• Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Storming the court/rushing the field

DanOregon said:
When was the last time it happened in a big four sport? The last I really remember was the 1976 ALCS with Chambliss launching off Littrell in New York. Some fans got on to the 'Stick after The Catch in '82.

Now hockey....that would be bad ass - and hilarious to watch.
Click to expand...

The Chambliss homer was hardly the last example of fans storming the field of play, as YMCA pointed out. Heck, it happened a year later at the same place, when the Yankees beat the Dodgers to clinch the World Series. I remember watching on TV and seeing Reggie Jackson, fresh off his three-homer performance, bowling over at least one fan in his mad dash to the dugout/clubhouse.
I think there was a field storming in 1978 also when the Yanks clinched the ALCS in the Bronx. The year after that, the visiting Pirates won the Series in Baltimore, and some fans hit the field, and Pittsburgh catcher Steve Nicosia was caught on camera beating up a guy.
It still happened for a few years afterward, but I think the turning point was 1980 when the Phillies won at Veterans Stadium. After the final out, I saw everyone crowding around Tug McGraw in the victory mob, and suddenly I'm like "where are the fans who are supposed to storm the field." They pretty much stayed in their seats. Later, I found out the security guards with the Dobermans stationed along the foul lines had a little something to do with that.
 
It happened in 1998 at Sun Devil Stadium when the Cardinals kicked a field goal to beat the Chargers and make the playoffs for the first time since 1982. Source: I was on the field for it, just remember the media stunned to see the fans rush the field.

 
mpcincal said:
It still happened for a few years afterward, but I think the turning point was 1980 when the Phillies won at Veterans Stadium. After the final out, I saw everyone crowding around Tug McGraw in the victory mob, and suddenly I'm like "where are the fans who are supposed to storm the field." They pretty much stayed in their seats. Later, I found out the security guards with the Dobermans stationed along the foul lines had a little something to do with that.
Click to expand...

I was too young to remember watching it live, but my dad talked about that for years afterward. He always mentioned they had police horses standing in front of the stands to discourage any idiots from trying anything.
 
Don't remember the year -- early '90s probably -- and the powerhouse Arizona basketball team was playing at UCLA. Dickie V and the ESPN crew did the game. Media was still courtside back then. Their table was center court in front of the student section. Me and another newspaper guy were next to them. Bruins win and the students storm the court. Me and the other guy had our elbows working and protected our space (mainly, our computers). The ESPN position got trashed. Dickie V might have been knocked down, TV monitors broken. Dickie V announces that he will never do another game at Pauley Pavilion.
Let's see, Dickie. You spend the entire pregame inciting the students, shouting your prepared bullshit -- "He's a PT player, bay-bee." So the fans are fired up and they stay fired up, then you criticize them for being fired up.
 
DanOregon said:
When was the last time it happened in a big four sport? The last I really remember was the 1976 ALCS with Chambliss launching off Littrell in New York. Some fans got on to the 'Stick after The Catch in '82.

Now hockey....that would be bad ass - and hilarious to watch.
Click to expand...

Islanders fans stormed the ice following the '80, '81 & '83 Cup wins. And given how Nassau Coliseum was shutting down to hockey for good after the Islanders' playoff run in '21, I believe you would have seen people trying to storm the ice if they won the Cup on home ice that summer. They almost tore the place down in joy after Game 6 against the Lightning.
 
DanOregon said:
When was the last time it happened in a big four sport? The last I really remember was the 1976 ALCS with Chambliss launching off Littrell in New York. Some fans got on to the 'Stick after The Catch in '82.

Now hockey....that would be bad ass - and hilarious to watch.
Click to expand...

When the ‘86 Mets won the NL East, fans stormed the field and ripped the turf to shreds. For the Workd Series, they put mounted police on the field when they won.
 
swingline said:
I wish the mounted police would have trampled Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon to death for their prancing on the Busch Stadium field after the Red Sox won their series.
Click to expand...

The very worst thing about that, of course, is it was staged for their stupid fucking movie. The most famous drought in sports had just ended and there was abject joy going on everywhere and there's Fallon & his shit-eating grin prancing @Junkie around the field. Fucker. (I like Drew)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top