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The 1974 College All-Star Game |
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Note: By 1974, football had now become modern, big business with player unions and owners’ powerful legal representation. The All-Star Game in 1974 was not played due to a strike by the National Football League Players Association. The team had been chosen and John McKay of USC had again been selected as coach for the All-Stars, but after their arrival in Chicago the players decided not to practice in a show of support for the strike. Since the players’ union could give no assurance that the game would be played as scheduled, the sponsor, Chicago Tribune Charities, Inc., had no alternative but to cancel the contest. As a gesture of good will and to offset the monetary loss, the National Football League’s 26 owners donated $106,000 and the NFL Players Association contributed $22,000 to the charitable cause.
EVANSTON. Ill, July 8 (AP)- The College All-Stars dealt the National Football League a serious blow Monday, voting not to play the July 26 charity game against the Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins unless the players' strike is settled.
The All-Stars also said they had voted not to practice for the annual preseason opener to the NFL exhibition season until negotiations on a new contract between the players and the 26 NFL teams resume.
"No negotiations, no practice: no contract, no game," the All-Stars said following a secret 40-minute meeting here, a session marked by heated arguments and shouting. Several All-Stars had expressed dismay earlier at being trapped in the middle of the NFL dispute.
The decision followed a meeting with Ed Garvey, executive director of the NFL Players' Association, and Jim F'inks, representing the NFL Management Council, the owner's bargaining arm.
"We are issuing one statement," said Dave Casper of Notre Dame, the collegians' spokesman. "We the All-Stars, in light of a difficult situation, will honor the picket lines. We have signed an agreement to that effect."
The statement read by Casper also said, "We feel that an All-Star game with practices under pressure from the NFLPA and management, and a game against a team of seconds, is not in the best interests of ourselves as players in the NFL and not in the interest of fans and football in general."
The decision came even before the striking NFL veterans began picketing the All-Stars' practice field, Northwestern University's Dyche Stadium.
It's the first time that the annual charity affair at Soldier Field in Chicago has been threatened with cancellation since it was begun in 1934. |
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Program for a game that was never played.
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