Distant Replay

If you think back to the NFL in the 80s and 90s and think about the best quarterbacks in the league, Randall Cunningham is probably near the top of your list. The former NFL MVP and mutli-year All-Pro was the face of the Philadelphia Eagles and eventually led one of the greatest offensive seasons with the Vikings in 1998. 

But most people wouldn't remember that he was much more than a quarterback. In fact, he might be more decorated as a punter. 

Join us as we look back on this wild college football fact, tell a few stories, and share some pretty remarkable stats from this UNLV great. 

Cecil 'The Diesel' Collins burst onto the college football scene at LSU in the mid-90s and looked like he would become the next great SEC running back alongside Kevin Fault in Baton Rouge. Despite off-field problems, Collins still got a chance in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins thanks to his incredible size and speed. 

Collins' career never materialized due to his issues away from football and he would eventually serve 13 years in jail. 

We'll tell you his story today on this True Crime Sports edition of Distant Replay.

Subscribe to us on YouTube for more old games and true crime sports: https://bit.ly/466gU5S 

 

Today we go back to January 18, 1986 for the first game played inside the newly-constructed Dean Smith Student Activity Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina. Opening a new arena 18 games into the season seems odd but having an undefeated matchup between Duke and UNC made this a game every fan wanted to be in attendance for. 

This might not be a game everyone talks about in this series but it had a lot going for it, including Dean Smith vs Coach K, Johnny Dawkins and Kenny Smith, and another tight rivalry game.

Here's some of what we will get into: 

• Early ESPN College Basketball coverage with Alan Massengale anchoring in studio. 
• College starts Tito Horford and Scott Skiles in the news.
• Manual scoreboards
• Johnny Dawkins living up to the hype he still gets to this day from Duke fans. 
• Jay Bilas as a 6th man for the Blue Devils. 
• The legend of Steve Hale and an unexpected journey post basketball. 

Go back and watch the game for yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnM9R3DhAWA

On paper, the 8-6 win by #1 LSU at home against unranked Alabama seemed like another Friday night college baseball game in the SEC. But in the following days, sportsbooks around the country stopped taking bets on Alabama baseball and head coach Brad Bohannon would be fired before the team's next series. 

This is the story of the betting scandal that shocked the sport last year. Now that the NCAA has released its finding in the Negotiated Resolution document, we know more about how a man named Bert Neff tried placing a $100,000 bet in Cincinnati with incredible recklessness. 

Get all the details on how this day in April brought down a promising head coach and the darker side of legalized sports betting. 

If you want to read the NCAA's Negotiated Resolution with the details, check it out here: https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/infractions/decisions/Feb2024D1INF_AlabamaPublicNR.pdf

Today we have another true crime episode of Distant Replay and we're going to tell you about Javaris Crittenton. A talented one and done basketball player out of Georgia Tech who plead guilty to manslaughter in 2015 and was sentenced for 23 years. It's a story of promise, gangs, locker room drama, and an unexpected early release. 

Here's a good detailed account of Crittenton from FOX Sports: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/streets-in-my-veins-how-crittenton-went-from-nba-to-facing-murder-gang-charges

Barret Robbins was the center for the Oakland Raiders in 2002 when Bill Callahan led the team to Super Bowl XXXVII against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the days leading up to the game, he disappeared to Tijuana before returning to the team right before the game. 

He never played in that Super Bowl as a result and his life eventually spiraled due to mental health issues. He's faced multiple arrests in his post-NFL career, including an attempted murder charge. 

This is the story of Barret Robbins.

Subscribe to us on YouTube for more old games and true crime sports: https://bit.ly/466gU5S 

 

On the eve of the 2023 Ryder Cup, we go back to the final day of the last Ryder Cup played in Europe. The 2018 competition was 10-6 in favor of the Euros heading into Sunday and play began with as good of a singles match as you'll get at the Ryder Cup. Rory McIlroy, ranked 6th in the world, faced Justin Thomas, ranked 4th in the world, in a match both teams hoped would set the tone for the rest of the day.   We went back to watch that 2018 singles match and look back on Thomas' 1-up win. Here's some of what we discuss after seeing it again:

• Who was on those two teams compared to this year, including world-beater at the time Francisco Molinari.
• The setup and home course advantage Europeans are so great at.
• Was that first hole one of Justin Thomas' best-ever?
• Rory being Rory on the greens at big moments.
• Rahm vs Tiger in singles was the nail in the coffin for the US.

You can watch the 2018 Ryder Cup match for yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcQ87ePjs0U

Subscribe to us on YouTube for more old games and true crime sports: https://bit.ly/466gU5S 

A day after Len Koenecke was released from the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1935, the outfielder was killed in mid-air by the pilot during a flight to Buffalo. It's a story that would rock social media today, but back then it only created more questions about what went wrong. How did this 31-year-old, who was once called a bright start in the National League, die on his way home from a road trip? 

We'll tell you the true crime sports story of Len Koenecke, a promising baseball player who played for Casey Stengel and the Dodgers. A combination of anger and alcohol led to a fight with deadly consequences. 

 

Read more about the incident: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3bEcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MVQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3806,4267318

 

If you're new, Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/38GvSUY

Follow us: https://twitter.com/distantpodcast

The NFL record for the most points scored in a game is one of the longest-standing records in the game. The crazy thing about this game is it wasn't the explosive offensive showdown you would expect from a game that's held the record for more than 50 years. But this game had everything else - turnovers, long touchdowns, a controversial ending, and some stats that seem incredible today. 

Join us for the story of this Washington Redskins vs New York Giants game from 1966 and how one of the 14 balls lost that day is now up for auction. Plus, we'll take you back to one of the most important NFL seasons in the league's history and tell you the wild story about how the Atlanta Falcons ended up in the NFL instead of the AFL. 

 

RESOURCES: 

Check out the auction here --> https://huntauctions.com/phone/imageviewer.cfm?auction_num=204&lot_num=34

The box score from the 1966 game --> https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196611270was.htm

There aren't many sports fans that won't know what you're talking about if you mention the 'Hand of God.' It's arguably the most famous single moment in soccer history because of who was involved and the stage where it took place.

Diego Maradona's 51st minute goal for Argentina against England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup gave Agentina a lead that they wouldn't relinquish. Argentina would roll through the rest of the tournament and claim its second World Cup title. 

But what's really crazy about this story is the English player who made the mistake that allowed Maradona to have the opportunity to score that goal would later earn more than $9 million because of that infamous moment. In this epsiode, we'll tell you that story and more.

What else is in this episode? 

• Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal might not even have been the most notable he scored in that game. 
• A few facts about that 1986 World Cup hosted by Mexico. 
• A short recap of that infamous game.

 

Resources: 

Record Setting Auction: https://apnews.com/article/soccer-sports-world-cup-europe-international-21e1476c84eb8785a0f6bfc640ba2627

Watch the 'Hand of God' play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ccNkksrfls