Joe Theismann is one of America’s favorite football broadcasters, he is knowledgeable about the game because he played the game. Theismann starred in college football at the University of Notre Dame, then transitioned into pro football in the Canadian Football League before coming to the Washington Redskins and eventually becoming the starting quarterback there. But what Theismann is probably most famous for is being the victim of a terrible broken leg injury that happened during a 1985 Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants.

The one thing that makes it so obvious how serious the injury was is when you see one of the all time greats, Lawrence Taylor, immediately jump up and wave for medical help to come onto the field. It is common to see a defensive player sack a quarterback and then get up and celebrate… to see one of the most intense linebackers ever get up from a sack and summon medical attention for the player he just tackled is truly eye opening.