaps.