The Jets took the last 7 trains out of Shea Stadium with a bittersweet performance.
On 12/10/1983, the 7-7 New York Jets hosted the 9-5 Pittsburgh Steelers in a game, which would close the door on 2 chapters in the annals of the NFL.
There was a somber feeling as the NY Jets played their final game at Shea Stadium, which they had called home since the 1964 season. After 20 years in Queens, the Jets would no longer be calling Shea their home. The story is that Leon Hess truly wanted to keep the Jets in their Queens home since the NY football Giants resided across the Hudson River somewhere in the swamps of Jersey. There was one obstacle in Mr. Hess’s endeavor. His name was Mayor Ed Koch. Hess reached out to Koch, of who Mr. Hess was a known financial backer at the time. Mayor Koch did not respond promptly to Mr. Hess, thus he struck a deal with the NJ Sports Authority, which would bring the Jets to New Jersey. Mayor Koch heard about this deal and reached out to Leon Hess, but it was too late and the bitter feud sealed the deal as far as Leon Hess was concerned.
Now back to the game itself. Yes, this was the last game played by the Jets at Shea Stadium, but also saw the last plays behind center for an iconic and future Hall of Fame QB. In 1983, Pittsburgh QB Terry Bradshaw had elbow surgery and had issues getting onto the field. He missed the first 14 games of the season as he continually suffered setbacks and couldn't throw. He decided to muster up the will to start which what he knew would be his last game due to the very large stage of NY. Shea bid farewell to their beloved Jets and Terry Bradshaw as he gutted out 2 long scoring drives, finishing up his 1983 season and his career by going 5-8 for 77 yards and 2 TD passes.
The one bright spot for the Jets was when Pat Ryan connected with Johnny “Lam” Jones on a 27 yard TD on what would be the final score for the Jets at Shea. The Jets lost the game to the Steelers 34-7 en rout to a 7-9 season under HC Joe Walton. Maybe the change of scenery would benefit the Jets who were just 1 year removed from the AFC Title game following the 1982 season.
