JACK TATUM, is the only acceptable answer for me. He intentionally headhunted. He paralyzed my favorite player in a freakin' pre-season game and never expressed remorse. What a freakin' scumbag.
RIP Mr. Stingley
Dreith and his sick, sad crew enabled a history-changing heist in 1976, handing cheap shot artist Tatum and his unworthy teammates an undeserved fake title.
At that time, in 1976:
The Celtics were defending world champions.
Although Orr left six months earlier, the Bruins were still very competitive with the return of Cheevers.
The Red Sox were a year past a seven-game World Series appearance and were loaded to compete.
The Patriots were, as usual, an afterthought, or the comedy relief, if you will. People across the country resented Boston's professional team success and certainly were not interested in having the lowly, punching bag Patriots do anything, and the media treated their playoff appearance as quietly as they could.
Meanwhile, the Raiders' and owner Al Davis' cry-babying about mythical 'stolen' Super Bowls was at its crescendo, and this was supposed to be their 'season of redemption' for many previous failures. The only obstacle to that was, they had to play the game.
The Raiders could not handle New England any better than earlier in the season in Foxborough, so Dreith & Co. did everything they could to keep the travesty close until it could be pulled out - that is, pulled off - at the end:
The 1976 AFC Divisional Playoffs. This would become the infamous "Ben Dreith Game" as officiating became a major controversy with numerous questionable penalties. Bill Lenkaitis had not been flagged for holding all season yet was flagged three times in this game. No penalty was called when George Atkinson of the Raiders hammered Russ Francis in the facemask and broke his nose; Steve Zabel popped Francis' nose back into place. There was also controversy over a Sam Cunningham run in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter where he went out of bounds; John Hannah claimed the sideline official moved the first down marker just before Cunningham went out of bounds, denying him a first down. On the play following this Cunningham run, on 3rd and 1 at the Raiders 28-yard line, Steve Grogan changed the snap count to draw the Raiders offsides, but the Raiders were barking out dummy snap counts themselves and Hannah, Leon Gray, and Pete Brock all jumped offsides ("I should have known better", Grogan said afterward). On the next play (3rd and 6) Grogan threw to Russ Francis but Francis could not raise his arms because of holding by the Raiders Phil Villapiano, holding so blatant that according to Francis, "(he left) bruise marks on my arm....when I saw Phil at the Pro Bowl that year, he came right out and told me he had done it."[This occurred right in front of an official] The Patriots missed the ensuing field goal attempt and the Raiders took possession. In the final minute of the fourth quarter Raymond Hamilton of the Patriots was flagged for roughing the passer against Ken Stabler of the Raiders on a 3rd-and-18 play, even though replays showed no roughing; Dreith said the call was made because Hamilton had hit Stabler's helmet, but replays showed Stabler ducking away from Hamilton. Despite Patriot protests (Hamilton was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for his protests) the call stood. The Patriots stopped the Raiders on 3rd and 1 near the goal line but another personal foul penalty (this one on Prentice McCray) extended the Raiders drive, and on second and goal at the Patriot 1-yard line Stabler ran in the game-winning touchdown with ten seconds left in a 24–21 Raiders win. Patriot protests over Dreith's call were such that Dreith was not assigned to work any games involving the Patriots until 1987.
1976 New England Patriots season - Wikipedia
That Dreith was even in the league at all, let alone refereeing Super Bowl XV, is as insulting to the Patriots as anything Goodell has done. The unsportsmanlike conduct penalties also were as blatantly illegitimate as they were necessary in enabling the awarding of the result to Oakland.
