Oct 20 in Jet History: 1st Monday Night, Maynard Sets Record
Oct 20, 2015 8:52:18 GMT -5
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Post by Lithfan on Oct 20, 2015 8:52:18 GMT -5
October 20, 1969
Most Jet fans believe that the first Monday Night game was the inaugural ABC telecast when the Browns beat the Jets in 1970. This was not the case.
Both the AFL and NFL had experimented with Monday Night prime time games prior to the 1970 season when ABC kicked off its iconic Monday Night series. During the 1968 & 69 seasons, NBC broadcast two AFL games on Monday nights. On Monday night, 10/20/69, the Jets hosted the Houston Oilers in the franchise’s first ever Monday Night game. Just 4 days earlier, the Mets had won the World Series at Shea, so the teams took the field on a hastily re-sodded turf after the field was torn apart by fans in the post game celebration the previous Thursday.
The Jets drew first blood against Houston, with a 17-yard Jim Turner field goal for a 3-0 first quarter lead. The lead was short-lived however, as Joe Namath threw a pick 6 to Houston’s Zeke Moore. It was one of three interceptions that Namath threw on the day, but he also threw for 306 yards and two 2nd quarter TD bombs of 57 and 54 yards, both to Don Maynard, giving the Jets a 17-7 halftime lead. Oiler cornerback Ken Houston slipped on the 2nd TD pass, possibly due to the condition of the resurfaced field, leaving Maynard wide open just before the end of the half. Maynard finished with 7 catches for 212 yards and the two TDs.
Maynard’s 2nd TD reception tied him with Art Powell for the most career receiving TDs in AFL History with 81. Maynard would grab 3 more TDs that season to finish with the All Time AFL record of 84 touchdowns scored.
The Oilers fought back, as QB Pete Beathard led a 96-yard scoring drive on the opening possession of the 3rd quarter. Beathard hit WR Mac Haik for a 15-yard score to cut the Jets lead to 3. It was as close as the Oilers would come.
The Jets turned to their ground game, led by Matt Snell, who had 22 carries for 92 yards in the game, to close out the Oilers. They added three more Jim Turner field goals and finished with a 26-17 Monday NIght victory.
This was the Jets first home game of the 1969 season. As a result of the Mets postseason run, the Jets, 2nd class citizens in Shea Stadium, were forced to open the season with 5 straight road games, winning 3. The Oiler game was the first of 7 straight at Shea. In their first home game as defending Super Bowl Champions, the Jets set an AFL attendance record with a crowd of over 63,000. The Jets went 5-2 in that 7-game stretch on the way to a 10-4 record and AFL East Division Championship.
Source: Daytona Beach Morning Journal
Most Jet fans believe that the first Monday Night game was the inaugural ABC telecast when the Browns beat the Jets in 1970. This was not the case.
Both the AFL and NFL had experimented with Monday Night prime time games prior to the 1970 season when ABC kicked off its iconic Monday Night series. During the 1968 & 69 seasons, NBC broadcast two AFL games on Monday nights. On Monday night, 10/20/69, the Jets hosted the Houston Oilers in the franchise’s first ever Monday Night game. Just 4 days earlier, the Mets had won the World Series at Shea, so the teams took the field on a hastily re-sodded turf after the field was torn apart by fans in the post game celebration the previous Thursday.
The Jets drew first blood against Houston, with a 17-yard Jim Turner field goal for a 3-0 first quarter lead. The lead was short-lived however, as Joe Namath threw a pick 6 to Houston’s Zeke Moore. It was one of three interceptions that Namath threw on the day, but he also threw for 306 yards and two 2nd quarter TD bombs of 57 and 54 yards, both to Don Maynard, giving the Jets a 17-7 halftime lead. Oiler cornerback Ken Houston slipped on the 2nd TD pass, possibly due to the condition of the resurfaced field, leaving Maynard wide open just before the end of the half. Maynard finished with 7 catches for 212 yards and the two TDs.
Maynard’s 2nd TD reception tied him with Art Powell for the most career receiving TDs in AFL History with 81. Maynard would grab 3 more TDs that season to finish with the All Time AFL record of 84 touchdowns scored.
The Oilers fought back, as QB Pete Beathard led a 96-yard scoring drive on the opening possession of the 3rd quarter. Beathard hit WR Mac Haik for a 15-yard score to cut the Jets lead to 3. It was as close as the Oilers would come.
The Jets turned to their ground game, led by Matt Snell, who had 22 carries for 92 yards in the game, to close out the Oilers. They added three more Jim Turner field goals and finished with a 26-17 Monday NIght victory.
This was the Jets first home game of the 1969 season. As a result of the Mets postseason run, the Jets, 2nd class citizens in Shea Stadium, were forced to open the season with 5 straight road games, winning 3. The Oiler game was the first of 7 straight at Shea. In their first home game as defending Super Bowl Champions, the Jets set an AFL attendance record with a crowd of over 63,000. The Jets went 5-2 in that 7-game stretch on the way to a 10-4 record and AFL East Division Championship.
Source: Daytona Beach Morning Journal
