The Most Heartwarming on-Field Moments in NFL History

Passion pervades football both on the field and in the stands, but emotion rarely punctures the sport's stone-faced demeanor. That's what makes the NFL's moving moments all the more powerful.

Because of the hegemony of memory, many of these are recent occurrences, but each is emblematic. Many are also tinged with melancholy, but powerful emotion comes from tragedy, resilience and healing. These tearjerkers are the most heartwarming on-field moments in NFL history.

Just Win, Baby

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As influential as he was fiery, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis helped shape the National Football League as we know it, and his death at age 82 in October 2011 marked the end of an era.

One day later, the Raiders played a road game against the Houston Texans. A moment of silence was held for Davis during all games that week, and the Raiders wore a black decal with silver letters "AL" on their helmets.

Holding a slim five-point lead with seconds remaining, the Texans knocked on the door for the game-winning touchdown. Then Michael Huff stepped in front of Jacoby Jones to intercept Matt Schaub's pass and secure the victory. After the final whistle, head coach Hue Jackson sank to one knee, racked by heavy sobs.

As Huff told the Associated Press, via USA Today: "We know he's looking down on us right now. This win is for him. I appreciate everything he's done for this organization. He's never gone in our eyes. We'll never let him go. He's with us."

Inexplicably, the Raiders lined up with only 10 men on the deciding play in error, but Huff was the only one who mattered. Davis surely would have relished such an unconventional victory.

Eric Berry Returns

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Just prior to his 26th birthday, Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He promised that he would be back from the cancer scare, and just 10 months later, he returned to the field with a thundering ovation at Arrowhead Stadium this September.

The Chiefs fell to the Denver Broncos that day, but what mattered most was the mere fact that Berry not only overcame the lymphoma but also stayed in shape and was able to compete in a professional football game less than a year later.

In late October, Berry frenzied the home fans once again with a diving interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers, his first pick since returning:

"

That moment when @Stuntman1429 gets his first INT since beating cancer... #BerryStrong #PITvsKC https://t.co/u2YlzB7CfV

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2015"

The arrow-shooting celebration showed his enthusiasm has not dimmed.

Punter Surprises Military Family with More Than New Car

To choose one military homecoming is to choose them all. While some are executed with more of a "gotcha" factor in the surprise and others are more earnestly emotional, each homecoming marks a special moment and an opportunity to give appreciation for service.

This example in particular begs a sly smile, as the Indianapolis Colts turned halftime of their meeting with the St. Louis Rams into a veritable game of The Price Is Right as part of the Salute to Service honoring Veterans Day.

With Army Sergeant First Class Jeremy Ino serving in Afghanistan, his wife Christin encountered trouble caring for their sons Dominique and David when the family car went on the fritz. Punter Pat McAfee had assisted in planning the homecoming event, and when he learned of the car trouble, he bought the Inos a new SUV.

Enlisting the help of the team mascot, Blue, McAfee revealed the brand new car, which was really a Trojan horse for the big reveal: Jeremy home from his tour of duty.

Win One for Chuck

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In 2012, Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano had to leave the team in order to receive treatment for leukemia. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians assumed the interim post, and the team saw an inspired run of play put them at 10-5 going into the final weekend.

Pagano returned to the sidelines for that Week 17 matchup against the Houston Texans. He told reporters after the game, via NFL.com: "The best medicine that I received was just watching them play week in and week out."

Even with their postseason berth all sewn up, the Colts dominated the game and led for nearly the entire contest. The result was all but decided after the coin flip, when the team played a moving video tribute to Pagano in the stadium, prompting a rafter-shaking ovation from the crowd and heartfelt applause from the Texans sideline.

Heavy-Hearted Brett Favre Shines on Monday Night Football

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In 2003, just a few days before Christmas, Brett Favre's father Irvin died suddenly at age 58. One day later, Favre's Green Bay Packers played the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football. Favre later said he only had about five minutes of indecision about whether to take the field.

Seemingly as if an unseen force guided his passes, Favre assailed the Raiders for four touchdowns and 311 yards—in the first half. The Packers cruised to victory, and anyone who watched the nationally televised game was awed by Favre's inspired performance.

As he stated after the win, via ESPN.com: "I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much, and I love this game. It's meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family, and I didn't expect this kind of performance. But I know he was watching tonight."

The League's Youngest Coach

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Braylon Beam's mantra: Just keep dancing.

When 6-year-old Braylon Beam appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May, he became a hit on social media with his "JustKeepDancing" campaign, launched as a manner for coping with chemotherapy to treat his brain tumor.

He also said he'd like to coach the Carolina Panthers someday, and he got his chance in August when the team signed him as an honorary coach for their Fan Fest practice.

But best of all was Beam's appearance at Bank of America Stadium in late September, which came just days after his doctor told him that the tumor was shrinking. Young Braylon banged the team's "Keep Pounding" drum (which honors former linebacker and coach Sam Mills, who died of cancer in 2005), and then he "ripped open his white T-shirt to reveal a Superman jersey, mirroring the touchdown celebration of quarterback Cam Newton," as observed by ESPN.com's David Newton.

"

Six-year old Braylon Beam banged the "Keep Pounding" drum before the Panthers faced the... http://t.co/Bgly8g8lDD pic.twitter.com/Qux1tZ4rpd

— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) September 27, 2015"

Seemingly, Super Braylon has found a way to combat his kryptonite.

And Sean Taylor Makes 11

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Sean Taylor was a rising NFL star before his untimely death at age 24. A national champion at Miami and No. 5 draft pick by the Washington Redskins in 2004, he merited a pair of Pro Bowls before tragedy struck. Armed intruders shot Taylor at his Florida home on Nov. 26, 2007, and he died at the hospital several hours later. Ultimately, five suspects in the slaying were convicted and sent to prison.

Taylor's murder sent shock waves through the NFL and larger sporting world, prompting an outpouring of grief, as well as love and support for his family and teammates.

In Washington's next game, hosting the Buffalo Bills, defensive coaches and players decided to make a powerful tribute to Taylor, in addition to the many other emotional remembrances that day. When the Bills ran their first play from scrimmage, Washington's defense lined up with 10 men. The player responsible for Taylor's position, Reed Doughty, stood on the sideline.

As noted by the Associated Press, via ESPN.com: "Redskins coach Joe Gibbs wasn't aware ahead of time that players were going to honor Taylor that way." Doughty explained the gesture, saying: "It was important for the team to know that Sean was with us that one last time on the field. He'll always be with us, but that was special."

Football Returns to the Superdome

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After the New Orleans Saints notched their cathartic Super Bowl win in February 2010, the image of game MVP Drew Brees holding his wide-eyed young son in his arms endured, a representation of innocence, rebirth and the vast potential of the future.

But another on-field moment carried more power for the people of New Orleans: Steve Gleason's blocked punt in the first game back in the Superdome post-Katrina on Sept. 25, 2006.

After forcing a three-and-out for the Atlanta Falcons on the opening possession, Gleason streaked up the middle of the formation and stuffed the punt, which was then recovered for a touchdown. An electrified crowd erupted with cacophonous joy, exorcising at least some of the demons still stalking the building that had been hastily converted to a makeshift shelter after the storm.

Marking the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the superb Wright Thompson wrote a long meditation on postdiluvian New Orleans for ESPN The Magazine. He included one man's recollection of the first game back at the Superdome: "Shack Brown went to the Monday night game against the Falcons and saw Steve Gleason block the punt in person, and he doesn't talk much about that either, except to say that during the game he found the spot in the plaza where he'd huddled with his family."

Thompson captured the charged emotions bubbling under the surface for so many New Orleans residents, and he encapsulated the power of the Superdome's return to a football venue instead of the damaged and dangerous emergency residence it had been.

Gleason, who now suffers from ALS, saw that healing moment immortalized in sculpture when a statue called "Rebirth" was erected outside the Superdome in 2012.