'68
THE MEXICO CITY OLYMPICS DOMINATED THE YEAR. BOB BEAMON'S 29 ft. 2
1/2 in. long jump, nearly two feet over the world record, left the
sports world gasping. The Black Power salutes given during the
200-meter medal ceremony by America's Tommie Smith (gold) and John
Carlos (bronze) left the politicians reeling. Back in the U.S.,
Oakland scored twice in the last 42 seconds of a televised game to
beat the New York Jets 43-32, but NBC preempted the final 1:05 of the
game to show the movie Heidi. That left football fans apoplectic.