Green Smoke

By Nic

That title is something that’s been bandied around Green Smoke for a while now to emphasise the love for Gang Green we have here in the UK’s capital city. The truth is, like every other UK city, football (or soccer, if you will) is very much the predominant sport, and every London-based Jets fan supports a team, whether it be Chelsea like me, Arsenal like Dave Balcombe, Tottenham (Spurs) like John Crow, Everton is Al’s favourite team, and Manny loves Manchester United. But what about Millwall? Ever heard of them? Or perhaps Fulham or even Watford? … London-based Jets fan Scott Edney is a massive Lions (Millwall) fan as well as an ardent supporter of the Jets, while celebrities such as actor Hugh Grant and singer Sir Elton John are fans of The Cottagers (Fulham) and The Hornets (Watford), respectively, and you’ve probably heard of them.

But why am I droning on about teams that, unless you’re across the pond and from a ‘soccer family’ like Gotham City Crew’s Claudio, you’ve probably never heard of? It’s because of this man, Robert ‘Bobby’ Howfield.

Bobby was born in Watford, just northwest of London. He played soccer in his youth for Millwall and was said to have a fearsome right foot. In 1957, he went on to play for Watford, Fulham, and others before he sat in a pub with a mate in 1968 and saw a newspaper advertisement for a ‘kicking clinic’, essentially a trial for kickers for the Chiefs. It was held at London’s Wembley Stadium, and his friend was alleged to have bet him a pint that he couldn’t make the grade, but that started a new chapter in his life that saw him eventually move to The New York Jets in 1971. It was here that he set a new record for points scored by a place-kicker when, on the 3rd December 1972, he landed six successful kicks at Shea Stadium, scoring all of his side’s points as they beat the Saints 18-17. The winning kick, from 42 yards, came in the dying seconds, and Howfield went on to finish the season as the AFC’s top scorer. He retired in 1974, aged 37.

There’s been talk of Spurs’ and England’s legendary goal scorer Harry Kane retiring to the US to follow suit. The Pats fan recently reiterated during an interview with Good Morning America that he wants to be a kicker once his soccer career is over.

I started following the Jets in the 80s. Some mates and I would go over to a local park and throw a ball (badly); I’d often drop it. We’d go through plays we’d seen on TV, and hours later we’d be covered in mud, dirt, and bruises. We all supported different NFL teams, and those times in that park, come rain or shine, are good memories for me. A lot of Londoners did and still do the same, whether it be in Green Park, Hyde Park, or, as Seb (the founder of the UK & Ireland Jets Fan Club) wrote in his article on this blog, Finsbury Park.

Have you ever heard of another Londoner named Victor X, formerly known as Victor Ebubedike? He was once walking through the capital and ventured through Hyde Park when he saw a bunch of individuals playing American Football and asked to join in. This would be his turning point, as this fella from Paddington celebrated his 16th birthday getting covered in mud, dirt, and bruises too. Football would go on to be his life for the next 30 years. Some years later Dick Steinberg, the Jets GM at the time, spoke to Terry Smith (who used to be a free-agent defensive back for the Pats that came over to England and was a coach over here), who recommended the Londoner.

Just how the then 24-year-old Ebubedike would’ve fit into the Jets’ plans was unclear, as Freeman McNeil and Johnny Hector were in the mix there too. Head coach Bruce Coslet and running backs coach Kippy Brown had their eye on Victor, and he was invited to training camp, as he explains in this NFL UK piece on YouTube…

‘American Football’ is now commonplace in London; annual games take place in the capital at both Wembley and the purpose-built stadium in Tottenham, where every team’s jersey can be seen on those days. It’s easy to say, “Coz London loves the Jets” but the truth is, it’s a UK thing, and whether we’re from Edinburgh, Liverpool, Newcastle, Cambridge, or Cardiff, Gang Green is in our blood, and who knows? In 10 years from now, a lad from Wandsworth, Worcester or the Wirral could’ve read this, having gone through the NFL’s UK academy and is lining up in the Jets’ O-line getting muddy, dirty, and covered in bruises, except this time it’s in the Super Bowl.