1974: Fire Defeat Bell on Carter TD Pass in Last Two Minutes

The Chicago Fire was 4-1, but coming off a big loss to the Florida Blazers, as they faced the Philadelphia Bell in World Football League action on August 14, 1974.

The Fire, coached by Jim Spavital, had Virgil Carter at quarterback (pictured at right), a smart and experienced player who had been with the Bears and Bengals in the NFL. The running game was strong with HB Cyril Pinder, formerly of the Eagles and Bears, and unheralded but effective rookie FB Mark Kellar.

Philadelphia was coached by Ron Waller and featured an exciting and complex offense that was guided by QB Jim “King” Corcoran, an eccentric field general who had been around the minor league football circuit for nearly a decade. Running backs John Land and Claude Watts were also experienced minor league players who were proving to be productive, although Land was out for the game at Chicago. 

The Bell’s record stood at 3-2 and they were determined to keep pace with the New York Stars in the Eastern Division. But while the team had drawn huge crowds to JFK Stadium for its initial home games, it had recently been learned that many of the tickets had been distributed for free or at a substantial discount, casting a shadow over both the franchise and WFL.

There were 27,607 fans in attendance at Soldier Field for the Wednesday night game. The Fire, coming off the big loss the previous week, seemed flat during the early going. The Bell scored first in the opening period as Claude Watts ran for a six-yard touchdown. RB Alan Thompson added the action point for an 8-0 lead (in the WFL, touchdowns were worth seven points and were followed by an action point, which could not be kicked). Before the period was over, Chuck Ramsey booted a 26-yard field goal for the home team and the score was 8-3 after a quarter of play.

In the second quarter, Cyril Pinder caught a pass from Virgil Carter for a six-yard TD and Carter ran for the action point. Mark Kellar added a one-yard touchdown carry and although the try for the action point failed, Chicago held an 18-8 lead.

The Bell scored once again in the first half as Corcoran connected with Thompson for a two-yard TD. The pass for an action point was unsuccessful and the score stood at 18-15 in favor of the home team at the intermission.

The Fire took command and opened up a 25-15 lead in the third quarter as Pinder scored another touchdown, this time on a one-yard carry through the line. The action point attempt failed. Meanwhile, the Fire’s defensive line harassed Corcoran and the Bell could get nothing going offensively.

However, Chicago’s 10-point lead evaporated in the fourth quarter as the Bell scored twice. First, Chicago safety Barry Ruffner fumbled a punt at his own 10 yard line to set up a Philadelphia score. Corcoran ran for a TD from a yard out although the pass attempt for the action point failed.

Four minutes later, a shanked punt gave the Bell good field position at the Chicago 45. It didn’t take long for the visitors to capitalize. On the next play, Corcoran tossed a pass down the middle to Watts that resulted in a 45-yard touchdown. Again the action point try was unsuccessful, but Philadelphia led by 29-25 with 8:13 remaining in the contest.

Still behind with 3:34 left on the clock, the Fire drove 80 yards in nine plays. Carter completed five straight passes along the way, the last to WR Jack Dolbin from 11 yards out for a TD. The action point attempt was no good but the home team was back in front by three points with the clock down to 1:34. The lead held up and Chicago came away with a 32-29 win.

Chicago accumulated 394 yards on offense, to 346 for the Bell, with 275 of that total coming on the ground. The Fire also held a 23 to 15 advantage in first downs. Philadelphia turned the ball over three times, to two suffered by Chicago, and was hurt by 10 penalties.

Both Cyril Pinder (pictured at left) and Mark Kellar reached triple digits in rushing yards, with Pinder gaining 151 yards on 18 carries and Kellar running for 112 yards on 23 attempts. Each scored a rushing touchdown and Pinder added another on one of his two pass receptions. Virgil Carter completed 12 of 20 passes for 119 yards and two TDs with one intercepted. Jack Dolbin and Mark Kellar each caught three passes, for 26 and 13 yards, respectively. TE Don Burchfield gained 37 yards on his two receptions to top the club.

For the Bell, Jim Corcoran was successful on 17 of 34 throws for 256 yards and two touchdowns but with three interceptions. Alan Thompson paced the ground game with 49 yards on 16 carries and while Claude Watts ran for only 20 yards and a TD on 5 attempts, he also caught 5 passes for 144 yards and the one long score. Thompson also had five receptions, for 29 yards and including a TD.

The Fire appeared to be back on track and won two of their next three games, but reversed course and didn’t win again the rest of the season. Injuries, in particular to Virgil Carter, were the primary culprit as Chicago ended up at 7-13 and third in the Central Division. Philadelphia was 9-11 and third in the Eastern Division, although in bizarre fashion they made it to the postseason, falling in the first round.

Virgil Carter ended up ranking second in the WFL in touchdown passes with 27 – putting him behind Jim “King” Corcoran, the league leader with 31 – and also in completion percentage at 54.5. Cyril Pinder led the club with 925 rushing yards on 179 carries for a fine 5.2-yard average. He scored a total of 11 touchdowns, putting him second on the club to Mark Kellar with 15.

Claude Watts ended up leading the Bell in touchdowns with 18 (and was second in the WFL overall) as he rushed for 927 yards on 199 carries (4.7 avg.) and caught 46 passes for 584 yards. 

1974: Blazers Take Control in Second Half to Beat Chicago

The August 7, 1974 World Football League game between the Florida Blazers and Chicago Fire featured two clubs that had started the season off well. The host Fire was 4-0 and coming off of a 53-29 dismantling of The Hawaiians the previous week in Honolulu. Coached by Jim Spavital, known for building good offenses in the CFL, the team featured NFL veteran Virgil Carter at quarterback, two solid wide receivers in James Scott and Jack Dolbin, and rookie RB Mark Kellar out of Northern Illinois.

The Blazers were 3-1 and, befitting a club coached by a former star linebacker, Jack Pardee, featured a tough, veteran defense. The backfield in particular had lots of experience, consisting of cornerbacks Miller Farr and Billie Hayes and safeties Rickie Harris, W.K. Hicks, and Chuck Beatty, all of whom had seen action in the NFL. The offense was guided by QB Bob Davis (pictured above), most prominently of the New York Jets in his previous pro stints, and had veteran running backs in A.D. Whitfield and Jim Strong, along with rookie star Tommy Reamon. Florida had yet to put more than 18 points on the board in any game thus far, but except for a one-point loss to the Houston Texans in the last contest, it had been enough.

The attendance was 31,193 at Soldier Field – all paid, according to Chicago owner Tom Origer, which was not an insignificant point since it had recently been revealed that several highly-attended WFL games in the early going had been padded by the distribution of free tickets.

The Blazers took the lead in the first quarter when safety Rod Foster returned a punt 86 yards, followed by a successful pass for the action point. Chicago responded as Kellar scored a three-yard touchdown that was set up by his 20-yard burst up the middle on the previous play, but the action point was missed when a pass attempt was deflected by Farr. Florida went up 16-7 when Reamon plunged for a one-yard TD, which was also capped by a Bob Davis pass for the action point.

However, Virgil Carter came back with two TD passes for the Fire, including a 54-yard completion to Dolbin and a one-yard pass to Scott. The second was helped along by a 20-yard pass to Scott and capped a possession that benefited from good field position following a short punt from their own end zone by the Blazers. All three of their action point attempts failed, but Chicago was ahead 21-16 at halftime.

It seemed as though the Fire had the momentum going into the second half, but, aided by a couple of big plays by the special teams and defense, Florida’s offense came alive.

CB Leonard Bryant put the Blazers back in front when, with Chicago punting from its own 42, he blocked Chuck Ramsey’s kick and picked it up downfield to run six yards for a touchdown. The action point attempt was unsuccessful, but Florida was back in front.

Less than two minutes later, LB Billy Hobbs intercepted a Carter pass that was thrown under heavy pressure from DT Mike McBath and DE Ernie Calloway and returned it 30 yards for a TD. Bob Davis added a pass to WR Matt Maslowski for the action point.

The contest was pretty well decided at that point as the Florida defense completely shut down the Fire the rest of the way. RB Dickie James capped the scoring for the Blazers with touchdown runs of 6 and 64 yards, and they added an action point after one of them. The final score was a very convincing 46-21 verdict for Florida.

The Fire led in first downs (20 to 18) and had 330 total yards to Florida’s 372 (which included 227 on the ground). Most significantly, the opportunistic Blazers intercepted three passes and recovered four fumbles.

Bob Davis completed 10 of 17 passes for 152 yards with no TDs or interceptions. Thanks to the long touchdown run, Dickie James had 100 yards on just 7 carries with two TDs. Jim Strong gained 49 yards on 15 attempts and eventual league rushing leader Tommy Reamon ended up with 46 yards on 15 carries that included a TD. Matt Maslowski gained 74 yards on three catches, one of which was good for 56 yards.


Virgil Carter (pictured at left), who had been leading the WFL in passing, threw for 224 yards, but completed just 11 of 30 passes with two TDs while also tossing two interceptions as he was harried by Florida’s pass rush. Mark Kellar rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. James Scott caught 4 passes for 104 yards and a TD while Jack Dolbin contributed three receptions for 84 yards and a score.

“The game was a complete turnabout from last week,” said Jack Pardee, referring to the 7-6 loss to Houston. “Bob Davis had plenty of time to pass. We had the blocking advantage because of Chicago's three-man defensive line.”

“I blame myself,” said Jim Spavital. “We made every possible mistake out there tonight. Special teams really let us down with the punt return and the blocked field goal.”

The Blazers continued to be a strong team on the field, if not financially, and ended up winning the Eastern Division with a 14-6 record. With creditors snapping at their heels, they made it to the WFL Championship game (the World Bowl) before succumbing to the Birmingham Americans. Chicago dropped off significantly after the promising start, largely due to the loss of key players to injuries, including Carter, Kellar, and Scott. The Fire ended up in third place in the Central Division at 7-13.

Past Venue: Soldier Field

Chicago, IL
(original structure)



Year opened: 1924
Capacity: 74,000 at opening, could be increased to 100,000 with additional seating. Reduced to 57,000 as result of renovation to accommodate the Bears, but capacity increased to 66,944 by 1994.

Names:
Municipal Grant Park Stadium, 1924-25
Soldier Field, 1925-2002

Pro football tenants:
Chicago Rockets/Hornets (AAFC), 1946-49
Chicago Cardinals (NFL), 1959
Chicago Owls (ContFL), 1968-69
Chicago Bears (NFL), 1971-2001
Chicago Fire/Winds (WFL), 1974-75
Chicago Blitz (USFL), 1983-84
Chicago Enforcers (XFL), 2001

Postseason games hosted:
NFC Divisional playoff, Bears 21 Giants 0, Jan. 5, 1986
NFC Championship, Bears 24 Rams 0, Jan. 12, 1986
NFC Divisional playoff, Redskins 27 Bears 13, Jan. 3, 1987
NFC Divisional playoff, Redskins 21 Bears 17, Jan. 10, 1988
NFC Divisional playoff, Bears 20 Eagles 12, Dec. 31, 1988
NFC Championship, 49ers 28 Bears 3, Jan. 8, 1989
NFC Wild Card playoff, Bears 16 Saints 6, Jan. 6, 1991
NFC Wild Card playoff, Cowboys 17 Bears 13, Dec. 29, 1991
NFC Divisional playoff, Eagles 33 Bears 19, Jan. 19, 2002

Other tenants of note:
Chicago Spurs (NPSL), 1967
Chicago Sting (NASL), 1975-76
Chicago Fire (MLS), 1998-2001

Notes: Hosted annual College All-Star game, 1934-42, 1945-73, 1975-76. In addition to years indicated above, hosted two home games of NFL Chicago Bears in 1926 and one in 1933. In addition to 1959 season, hosted one home game of NFL Chicago Cardinals in 1926 and two in 1927. Name changed on Nov. 11, 1925. First football game at stadium was between Louisville Male High School vs. Austin High School, Oct. 4, 1924. Hosted Army vs. Navy football game, 1926. Used as venue for FIFA World Cup, including the opening ceremony, 1994. Hosted boxing Heavyweight title fight between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney, famous as “Long Count” fight, Sept. 22, 1927. Hosted stock car racing between 1935 and ’68. AstroTurf replaced grass field in 1971 but was in turn replaced by grass in 1988.

Fate: Demolished in 2002 and rebuilt into modernized facility bearing same name. Only the distinctive outer colonnade remains from the original structure.



[Updated 2/3/14]

1974: Mark Kellar Scores 36 Points as Chicago Defeats Hawaiians

The World Football League’s Chicago Fire traveled to Honolulu to take on The Hawaiians before a sparse crowd of 12,608 at Halwala Stadium on July 28, 1974. While the league played its games on Wednesday nights in its first season, with a nationally-televised Thursday night contest, The Hawaiians insisted on playing their home games on Sunday afternoons.

The Hawaiians were coming off of a win over the Detroit Wheels in their home opener the week before and thus sported a 1-2 record. Coached by Mike Giddings, the offense was directed by rookie QB Norris Weese throwing primarily to first year wide receivers Tim Boyer, Grady Richardson, and Tim Delaney and TE John Kelsey. Running backs included Ernie O’Leary, Dave Buchanan, and Pete Taggares. The defense contained more experienced talent, most notably defensive linemen Ron East, Greg Wojcik, and Karl Lorch.

Chicago had won its first three games under Head Coach Jim Spavital and had a pro veteran at quarterback in Virgil Carter as well as TE Jim Seymour, plus speed at wide receiver with James Scott and Jack Dolbin. RB Cyril Pinder had played in the NFL with the Eagles, Bears, and Cowboys, but rookie Mark Kellar from Northern Illinois had emerged as the primary running back.

Kellar, nicknamed “the Baby Bull” for his straight-ahead power-running style, had been drafted by the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings in the 6th round after leading all Division 1-A rushers in ’73, but saw the WFL as a better opportunity. A classic fullback who was effective between the tackles but not particularly fast, he once told a Chicago Tribune reporter “I don’t have much speed. When I run the forty they have to use a calendar to time me.”

The tone of the contest in Honolulu was set on Chicago’s first possession as the offense rolled 69 yards down the field on four plays, capped by Kellar scoring a touchdown on a two-yard run. By halftime, the score was 30-7 and the Fire went on to win by a 53-29 margin. Kellar scored a WFL-record 36 points with five touchdowns and an action point.

Kellar led the club with 51 yards on 14 carries and three of the TDs while he also caught 3 passes for 35 yards and the other two touchdowns. RB Bob Wyatt added 47 yards on 19 runs and Cyril Pinder added 43 more on just four carries as Chicago rolled up 157 rushing yards. Virgil Carter completed 15 of 25 passes for 205 yards with three TDs against no interceptions. James Scott led the receivers with 6 catches for 68 yards and Jack Dolbin gained the most receiving yards with 78 on three receptions.

The Hawaiians, forced to go to the air early and often, gained just 21 yards rushing. Norris Weese passed for 338 yards as he completed 24 of 52 throws and tossed three TDs as well as three interceptions. Tim Delaney caught 9 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown and John Kelsey grabbed four for 67 yards, but the contest was long decided by the time the passing statistics began to add up.

The Fire failed to maintain the early momentum - after starting out at 7-2, the club lost its last 11 contests (the last by forfeit) and ended up at 7-13 and in third place in the Central Division. Injuries were a major factor as both Kellar and James Scott were lost for the season in a loss to Southern California in Week 11 and Virgil Carter went down two weeks later.

The Hawaiians recovered to go 9-11 and finish in second place in the Western Division, making it into the postseason (they also gained revenge in the rematch with the Fire in Chicago, winning 60-17). The Honolulu club won its first round playoff game against a demoralized Southern California Sun squad (the players had considered striking over missed pay and two key offensive performers refused to play and were cut from the team) before losing to the eventual WFL champions, the Birmingham Americans, in the semifinal round.

In his injury-shortened season, Mark Kellar ended up with 778 yards on 189 carries for a 4.1-yard average gain and nine touchdowns; he caught 28 passes for 342 yards and another six TDs. The Baby Bull went on to play for the Chicago Winds in the WFL’s abbreviated second season in ’75 and moved on to the NFL, where he was a backup with the Vikings for three years.

1974: WFL Debuts with Five Games

The World Football League kicked off its inaugural 20-week season with five games on July 10, 1974. The new league started off with 12 teams, along with great ambitions and several novelties. Most games were scheduled on Wednesday nights in order to avoid conflict with high school, college, and NFL games (a weekly nationally-televised game would be played on Thursdays). The July start (the league played no preseason games, although there were some intersquad scrimmages) gave the WFL a head start on the NFL, which was beset by a player’s strike during the preseason that kept veterans out of the training camps until late August.

The WFL instituted several rules changes, some of which the NFL had adopted for the ’74 season as well - they included moving the goal posts to the back of the end zone, allowing for an overtime period in case of ties, and bringing the ball back to the line of scrimmage if a field goal was missed outside the 20 yard line. While kickoffs in the NFL would now be from the 35 rather than 40 yard line, the WFL chose to kick off from the 30. Additionally, the new league banned fair catches of punts, allowed for forward motion by backs prior to the snap, required receivers to have just one foot in bounds for a catch to be legal, and prohibited the bumping of receivers beyond three yards of the line of scrimmage. Touchdowns would be seven, rather than six points, to be followed by an “action point” that could not be kicked. An invention called a “Dickerrod” was used instead of the traditional chains for measuring first down yardage.

There were 55,534 fans in JFK Stadium as the Philadelphia Bell hosted the Portland Storm, winning 33-8 behind QB Jim “King” Corcoran (pictured below left), who had the best passing night in the WFL’s first week. Corcoran, a semi-legendary figure in the world of minor league football, completed 21 of 38 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. The running tandem of Claude Watts (94 yards on 16 carries) and John Land (73 yards on 14 attempts) also had an impressive debut. WR Vince Papale, later to become celebrated as a walk-on free agent and special teams standout for the NFL’s Eagles, caught three passes for 39 yards.


Attendance at Orlando’s Tangerine Bowl was far less (18,625) as the Florida Blazers defeated The Hawaiians in a low-scoring 8-7 contest. RB Jim Strong was the star for the Blazers, catching a three-yard touchdown pass and then scoring the decisive action point. RB Derrick Williams gained 94 yards on 18 carries for The Hawaiians while Strong and fellow running backs Tommy Reamon and A.D. Whitfield combined for 104 yards for Florida. Blazers QB Bob Davis passed for only 55 yards and Norris Weese and Bill Donckers combined for just 106 yards for the Honolulu-based club.

A crowd of over 36,000 at Soldier Field saw the Chicago Fire record a 17-0 shutout of the visiting Houston Texans. QB Virgil Carter (pictured below right) threw two touchdown passes, although he also had three picked off. WR James Scott had 10 catches for 84 yards and one of the TDs. Houston ground out 116 yards rushing but veteran quarterbacks Don Trull and Mike Taliaferro passed for just 58 yards.


Legion Field in Birmingham was filled with 53,231 fans who saw the Birmingham Americans defeat the Southern California Sun by an 11-7 tally thanks to a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by CB Steve Williams. RB Paul Robinson spurred the ground game with 79 of Birmingham’s 144 rushing yards although rookie RB Kermit Johnson of the Sun led all rushers with 88 yards on 24 attempts.

Elvis Presley was among 30,122 in attendance at the Liberty Bowl where the Memphis Southmen were winners over the Detroit Wheels, 34-15. Memphis RB J.J. Jennings (pictured at top) had the most rushing yards in the first week with 99, including a touchdown, and also caught four passes for 83 yards and another TD. Detroit WR Hubie Bryant had the best receiving game of the first week in defeat with 7 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown.

The following night, in the first nationally-televised contest with Commissioner Gary Davidson in attendance, the largest crowd of all, 59,112, was present at Jacksonville’s Gator Bowl as the Sharks defeated the New York Stars, 14-7. However, the game suffered a delay when a blown generator caused a blackout – it was perhaps a portent of bad things to come.

While the crowds were certainly encouraging, the scarcity of points was a disappointment. The league averaged just 13.8 points per game for the six contests. Scoring would improve as the season progressed, but other factors would cast a shadow over the WFL.

Several weeks into the season, it was divulged that attendance, particularly in Philadelphia and Jacksonville, had been considerably aided by the handing out of huge numbers of free tickets. Of the 55,534 fans at JFK Stadium, only 13,800 had actually paid; a crowd of 64,719 for the second home game, against New York, contained only 6200 paid attendees. The big opening night crowd at the Gator Bowl was padded by some 44,000 free passes.

League credibility never recovered from the disclosure, and the fact that the WFL was floating in a sea of red ink became clearer as the season progressed. By the end, 10 teams remained and two of those had relocated (Detroit and Jacksonville folded; the Houston Texans became the Shreveport Steamer and the Stars moved from New York to Charlotte, NC).