As the 1962 American Football League championship game went into overtime, Dallas Texans running back Abner Haynes was told by head coach Hank Stram to take the wind if he won the coin toss. This, Haynes intended to do, but when he told the official that the Texans would “kick to the clock,” this gave the first possession of overtime to the Houston Oilers.
As it turns out, not the biggest Dallas-based coin toss blunder in professional football history. https://t.co/1VWVIhnlRA
— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) December 15, 2019
It didn’t matter in the end — the game went into the second overtime, and a 25-yard field goal from rookie kicker Tommy Brooker gave the Texans their first AFL title. It was their last as well, as the Texans moved to Kansas City after the 1962 season and became the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Dallas Cowboys, the team whose popularity in the National Football League essentially forced Lamar Hunt’s team to relocate, appeared to want to relive the spirit of Haynes’ coin-toss blunder this Sunday against the Rams. I
Cowboys won the toss, opted to "kick" and not "defer," and now will kick off both halves
— Fᴏᴏᴛʙᴀʟʟ Zᴇʙʀᴀs (@footballzebras) December 15, 2019
Well, not entirely. Dak Prescott conferred with his teammates, told referee Walt Anderson that the Cowboys would kick, and then said, “We’ll defer to the second half.” In the end, the Cowboys got the ball to start the second half, but it took a long time for everybody to get there.
UPDATE: Dak Prescott did say defer to the 2nd half, but only after he said "defense" and "kick." pic.twitter.com/zKMKbHTc0U
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 15, 2019
“If you want the ball to start the second half, you have to defer your choice in the first half,” FOX Sports analyst and former NFL VP of Officiating Mike Pereira said right after it happened. “[Prescott] said he wanted to kick, Walt Anderson asked him twice if he wanted to kick, and [Prescott] said yes, pointing in that direction.”
Per Rule 4, Article 2 of the NFL’s Rule Book, Unless the winner of the toss defers his choice to the second half, he must choose one of two privileges,
and the loser is given the other. The two privileges are:
(a) The opportunity to receive the kickoff, or to kick off; or
(b) The choice of goal his team will defend.
Penalty: For failure to comply: Loss of coin-toss option for both halves and overtime, and loss of 15 yards from the spot of the kickoff for the first half only.
The Cowboys were not penalized after the coin toss, so we’re not really sure what Anderson and his crew were doing in this case.
Worse yet, Dallas kicker Kai Forbath, signed by the team last week after Brett Maher was released, booted the opening kickoff out of bounds, giving the Rams possession at their own 40-yard line to start their first drive. However, Dallas put up a 28-7 halftime lead on the Rams, so perhaps this is a moot point.
Per Michael Gelkhen of the Dallas Morning News, Anderson’s officiating crew was expected to discuss with the league office during halftime which team would receive the second-half kickoff.
According to FOX Sports’ Erin Andrews, who spoke with Anderson at halftime, the word “defer” was heard, and that’s what the crew eventually went with, though the final decision was not made until the end of the half.
Given the controversy regarding officiating in general this season, and the general confusion regarding this very specific rule, we can’t wait to see how current VP of Officiating Al Riveron unravels this one.