With the start of the 49ers season just days away, I'm eager to share my recollections of some of the most unforgettable Niners games I've witnessed.
This article is the fourth installment of From the Stands. I'm not just sharing my memories but inviting you to be part of this journey, making this a collective recollection of our shared love for the 49ers. Instructions on how you can participate are at the bottom of this article.
The following is a story about how I scored two tickets to the most iconic game in San Francisco 49ers history, the vivid memories that remain, and a son's love for his father. It was the NFC Championship game in 1981, a game that would go down in history as one of the most thrilling and significant moments for the 49ers and their fans.
My story begins in a most unexpected place--at the grand opening of a hotel in south Texas. I was working for the local chamber of commerce. Joyce Wilson was there promoting the event for La Quinta Inns. We were having a side conversation when she casually dropped the news that she was married to Blackie Sherrod, the legendary sports columnist for the Dallas Times Herald.
"If you ever need tickets to a Cowboys game, let me know," she said. Unprompted, Joyce handed me her business card.
Blackie Sherrod was more than a big deal. He was the best, as evidenced by being voted the Associated Press' Texas Sportswriter of the Year a record sixteen times.
Blackie had a unique perspective and an artful way of expressing it. In describing a boxer, he wrote:
"He has everything a boxer needs except speed, stamina, a punch, and ability to take punishment. In other words, he owns a pair of shorts."
Blackie was well-read, well-liked, and well-connected. A year later, I learned that he could move mountains when motivated.
I put Joyce Wilson's card in my wallet, wondering if I would ever have cause to take her up on her offer.
UNWATCHABLE
In the late 1970s, the 49ers were awful. They registered a league-worst two wins in 1978 and 1979. By 1980, the team had shown marked improvement, but the defense was still abysmal.
The season's highs and lowlights came in a dramatic 38-35 overtime win against the lowly New Orleans Saints. Young Joe Montana brought San Francisco back from a 28-point halftime deficit to record what was then the biggest comeback in NFL history.
And yet, the 49ers were virtually unwatchable for out-of-market fans like me. So, diehard 'out-of-towners' were relegated to watching game highlights on ESPN, reading the newspaper write-up the following day, or viewing HBO's 'Inside the NFL," which was available for cable subscribers several days later.
WHAT A TURNAROUND
San Francisco got off to an unremarkable 1-2 start in 1981. Then, they went on a tear, winning 12 of their next 13 games to capture the NFC West title. Along the way, San Francisco dismantled the Dallas Cowboys, ended an eight-game skid against the Los Angeles Rams, and went into Pittsburg and beat the four-time Super Bowl Champion Steelers. Anyone who said they sensed the power surge and knew San Francisco would be the NFL's winningest team in 1981 was lying.
Suddenly, CBS decided the 49ers were must-see TV. The network started airing bonus coverage of 49er games or assigning Niner games as the back half of a nationally televised doubleheader.
The 49ers beat the New York Giants 38-24 in the first round of the NFC playoffs, setting up a conference championship showdown with the Dallas Cowboys.
Tickets were nearly impossible to come by; demand could have filled Candlestick Park three times over.
It was time to see if Joyce Wilson's offer still stood. I reached into my wallet, pulled out her card, and prayed that she was a miracle worker.
DOES THE OFFER STILL STAND?
I called Joyce Wilson. We exchanged pleasantries, and then I popped the question:
Jon: Remember when you said if I ever needed Cowboys tickets, I should give you a call?
Joyce: Did I say that?
Jon: You did.
Joyce: So, you're saying you'd like Cowboys tickets for this weekend?
Jon: Yes
Joyce: Those tickets are tough to come by.
Jon: I know. That's why I'm calling you.
Joyce: Let me see what I can do.
I thanked her, and then we hung up. She called back a few minutes later.
Joyce: You realize that game is in San Francisco, right?
Jon: Yes
Joyce: And you still want tickets?
Jon: Absolutely.
Joyce: Ok. Let me call Blackie.
A half-hour later, she called back
Joye: I have some good and bad news.
Jon: Continue.
Joyce: Blackie spoke with Tex (Schramm, the General Manager of the Cowboys) and Tex can get you two tickets. But you've got to pick them up at the Cowboys ticket office on Central Expressway within the hour. Otherwise, Tex is going to release them. (She knew I lived hundreds of miles from Dallas).
Jon: No problem, my sister lives in Dallas. She'll be right over.
My sister, Jamie, immediately drove to the ticket office, and sure enough, there were two complimentary tickets under my name at will call. She called me and asked where she should send the tickets. I said, hang on to them; I'll call you back in a few minutes.
My wife and I lived in Harlingen, Texas, and were saving to buy our first house. My parents lived in Walnut Creek. I owned tickets to the most hard-to-get 49ers game ever and was about to call my dad with the exciting news.
I was optimistic about a 49er win. My friends, many of them Cowboys fans, were darn right cocky in their belief that Dallas would prevail. I couldn't wait for the kickoff.
This article is the fourth installment of From the Stands. I'm not just sharing my memories but inviting you to be part of this journey. Reach out to me via email (jjopelt@gmail.com) or a tweet at (from_the_stands@#49ers). Share your favorite moments of games you saw in person, on television, or heard on the radio. Please send me a captioned photo of you at the game. Tell me what made that game so memorable to you. Remember to leave your name and city of residence and check in because your comments may feature in a future article, making this a collective recollection of our shared love for the 49ers. Your comments may be gently edited for brevity, clarity, and grammar.
