Life Lessons: Cal v. Stanford 1982 (aka "The Play")

I've always said that sports are terrific ways to teach (and learn) about life's most important lessons. As a Cal Bear, I have to appreciate the lessons from the wild finish to our 1982 Big Game with arch-rival Stanford:

(1) Don't ever give up on anything ... no matter how dire the situation may look.

(2) Don't ever take anything for granted ... even the surest things can disappear in seconds.

(3) You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish with teamwork, innovation, effort, and creative problem-solving.

and, most important of all ...

(4) If you're a trombone player, don't ever, ever, EVER walk onto a football field until you're absolutely certain that the football players are finished playing football!

One more lesson I've learned: the older you get, the more perspective you get. While many folks are familiar with this famous kick-off return, what's been lost to history is the way that the Stanford team had just seconds before pulled off what THEY thought was a miracle last-minute come-from-behind victory.

To emphasize these points, please enjoy the first [longer] video for proper context (and to give Stanford its proper due), as well as the second [enhanced] video (to see exactly what the heck actually happened on the field).

Enjoy these classic sports moments!