1994 John Tyler vs. Plano East high school football game
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| Date | November 26, 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 20,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Plano TeleCable | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Eddy Clinton, Denny Garver, Mike Zoffuto | ||||||||||||||||||
On November 26, 1994, in a high school football playoff game in Texas, the Lions of John Tyler High School defeated the Panthers of Plano East Senior High School 48–44. The game drew national attention in the United States due to its wildly improbable and tumultuous finish, with seven touchdowns scored in the last four and a half minutes, and it won the 1995 Showstopper of the Year ESPY Award. It has been billed by many sportscasters, both in Texas and the rest of the United States, as the greatest high school football game ever played.
The game was a Region II semifinal in class 5A Division II of Texas high school football and was played in Texas Stadium. The start time was 9:00 pm. Both teams had a 12–0 record up to that point in the season, and they were known for defense: John Tyler was giving up only 14 points per game on average, while Plano East was giving up less than nine. Plano East was ranked No. 2 in the state, and Tyler was ranked #3.
The first quarter ended in a 7–7 draw, but at halftime, the Lions had a 21–14 lead. In the third quarter, each team kicked a field goal, bringing the score to 24–17.
The Lions then scored a field goal early in the fourth quarter to make the score 27–17. Towards the end of the quarter, as the Panthers were first-and-goal, the ball was stripped from their quarterback and the resulting fumble was returned 90 yards for a touchdown and a 34–17 lead with 4:24 remaining. On the fourth play of the Panthers' next possession, another fumble was returned 36 yards for a touchdown, giving the Lions a seemingly insurmountable 41–17 lead with only 3:03 remaining. Many fans had already headed for the exits.
However, on a two-play 70-yard drive, the Panthers scored a touchdown to bring the score to 41–23 (after a failed two-point conversion) with 2:36 on the clock. The Panthers then successfully executed three onside kicks in a row, recovering the ball each time and then driving down the field for a touchdown on each occasion. The first touchdown drive took six plays (the two-point conversion was good: 41–31 with 1:29 left); the second also took six plays (the two-point conversion failed: 41–37 with 0:56 left); the final one was completed in three plays (the extra point was successful), giving the Panthers a 44–41 comeback lead with only 24 seconds remaining.
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