It was a breezy Sunday afternoon on April 25, 1976. Most of the 25,000 fans at Dodger Stadium were just settling in for a typical game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. They expected home runs and cold beer. Nobody expected to witness one of the most iconic moments in American sports history.
Rick Monday, the Cubs' center fielder, was just doing his job. He was a veteran, a former Marine Reservist, and honestly, a pretty great ballplayer. But in the bottom of the fourth inning, everything changed. Two guys hopped the fence in left-center field. They weren't there for an autograph.
They had a flag. And a can of lighter fluid.
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The moment Rick Monday saves US flag from the torch
Most people think of baseball as a slow game. It isn't. When Monday saw those two protesters—later identified as William Errol Thomas and his 11-year-old son—unfurl the stars and stripes on the grass, he didn't call for security. He didn't wait for the umpires.
He just ran.
"I knew they weren't there to wave it," Monday later recalled. The protesters were kneeling, dousing the fabric in lighter fluid. They were struggling with the wind. The first match blew out. Just as they were about to strike the second one, Monday swooped in like a bird of prey. He snatched the flag right out of their hands without even breaking his stride.
It was a clean steal.
The crowd didn't just cheer; they exploded. In an era defined by the Vietnam War's aftermath and the Watergate scandal, seeing a player literally rescue the national colors felt like a shot of adrenaline. The stadium organist, Nancy Bea Hefley (though some sources credit the crowd's organic start), began playing "God Bless America." Thousands of people sang along, many with tears in their eyes.
Why did he do it?
Rick Monday wasn't looking for a headline. He served six years in the Marine Corps Reserves. For him, the flag wasn't just a "piece of cloth," as some critics called it later. It represented the guys he knew who didn't come home.
He often talked about the "broken bodies" he saw in veterans' hospitals. To Monday, letting someone burn that symbol in his "office"—the baseball field—was simply not an option. It was an instinctive reaction rooted in his upbringing and military service.
Interestingly, the protesters' motives were a bit murky at the time. William Thomas later claimed he was trying to protest the "imprisonment" of his wife in a mental institution. Whatever the reason, the method backfired spectacularly. Instead of a political statement, they created a national hero.
The aftermath: From the field to the Hall of Fame
The game actually continued after the incident. The Dodgers won 5-4, but the final score was a footnote. When Monday came to the plate for his next at-bat, the Dodger Stadium scoreboard flashed a message: RICK MONDAY YOU MADE A GREAT PLAY.
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Keep in mind, he was on the visiting team.
The Dodgers fans gave him a standing ovation that lasted minutes. It’s one of the few times in sports history where a home crowd treated a rival like a savior.
- The Photograph: James Roark, a photographer for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, captured the moment Monday clutched the flag. That photo was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
- The Gift: A few weeks later, the Dodgers held a ceremony at Wrigley Field. They gave the flag back to Monday as a gift.
- The Value: Monday has been offered six-figure sums for that flag. He’s turned them all down. He still has it today, kept in a secure location, though he occasionally brings it out for charity events.
Why this still matters decades later
We live in a loud, polarized world. People argue about flags, protests, and sports every single day on social media. But the story of how Rick Monday saves US flag persists because it was a moment of pure, unscripted conviction.
There was no PR team. There was no "brand strategy." It was just a guy in a baseball uniform who saw something he thought was wrong and decided to fix it.
Even now, Monday receives letters from veterans thanking him. He’s been honored by the Senate. He’s received the Presidential Commendation. Yet, if you talk to him, he’ll tell you he’s just a guy who was "close enough to do something about it."
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Practical Takeaways for History Buffs
If you want to experience this moment beyond just reading about it, there are a few things you can do:
- Watch the footage: Grainy video of the "save" exists on YouTube. Listening to Vin Scully’s live call of the event adds a whole new layer of tension.
- Visit the Hall of Fame: The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown has a significant collection of materials related to the event, including the Senate resolution honoring Monday.
- Support Veteran Charities: Rick Monday and his wife, Barbaralee, have used the fame from this incident to raise over $500,000 for military charities. Donating to organizations like the Patriot Guard Riders or Step Up 4 Vets is a great way to honor the spirit of what happened in 1976.
The 1970s were a messy time for America. We were cynical. We were tired. But for one afternoon in Los Angeles, a center fielder reminded everyone that some things are still worth sprinting for.
To dive deeper into this era of baseball, look for the biography Rick Monday: My Journey or check out the "100 Classic Moments" list curated by the Baseball Hall of Fame. Reading original newspaper clippings from the April 26, 1976, editions of the Los Angeles Times or Chicago Tribune can also provide a fascinating look at how the public reacted in real-time.