In May, when the NFL schedule was revealed, several things jumped off the map. For one, the Arizona Cardinals didn’t have any prime-time games. Secondly, with nine international contests, the Cardinals were omitted from this series as well.
And then, Las Vegas made Arizona the underdog in every regular-season game this year. Ouch.
RELATED: CARDINALS NAMED AFTER THE COLOR – NOT THE BIRD
The Cardinals should have at least had a game in Germany or maybe Spain. The league is playing in Australia and in France
for the first time, and yet the Cardinals weren’t even mentioned as participating in either contest.
The Cardinals invented having the NFL play in stadiums not located in North America.
It would have been symbolic for Arizona to go to one of these countries and bring the NFL game to a new fanbase. But the original club was not invited, nor was it even in the conversation. Apparently, losing 14 games in the prior season will do that.
The year was 1976. The date was August 16. The St. Louis Cardinals played the San Diego Chargers in a forgotten Week 3 preseason matchup in Japan. It was the first-ever NFL contest of any kind that was played outside of the confines of North America.
Expanding the game
Outside of the United States and Canada, in the 1970s, the game of American Football was like Americans watching cricket. People across the globe had no idea how the game was played: the rules were confusing, players wore huge padded uniforms, helmets obstructed each player’s face, plus the game was full of violence and collisions.
The NFL got the bright idea that the league should attempt to take its game to the world, considering that the entire globe was considered an untapped resource. The NFL has always been aggressive towards seeking out new money trails.
But the rest of the world was considered a super highway instead of a trail. It just needed some recognition and exposure, and that would involve hosting live games.
So, the owners discussed it. They threw out ideas. There was some positivity involved, but also many doubts. After all, football, known as soccer to fans in the United States and Canada, was a worldwide sport. It didn’t have to be introduced to any other country on this planet. Fans already knew the game’s rules, and everyone played the game as a kid.
But not American Football. While soccer didn’t require a size metric, American Football players were big. They were viewed as gladiators going into battle instead of playing a sport.
The NFL liked the idea of playing in other countries, but the concept needed to be tested before the league would go all in. Where should they start? The short distance to Mexico? Maybe South America?
This game needed to be regionally close so that airfare for two complete teams, coaches, support staff, front office personnel, cheerleaders, and medical staff would be cheaper. And then, all of that equipment had to be shipped, which wasn’t going to be inexpensive either. Not to mention the most obvious: Initially having to worry about a language barrier. This made an English-speaking country a priority.
Yeah, none of that happened. The first game was all the way in Tokyo, Japan. This meant none of the conditions the owners suggested were going to be followed.
Asia? Exactly how did this go about?
The Mainichi Star Bowl
The United States was entering a bicentennial year in 1976. Numerous activities and events occurred nationally to celebrate 200 years since becoming a new country.
It just so happened that the City of St. Louis had a relationship with a city situated in central Japan called Suwa, located just over two hours from Tokyo.
A Japanese-American named Frank Takahashi was a produce farmer from the Los Angeles area. He had just seen the NFL start two new franchises in two new cities. He knew at some point the league would offer another round of expansion. Seattle and Tampa Bay cost $16 million each.
Takahashi thought an NFL team would do well in Japan, most likely to settle in Tokyo. And he wanted to own it.
The idea was submitted to the NFL owners. They liked the idea of expanding the league’s reach and popularity. An exhibition game was suggested and financed by Takahashi through efforts with the NFL.
The Rams were located in Los Angeles Rams while just south was the San Diego Chargers. It was decided that the Chargers would become one team, and after looking at their 1976 preseason schedule, their game against the St. Louis Cardinals was the best option, especially since St. Louis had a relationship with Suwa. For three preseason games, the Cardinals wore a Suwa, Japan, patch on their jerseys.
Takahashi figured if the game was a complete sell-out, he would break even. But the experience and exposure would provide him with the inside edge if a team was ever considered in Japan. He believed that once the league got over there for the preseason game, the topic would be discussed. And so would he.
Back then, playing an NFL regular-season game was out of the question for anywhere other than their own stadiums. In fact, that suggestion would have been laughable. But a preseason game? Teams played in non-NFL cities all the time back in the day, such as Columbus, Akron, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Sacramento, Tulsa, San Antonio, Birmingham, Hartford, and Orlando, just to name a few. An exhibition game that did not count in the standings? Keep that conversation going while the room grabs some Cokes and mixes another cold one.
The Cardinals were coached by Don Coryell, while Tommy Prothro was the head coach of the Chargers, with team owners Bill Bidwill and Gene Klein.
Takahashi was able to secure sponsors, the Mainichi Daily News and the Sports Nippon Newspaper Company. So, the game was dubbed “The Mainichi Star Bowl,” even though it was an NFL game instead of college, and was strictly an exhibition. The Japanese did not care, plus it was something they had never seen before. After all, American football players were huge compared to the people of Japan.
Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo was built in 1937 as a baseball stadium and home field to the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Pacific League. Michael Jackson and Madonna would later hold performances there. It held 45,000 for concerts and 38,000 for football, but decades later was demolished to make room for a high-rise, the Tokyo Dome Hotel.
The Chargers flew out of San Diego, and the Cardinals left from San Francisco after a four-hour flight from St. Louis. Both planes refueled in Alaska. After all, it was a 13-hour flight. The Cardinals’ players, coaches, trainers, cheerleaders, and front office personnel all stayed at the “New Otani Hotel” with plenty of time to go sightseeing. The Chargers stayed at the “Grand Palace Hotel.” Players who didn’t want the local food ended up at a McDonald’s just down the street.
Today, when an NFL game is played in an international city, the media is everywhere, and the locals and the hometown media photograph everything the players do. Back then, both rosters of players were just an oddity in the streets—very large men who obviously didn’t fit the surroundings. Players gave their hosts some impromptu football camps, which were interesting to see Japanese players in shoulder pads and helmets.
Keep in mind, this was right in the middle of training camp, so the two teams practiced every day in full pads in the morning during their 8-day stay, then had free time to explore the city. The Cardinals had to get into their uniforms in their hotel rooms, parade through the hotel lobby, and then were shuttled on a bus. American Football players in full pads were an unusual sight, like Roman gladiators walking towards the arena – without the bus, that is.
The playing field was Astro-Turf. Because it was a baseball stadium being used for only one football game, the lines used for football were lined with flour. It was played in humid, misty rain, and the cooking agent would cake and sometimes start to rise, which would clog up the players’ cleats.
In the actual game, anytime the ball went high into the air, the crowd would cheer. The highlight of the game was a 60-yard touchdown pass from Cardinals QB Jim Hart to receiver Ike Harris in the third quarter. Fans developed their own chants: “Cardinals, attack the ball!” and “Chargers, Chargers, Banzai! Banzai!”
Consider that in today’s NFL, few starters actually play in preseason games. It used to be a graduation of snaps and series played, usually in the third and fourth games. But once the league went to a three-game schedule, a lot of starters aren’t actually seen on the field until Week 1. But back in the 1970s, coaches and players played to win – exhibition game or not. So, the game was pretty rough.
The Cardinals had seven Pro Bowlers that season: K Jim Bakken, QB Hart, WR Mel Gray, C Tom Banks, OG Conrad Dobler, OT Dan Dierdorf, and CB Roger Wehrli.
The game was played on Monday Night Football and attended by Suwa Mayor Setsuji Iwamoto. The Japanese were an enthusiastic audience and noisy all game long, whether they understood the rules or not.
Neither team had much of a ground game and aired it out to the excitement of the sell-out Japanese crowd. The Cardinals won the game 20-10, thus becoming the first team to capture a win outside of the North American continent. Chargers QB Dan Fouts was at the beginning of his Hall of Fame career. After the game, Cardinals quarterback Hart said, “I liked it, but I’m ready to go home.”
Despite coming off winning consecutive NFC East titles, at the end of the 1976 season, the Cardinals finished 10-4-0 but did not make the playoffs. They tied the Washington Redskins for the final postseason spot, but lost in a tie-breaker since Washington won both of their regular-season matchups.
Editor’s note: Here at Revenge of the Birds, we love Japanese food, but don’t speak the language. So, you are on your own with translation of this vid.
From 1986 to 2005, any NFL international game was labeled the “American Bowl.”
As the present-day NFL pushes into an unknown part of the world once again in Australia and France, the new era brings its game to new countries normally reserved for soccer fans.
At the time, it was the furthest that two NFL teams had met to play a game outside of North America. It should be remembered that the international market program began with two franchises 50 years ago: the Chargers and Cardinals.
