The second season of the World League of American
Football, the NFL’s Spring developmental league, concluded with the Sacramento
Surge facing the Orlando Thunder in the World Bowl on June 6, 1992.
Sacramento, coached by Kay Stephenson, topped the North
American West Division with an 8-2 record. QB David Archer (pictured above), a veteran NFL backup, was the
league’s top passer and WR Eddie Brown, a product of the CFL, topped the
developmental circuit with 1011 yards on 48 catches, 12 of which were good for
touchdowns. RB Mike Pringle, also from the CFL, was effective both running and
catching the ball out of the backfield. The defense was anchored by DE Michael
Sinclair, who recorded 10 sacks and would go on to become a Pro Bowl player for
the Seahawks. The Surge edged Barcelona 17-15 in the first playoff round to
advance to the World Bowl.
The Thunder were coached by Galen Hall and also went 8-2
in finishing first in the North American East Division. QB Scott Mitchell was
on loan from the Miami Dolphins and showed his potential by passing for 2213
yards, which ranked second in the league. WR Joe Johnson was the best of the
receivers, while Darryl Clack, a disappointment with the Dallas Cowboys who had
gone to Canada, was the best of the ground gainers. Orlando thrashed the
Birmingham Fire by a score of 45-7 to qualify for the World Bowl.
There were 43,759 fans in attendance for the Saturday
night game at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Orlando took the early lead in
the first quarter thanks to a 12-play, 98-yard drive that was helped along by
penalties. Scott Mitchell capped the series with a 10-yard scoring pass to WR
Chris Ford and Tracy Bennett added the extra point.
Cary Blanchard kicked a 32-yard field goal at 4:16 into
the second quarter to get the Surge on the board, but the Thunder got a break
when Eddie Brown fumbled a punt inside his ten yard line. Mitchell threw to WR
Willie Davis along the sideline for an eight-yard TD and Bennett’s successful
point after made the score 14-3.
With 54 seconds remaining in the half, Orlando’s Bennett
added a 20-yard field goal to make it a 14-point margin, but the scoring wasn’t
yet over when Archer threw to Brown for a 35-yard gain that set up a 24-yard
Blanchard field goal with one second left on the clock. The tally stood at 17-6
in favor of Orlando at halftime.
The third quarter was scoreless and Sacramento was still
down by 11 points entering the final period, but the Surge narrowed the gap. Less
than three minutes into the fourth quarter, David Archer threw to TE Paul Green
for a 12-yard touchdown and then tossed a pass to WR Mark Stock for a two-point
conversion that made it a 17-14 contest.
The Surge had a chance to tie the score on their next
possession, but Blanchard was wide on a 31-yard field goal attempt. However, Sacramento
got the ball back on an interception of a Mitchell pass by LB Mike Jones, who
returned it 12 yards to the Orlando 34. Archer tossed a screen pass to Mike
Pringle that gained 31 yards to the three and three plays later, with 5:44 to
play, Archer connected with Brown in the left corner of the end zone for a
three-yard touchdown. Blanchard added the extra point, and that was it as the
Surge held on for a 21-17 win and the Championship.
The Surge significantly outgained Orlando (402 yards to
203) and had more first downs (24 to 15). Sacramento also led in turnovers with
four, however, to three suffered by the Thunder. Each team recorded two sacks.
David Archer completed 22 of 33 passes for 286 yards and
the two fourth quarter touchdowns while giving up one interception. Mike
Pringle rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries and caught two passes for 37 more
yards. Eddie Brown topped the Sacramento receivers with 8 catches for 78 yards and
included the game-winning TD.
For the Thunder, Scott Mitchell was successful on 18 of
41 throws for 187 yards, also with two TDs and one interception. Joe Johnson
had 7 pass receptions for 79 yards. The running game was practically
nonexistent, with a total of just 35 yards on 11 attempts, and the individual
leader was Darryl Clack, who gained 20 yards on 8 carries.
The 1992 season marked the end for both Sacramento and
Orlando as the league went on hiatus and, when it returned in ’95, it was based
entirely in Europe. The CFL expanded to Sacramento and David Archer was that
team’s quarterback. Mike Pringle also played for the CFL’s Sacramento club for
a year before moving on to Baltimore, Montreal, and Edmonton in what ended up
being a Hall of Fame career. He led the league in rushing six times and
finished as the CFL’s career ground-gaining leader with 16,424 yards. Eddie
Brown also continued on in Canada, catching 532 passes for 8663 yards and 60
TDs with six teams (he also had a brief hiatus in the Arena Football League).
Scott Mitchell backed up Dan Marino in Miami for two
seasons, performing well enough when starting in the place of the injured
Marino in 1993 to gain a large free agent contract from the Lions. While he
showed some flashes of ability, most notably in ’95 when he threw for 4338
yards and 32 TDs, his career ultimately failed to live up to that early
promise.
