All the way back in 1990 the Moscow Bears from the then Soviet Union played against the Bandits from Fresno, California. The information below was compiled by the Russian Museum of American Football.
Not the Bears First Rodeo
A day after the Tacoma game, the Bears went to Selma and immediately worked out with the Fresno Bandits ahead of their game against each other; the Bandits were no strangers to foreign football, having played a game in Hong Kong in 1989. Their joint practice, at Staley Stadium on Selma High School, consisted of both teams splitting into position groups then working out together.[5]
Not wanting to make the game a living hell for the Soviets, especially after their drubbing in Tacoma, Bandits head coach Jim Woods promised before the game that he would keep it straightforward and not run up the score.[13] After all, “We want them to have a good time,” Woods explained.[5] “We know what it’s like to be traveling outside our own country. It’s hard to realize. The realization doesn’t set in until you get out of the country and then you think, ‘Hey, I’m not home anymore.
“[The Bandits] were kind of unsure what to expect [from the Bears]. They’re all young men, and these are young men from a different country. Who’s to say that if things hadn’t gone a different way that these two groups, instead of playing football, could have been at war with each other?”
Some Confusion Surrounding the Match
Things were peachy in Selma, a far cry from the rather messy announcement in the spring. Fresno Mayor Karen Humphrey and the Bandits originally proclaimed they were the first American team to play the Bears. When this was obviously not the case, team manager Bob Martin blamed Humphrey for the misunderstanding because she “came into the press conference all excited and uninformed and just announced that this would be the first game ever.”
As it turned out, Selma Mayor Bob Kenyon had miswrote on his application to the Selma Unified School District to use Selma High School’s stadium for the stadium that the game was the Bears’ “first stop on its tour of the USA.” Kenyon tried to clarify he meant Selma was the first stop “to see small town hospitality” in America, though all of the city’s board meeting documents explicitly stated they were their first city in general. Oops.
Kickoff on the 4th of July
In any case, everyone was hospitable once the team arrived. With the game taking place on the 4th of July, the city canceled its usual holiday festivities in favor of organizing a special welcome event for the Bears, which included a fireworks show and a buffet dinner at Sal’s Mexican Restaurant (to which Kenyon asked, “How do you explain a taco to someone from Russia who has no idea what you’re talking about?”). Cosmonaut Aleksandr Viktorenko, president of the USSR American Football Union, also arrived in the city as a special guest. 49ers lineman Bubba Paris and Chiefs receiver Stephone Paige recieved invitations as well, the former offering to coach Moscow’s defensive line.
Once the celebrations were over, the Bears and Bandits made for Fresno’s Ratcliffe Stadium to play their game. During the coin toss, one of Moscow’s captains gave his answer in Russian; the referee flipped it without realizing he knew what the answer meant, then asked him for a translation; not knowing the English term, he simply pointed at the coin on the ground at the side facing up and said, “That, that.”
Some Major Confusion Ensued
To everyone’s relief, the Soviet State Anthem correctly played before kickoff. To everyone’s dismay, nobody seemed to understand that fair catches must be called on punts, or punt rules in general it seemed. At one point, Moscow punted and one of their gunners downed the ball by touching it, only for everyone to dive on it anyway like it was a muff; a Fresno player “recovered” the ball and tried to take off with it.
Despite the occasional oddity, Woods kept to his word and called a conservative game, even declining penalties on the Bears whenever his offense was in the red zone. With the Bandits not playing as aggressively, the Bears put up some decent plays here and there. Alexander Tysoma was easily their best player as he ran for a first down on Moscow’s opening play then gained 21 yards on a reverse (ignoring that they proceeded to lose four yards and go three and out after that), and almost caught a few passes that were just off target. Boldin and backup-slash-punter Igor Zhiltsoz combined to go 0 for 13 with two interceptions. The defense forced a turnover on downs at their own eight-yard line as well, which made for a moral win at least.
By the end, the score was a still-bad-but-not-as-bad-as-Tacoma 42–0.
The Legacy
35 years later Russia has a major and minor league of American Football where all the players definitely know the rules of punting! Although President Trump recommended hockey matches as a way to restart relations it would be better for them to look into the passion that Russians have for the greatest and most American game on Earth. Hopefully, future friendship matches and cooperation can be organized.