The Minnesota Vikings hosting the Chicago Bears on "Monday Night Football" December 20 at TCF Bank Stadium will mean that they have played on consecutive Mondays. This is thanks to their issues with the Metrodome's (Mall of America Field) roof, which also caused them to play a home game on Monday, December 13 in Detroit. Playing on successive Mondays is definitely something memorable. In light of that, here's four of the most memorable "Monday Night Football" games, where some of the happenings overshadowed the final score.
Four of the most memorable "Monday Night Football" games no. one: John Lennon's death announced
The Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots were playing on December 8, 1980, when Howard Cosell broke the news about the shooting death of John Lennon. "Monday Night Football" was basically required viewing in my house, as was in many American households 30 years ago. I recall hearing this news, and was shocked that one of the Beatles was gunned down in cold blood. In 1980, there wasn't all these instant news updates and Tweets that we have today, so hearing about this tragedy on "Monday Night Football" definitely created a surreal feeling for many viewers, like myself.
Four of the most memorable "Monday Night Football" games no. two: Miami rips Chicago for the latter's only loss of the season
The 1985 Chicago Bears were one of the most dominant teams in the history of pro football, and so marketable that they created their own "Super Bowl Shuffle." Players like William "The Refrigerator" Perry captured the attention of the country with his size and antics. The only blemish on their Super Bowl-winning season occurred on "Monday Night Football" (December 2, 1985) at Miami, who still has the only perfect record in the regular season and playoffs (17-0, 1972-1973). How ironic then that the Dolphins would get a 38-24 win over the Bears, who came into the game 12-0.
Four of the most memorable "Monday Night Football" games no. three: The "Desperate Housewives" opening
This prime time show decided to get into the gutter and film prima donna Terrell Owens(notes) doing a sexually-charged scene with "Desperate Housewives" star Nicollette Sheridan on November 15, 2004. The latter showed her backside before the Eagles vs. Cowboys game. ABC apologized to viewers for the smutty intro, which upset many viewers.
Four of the most memorable "Monday Night Football" games no. four: Tony Dorsett breaks an NFL record that stands today
The strike-filled 1982 NFL football season, in which only nine regular season games were played by each team, produced a very dramatic moment on the last scheduled seasonal game (January 3, 1983). Tony Dorsett gained 99 yards on a rushing play against the Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome (this NFL record obviously still stands), even though his offense had only ten men on the field. Dallas still lost the game 31-27.
