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Roy 'Wrong Way' Riegels

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Football Player

The Resume

    (April 4, 1908-March 26, 1993)
    Born in Oakland, California
    Center for the University of California, Berkeley (1927-29)
    Famous for recovering a Georgia Tech fumble during the Rose Bowl and running 69 yards in the wrong direction (January 1, 1929)

Why he might be annoying:

    He started in the right direction, spun to avoid a tackle, apparently became disoriented, and started running towards his own end zone.
    Teammate Benny Lom caught up with him at the 3-yard line and started to turn him around, but he was immediately tackled by a group of Georgia Tech players and brought down at the 1-yard line.
    On the next play, California tried to punt, but it was blocked by Tech for a safety.
    The two point safety proved decisive as Georgia Tech won, 8-7.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Cal coach Nibs Price called him the smartest player he ever coached and said of the wrong-way run, 'It was an accident that might have happened to anyone.'
    The year after the Rose Bowl blunder, he was named team captain and earned All-American honors.
    He served in the US Army Air Corps during World War II.
    When Jim Marshall of the Minnesota Vikings ran a fumble back into the wrong end zone for a safety, he advised Marshall 'Learn to take it and laugh with the crowd.'
    He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame (1991).
    A panel from the College Football Hall of Fame and CBS Sports chose his wrong-way run as one of the 'Six Most Memorable Moments of the Century.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 36.36% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 58 Votes: 53.45% Annoying