How Did Chris Berman Select The Best 50 Plays In NFL History?

In celebration of the NFL’s 100th season, ESPN’s Chris Berman is counting down his top 50 plays in NFL history each week on Monday Night Countdown.

The top five plays will be revealed tonight (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) and then all 50 highlights debut tomorrow in a one-hour special – Boomer’s Vault: Top 50 Plays in NFL History (5 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Berman, who earned a degree in history from Brown University, is uniquely qualified for this special project. Since joining ESPN 40 years ago, he has earned a second history degree of sorts, covering some of the NFL’s most memorable moments.

Berman has hosted the NFL Draft 30 times, worked 37 Super Bowls, and served as the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Master of Ceremony for 20 years.

He has witnessed the 1968 AFL Championship that sent the Jets to the Super Bowl, “The Catch” in the 1981 NFC Championship game, the Dolphins’ victory over the previously unbeaten ‘85 Bears, the 2006 reopening of the Superdome and much, much more. Berman is also in his 20th season bringing NFL highlights to life on NFL PrimeTime, and he is part of the hand-picked Blue Ribbon Panel that selected the NFL 100 All-Time Team.

So with all of the football he has seen, how did Berman decide which 50 plays to include?

As he told veteran NFL writer Peter King, “A play is in the running if you said ‘Wow!’ when you watched it.”

Among the “wows” to watch for in Tuesday night’s special: Beast Quake, The Catch, The Immaculate Reception, The Miami Miracle, The Minneapolis Miracle, The Miracle at the Meadowlands, The Music City Miracle, The Philly Special, and The Sea of Hands.

Boomer’s Vault: Top 50 Plays in NFL History also spotlights current and legendary players including: Odell Beckham Jr., Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, Julian Edelman, Brett Favre, Steve Gleason, Bo Jackson, Dan Marino, Donovan McNabb, Randy Moss, Joe Namath, Ed Reed, Aaron Rodgers, Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, Fran Tarkenton, Jim Thorpe, Adam Vinatieri, and Steve Young.

The video above is an excerpt from Boomer’s Vault.