7 former Tigers played in 1 1979 NFL preseason game
On the night of Aug. 24, 1979, the New Orleans Saints took on the thenHouston Oilers in both teams' final preseason game.
What went unnoticed by fans, announcers, players and even the league during the Saints' 10-7 win was that seven former Jackson State players participated in the game.
According to Shelley Tabor, content and distribution strategist for the NFL, three Jackson State players have participated in the same regular-season game in the years 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1998. Tabor said the NFL in 1979 did not monitor preseason games to determine how many players from the same school may have participated.
“That sounds correct,” said Jason Aikens, curator of collections for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I'm looking at the alumni from Jackson State and I don't see how it would be possible for a Jackson State alumnus to have more
players play in an NFL football game.”
Jackson State’s seven players
Here are the seven Tigers who played in the game:
● For the Oilers, Robert Brazile, a future Hall of Famer (2018) who was in his fourth pro season, started at right outside linebacker.
● Rich Caster, who was in his ninth year in the league, started at tight end.
● Leon Gray, who was in his sixth year, was one of Houston's offensive tackles.
● Vernon Perry, a rookie cornerback trying to make the roster.
● The Saints had tight end Larry Hardy, who was in his second year;
● Emanuel Zanders, who was in his fifth year and started at left guard;
● Don Reese, who was in his fifth year and played right defensive end.
Today, teams' starters play only a series or two in the final preseason game before being removed to avoid injuries that would impact the regular season. According to Perry, Brazile and
Zanders, the players played to win all four quarters in 1979.
Zanders said players were working on their timing, and the starters played the whole game to get ready for the regular-season opener.
“You have to remember every game, you want to win,” Zanders said. “You don't go into no game saying, ‘I'm just going to play'. You have to remember that every game you are being evaluated for your job.”
Perry said he remembers not knowing if he had made the team. He knew that he was playing for a roster spot and played the whole game.
“I was concerned about making that 45-man roster,” he said. “But I knew that I played well.”
Perry's performance was so good that he started the season at safety and made a record four interceptions in a 17-14 victory against the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.