Eddie Murray - Lions beat Cowboys 1981 as the clock expires.

[cpprocheaters]

Uh-oh I hear a little John madden in the background

[lilbandit99]

I have his football card

[quietriotfan1976]

What is amazing, is that if you don't count the strike games, the Lions have only two regular place kickers (also not counting injury) since 1980..Eddie Murray, who was replaced by Jason Hansen. In the final twist of irony. Murray finished his career on the Cowboys in 1993.

[k5ahudson]

I was at this game 30 years ago almost to the day! :)

[EricandDish]

One of the most craziest endings in NFL history. Amazing how the Lions didn't spike the ball for the field goal. The Detroit fans had every reason to celebrate: they defeated the Cowboys. For Dallas, this wouldn't be the last demorizing loss in the 1981 season-they would have another at season's end...a little play called "The Catch" (greatest play in NFL history in my opinion) in the NFC championship.

[Offthbadan]

Oh I've been looking for this on YouTube. Monday Night Football. This was one of the Lions best wins ever even with 12 players. But that's Lions football. This goes up with the Pistons beating L.A. in the '04 Finals & the Tigers beating the Yankees in the '06 & 2011 playoffs.

[69down]

@Offthbadan this was not a monday night game,the game was on CBS.

[BHoz77]

Amazing that the Lions have had only two kickers for the past 31 years, Eddie Murray and Jason Hanson.

[beaverpitt]

why didn't they stop the clock. I know you couldn't spike it back then, but with 18 seconds left, you could throw it out of bounds or anything.

[Knightmessenger]

@beaverpitt you couldn't spike the ball? When was that a rule?

[beaverpitt]

@Knightmessenger back then, it was considered intentional grounding. They used to line up and throw the ball over the head of the reciever standing next to the sideline. The spike was written in in the mid 1980's and in high school the early 1990's

[k5ahudson]

@Knightmessenger It could have been 4th down. If you look at the yard markers it certainly wasn't a first down.

[generalbullmoose]

Do you have the video of the 81 year bomb Hipple threw to Sims less than two minutes before that to tie the score?

[cbaldwinjr]

At least this didn't cost the Cowboys anything in the big picture. They would've been the 2nd seed regardless since the 49ers killed them earlier that year.

[Peraino]

I was at this game! Thanks for posting!

[rubeclone44]

The slot back for the Lions is in motion toward the line of scrimmage as the snap takes place.  Fair is fair.

[guitarboy64]

"No description available." Exactly.

[ganspernanthy]

12 men on the field

[khidak1]

The Lions were damn lucky to win the game at the end, weren't they?

[scommy327]

I remember this as a kid I was so happy. It was pretty funny and big news to beat Dallas but the Lions played well that year at home.

[gjs78]

You woud think the Lions won the Super bowl with so much celebrating on the field

[broncosmitty]

It's a shame Joey had to tarnish a great Lions #!

[generalbullmoose]

I remember this. The Lions trailed with less than two minutes left in the game, then Hipple hit Sims with an 81-yard TD to tie it. Then they got the ball back, and then this....

[clfritz1982]

I believe this was the last game the lions won =/

[blogbat]

Wow, that was like 19 years ago. A point today for the Lions for every year since. :)

[19dsmooth]

Great memories. My brother (10 years old) and I (8 years old) were jumping around the living room.

GO LIONS!!!

[PAULNIEM]

This is unbelievably amazing! Where did you find/get this? Cool! Unfortunately all people talked about is thaT the Lions had 12 men on the field and got away with it! But no flag was thrown and that didn't influence the kick at all so what's the difference? One of the best memories of Lions football I have! It was of course on Thanksgiving Day back when the Lions used to win games on Turkey Day. Totally Cool!

[thegorn68]

Wow! I totally remember that game. It was a little soothing balm on the wound when years later we got Eddie Murray (the kicker for the Lions that day) in 1993 when Jimmy cut a struggling Lin Elliot and Murray made some big time clutch kicks for us that Super Bowl season.

[SFFOOL76]

Hey anytime the cowboys get screwed is fine by me.

[toeazy34]

Another classic NFL game. I remember this game well. I didn't watch it (as the Lions/Cowboys were not my teams) but remember seeing the highlights in a Game Break type deal. I don't remember the 12th man being talked about until the next day. I seem to remember Tom Landry watched the final play when he got back to Dallas and filed some type of protest. I also remember the next week on the NFL Today that had a segment on "who was the 12th man"? The guy they had on was laughing. Great game.

[khidak1]

I don't know how the Lions won the game without being penalized for having 12 men on the field, while Eddie Murray attempted the winning field goal, but they pulled it out.

[agmapleleaf93]

Good win for lions at that time 

[SMDB82]

Jesus. The year before I was born.

[UberKrispy]

I rememebr watching this, I was 13 or so. This was the 4:00 marquee game. Back when the Lions played tough on national TV.

Freeze it at :50, Billy Sims was so happy, everyone was so happy! Good times!

[Market42Fan]

Noticed something else interesting in that, by the time they got into position, the formation looks like they're kicking from the shotgun. My guess is that the Lions may have intended for either a Hail Mary or to spike the ball, but then realizing that if it didn't work (with a tied score), there wouldn't be enough time for the Eddie Murray field goal.

[CountryRoadTrip]

@Market42Fan According to the Newspaper article I still have, Monte Clark said they were going to "throw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock," but then the place kicking center (Tom Turnure) ran on the field, followed by some of the field goal unit. He shoved the regular center out of the way. There was a mixture of kicking team and offensive players on the field. So they had three receivers, three blockers on each side of center, the holder Hipple, and Murray.

[Market42Fan]

@CountryRoadTrip And the mass confusion makes sense now.

[northernflicker]

Typical Lions. The one time they got it right they STILL screwed up. I still have the newspaper clipping from this one. With the photo of the Lions lined up and a number over each of the players' heads up to 12.

[RepoVendors]

I WAS THERE!!! Will Never Forget Billy Sims, spiking the ball at the other endzone.

[LIONSMANIAC]

Hell YES!

I was GROUNDED, but snuck our little B-n-W TV outta the closet and saw this "volumeless" inside a bed-tent!

[theboot223344]

I too remember watching this game.Another poster child game for replay.

[CArchivist]

Yes the classic confusion 12 men on the field win over the Cowboys! Glad you found this one! Would love to see Billy Sims TD catch and run in the flat that helped them get close.

I remember watching this as a kid, and the next morning's Detroit Free Press had a big picture on the front page of the sports section counting the number of players on the field with #12 having an exclamation point!

Didn't the next day, the Cowboys ask the league to overturn the Lions victory? Sorry they were told!

[dznutz1971]

THANK YOU WHOMEVER PUT THIS GAME ON YOUTUBE!!! I WISH I COULD GET A COPY!!!!!!!!!! I remember this game, it was the first time Detroit beat Dallas in the dome. I loved Detroit's old uniforms!!!!!!!!!

[mdecarlo427]

I guess the officials forgot how to count.  The Lions had 12 players on the field

[Gilch30]

@mdecarlo427 Stop being a cry baby. Your team lost. Deal with you jackass

[fabio40]

@mdecarlo427 Freeze fame at :21 seconds. I count 11 Lions.

[steckle77]

Go Lions!