The NFL Thread (with added College Football)

[Brazilian Villain]

40 years ago today, the Chicago Bears scored a Super Bowl record number of points to defeat the New England Patriots, 46-10, in the New Orleans Superdome, and win their first championship since 1963. It was the first Super Bowl (XX) I watched.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Think my Dad watched it, whilst I was toddling around.

[SteveN]

40 years ago today, the Chicago Bears scored a Super Bowl record number of points to defeat the New England Patriots, 46-10, in the New Orleans Superdome, and win their first championship since 1963. It was the first Super Bowl (XX) I watched.

I watched that if it was the game The Fridge played and I think scored a touchdown

[Brazilian Villain]

40 years ago today, the Chicago Bears scored a Super Bowl record number of points to defeat the New England Patriots, 46-10, in the New Orleans Superdome, and win their first championship since 1963. It was the first Super Bowl (XX) I watched.

I watched that if it was the game The Fridge played and I think scored a touchdown

He did, and still holds the record for the heaviest player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl. He was a household name in the UK back then.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Big regret that Walter Payton didn't get a Touchdown in the Super Bowl. He'd been the sole presence on Offence during our dreadful years in the 70s, so felt he deserved to score. But instead The Fridge gets inul the endzone.

[Somniloquism]

I think Ch4 started covering NFL the season after and so we picked teams then.  I went for Bears because they won a match that night and I liked the name and colours. I think other mates did similar with Raiders and 49ers being picked. I had no idea we had won the Superbowl the year before at that point although I was vaguely aware of the coverage of the Fridge. I think my elder brother had bought some Roos which were being promoted by Payton over here as well but was unaware that either were bears players on the first pick then either.

I'm not sure if the Oasis market stall was around before then or started about the same time.

[UK Redsox]

Channel 4's NFL coverage started in 1982, just before my 13th birthday.

I was already following the sport* because my dad had previously gone to Buffalo Bills games when working in Rochester NY, and began working at the Xerox office in El Segundo just as the Raiders moved their training camp nearby

He bought me a t-shirt that said on the front......

Oakland
Los Angeles
El Segundo

RAIDERS


On the back it said...."Where the hell is El Segundo?"

I don't think that it was official merch

By 1983 I was walking the mean-streets of the Forest of Dean wearing a Marcus Allen jersey



(* via American Forces short-wave radio)

[ADVILLAFAN]

First Super Bowl I remember watching was Rams v Patriots.

First year I watched all Season and understood game a bit, was Buccs Raiders.

[nigel]

The first one I remember being televised over here was Dolphins v Redskins in ‘83
I had a few mates round to watch it. We’d been to the pub before, had a few cans for the match and all fell asleep and missed the game 😂

[UK Redsox]

I think that World of Sport showed some Super Bowl highlights (maybe as far back as the 70s).
I'm sure that I'd watched some NFL on TV before 1982.

My first in-person game was 1983

[cdbearsfan]

No live Super Bowl till 1983 (end of 1982 season) according to below, though Rose Bowl was shown earlier. I can't find any mention of highlights. I'm guessing cinema-attendees would have seen newsreel footage of London-based games during WW2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_American_sport_on_UK_television

This is the earliest footage I can find which I'm assuming may have been seen by people in the UK.

https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/77693/

[Somniloquism]

I was unaware CH4 started in 82. As mentioned with the Roos and other pushes, I suspect 85 seemed to be the push over here.

Just found out Perry and the great Singeltary were interviewed by Wogan that year as well