1984: Gunslingers Edge Invaders for First Win

The United States Football League game in San Antonio on March 24, 1984 featured two teams seeking their first win of the season. The Oakland Invaders and San Antonio Gunslingers were both at 0-4 and struggling to put points on the board.

The Gunslingers were one of six expansion teams for the USFL’s second year, and all of the others had recorded at least one win in the early going (two of them were off to 3-1 starts). The club was underfinanced but well coached by Gil Steinke and featured a scrappy defense, although the offense, directed by promising rookie QB Rick Neuheisel (pictured at right), was less impressive.  

Oakland topped the weak Pacific Division in 1983 but was off to a dreadful start in ’84, having scored a mere 14 points thus far. Head Coach John Ralston was dismissed after three games and Chuck Hutchison, the Director of Player Personnel, was now in command. QB Fred Besana, who performed ably the previous year, was ineffective thus far although he had a standout in WR Gordon Banks for his passes. Like the Gunslingers, the defense was the better unit, but the failure of the offense to generate points was too damaging.

There was a small but enthusiastic crowd of 11,012 fans at Alamo Stadium. In the first quarter, the Invaders methodically advanced 65 yards in seven plays that concluded with a pass from Fred Besana to Gordon Banks down the middle for a 19-yard touchdown. Kevin Shea added the extra point for the 7-0 advantage.

Good gains on passes by Rick Neuheisel to TE Joey Hackett and WR Danny Buggs moved San Antonio into Oakland territory at the end of the opening period. But the drive finally stalled at the 20 and Nick Mike-Mayer’s 37-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

A short punt by the Invaders gave the Gunslingers the ball in good field position. The offense couldn’t move but LB Putt Choate ran 25 yards on a fake punt for a first down at the Oakland 22. Shortly thereafter, Neuheisel threw to Hackett for a nine-yard TD and Mike-Mayer converted to tie the score.

There was no further scoring in the first half as Shea was far off the mark on a 51-yard try for a field goal on the final play before halftime.

Oakland moved back into the lead midway through the third quarter on a 36-yard Shea field goal, his first of the season. The Gunslingers had a drive that featured a 32-yard gain thanks to a pass from Neuheisel to Buggs that had 15 yards tacked on to the end due to a roughing-the-passer penalty. RB Scott Stamper ran for 10 yards and San Antonio reached the Oakland 11, but a pass attempt on a fourth-and-one play was batted down.

The teams exchanged punts as the game headed into the fourth quarter. With time running down to less than two minutes, the Gunslingers put together an eight-play, 42-yard drive that concluded with RB Al Penn-White punching in for a touchdown from a yard out. Mike-Mayer added the point after to make it a four-point game. The fired-up San Antonio defense then stopped the Invaders in four downs to win by a final score of 14-10.

The Gunslingers led in total yards (270 to 201), first downs (17 to 12), and time of possession (34:23 to 25:37). However, Oakland recorded four sacks, to two by the Gunslingers, and San Antonio was penalized eight times, at a cost of 55 yards, to five penalties for 35 yards on the Invaders. There were no turnovers by either club.

Rick Neuheisel completed 13 of 26 passes for 156 yards with one touchdown. Scott Stamper led San Antonio’s rushers with 46 yards on 17 carries and RB Marcus Bonner and Joey Hackett (pictured at left) were the top receivers with 45 yards on four and three catches, respectively, and Hackett scored a TD.

For the Invaders, Fred Besana was successful on 19 of 34 throws for 154 yards and a TD. Gordon Banks caught 6 of those passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. RB Arthur Whittington gained 43 yards on 13 rushing attempts. On defense, LB Randy McClanahan accounted for two sacks.

The Gunslingers didn’t immediately build upon their initial victory as they lost twice more before winning three of four games on the way to a 7-11 record that placed third in the Central Division. Oakland’s losing streak reached nine games, and a third head coach, Charlie Sumner, was in charge before the Invaders abruptly turned around and reeled off seven straight wins to move into contention in the still-mediocre Pacific Division. They ultimately fell short and also finished at 7-11.

1984: Fourth Quarter FGs Give Express Narrow Win Over Gunslingers

Two United States Football League teams that were having difficulty generating offense in the early going met on March 17, 1984 in San Antonio. The visiting Los Angeles Express were off to a 1-2 start while the San Antonio Gunslingers remained winless at 0-3.

The Express, under Head Coach John Hadl, had made a change at quarterback from Tom Ramsey to Frank Seurer and there was hope for the future in rookie Steve Young out of Brigham Young, who had recently signed a mammoth $40 million contract. However, Young was not yet ready to play and would not be suiting up against the Gunslingers.

San Antonio, one of six expansion teams for the USFL’s second season and coached by Gil Steinke, had quarterback problems of its own. The Gunslingers were without their prize rookie, QB Rick Neuheisel, as well as backup QB Mike Ford due to injuries. 34-year-old Karl Douglas was behind center for the game against the Express.

There were 9821 fans in attendance for the Saturday contest at Alamo Stadium. As could be expected, they didn’t see much scoring, especially in the first half. The Express got on the board when Frank Seurer threw to WR Ricky Ellis for a 15-yard touchdown. Tony Zendejas added the extra point, and that was it for the scoring in the first thirty minutes.

San Antonio’s offense may have been feeble, but the defense was tough and in the third quarter LB Putt Choate intercepted a Seurer pass and returned it 45 yards for a TD. However, Nick Mike-Mayer’s extra point attempt was blocked by LB Howard Carson and the Express remained ahead by 7-6.

Later in the period, a blocked punt led to points for San Antonio. DB Peter Raeford blocked the kick by Jeff Partridge and DB Maurice Tyler recovered for the Gunslingers at the LA 32 and returned it to the six yard line. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Gunslingers scored when RB Scott Stamper ran two yards for a TD. But once again San Antonio failed to add points after a touchdown when the pass for a two-point conversion failed.

With just under nine minutes on the clock, Zendejas booted a 36-yard field goal to make it a 12-10 contest. The Express got a break as time was running down when a poor punt by San Antonio’s Ken Hartley into a stiff wind gave them good field position. Zendejas kicked another field goal, this time from 39 yards with 1:09 remaining to play to put LA ahead by a point. It was enough as the Express held on to win by a final score of 13-12.

In a game in which both offenses struggled, Los Angeles led in total yards (287 to 227) and first downs (15 to 12). The Gunslingers managed only 52 net yards through the air and were penalized 10 times, at a cost of 66 yards, to 7 flags thrown on the Express. San Antonio also turned the ball over three times, to two suffered by the Express. The failure to convert, by kicking or passing, following the two touchdowns ultimately proved fatal to the Gunslingers.

Frank Seurer completed 11 of 17 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown while giving up one interception. Tom Ramsey saw action and was 8-of-12 for 83 yards and also tossed an interception. RB Kevin Nelson rushed for 43 yards on 19 carries. Ricky Ellis had four catches for 32 yards and a TD and WR Malcolm Moore also had four receptions, gaining 30 yards. WR Anthony Allen led in receiving yards with 83 on his three catches. Tony Zendejas made the two key field goals in the fourth quarter that produced the win.

For the Gunslingers, Scott Stamper (pictured at left) was the star on offense with 87 yards on 20 carries that included a touchdown. Karl Douglas was successful on only three of ten throws for 25 yards, giving up two interceptions, while his replacement J Torchio was three-of-nine for 52 yards and was intercepted once. WR Jerry Gordon was the top receiver with three catches for 31 yards.

The Express lost another low-scoring game the next week, but Steve Young took over at quarterback two weeks later, and the results were beneficial. Los Angeles topped the Pacific Division with a 10-8 record and reached the Western Conference title game.

As for the Gunslingers, Rick Neuheisel was back in action the following week and they won for the first time. The pattern of weak offense offsetting a solid defense continued as they went on to finish third in the Central Division at 7-11.

1984: Late TD Pass Propels Gold Over Gunslingers

The Denver Gold of the United States Football League had gotten off to a 7-1 start during the 1984 season, but were in the midst of a five-game losing streak as they faced the San Antonio Gunslingers on May 25. At 7-6 Denver was still on top of the mediocre Pacific Division, but Head Coach Craig Morton’s club desperately needed a win and was without injured starting QB Craig Penrose.

The Gunslingers, in their first season in the USFL, were 5-8 despite coming off a win at Washington the previous week and had their own difficulties. Poorly managed, the Gunslingers, who were coached by Gil Steinke, were respectable on the field and had overcome a 0-4 start. Rookie QB Rick Neuheisel showed considerable promise, but it was the young-but-tough defense that fueled the improvement.

There were 20,077 in attendance for the Friday night game at Alamo Stadium. The Gunslingers took a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter on a 32-yard field goal by Nick Mike-Mayer. Brian Speelman tied the score less than five minutes into the second quarter with a 23-yard field goal and then backup QB Fred Mortensen (pictured above) threw to RB Bill Johnson for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:20 remaining in the first half. It was 10-3 in favor of the visitors at the intermission.

In the third quarter, San Antonio took advantage of a fumble recovery at the Denver 7. RB George Works ran for a TD from two yards out and, with the successful extra point, the game was tied at 10-10. Speelman added another field goal later in the period to make it 13-10 and, before the quarter was over, Denver got a break when the Gunslingers failed to convert a fourth down, allowing the Gold to take over at the San Antonio 29. Four plays later, and now in the final quarter, RB Harry Sydney ran for a three-yard touchdown and Denver was ahead by 20-10.

The Gunslingers got within seven points as the 34-year-old veteran Mike-Mayer kicked his ninth straight field goal, from 33 yards out four minutes later. A blocked punt by LB Reggie Oliver then set up another score for San Antonio. Works scored his second touchdown from a yard out and Mike-Mayer booted the tying extra point. But the decisive play of the game came with 1:52 left on the clock as Mortensen tossed a pass to RB Dave Preston that was good for a 32-yard touchdown. It was enough to give the Gold a 27-20 win.

Denver outgained the Gunslingers (394 yards to 252) and had more first downs (16 to 10). However, they also turned the ball over twice, to one by San Antonio.

In his relief role, Fred Mortensen completed 19 of 27 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns with none intercepted. WR Elmer Bailey led the Denver receivers with 4 catches for 82 yards while WR Leonard Harris was right behind with three receptions and 81 yards. Harry Sydney rushed for 42 yards on 9 carries.

For the Gunslingers, Rick Neuheisel was successful on 11 of 20 throws for 148 yards and no TDs or interceptions. RB Marcus Bonner had 43 rushing yards on 6 attempts and also caught 4 passes for 29 yards. WR Danny Buggs gained the most receiving yards with 50 that all came on a single reception. George Works (pictured at left), who scored two touchdowns, gained 37 yards on 10 carries.

Ending the losing streak did not mark a turnaround for Denver. The Gold lost the following week and won just once more the rest of the way, finishing at 9-9 and in third place in the Pacific Division – although, in a week division, they remained in contention until the season finale. San Antonio also finished third in the Central Division with a 7-11 record.

Fred Mortensen appeared in seven games and completed 64 of 100 passes for 994 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. Released by the Gold following the season, he was picked up by San Antonio for 1985.

1984: Panthers Rally Behind Backup QB to Beat Gunslingers in Overtime

The Michigan Panthers, defending champions of the United States Football League, looked likely to repeat when they started off at a 6-0 pace in 1984. However, losing star WR Anthony Carter to a season-ending injury sent Head Coach Jim Stanley’s team into a downward spiral. By the time they took on the expansion San Antonio Gunslingers on June 1, they were 7-7 and in danger of falling out of contention.

The Gunslingers, coached by Gil Steinke and one of six new teams in the USFL for ’84, came into the contest with a 5-9 record. The offense had a rookie starting at quarterback, Rick Neuheisel out of UCLA, and had difficulty scoring either through the air or on the ground. The defense, which came to be known as The Bounty Hunters, was better and kept the team competitive.

There were 16,384 fans in attendance at Alamo Stadium for the Friday night game. They witnessed a first half that was almost scoreless. The only points came very late in the opening period as San Antonio’s Nick Mike-Mayer booted a 26-yard field goal to give the Gunslingers a 3-0 lead, capping a 60-yard drive that ended at the Michigan three yard line.

The Panthers’ Novo Bojovic had a chance to tie the game midway threw the second quarter, but he missed a 22-yard field goal attempt, and that was the closest the defending champions came to scoring before halftime. It was the first time during the 1984 season, and the second time ever, that Michigan was shut out in the first half.

San Antonio extended its lead on the club’s first possession of the second half that culminated in Neuheisel passing to WR Jerry Gordon for a 22-yard touchdown. Michigan’s quarterback, Bobby Hebert, left the game due to injury after completing just two of his eight passes for 35 yards, and backup QB Whit Taylor (pictured at top) came into the game. With just under four minutes left in the third quarter, Bojovic was successful with a 28-yard field goal that narrowed San Antonio’s lead to 10-3.

Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, the Panthers tied the game when Taylor threw to TE Mike Cobb for a three-yard touchdown. However, San Antonio went back ahead at 17-10 with 6:28 remaining in regulation as RB George Works dove into the end zone for a TD on a fourth-and-one play.

The Panthers responded with a 14-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a four-yard scoring pass from Taylor to WR Anthony Allen with 51 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and with Bojovic’s successful PAT, the contest was again tied at 17-17.

The Gunslingers had a chance to win on the last play of the fourth quarter, but Mike-Mayer’s 58-yard field goal attempt hit the crossbar and was no good. The game proceeded into overtime.

With a strong wind blowing, Michigan won the toss and elected to kick off to start the OT period. It didn’t take long for the gamble to pay off. CB Oliver Davis intercepted a Neuheisel pass and returned it for a 27-yard touchdown just 22 seconds into the extra period to win the game for the Panthers by a final score of 23-17.

The Gunslingers outgained Michigan (311 yards to 251) and had a slight edge in first downs (19 to 18), although they also turned the ball over three times, to the Panthers’ one, the last time fatally.

Coming off the bench in the second half, Whit Taylor completed 13 of 23 passes for 139 yards with two touchdowns and none intercepted. Anthony Allen caught 7 passes for 98 yards and a TD. RB Ken Lacy led the running attack with 32 yards on 12 carries, while RB Albert Bentley was right behind at 31 yards on his 10 attempts.


For San Antonio, Rick Neuheisel was successful on 16 of 32 passes for 213 yards that included one TD but also two interceptions. TE Joey Hackett was the top receiver with 4 receptions for 89 yards. RB Mike Hagen rushed for 44 yards on 14 carries.

“We were in double rotation nickel coverage, and I had a short area of responsibility,” said Davis of the play that resulted in the decisive score. “I made a hell of a break for the ball and got to walk it in. My main thing was to make sure I had the ball. I think he (Neuheisel) never really saw me. We disguised the defense to make him think it was a man-to-man.”

“We were in the nickel defense with an extra back,” added Coach Stanley. “This is one of the real good victories for this team. We showed class in the game. I'm proud of this team more than any other.”

The Panthers lost the next week but went on to finish up with two wins in the last four games, just qualifying for the postseason as a wild card with a 10-8 record. They lost to the Los Angeles Express in an epic triple-overtime First Round playoff game. San Antonio ended up at 7-11 and in third place, behind the Panthers, in the Central Division.

The relief performance by Whit Taylor was a highlight of his two seasons with Michigan (ironically, he played for San Antonio in 1985). Overall, he completed 47 of 96 passes for 790 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.