'The Band Is Out On The Field:' Cal-Stanford 1982 And 'The Play'

By | December 4, 2018

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Left: John Elway #7 of the Stanford Cardinal warms up before the Big Game against the California Golden Bears played on November 20, 1982. Right: Chaos on the field as California attempts to score the winning TD. Sources: David Madison/Getty Images; YouTu

The 1982 college football game between California and Stanford ended in a play so famous it's recalled simply as "The Play." The final seconds of this rivalry game involved the Stanford kicking team, a platoon of Cal returners, and the Stanford marching band, an unlikely x-factor that made for the 1982 equivalent of a viral video. It's still replayed today, and many sports fans can recite announcer Joe Starkey's shock and excitement as The Play unfolds and he realizes that "the band is out on the field."

The Game Wasn't Consequential. It Usually Isn't.

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Cal’s Kevin Moen celebrates the game winning touchdown as members of the Stanford Band scatter. (The Tribune/Robert Stinnett/AP)

It's the oldest college football rivalry in the West dating back to 1892, but, to be frank, the annual California-Stanford game doesn't exactly rank too high among the gridiron elite. As far as college football rivalries go, Cal-Stanford can't compare to Ohio State-Michigan or Alabama-Auburn for drama on the national stage. But the 85th meeting of the Cal Golden Bears and the Stanford Cardinal - an annual contest known as the Big Game - is remembered for one of the most exciting endings in college football history, a chaotic, controversial, and thrilling kickoff return with just four seconds remaining. Here's how it went down.