We have countless awesome sports photos in the archives here at The Baltimore Sun, and I have decided to share one with you each week in a regular feature called "Throwback Thursday." With Matt Stover set to retire Thursday afternoon, he was an obvious choice for this week's search.
I was torn between this photo and one of a floppy-haired Stover looking like a crazed Tom Cruise as he ran off the field at M&T Bank Stadium. But this Kenneth K. Lam photo seemed like a better and more entertaining choice for a few reasons. Like Stover's hair. And those tacky old Ravens uniforms. And that Tony Banks somehow convinced the Ravens and a few other NFL teams to let him start at quarterback.
But that last point reason why Stover was loved so much in Baltimore. Despite the pu-pu platter the Ravens trotted out at quarterback back in the day, three points were pretty much a lock once they crossed the 30-yard line. This photo shows Banks congratulating Stover after the kicker nailed a 50-yard field goal in the closing seconds to beat the Bengals, 34-31, on November 21, 1999.
Bonus: I have tickets to a Bayhawks game for whoever comes up with the best caption for this photo.