| No. 32, 37 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1943-11-02)November 2, 1943 (age 82) Greenwood, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College | University of Georgia | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1966: 11th round, 166th overall pick | ||||||||
| AFL draft | 1966: 19th round, 168th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| 1966 | Atlanta Falcons | ||||||||
| 1968 | Oakland Raiders | ||||||||
| 1969 | Buffalo Bills | ||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Howard Preston Ridlehuber (born November 2, 1943) is a former American collegiate and professional footballrunning back who played in both theNational Football League (NFL) and theAmerican Football League (AFL).
He played one season each with the NFL'sAtlanta Falcons and the AFL'sOakland Raiders andBuffalo Bills. Ridlehuber was selected in the 11th round (166th overall) of the 1966 NFL Draft by theSan Francisco 49ers and in the 19th round (168th overall) of the 1966 AFL Draft by theNew York Jets.
He is perhaps best remembered for scoring the final touchdown in the iconicHeidi Game in 1968 while playing for the Oakland Raiders.
Ridlehuber graduated fromGainesville High School inGainesville, Georgia, where he was a multi-sport athlete, competing in football, baseball, basketball, and track. He earned All-State honors as both a baseball pitcher and a football quarterback.
He then attended theUniversity of Georgia, where he played quarterback for the football team rather than signing a professional contract as a pitcher with thePittsburgh Pirates. Ridlehuber was awarded the C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player award in the 1964Sun Bowl, in which Georgia defeated theTexas Tech Red Raiders. He was also a member of theSigma Nu fraternity at Georgia.
Ridlehuber is best known for scoring atouchdown with 33 seconds remaining in a game against theNew York Jets by recovering afumble on akickoff. This occurred during the famousHeidi Game, but most television viewers across the country missed the play becauseNBC switched its broadcast from the football game to the 1968 filmHeidi. The Heidi Game, also known as the Heidi Bowl, led to a major change in how professional football is televised on network television: since then, games are shown in their entirety before evening programming begins.
His most notableBuffalo Bills highlight came during a game against the then 0–5Boston Patriots. Preston was a backup running back for the 2–3 Bills.O. J. Simpson had been concussed in Houston the previous week and did not dress for the Patriots game. FullbackWayne Patrick (number 30) had carried the ball 17 times for 131 yards.Max Anderson (number 22), also known as "Mini Max" Anderson, had 10 carries for 46 yards.
Mini Max was injured during a collision on the field. His face mask shattered, and Anderson’s teeth were broken and scattered on the turf. While medical personnel attended to Anderson, Bills coachJohn Rauch called Preston to the sideline. The score was tied 16–16 late in the fourth quarter. Rauch knelt down and drew a play in the dirt—ahalfback option play that had been practiced for the last couple of weeks. It was originally designed for O. J. Simpson to throw a short pass to the tight end to keep the drive alive in a short-yardage situation.
Preston took the play into the huddle and the play was set in motion. On the snap, Ridlehuber—who had been a quarterback at theUniversity of Georgia—noticed the Patriots’ cornerback closing in on the tight end. Trusting his better judgment, he looked elsewhere for an open receiver. He then saw Bills wide receiverHaven Moses wide open and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to him.
When he returned to the bench, Coach Rauch congratulated him and said, “Be glad it worked.” The play gave the Bills a 23–16 lead, which remained the final score. Notably, during that game, Ridlehuber’s regular jersey number (37) was ripped, so he wore a replacement jersey with the number 31 instead. The number 31 was traditionally retired by the Bills to represent a generic player and the "spirit of the franchise." Ridlehuber was the only player to wear number 31 for the Bills until it was unofficially returned to circulation in 1991.
