Touchdown celebration

Touchdown celebrations are sometimes performed after the scoring of a touchdown in American football. Individual celebrations have become increasingly complex over time, from simple "spiking" of the football in decades past to the elaborately choreographed displays of the current era.

Individual arenas have also developed unique celebratory rituals such as the running of "Quick Six", and the "touchdown horse" of the Calgary Stampeders, after each hometown touchdown.

NFL football

Taunting and celebration are both offenses in the NFL; as a result, gaudy displays are often frowned upon. If the league views the act as highly offensive, large fines and even suspensions can be issued. In 2006 the NFL, in an effort to cut down on celebrations, amended its rules to include an automatic 15 yard penalty against any player who leaves his feet or uses a prop, like a towel, or more specifically the football. The penalty is called as "excessive celebration", and the yardage is charged against the offending player's team when that team kicks off to the opposing team.

Simply spiking the ball is not considered "excessive celebration", but deliberately spiking it in front of a defender is. Jumping onto the outer wall to accept contact from fans, such as the Lambeau Leap, is also not considered such, as it is off the field of play.

NCAA football

College football, governed by the NCAA also penalizes excessive celebrations with a 15 yard penalty. NCAA Football Rule 9-2, Article 1(a)(1)(d) prohibits "Any delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player (or players) attempts to focus attention upon himself (or themselves)"; in addition, Rule 9-2, Article 1(a)(2) asserts that "After a score or any other play, the player in possession immediately must return the ball to an official or leave it near the dead-ball spot." Additionally, if a player's actions is considered "unsportsmanlike conduct" the result is dead-ball foul; a "flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct" foul requires player ejection. If a player’s nonfootball-related act (e.g. taunting or cursing) causes an opponent to physically retaliate, it is considered fighting and both players are ejected.

Arena football

The rules for celebrations in the AFL are the same as the NFL; no props are allowed. However, choreographed or group dances are often seen after a score.

CFL football

Player celebrations

The CFL is much more lenient than the NFL when it comes to touchdown dances. It often has very small, if any, penalties handed out to players who celebrate excessively.

CFL end zone celebrations often include more than one player, often a whole wide receiving corps of 4-6 players. Past celebrations have included five Calgary Stampeders receivers holding out their hands and mimicking the pouring of drinks from a champagne bottle, then stumbling around as if drunk; another end-zone routine simulated a bobsleigh run when receiver Jeremaine Copeland sat down and wrapped his legs around the goal-line pylon with the rest of the receiving corps tucked in behind him. The same group also pantomimed a four-seater stationary bicycle, which all players played a role for the bicycle.

Edmonton Eskimos punt returner Henry "Gizmo" Williams celebrated punt return touchdowns by doing a backflip in the end zone.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a celebration whereby players form a circle, toss a football in the air in the middle of the circle and then fall directly backwards in unison when the ball lands on the ground as if a hand grenade has exploded.

In the 2008 CFL season, the Winnipeg receiving corps did a few celebrations, most notably a version of Duck, Duck, Goose, as well as a walking race across the end zone.

In the 2009 CFL season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats did a memorable celebration in Winnipeg, as a fishing boat was at the edge of the end zone. Hamilton scored two touchdowns within a minute, both times got into the boat and celebrating as though they were fishing, literally showboating.

During the August 14, 2010, a celebration by the Toronto Argonauts in which several players mimicked a rowing crew drew an Objectionable Conduct penalty.

Stadium celebrations

Long-standing tradition at McMahon Stadium has a horse run the length of the stadium with a team flag each time the hometown Calgary Stampeders scores a touchdown. Other stadiums have developed similar traditions. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a small airplane (known as the "touchdown plane") while the Saskatchewan Roughriders fire smoke mortars from behind the goalposts in celebration of home team touchdowns. The Edmonton Eskimos have a fire engine circle the field after each touchdown, throwing souvenirs into the crowd.

Some memorable celebrations

• Georgia vs. Florida Football Classic in 2007 - when Georgia scores the first touchdown the entire team comes on the field to celebrate. Georgia coach Mark Richt intended for the team to celebrate the first touchdown and draw a penalty in doing so but he had meant just the players on the field for the play and not the entire team.
• The "touchdown spike": New York Giants wide receiver Homer Jones is credited as the first player to throw the ball into the field at his feet after scoring a touchdown. He first did this move in 1965, calling it a "spike", and it is said to be the origin of post-touchdown celebrations.

• In 1969, Elmo Wright, a junior wide receiver for the University of Houston, began celebrating his touchdown receptions with a 'celebratory' end zone dance. In his third year with the Kansas City Chiefs, he caught a touchdown pass in a game on Nov. 18, 1973, against the Houston Oilers and celebrated with what some believe was the first end zone dance in NFL history.

• In the 1970s and '80s, Houston Oilers wide receiver Billy "White Shoes" Johnson demonstrated in the end zone after scoring a touchdown by performing the "Funky Chicken" dance, making him popular among Oilers fans.

• The 1980s Washington Redskins "The Fun Bunch": The 1984 Washington Redskins raised the bar on celebrations by performing a group high-five after scoring. The NFL had made previous attempts to curb celebrations but, after the 1984 Fun Bunch, they changed the rules and "excessive celebration" was disallowed. This is one of the few offensive squads that have managed to acquire a nickname.

• In his rookie season of 1988, Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods gained media attention with a touchdown dance that became known as the "Ickey Shuffle." He had plenty of opportunities to do this, as he set a rookie record with 15 touchdowns in the regular season and added 3 more in the playoffs en route to Super Bowl XXIII.

• In tribute to his father's boxing career, Ken Norton Jr. would strike a boxing stance in the end zone each time he scored a defensive touchdown and throw a punching combination at the goalpost pad.

• Arguably the most famous NCAA celebration was Desmond Howard's end-zone move after returning a punt for a touchdown against Ohio State in 1991. In his since-copied celebration, Howard mimicked the pose of the figure on the Heisman Trophy. Howard won that same honor later that year.

• Since 1993, Green Bay Packers players have done the "Lambeau Leap", in which Packer players jump into the bleachers (and into the arms of Packer fans) at Lambeau Field after a score. Cornerback LeRoy Butler started the tradition after returning a fumble for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Raiders on December 26, 1993.

• On November 23, 1997, Washington Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run against the New York Giants. Afterwards, he rammed his head into a padded cement wall spraining his neck and causing him to sit out for the second half of the game.

• During the 1998 NFC championship season Jamal Anderson and other members of the Atlanta Falcons did the Dirty Bird dance after touchdowns. This dance consisted of gyrating like a chicken.

• During their 2000 playoff run, the St. Louis Rams offense would circle up in the end zone and crouch down and weave from side to side after touchdowns in a performance eventually dubbed "The Bob and Weave". However, after the dance became a more regular occurrence, the NFL declared it (and all celebrations involving multiple players) illegal and began to hand out fines for them.

• Receiver Randy Moss, then with the Minnesota Vikings, was fined $10,000 after a short touchdown dance that ended with him pretending to pull down his pants and moon the Green Bay crowd in a 2004 playoff game. Moss claimed he did it because the Green Bay crowd often moons the bus of the opposing team when it pulls into Lambeau Field.

• New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Horn performed a highly publicized touchdown dance after he scored a touchdown against the New York Giants in the 2003 season. Horn spiked the ball after scoring the touchdown and then went to the upright, where he pulled a hidden cell phone out of its padding, and then used it to call his children. He was fined $30,000 by the NFL.

• During the 2002 season, Terrell Owens had two memorable touchdown celebrations. After a score in a Monday Night Football contest against the Seattle Seahawks, Owens pulled a Sharpie out of his sock and signed the game ball which he then gave to his financial adviser, who was sitting in a seat close to the end zone; Owens was fined $20,000 by the NFL for defacing the ball. After scoring a touchdown in a December contest with the Green Bay Packers, Owens celebrated with a pair of pom-poms borrowed from a 49ers cheerleader.

• In 2004, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles in a game against the Ravens, Owens mocked the dance of linebacker Ray Lewis. Also while playing for the Eagles T.O. would move his arms up and down like an eagle. In 2006, playing for the Cowboys, he was penalized for sleeping at the end zone after the touchdown against the Washington Redskins.

• Joey Galloway shows his biceps after most touchdowns that he scores.

• Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, formerly Chad Johnson, had a number of original celebrations in the 2005 season. After a touchdown early in the year against the Chicago Bears, he performed his version of the "riverdance". In one game against the Indianapolis Colts, he knelt down on one knee and pretended to propose to a Bengals cheerleader, who accepted the mock gesture. After he had been fined several weeks in a row for excessive celebrations, Johnson celebrated his next touchdown by holding up a sign that read "Dear NFL, Please don't fine me AGAIN!!!!!!" (and was subsequently fined $10,000 by the NFL). Other celebrations included performing CPR on the football, picking up a pylon in the end zone and using it to 'putt' the football into an imaginary golf hole then pumping his fist in a loose imitation of Tiger Woods (for which he was fined $5,000), doing an Irish jig, and even went so far as to do the Chicken Dance. Before one game, he wore a nameplate that said "Ocho Cinco", and was fined by the NFL (Chad Johnson legally changed his surname to Ochocinco in 2008).

• In 2000, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens ran out to the midfield and spiked the ball on the Dallas Cowboys' star at Texas Stadium after a touchdown. An opposing player celebrating on the Star is considered an extreme faux pas, and the Cowboys fans loudly booed him. Owens repeated the taunt after a second touchdown, but was chased down and tackled by Cowboys free safety George Teague. Owens was suspended for one game by head coach Steve Mariucci for his actions; Teague was ejected from the game. In 2006, Owens- a Dallas Cowboy at the time - did the same midfield sprint to the Star after his first Cowboys touchdown, which was met by cheers by the fans.

• On Opening Day 2007, Johnson wore a jacket that read "Future HOF 20??". The next week, in Cleveland, he jumped into the Dawg Pound after a touchdown (and had beer poured on him by the fans in attendance). On November 25, 2007 against the Titans, he pushed a cameraman aside and pretended to film the players, which drew a 15-yard penalty for using a prop (in this case the TV camera) during touchdown celebrations.

• Like Chad Ochocinco, Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers was known for his touchdown celebrations (Smith and Ochocinco were teammates in junior college). Some of his more memorable celebrations included treating the football like a baby on multiple occasions, going so far as to change the football's "diaper", wiping it down, and rocking it to sleep. He also posed like a supermodel in the end zone, made a "snow angel", and on one occasion against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, used the football as a sword and made swashbuckling motions, mocking the Bucs' mascot. However, by 2007 he had stopped doing these, not wanting to be a distraction.

• Animals of all different sorts can lend their names to touchdown dances. Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Kelley Washington is known for his distinctive touchdown celebration dubbed "The Squirrel" (which originated with his former team the Cincinnati Bengals). Former Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Johnnie Morton liked to celebrate with "The Worm." And during his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers, defensive back Merton Hanks became famous for his unique "Funky Chicken" dance after scoring on interception returns.

• Sometimes touchdown celebrations borrow from other sports. Wide receiver Alvin Harper liked to slam dunk the football over the goalpost crossbar after scoring a touchdown. Wide Receiver Mike Wallace of the Pittsburgh Steelers has a similar celebration, mostly dunking the ball through the goalposts, but occasionally 'shooting' the ball through without breaking stride.

• Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez has also adopted that as his trademark (probably because he played basketball in college). In 2006, the New York Giants defensive players celebrated by mimicking a turnaround jump shot as a reference to the Jim Jones song "We Fly High". Running back Harvey Williams often celebrated his touchdowns by pretending to swing a baseball bat and hit a home run.

• Rams (former Chiefs) KR Dante Hall, nicknamed "the X-Factor", makes an 'X' out of his forearms after a touchdown.

• Chiefs running back Larry Johnson makes a diamond sign "the Diamond Cutter" with his thumbs and pointer fingers, referencing his friend rapper Jay Z and his Roc-A-Fella diamond symbol. Ravens DE Terrell Suggs mocked this gesture in a December 2006 game.

• In the 2007 NFC Championship game New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, after an 88 yard touchdown reception, did a three yard front flip and "The Roosevelt" in the end zone. He later received a $5,000 fine for pointing at the Bears' Brian Urlacher while running towards the end zone.

• New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, in a game against the Chicago Bears in 2006, stuck the ball under his shirt to mimic being pregnant. He received a 15-yard penalty and a $10,000 fine from the NFL. He later claimed he did that it because his pregnant wife was in the stands.

• New York Giants Receiver Victor Cruz often does his rendition of a salsa dance inspired by his grandmother. The move resulted in Cruz receiving an offer to appear on the show Dancing with the Stars, which he declined.

• New York Jets running back LaMont Jordan, in a game against the Houston Texans in 2003, pretended the football was a chainsaw and after pulling an imaginary cord to start the chainsaw, pretended to cut down the goalpost at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

• New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker was fined $10,000 for making a snow angel after scoring a touchdown during a week 16 game against the Arizona Cardinals on December 21, 2008.

• On September 26, 2010, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson imitated a minuteman firing a musket and then falling backwards pretending to be shot at Gillette Stadium after scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown against the New England Patriots. He was fined $10,000 for that celebration.

• During a preseason game against the 49ers, Raiders wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins, after scoring on a 97 yard punt return, did a roundoff and a backflip.

• In Super Bowl XLV, Greg Jennings of the Green Bay Packers caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to put the Packers up 21-3 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He celebrated the touchdown by putting an imaginary ring onto his ring finger.

• On October 2, 2011, Chicago Bears running back Marion Barber III scored a fourth-quarter touchdown on a 3-yard run against the Carolina Panthers. Afterwards, he attempted a backflip, but landed on his face.

• On November 27, 2011, Buffalo Bill's wide receiver Steve Johnson did a touchdown celebration which mimicked the Plaxico Burress shooting incident.

• On December 26, 2011, New Orleans Saints' running back Pierre Thomas received a 15-yard penalty for using a football as a prop after removing a Christmas bow from his pants, placing it onto the football and giving it to a fan, which was said to be his mother.

• During the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers performed the "championship belt" move after touchdowns, imitating putting on a boxing or wrestling championship belt. After the Packers won Super Bowl XLV, Rodgers was presented with a replica Big Gold Belt by teammates, and in the following weeks, during a scheduled WWE Raw telecast, the Packers were honored with title belts from the WWE itself. In a series of State Farm commercials that aired during the 2011 season, Rodgers and a State Farm representative argued whether the move was a touchdown dance or the "discount double check" dance to celebrate saving money on insurance. During the 2011 season, opposing defenders would taunt Rodgers with the move after sacking him.

• During Super Bowl XLVI, New York Giants' running back Ahmad Bradshaw, seemingly surprised that no one was trying to grab him paused just before the end zone, turned around, and sat backward onto the goal line.

It has been argued that celebration penalties have affected the outcomes of games. The September 6, 2008 game between Washington and BYU saw the Washington quarterback, Jake Locker, score a touchdown, putting Washington within one point with two seconds to go. Upon entering the endzone, however, Locker threw the ball high in the air, for which his team was penalized, the referee applying NCAA Rule 9-2, Article 1(a)(2), which asserts that "after a score or any other play, the player in possession immediately must return the ball to an official or leave it near the dead-ball spot," paragraph (c) of which expressly forbids "throwing the ball high into the air." BYU blocked the ensuing 38-yard extra point attempt and won the game.

On December 30, 2010, Kansas State's Adrian Hillburn scored a 30-yard touchdown catch with 1:08 left in the 2010 New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Syracuse, narrowing the score to 36-34. He subsequently saluted the crowd in a quick military fashion and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The penalty pushed Kansas State's 2-point conversion attempt (to tie the game and possibly force it into overtime) back to the 18 yard line. Kansas State would then miss the 2-point conversion, and Syracuse went on to win the game.

See also

• Goal celebration

External links

• Why Do We Consider The NFL Fun Again?
• NFL End-Zone Dances