Not a team logo, but a logo of a defunct college bowl game, the Bluebonnet Bowl. It was played in Houston at Rice Stadium from 1959 until 1967, the moved to the Astrodome where it was renamed the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. The game lasted into the mid-1980s but was discontinued due to poor ticket sales and lack of a corporate sponsor. Most years the game featured a team from the Southwest Conference against an at-large opponent, and 19 of the 29 games played featured a team from Texas.
1973 Topps football card of former pro offensive tackle Donnie Green, who helped anchor the Buffalo Bills’ offensive line for 6 seasons and played a total of 8 years in the NFL. He was a member of the famed “Electric Company” line that opened holes for O.J. Simpson in his career. Green’s life was a struggle after his playing days ended. He battled drug abuse and ended up in a homeless shelter, where he worked as a night monitor. Green passed away in 2019 at the age of 71.
The final week of the 2023 NFL schedule takes place this week, and one marquee matchup features the Miami Dolphins taking on the Buffalo Bills. We’ll look back for this week’s Throwback Thursday post to a game played between these 2 AFC East rivals on September 10,1989 at what was then Joe Robbie Stadium. It was the opening day of the 1989 season and both teams had high expectations. Miami had dominated the Bills in the early part of the decade, winning 11 of 14 contests, but Buffalo rebounded when the Marv Levy/Jim Kelly era began with 4 straight wins.
Buffalo struck first with the only scoring in the opening quarter on a Scott Norwood field goal. Then the Dolphins took over the second quarter, scoring on a Troy Stradford 1 yard run and a Pete Stoyanovich field goal to lead 10-3 at the half. The Bills tied it up when fullback Larry Kinnebrew closed out a drive with a 2 yard TD plunge. Miami’s special teams then got into the fray, blocking a punt that Marc Logan picked up and took the remaining 2 yards into the end zone for a 17-10 advantage. Norwood cut it to 17-13 with another field goal to finish the third quarter scoring.
Dan Marino then made his presence felt, completing an 8 yard touchdown toss to Andre Brown, upping Miami’s lead to 24-13. The remainder of the game was a bit of a coming out party for Kelly as the quarterback and unquestioned leader of the Bills. He led one drive that culminated with him finding Flip Johnson on a 26 yard TD pass, then after the Bills’ defense held, he led another to the Dolphins’ 2 yard line with time running out. There were 2 seconds left on the clock, time for one last play. Kelly took the snap from center, dropped back to pass, then surprised everyone by running into the end zone for the winning touchdown to secure a 27-24 win. It was a great start to the Bills’ season as his teammates mobbed him in the end zone celebrating the daring play. That swashbuckling style would be a trademark of Kelly’s Hall of Fame career.
Jim Kelly, Dan Marino had many epic battles
This a very rare pennant featuring the logo of a football team that played in the Continental League from 1965 through 1969, the Orlando Panthers. They had a history playing in other cities and in various minor leagues before joining the COFL and settling in their home at the Tangerine Bowl. The league was trying to rival the NFL. Their first head coach in ’65 was Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren, and despite financial woes they were one of the league’s more successful teams, winning titles in 1967 and ’68.
1986 Topps football card of former pro fullback Larry Kinnebrew, who enjoyed a 7 year career in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills. A bruising 258 lb. runner, he was a clutch short yardage back and finished his career with 44 touchdowns. The Georgia native had issues with the law after his playing career ended, including a rape charge that was ultimately dismissed.