This Day in Sports History - 1/2/1984

Miami (Florida) edges Nebraska, 31 - 30, in a thrilling Orange Bowl. Trailing 17 - 0, the Cornhuskers record their first TD in the second quarter on a trick play known as the "fumblerooskie." RG Dean Steinkuhler picks up the center's intentional fumble, and runs 19 yards for the score. With 48 seconds left in the game, Nebraska RB Jeff Smith races 24 yards for a TD on a 4th-and-8 play to make the score 31 - 30. Coach Tom Osborne is worried a tie will cost his team a National Championship. (College Football will have no overtime until the 1995 bowl season.) So he calls for a two-point conversion, which fails, and Miami takes the National Title.

This Day in Sports History - 12/9/1984

Los Angeles Rams RB Eric Dickerson rushes for 215 yards during a 27 - 16 triumph over the Houston Oilers at Anaheim Stadium, to give him 2,007 yards on the season. This record breaks the previous single-season mark of 2,003 set by O.J. Simpson with the Buffalo Bills in 1973. Dickerson will finish the season with 2,105 yards, a mark which still stands at the close of the 2010 NFL campaign.

This Day in Sports History - 5/6/1984

Rookie guard Derek Harper of the Mavericks loses his focus in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers in Dallas. With six seconds remaining and the score tied, Harper takes a pass from Dale Ellis. He thinks the Mavericks are up by one point and dribbles out the clock. The Lakers go on to beat the Mavericks in overtime, 122-115, and win the series four games to one. Harper shakes off the embarrassment and plays 17 seasons in the NBA.