1974: Wheels Defeat Blazers for Only Win

The Detroit Wheels of the World Football League were limping along at 0-11 as they traveled to Orlando to meet the Florida Blazers on September 11, 1974. With the Blazers on top of the Eastern Division at 7-3, it did not seem likely that the Wheels might finally break into the win column.

The Wheels, coached by Dan Boisture, were typically competitive in their games, but unlucky in close contests as well as largely ignored by the Detroit area fans. They were not helped by playing home games in Ypsilanti, some 30 miles away from the city, and were in bad financial condition from the start. The Wheels drew heavily from ex-CFL players, including QB Bubba Wyche (pictured above), who performed ably.

Florida had more wins, if not a better financial situation. The Blazers were coached by former NFL linebacker Jack Pardee and featured ex-Jet QB Bob Davis, rookie RB Tommy Reamon, and TE Greg Latta on offense and DT Mike McBath and CB Miller Farr on defense. They had beaten the Wheels earlier in the season in Ypsilanti.

There were 9003 fans in attendance at the Tangerine Bowl. In the second quarter, the Blazers drove 61 yards in 13 plays, culminating in Bob Davis throwing a swing pass to RB Jim Strong for a 16-yard touchdown. The pass attempt for the action point failed but the home team carried a 7-0 lead into halftime (in the WFL, touchdowns counted for seven points and were followed by an “action point”, that could not be kicked).

That was it until the Wheels started their third series of the third quarter with good field position at midfield and Bubba Wyche threw to WR Jon Henderson at the sideline, who went the distance for a 49-yard TD. Detroit also failed to complete a pass for the action point and the score remained tied at 7-7.

The Blazers weren’t able to get beyond their 25 on the next series and Detroit again had good starting field position at its 45 following the punt. This time the Wheels needed ten plays to score, although they lined up to punt at one point but Eric Guthrie, a backup quarterback as well as punter, passed instead of kicking and safety Terry Hoeppner caught it for a 22-yard gain. RB Billy Sadler ran six yards for a touchdown and then caught the pass for the action point that made it a 15-7 game with less than two minutes to play in the period.

With 8:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Blazers began to move on offense, going 80 yards in six plays. Davis threw to Tommy Reamon for 16 yards and WR Eddie Richardson for 25 on a throw down the middle of the field. A pass to WR Matt Maslowski picked up another 25 yards and another toss to Maslowski for 17 yards moved the ball to the Detroit two. Reamon ran the final yard for a TD but Detroit LB Dick Blanchard broke up a pass intended for Greg Latta on the attempt for the action point. The Wheels remained in front by one, and it was enough as Detroit held on to win by a final score of 15-14, setting off a wild celebration by the players.

The Blazers outgained Detroit (381 yards to 248) and had more first downs (20 to 12). However, Florida also turned the ball over three times, to none by the Wheels. There were a total of 15 punts (8 by Detroit, 7 by the Blazers).

Bubba Wyche completed 7 of 14 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, but he was also sacked seven times. Billy Sadler had 55 rushing yards on 10 carries that included a TD. Thanks to the long scoring catch, Jon Henderson (pictured at left) gained 61 yards on three pass receptions.

For the Blazers, Bob Davis was successful on 16 of 33 throws for 245 yards and was intercepted twice. Tommy Reamon ran for 65 yards on 17 carries and Greg Latta caught three passes for 84 yards.

“We just took the night off,” said a frustrated Coach Jack Pardee. “It was a team loss.”

The loss dropped the Blazers into a tie for first in the Eastern Division with the New York Stars at 7-4. They managed to win their next four games and ultimately topped the division with a 14-6 record, advancing to the WFL Championship game (or “World Bowl”) before falling to the Birmingham Americans and barely staying ahead of their creditors. Detroit was 1-10 and would not win again – nor would the Wheels finish out the schedule as the franchise folded three weeks later.

Bubba Wyche was one of sixteen players that were picked by the remaining WFL franchises after the Wheels folded. He joined the Chicago Fire for the remaining four games. Overall, he completed 50.9 percent of his passes for 2342 yards and 11 touchdowns with 21 interceptions. He also rushed for 287 yards and scored 11 TDs on his own.

1974: Late TD Propels Blazers to Win Over Wheels

July 17, 1974 marked the home debut of the Detroit Wheels, one of the teams in the newly-formed World Football League. Having lost their first game at Memphis the previous week, they were hosting the Florida Blazers with hopes of breaking into the win column.

The Wheels had a large group of investors, but were quickly showing signs of financial trouble to come. Dan Boisture had been hired away from Eastern Michigan to be head coach, and the team found itself playing at that college’s Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, over 30 miles from Detroit, having been unable to get a lease for Tiger Stadium. With a limited budget for players, the Wheels made little effort to sign NFL veterans, looking to Canada instead. QB Bubba Wyche, formerly of Saskatchewan, directed the offense and WR Hubie Bryant was the WFL’s early receiving leader after gaining 153 yards on seven catches in the opening week, although he was suffering from an eye injury.

The Blazers were coached by ex-NFL linebacker Jack Pardee and had won a narrow victory over The Hawaiians in Week 1. QB Bob Davis (pictured above) had NFL experience, having most notably served as backup to Joe Namath with the Jets, but the offense managed just eight points in the opener.

There were 10,631 fans in attendance at Rynearson Stadium for the Wednesday night contest. Several hundred people watched the action for free from a nearby hill. The atmosphere was festive, with a rock band playing prior to the game.

The Blazers scored first, driving 62 yards in eleven plays on their opening series, and Bob Davis threw to WR Matt Maslowski for a six-yard touchdown. The pass for the action point attempt failed, but the visitors held a 7-0 lead (in the WFL, touchdowns counted for seven points and were followed by an action point, which could not be kicked).

Detroit came right back, going 80 yards in ten plays that ended with FB Sam Scarber running ten yards for a TD. The Wheels also failed to add the action point, and the score remained 7-7 until, with 29 seconds left before the end of the half, Les Perry kicked a 26-yard field goal for Florida.

The Wheels regained the lead in the third quarter when Bubba Wyche connected with RB Jim Rathje, who eluded several tacklers after the catch on the way to a 41-yard TD. The attempt to run for the action point came up short, but the home team was ahead by four points.

That remained the situation until late in the fourth quarter. Florida put together a series that covered 82 yards in 18 plays and was capped when RB Tommy Reamon scored on a five-yard run with 1:37 remaining. This time, the Blazers added the action point on a pass from Davis to TE Greg Latta, and now it was Florida on top by four.

There was still enough time for the Wheels to come back, however. Wyche threw to WR Charlie McKee for a 43-yard gain, and when the receiver fumbled at the end of the play, Sam Scarber recovered at the Florida seven with the clock now down to 1:07.

Scarber ran for two yards and Rathje picked up four to reach the one yard line. After Rathje was stopped for no gain, and with no timeouts remaining, Wyche hurriedly fired a fourth down pass into the end zone, but it fell incomplete. Florida came away with an 18-14 win.

The Wheels outgained Florida (340 yards to 308) although the Blazers had the edge in first downs (18 to 13). There were no turnovers, but lots of penalties, with Detroit flagged 9 times at a cost of 87 yards and the visitors penalized seven times for 50 yards.

Bob Davis completed 14 of 20 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. RB Jim Strong led the ground attack with 89 yards on 18 carries and was also Florida’s leading receiver with four catches for 29 yards. RB A.D. Whitfield also had four receptions, for 18 yards. Tommy Reamon contributed 65 yards on 16 rushing attempts, which included the game-winning TD.

For the Wheels, Bubba Wyche was successful on 14 of 29 throws for 221 yards and a TD. Sam Scarber (pictured at left) rushed for 74 yards on 11 attempts that included a touchdown. Charlie McKee topped the receivers with three catches for 69 yards.

“Sure it boosted our spirits,” said a relieved Coach Pardee of the Blazers. “Any game you win like that has to make you feel good.”

Detroit had to hurriedly prepare for a weekend game at Honolulu and lost, and kept on losing until reaching 0-10 before finally pulling out a victory in the return meeting with the Blazers. It was the only win for the Wheels, who failed to finish out the season and ended up at the bottom of the Central Division with a 1-13 record. Florida, which also suffered from major financial problems, fared much better, topping the Eastern Division at 14-6 and advancing to the WFL Championship game (called the World Bowl) before losing to the Birmingham Americans.