Kevin Moen, Gary Tyrrell: Bound Together by a Moment in THE PLAY

si.com ^ | 11/14/2022 | Jake Curtis

[DFG]

Kevin Moen has four grandchildren.

That provides a passage-of-time perspective on The Play, the amazing, five-lateral Big Game kickoff return in 1982 that will mark its 40th anniversary on Sunday, one day after this year’s Cal-Stanford game.

Moen was the Cal player who scored the touchdown on The Play, then slammed the ball into Stanford trombonist Gary Tyrrell, putting them both into Big Game history forever and beginning a life-long relationship between the two.

“He was one of the guys at Stanford that kept a good perspective with what The Play was,” said Moen. “It wasn’t life or death. It wasn’t the end of the world. He erroneously thought the game was over and happened to be standing at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Moen, now 61, continues to work in real estate in the Palos Verdes Peninsula region in the Los Angeles metropolitan area as he has for 35 years.

He claims he has done “hundreds” of events with Tyrrell, whom Moen calls his “traveling buddy.”

Tyrrell resides in Half Moon Bay, having worked in account management since getting his degree in industrial engineering at Stanford. He is now a chief financial officer for a company that produces plant-based oils, lotions and soaps.

Oh, and for the past 30 years Tyrrell has been brewing beer, with his go-to brew being something he dubbed Trombone Guy Pale Ale, which, he says, “is available at the finest tailgate parties on the Farm.”

[DFG]

Yesterday (Nov 20, 2022) was the 40th anniversary of "The Play" or "tip-toe thru the tubas". The Cal Bears beat the Stanford Cardinals 25-20 because the Stanford band was on the field. Tyrell's trombone that he had since the 5th grade was dented. It is now in the College Football Hall of Fame.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cal-beats-stanford-as-band-blocks-field

[DFG]

https://youtu.be/09kPcg8Hehg

[ProtectOurFreedom]

My then-girlfriend (we were married just 7 months later and are still) and I were there for the game. We didn’t leave like many people did and we saw “The Play” from great seats. It was the most amazing thing!

We had season tickets to Stanford for all of the Elway years. That was some great Stanford football in that era!

I had no idea that Kevin Moen and Gary Tyrrell became good friends after that game. What a great friendship and what a funny way to start it!

Thanks for posting.