In a rare collision, Duke's James Kirkland collided with another lineman and for a few seconds, his opponent's helmet was locked to his own.
The equipment managers had their hands full trying to remove the mask but finally got it off with a set of pliers. Scenes of the staff attempting to remove the helmet led ESPN's Sportscenter that night.
It really is a miracle know one was injured.
At any other game, I probably wouldn't have been the only photographer to capture this moment. Because Clemson was playing Duke, there were only a handful of shooters on the sidelines. If Clemson had been hosting a team like FSU or South Carolina, there would have been another 25 still photographers on the field and a few more shooters would have probably shot this moment.
It's interesting. When people saw the image back in the 90s, they would say something like "Wow, when did that happen?"
Today, when they see the image, most people respond with "Man, how did you Photoshop that other guy out?"
It really did happen.
Clemson beat Duke 34-17 that day and the image appeared in LIFE magazine a few weeks later.
