The Touchdown Spike
In the mid-1960's before the end zone became a dance floor, the touchdown spike emerged as a common celebration which involved throwing the ball forcefully at one's feet upon scoring.
The invention of this classic is attributed to NY Giants wide receiver Homer Jones who also coined the term.
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| Homer Jones |
Despite the more elaborate antics that evolved from this simple celebratory gesture, the spike has endured over time and remains relatively untouched by current NFL regulations as long as the spike occurs in the end zone only and follows a touchdown.
The Touchdown Dance The end zone dance actually began in the N.C.A.A. when in the late 1960's, University of Houston's wide receiver Elmo Wright high-stepped his way out of a tackle and continued dancing all the way to the end zone where he celebrated with more dancing. When he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs a couple of years later, Wright brought his unique touchdown dance to the NFL.
Another influential end zone dancer started in college on a dare. When pressed into boasting that he would dance if he scored against his team's rival in an upcoming game, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson brought to the field the "funky chicken"-a dance which followed him as well, into the NFL.
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| Billy "White Shoes" Johnson |
While Wright is noted for being the father of the end zone dance, Billy Johnson's more elaborate (and planned) celebration paved the way for future choreography in the end zone. Overall, Johnson's funky chicken is generally referred to as one of the NFL's most memorable touchdown celebrations:
Clearly, the end zone dance began as a good-natured means of celebrating. The fans loved it and the players were all the more motivated to score so they could perform it. These early dances led to what many consider the heyday of end zone celebrations in the 1980's and 1990's. So what went wrong?
In a 2005 interview, during arguably the most notorious season for end zone celebrations, Elmo Wright was asked if he thought he created a monster with his legendary touchdown dance:
"Years ago, I felt that way, that I had created a monster. But I understand what's going on in these players' minds...a player who only has to run patterns and score touchdowns isn't thinking long term. He's thinking, I have to get into the end zone and score a touchdown. Wanting to do a dance is an inducement and a motivation to train harder and focus. Players use that in order to play well."
Obviously the NFL thought otherwise. The following year team owners voted 31-1 against “excessive celebrations”, prompting a significant amendment to NFL regulations. The new rules prohibit a player from leaving their feet or using props of any kind. Stay tuned to find out why...
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