HIDDEN ‘HEIDI’ TALE
Exec learned of interrupted game by transistor radios
IF A tree falls in the woods. ... Are you kidding? Try this on: Fifty years ago, the end of a game no one saw became the end of a game no one would forget.
In 1982, when I was assigned this column, it came with an unspoken obligation to preserve local New York sports history:
Never forget the “Heidi Game” or the “Heidi Bowl,” Nov. 17, 1968, when NBC bolted from the JetsRaiders — an intense, often brutal, AFL rivalry — for the start of the movie “Heidi.” Lost were two Oakland touchdowns in the last minute that beat the Jets, 43-32, and caused such calamity that it better served the AFL in its future merger with the NFL than all the tea in Manny Machado’s cup.
Until Thursday, I thought that through the years I’d tracked down or interviewed most of that day’s shot-callers and operatives, all since forgiven and many deceased. I’d transcribed that-day and nextday Heidi Game tales of network and affiliate execs, ad sales reps and those in BOC (broadcast operations control) who, as per pregame orders, replaced Daryle Lamonica with Jennifer Edwards — who played precious, prepubescent, programming preemption, “Heidi.” What’s there to add? But Thursday, I was bestowed additional, highly credible semi-confidential information. It’s not the Secret Western Code, but it’s more than Geraldo Rivera pulled from Al Capone’s vault, thereafter known as the Oy GeVault.
The fellow who might have delayed the start of “Heidi” — a kindly, beloved NBC Sports VP, was among the last to know the game hadn’t ended.
He found out via 9-volt transistor radios carried that night into Madison Square Garden.
Before he died, more than 10 years ago, he left, in typed form, “The real story behind ‘Heidi.’ ” And as long as the fellow who passed it to us never received permission from its author to reveal his or colleagues’ identities, we’ll keep it that way, but I recognize most of the names.
That Sunday, to be extra sure, this VP called NBC’s “program department liaison and told him to instruct BOC to schedule ‘Heidi’ at 7 p.m., come hell or high water.” For an eyes-bulging $700,000, not much in current TV currency, Timex had purchased exclusive sponsorship to “Heidi.” Thus it’s unlikely the game would’ve delayed the movie, regardless.
Then the VP prepared to attend that night’s Rangers game.
“But before I left home, I waited for the opening kickoff of the second half. Since it occurred prior to 6 p.m., I could head out assured that a football run-over was unlikely since most halves [in those years] were played in less than an hour.”
No worries. The game, called by Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis, certainly would end before 7 p.m. All seemed seamless as off he went to watch the Rangers beat Montreal, 3-2.
But as he entered the Garden, just after 7 and before the hockey game began, he saw and heard excited, incited people listening to a game on transistor radios. What game? The Jets-Raiders game!
By 7:15, NBC was the National Broadcasting Calamity. The switchboard spit sparks, newspapers demanded answers then summary executions, peacocks were slaughtered.
In 1968 there was no protocol to delay prime-time programming for the ends of AFL games — that would be installed the next day at a too-late emergency meeting.
The next morning he drove to the LIRR station to head for work, where he’d attend that meeting at which “Executive Pass the Buck” was played. But he already suspected a “Have a bad day.”
En route to the train station, the car radio was on.
“The DJ was introducing the song, ‘Red Sails in the Sunset’ — adding that those sails couldn’t be as red as the faces of those NBC executives who pulled the end of the Jets-Raiders!”