Week 14 - "Snowplow Game"
Week 14 - "Snowplow Game"
1982 - Dolphins vs. Patriots

Week 14 - "Snowplow Game"

"We kicked a field goal, won the game, and made Don Shula very very mad." - Donnie Wahlberg
Donnie Wahlberg
by Donnie Wahlberg

A snow-covered New England field on a frigid day in late 1982 was the setting for one of the more unusual NFL games ever played. Due to the weather, the contest, between the Dolphins and Patriots, was offensively-challenged from the start. The teams would combine for just 11 completed passes for 89 yards, and after three quarters, neither team had scored. In the fourth quarter, the Patriots had a chance for a 33-yard field goal. Patriots coach Ron Meyer dashed down the sideline and ordered Mark Henderson, a convicted burglar who was out of prison on a furlough program and operating the Schaefer Stadium snow plow, to drive onto the field and clear away some snow for his kicker. Henderson did as he was told – and John Smith, New England’s left-footed kicker, succeeded on his attempt to give New England a 3-0 win. The Patriots celebrated as if they’d won the Super Bowl. With regret, Miami coach Don Shula later said that if he hadn’t been so bewildered, he would have tried to block that snow plow from assisting the Patriots.

Donnie Wahlberg
Donnie
Wahlberg
Donnie Wahlberg is a singer and actor who was an original member of the band, New Kids on the Block. A Boston native, Wahlberg has appeared in the films The Sixth Sense and Dreamcatcher, among many other films and TV shows. Wahlberg is a die-hard Patriots fan who has educated his wife, Jenny McCarthy, about the Patriots’ dynasty and helped her become an enthusiast. Last season, he gave away his two Super Bowl tickets to a random Patriots fan after Wahlberg was unable to make it.
Profession:
actor
Place of Birth:
Dorchester, MA
Preferred Team:
New England Patriots