On This Night Twenty Years Ago

Btw, in that game, didn’t our punter (Rodney Williams?) boom a 90 yard punt with roll?

In comment 15358672 Big Blue '56 said:

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Btw, in that game, didn’t our punter (Rodney Williams?) boom a 90 yard punt with roll?

Yep. Still counts.

but, I don't think it is ironic as it seems like it was planned for that reason.

I wasn't in NY but will never forget how that day unfolded for me, the country and the world really.

90 gross, 70 net - Al Michaels

In comment 15358683 Route 9 said:

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90 gross, 70 net - Al Michaels

Thank you

In comment 15358676 jvm52106 said:

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but, I don't think it is ironic as it seems like it was planned for that reason. I wasn't in NY but will never forget how that day unfolded for me, the country and the world really.

The Giants playing the AFC West happens every five years or so. So, yes, it is ironic that the Giants and Broncos are on the schedule to play this year. Once that was the case, the NFL made sure these two teams would play each other for the anniversary.

Is what I remember most about that game.

I went to the last Denver Giants game in Denver in 2017. McAdoo's squad.

I gotta say that was one of the best stadiums (along with sports fandom atmosphere) that I've ever been to.

Working in Manhattan at that time.

Thanks for bringing this game up. Funny how the Giants/Broncos matchups, infrequent as they are, contain several memorable games, from the Super Bowl to the 2005 upset with Eli’s first great performance. And this 2001 loss.

Mets were away but I believe the Yanks were rained out. I had just turned 17 that June and as a favor to our neighbors I dropped their son off for his music lessons. That was the opening game at the new mile high, Ed McCaffrey got hurt that night and yes, Rodney Williams boomed a 90 yard punt.

Not only do I remember that night but I remember every day starting from that weekend Saturday September 8th right through the whole event. Who and where my high school football team played, where I went for ice cream that weekend. The whole time period is etched into my memory forever.

In 1st period Lit class our vice principal came in the room to fill in for our teacher who had to leave because her mother was sick. As he came in the room he told us about the first plane within the context of it being just a terrible accident (in fairness I think all of us thought that) and asked us to pray for the victims. It was until the morning unfolded that we knew what we were in for. I literally watched the World Trade Center crumble to the ground in 4th period senior year history class.

The thing I can never forget was watching a woman who worked at my high school race to her car in the parking lot because her husband worked there. They found him in the pile months later. I'm still sick over it. I'm not one for crying but this time of year makes me tear up every time it comes around. No one deserves what those people suffered through that morning. God bless their souls.

In comment 15358699 cosmicj said:

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Working in Manhattan at that time. Thanks for bringing this game up. Funny how the Giants/Broncos matchups, infrequent as they are, contain several memorable games, from the Super Bowl to the 2005 upset with Eli’s first great performance. And this 2001 loss.

Not to mention Kent Graham hitting Toomer to beat the undefeated Broncos.

In comment 15358699 cosmicj said:

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Working in Manhattan at that time. Thanks for bringing this game up. Funny how the Giants/Broncos matchups, infrequent as they are, contain several memorable games, from the Super Bowl to the 2005 upset with Eli’s first great performance. And this 2001 loss.

And the 1998 Upset of the 13-0 Broncos. Toomer TD..Or, am I thinking of another year?

Stayed up late to watch the game (not a good one), so I slept in and drove into work a little later than normal the next day. Clearest blue September sky that I ever remember that morning.

Turned on car radio to listen to news and...

I remember being annoyed by that September 10th game. I thought the Giants were a better team than they were and would be back in the Super Bowl or maybe play the Rams in the NFC championship game.

I guess maybe because I was 14, I thought the Giants were going to win by two possessions ... Not lose by two possessions.

Ah the days when 7-9 was unacceptable.

Staying out at a bar (Brother Jimmy's UWS?) until 12:30am the night before, followed by the NYC mayorial primary the morning of, and thankfully I was 45 minutes late for work.

just not good enough to not beat themselves and help their opponents.

went into work late the next day

and ate my pizza sitting in the WTC plaza for lunch, staring up at the towers and admiring the globe. A day later ...

In comment 15358745 JonC said:

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just not good enough to not beat themselves and help their opponents.

That 2001 MNF eagle game was awful. Another game the eagles had no business winning and yet the Giants are playing all cute the entire night and pay for it in the end.

there is an Archived thread about 9/11. It ran for over a week. There’s some poignant stuff on there. Worth everyone’s time.

all afternoon we went up there anyway because we were hoping the game would still be played. Alas, the field was too wet, so eventually the Yankees called it. No matter, we went back down to Hoboken to watch the Giants get killed by the Broncos.

Next morning I got on the PATH train headed for the Trade Center right at 8:45 or so.

In comment 15358757 Dave on the UWS said:

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there is an Archived thread about 9/11. It ran for over a week. There’s some poignant stuff on there. Worth everyone’s time.

What is the title of that thread? I joined a few years later

In comment 15358683 Route 9 said:

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90 gross, 70 net - Al Michaels

Link - ( New Window )

In comment 15358695 rsjem1979 said:

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Is what I remember most about that game.

What's crazy was Williams didn't even contact the leg. Looks like it just broke from the force of the impact to the chest/body.
Link - ( New Window )

And then not caring remotely about that just 12 hours later.

In comment 15358757 Dave on the UWS said:

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there is an Archived thread about 9/11. It ran for over a week. There’s some poignant stuff on there. Worth everyone’s time.

Unfortunately, it's not the entire thread. It existed in the archives for a long time, but I think it got lost in the transition of servers or something similar.

In comment 15358770 Koldegaard said:

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In comment 15358757 Dave on the UWS said: Quote: there is an Archived thread about 9/11. It ran for over a week. There’s some poignant stuff on there. Worth everyone’s time. What is the title of that thread? I joined a few years later

It was something like "What's going on in Lower Manhattan"

In comment 15358802 rnargi said:

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In comment 15358770 Koldegaard said: Quote: In comment 15358757 Dave on the UWS said: Quote: there is an Archived thread about 9/11. It ran for over a week. There’s some poignant stuff on there. Worth everyone’s time. What is the title of that thread? I joined a few years later It was something like "What's going on in Lower Manhattan"

I tried searching unsuccessfully, If someone could provide a link I would really appreciate it.

I'm guessing this is it?
911 in their own words - ( New Window )

That's the excerpt I was talking about. The original thread went on for weeks and had hundreds of posts

In comment 15358748 cjac said:

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went into work late the next day

Wow

"Watching" the 2001 Broncos game on the TV right now on YouTube. Leon Lett lol.

First regular season game I've watched beginning to end. I was really upset because the Giants looked non-competitive that game and I thought they'd be better than that.

Now I realized that we play the Broncos as a 9/11 tribute.

In comment 15358839 Route 9 said:

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I'm guessing this is it? 911 in their own words - ( New Window )

Thank you

In comment 15358738 sb from NYT Forum said:

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Staying out at a bar (Brother Jimmy's UWS?) until 12:30am the night before, followed by the NYC mayorial primary the morning of, and thankfully I was 45 minutes late for work.

glad you were late for work bro!

In comment 15358785 Greg from LI said:

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And then not caring remotely about that just 12 hours later.

Oh me too. I came to work early the next morning really pissed off about that loss only obviously a few hours later more important things were going on that quickly put the game out of my mind.

The entire 2001 season was so overshadowed by 9/11 I really don't remember too much about it other than a few games here and there. They also had post-super bowl season hangover and the offensive line got old quick since 2000.

In comment 15358683 Route 9 said:

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90 gross, 70 net - Al Michaels

You’re all over it!

In comment 15358872 cosmicj said:

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In comment 15358748 cjac said: Quote: went into work late the next day Wow

I was on the last Path train from NJ to pull into the WTC. They didn’t let us off and took us back to exchange place. So I was going to walk over to take the ferry. When I walked outside everyone started to scream and we watched the second plane hit from Jersey City

I can't believe its been 20 years.

In comment 15359048 cjac said:

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In comment 15358872 cosmicj said: Quote: In comment 15358748 cjac said: Quote: went into work late the next day Wow I was on the last Path train from NJ to pull into the WTC. They didn’t let us off and took us back to exchange place. So I was going to walk over to take the ferry. When I walked outside everyone started to scream and we watched the second plane hit from Jersey City

When I was coming in to work (late) they were still sending subways downtown at around 9:45 or so. I was on the 4-5. They were crawling, and the conductor said there was congestion because of a "smoke condition."

I wish they turned ours back. I got out at City Hall in a huge crowd and saw the towers on fire. Cell phones weren't working so I was looking for a payphone to call my wife to tell her to get out of there (she worked on Broadway and Church, but was already walking north to Canal at the time).

While on line for a phone on Fulton Street I heard them the first tower start to fall and ran for the Seaport and waited on the pier that the tall ships are on. The brightest sunny day instantly turned to dusk with dust and clumps of stuff floaty stuff, we were right in the path of the cloud. Luckily a guy working on a sailboat handed out face masks (the K95 type, I now know).

After the horror of 9/11 I recall reading a story about a Giant fan who was at the Denver game. He worked at Cantor Fitzgerald at the WTC. He was woken up, at his hotel, by his wife to put on the TV and saw the towers hit and his co-workers lost.

In comment 15359079 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:

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I can't believe its been 20 years.

I saw everything on TV live. End of second period, first plane hit and then went to third, moved to another room and second plane hit and both buildings fell.

One friend at lunch the next period didn't know anything about the events of that day. I thought he was fucking around.

In comment 15359186 DSPCSP said:

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After the horror of 9/11 I recall reading a story about a Giant fan who was at the Denver game. He worked at Cantor Fitzgerald at the WTC. He was woken up, at his hotel, by his wife to put on the TV and saw the towers hit and his co-workers lost.

My wife worked with a bunch of the Cantor folks in her job as an equity analyst. So many of them gone, she still talks about them...

Of course I was confident with our team coming off the super bowl. It was the grand opening of the new mile high stadium. I threw a party at my house and invited all the Denver fans over to watch the game. Couldn't sleep that night, I remember being really upset at the holding the Denver OL for away with. Got up early and watched the game again. When the game ended the VCR switched to live TV and they were reporting a small plane had entered the first tower starting a fire. Was watching live when the second one hit.

That day was spent learning an important lesson about life, our passions, and what really matters most.

I'm still amazed at the bravery of the first responders that day and have to remind myself from time to time that this is what they do for us every day. Thanks for all who serve in such capacities.