1970 Jets-Bills exhibition game

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The 1970 Jets-Bills exhibition game was a National Football League (NFL) exhibition game played between the newly-realigned AFC East rival New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills on August 8, 1970, at Legion Field. It was the first game played on the stadium's newly-installed PolyTurf artificial surface.

The game was organized and promoted by the Birmingham Kiwanis Club, with Harold Blach as chair, as a fund-raiser for their planned "Operation Drug Alert" Drug Abuse Center at UAB Medical Center. They guaranteed both teams a $35,000 payout, and budgeted another $45,000 for expenses. Club members drummed up 51 corporate sponsors with a minimum contribution of $1,000 each. Those efforts were boosted when Joe Bruno bought 5,000 tickets to distribute through his supermarket chain.

With the anticipated match-up of star quarterback Joe Namath against running back O. J. Simpson, more than 31,000 tickets had been sold by July 31. The game was threatened by the 1970 NFL players strike, which was concluded with a new agreement shortly before the teams would have to travel. Ultimately Namath, who was still threatening to retire from football over a dispute with comm did not make the trip.

Even so, and despite drenching afternoon storms and the threat of continuing rain, an official total of 48,012 people showed up. The Jets' backup quarterbacks rotated starts, leading New York to a 33-10 victory.

References

  • Van Hoose, Alf ( ) "Joe-O.J. duel definitely on." The Birmingham News
  • Bryan, Jimmy (August 9, 1970) "Kiwanis back in business." The Birmingham News
  • Noles, James L. Jr (2017) The Kiwanis Club of Birmingham. Arcadia Publishing ISBN 9781439661413