On December 10, 1972, St. Louis Cardinal Jim Hart threw a 98 yard pass to receiver Ahamad Rashad, also known as Bobby More, who was tackled upon receiving the pass to connect for the longest pass in the history of the National Football League to not result in a touchdown.
The game resulted in a 24-14 Cardinals home victory over the St. Louis Rams. The ball was on the Ram’s one yard line following the record breaking throw. Donny Anderson took the ball in for a touchdown. Jim Bakken got the extra point, putting the Cardinals up 10-0 in the second quarter. Roman Gabriel was the quarterback for the Rams.
Hart was never officially drafted by an NFL team. The Southern Illinois University graduate was signed by the Cardinals as a free agent right after the 1966 draft. He played in 199 games in the 18 seasons he was with the Cardinals. His final season in the NFL, 1984, was with the Washington Redskins where he played in two games. He made four Pro Bowl appearances.
After retiring from the NFL, Hart went back to SIU to be the athletic director for the Salukis. In 1999 he was asked to leave his position to assist the university in fundraising after the state cut funding. He had three kids with his wife, Mary, and moved to Florida to enjoy life in the sun and play in NFL celebrity golf charity outings.
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