10-04-2017, 02:20 PM
(10-04-2017, 01:39 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: The 2009 change was only for Prime Time games. Up until that point, teams stayed in locker rooms due to timing concerns of the networks. It's been a common practice for teams to be on the field during the anthem previous to 2009 for regular Sunday games.
I've heard 2 different players, from different teams, recount how the coach (Paul Brown was one of them) used to have the team practice standing at attention on the sideline, for the anthem...during practice.
Prior to 2009, there was no rule that said teams had to be on the field prior to the anthem for any game. Some did, but most didn't. My family has been s.t. holders since Riverfront and I've been to many many games as a kid and now as an adult. The norm then was that both teams stormed the field as the last notes of the anthem were played. It was actually pretty cool, if not a bit emotional.
I'm sure Paul Brown used to have the team practice how to properly stand in the lunch line, also. Different era for sure.
