Hard to believe it’s been 45 years … to the day.

On this date in 1976, former Dodgers outfielder Rick Monday, then a member of the Chicago Cubs, prevented two protestors who had run onto the field at Dodger Stadium, from burning an American flag after dousing it with lighter fluid.

Monday, a former United States Marine Corps Reservist, saw what the pair were attempting to do and immediately ran from his centerfield position to left field where he snatched the flag up and ran towards the Dodgers’ dugout and handed it to former Dodgers pitcher Doug Rau.

“And Rick Monday runs in and takes it away from them,” Hall of Fame broadcaster said during his live radio call of the game.

“If you’re going to burn the flag, don’t do it around me,” Monday said years later during an exclusive interview of the incident. “I’ve been to too many veterans’ hospitals and seen too many broken bodies of guys who tried to protect it. As far as I’m concerned, it was wrong in 1976, it’s wrong today, what they were trying to do.”

Monday is in his 26th season as a Dodgers broadcaster and his 34th season overall with the team. He is currently the color analyst on AM 570, the Dodgers flagship radio station. He was the Dodgers primary centerfielder for eight seasons (1977-1984) and has often said: “If that’s all you’re known for, that’s not a bad thing at all.”

Monday’s ‘Great Play’ has been named as one of the Top-100 plays in baseball history.

God Bless You, Rick Monday.

…and God Bless America!

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