Rolf Bone-irschke

Tanner of San Diego sent in this embarrassing little tale and wonders if anyone else has had a similar experience. No, Tanner. No.

Often referred to as "The Epic in Miami," the 1982 AFC championship between the San Diego Chargers and the Miami Dolphins is considered to be one of the greatest playoff games of all time. A game that went all the way to triple overtime, this win should have been a highpoint of my teenage years. Sadly, it is a memory that will be forever marred by a sloppy post-game move of my own.

The game was already in double overtime when the last of my family went to bed. It was over they thought. What's the use? The Chargers are going to blow it. A die-hard fan, I wouldn't hear it. There was no way my beloved Chargers were going to lose and I was going to cheer them on to the bitter end. Dan, Kellen, Charlie, Chuck, and Rolf were badly injured, exhausted, and dehydrated. It wasn't looking good. The Chargers called their last time out and I couldn't take it anymore; I had to turn the TV off if only briefly-- I was on the verge of a panic attack.

Thinking a quick beat would calm my nerves I rushed to the bathroom to do my business. Alas, the job at hand (in hand?) took longer than expected and I could hear the game resume in the other room. Still half mast and too hurried to zip up my pants, I rushed in just in time to see the last play of the game -- the glorious, Rolf Joachim Benirschke putting it through the uprights. As the ball sailed through the air, I jumped up and down in joy, forgetting that my pants were still undone. A ruckus that my mother, a light sleeper, was awoken by and she came down to investigate. Not thinking twice, I jumped into her arms and hugged her, emulating the jubilant celebrations of the players on the field.

Almost twenty years later, I still cannot delve too deeply into the details of that moment. Let it suffice to say, neither my mom or I have ever, EVER spoken of it since and I hope to god we never will.