Ramón "Cacho" Heredia, left; and "Der Kaiser," Franz Beckenbauer
May 17, 1974: For the 1st time -- and, as it turns out, the only time -- a replay is required for the Final of the European Cup, the tournament now known as the UEFA Champions League.
The teams involved were polar opposites. Defying West Germany's image as a dour, colorless, defense-first team -- the national team tended to wear all-white kits when they had the choice -- Bayern Munich had scored 20 goals in the 1st 4 ties (8 games) of the tournament, leading to the Final, and had allowed 14. In contrast, Atlético Madrid had scored only goals, but had allowed only 2. Both teams were in the Final for the 1st time.
On May 15, they played each other in the Final, at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. Regular time ended scoreless. Luis Aragonés scored for Atlético on a free kick in extra time, the 114th minute, but Hans-Georg "Katsche" Schwarzenbeck scored for Bayern, from 30 yards out, in the 120th and final minute (minus stoppage time). A replay was in order, and was scheduled for the same venue, 2 nights later.
But the at-the-death goal gave Bayern the momentum. And one day's rest wasn't enough for Atlético: The majority of their side were aged over 30. The replay turned out to be no contest: Uli Hoeneß scored in the 28th and 82nd minutes, and Gerd Müller scored in the 56th and 69th. Bayern won, 4-0.
West Germany's team for the World Cup, on home soil, would include Bayern players Schwarzenbeck, Hoeneß, Müller, Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Paul Breitner and Jupp Kapellman. They won the tournament, beating the Netherlands in the Final, 2-1.
Prior to 1974, the only German team to reach the European Cup Final was Eintracht Frankfurt, in 1960, and they got pounded, 7-3 by Real Madrid. But from this point onward, Bayern would win 3 straight European Cups, and would perennially feature in the tournament; while it would be won by Hamburger SV in 1983, Borussia Dortmund in 1997; and Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen would also reach the Final.
While Real Madrid and Barcelona have been dominant sides in European Cup/Champions League play (the rebrand happened in 1992), other Spanish sides haven't been lucky. Atlético lost in the Final again in 2014 and 2016, both times to their crosstown rivals, Real Madrid. The only other Spanish side to reach the Final has been Valencia CF, and they lost to Real Madrid in 2000 and to Bayern in 2001.
UEFA soon abolished replays for tournament finals, instituting penalty kicks as the decider.
The Final would be held at Heysel again in 1985, with disastrous results, and I don’t mean a poorly-played game, although that did also happen.
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May 17, 1974 was a Friday. It was a violent day, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and not due to any "football hooligans." In Compton, California, a shootout broke out between members of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Symbionese Liberation Army terrorist group. The firing of tear gas canisters into the residence was followed by a fire that killed six of the SLA members.
The shootout and fire were broadcast on live television in Los Angeles, preempting national news programming. Three SLA members escaped: William and Emily Harris, and the 20-year-old socialite they had kidnapped, Patty Hearst. She and the Harrises were eventually arrested, convicted of their part in the Hearst kidnapping, and served time in prison.
And the Dublin and Monaghan bombings were carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force, when they explode four car bombs in counties Dublin and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. Their attacks killed 33 civilians and wounded almost 300, the highest number of casualties in any single event during "The Troubles." I have a separate entry to cover these 2 events.
Elsewhere in Ireland that day, in Dundalk, County Leith, Andrea Corr was born. She and her siblings formed music group The Corrs, and she was the lead singer.
Game 3 of the World Hockey Association Finals was played. The Houston Aeros, led by Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty, beat the Chicago Cougars, 7-4 at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston. They completed the sweep 2 days later.
Football was out of season. The Stanley Cup Finals were between Games 5 and 6. The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins in Game 6, to win the Cup. The NBA Finals ended 5 days earlier, with the Boston Celtics beating the Milwaukee Bucks in 7 games. The ABA Finals ended 2 days before that, with the New York Nets beating the Utah Stars in 5 games.
And these Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium. George "Doc" Medich outpitched Clyde Wright. Rookie Rick Dempsey caught for the Yankees instead of Thurman Munson. Rookie Robin Yount had a single and a sacrifice bunt before being pinch-hit for.
* The New York Mets beat the Montreal Expos, 5-0 at Shea Stadium. Tom Seaver pitched a 5-hit shutout, walking none, striking out 13. Rusty Staub hit a home run.
* The Baltimore Orioles led the Boston Red Sox, 6-0 after 6 innings at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, when the umpires called the game due to rain. Mike Cuellar had a 6-hit shutout going. Tommy Davis hit 2 home runs for the O's. Brooks Robinson went 1-for-3. For the Sox, Carl Yastrzemski also went 1-for-3.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-3 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Al Kaline, in his last year as a player, went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
* The Oakland Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox, 10-4 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Reggie Jackson did not play.
* The Minnesota Twins beat the California Angels, 2-1 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew each went 1-for-3 with a walk. Frank Robinson, then with the Angels, did not play in the game.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 9-8 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Lou Brock went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base.
* The Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers, 6-4 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. Rookie George Brett went 2-for-2 with 3 RBIs.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Houston Astros, 4-2 at the Astrodome in Houston. Pete Rose went 2-for-5. Johnny Bench went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.
* The Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Mike Lum doubled home the winning runs in the top of the 11th inning. Hank Aaron, then with 720 career home runs, went 0-for-3 with a walk.
* The San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants, 7-3 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Nate Colbert hit a grand slam. Rookie Dave Winfield went 0-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI on a sacrifice fly. For the Giants, Bobby Bonds went 4-for-5 with 2 RBIs.
* And the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates were rained out at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. The game was made up 2 days later, as part of a Sunday doubleheader. The Phils won the opener, 3-2. Jim Lonborg outpitched Dock Ellis. The Bucs won the nightcap, 2-1. Jerry Reuss outpitched Dick Ruthven. Over the 2 games, Mike Schmidt went 0-for-8, and Willie Stargell went 2-for-8 with an RBI.
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