One of my favorite things to do is research old sports stories. This is because I’m crazy. In any case, Sunday before the farce that was the Chiefs-Falcons football game, I was sitting next to Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson and I asked him if he had ever played in Atlanta. He said: “Sure, I was there for the Dave Hampton game.” I had only vaguely heard the story about the Dave Hampton game, so I went back to look it up. Turns out, the story was more amazing than Lenny made it sound … more amazing, really, than I could have imagined.
* * *
Dave Hampton grew up in Akron, and he went to college in Wyoming. That life combination can lead to some crazy karma. You might not know that writer extraordinaire Chuck Klosterman, author of the hilarious “Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs,” grew up in Wyoming and ended in Akron.* It’s clear that weird stuff happens when you mix Akron with those Plains states.
*The reason you might not know this is that Klosterman actually grew up in North Dakota, not Wyoming. But, for our purposes, it’s really the same thing.
Hampton was drafted by Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers in the ninth round in 1969. About 20 minutes later Lombardi quit the Packers. About three years later, Hampton was traded to Atlanta. And that leads us to our story.
On December 17, 1972, Atlanta was playing the Kansas City Chiefs, last game of the regular season, and there really wasn’t anything on the line for either team. Except this: Dave Hampton had 930 yards coming into the game. That meant, of course, that he was 70 yards away from gaining 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. And it meant even more because Hampton had a chance to become the first 1,000-yard rusher in Atlanta Falcons history. This was in those days when NFL teams only played 14 regular season games, so 1,000 yard rushers were still rare birds. Most of the 53,850 who showed up were undoubtedly there, at least in part, to catch a little Dave Hampton history.
And all went pretty well early on. Hampton rushed for 42 yards in the first half, and the Falcons led going into the halftime. It looked like a lock. Hampton got the ball three straight times to start the second half, and ripped off another 22 yards. So he was six yards away.
The Chiefs, though, scored a touchdown to take the lead, and the Falcons kind of went away from Hampton for the rest of the quarter Then on the first play of the fourth quarter, they gave it to Hampton, and he rushed for five yards. One yard away. The next play, they gave him the ball up the middle, and he picked up the precious one yard, he was at exactly 1,000. Cheers! Celebration! They actually stopped the game right there so the crowd could cheer Dave Hampton. They gave him the game ball. I love when they stop games for really obscure achievements, like becoming the first player in Atlanta Falcons history to gain 1,000 yards. Then, you have to understand that in 1972, there had not been that many great sports moments in Atlanta. The day belonged to Dave Hampton.
But, of course, that would not be much of a story. You know what’s coming. A little later in the quarter, Atlanta quarterback Bob Berry dropped back to hand off to Hampton and slipped on some ice. He only barely managed to get the ball into Hampton’s hands before four Chiefs defenders came crashing in. You bet. It was a loss of 6 yards. And suddenly that game ball didn’t feel so great. And because the Chiefs scored late, the Falcons had to throw the ball to try and come back. Hampton got only one more carry, for 1 yard. He finished with 995 yards.
“Right now,” he told reporters, “it’s the most disappointing thing that has ever happened to me.”
OK, that’s a real down. And that’s a story many people have heard — maybe you didn’t know the name Dave Hampton, but you have probably heard the story of the guy who gained 1,000 yards and was then thrown for a loss. Great story, right? Well, as it turns out, the story HAS NOT EVEN STARTED yet.
In 1973, the Falcons — led, poetically enough, by a quarterback named Robert Lee — won seven games in a row in the middle of the season. They were in playoff contention, at last for a little while. Then, remembering they were the Atlanta Falcons, they got blitzed by Buffalo and slaughtered by St. Louis. The Falcons finished off the year playing a dreadful New Orleans team they beat 62-7 in Week 1. And they still had slim playoff hopes then, but really slim — they needed Washington to lose to an abominable Philadelphia team, and there was really no way that was going to happen (it didn’t).
So, in reality, there wasn’t much on the line. Except this: Dave Hampton was, again, the team’s go-to running back, and he was again close to 1,000 yards. And coach Norm Van Brocklin decided that, no matter what else, the Falcons were going to get Hampton his 1,000 yard season.
Hampton came into the game needing 87 yards rushing. Now, nobody was really paying much attention to Dave Hampton because that was the same day that O.J. Simpson was trying to break Jim Brown’s rushing record. Plus it was freaking cold in Atlanta. People don’t know this about Atlanta, because it is in the South, but when it gets cold there it feels like Minneapolis at Christmas. When it’s 37-degrees in Atlanta, like it was that day, your bones rattle. Fewer than 40,000 people showed up for the game.
The Falcons gave the ball to Hampton. And gave the ball to him. And gave the ball to him some more. The game was close — Atlanta had a 14-10 lead, and the Falcons were in field goal range … but Van Brocklin said no, and they went for it on fourth down so they could give the ball to Hampton. They didn’t make it. A little later, they were in range again — still up only four points — and they went for it again to give the ball to Hampton. They didn’t make it. All in all, Hampton carried the ball 27 times on that day, a bunch in the fourth quarter.
And when everything settled, Dave Hampton had … 997 yards rushing.
“I appreciate the heck out of my offensive line,” he said after the game. “I’m very proud of them. But to be honest, I’m not really sure what my feelings are now.”
OK, so there. Now you are sure the story is over. Twice this guy got within five yards of 1,000 yards. That’s got to be it. Only it isn’t. This story is better than Seabiscuit. In 1974, Hampton had all sorts of injuries. It looked like he was more or less finished. But he worked hard hard to come back, as hard as Billy Dee Williams in Brian’s Song, and he was ready when the 1975 season began. And even though the team was terrible, Hampton was once again the Falcons workhorse. He plowed and fought for every yard, just like he always had. Then Atlanta went to Green Bay for the last game of the season, freezing cold, meaningless game, and would you believe it? Dave Hampton came in with a shot at 1,000 yards.
Only the game did not set up well. The game was close for a long time, and the Packers kept a slight lead, and so Hampton was not a big part of the offense. Then with two minutes and 53 seconds left and the Packers up by nine, Falcons coach Marion Campbell made the critical call: He decided the Falcons weren’t going to win the game anyway. He sent Falcons backup quarterback Pat Sullivan out with a mission. Sullivan came into the huddle and said: “We got one more chance.” Everyone looked up and nodded. Hampton was such a popular guy on the team, and he had gotten so close, and dammit, they wanted to get him his 1,000.
Hampton was still 28-yards short, and this was the last drive, so it would take something pretty special. He carried the ball up the middle for four — he was 24 yards short. Then, he took a handoff to the right and his dear friend Larron Jackson pulled out in front and crushed the Green Bay linebacker. Hampton was free. He broke through, ran, cut, ran, cut, and finally was dragged down. He had picked up 22 yards. He was only two yards short of 1,000.
The Green Bay crowd was into it … heck, they had to be into something, both teams stunk. They cheered. The Falcons players on the sideline cheered. Fate cheered. The next play, Hampton carried it over the right side for four yards. He had done it. He had become both the first Atlanta Falcons runner to gain 1,000 yards AND the first Atlanta Falcons runner to finish the season with 1,000 yards. And make no mistake, his season was done. The Green Bay crowd gave him a standing ovation as he came off the field — no way they were leaving Dave Hampton out there for even one more play. Knowing him, the quarterback would have fumbled, and Hampton would have fallen on it, the loss credited to him.
He had done it — 1002 yards rushing. Hampton was named the NFL’s comeback player of the year in 1975, ostensibly for coming back from injuries, but no doubt it was more. He had come back from being one of the great victims in NFL history. Imagine Bill Buckner hitting the game-winning homer for the Red Sox. Imagine Jackie Smith catching the touchdown that gave the Cowboys a Super Bowl. Imagine blocking Michael Jordan’s shot the next time around. Those would probably be more impressive. Still, this was a great story too. Dave Hampton did it. The next year, the Falcons let him go, then he played for the Eagles in Dick Vermeil’s first year. Then, he quit football. Why not? He was two yards on the right side of greatness.
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37 Comments, Comment or Ping
Steve from Cleve
Imagine Ernest Byner, playing on special teams, forcing a fumble on a punt/kick return that put the Browns in the Super Bowl.
Sep 21st, 2008
Claire
Wyoming is so much more scenic than North Dakota.
Sep 21st, 2008
dan
I love the completely random, yet hilarious, comments on these posts, like the one by Claire above me
Sep 21st, 2008
Mike S
I knew the first part of the Hampton story, but not the rest. Great post Joe! What a story!
Sep 21st, 2008
Steve from Cleve
Montana is more of a gamer than Wyoming.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Snuckles
“You might not know that writer extraordinaire Chuck Klosterman, author of the hilarious “Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs,” grew up in Wyoming…”
Are “hilarious” and “dreadful” synonyms now?
Klosterman’s bad postpostpostmodern Mad Libs shtick and endless laconic “Pol Pot, Billy Ocean, and Nutter Butters” riffs is something to be condemned, not invoked.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Graphite
“The reason you might know this is that Klosterman actually grew up in North Dakota, not Wyoming. But, for our purposes, it’s really the same thing.”
Don’t like to nitpick, and I can live with pretty much all of the typos and other slip-ups, but the first sentence above needs the word “not” after “might”.
Thank you. Continue.
Sep 22nd, 2008
gogiggs
Wyoming may be more scenic than North Dakota, but Dakota is a much better stripper name than North Wyoming.
Sep 22nd, 2008
David Shows
I remember it well, being a Saints fan. I was sick about him loosing the first 1,000 yards but remembering I didn’t want him to gain it against my Saints. Ultimately when he did get it I don’t think a Saints fan was upset (especially when he didn’t do it on us). And he was a CLASS guy.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Jerry
graphite - grow up…
Sep 22nd, 2008
Kevin
Ah, but does North Dakota have mountains named after breasts? (I only know this because I just visited Grand Teton & Yellowstone a couple weeks ago…..)
Sep 22nd, 2008
royalman
Thank you Joe, I have faint memories of that game and the event of the lost 1000 yard season. I had no idea of the rest. That 72 team was the end of an era for KC football, although we didn’t know it then.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Bellylard
Hmm, never heard them called yellowstones, not even during the Olympics.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Grant
“Those would probably be more impressive.” That cracked me up. Joe, you kill me sometimes.
I, being 22 years old, had never heard that story, so I appreciate hearing it, too.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Andy
I love Chuck Klosterman too. He spoke at my school last year, and was appropriately hilarious. Much less pretentious than he seems on paper.
Sep 22nd, 2008
JO'C
I distinctly remember part 1 of the story. For some reason my girl friend in HS liked the Falcons (we went to HS in Jersey) and was a big Dave Hampton fan. I was rooting for him to get his 1,000 and couldn’t believe he had and then lost it. I didn’t realize he came so close the next year and then eventually got it.
This reminded me of a story I saw a couple of years back on an Arena Football guy named Bob McMillen who set the all time rushing record for the league. They stopped the game and had a big celebration and then, just like Hampton, he lost yardage and the record! He eventually got it back but I think it took him at least a couple of games (rushing yards are tough to come by in the Arena league). There was a video on YouTube about it but I can’t find it. Any info on this would be appreciated.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Alex
It’s the last line that makes this telling great.
Wonderful payoff.
Thank you, Joe.
Sep 22nd, 2008
stepbaker
I’m all for different strokes for different folks, but Snuckles has to be the first person i’ve ever heard of who doesn’t enjoy Klosterman. Fargo Rock City alone would secure him as one of the great pop culture writers of our time.
Besides, his rant about “punk rock saved my life” being the most meaningless cliche on earth is both funny and strangely poignant. Glad Joe is giving out the Klosterman name check.
And that was a cool story, Joe. I had no idea about the postscript.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Bellweather Johnson
Can we rename him Dave “Dirty Bird” Hampton, please?? Thank you.
And can somebody pease give Dwayne Bowe a, Ari Gold-style btch-slap for that embarrasment post-TD yesterday??
Double thank you.
Sep 22nd, 2008
orinoco
Joe, just want you to know that your column in today’s Star is epic. I don’t even follow the Chiefs and I found it gutbustingly funny.
Much appreciated.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Johnny
I remember the Hampton game where they had the ceremony … great stuff, Joe.
What I’m still trying to figure out is how, in the early 1970s, all four major sports in the U.S. had Atlanta in the West Division.
Sep 22nd, 2008
BillP
Please don’t show this article to Shaun Alexander - he might have to be placed on suicide watch.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled Mike Holmgren/Norm Van Brocklin debates …
Sep 22nd, 2008
John Comas
Klosterman is good, very very good, I’ve read 3 of his books and Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is phenomenal. I did grow up in the 80’s and 90’s, so I lived through most of what he was writing about. When someone can take Saved By the Bell and make a book out of it, you have to deliver a good amount of credit.
However, Klosterman, while very talented, ain’t no Posnanski.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Creston
Chuck Klosterman is a gritty, scrappy hustler.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Steve from Cleve
Chuck Klosterman is a gunslinger who’s just having fun out there.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Michael
Johnny, we were still at war with the Soviet Union in the 1970s. All the major sports placed Atlanta in their West Divisions to confuse the Commie generals in the Kremlin as they drew up their battle plans.
At least, that’s what P.J. O’Rourke said.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Ben
Chuck Klosterman is so good at distributing words that he makes other writers better.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Snuckles
I find Klosterman’s style repetitive, annoying, indulgent, and put to the service of nothing much. Everything is mixed into a big wacky stew, with the War on Terror “ironically” contrasted with the DVD release of “Land of the Lost,” or Gogurt, or some such thing. Throw in several column inches’ worth of “what I think about what I think about what I think.” Out of this morass comes banal observations like “fame has its bad side” or “sometimes I am manipulated by manipulative media” or “uncool music has its merits” or “reality television is mostly fake.”
I know he’s got a following, but it hits me like rambling improv leading to obvious punchlines. I’d rather enjoy things than not, so if you like his shtick, you win and I lose.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Snuckles
Oh, and I realize that there are superficial similarities between Klosterman’s style and some of the things that capture the attention of our beloved Poz. But I think “superficial” doesn’t begin to describe the stylistic comparison. I certainly wouldn’t be on chuckklosterman.com (if it exists) trashing Posnanski’s writing. That’s be like going onto a John Cafferty website to critique Brice Springsteen.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Dave Heller
HBO used to have a show hosted by Tim McCarver which showed wacky momentts in sports (the name of the show escapes me) and the Hampton ceremony - and subsequent going below 1,000 yards - was one of them. I swear they actually gave him a trophy - in my mind’s eye I can see it on that show, but not positive.
Sep 22nd, 2008
gogiggs
Thoughts about Chuck Klosterman
I find the idea that Chuck Klosterman could be less pretentious than I would expect to be odd. In his writings he consistently depicts himself as a barely functioning, adult-only-by-virtue-of-age and his writing aesthetic is almost entirely based on a wholehearted embrace of the anti-cool.
He wrote an entire book attempting (and failing) to justify his pre-teen love of Motley Crue, for god’s sake. I mean a pre-teen love of Motley Crue is both both completely indefensible and entirely understandable. Pre-to early-teens are idiots, through-and-through hormone addled messes of taste, choice and judgement that would be entirely unforgivable in people of any other age. If you ever want a glimpse of what humanity would look like in the absence of all laws and social restraints, watch a batch of unsupervised 12-15 -year-olds. After an hour or two you’ll be praying for the Utopian vision of Lord of the Flies.
I’ve read three of Klosterman’s books, all three pretty much in one sitting. I disagree with him about almost everything, yet I find him almost compulsively readable. I can’t think of another writer about whom I can say the same. There’s a gift there, I think.
I guess, weirdly enough, that I would recommend any and all of Klosterman’s books and would immediately dismiss any argument that relies on one of this points. I’m pretty sure that relates to the point at hand, although I can no longer remember how.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Hacksaw
Yeah, I really “Brian’s Son”, also known as the sequel to “Brian’s Song.” Especially the part when Brian Piccolo Jr. gets trained by Gale Sayers and makes the varsity team.
Sep 23rd, 2008
John
Does anyone remember the story behind Mercury Morris’ 1,000-yard season in 1972, one year before the Hampton incident. My memory might be a bit faulty—I was only nine when it happened—but Morris finished the season with something like 995 yards and Larry Csonka rushed for more than 1,000 yards so they just missed becoming the first teammates to run for more than 1,000. But after the season ended the Dolphins asked the league to overturn a five-yard loss credited to Morris, insisting it was a fumble or a screen-pass or something (remember, faulty memories from 36 years ago). Anyway, the league agreed and Morris was given the five yards back and his new number was exactly 1,000 allowing him and Zonk to make history.
Sep 23rd, 2008
Carl Luer
There’s one sidelight to the Hampton story you left out, maybe due to space limitations.
In addition to trying to go undefeated, the ‘72 Miami Dolphins were trying to become the first NFL team with 2 1000-yard rushers. Larry Csonka was well past that mark by the last game of the regular season but Mercury Morris was short. Miami played the Colts and I don’t know how many yards Morris needed going into that game. But when it was done, Morris officially ended up with 991 yards — 9 short of the mark.
Then the Dolphins convinced the NFL to review a play in which Morris lost 9 yards, and they concluded it was a dropped lateral instead of a rushing attempt, so the League adjusted his yardage total to exactly 1000 for the season. The Dolphins now had the distinction of 2 1000-yard rushers. Yet the League never went through all the Atlanta games to see if Dave Hampton had another 5 yeards out there somewhere that could also put him at the 1000 mark. Why not? I always figured that Morris and the Dolphins were just bigger news back then than Dave Hampton and Atlanta.
I had long forgotten that Hampton eventually cracked 1000 yards — Morris never did again. Good to know this story ended well.
Sep 23rd, 2008
BenHoak
Great story, well told — especially the last line.
Sep 24th, 2008
Dusty
+1 for the klosterman reference
Sep 25th, 2008
ODB72
Another great post. I too love any good sports stories, but the old ones seem more sapped in lore. Thanks for bringing this to attention to me.
Oct 3rd, 2008
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