Don't Touch the Ball Leon

Don't Touch the Ball

"DON'T TOUCH THE BALL," we screamed at the television. It was November 1993 and we were stationed in Germany. We had gathered for Thanksgiving Day. My brother-in-law was stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany and I was stationed at Ramstein Air Base about an hour from where he lived. While watching National League Football is a favorite pastime on American soil, it is the lifeline to combat homesickness when stationed in a foreign country. Having a family member to share the game with made it an extra treat.

It was a very cold day in Dallas that day and the field was covered with ice from a sleet storm. It had been one of those slip sliding games where the players were probably longing for the locker room. The Cowboys were leading with 15 seconds left in the game. The Miami Dolphins had the ball and kicker Pete Stoyanovich lined up to kick a potentially winning field goal. The kicker slipped and booted the ball right into the defensive forces who got a hand on the ball. After the ball popped up, it went past the line of scrimmage. At that point, it was a dead ball as long as a Cowboy didn't touch it.

But, seemingly out of nowhere came 300 pounds of silver and blue. While his teammates were celebrating the play, defensive tackle Leon Lett decided to try and recover the ball. While going after the pigskin, he slipped, touched the ball and instead of gaining control of it Miami was able to recover and kick the winning field goal. Although Lett was a talented Pro Bowl player, unfortunately he is often remembered for this play which has often been rebroadcasted on blooper type programs. Fortunately, it did not adversely impact the Cowboy's season as they went on to win the 1994 Super Bowl.

Years later, Leon Lett would have a Snickers candy bar commercial produced that playfully implied he was hungry that day and not in his right mind. In that commercial, it was stated that his house was hit with eggs and that someone had driven erratically across his lawn making 'donut' patterns in the grass. Fortunately, the commercial shows that Leon Lett has found humor in the heart of an embarrassing moment in sports history.

References:
Leon Lett Gaffe Play -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrU8z4w8T-4&feature=g-vrec
Leon Lett Snickers Commercial -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdea34bj8S4