1983: Last-Minute Field Goal Propels Panthers Past Federals

The Michigan Panthers were fighting for a playoff spot in the inaugural United States Football League season as they hosted the Washington Federals on June 20, 1983. The Federals had defeated Michigan early in the season, but the Panthers had undergone changes that improved their fortunes since then.

Coached by Jim Stanley, Michigan got off to a 1-4 start (including the loss at Washington) before veteran additions to the offensive line helped fuel a turnaround that had the club at 9-6 and a game behind Chicago and Tampa Bay in the USFL’s Central Division. Unheralded rookie QB Bobby Hebert was fast developing into a star and WR Anthony Carter (pictured above), the high-priced first year player out of Michigan, had overcome a slow start to become a potent deep threat. The running game was sound and the defense formidable.

The Federals, under Head Coach Ray Jauch, were far less successful and had won only one other contest thus far to linger at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with a league-worst 2-13 record. There was an outstanding rookie in RB Craig James and first-year QB Mike Hohensee was able when healthy, but he was out for the rematch with the Panthers and veteran NFL backup Kim McQuilken was filling in. 

There were 26,418 fans in attendance for the Monday night game at the Pontiac Silverdome. Early in the first quarter, the Panthers advanced into Washington territory and Bobby Hebert threw to Anthony Carter, who split two defenders on the way to a 37-yard touchdown. Novo Bojovic added the extra point.

On their next possession, the Panthers again moved well. Hebert completed passes to Carter for 20 and 10 yards, but after gaining a first down inside the Washington 10, the Federals were able to keep them out of the end zone thanks to good plays by LB Joe Harris and CB Jeff Brown. Michigan had to settle for a 19-yard Bojovic field goal.

Down 10-0, the Federals put together a good drive. McQuilken tossed passes to WR Mike Harris, Craig James, and RB Billy Taylor and, facing third-and-one at the Michigan four, he faked a handoff and threw to a wide-open Taylor in the end zone for a TD. Sandro Vitiello missed the point after but the score was narrowed to 10-6.

Washington’s next series resulted in a punt from deep in its own territory. DE Ronnie Paggett partially blocked the kick and Carter returned it to the Federals’ 14. A pass interference call and throw from Hebert to Carter that covered 10 yards set up a one-yard touchdown carry by RB John Williams. Bojovic converted and the Panthers were ahead by 17-6 with 1:12 remaining in the half. The second quarter scoring was not yet over, however, as the Federals were able to get past midfield and, on the final play before halftime, Vitiello booted a field goal from 51 yards that made it 17-9.

Early in the third quarter, Washington got a break on defense when TE Mike Cobb fumbled after catching a pass from Hebert and SS Doug Greene recovered the loose ball and ran 35 unmolested yards for a TD. A try for a two-point conversion that would have tied the score failed, but Michigan’s lead was narrowed to 17-15.

The Federals pulled off a successful onside kick but turned the ball over on a Taylor fumble three plays later. Michigan took advantage, driving to a one-yard run for a TD by RB Ken Lacy, and Bojovic added the extra point. Washington responded with a 74-yard possession that featured the running of James and RB Curtis Bledsoe and resulted in a one-yard scoring carry by James with 6:48 to go in the period. This time Vitiello made good on the point after to again make it a two-point contest at 24-22.

That was it for the scoring until the fourth quarter when Vitiello came through on a 45-yard field goal that gave the visitors a narrow 25-24 advantage. But with their backs to the wall, the Panthers put together a 73-yard drive. With 18 seconds left on the clock, Bojovic kicked an 18-yard field goal that provided the final margin in Michigan’s 27-25 win.

The Panthers led in total yards (335 to 285) while Washington had the edge in first downs (17 to 16) and time of possession (31:13 to 28:47). Each team turned the ball over twice while Michigan recorded four sacks, to none by the Federals.

Bobby Hebert completed 13 of 21 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown as well as an interception. Anthony Carter had 5 catches for 94 yards and a TD. Ken Lacy rushed for 81 yards on 22 carries that included a touchdown and John Williams added 59 yards on 16 attempts that also included a score.

For the Federals, Kim McQuilken was successful on 19 of 27 throws for 158 yards and a TD without giving up an interception. Craig James (pictured above) gained 89 yards on 13 rushing attempts and also had 7 pass receptions for 63 yards.

The win kept the Panthers even with the Bandits, who lost, and they ultimately finished atop the Central Division at 12-6 (Chicago ended up with the lone Wild Card spot and Tampa Bay finished third and missed the postseason). Michigan handily defeated the Oakland Invaders in the Semifinal playoff round and then edged the Philadelphia Stars to win the initial USFL Championship. The hard-luck Federals managed to win twice more and were 4-14.

1986: Patriots Upset Dolphins to Win AFC Title

The Miami Dolphins were the defending AFC Champions and looking to return to the Super Bowl as they faced the New England Patriots in the conference title game on January 12, 1986 at the Orange Bowl.

Head Coach Don Shula’s Dolphins, after a 4-1 start in 1985, had struggled during a midseason slump that reduced their record to 5-4, including a loss at New England. But they proceeded to win their last seven games to again top the AFC East at 12-4. QB Dan Marino, coming off a record-setting year in ’84, held out during training camp and WR Mark Duper missed nearly half the season, but the high-flying aerial attack still had WR Mark Clayton (70 catches, 996 yards), 34-year-old WR Nat Moore, and RB Tony Nathan accumulating nearly as many yards as a receiver out of the backfield (651) as he did as a runner from scrimmage (667). Marino’s numbers might not have been as astronomical as they were a year earlier, but he still led the NFL with 4137 passing yards and 30 TD passes. A chink in the defensive armor was noted in the AFC Divisional round win over the 8-8 Cleveland Browns in which the Dolphins struggled and gave up 251 rushing yards.

New England, under Head Coach Raymond Berry, had a reputation as a talented team that was prone to underachieving. The Patriots got off to a 2-3 start but went 9-2 the rest of the way (including a split with the Dolphins) to finish third in the AFC East at 11-5 and in the postseason as a wild card entry. Deposed as starting quarterback by Tony Eason, Steve Grogan stepped in when Eason was injured and performed well. FB Craig James (pictured above) earned a Pro Bowl berth as he ran for 1227 yards while HB Tony Collins contributed another 657 yards and caught 52 passes for 549 more. Wide receivers Irving Fryar and Stanley Morgan were outstanding. The defense featured linebackers Andre Tippett and Steve Nelson, CB Raymond Clayborn, and FS Fred Marion. The Patriots beat the team that finished second in the division, the Jets, in the Wild Card round and then upset the Raiders in Los Angeles to earn a shot at the AFC title against a team that had beaten them 18 straight times at the Orange Bowl.

There were 74,978 fans in attendance on a wet and cloudy day in south Florida. Following a 37-yard kickoff return by New England WR Stephen Starring, the Patriots made it to the Miami 45 and had to punt. On the Dolphins’ first play from scrimmage, Nathan fumbled after being hit by Nelson and DE Garin Veris recovered for New England. Six plays later, barefooted PK Tony Franklin kicked a 23-yard field goal and the Patriots had the early lead.

The teams traded punts, and as the first quarter came to an end the Dolphins were in the midst of an 80-yard drive. Marino connected on passes of 12 yards to TE Bruce Hardy, 18 to Duper, and finally 10 yards to TE Dan Johnson in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown. Fuad Reveiz kicked the extra point and Miami was ahead by 7-3. New England came right back, going 66 yards in eight plays highlighted by a 45-yard run by RB Robert Weathers. Eason threw to Collins for a four-yard TD and the Patriots were back in front.

New England regained possession thanks to another fumble, this time by Marino on the Dolphins’ second play of the next series. NT Lester Williams recovered for the Patriots at the Miami 36 and they drove to another score in seven plays. Craig James ran for 23 yards on three carries and Eason threw to Morgan for 12 yards and a first down at the one yard line. The third-year quarterback then rolled out and tossed a TD pass to TE Derrick Ramsey and, with Franklin’s PAT, the Patriots were ahead by 17-7.

The Dolphins drove from their 17 to the New England 14 with Marino making big completions of 16 yards to Clayton and 29 to Hardy. But they came up empty when Reveiz missed a 31-yard field goal try. The clubs traded punts to finish off the half and New England maintained its 10-point lead at the intermission.

The Patriots got a big break on the kickoff for the second half as Miami RB Lorenzo Hampton fumbled after being hit by RB Mosi Tatupu and WR/RB Greg Hawthorne recovered. Starting at the Dolphins’ 25, the visitors scored in six plays with James and Collins running the ball effectively and Eason passing to Weathers for a two-yard touchdown. Franklin kicked the extra point and New England’s lead was now 24-7.

Marino threw three incomplete passes on Miami’s next possession, but the Dolphins got a special teams break of their own when Reggie Roby’s punt was fumbled by safety Fred Marion and recovered by safety Bud Brown. With the ball at the New England 42, RB Joe Carter ran for a 19-yard gain and Marino threw to RB Ron Davenport for seven more to the 16 yard line. But a pass into the end zone intended for Clayton was intercepted by Marion – making up for his turnover – and the Dolphins came up empty.

The Patriots put together a 13-play drive that consumed nearly eight minutes with Collins, James, and Weathers carrying the load on the ground – Eason threw just one pass, a six-yard completion to Tatupu. However, after getting to the Miami 24, New England also came up short when Franklin’s 41-yard field goal attempt was wide to the left. Still, the Patriots maintained a 17-point lead going into the final period.

Three plays into the fourth quarter, the Dolphins punted, and once again the Patriots turned the ball over as safety Roland James fumbled. Miami gained possession on the New England 10 and immediately capitalized as Marino threw to Nathan for a TD. It was now a 24-14 contest with plenty of time remaining.

It looked even more favorable for the Dolphins when the Patriots went nowhere in three plays and punted. But two plays later, and with the ball at the Miami 38, it was the turn of the Dolphins to fumble the ball away as Carter lost the handle and 14-year DE Julius Adams recovered for New England. Again, the Patriots kept the ball on the ground as Craig James ran four straight times and Collins three consecutive, including a carry of 14 yards to the Miami 17 on a third-and-seven play. After a three-yard run by Collins, James went 13 yards to the one yard line, and Tatupu finished the nine-play drive off with a touchdown carry around end.

In effect, the Patriots had put the game away, but there was still 7:34 on the clock and Marino came out throwing. Hitting on six passes, the Dolphins moved from their 21 yard line to the New England eight. The drive stalled there, however, and two penalties moved Miami back to the 28 from where a Marino toss into the end zone was intercepted by Raymond Clayborn.

The Patriots kept the ball on the ground and, while Miami sent all eleven players after Rich Camarillo’s punt, it sailed 49 yards and came to rest on the Dolphins’ 14. By then, there was no longer any doubt and New England advanced to the Super Bowl with a stunning 31-14 win.

The Patriots had more total yards (326 to 302) and first downs (21 to 18) than Miami. Of the yardage total for New England, 255 came on the ground and just 71 through the air (as opposed to 68 and 234, respectively, for the Dolphins). Most of all, while the Patriots turned the ball over twice on fumbles, Miami lost the ball a costly six times. Combined with the other two playoff wins on the road, New England came away with a total of 16 takeaways in climbing to the pinnacle of the AFC and becoming the first wild card team to win three road games to advance to the Super Bowl.


Craig James paced the New England running attack with 105 yards on 22 carries while Robert Weathers carried 16 times for 87 yards and Tony Collins (pictured at right) contributed 61 yards on 12 attempts. Tony Eason went to the air just 12 times but completed 10 for 71 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Collins and Derrick Ramsey caught three passes apiece (for 15 and 18 yards, respectively, and each with a touchdown) while Stanley Morgan gained a team-high 30 yards on his two receptions.

Dan Marino was successful on just 20 of his 48 passes for 248 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Tony Nathan was Miami’s top receiver with 5 catches for 57 yards and a score (he gained four yards on two carries). Mark Duper and Mark Clayton caught three passes each, for 45 and 41 yards. Bruce Hardy gained the most receiving yards with 52 on his three receptions. Joe Carter rushed for 56 yards on 6 carries, but had the one big fumble.

The surprising run through the postseason came to an end for New England against the 15-1 Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl. The Patriots were crushed by a 46-10 score. They won the AFC East in ’86 but lost in the Divisional round and didn’t reappear in the postseason until 1994. Miami was 8-8 the next year and didn’t return to the playoffs until 1990 despite Dan Marino’s continued heroics.

1986: Patriots Take Advantage of Raider Turnovers, Win Divisional Playoff Game

The odds of the New England Patriots making it to the Super Bowl following the 1985 season were not good. They had finished 11-5 for third place in the AFC East, qualifying for the playoffs but needing to go on the road to advance. In the Wild Card round, the Patriots beat the team that had finished with the same record as theirs in the division, the New York Jets (awarded second place - and the higher wild card seeding - due to the conference record tiebreaker), but next had to take on the Los Angeles Raiders at the Memorial Coliseum on January 5, 1986.

The Patriots, guided by Head Coach Raymond Berry, had an opportunistic defense that led the AFC by generating 47 turnovers. LB Andre Tippett was the UPI Defensive Player of the Year in the AFC and LB Steve Nelson, CB Raymond Clayborn, and FS Fred Marion all were selected to the Pro Bowl. The offense ran the ball well, led by RB Craig James (pictured above; gained 1227 yards), and behind an offensive line anchored by G John Hannah and OT Brian Holloway. Quarterback was a question mark, however, as third-year QB Tony Eason, the club’s first draft choice in 1983, had gone down with a separated shoulder six games into the season and was replaced by 32-year-old veteran Steve Grogan. Grogan led the club to five straight wins but suffered a broken leg that put Eason back in the lineup.

The Raiders, coached by Tom Flores, were in the postseason for the fourth straight year and had been NFL champions in ’83. The defense was top-ranked in the conference and included consensus first-team All-Pros in DE Howie Long and CB Mike Haynes. RB Marcus Allen ran for 1759 yards and was the consensus NFL MVP. Sixth-year QB Marc Wilson took over for injured 38-year-old veteran Jim Plunkett. LA had won six straight to close out the regular season and finished atop the AFC West with a 12-4 record; in addition, they had beaten the Patriots earlier in the year.

New England benefited from an early turnover by the Raiders. The Patriots were forced to punt following the first possession of the game, and LA safety Fulton Walker muffed the catch. Safety Jim Bowman recovered for New England at the Los Angeles 21 and two plays later, Eason completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to TE Lin Dawson.


On LA’s ensuing possession, Wilson was intercepted by CB Ronnie Lippett (pictured at right), but after driving to the Raiders’ 41 the Patriots had to punt. The Raiders manufactured a break of their own as DE Greg Townsend blocked Rich Camarillo’s kick, giving them the ball at the New England 16. After a four-yard run by Allen, Wilson threw two incompletions and Chris Bahr kicked a 29-yard field goal. The score was 7-3 after one quarter of play.

Bahr missed a 44-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter, but the Patriots were unable to move against LA’s defense. Following another New England punt and a 16-yard return by Walker, the Raiders drove 52 yards in six plays that culminated in Wilson tossing a 16-yard touchdown pass to WR Jessie Hester. The Raiders had a 10-7 lead, and they built upon it when, on the Patriots’ next play from scrimmage, RB Mosi Tatupu fumbled and Howie Long recovered for Los Angeles at the New England 19. Allen ran for an 11-yard touchdown and the score was now 17-7.

The Patriots responded with an 80-yard drive highlighted by Craig James running the ball for 27 yards and catching a pass for another 24 while Tatupu, making up for the earlier fumble, had a 22-yard run to the Los Angeles 15. James finished off the drive with a two-yard scoring run on third down out of the shotgun formation, and LA’s lead was cut to 17-14.

New England got the ball back as Lippett intercepted a Wilson pass at the Los Angeles 28 yard line. Four plays later, Tony Franklin kicked a 45-yard field goal to tie the score. However, with 1:40 left in the half, the Raiders commenced a 10-play drive to the New England 14, highlighted by a 17-yard run by Allen and 31-yard pass from Wilson to TE Todd Christensen. Bahr booted a 32-yard field goal with six seconds remaining on the clock, and the Raiders took a 20-17 lead into halftime.

Following an Allen fumble midway through the third quarter, the Patriots drove to the LA 14, where Franklin’s 32-yard field goal again tied the game at 20-20. In the biggest play of the game, Raiders CB Sam Seale fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Bowman recovered in the end zone for a New England touchdown.

There was still a quarter to play, but the Raiders were unable to advance beyond the New England 41 in their final three possessions of the game. The first ended in a punt, the second lasted just three plays as Wilson was intercepted by Marion, and the last drive fizzled out when Wilson threw incomplete on a fourth-and-17 play from his own 13 with a minute left to play. The Patriots held on to win, 27-20.

The Raiders outgained New England (287 yards to 254) and had the edge in first downs (17 to 15), but also gave up six turnovers, to two by the Patriots. New England turned those turnovers into 17 points, and that was the difference in the game.

Craig James was the star on offense for the Patriots, gaining 104 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown and also leading the receivers with three catches for 48 yards. Tony Eason completed just 7 of 14 passes for 117 yards and a TD, but threw no interceptions.


For the Raiders, Marcus Allen (pictured at left) ran for 121 yards on 22 attempts, including a score. But Marc Wilson was successful on only 11 of 27 passes for 135 yards and threw for one TD against three interceptions. Todd Christensen led the club’s receivers with 4 catches for 78 yards.

“It's unbelievable to come out here into Raider territory and come out with a win,” said Coach Raymond Berry. “It's a tribute to this club. It has true staying power and it never quits.”

“I'm not taking anything away from the Patriots, because they are a good football team,” said a disappointed Tom Flores, “but you just can't play in a game of this magnitude and make the mistakes we made today. We fumbled the ball, we threw interceptions, and those are the types of things that kill you.”

The Patriots went on to upset Miami for the AFC Championship, capping a dramatic run to the Super Bowl in which they won three playoff games on the road. But there was no storybook ending as they were demolished by the Chicago Bears for the league title.

1983: Eric Truvillion’s 3 TD Receptions Help Bandits Defeat Federals

The Tampa Bay Bandits had won their first four games in the United States Football League’s inaugural season, but had stumbled in losing two of the next three contests. The loss of veteran QB John Reaves with a broken wrist didn’t help matters.

On April 24, 1983 the Bandits traveled to Washington to take on the lowly (1-6) Federals at RFK Stadium before a sparse crowd of 9070. Jimmy Jordan, a former star at Florida State, had taken over at quarterback. Like Reaves, Jordan wasn’t very mobile and also suffered from a sore shoulder, but he proved to be effective in this, his first start.

It looked like it would be an easy win for the Bandits as they broke out to a 20-6 halftime lead. Jordan hit WR Eric Truvillion with three touchdown passes, of 28, 15, and six yards (the extra point attempt was blocked after the first one). Washington only got on the board thanks to a 94-yard kickoff return by RB Eric Robinson after the first Tampa Bay score (the Bandits blocked the ensuing PAT attempt in turn).

However, sloppy play by the Bandits - they turned the ball over seven times in all - allowed the Federals to nearly pull the game out. First, RB Craig James ran for a 19-yard touchdown to cut the margin to 20-13 in the third quarter. Then in the fourth quarter, QB Mike Hohensee passed to WR Mike Holmes for a 10-yard TD that tied the score. The Federals gained the lead at 23-20 with a 23-yard Dale Castro field goal, but it didn’t last long.

Jordan took the Bandits to the Washington 15 yard line on the next possession, which culminated in Zenon Andrusyshyn re-tying the game at 23-23 with a 31-yard field goal. CB Leon Williams intercepted a pass to regain possession for Tampa Bay, and with under three minutes remaining RB Carl Franks dashed 18 yards through the middle for the winning touchdown. The final score was 30-23 in favor of the Bandits.

Jimmy Jordan completed 30 of 45 passes for 345 yards with the three touchdowns, but tossed three interceptions as well. Eric Truvillion caught 9 passes for 113 yards with the three scores, while WR Danny Buggs also exceeded a hundred receiving yards with 103 on 7 catches. RB Sam Platt led the club in rushing with 71 yards on 22 carries; he also contributed a further 49 yards on 7 pass receptions.


The two Washington quarterbacks, rookie Mike Hohensee and veteran Joe Gilliam, combined to complete 16 of 37 passes for 213 yards with a TD and four interceptions (Hohensee tossed the TD while Gilliam had three of his passes picked off). Craig James rushed for 60 yards on 15 attempts. WR Joey Walters was the Federals’ top receiver with 7 catches for 85 yards.

Tampa Bay gave up more turnovers than Washington thanks to four fumbles and the three passes picked off, but also won the total yardage battle (452 to 267) and dominated in first downs (31 to 16) and time of possession (35:28 to 24:32). The Federals recorded the only sacks of the contest, however, with three; 1.5 were credited to 15-year veteran DE Coy Bacon.

The Bandits encountered rough going the rest of the way, finishing with an 11-7 record that put them in third place in the Central Division and out of the playoffs. Washington went 4-14 to end up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, tied with Arizona for the worst record in the league.

Jordan performed well overall, placing fourth among the USFL’s passers (Reaves was 12th) as he completed 60.9 % of his 238 throws for 1831 yards with 14 TDs and 14 interceptions. Eric Truvillion was an All-League selection both by the USFL and The Sporting News as he caught 66 passes for 1080 yards and 15 touchdowns (Danny Buggs grabbed 76 passes for 1146 yards, but with just 5 TDs). Prize rookie Craig James was one of the few bright spots for the Federals as he rushed for 823 yards on 202 carries.