'84

SOVIET AND MANY EASTERN BLOC ATHLETES PASSED UP THE L.A. Games,
which left more medals for American Olympians. They harvested a
record 83 golds, 61 silvers and 30 bronzes. In the NFL, Chicago's
Walter Payton became the alltime leading rusher, breaking Jim Brown's
record of 12,312 yards; Ram Eric Dickerson's 2,105-yard total was the
highest ever for a single season. Jaws dropped nationwide when Doug
Flutie of Boston College beat Miami 47-45 with a last-ditch, 48-yard
strike to Gerard Phelan.