July 23, 1976: The Rainy Last Chicago College All-Star Game

Randy White sacks Terry Bradshaw

July 23, 1976: The Chicago College All-Star Game is played at Soldier Field -- as it turns out, for the last time.

It had been played for the 1st time in 1934, as a football counterpart to the baseball All-Star Game, first played the year before. Each was played in connection with the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago, but was deemed such a success that it continued. The main difference was that, for the annual game between the defending NFL Champions and a team of collegiate All-Stars, it would always be held in Chicago.

The 1976 contest took place 8 days before the 2-time defending Champion Pittsburgh Steelers embarked on a 6-game preseason slate that preceded a 14-game regular-season schedule.

That didn't stop head coach Chuck Noll from sending his starters out to take on a college team that featured future Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon (selected No. 1 overall in the 1976 draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), as well as other top picks like running backs Chuck Muncie (New Orleans Saints), Mike Pruitt (Cleveland Browns), and the only 2-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin (Cincinnati Bengals).

More notably still, the college team, coached by Notre Dame's Ara Parseghian, included 3 of Pittsburgh’s own rookies: 1st-round pick Bennie Cunningham (tight end, Clemson), 2nd-round pick Ray Pinney (offensive line, University of Washington), and 3rd-round pick Mike Kruczek (Boston College), the latter of whom served as starting quarterback for the All-Stars.

When Noll learned that Kruczek would be starting the game, he reportedly said, "We only worry about the guys who have our jerseys on. We'll worry about Kruczek when he has our jersey on."

Unfortunately for Kruczek, he didn't survive the 1st quarter, as he was knocked out of the game with a thigh injury, courtesy of a hit from a Steelers defender. His backup, Craig Penrose of San Diego State, was soon injured too, requiring Parseghian to turn to Jeb Blount of Tulsa.

"Near the end [Blount] was running for his life to get away from Steve Furness, L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White and Ernie Holmes. These defensive linemen were shedding the blocks of the All‐Stars' second‐string offensive line as though flicking away flies," noted William N. Wallace in his recap for The New York Times.

Meanwhile, Pinney had his difficulties, too. At one point he snapped the ball over the head of his punter, Rick Engels. The ball went through the end zone for a safety, gifting the Steelers 2 points.

As the 4th quarter approached, the Steelers held a commanding 24-0 lead. Then came a thunderstorm and torrential rains that would do a disaster movie proud.

"I don't think I've ever seen it rain this hard at a football game," said announcer Bud Wilkinson, the former head coach at Oklahoma, during the ABC telecast, to which broadcast partner Frank Gifford, a native of Southern California before a Hall of Fame career as a New York Giants running back, responded: "I don't think I've ever seen it rain this hard."

Not long afterwards, hundreds of fans stormed the field, prompting Noll to escort his players into the locker room. If there was any thought of resuming the contest, that possibility became moot when fans tore down the goal posts.

Ultimately, the contest was called with 1:22 left in the 3rd quarter, marking the 1st time in the history of the NFL that a game was halted while in progress on account of weather, bringing the series to a memorable, if ignoble, end.

For what it's worth, the College All-Stars did have some success playing against the professionals, at least in the early years of the series. All in all, the pros won 31 games, the collegiate players won 9, and there were 2 ties. But the professionals emerged victorious in 16 of the last 17 games played, with the lone NFL loss in that period coming at the expense of the Green Bay Packers in 1963.

*

July 23, 1976 was a Friday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-1 at Yankee Stadium. Doyle Alexander outpitched Bill Lee. Mickey Rivers, Graig Nettles and Fred Stanley each had 3 RBIs.

* The New York Mets lost the Montreal Expos, 3-2 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Del Unser hit a home run off Skip Lockwood in the bottom of the 11th inning, ruining a pitcher's duel between Tom Seaver and Steve Rogers. Dale Murray was the winning pitcher for the Expos.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 11-1 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Jim Lonborg went the distance for the win. Mike Schmidt and Dave Cash hit home runs for the Phils. The Pirates' only run came on a home run by Dave Parker. Willie Stargell went 2-for-4.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Brewers got 2 runs in the top of the 13th inning, and the O's could only come back with 1 in the bottom half, on a home run by Reggie Jackson in his only season with Baltimore. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-5. For the Brewers, Hank Aaron drew a walk as a pinch-hitter, and Robin Yount went 1-for-5 with a walk.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-1 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Pete Rose went 0-for-2 with 3 walks. Johnny Bench went 0-for-4.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-4 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Indians manager Frank Robinson, not yet retired as a player, did not put himself into the game.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-2 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Rod Carew went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

* The Chicago Cubs beat their arch-rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Lou Brock went 1-for-4 with a walk.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres, 5-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Tommy John, in his 1st season after his eponymous surgery, pitched a 4-hit shutout. Dave Winfield went 1-for-3.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros, 3-0 at the Astrodome in Houston. Jim Barr pitched a 4-hit shutout.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals, 2-0 at the Oakland Coliseum. Vida Blue pitched a 6-hit shutout, striking out 13 and walking only 1. George Brett got 2 of those hits.

* And the California Angels and the Texas Rangers were not scheduled.