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Black And Blue: The Story Of The 1980 NFC Championship Game

In March 2004, one week before Veterans Stadium was imploded, John Spagnola came by for one last look. The former Eagles tight end, now an investment broker in Philadelphia, stood on Pattison Avenue staring at the stadium which was already packed with explosives.

Asked for his fondest memory of the place, Spagnola smiled.

“That’s easy,” he said. “The Dallas game.”

He didn’t have to say any more than that. He didn’t have to say which game. No date was required. The Dallas game could only mean one thing: the NFC Championship Game on January 11, 1981.