1982–83 Liga Española de Baloncesto, Title match
The title match was played at the Palacio de Deportes in Oviedo.


1982–83 Liga Leumit
The 1982–83 Liga Leumit season saw Maccabi Netanya win the title, with the club's Oded Machnes finishing as the league's top scorer with 22 goals. Hapoel Ramat Gan, Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Kfar Saba (who finished bottom of the league a year after winning the title) were relegated to Liga Artzit. It was also the first season that the Three points for a win system was introduced.


1982–83 Liga Nacional de Hockey Hielo season
The 1982–83 Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo season was the 11th season of the Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo, the top level of ice hockey in Spain. Six teams participated in the league, and CH Vizcaya Bilbao won the championship.


1982–83 Liverpool F.C. season
After winning the title previous season Liverpool F.C. regained and won their fourteenth league title. They also won for the third successive season the Football League Cup beating Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.


1982–83 Liverpool F.C. season
However Liverpool did not regain the European Cup, having been knocked out by Widzew Łódź in the Quarter Finals and surprisingly being knocked out by Brighton & Hove Albion in the 5th Round of the FA Cup. Add a difficult to believe factoid. Liverpool lost 5 of their last 7 league games and drew the other two. Yet they finished the season eleven points ahead of the second-placed Watford.


1982–83 Liverpool F.C. season
After nine years Bob Paisley had decided to retire after winning six league championships, three European Cups, three League Cups, four FA Charity Shields, one European Super Cup and one UEFA Cup.


1982–83 Los Angeles Kings season
The 1982–83 Los Angeles Kings season, was the Kings' 16th season in the National Hockey League. It saw the Kings miss the playoffs, finishing last in the Smythe Division.


1982–83 Los Angeles Kings season, Offseason
Goaltender Gary Laskoski attended the camp on a tryout basis. He had played four years at St. Lawrence University, but had never been drafted. Based on his performance at camp, Laskoski was named the number one goalie for the team. Laskoski was not signed to a contract until after several regular season games, earning $200 per game.


1982–83 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
One highlight came on January 18, when Laskoski and the Kings ended Wayne Gretzky's consecutive goal streak at 30. However, it was one of the few highlights as the Kings finished last in the division. The Kings finished with the fewest goals scored in the Division and the highest goals against in the division. Laskoski played in 46 games as the number one goalie, but the team played four other goalies in the backup role.


1982–83 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals againstNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1982–83 Los Angeles Kings season, Transactions
The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1982–83 season.


1982–83 Los Angeles Kings season, Draft picks
Los Angeles's draft picks at the 1982 NHL Entry Draft held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec.


1982–83 Los Angeles Lakers season
In the 1982–83 NBA season, the Lakers were attempting to become the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to repeat as NBA Champions. However, on April 10, 1983, rookie James Worthy injured his leg while attempting a putback in a home loss against Phoenix, ending his rookie season. Even without Worthy for the playoffs, the Lakers did make it to the NBA Finals, only to be swept in four games by the Julius Erving and Moses Malone led Philadelphia 76ers.


1982–83 Los Angeles Lakers season, NBA Draft
The Lakers were the defending league champions, which normally results in a low draft position, but the Lakers had the top pick in the Draft thanks to a trade made years earlier. On February 15, 1980, the Lakers sent Don Ford and their top pick in the 1980 NBA Draft (who turned out to be Chad Kinch) in exchange for Butch Lee and the Cleveland Cavaliers' top pick in the 1982 NBA Draft.


1982–83 Los Angeles Lakers season, NBA Draft
Prior to the implementation of the NBA Draft Lottery in 1985, the teams with the two worst records from the previous season would engage in a coin flip to determine which team would receive the top pick. Therefore, when Cleveland finished with the worst record in 1981-82, the Lakers took their place in the coin flip, and won out over the San Diego Clippers to earn the top pick.


1982–83 Los Angeles Lakers season, Player statistics
Note: GP= Games played; MPG= Minutes per Game; REB = Rebounds; AST = Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; PPG = Points per Game


1982–83 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The 1982–83 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 70th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Metro Conference and were coached by Denny Crum, who was in his twelfth season. The team played its home games at Freedom Hall.


1982–83 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The Cardinals won the Metro Conference Tournament Championship (their 4th), defeating Tulane 66–51. Louisville defeated Kentucky 80–68 (OT) to win the NCAA Tournament Mideast Regional and advance to the Final Four (their 6th) where they fell to eventual runner-up Houston 94–81. The Cardinals finished with a 32–4 (11–0) record.


1982–83 Luxembourg National Division
The 1982–83 Luxembourg National Division was the 69th season of top level association football in Luxembourg.


1982–83 Luxembourg National Division, Overview
It was performed in 12 teams, and Jeunesse Esch won the championship.


1982–83 MP Alger season
In the 1982–83 season, MC Alger is competing in the National for the 16th season, as well as the Algerian Cup. It is their 9th consecutive season in the top flight of Algerian football. They will be competing in National, and the Algerian Cup.


1982–83 MP Alger season, Squad information, Goalscorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted alphabetically by surname when total goals are equal.


1982–83 MP Oran season
In the 1982–83 season, MC Oran is competing in the National for the 19th time, as well as the Algerian Cup. It is their 19th consecutive season in the top flight of Algerian football. They will be competing in National 1 and the Algerian Cup.


1982–83 MP Oran season, Squad information, Goalscorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted alphabetically by surname when total goals are equal.


1982–83 Macedonian Republic League
The 1982–83 Macedonian Republic League was the 39th since its establishment. FK Belasica won their 1st championship title.


1982–83 Magyar Kupa
The 1982–83 Magyar Kupa (English: Hungarian Cup) was the 43rd season of Hungary's annual knock-out cup football competition.


1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season
The 1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the fifth in league history and would end with the San Diego Sockers winning their first MISL title. It would be the Sockers' second straight indoor championship, as the club had won the North American Soccer League's indoor league the previous spring.


1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Recap
The league would enter into an agreement with the NASL in the summer of 1982 to begin plans for an eventual merger. Initial plans to have all 14 NASL teams play in the winter would not come to pass, as most teams preferred to concentrate on the outdoor season. However, the Chicago Sting and Golden Bay Earthquakes would join the Sockers for the MISL season.


1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Recap
The Earthquakes would perform worst of the three NASL teams, but picked up Steve Zungul from the New York Arrows when New York's new management decided to try to 'Americanize' the team in an attempt to boost ticket sales. The Arrows, only two games out of first place when the trade was made on January 19, finished at .500 and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the Quakes' struggles, Zungul would win the MISL scoring title again.


1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Recap
The expansion Los Angeles Lazers, owned by the Los Angeles Lakers' Jerry Buss, set a record for the lowest winning percentage in league history. After the season, Chicago, San Diego and Golden Bay withdrew and returned to the NASL as the league made plans for an indoor return the following winter. Despite losing the NASL teams, the league continued to expand as teams were announced for Tacoma in 1983-84 and Dallas for 1984-85.


1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Recap
The MISL continued to make inroads on national television. While the spring would see the end of the league's two-year deal with the USA Network, CBS would broadcast a playoff game live from Cleveland on May 7 that drew an estimated four million viewers.


1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Regular Season Schedule
The 1982–83 regular season schedule ran from November 5, 1982, to April 17, 1983. The 48 games per team was an increase of four over the 1981–82 schedule of 44 games.


1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Regular Season Player Statistics, Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points


1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Regular Season Player Statistics, Leading goalkeepers
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses


1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Playoff Player Statistics, Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points


1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Playoff Player Statistics, Leading goalkeepers
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses


1982–83 Maltese Premier League
The 1982–83 Maltese Premier League was the 3rd season of the Maltese Premier League, and the 68th season of top-tier football in Malta. It was contested by 8 teams, and Hamrun Spartans F.C. won the championship.


1982–83 Manchester United F.C. season
The 1982–83 season was Manchester United's 81st season in the Football League, and their 8th consecutive season in the top division of English football. They finished the season third in the league and won the FA Cup for the fifth time in their history, beating relegated Brighton 4–0 in the replay after drawing the first game 2–2. It was the breakthrough season for teenage striker Norman Whiteside, who was a regular first team player and scored 14 goals in all competitions, including one in the FA Cup final replay.


1982–83 Manchester United F.C. season
Atkinson had also added Dutch winger Arnold Muhren to the club's ranks on a free transfer from Ipswich Town before the start of the season, and the new signing was a success, establishing himself as United's regular left winger and scoring a penalty in the FA Cup final replay.


1982–83 Manchester United F.C. season
It was also a good second season at United for Frank Stapleton, who was the club's top scorer with 14 goals in the league and 19 in all competitions.


1982–83 Manchester United F.C. season
United reached their first League Cup final, but lost 2-1 to Liverpool.


1982–83 Mansfield Town F.C. season
The 1982–83 season was Mansfield Town's 46th season in the Football League and 9th in the Fourth Division they finished in 10th position with 61 points.


1982–83 Marquette Warriors men's basketball team
The 1982–83 Marquette Warriors men's basketball team represented Marquette University during the 1982–83 college basketball season.


1982–83 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team
The 1982–83 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland during the 1982–83 men's college basketball season.


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season
Mersin İdmanyurdu (also Mersin İdman Yurdu, Mersin İY, or MİY) Sports Club; located in Mersin, east Mediterranean coast of Turkey in 1982–83. The 1982–83 season was the 11th season of Mersin İdmanyurdu football team in First League, the first level division in Turkey. The team was promoted to first division last season for the fourth time.


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season
President Mehmet Fatih Deveci has transferred two famous players from Fenerbahçe (Paşa Hüseyin and İsa), and Bursaspor's former manager Gündüz Tekin Onay. General Captain was Remon Kumdereli. The club address was: "Yaşat İşhanı K: 3. Mersin. Tel: 15317". Manager Gündüz Tekin Onay suffered from gastrointestinal bleeding; and his assistant Erhan Dodanlı coached the team from 22nd through 25th round.


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season
In the first half of the season the team was successful. However, in the second half they couldn't score goals and they have relegated to second division at the end of the season. It was fourth time the team relegated.


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season
In Turkish Cup they played finals and lost against Fenerbahçe. Since Fenerbahçe also won the league title MİY represented Turkey in CWC (Cup Winners Cup) in next season. MİY became the first team who became eligible to represent Turkey in a European cup and relegated to second league (the other team was Kayseri Erciyesspor). Ironically, as MİY relegated and couldn't have promoted again to first league, Fenerbahçe couldn't have won again the Turkish Cup (until 2010).


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, Pre-season
MİY prepared to the season at Uludağ. Later played some away games. Before the start of the season MİY attended in a tournament (TSYD Cup) in Ankara.


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1982–83 First League participation
MİY attended First League (top level division in Turkey) in 1982–83 season. At the end of the season MİY was relegated to Second League by goal average and number of goals (lower than that of Antalyaspor). First team qualified for Champion Clubs' Cup, second for UEFA Cup. MİY became the first club in Turkey which qualified for a European Cup and relegated to second division in Turkey.


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1982–83 First League participation, League table
MİY's performance in First League 1982–83 season is shown in the table below:


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1982–83 First League participation, Results by round
Results of games MİY played in 1982–83 First League by rounds:


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1982–83 Turkish Cup participation
1982–83 Turkish Cup was played for the 21st season as Federasyon Kupası by 186 teams. Six elimination rounds and finals were played in two-legs elimination system. Mersin İdmanyurdu participated in 1982–83 Turkish Cup from round 5 and was eliminated at Finals (1/2) by Fenerbahçe. Fenerbahçe won the Cup for the 4th time. Because cup winner Fenerbahçe also won the league title, Mersin İdmanyurdu was qualified for 1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup.


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1982–83 Turkish Cup participation, Cup track
The drawings and results Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) followed in 1982–83 Turkish Cup are shown in the following table.


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1982–83 Turkish Cup participation, Game details
Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) 1982–83 Turkish Cup game reports is shown in the following table. Kick off times are in EET and EEST.


1982–83 Mersin İdmanyurdu season, 1982–83 squad
Note: Player stats in the above table count for league matches only.


1982–83 Mexican Primera División season
Statistics of the Primera División de México for the 1982–83 season.


1982–83 Mexican Primera División season, Overview
It was contested by 20 teams, and Puebla won the championship.


1982–83 Mexican Primera División season, Moves
The owner of Atlético Español decided to sell the team to the Mexican league. This gave way for Necaxa to come back to play.


1982–83 Mexican Primera División season, Relegation Playoff
Atlético Morelia won 5-4 on aggregate. Zacatepec was relegated to Segunda División


1982–83 Mexican Segunda División season
The 1982–83 Segunda División was the 34th season of the Mexican Segunda División. The season started on 21 August 1982 and concluded on 20 May 1983. It was won by Unión de Curtidores.


1982–83 Mexican Segunda División season, Changes
As of this season, the competition system was modified. The 20 teams were divided into two zones of 10 teams, which played each other four times during the regular season.


1982–83 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The 1982–83 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Jud Heathcote in his seventh year at Michigan State. The Spartans finished with a record of 17–13, 9–9 to finish in a tie for sixth place in Big Ten play. The Spartans received an invitation to the NIT where they defeated Bowling Green State before losing to Fresno State.


1982–83 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Previous season
The Spartans finished the 1981–82 season with a record of 11–17, 6–12 to finish in a tie for seventh place.


1982–83 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 1982–83 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1982–83 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. Under the direction of head coach Bill Frieder, the team finished ninth in the Big Ten Conference. The team failed to earn an invitation to either the 1983 National Invitation Tournament or the 1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The team was unranked for all eighteen weeks of Associated Press Top Twenty-Five Poll, and it also ended the season unranked in the final USA Today/CNN Poll.


1982–83 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Team players drafted into the NBA
Eight players from this team were selected in the NBA Draft.


1982–83 Midland Football Combination
The 1982–83 Midland Football Combination season was the 46th in the history of Midland Football Combination, a football competition in England.


1982–83 Midland Football Combination, Division One
Division One featured 19 clubs which competed in the division last season along with one new club:


1982–83 Milwaukee Bucks season
The 1982-83 NBA season was the Bucks' 15th season in the NBA.


1982–83 Minnesota North Stars season
The 1982–83 Minnesota North Stars season was the North Stars' 16th season.


1982–83 Minnesota North Stars season
Coached by Glen Sonmor (22-12-9) and Murray Oliver (18-12-7), the team compiled a record of 40-24-16 for 96 points, to finish the regular season 2nd in the Norris Division. In the playoffs they won the division semi-finals 3-1 over the Toronto Maple Leafs, but lost the division finals 4-1 to the Chicago Black Hawks.


1982–83 Minnesota North Stars season, Offseason, NHL Draft
In the summer of 1982, General Manager Lou Nanne orchestrated one of the franchise's biggest moves ever, and landed a star in the making, by drafting highly coveted Brian Bellows. It paid immediate dividends, as he would score 35 goals in his rookie campaign, and helped the team to finish with 40 wins and 96 regular season points - both the most ever recorded in the 26 years the franchise was based in Minnesota. Once again, though, the North Stars fell in the playoffs to the pesky Denis Savard and Al Secord-led Chicago Black Hawks in the second round of the playoffs.


1982–83 Minnesota North Stars season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against


1982–83 Minnesota North Stars season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1982–83 Minnesota North Stars season, Player statistics, Forwards
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


1982–83 Minnesota North Stars season, Player statistics, Defencemen
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


1982–83 Minnesota North Stars season, Player statistics, Goaltending
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average


1982–83 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team
The 1982–83 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Missouri as a member of the Big Eight Conference during the 1982–83 NCAA men's basketball season. Led by head coach Norm Stewart, the Tigers won the Big Eight regular season title, reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and finished with an overall record of 26–8 (12–2 Big Eight).


1982–83 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1982–83 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 74th season. The season involved being eliminated in the Adams Division semi-finals vs the Buffalo Sabres 3 games to 0.


1982–83 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals againstNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1982–83 Moroccan Throne Cup
The 1982–83 season of the Moroccan Throne Cup was the 25th edition of the competition.


1982–83 Moroccan Throne Cup
Olympique de Casablanca won the competition, beating Raja Club Athletic after a 1–1 draw on penalties (5–4) in the final, played at the stade Mohamed V in Casablanca.


1982–83 Moroccan Throne Cup
Olympique de Casablanca won the competition for the first time in their history.


1982–83 Moroccan Throne Cup, Tournament, Final
The final took place between the two winning semi-finalists, Olympique de Casablanca and Raja Club Athletic, on 21 August 1983 at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca.


1982–83 NBA season
The 1982–83 NBA season was the 37th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Philadelphia 76ers winning the NBA Championship, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals.


1982–83 NBA season, Playoffs
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.


1982–83 NBA season, NBA awards
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on


1982–83 NBA season, NBA awards, Player of the week
The following players were named NBA Player of the Week.


1982–83 NBA season, NBA awards, Player of the month
The following players were named NBA Player of the Month.


1982–83 NBA season, NBA awards, Rookie of the month
The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month.


1982–83 NBA season, NBA awards, Coach of the month
The following coaches were named NBA Coach of the Month.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
The 1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack were a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team went 26–10 on the year, winning the ACC Tournament and the NCAA National Championship.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
The Wolfpack entered the season ranked in the Top 20 and entered conference play ranked #19 in the nation. Their first conference game was against Virginia, ranked #2 in the country at the time and undefeated against the Wolfpack's senior class. NC State took a lead early behind the shooting of guard and senior captain Dereck Whittenburg. Later in the game, though, Whittenburg was being guarded by Cavalier guard Othell Wilson on a jump shot and when Whittenburg landed, his foot hit Wilson’s and he fell to the floor with a broken foot.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
With Whittenburg injured and facing significant time out, the Wolfpack struggled for the remainder of the regular season. While NC State won ten of the seventeen games that Whittenburg was sidelined with his injury, including a win against rival and defending national champion North Carolina, the seven losses they incurred left them with a 17-10 record entering the ACC Tournament.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
At the time, the NCAA had a 52-team field for its annual tournament; the expansion took place just in time for the 1983 tournament, meaning that there were four extra spots available for potential qualifiers. While this did leave the potential for the Wolfpack to get into the tournament as an at-large if they did not win the ACC, a loss in the tournament would make eleven for the year and there would not be much room for error in an era prior to the expansion of the field to 64 teams.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
Thus, the only sure thing for NC State would be to win the ACC Tournament outright, which would garner them the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. They did just that, winning three games in the tournament to claim the title. The Wolfpack knocked off Wake Forest in the first game and North Carolina in the semifinals before recording their first victory over then-#2 Virginia in the finals.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
On Selection Sunday, NC State found out it would be playing in the West Region of the tournament as the number six seed. This region presented the Wolfpack with a potentially difficult road to the Final Four, as its top three seeds were ranked in the top 10 in the final polls. Not only that, but the top seed in the region was their conference rival Virginia, which meant that the Wolfpack, should they both advance to the regional final, would have to find a way to beat the Cavaliers a second time.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
At the time, the NCAA did not employ the “pod system” they use today to determine what teams play where to minimize travel costs and concerns for the first two rounds of the tournament. Instead, each region had two sites assigned for the first two rounds. This particular year saw Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon BSU Pavilion in Boise, Idaho chosen to host the West sub-regionals, and NC State was placed in the Corvallis sub-regional group.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
The tournament structure of the day dictated that the top four seeds in each region would automatically be placed in the second round of the tournament, with the rest of the teams in the region playing to determine their opponent.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
As the #6 seed, NC State would face the #11 seed in their first matchup, Jim Harrick’s West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine; the winner of that matchup would advance to play the region’s #3 seed, the 28-2 PCAA champion UNLV coached by Jerry Tarkanian, for the right to advance to the Sweet Sixteen phase of the tournament in Ogden, Utah at the Dee Events Center.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
Trailing late in the game against Pepperdine, the Wolfpack rallied to force overtime and then outlasted the Waves in a second overtime period to advance. There they rallied again against the favored UNLV squad to hand them only their third loss of the season and send the Wolfpack to the regionals.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
The Wolfpack’s opponent in the regional semifinal was Western Athletic Conference champion Utah, who like NC State had entered the tournament needing to win their conference tournament to qualify as they had thirteen losses; led by coach Jerry Pimm, the #10 seed Utes defeated #7 seed Illinois and #2 seed UCLA in Boise.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
NC State easily defeated Utah to claim a sport in the regional final, with their nineteen-point margin of victory their biggest since their regular season finale against Wake Forest. This set up the Wolfpack’s fourth meeting of the year with Virginia, who toppled #4 seeded Boston College, led by future national championship winner Gary Williams, in the other regional semifinal. For the third time in four games, NC State emerged with a close victory, winning 62-61 after Virginia star Ralph Sampson missed a shot as time expired.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Cinderella run
At the Final Four in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Wolfpack finished off their run to the championship game by defeating Georgia in the semifinals on Saturday, which set up a matchup with top-ranked and heavily-favored Houston on Monday night at The Pit. During this run, N.C. State earned the nickname "Cardiac Pack" based in part on their "Wolfpack" mascot and the series of close games that took them to the title.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Fouling strategy
Head coach Jim Valvano was noted for employing a then-little used strategy late in games. The NCAA had yet to adopt a shot clock for college basketball, and as the games wore on some teams were just content to keep possession of the ball late in games to protect a lead, passing the ball around until the clock hit zero. Valvano would instruct his players to intentionally foul opposing players, thus putting them on the free-throw line.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Fouling strategy
While this strategy was risky, as it allowed NC State's opponents a chance to increase their lead, it enabled the Wolfpack to extend the game as each foul stopped the clock and the team could also capitalize if the opponents missed their free throws. They used this to great effect in the ACC tournament, including against rival North Carolina and Virginia, and employed it again in four of their six NCAA victories. Nowhere was the strategy more widely seen, however, than in the national championship game.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
In the final game on April 4 in Albuquerque, NC State led at halftime by a score of 33–25. Houston was hampered by foul trouble that plagued star Clyde Drexler, who picked up three fouls within the first few minutes. Drexler begged to remain in the game, but was forced to come out after Wolfpack sophomore guard Terry Gannon drew a charging foul on him.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
The foul was controversial as replays showed that Gannon appeared to grab Drexler's legs as he went down, and Drexler believed the foul should have gone against Gannon and not him (Gannon later said that Drexler never forgot the call; in the ESPN documentary about the team, he told his teammates that years later, by which time he had become a sports broadcaster, Gannon saw Drexler in the locker room at the 1991 NBA All-Star Game and once Drexler found out who he was he instantly cursed him out over the foul).


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
In the second half, the Cougars came out with a second wind and established control of the game. With Cougars coach Guy Lewis shifting his focus to getting center Hakeem Olajuwon the basketball on offense, using the advantage he had over NC State's big men Lorenzo Charles and Cozell McQueen, Houston outscored the Wolfpack 17–2 in the first ten minutes of the half to give themselves a 42–35 lead.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
However, things were not all good for Houston. Albuquerque is located in the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico and has an elevation of 5,100-foot (1,550 m). Thus, as is the case with other high-altitude cities, athletes are tested by the effects of the elevation as well as their own physical capabilities. One of the players most affected by the altitude change was Olajuwon, who had taken on an increased workload to try and get his team back in the game. Eventually, Coach Lewis had to take Olajuwon out of the game so he could take oxygen and recover.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
He then decided that in order to preserve his star center's health, the Cougars needed to start slowing the game down. Thus, he called for his "Locomotion" offensive set to be put into play. This meant that instead of driving to the basket every possession, Houston would pass the ball around to wind down the clock before passing to one of the designated scorers.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
The move, however, failed for two reasons. One, it deviated from Houston's strength by abandoning their strategy of pushing the ball up the court. Second, it enabled Valvano to go to his fallback option of extending the game by fouling. Exacerbating the situation was the fact that Houston, as high powered offensively as it was, had not been a strong free-throw shooting team during the season. As such, the Wolfpack were able to both force the Cougars into mistakes and take advantage of the missed free throws to chip away at Houston's advantage. NC State outscored Houston 17–10 in the eight minutes that followed and tied the game at 52.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
On what would be Houston's last possession, Valvano called for his defenders to sit back and let Cougars point guard Alvin Franklin advance the ball and begin passing it around. Lewis wanted to keep the ball in the hands of Drexler and sophomore forward Reid Gettys, his two best foul shooters, to try and force them to foul either one of those two players and for anyone else to quickly give it up once they had the ball.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
Valvano instead wanted Franklin, a freshman, to take the shots and instructed his players to foul him once he got the ball back. Franklin received the ball with 1:05 left but instead of immediately passing it, as he had done already on the play, he held the ball for an additional second. Wolfpack senior point guard Dereck Whittenburg took advantage of Franklin's momentary lapse in concentration and committed the foul to send Franklin, a 63% free throw shooter, to the line for a one-and-one.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
The idea, as later stated by Whittenburg and fellow senior Thurl Bailey years later, was to not only put a poor foul shooter on the line but force Franklin, as the youngest starter on the squad, to face the enormity of the moment with a sellout crowd at The Pit and millions of viewers watching at home. Whatever the idea may have ultimately been, it worked as Franklin missed the shot. NC State took the rebound and with 44 seconds on the clock, Valvano called a time out and drew up a final play for his point guard Whittenburg to take the last shot.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
Houston, meanwhile, needed a defensive stop to extend the game. Lewis decided to move from the man-to-man defense his team had been running the whole game to a half court trap with Benny Anders as the point man, with the goal being to force NC State to spread the ball around and force a turnover. The Wolfpack, who were not expecting the defensive adjustment, were forced to deviate and began passing the ball around just to keep the Cougars from stealing it.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
Houston nearly got the turnover it was looking for when Whittenburg made an errant pass to Gannon that Drexler nearly came away with before the sophomore regained control. The ball eventually found its way to Sidney Lowe, who found Bailey standing in the lower left-hand corner of the court and passed it his way so he could take the shot. Bailey, however, wanted no part of Lowe's idea as he had not had a good half shooting the ball and began looking back toward Whittenburg. With a pair of defenders on him, Bailey threw what his teammate later called a "poor fundamental" overhand pass that Anders could easily have stolen.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
At that moment Whittenburg harkened back to his high school days with Morgan Wootten at DeMatha Catholic High School in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. One thing Wootten always taught his players was that when receiving the ball, bring it in with both hands. As Anders went for the ball, Whittenburg was able to put that lesson to use and by getting his other hand on the ball, he was able to get more control of it and prevent Anders from knocking it away.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
Anders was only able to get his fingertips on the ball, which temporarily stripped the ball from Whittenburg but did not enable him to take it away. Had Anders been able to steal, he would have likely had an uncontested breakaway to the other end of the court where he could have easily dunked the ball and given the Cougars the lead. Since the rules of the day dictated that the entire game be played with a running clock, the Wolfpack would most likely not have been able to get the ball up the court in time for a potential tying shot.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
When Whittenburg regained control, five seconds were showing on the clock and he turned to try to get some sort of shot off from his position thirty-five feet from the goal. While the shot was in line with the basket, Whittenburg had not gotten enough on it and the ball was going to come up well short. At the foot of the goal stood Olajuwon and Wolfpack center Lorenzo Charles, who watched Whittenburg's air ball.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, National championship game
Olajuwon hesitated briefly, as he was in position to grab the ball and likely force overtime but did not want to jump too soon and be called for goaltending. Charles took advantage of the hesitation and went up for the errant shot. With two seconds left on the clock Charles took the ball and drove it through the hoop with two hands for the decisive score and gave the Wolfpack its first national championship since 1974.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, 30 for 30
The team's story was chronicled in "Survive and Advance", an episode in the ESPN 30 for 30 series. Dereck Whittenburg produced the documentary and was one of several players who appeared in it, alongside his teammates Thurl Bailey, Sidney Lowe, Terry Gannon, Cozell McQueen, and Ernie Myers. Valvano's widow, Pam Valvano Strasser, also appears in the documentary as do several of his assistants.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, 30 for 30
Hakeem Olajuwon, David Rose, and Reid Gettys of the defeated Houston squad also appear to offer their take on their loss, as do then-North Carolina assistant Roy Williams and then-Pepperdine coach Jim Harrick, whose teams were defeated in the ACC and NCAA tournaments by the Wolfpack. Mike Krzyzewski is also featured prominently in the film, describing how his relationship with Valvano (who started at NC State the same year Krzyzewski took over at Duke) evolved over the years from an adversarial one to one where the two men became close friends.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, 30 for 30
In addition to the 1982–83 team's season (and their 30-year reunion, which is marked by the absence of the recently deceased Lorenzo Charles), Valvano's career after that season is a major focal point, including the scandal that led to his resignation from NC State in 1990.


1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, 30 for 30
The emotional impact Valvano's cancer diagnosis had on his players and coaches is also heavily featured. In addition to Valvano's famous speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards, special attention is paid to his appearance at the ceremony honoring the 1982–83 team held several weeks earlier. Valvano had not been expected to attend, partly due to his illness but also to lingering bad feelings present from his forced resignation three years earlier. However, in what would prove to be the last time many of his players would see him, Valvano made his appearance toward the end of the ceremony and spoke to the crowd about how the team never gave up and how it inspired him to continue his fight against cancer.


1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
The 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings was made up of two human polls, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various other preseason polls.


1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1982 and ended with the Final Four in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 4, 1983. The NC State Wolfpack won their second NCAA national championship with a 54–52 victory over the heavily favored #1 ranked Houston Cougars.


1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Season outlook, Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP and UPI (Coaches) Polls during the pre-season.


1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.


1982–83 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began in October 1982 and concluded with the 1983 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 26, 1983 at the Winter Sports Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. This was the 36th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 88th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.


1982–83 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the season.


1982–83 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


1982–83 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.


1982–83 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average


1982–83 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
A single human poll represents the 1982–83 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings, the AP Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls.


1982–83 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
The AP poll was initially a poll of coaches conducted via telephone, where coaches identified top teams and a list of the Top 20 team was produced. The contributors continued to be coaches until 1994, when the AP took over administration of the poll from Mel Greenberg, and switched to a panel of writers. The AP poll is currently a poll of sportswriters. The AP conducts polls weekly through the end of the regular season and conference play.


1982–83 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season
The 1982–83 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season began in November 1981 and concluded on March 20 of the following year. This was the 19th season of second-tier college ice hockey.


1982–83 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season
After the 1981–82 season the majority of teams that registered as NAIA programs switched to NCAA. This meant that the representation at the Division II championship, specifically from western schools, was more equitable than in years past.


1982–83 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
The 1982–83 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season began in November 1982 and concluded on March of the following year. This was the 10th season of Division III college ice hockey.


1982–83 NCAA football bowl games
The 1982–83 NCAA football bowl games featured 16 games starting early in December and ending on January 1, 1983. The Aloha Bowl was introduced this year.


1982–83 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 1982 season began on January 8, 1983. The postseason tournament concluded with the Washington Redskins defeating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII, 27–17, on January 30, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.


1982–83 NFL playoffs
A players' strike reduced the regular season to nine games. Thus, the league used a special 16-team playoff format (dubbed the "Super Bowl Tournament"), just for this year. Division standings were ignored (although each division did send at least one team to the playoffs). Eight teams from each conference were seeded 1–8 based on their regular season records.


1982–83 NFL playoffs
Because of the eight-game first round, this was the first (and currently only) time that NFL playoff games were regionally televised across the United States instead of nationwide. This year was also the only season in which the conference championship games were played on separate days.


1982–83 NFL playoffs
In addition, it marked the first time in NFL history in which a team that qualified for the playoffs had a losing record (< .500), as both Cleveland and Detroit finished with 4–5 records (.444). Both teams lost in the first round of the playoffs. This feat went unmatched until the 2010 Seattle Seahawks and 2020 Washington Football Team won their division with a 7–9 (.438) record (the Seahawks were the first such team to accomplish this in a full-length season; they also were the first sub-.500 team to win a playoff game, as well).


1982–83 NFL playoffs
However, it is not the only time that teams with non-winning records (≤ .500) have made the playoffs. Since 1978, eleven teams with an 8–8 record have made the playoffs: eight wild cards: 1990 Saints, 1991 Jets, 1999 Lions, 1999 Cowboys, 2004 Vikings, 2004 Rams, 2006 Giants, and the 2020 Bears; as well as three division winners: 1985 Browns, 2008 Chargers, and the 2011 Broncos. Also, the 2014 Panthers won their division with a 7-8-1 (.469) record and became the fourth team (and the second that played a full 16-game season) to qualify for the playoffs with a sub-.500 record.


1982–83 NFL playoffs
The expanded playoff format made it possible for teams to host three games in the postseason, and as it happened the conference champions (Washington and Miami) were their conferences' top remaining seeds for their conference championship games and thus both hosted three playoff games. Under the normal format in force at the time, this was not possible since the teams winning in the wild card round always played away to teams that had byes to the divisional round.


1982–83 NFL playoffs
However, one team hosting three NFL playoff games is again possible starting with the 2020-21 NFL playoffs when the field was expanded to seven teams per conference. Under the current format if at least one division champion in a conference wins in the wild card round then a division champion will host games in both the wild card and divisional rounds, and can potentially host the conference championship game as well if and when they advance and the number one seed (now the only team with a bye) loses in the divisional round. However, as of 2021 this scenario has yet to occur in the fourteen team playoff format, leaving 1982-83 as the only playoffs where any team has hosted three playoff games.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Participants
Under the special 16-team postseason "Super Bowl Tournament" used for the 1982 strike-shortened season, the top eight teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs, and were seeded 1 to 8, regardless of division. Like previous seasons, the NFL did not use a fixed bracket playoff system: in each conference during the first three rounds, the surviving club with the best seed hosted the lowest surviving seed. For Super Bowl XVII, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, the designated home team was still based on the annual rotation by conference (which was the NFC during this season).


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Schedule
In the United States, CBS televised the NFC playoff games, while NBC broadcast the AFC games and Super Bowl XVII.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Schedule
The players' strike and the reduced regular season caused the playoffs and Super Bowl to be delayed by one week than what they were originally scheduled for (the playoffs in the 1980s usually began at or near the last weekend of December). Because of the eight-game first round, this was the first (and currently only) time that NFL playoff games were regionally televised across the United States instead of nationwide. The league still used the two traditional weekend 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST time slots, and did not hold prime time postseason games until the 2001–02 playoffs. Furthermore, scheduling conflicts forced the conference championship games to be played on separate days.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Detroit Lions 7
The Redskins jumped to a 24–0 lead en route to an easy 31–7 victory over the Lions, who were in their first postseason game since 1970. Washington receiver Alvin Garrett, who caught only one pass during the regular season, recorded six receptions for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Fullback John Riggins led the team on the ground with 119 rushing yards. Quarterback Joe Theismann compiled 210 passing yards and three touchdowns. While the Redskins only outgained the Lions by two yards (366 to 364), they intercepted two passes and recovered three fumbles, while losing no turnovers themselves.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Detroit Lions 7
The game seemed to start well for Detroit, as they reached the Redskins 21-yard line on their opening drive. But halfback Billy Sims lost a fumble that was recovered by Washington linebacker Rich Milot. The next time the Lions had the ball, Jeris White intercepted a pass intended for Sims and returned it 77 yards for a touchdown, the second longest interception return in NFL playoff history. Then on their third possession, quarterback Eric Hipple was sacked by blitzing cornerback Vernon Dean causing a fumble that defensive tackle Darryl Grant recovered on the Redskins 19-yard line. This set up Mark Moseley's 26-yard field goal to make the score 10–0 with just over two minutes left in the first quarter.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Detroit Lions 7
Washington increased their lead to 17–0 early in the second quarter with Theismann's 21-yard touchdown pass to Garrett. Detroit responded with a drive to the Redskins 5-yard line, but came up empty again when Dave Butz forced a fumble from Sims that was recovered by defensive end Dexter Manley. Washington then drove 96 yards to score on Garrett's second 21-yard touchdown catch, giving the team a 24–0 first half lead.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Detroit Lions 7
In the third quarter, Washington essentially put the game away with a 5-play, 74-yard drive that ended with Garrett's third touchdown of the day, this one a 27-yard catch, making the lead 31–0. Meanwhile, all Detroit could do was avoid a shutout on Hipple's 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end David Hill, the Lions' first playoff score since the 1957 NFL Championship Game.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Detroit Lions 7
Lions receiver Leonard Thompson was the top performer for his team with seven receptions for 150 yards.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Detroit Lions 7
This was the first postseason meeting between the Lions and Redskins.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Detroit Lions 7
The same teams met in the same stadium nine years later for the NFC championship, with the Redskins routing the Lions 41-10 en route to the Super Bowl XXVI title.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Detroit Lions 7
The teams would meet a third time in 1999, with Washington winning again 27-13.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Green Bay Packers 41, St. Louis Cardinals 16
In the first playoff game at Lambeau Field since the Ice Bowl in 1967, Green Bay quarterback Lynn Dickey threw for 260 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 41–16 win. The Packers scored four touchdowns on four consecutive possessions and finished the game with 453 yards. It was their first playoff victory since Super Bowl II in 1968, as well as the Packers only playoff win in the twenty-five seasons from 1968-92.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Green Bay Packers 41, St. Louis Cardinals 16
Cardinals kicker Neil O'Donoghue gave the team a 3–0 lead with an 18-yard field goal on their opening drive, however this would be the extent of his success. By the end of the game, he missed attempts from 44 and 45 yards, while also having a 44-yard attempt and an extra point kick blocked, both by Packers tight end Gary Lewis. Meanwhile, Green Bay responded to his field goal with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Dickey to receiver John Jefferson.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Green Bay Packers 41, St. Louis Cardinals 16
There would be no more scoring until 5:45 remained in the half, when the Packers suddenly buried St. Louis with three consecutive touchdowns. First, Cardinals safety Benny Perrin slipped while covering James Lofton in the end zone, and Dickey threw him the ball for a 20-yard score. Then Packers linebacker George Cumby recovered Stump Mitchell's fumble on the Packers 39. Dickey's subsequently completed a 30-yard pass to Jefferson and Eddie Lee Ivery broke off an 18-yard run before finishing the drive with a 2-yard rushing score.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Green Bay Packers 41, St. Louis Cardinals 16
Two plays later, safety Mark Murphy intercepted Neil Lomax's pass and returned it 22 yards to the Cardinals 12-yard line, setting up Dickey's 4-yard touchdown toss to Ivery that gave Green Bay a 28–3 lead. St. Louis managed to respond with Lomax's 5-yard touchdown pass to Pat Tilley with nine seconds left in the half, but Lewis blocked the extra point, and their 28-9 halftime deficit ended up being as close as the score would ever get.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Green Bay Packers 41, St. Louis Cardinals 16
Green Bay increased their lead to 31–9 with Jan Stenerud's 46-yard field goal on their opening drive of the second half. In the final minute of the third quarter, they went up 38–9 on Dickey's fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 7-yarder to Jefferson at the end of an 89-yard drive that included a 43-yard pass interference penalty against defensive back Carl Allen. In the fourth quarter, Stenerud kicked a 34-yard field goal, while Lomax closed out the scoring on an 18-yard touchdown pass to receiver Mike Shumann with 8:13 left in regulation.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Green Bay Packers 41, St. Louis Cardinals 16
By the end of the game, the Packers had set numerous franchise post season records, including most touchdown passes in a game (4), most receiving yards (6 receptions for 148 yards by Jefferson), and longest field goal (46 yards by Stenerud).


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Green Bay Packers 41, St. Louis Cardinals 16
Cardinals receiver Roy Green caught nine passes for 113 yards. Lomax completed 32 of 51 passes for 385 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted twice and sacked five times, twice by defensive end Mike Butler.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Green Bay Packers 41, St. Louis Cardinals 16
This was the Cardinals' last postseason game representing St. Louis. The franchise relocated to Arizona in 1988 and did not return to the playoffs until 1998. The city of St. Louis would not be represented again in the NFL postseason until the Rams, who moved to the city in 1995, won Super Bowl XXXIV following the 1999 season.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, NFC: Green Bay Packers 41, St. Louis Cardinals 16
This was the first postseason meeting between the Cardinals and Packers.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 28, New England Patriots 13
The Dolphins controlled most of the game with four long touchdown drives, and intercepted Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan twice. Miami quarterback David Woodley had one of the best performances of his career, completing 16 of 19 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns (both to tight end Bruce Hardy) with no interceptions, while also rushing for 16 yards. Woodley's passer rating for this game was 153.8. Miami running back Andra Franklin had 26 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown. Miami significantly outgained New England in total yards (448 to 237) and rushing yards (214 to 77).


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 28, New England Patriots 13
New England took a 3–0 lead three minutes into the second quarter with John Smith's 23-yard field goal, but it would last just five minutes before Woodley finished a 76-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bruce Hardy. Then next time Miami had the ball, they drove 79 yards to a 1-yard touchdown run by Franklin, giving the team a 14-3 halftime lead.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 28, New England Patriots 13
The Patriots, who lost their 15th consecutive game in the Orange Bowl, reduced the lead to 14–6 on Smith's 42-yard field goal early in the third quarter. But that would be as close to a lead as the Patriots would get. The Dolphins scored again with touchdowns from Woody Bennett, another 2-yard catch by Hardy late in the third quarter, and in the middle of the fourth. With 5:32 left in the game, Grogan threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Don Hasselbeck that made the final score 28–13.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 28, New England Patriots 13
This was the first postseason meeting between the Patriots and Dolphins.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 27, Cleveland Browns 10
The Raiders gained 510 total yards of offense and held the Browns to 284. Faced with a hard-fought 10–10 tie late in the second quarter, the Raiders scored 17 unanswered points and shut Cleveland out in the second half. Quarterback Jim Plunkett threw for 386 yards, while running back Marcus Allen rushed for 72 yards, caught six passes for 74 yards, and scored two touchdowns. Receiver Cliff Branch caught five passes for 121 yards, while tight end Todd Christensen caught six passes for 93. Linebacker Rod Martin and defensive tackle Johnny Robinson each had two of LA's six sacks.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 27, Cleveland Browns 10
On the Raiders first drive, Plunkett's 64-yard completion to Branch set up a 27-yard field goal from Chris Bahr. Their next two drives ended with Plunkett being intercepted, first by Browns defensive back Clarence Scott and later by Hanford Dixon. However, both picks were in Cleveland territory and the Browns could not convert either into points. On Dixon's interception, they managed to reach midfield before linebacker Ted Hendricks sacked Browns quarterback Paul McDonald for a 10-yard loss, bringing up third down and 16.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 27, Cleveland Browns 10
McDonald completed a 15-yard pass to Dwight Walker on the next play, but on a fourth down conversion attempt, linebacker Matt Millen and defensive tackle Lyle Alzado stuffed running back Mike Pruitt for no gain. Los Angeles took over and drove to the Browns 11-yard line, featuring a 34-yard reception by Allen. But linebacker Clay Matthews sacked Plunkett for a 9-yard loss, and following a third down completion, Bahr missed a field goal attempt from 35 yards.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 27, Cleveland Browns 10
On their first drive of the second quarter, Cleveland managed to tie the game with McDonald's 47-yard completion to Ricky Feacher setting up Matt Bahr's franchise playoff record 52-yard field goal. But Los Angeles quickly stormed back with an 88-yard scoring drive. Plunkett completed five passes on the way to the end zone, including a pair of 24-yarders to Christensen and Branch, while Allen finished the drive a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a 10–3 lead.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 27, Cleveland Browns 10
With 2:01 left in the half, Cleveland tied the game at the end of a 76-yard drive with McDonald's 43-yard touchdown pass to Feacher. But aided by Greg Pruitt's 40-yard kickoff return to the Raiders 40, Plunkett was able to get his team into scoring range, completing three passes for 26 yards and rushing for 11. Chris Bahr kicked a 37-yard field goal on the last play of the quarter, giving LA a 13–10 lead going into halftime.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 27, Cleveland Browns 10
Cleveland took the opening kickoff and drove to the Raiders 14-yard line. But in what turned out to be the crucial play of the game, running back Charles White lost a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Jeff Barnes. After the turnover, LA drove 89 yards and increased their lead to 20–10 on Allen's 3-yard touchdown run. Cleveland would never mount a serious scoring threat for the rest of the game. In the fourth quarter, Los Angeles essentially put it out of reach with a 65-yard drive, including Plunkett's completions to Malcolm Barnwell for 26 yards and Branch for 15, that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Frank Hawkins, making the final score 27–10.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 27, Cleveland Browns 10
McDonald completed 18 of 37 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown. His top target was Feacher, who caught four passes for 124 yards and a score. Cleveland fell to 0–2 in playoff games at the Los Angeles Coliseum, joining a setback to the Rams in the 1951 NFL Championship Game.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 1983, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 27, Cleveland Browns 10
This was the second postseason meeting between the Browns and Raiders. The then-Oakland Raiders won the only previous meeting.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 44, Cincinnati Bengals 17
The underdog Jets, playing their first road playoff game in franchise history, overcame an early 14–3 deficit against the defending AFC champions by racking up 517 yards of offense and scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter. Running back Freeman McNeil led the Jets to a victory with 210 rushing yards (An NFL playoff record, surpassing the old one of 206 by Keith Lincoln in the 1963 AFL playoffs) and a touchdown, while also catching a pass for nine yards and throwing a touchdown pass on a halfback option play.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 44, Cincinnati Bengals 17
Receiver Wesley Walker caught eight passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. Jets quarterback Richard Todd completed 20 of 28 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown. Playing in the final postseason game of his legendary career, Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson completed 26 of 35 passes for a career playoff high 354 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. Receiver Cris Collinsworth caught seven passes for 120 yards. This was New York's first playoff win since Super Bowl III in the 1968 season.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 44, Cincinnati Bengals 17
Cincinnati opened up the scoring with an 81-yard drive that ended with Anderson's 32-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Curtis. New York responded with Todd's 49-yard completion to Walker that set up a 32-yard field goal by Pat Leahy and cut the score to 7–3.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 44, Cincinnati Bengals 17
Cincinnati found themselves facing third down and 30 on their ensuing possession, but it didn't stop them from picking up a first down with Anderson's 53-yard pass to Collinsworth, and he later finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dan Ross, giving the Bengals a 14–3 lead at the end of the first quarter.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 44, Cincinnati Bengals 17
New York responded by driving 80 yards in 10 plays to cut the score to 14–10 with a McNeil's 14-yard touchdown throw to Derrick Gaffney on a halfback option pass. Cincinnati countered with a 75-yard drive to the Jets 10-yard line, but Johnnie Lynn's interception on the 1 eliminated the scoring chance and resulted in a huge reversal of momentum. After the turnover, New York moved the ball 85 yards in 11 plays, featuring a 24-yard run by McNeil. Todd finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Walker, giving New York a 17–14 lead. Then after a punt, Todd's 44-yard completion to Walker set up a 25-yard Leahy field goal, making the score 20-14 going into halftime.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 44, Cincinnati Bengals 17
On the opening drive of the second half, McNeil's 35-yard run gave the Jets a first down on the Cincinnati 27-yard line. But on the next play, Todd threw a pass that was deflected by Glenn Cameron and intercepted by defensive back Ken Riley. Following a punt, McNeil's 33-yard run put the New York on the Bengals 30, and this time the team managed to cash in with a 47-yard Leahy field goal, giving them a 23–14 lead.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 44, Cincinnati Bengals 17
Anderson led the Bengals back, completing passes to Ross and Steve Kreider for gains of 25 and 17 yards as the team drove 75 yards to score on Jim Breech's 20-yard field goal. So despite giving up 20 unanswered points, the Bengals were only trailing 23–17. And on the last play of the third quarter, Bengals safety Bobby Kemp forced a fumble from Gaffney that cornerback Mike Fuller recovered and returned 20 yards to the Jets 35.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 44, Cincinnati Bengals 17
However, the Bengals self-destructed in the fourth quarter, suffering one of the worst collapses in franchise history. After catching a 9-yard pass, Bengals running back Pete Johnson failed to pick up the first down with consecutive runs, and Breech missed a 46-yard field goal attempt. New York then drove 72 yards to go up 30–17 on McNeil's 20-yard touchdown run. On the first play of the Bengals ensuing drive, Anderson threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Collinsworth, only to see it wiped out by an false start penalty on right tackle Mike Wilson.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 44, Cincinnati Bengals 17
Cincinnati still managed to drive to the Jets 6-yard line, but then had another touchdown eliminated, this time a 6-yard run by Anderson cancelled out by an illegal motion penalty on Ross. On the next play, Anderson's pass was intercepted by safety Darrol Ray and returned a playoff record 98 yards for a touchdown, giving New York a 37–14 lead with less than 5 minutes left in the game. After Cincinnati got the ball back, Lynn recorded his second interception of the day, returning this one 26 yards to the Bengals 26, and New York went on to score on the final points of the game with a 1-yard touchdown run by Dwayne Crutchfield.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 44, Cincinnati Bengals 17
This was the first postseason meeting between the Jets and Bengals.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: San Diego Chargers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 28
The game began disastrously for the Chargers when James Brooks fumbled the opening kickoff, which was recovered for a touchdown by Guy Ruff of the Steelers. But San Diego battled back, winning by overcoming an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Dan Fouts threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions to lead his team to victory. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns and scored a rushing touchdown in his final postseason game, but was intercepted twice. Chargers running back Chuck Muncie rushed for 126 yards and caught a pass for 12, while tight end Kellen Winslow caught seven passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Steelers receiver John Stallworth caught eight passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: San Diego Chargers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 28
Amazingly, Brooks fumbled the next kickoff after Ruff's touchdown, but he managed to recover it on the 2-yard line. San Diego then drove inside the Steelers red zone where Rolf Benirschke made a 25-yard field goal to cut the score to 7–3. Pittsburgh responded with a 40-yard reception by receiver Jim Smith that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Bradshaw near the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Brooks' 15-yard touchdown cut the score to 14–10.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: San Diego Chargers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 28
Later on, Fouts' 33-yard completion to Wes Chandler set up his 10-yard touchdown pass to Eric Sievers to give the Chargers a 17–14 lead. The Steelers had a chance to tie or retake the lead with a drive into San Diego territory just before halftime, but Chargers safety Bruce Laird made a clutch interception to prevent them from scoring.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: San Diego Chargers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 28
Bradshaw threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bennie Cunningham in the third quarter, and later a 9-yard touchdown pass to Stallworth that gave the Steelers a 28–17 lead three plays into the fourth quarter. But this would be the end of his success as he completed only three of his next 11 passes in the final quarter. The next time Pittsburgh had the ball, cornerback Jeff Allen intercepted Bradshaw's pass and returned it eight yards to the Steelers 29-yard line.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: San Diego Chargers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 28
Pittsburgh defensive back Mel Blount intercepted a pass in the end zone on the second play of the ensuing drive, but it was eliminated by a holding penalty on linebacker Jack Ham. Five plays later, Fouts cut the score to 28–24 with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Winslow. Following six consecutive handoffs by Bradshaw, San Diego got the ball back on their own 36-yard line due to a 20-yard punt by John Goodson with four minutes left in the game. Four runs by Muncie moved the ball 33 yards to a third and 7 situation on the Steelers 12-yard line. On the next play, Fouts connected with Winslow on a screen pass, and the tight end took it all the way to the end zone for the game winning score with less than a minute left on the clock.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: San Diego Chargers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 28
This marked Bradshaw's final appearance at Three Rivers Stadium. He sat out nearly all of the 1983 season with an elbow injury, appearing in just one half of a late-season game against the Jets in what turned out to be their final game at Shea Stadium. The game was also the final one of the career of Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, AFC: San Diego Chargers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 28
This was the first postseason meeting between the Chargers and Steelers.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
The Cowboys had 445 yards of total offense and 29 first downs, while their defense held Buccaneers quarterback Doug Williams, playing in his final game in a Bucs uniform, to just eight of 28 completions for 113 yards and intercepted him three times. Dallas running back Tony Dorsett rushed for 110 yards, while kicker Rafael Septién made three field goals.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
Two first quarter field goals from Septien gave Dallas an early 6–0 lead before Tampa Bay converted two turnovers into 10 points. First, quarterback Danny White lost a fumble that was recovered in mid air by Bucs linebacker Hugh Green, who took off for a 60-yard touchdown return. The Cowboys responded with a drive to the Tampa Bay 38, but on third down, safety Mark Cotney intercepted White's pass and returned it 50 yards to set up Bill Capece's 32-yard field goal.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
Dallas countered with a touchdown on a 6-yard pass from White to Ron Springs, making the score 13-10 going into halftime. They upped their lead to 16–10 in the third quarter on a 19-yard Septien field goal. Tampa Bay responded with an 80-yard drive to retake the lead, 17–16, on Williams' short pass to Gordon Jones, who took it 49 yards to the end zone.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
But in the fourth quarter, Bucs guard Charley Hannah was penalized 10 yards for an illegal block and then drew an unsportmanlike conduct penalty for arguing the call with officials, pushing Tampa Bay back to their own 11-yard line. On the next play, rookie defensive back Monty Hunter intercepted Williams' pass and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown, putting Dallas back in front at 23–17. 10 minutes later, the Cowboys put the game away with White's 10-yard touchdown pass to Timmy Newsome.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
This was Tampa Bay's last playoff game until 1997, by which time the Buccaneers replaced their orange uniforms. From 1983 to 1996, they suffered 14 consecutive losing seasons, 13 of which saw Tampa Bay lose 10 or more games.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
This was the second postseason meeting between the Buccaneers and Cowboys. Dallas won the only previous meeting.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
The Vikings outgained the Falcons in total yards 378–235, but still needed a last second touchdown to win the game. Down by one point with six minutes remaining, they drove 72 yards to score on Ted Brown's game-winning touchdown run with 1:44 left in the game, and then sealed the win with John Turner's interception on the Falcons ensuing possession.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
Atlanta scored after the opening series when Vikings punter Greg Coleman fumbled the snap. Coleman recovered the ball and managed to punt it, but linebacker Paul Davis blocked the kick and his teammate Doug Rogers recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. Later in the quarter, Minnesota took advantage of a 25-yard pass interference penalty against Falcons safety Tom Pridemore by scoring with Rick Danmeier's 33-yard field goal, cutting the score to 7–3.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
In the second quarter, the Vikings took a 10–7 lead with a 7-play, 82-yard drive. Quarterback Tommy Kramer completed a 25-yard pass to Sammy White on the possession, and finished it with an 11-yard pass to White in the end zone. The Falcons responded with a drive deep into Vikings territory, but Turner put an end to that by intercepting Steve Bartkowski's pass at the Minnesota 2-yard line. With 30 seconds left in the half, Minnesota increased their lead to 13–7 with a 30-yard Danmeier field goal that was set up by Rufus Bess' 20-yard punt return and Brown's 14-yard run.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
Atlanta finished the half with just three completions, while Brown had been temporarily knocked out of the game with a sore shoulder and Turner had been taken to a hospital for X-rays after twisting his ankle. Despite this, both players ended up returning to the game.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
The Falcons started off the third quarter with an 8-play, 71-yard drive, including Bartkowski's passes to Floyd Hodge and Alfred Jenkins for gains of 25 and 22 yards. Faced with fourth down on the Vikings 17-yard line, Atlanta managed to fool the Minnesota defense with a fake field goal play. Backup quarterback Mike Moroski, the holder on field goal plays, took the snap and started run right, but then pitched the ball to kicker Mick Luckhurst, who raced 17 yards for a touchdown (the only rush attempt of his career) to give his team a 14–13 lead.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
The situation got even better for Atlanta just two minutes later when safety Bob Glazebrook intercepted Kramer's pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. However, the Vikings managed to cut their deficit down to one score before the end of the third quarter with a 70-yard drive that included Kramer's 18-yard completion to tight end Joe Senser. Danmeier finished off the series with a 39-yard field goal, making the score 21-16 going into the final quarter.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
The Vikings retook the lead in the fourth quarter with a 61-yard drive that included Brown's 3-yard run on fourth and inches and ended with Kramer's 11-yard touchdown throw to receiver Sam McCullum, going up 23–21. But Atlanta stormed right back on a 50-yard drive, featuring a 30-yard reception by Jenkins, to score on a 41-yard Luckhurst field goal.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
Now down 24–23 with six minutes left in regulation, Minnesota put together a 72-yard drive for the game winning score. Brown had runs of 11 and 10 yards along the way, while Kramer completed a 19-yard pass to receiver Terry LeCount. On the last play, Brown scored a 5-yard touchdown run to put his team up 30–24 with 1:44 left in the game. Atlanta still had one last chance to drive for a winning touchdown, but after reaching the Vikings 45, Turner intercepted a pass from Bartkowski, enabling the Vikings to run out the clock.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
Kramer completed 20 of 34 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, while also rushing for 13 yards. Bartkowski completed just 9 of 24 passes for 134 yards and was intercepted twice, both times by Turner, who had a hospital trip between them. Bess returned five punts for 65 yards. The Vikings fumbled the ball four times during the game, but recovered each one. Atlanta would not return to the playoffs until the 1991 season.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, First Round playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 1983, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
This was the first postseason meeting between the Falcons and Vikings.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 21, Minnesota Vikings 7
33-year-old running back John Riggins led the Redskins to a victory with 185 rushing yards on 37 carries (both career highs) and a touchdown.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 21, Minnesota Vikings 7
Washington scored their 21 points in the game's first 20 minutes. On their opening drive, Riggins gained 34 yards on seven carries as the team drove 66 yards to score on Joe Theismann's 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Don Warren. Two possessions later the Redskins drove 71 yards, including Theismann's 46-yard completion to Alvin Garrett on a flea flicker play, and scored on a 2-yard touchdown run by Riggins on fourth down and inches with one minute left in the quarter. At this point, the Vikings had five total yards, no first downs, and held the ball for only two minutes.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 21, Minnesota Vikings 7
The Vikings cut a 14–0 Redskins lead in half early in the second quarter, scoring on Ted Brown's 18-yard touchdown run. But Washington stormed right back to score on Theismann's 18-yard touchdown pass to Garrett.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 21, Minnesota Vikings 7
There would be no more scoring for the rest of the game, despite many opportunities for both teams. Vikings kicker Rick Danmeier missed a 38-yard field goal, while Washington's Mark Moseley also had two misses, from 47 and 39 yards. Moseley, who had become the first kicker to win the NFL MVP award during the year, finished this game having made a total of one of his last five attempts, though his 39-yard miss only occurred after his 29-yard field goal was wiped out by a penalty on teammate Rich Milot.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 21, Minnesota Vikings 7
In the second half, the Vikings had drives to the Washington 39, 28, and 15-yard lines, but failed to score each time. They ended up punting on the drive to the 39, while the other two both ended with failed fourth down conversion attempts, including Redskins' lineman Tony McGee's sack on quarterback Tommy Kramer on fourth and 7 from the 15 that essentially put the game away in the fourth quarter.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 21, Minnesota Vikings 7
In the closing moments of the game, fans at RFK Stadium began chanting "We Want Dallas" indicating their ideal choice of opponent for the NFC Championship Game. They would get their wish. Theismann completed 17 of 23 passes for 213 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Kramer completed 18 of 39 passes for 252 yards.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 21, Minnesota Vikings 7
This was the third postseason meeting between the Vikings and Redskins. Minnesota won both previous meetings.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 17, Los Angeles Raiders 14
Scott Dierking scored the Jets' winning touchdown with 3:45 left to upset the top-seeded Raiders. New York linebacker Lance Mehl subsequently intercepted two passes from Jim Plunkett in the final minutes to seal the victory. Jets running back Freeman McNeil rushed for 105 yards and caught a pass for 11. Wesley Walker caught seven passes for 169 yards and a touchdown. On defense, New York held Raiders running back Marcus Allen, the NFL's 4th leading rusher, to just 36 yards on 15 carries.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 17, Los Angeles Raiders 14
Walker's 20-yard touchdown catch and Pat Leahy's 30-yard field goal gave New York a 10–0 lead before Los Angeles stormed back, taking a 14–10 lead on Allen's 3-yard touchdown run and a 57-yard scoring reception by Malcolm Barnwell. Late in the fourth quarter, New York drove 67 yards in six plays, including Richard Todd's 45-yard completion to Walker on the Raiders 1-yard line, where Dierking took the ball into the end zone to give the Jets a 17–14 lead.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 17, Los Angeles Raiders 14
Their defense seemed to put the game away when Mehl intercepted a pass from Plunkett with slightly over two minutes left on the Raiders ensuing drive. However, Los Angeles defensive end Lyle Alzado forced a fumble from McNeil that linebacker Ted Hendricks recovered to give his team one last chance to drive for a tying score. The Jets defense proved up to the challenge, and Mehl intercepted another Plunkett pass that enabled New York to run out the rest of the clock.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 17, Los Angeles Raiders 14
Hendricks finished the game with a sack and two fumble recoveries.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 1983, AFC: New York Jets 17, Los Angeles Raiders 14
This was the second postseason meeting between the Jets and Raiders. New York won the only prior meeting when the Raiders were based in Oakland and prior to the AFL–NFL merger.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, San Diego Chargers 13
Miami avenged their divisional playoff loss to San Diego in the previous season known as the Epic in Miami with a dominating 34–13 win, racking up 413 yards while holding the Chargers to a season low 247. The Dolphins defense completely shut down Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts, limiting him to just 15 of 34 completions for 194 yards and a touchdown while intercepting him five times. The Dolphins led 27–13 at halftime.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, San Diego Chargers 13
Miami quarterback David Woodley, who was benched in the second quarter of the Epic in Miami due to poor performance, redeemed himself by completing 17 of 22 passes for 195 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, while also scoring a rushing touchdown. The Dolphins converted three first half turnovers, including consecutive fumbled kickoffs, into 17 points.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, San Diego Chargers 13
Miami defensive back Gerald Small intercepted Fouts on the game's opening possession and returned the ball 16 yards to San Diego 26-yard line, setting up Woodley's 3-yard touchdown pass to Nat Moore at the end of a five-play drive. Following a punt, Miami increased their lead to 14–0 with Andra Franklin's 3-yard touchdown run at the end of an 89-yard drive. Then kicker Uwe von Schamann recovered a fumble from Hank Bauer on the ensuing kickoff, giving the Dolphins the ball on the Chargers 23, and they scored another touchdown with Woodley's 6-yard pass to tight end Ronnie Lee. On the next kickoff, returner James Brooks lost a fumble that was recovered by Dolphins running back Rich Diana on the San Diego 37, leading to von Schamann's 24-yard field goal that put the Dolphins up 24–0 with 7:45 left in the first half.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, San Diego Chargers 13
A few minutes later, the Chargers finally caught a break when a short Miami punt and facemask penalty during the return gave them the ball at the Dolphins 28, where Fouts threw a touchdown pass to Charlie Joiner. But the team's miscues continued as Rolf Benirschke missed the extra point. Then on Miami's ensuing drive, Jimmy Cefalo's 53-yard reception led to von Schamann's 23-yard field goal. Still, the Chargers managed to cut the deficit to 27-13 before halftime with a 76-yard drive, 40 yards coming from Dolphins penalties. Chuck Muncie finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds left in the second quarter.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, San Diego Chargers 13
Miami lost turnovers of each of their first two drives of the second half; Bruce Laird's interception of a Woodley pass and a fumble by Tony Nathan that was recovered by Chargers linebacker Woodrow Lowe on the San Diego 7-yard line. However, the Chargers could not convert either of them into points, and after moving the ball 47 yards to the Dolphins 36 following the Nathan fumble, Fouts was intercepted by Dolphins safety Glenn Blackwood. Miami converted this turnover into their final score, a 7-yard run by Woodley. Meanwhile, the next three Chargers drives all ended in interceptions; a second pick by Glenn Blackwood, the next by his older brother Lyle Blackwood, and the last by cornerback Don McNeal.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, San Diego Chargers 13
This was the final postseason game in the Hall of Fame careers of Chargers stars Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, and Kellen Winslow. Joiner's touchdown was his only reception of the game, while Winslow had one for 18. Receiver Wes Chandler, who led the NFL in receiving yards during the season, finished this game with two receptions for 38 yards. Muncie rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown, while also catching six passes for 53. Franklin was the Dolphins top rusher with 96 yards and a touchdown. Nathan rushed for 83 yards and caught eight passes for 55.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, San Diego Chargers 13
This was the second  postseason meeting between the Chargers and Dolphins. San Diego won the only previous meeting one season ago.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 37, Green Bay Packers 26
The Cowboys scored touchdowns on two 80-yard drives while cornerback Dennis Thurman had three interceptions, including a 39-yard touchdown and one to clinch the victory. Packers quarterback Lynn Dickey threw for a franchise postseason record 332 yards and a touchdown, but his three interceptions were too costly to overcome. Receiver James Lofton caught five passes for 109 yards and a touchdown, and also had a 71-yard touchdown run on a reverse play, which tied the record for longest running play in a playoff game at the time.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 37, Green Bay Packers 26
Dallas kicker Rafael Septién gave the team a 3-0 lead with a 50-yard field goal on the opening drive of the game. Then Green Bay returner Del Rodgers fumbled the kickoff, which linebacker Jeff Rohrer recovered for the Cowboys, leading to another Septién field goal, this one from 34 yards. By this point, the Cowboys had a 6-0 lead and had ran 19 consecutive plays to start the game. Green Bay would not get a first down until 11:31 remained in the second quarter.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 37, Green Bay Packers 26
Still, they managed to take a 7-6 lead with a 74-yard drive to score on Dickey's 6-yard pass to Lofton. Dallas struck back with an 80-yard drive to score on a 2-yard touchdown run by Robert Newhouse. Then with 1:13 left in the half, Thurman's 39-yard interception return gave the Cowboys a 20–7 lead by halftime.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 37, Green Bay Packers 26
In the second half, the Packers mounted a strong comeback attempt, racking up 363 yards and scoring 19 points. Midway through the fourth quarter, Green Bay defensive back Mark Lee's 22-yard interception return for a touchdown cut the Packers deficit to 30–26. But later on, Thurman's third interception set up a 74-yard scoring drive, including a trick play where receiver Drew Pearson took a lateral from Danny White and then threw a 49-yard completion to Tony Hill on the Green Bay 1-yard line. On the next play, Newhouse' second touchdown run put the game away.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 37, Green Bay Packers 26
Green Bay finished the game with a franchise playoff record 466 total yards. The Packers would not play another postseason game until 1993.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 37, Green Bay Packers 26
This would be the final playoff win in Cowboys' coach Tom Landry's career. It would be the Cowboys last playoff victory until 1991. Hill finished the game with 7 receptions for 142 yards.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Second Round playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 1983, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 37, Green Bay Packers 26
This was the third postseason meeting between the Packers and Cowboys. Green Bay won both previous meetings.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Saturday, January 22, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Dallas Cowboys 17
The significance of this NFC Championship Game is that it was the first, and to date, the only time that any Conference Championship game was played on a Saturday, instead of the usual Sunday. In their regular season meeting, Dallas had handed Washington their only loss of the year, 24–10, holding running back John Riggins to just 26 rushing yards while sacking quarterback Joe Theismann seven times and intercepting three of his passes. But this game, would turn out quite different as the Redskins sealed the victory by converting two turnovers in the final quarter into 10 points. Although Dallas outgained Washington in total yards 340–260, it wasn't enough to overcome their three turnovers versus none for the Redskins.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Saturday, January 22, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Dallas Cowboys 17
The Cowboys scored first after a 75-yard drive led to a 27-yard field goal by kicker Rafael Septién. But Washington then scored on a 9-play, 84-yard possession to take the lead. Riggins rushed for 32 yards on the drive, while Theismann capped it off with a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Charlie Brown. In the second quarter, a pair of completions by Theismann and 24 more yards from Riggins moved the Redskins into scoring range, only to have kicker Mark Moseley miss a 27-yard field goal.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Saturday, January 22, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Dallas Cowboys 17
Later on, the Cowboys committed a special teams blunder of their own when rookie kick returner Rod Hill muffed a Jeff Hayes punt and linebacker Monte Coleman recovered it, giving Washington the ball on the Dallas 10-yard line. Four plays later, Riggins scored a 1-yard touchdown run, increasing his team's lead to 14–3.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Saturday, January 22, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Dallas Cowboys 17
With 23 seconds left in the first half, Cowboys quarterback Danny White suffered a concussion after being hit by Washington's Dexter Manley and was replaced by unknown backup Gary Hogeboom, a three-year veteran who had only thrown eight passes in his career up to that point, for the rest of the game. A short Redskins punt early in the third quarter then set up Hogeboom's 6-yard touchdown toss to Drew Pearson, capping a six-play, 38-yard drive and cutting the score to 14–10.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Saturday, January 22, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Dallas Cowboys 17
But on the ensuing kickoff, Mike Nelms returned the ball 76 yards down the right sideline to the Dallas 21-yard line. A 22-yard pass from Theismann to Brown was then followed by Riggins' four-yard touchdown run. Hogeboom then responded by leading Dallas on an 84-yard, 14-play drive capped by his 23-yard scoring pass to Butch Johnson, cutting the margin back to 21–17 with 3:25 left in the third quarter.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Saturday, January 22, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Dallas Cowboys 17
Dallas threatened to cut the lead further, driving to the Washington 23-yard line early in the fourth quarter, but Septien missed a 42-yard field goal, ending his NFL playoff record streak of consecutive field goal makes at 15. Following a Washington punt, Dallas had the ball at their own 32-yard line, but linebacker Mel Kaufman made a leaping, over-the-shoulder interception that was intended for Cowboys receiver Tony Hill, setting up Moseley's 29-yard field goal that gave the team a 24–17 lead with 6:55 left in regulation. Then from the Dallas 20-yard line, Manley tipped Hogeboom's delayed screen pass intended for running back Tony Dorsett, which tackle Darryl Grant caught and returned it 10 yards for the game-clinching touchdown.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Saturday, January 22, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Dallas Cowboys 17
White completed 9 of 15 passes for 113 yards before being knocked out of the game, while Hogeboom completed 14 of 29 passes for 162 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the only playoff game he would play in during his 10-season career. Theismann completed 12 of 20 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. Nelms returned four kickoffs for 142 yards and two punts for 14.


1982–83 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Saturday, January 22, 1983, NFC: Washington Redskins 31, Dallas Cowboys 17
Riggins, who ran nine straight times to help Washington run out the clock in the final quarter, finished the game with 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns, setting an NFL record with three consecutive 100-yard postseason games. "I've waited a long time for this," he said after the game. "I'm really thrilled. To tell you the truth, after the strike, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue the season. I was ready to pack my bags and head for Kansas. Boy, what a mistake that would have been."