The 1983 Los Angeles Raiders were on a mission in their second season since relocating from Oakland. The franchise had won its second Super Bowl in a five-year period in 1980, but then slipped to 7-9 a year late. In the strike-shortened year of 1982, they were the AFC’s top playoff seed before being upset […]
After a surprise run to win the Super Bowl in 1981, the San Francisco 49ers slipped back to 3-6 in the strike-shortened year of 1982. The possibility that the championship year was a fluke appeared a real possibility. The 1983 San Francisco 49ers didn’t win it all, but by reaching the NFC Championship Game they […]
The 1983 Detroit Lions were a steadily improving team with one of the star running backs in the NFL, Billy Sims. The Lions drafted Sims following a 2-14 season in 1979 and immediately went 17-15 over the next two years. They made the playoffs at 4-5 in the strike-shortened year of 1982, and in 1983 […]
The 1983 Miami Dolphins began a great new era in franchise history, as they broke in a rookie quarterback named Dan Marino. In spite of changing quarterbacks mid-stream, the Dolphins rolled to a 12-win season and AFC East title before a disappointing playoff loss finally ended the run. GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTSStart reading today. David Woodley […]
The 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers won an AFC Central title and even though they weren’t one of the great playoff teams in franchise history, they provided memorable moments and marked the swan song of a legend, as quarterback Terry Bradshaw played his last game. GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTSStart reading today. Following 1979’s Super Bowl win, the fourth […]
The 1984 Cotton Bowl was one of the most memorable in the long history of the Dallas-based bowl game. Second-ranked Texas was upset by Georgia in a game that took on even greater significance by the time the night had ended. Here’s a look back on the road the Longhorns and Bulldogs took through the […]
Auburn had a breakthrough year in the 1983 college football season, winning the SEC championship for third-year coach Pat Dye and getting the automatic berth to the Sugar Bowl. Michigan was making its first appearance in the New Orleans game. Here’s a look back at how both the Tigers and Wolverines got to January 2 […]
UCLA and Illinois came to the 1984 Rose Bowl with two very different heritages and two paths through the 1983 college football season that were quite different. The Bruins were the defending Rose Bowl champions, but had struggled to a 6-4-1 record in 1983. The Illini hadn’t been to Pasadena since 1963, but arrived this […]
Ohio State came into the 1984 Fiesta Bowl on a low note, having finished third in the Big Ten and losing to Michigan. Pitt came to the Fiesta Bowl with every reason to feel good about themselves, having gone 8-2-1 in their first year post-Dan Marino. Let’s take a look back on the road these […]
The nation’s top two Catholic football-playing universities, Notre Dame and Boston College, meet on a reasonably regular basis. But when they played at the 1983 Liberty Bowl it was only the second time they’d met on the field. Here’s a look back on how the Jesuit schools found their way to Memphis in late December. […]
The opening of the season was marked by turmoil for the 1982 Los Angeles Lakers, but the ending was drenched in champagne, as a healthy and rejuvenated Magic Johnson led the franchise to its second NBA title in three years. GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS Start reading today. Magic had been injured in the 1981 regular season […]
The 1983 Sugar Bowl was a landmark game in college football history. Penn State and Georgia played a national championship battle that featured two of the country’s great running backs in Curt Warner and Heisman winner Herschel Walker, both with good NFL careers ahead of them. And above all, it brought the legendary Joe Paterno […]