Thie history of TD celebration....
The pioneers
* George Saimes, a back at Michigan State in the early 1960s, is believed to be the first player, college or pro, to flip the ball in the air after scoring. Saimes joined the Buffalo Bills of the AFL as a safety in 1963 and had a 10-year career, with five AFL all-star game appearances.
* In 1964, wide receiver Homer Jones of Texas Southern joined the New York Giants. He is credited with being the first NFL player ever to spike the ball. He did it after 35 touchdowns.
* Elmo Wright, a rookie wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, introduced his high-stepping end zone dance in 1971, becoming the first NFL player to celebrate in the end zone. On Nov. 18, 1973, after catching a touchdown pass from Len Dawson in a 38-14 win over the Houston Oilers, Wright ran in place at a frantic pace, pumping his knees and his arms, stopping long enough to slam the ball to the ground.
* Billy "White Shoes" Johnson had been a football showman since his Chichester High School days in Boothwyn, Pa. in the late '60s. He convinced his coach that wearing white shoes helped him run faster. Johnson debuted his "Funky Chicken" dance at Widener College and introduced it to the NFL when he was a rookie with the Houston Oilers in 1974. In his 14 NFL seasons, he sometimes punctuated the dance by doing the splits.
Shuffling and quaking
* The Ickey Shuffle
Cincinnati Bengals rookie running back Ickey Woods came up with a goofy little dance in 1988. Following each touchdown, Woods would turn to the crowd with his arms outstretched, hop twice to the left, twice to the right, spike the ball and then twirl his right index finger over his head while swiveling his hips and howling, "Woo! Woo! Woo!" The NFL later made Woods shuffle on the sideline only.
* The Fun Bunch
Washington Redskins players, led by the wide receivers, gathered in the end zone after a touchdown for a group high-five. Sometimes an opposing player (such as the Cowboys' Everson Walls) tried to intervene, and eventually the league issued a rule in 1984 that was intended to limit extravagant end zone celebrations.
* The California Quake
After scoring, Cowboys wide receiver Butch Johnson would pretend his hands were six-shooters, fire away, blow the smoke from his fingertips and place his hands back at his sides as if to reholster. The league eventually forced Johnson to retire his Wild West antics.
* Joe Horn calls home
After scoring a TD for the New Orleans Saints in 2003, wide receiver Joe Horn grabbed a cell phone that a teammate had hidden in the goal post padding and called his Mom. The NFL fined Horn $30,000.
* Terrell Owens looks sharp
After scoring a touchdown in 2002, Terrell Owens grabbed a Sharpie marker from inside his sock, autographed the football and handed it to his agent, who was sitting in the end-zone stands.
* The Bob and Weave
This touchdown dance was made famous by the St. Louis Rams in 2000, the year they won the Super Bowl. After a score, the Rams would form a circle, crouch low and then bob around as if they were shadow boxing. The league banned the dance and said it was concerned "about the effects celebrations like the Bob and Weave will have on children watching."
The Lambeau leap
Robert Brooks is credited with popularizing the celebratory move, but safety LeRoy Butler is the innovator of the Lambeau Leap — the touchdown celebration in which the scoring player leaps into the arms of awaiting fans in the stands.
On Dec. 26, 1993, Los Angeles Raiders quarterback Vince Evans completed a second-down swing pass to running back Randy Jordan, who took the ball to the Raiders' 40-yard-line before Butler forced a fumble that was recovered by Reggie White at the Raiders' 35. After running with the ball for 10 yards, White lateralled it to Butler, who ran the remaining 25 yards into the end zone and then made a spontaneous leap into the arms of fans in the south bleachers. The Packers go on to win 28-0 to clinch what would be the first of six consecutive playoff berths.
