Garabed Sarkis "Garo" Yepremian (June 2, 1944 – May 15, 2015) was an American footballplacekicker in the National Football League for the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, during a career that spanned from 1966 to 1981. [...] Yepremian is best known for two feats — one famous, one infamous. In a divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas 1971, he kicked a 37-yard field goal 7 minutes and 40 seconds into double overtime, ending the longest game in NFL history and sending the Dolphins to the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Colts (which the Dolphins won to go on to Super Bowl VI . //  Despite all of Yepremian's success, many people remember him for an incident in Super Bowl VII in 1973. With his team leading the Washington Redskins 14-0, Yepremian was sent on to the field to kick a field goal with slightly more than two minutes left, which would have put the game out of reach. The field goal attempt was blocked by Bill Brundige, and Yepremian managed to get to the ball before any other player did. Instead of just falling on the ball to preserve the Dolphins' 14-0 lead, he picked it up and frantically attempted to throw a pass. The ball slipped from his hands and went straight up in the air. Yepremian then attempted to bat the ball out of bounds but instead batted it back up in the air, and it went right into the arms of his former Lions teammate, Redskins cornerback Mike Bass, who returned it for a touchdown. The Dolphins managed to hold on to win, 14-7. Yepremian later joked to reporters after the game, "This is the first time the goat of the game is in the winner's locker room." In the 1973 Pro Bowl Yepremian kicked five field goals to lead the AFC to a win, and was voted Most Valuable Player in that game. He was elected to another Pro Bowl after he kicked twenty consecutive field goals without a miss in 1979.

• EXPENSE TYPE (over / head)
• BEYOND THE TIME LIMIT (over / long)
• WENT TOO FAR (over / shot)
• RECKLESSLY (head / long)
• YEARBOOK PHOTOGRAPH (head / shot)
• NOT A GOOD BET (long / shot) 

Robert Lawrence "Bobby" Layne, Sr. (December 19, 1926 – December 1, 1986) was an American footballquarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit Lions from 1950–1958, and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1958–1962. He was drafted by the Bears in the first round of the 1948 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Texas. // He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968. His number, 22, has been retired by the University of Texas Longhorns and Detroit Lions. (wikipedia)

• OPERA ARIAS (17A: Songs for divas)
• FIONA APPLE (21A: 1997 Grammy-winning artist whose last name is a fruit)
• LHASA APSOS (35A: Tibetan watchdogs)
• PAULA ABDUL (45A: Former "American Idol" judge)
• SANTA ANITA (54A: Noted California horse-racing venue)

(google)

Imogen was the daughter of King Cymbeline in Shakespeare's play Cymbeline. She was described by William Hazlitt as "perhaps the most tender and the most artless" of all Shakespeare's women. // According to some modern editions of Shakespeare's plays, notably the 1986 Oxford Edition, the correct name is in fact Innogen, and the spelling "Imogen" is an error which arose when the manuscripts were first committed to print. The name Innogen is mentioned as a ghost character in early editions of Much Ado About Nothing as the wife of the Leonato character. Imogen in Cymbeline is paired with a character with the epithet"Leonatus". (wikipedia)

• LIGHT YEAR (17A: Easy two semesters at school?)
• POLESTAR (25A: Lech Walesa, for one?)
• RADIATION BELT (36A: Attire during an X-ray exam?)
• RED GIANT (51A: Lenin, say?)
• SUPERNOVA (61A: Fabulous deli delicacy?)

A radiation belt is a layer of energeticcharged particles that is held in place around a magnetized planet, such as the Earth, by the planet's magnetic field. The Earth has two such belts and sometimes others may be temporarily created. The discovery of the belts is credited to James Van Allen and as a result the Earth's belts bear his name. The main belts extend from an altitude of about 1,000 to 60,000 kilometers above the surface in which region radiation levels vary. Most of the particles that form the belts are thought to come from solar wind and other particles by cosmic rays. The belts are located in the inner region of the Earth's magnetosphere. The belts contain energetic electrons that form the outer belt and a combination of protons and electrons that form the inner belt. The radiation belts additionally contain less amounts of other nuclei, such as alpha particles. The belts endanger satellites, which must protect their sensitive components with adequate shielding if their orbit spends significant time in the radiation belts. In 2013, NASA reported that the Van Allen Probes had discovered a transient, third radiation belt, which was observed for four weeks until destroyed by a powerful, interplanetary shock wave from the Sun. (wikipedia)

• RUNNING [ON E]MPTY (20A: Almost out of energy)
• DA[TE N]IGHT (32A: Time to get a babysitter, maybe)
• "FLAGS O[F OUR] FATHERS" (38A: Patriotic Clint Eastwood movie)
• CA[TWO]MAN (45A: DC Comics character with a whip)
• CB[S EVEN]ING NEWS (52A: Rather informative program, once?)

1.

(usedtorepresentthesoundofapersonsnoring.)

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015. (dictionary.com)

• 24A: Group Theatre playwright of the 1930s (ODETS)— I started with YEATS. Something about "playwright" and spelling of "theatre" and the fact that my dear friend Catherine is a Yeats scholar—not to mention the five-letter length of the answer—made me do it. YEATS died in 1939, so my answer is chronologically plausible, if no other kind of plausible.
• 28A: Works of Carl Maria von Weber (OPERAS)— I get this dude confused with sociologist Max Weber. It's probably the whole last name thing.
• 63A: Medium for Biggie Smalls (RADIO)— this is a very weird clue. Presumably RADIO is a Medium for virtually any singer in the history of singers. Does Biggie have a song about RADIO? Why Biggie? I mean, I'm happy to see his name, but the clue feels weirdly arbitrary. LL Cool J makes more sense. Or Elvis Costello. Or R.E.M. Or Talking Heads. Etc. 

• 66A: "That's not for me" ("I PASS")— I went with "I'M OUT!"

In Egyptian mythology, Apis or Hapis (alternatively spelled Hapi-ankh) is a bull-deity that was worshipped in the Memphis region. "Apis served as an intermediary between humans and an all-powerful god (originally Ptah, later Osiris, then Atum)." [quote: Virtual Egyptian Museum] // Apis was the most important of all the sacred animals in Egypt, and, as with the others, its importance increased as time went on. Greek and Roman authors have much to say about Apis, the marks by which the black bull-calf was recognized, the manner of his conception by a ray from heaven, his house at Memphis with court for disporting himself, the mode of prognostication from his actions, the mourning at his death, his costly burial, and the rejoicings throughout the country when a new Apis was found. Auguste Mariette's excavation of the Serapeum at Memphis revealed the tombs of over sixty animals, ranging from the time of Amenophis III to that of Ptolemy Alexander. At first each animal was buried in a separate tomb with a chapel built above it. (wikipedia)

The redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus, also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch) is freshwater fish native to the southeastern United States. Since it is a popular sport fish, it has been introduced to bodies of water all over North America. This species of sunfish is well known for its diet of mollusks and snails. (wikipedia)

• JUST ONE MOWER THING (24A: How you might classify a blade, a gas tank cap or a starter handle?)
• FEAR OF HYATTS (27A: Reason to stay only at Hiltons or Marriotts?)
• CREATIVE RIOTERS (45A: Mob that disturbs the peace in new and interesting ways?)
• PRETTY SHOER (61A: Attractive blacksmith at a stable?)
• NIGHT MAYORS (75A: Municipal leaders who work the late shift?)
• PRIAM REAL ESTATE (91A: Troy, in the "Iliad"?)
• BAYER MINIMUM (109A: Smallest possible aspirin dose?)
• DOUBLE YELLOW LIONS (113A: Normandy's coat of arms, basically?)

• TROY AIKMAN (17A: He quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys to three 1990s Super Bowl wins) — the "ILIAD" takes place in and just outside TROY, though does not include the fall of TROY (the fall, with the Trojan Horse and all that drama, isn't actually in the "ILIAD"; Virgil's got that covered...)
• HOMER SIMPSON (26A: Animated TV character who cries "D'oh!") — HOMER wrote the "ILIAD"
• ACHILLES HEEL (42A: Key vulnerability) — ACHILLES is the main Greek hero in the "ILIAD" (though the real hero is HECTOR, who could not be with us this evening...)
  
• PARIS METRO (56A: French underground) — PARIS is an asshole. Also, he stole / ran off with Helen, the wife of the Menelaus, which arguably started the whole Trojan War debacle.
  

• FAIRY DUST (18A: Sprinkle from Tinker Bell)
• FAMILY CREST (26A: The one for the Kennedys has three knights' helmets on it)
• "FATHER KNOWS BEST" (40A: Classic sitcom with kids called Princess, Bud and Kitten)
• FALSE ARREST (52A: Potential charge against a bounty hunter)

A lagniappe (/ˈlænjæp/LAN-yap) is a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase (such as a 13th doughnut when buying a dozen), or more broadly, "something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure. // The word entered English from the Louisiana French adapting a Quechua word brought in to New Orleans by the SpanishCreoles. It derived from the South American Spanish phrase la yapa or ñapa (referring to a free extra item, usually a very cheap one). La is the definite article in Spanish as well as in French (la ñapa or la gniappe = the ñapa/gniappe). The term has been traced back to the Quechua word yapay ('to increase; to add'). In Andean markets it is still customary to ask for a yapa (translates as "a little extra") when making a purchase. The seller usually responds by throwing in a little extra. Although this is an old custom, it is still widely practiced in Louisiana. Street vendors, especially vegetable vendors, are expected to throw in a few green chili peppers or a small bunch of cilantro with a purchase. The word is chiefly used in the Gulf Coast region of the United States [...] (wikipedia)

• EHUD BARAK (16A: Israeli P.M. before Ariel Sharon)
• CHOCOLATE ECLAIR (26A: Custard-filled treat)
• BIRMINGHAM BLITZ (42A: Luftwaffe attack on the British Midlands, 1940-43)

The Birmingham Blitz was the heavy bombing by the Nazi GermanLuftwaffe of the city of Birmingham and surrounding towns in the United Kingdom, beginning on 9 August 1940 and ending on 23 April 1943. Situated in the Midlands, Birmingham, England's most populous British city outside London, is an important industrial and manufacturing location. In total around 1,852 tons of bombs were dropped on Birmingham, making it the third most heavily bombed city in the United Kingdom in World War II, behind only London and Liverpool. (wikipedia)

The Birmingham Blitz are a professional basketball team that plays in the American Basketball Association (ABA) based in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 2011, the team is owned by Birmingham Blitz LLC. The Blitz play their home games at Bill Harris Arena. (wikipedia)

• SHOER / NETHER / EROTIC ARTIST / ERNIE BANKS
• CHATTER / DINER / ERNES / ERROL
• UTTER / AMBER / ERNST / ERASURE 
• GLASS SLIPPER / RINGLEADER / ERIE, PA / ERECT 

The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class (formerly known as the SL Roadster prior to 1994) is a grand touringroadster manufactured by Mercedes since 1954. The designation SL derives from the German Sportlich-Leicht, (English: Sport Lightweight) and was first applied to the 300 SL, often referred to as the "Gullwing" due to its gullwing or upward-opening doors. // The term SL refers to the marketing variations of the vehicle, including the numerous engine configurations spanning six design generations. (wikipedia)

• 9D: Go on and on and on (CHATT[ER])— I had PRATE here at first, which certainly fits the clue much better. I don't think of CHATTER as being related to how long one goes on. I think of it as idle talk. At any rate, that corner was Rough to get into. Wanted BRAT for PEST (12D: Trying type). Only got traction up there because I *eventually* got HYGIENIC, though staring at -IENIC, I wasn't sure any word I knew would work.
• 63A: Reputation (ODOR)— ????????? .... ?????????????????
• 65A: One-named R&B singer with the hit "1, 2 Step" (CIARA)— I predict this will be the Proper Noun Least Known in this grid. I have an album by her in my iTunes. I don't remember why.

A food web (or food cycle) is the natural interconnection of food chains and generally a graphical representation (usually an image) of what-eats-what in an ecological community. Another name for food web is a consumer-resource system. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs. To maintain their bodies, grow, develop, and to reproduce, autotrophs produce organic matter from inorganic substances, including both minerals and gases such as carbon dioxide. These chemical reactions require energy, which mainly comes from the sun and largely by photosynthesis, although a very small amount comes from hydrothermal vents and hot springs. A gradient exists between trophic levels running from complete autotrophs that obtain their sole source of carbon from the atmosphere, to mixotrophs (such as carnivorous plants) that are autotrophic organisms that partially obtain organic matter from sources other than the atmosphere, and complete heterotrophs that must feed to obtain organic matter. The linkages in a food web illustrate the feeding pathways, such as where heterotrophs obtain organic matter by feeding on autotrophs and other heterotrophs. The food web is a simplified illustration of the various methods of feeding that links an ecosystem into a unified system of exchange. There are different kinds of feeding relations that can be roughly divided into herbivory, carnivory, scavenging and parasitism. Some of the organic matter eaten by heterotrophs, such as sugars, provides energy. Autotrophs and heterotrophs come in all sizes, from microscopic to many tonnes - from cyanobacteria to giant redwoods, and from viruses and bdellovibrio to blue whales. (wikipedia)

The Namib is a coastal desert in southern Africa. The name Namib is of Nama origin and means "vast place". According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia and to the Olifants River in Western Cape, South Africa. The Namib's northernmost portion, which extends 450 kilometres (280 mi) from the Angola-Namibia border, is known as Moçâmedes Desert, while its southern portion approaches the neighboring Kalahari Desert. From the Atlantic coast eastward, the Namib gradually ascends in elevation, reaching up to 200 kilometres (120 mi) inland to the foot of the Great Escarpment. Annual precipitation ranges from 2 millimetres (0.079 in) in the most arid regions to 200 millimetres (7.9 in) at the escarpment, making the Namib the only true desert in southern Africa. Having endured arid or semi-arid conditions for roughly 55–80 million years, the Namib may be the oldest desert in the world. (wikipedia)

The Skeleton Coast is the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean coast of Namibia and south of Angola from the Kunene River south to the Swakop River, although the name is sometimes used to describe the entire Namib Desert coast. The Bushmen of the Namibian interior called the region "The Land God Made in Anger", while Portuguese sailors once referred to it as "The Gates of Hell". (wikipedia)

• CHICAGO TRAIN (22A: Elevated sight in the Windy City)
• ONE-DIRECTION TRAFFIC (36A: All the cars going the same way)
•  YES, NO DOUBT (55A: "Absolutely!")
• EAGLES' WINGS (62A: They're seen spread on the back of a quarter)
• BOSTON CREAM (72A: Kind of pie or doughnut)
• POISON-FREE (78A: Like child-safe cleaning products)
• FUN SMASHING PUMPKINS (95A: Lark for a Halloween hooligan)
• RUSH THE DOORS (117A: What many Black Friday shoppers do at midnight)

• OBAMACARE (17A: National health insurance overhaul)
• REAGANOMICS (24A: Supply-side fiscal policy popularized in the 1980s)
• BUSHISM (16A: Statement such as "They misunderestimated me")
• HOOVERVILLE (49A: Depression-era shantytown)

n

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) any apparently fatuousstatement attributed to George W. Bush (thefreedictionary.com)

• PRINCESS OF WALES (3D: Elton John's dedicatee for "Candle in the Wind 1997")
• CANDYLAND (4D: Classic board game with a Peppermint Forest)
• "GILDA LIVE" (35D: 1980 one-woman comedy produced by Lorne Michaels)
• SMOOTH OPERATORS (10D: Don Juan types)

Serena is a 2014 American–French drama film based on the 2008 novel of the same name by American author Ron Rash. Directed by Susanne Bier, the film stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper as newlyweds running a timber business in 1930s North Carolina. [...] The film earned £95,000 ($153,310) on its opening weekend in the United Kingdom, debuting at No. 19 at the UK box office. In its second week, the film dropped to finish 34th, grossing £11,645 from 37 screens. The movie ended its run with a total gross of $320,907 (£200,557) // The film made $1 million on video on demand in the United States before its theatrical release. The movie opened in 59 screens across the United States on March 20, 2015, and earned $100,090 for a 30th-place finish. As of November 9, 2014, the film had a theatrical domestic gross of $100,090 and an international theatrical gross of $3,723,317 for a worldwide total of $3,823,407. // In The Irish Times, Donald Clark praised the cinematography as " exquisite," but suggested that Lawrence's performance was "genuinely poor." He concluded, "Nobody is likely to see the [film]." (wikipedia)

• WOOD DUCK (17A: *Colorful North American waterfowl)
• AIRLINE (21A: *Fleet operator)
• BODY WEIGHT (22A: *Class determinant in boxing)
• LETTERHEAD (48A: *Top on official stationery)
• EYEBALL (50A: *Observe closely)
• SEAHORSE (54A: *Swimmer with a prehensile tail)

Sauternes is a Frenchsweet wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section in Bordeaux. Sauternes is made from Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc, and Muscadellegrapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. This causes the grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in concentrated and distinctively flavored wines. Due to its climate, Sauternes is one of the few wine regions where infection with noble rot is a frequent occurrence. Even so, production is a hit-or-miss proposition, with widely varying harvests from vintage to vintage. Wines from Sauternes, especially the Premier Cru Supérieur estate Château d'Yquem, can be very expensive, due largely to the very high cost of production. Barsac lies within Sauternes, and is entitled to use either name. Somewhat similar but less expensive and typically less-distinguished wines are produced in the neighboring regions of Monbazillac, Cérons, Loupiac and Cadillac. In the United States, there is a semi-generic label for sweet white dessert wines known as sauterne without the "s" at the end and uncapitalized. (wikipedia)

• PRIDE AND PREJU (DIE! DIE!) (17A: 1813 novel made into a 2005 film)
• CAN (DIE! DIE!) BERGEN (25A: Five-time Emmy-winning actress)
• BO (DIE! DIE!)-RIPPERS (46A: Racy books named after a Victorian garment)
• LONG ISLAN (DIE! DIE!) TEA (59A: Alcoholic drink so named because of its color, not its content)