Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I was watching the Chargers at jets 1966 today and the Chargers at one point had a 3rd and 44 ... is there a record on the books for the longest distance one team had to overcome in order to make a first down?

I think I remember that in the game from about 1969 where the referees inadvertently deprived the Rams of their last down at the end of a game, the play they lost would've been 4th and 47. So that might be one case.

Another happened in 1936 in an AFL game between, I think, the Boston Shamrocks and the Rochester Tigers (although they might have still been the Brooklyn Tigers at that time). Boston was leading something like 14-10 in the fourth quarter, and the Tigers had first and goal inside the 5-yard line. But they were penalized for an illegal substitution, which at that time was always half the distance to the goal, no matter where it occurred. So the poor Tigers wound up with 2nd or 3rd and goal from their own side of the 50-yard line. I think that would be hard to beat.

Sort of obviius, but was the whizzer white play on 4th down? If not it almost has to be the longest "to go" doesn't it?

The New England Patriots had a 4th and 63 yards to go for a first down against Dallas in 1971. I believe that might be the longest. Jim Plunkett the Pats QB joked once that on 4th down the Pats punter Tom Janik didn't make the first down marker even with his punt.


Dallas who went on to win the Super Bowl that year entered the week 6 game with a 3-2 record. Starting with this game would go 11-1 the rest of the way to the NFL Championship. New England came into the game off a blowout loss to Miami the week before 41-3.

This info was from a post we had on this subject a while back ...

Converted long-distances

Oct. 4, 1964, Vikings at Packers – Minnesota has 4th-and-22 from their 36 yard line with under a minute remaining, Packers ahead 23-21. Tarkenton scrambled and barely eluded Willie Davis to complete a 43-yard pass to TE Gordon Smith down to the Green Bay 21. Shortly thereafter, Fred Cox kicked a 27-yard field goal and the Vikings won, 24-23.

1996 NYJ @ Miami. Jets have 4th and goal from the 29. Neil O'Donnell threw a mini-Hail Mary to Keyshawn Johnson for a TD that brought the Jets to within six.

2003, Baltimore vs. Seattle - Anthony Wright converted a 4th-and-28 with a 44-yard pass to Frank Sanders with two minutes left in the game.http://www.nfl.com/g...2&override=true

Oct. 30, 1977 – Tampa Bay at San Francisco – On 4th and 32 from the Tampa 37, Buc punter Dave Green executes a fake punt with a 45-yard pass to Danny Reece for a first down on the San Francisco 18.
Tampa Bay then drives to the 49er 1 where Ricky Bell is stopped on fourth-and-goal.

For his career, Dave Green completes 5-of-8 passes for 106 yards, including two to Danny Reece in 1977, the other a 14-yarder coming in Tampa’s first win ever on Dec. 11. That 14-yarder gave Tampa a first down on a 4th-and-13, as part of a drive that had a 1st-and-32 in it.

College note: On Sept. 28, 1996, West Virginia freshman tailback Amos Zereoue had a 42-yard run on a third-and-41 against Maryland to set up the only touchdown in a 13-0 Mountaineer victory. I watched this one on TV and could not believe it.

Unconverted long-distances

At one point in the 11-8-64 Packers-Lions game, Detroit faced a 4th down with 51 yards to go.

October 24, 1971 – There was a 4th and 63 for the Patriots against the Dallas Cowboys in the first game at Texas Stadium. http://news.google.c...AAAIBAJ&pg=2252,5232913&dq=cowboys+patriots&hl=en

Here's what happened:

1-10 D38 - Plunkett sacked by Pugh (-8)
2-18 D46 - Plunkett sacked by Cole (-12)
3-30 NE42 - Plunkett sacked by Lilly, Cole (-11) and New England penalized 15 for holding (I'm not sure why the sack and the holding both apparently counted)
3-56 NE16 - Gladieux dropped by Pugh (-7)
4-63 NE9 - Janik punts to Waters fair catch at NE 48. Nightmare over.

Oct. 11, 1976 - 49ers at Rams - On Monday Night Football, three 49er sacks in a row leave the Rams with a 4th and 41.

Oct. 23, 1976 - Falcons at 49ers - The 49ers force Atlanta into a 4th and 45 after a holding penalty, 19-yard sack and a fumble recovered.

In Super Bowl VI, Bob Lilly’s 29-yard sack of Bob Griese set up a 4th and 38 for the Dolphins.

In Super Bowl VII, a penalty and sack gave the Dolphins 2nd and 38, which turned into 3rd and 35 and then 4th and 31.

In Super Bowl X, Dallas had a 4th and 35 against Pittsburgh.

December 1, 2002 - Indianapolis vs. Houston, Houston had a 3rd and 35 and did not convert.

I wonder how Blanding would explain that Pats series, for the sack yardage to be assessed mustn't the down have counted?

NWebster wrote:I wonder how Blanding would explain that Pats series, for the sack yardage to be assessed mustn't the down have counted?

I believe there was a time when a holding penalty could be more than 15 yards, because it was assessed from the spot of the penalty. That play was listed as an 11-yard loss, so if the holding took place right near the spot of the tackle, or 11 yards behind the line of scrimmage, they could've added the 15-yard walk-off and wound up with basically a 26-yard penalty. I'm virtually certain they did that when I was first watching football. Obviously that rule was changed somewhere along the line, and it might easily have been after 1971. If true, that would explain it.

The same thing happened to Dallas at the end of Super Bowl V. The play by play I have here reads:

B 49 2-11. Morton sacked, loss of 9 (Miller). Play nullified and Dallas penalized 15 from spot of foul. (D42) for holding.

That 2nd and 11 turned into 2nd and 35, where Mike Curtis made his famous interception.

That's right, spot foul, anyone know the year that changed. The other thing I've noticed is that at some point a sack with an unnecessary roughness was a spot foul so the team lost the sack yardage but then gained the 15, why the recent aversion tk spot fouls?

NWebster wrote:That's right, spot foul, anyone know the year that changed. The other thing I've noticed is that at some point a sack with an unnecessary roughness was a spot foul so the team lost the sack yardage but then gained the 15, why the recent aversion tk spot fouls?

My guess is that the NFL has gotten away from them because they almost always work against the offense, and the league doesn't like that. One exception is the facemask penalty, where they do add yardage from the spot of the foul, but that BENEFITS the offense, so it's OK.