10 Ridiculous Refereeing Decisions That Almost Ruined NFL

8. Renfro Catch

renfro Ah, the days before instant replay. When the call was the call, so just shut up and deal with what the call was...even if it was completely wrong. In the 1979 playoffs, the Houston Oilers were finally having some sort of relevance. A punishing running back with Earl Campbell, a sturdy and successful quarterback Dan Pastorini, and a catchy nickname as the "Luv Ya Blues". Then they went up against the Steelers. In the middle of the game, Pastorini sails a beautiful pass to wide receiver Mike Renfro, who unfortunately "did not" get his feet in bounds. The Steelers would win the game and go on to winning their fourth Lombardi trophy. The Houston Oilers cannot say definitively that they would've won this game, because the Steelers went on to increase their lead after the "incomplete". But it could've been a huge momentum shifter, and certainly would give the Oilers a better chance at winning. Regardless, this game was one of the main reasons the NFL now uses instant replay in officiating.
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A recent graduate of Saint Anselm College, Jack is a playwright, fiction author and contributing writer to whatculture.com. An avid fan of theater, movies and the medium that is comic books, Jack is an award-winning lover of the English language.