Sept. 12, 1964 - The kooky, delightful world of the Mets threw open its arms to the Jets tonight with a fanfare that fulfilled the fondest dreams of those who have insisted all along that the world’s greatest sports town could support two pro football teams.
Cheered to the rafters of Shea Stadium by a crowd of 44,497 that was the largest ever to pay its way into an AFL game, the Jets opened their new arena with a smashing 30-6 victory over the Denver Broncos.
You’d have thought the Mets were clobbering the Dodgers, the way the wild Jet-set whooped it up when Dick Wood threw two touchdown passes, one of them a spectacular one-hand grab by Don Maynard; Jim Turner, the rookie kicker from Utah State, booted field goals of 11, 27, and 21 yards; and the defense put such a persistent rush on quarterback Jacky Lee that the Broncos could not score a touchdown.
In this historic first football game ever played at Shea, the Jet-set took to its hearts two new heroes, one for his talents, the other simply because he is an offbeat character — a Marv Throneberry with ability.
The talented star was Matt Snell (pictured #41), the 218-pound rookie fullback, whose 22 bull-like rushes accounted for 82 yards, many of these in key situations where the Jets needed them most. Snell also caught three passes for 19 more yards in a performance that indicated he was worth all the Jets paid to keep him from going to the Giants.
However, Wahoo McDaniel, the Choctaw Indian who plays middle linebacker, drew just as many cheers, simply for showing up. The crowd went into ecstatic hilarious cries of “wahoo” every time his name came over the speaker system for making a tackle or breaking up a Denver pass.
The most astonishing aspect of the Jets’ opener, though, was the size of the crowd. A turnout of 35,000 would have been considered excellent. As it was, the crowd broke the AFL record set by the 38,592 that paid its way into last year’s San Diego at Denver game.
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