The Death of the NFL Touchdown Celebration

There wasn’t a name for what New York Giants wide receiver Homer Jones did in 1965 after he took a short pass from quarterback Earl Morrall and then scored 89 yards later.

It was basic, and simple enough, but finding words to describe this new expression of post-touchdown jubilation became difficult. First of all, was he actually happy? There seemed to be a moment of fury when Jones wound up with the ball in his right hand and then rocketed it down with authority, temporarily denting the end-zone dirt below.

“He has a funny habit of throwing the ball down when he crosses the goal line,” was the Dallas Morning News’ attempt at explaining this odd new touchdown behavior that seemed to combine…