Garo's Gaffe in Super Bowl VII
Garo's Gaffe in Super Bowl VII
January 14, 1973

Garo's Gaffe in Super Bowl VII

"Not gonna work." - Bryan Cranston
Bryan Cranston
by Bryan Cranston

A boneheaded play in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl VII at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum nearly jeopardized the Dolphins’ historic 1972 season. Miami was on the verge of an undefeated campaign, ahead of the Redskins 14-0 and with the ball in Washington territory in the game’s waning minutes. On fourth down, 5-foot-8 Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian came on to attempt a 42-yard field goal and seal the title. His left-footed kick was blocked by the Redskins’ Bill Brundige, and the ball bounced around before Yepremian came up with it. Rather than wisely falling on the ball, the kicker – looking panicked – wound up robotically and tried to heave a pass right-handed; instead, Yepremian whiffed and the football slipped out of his hand and popped straight up into the air. Yepremian attempted to catch his own bobble but the ball clumsily clanked off his hands and was seized by Washington cornerback Mike Bass, who ran into the end zone, cutting the Miami lead in half. The Dolphins would hold on and win it 14-7, but the gaffe by Yepremian -- who was a 2-time first-team All-Pro and had a nice, long career – would grace many a blooper reel in the years and decades that followed.

Bryan Cranston
Bryan
Cranston
Bryan Cranston is an actor who won four Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Walter White in “Breaking Bad.” He has also won a Tony Award for his role as President Lyndon Johnson in the Broadway play, “All the Way.” Before all that, he appeared in “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Seinfeld,” in which he played a dentist, Tim Whatley. A Hollywood native, Cranston rooted for the Los Angeles Rams in his youth, and has fondly recalled watching their “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line of the 1960s and 70s. Cranston has said that when the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1994, it was like “being dumped for another city.” When they returned in 2016, Cranston was “a little standoffish at first,” he recently said, but that eventually, “they won me back.”
Profession:
actor
Preferred Team:
Los Angeles Rams