The Death of the NFL Touchdown Celebration

August 10, 2015   ·   Sean Tomlinson   ·   Jump to comments

There wasn’t a name for what New York Giants wide receiver Homer Jones did in 1965 after he took a short pass from quarterback Earl Morrall and then scored 89 yards later. 
It was basic, and simple enough, but finding words to describe this new expression of post-touchdown jubilation became difficult. First of all, was he actually happy? There seemed to be a moment of fury when Jones wound up with the ball in his right hand and then rocketed it down with authority, temporarily denting the end-zone dirt below.
“He has a funny habit of throwing the ball down when he crosses the goal line,” was the Dallas Morning News’ attempt at explaining this odd new touchdown behavior that seemed to combine anger and excitement, which is appropriate for a sport with plenty of both.
Jones had a name in mind: He had “spiked it,” as he later told reporters (jump to the 32-second mark of the video below).
He didn’t know it at the time, but...

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