mater pulled off The Play in the Big Game

What most people now call a Hail Mary, the Falcons in those days called a Big Ben. Bartkowski, the NFL's No. 1 draft pick in 1975, launched a pass down the left side to about the 5-yard line. It was deflected and fell into the arms of Billy "White Shoes" Johnson.

Johnson cut to the middle of the field, then tried to snake his way into the end zone. Though it appeared the 49ers had tackled him at least a foot shy of the goal line, the officials ruled it a touchdown.

Nearly 30 years later, what does Bartkowski recall about one of the most disputed plays in league history?

"I just remember about how the people in the Bay Area bellyached about the call," Bartkowski said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Of course, he quickly added: "You know, they had a point: There's no way Billy scored, but we got credit for the touchdown."

Bartkowski played 11 seasons (1975-85) for the Falcons. In the first six (before the 49ers won their first Super Bowl title), Atlanta went 9-3 against San Francisco. In the final five seasons, the 49ers won six of the nine meetings.

That made the Big Ben finish even sweeter for Bartkowski and his teammates.

"We're glad to be sort of a thorn in the side of that franchise that had basically turned the tables on us. When I first came into the league, we used to take care of them pretty well. I looked forward to coming home to play the 49ers, but then when the Bill Walsh era kicked in, they were the kings of the NFC West.

"Having to play them twice a year was pretty tough, so it was good to have a little bit of payback on that given evening."

By early evening in Atlanta on Sunday, either the 49ers or the Falcons will have become NFC champions. Bartkowski, now 60, still lives in the Atlanta area. He works for DPR Construction (which is based in Redwood City) and is a member of the Falcons' board of directors.

Bartkowski said he and quarterback Matt Ryan are "pretty close."

Said Bartkowski of Ryan: "Our guy has been special from Day 1. He came into the league mature beyond his years. He's incredibly competitive, can make all the throws.

"Let me just say it like this: There's nobody in the league that I'd rather have quarterbacking our franchise than Matt Ryan."

Bartkowski quarterbacked Cal for three seasons (1972-74). He returned to Memorial Stadium for the Bears' game against Washington on Nov. 2 as the school honored him for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

As for his days as a student in Berkeley, Bartkowski said, "I was surrounded by too many smart people - other than that, it was a great experience, one that I treasure to this day.

"I loved my time there at Cal and if I had to do it all over again, I'd pick the same school."

You might wonder if Bartkowski would pick the same sport, though. People forget he was a good enough baseball player as a corner infielder and catcher to be drafted by the Royals after his senior year at Santa Clara's Buchser High in 1971 and by the Orioles after his junior year at Cal in '74.

His dad pitched in the Cubs' organization in the late 1940s and early '50s. "Even to this day, it's still my favorite sport," Bartkowski said of baseball, "no question about it."

Bob Milano spent 22 seasons (1978-99) as Cal's head baseball coach. He was an assistant coach when Bartkowski played.

Milano said Bartkowski "had the talent" to make it to the majors, probably as a catcher, if he had focused solely on baseball, but "he loved playing both sports."

Said Bartkowski: "I might have my own natural knees instead of artificial ones now had I gone the baseball route. (It's) too late to turn back."

On Nov. 20, 1983, Bartkowski and the Falcons turned back the 49ers on the final play of the game. If Atlanta holds off San Francisco on Sunday, few people will savor the Falcons' victory more than Bartkowski - Big Ben or no Big Ben.