The Thursday night nationally-televised World Football
League game on July 18, 1974 featured the Memphis Southmen hosting the Portland
Storm. The Southmen (or “Grizzlies”, as the locals preferred to call them) had
won their opening game handily over the Detroit Wheels the week before while Portland had been trounced
by the Philadelphia Bell.
Owned by Canadian businessman John Bassett Jr., the
franchise was originally slated to play in Toronto ,
but legislation introduced in the Canadian Parliament that banned US-based pro
football leagues from that nation caused the team to be moved to Memphis . Prior to the move, Bassett had made the biggest
preseason splash for the new league by signing three stars from the
NFL-champion Miami Dolphins – FB Larry Csonka, HB Jim Kiick, and WR Paul
Warfield – to contracts for the 1975 season. That was, of course, a year away
and they were not available for ’74, but Head Coach John McVay’s team still
boasted some promising talent, including rookie QB Danny White and RB J.J.
Jennings and young veterans such as RB John Harvey.
Starting at quarterback was 31-year-old John Huarte (pictured above), who had
been a career backup in pro football since winning the Heisman Trophy at Notre
Dame in 1964. He had been taken in the sixth round of the ’65 NFL draft by the
Eagles and second in the AFL draft by the New York Jets. Huarte signed with the
Jets but found himself quickly overshadowed by another rookie quarterback who
had been taken in the first round, Joe Namath. He spent time on New York ’s taxi squad before being dealt to the Patriots,
where he saw scant action over the course of two years. He moved on to the
Eagles, Chiefs, and Bears, retiring from the NFL in 1973 having thrown a career
total of just 48 passes (his one TD pass came with Philadelphia in ‘68).
However, Huarte decided to take another shot at pro football with the new
league.
The Portland Storm was the last of the WFL franchises to set
up shop, having originally been slated to play in New York
City (where a different ownership group ended up with a team). Dick
Coury, previously an assistant with the NFL Denver Broncos, became head coach
and the roster drew heavily from the Pacific Northwest .
There were 31,088 fans in attendance at the Liberty Bowl on
an 87-degree night. They had reason to cheer early on as the Southmen scored in
spectacular fashion in their first possession on a Huarte pass to wide-open
rookie WR Jack Ettinger that covered 42 yards. Huarte successfully threw for
the action point (touchdowns were worth seven points in the WFL, followed by an
action point that could not be kicked) and the home team was ahead by 8-0.
However, after that electrifying beginning neither squad was
able to score again during first half. Portland
tied the game with just over six minutes left in the third quarter when QB Greg
Barton threw to WR Sam Dickerson for a 29-yard touchdown. The successful action
point made it 8-8. Dickerson, a rookie out of USC, had been activated from Portland ’s taxi squad the day before the game.
The winning touchdown for the Southmen was set up later in
the period when CB David Thomas intercepted a Barton pass and returned it to
the Portland 17. Huarte passed to WR Ed Marshall
for a 14-yard TD and again successfully threw for the action point.
Thomas intercepted another pass at the Portland
34 in the fourth quarter but Memphis failed to
add to its lead when an attempt to convert a fourth-and-one situation at the 12
came up short and the Storm took over on downs. The Southmen held on to win the
low-scoring contest by a score of 16-8.
John Huarte was good on 15 of 24 passes for 197 yards and
the two touchdowns with none intercepted. John Harvey rushed for 64 yards on 10
carries while J.J. Jennings added 63 yards on his 20 attempts. TE Gary Shirk
caught 5 passes for 62 yards and Jack Ettinger, thanks to the long scoring
pass, gained 64 yards on his two catches.
For the Storm, Greg Barton completed 11 of 23 throws for 163
yards and a TD but also was picked off twice. HB Marv Kendricks ran for 75
yards on 17 attempts. Sam Dickerson pulled in 4 passes for 98 yards and the
team’s lone touchdown.
“Huarte’s experience and cool really showed up,” said Coach
McVay. “Our receivers and the defensive team really played a great game.”
The former Heisman Trophy winner’s performance was indeed
the biggest story of the night. Huarte went on to have his best pro season,
leading the WFL in yards per attempt (8.2) while completing 154 of 294 passes
for 2416 yards with 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
The long scoring pass in the first quarter was the only
touchdown of the year for Jack Ettinger, who caught just 7 passes for 167
yards. Ed Marshall, who scored the game-winning TD, had a far more significant
season, accumulating 60 receptions for 1159 yards and a league-leading 19
touchdowns – adding his 11 action points, he led the WFL in scoring with 144
total points. Likewise, David Thomas, with the two key interceptions in the
second half, led the WFL in that category with 10 and was named to the league
All-Star Team by The Sporting News.
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