1974: Houston Scores Early, Holds On to Beat Florida

The Florida Blazers and Houston Texans were off to very different starts in the World Football League’s inaugural season as they met in Houston on July 31, 1974.

The Blazers were undefeated at 3-0. Coached by Jack Pardee, a recently retired star linebacker with the Rams and Redskins, the Blazers featured a veteran NFL backup, Bob Davis, at quarterback. While there was more veteran talent at running back in A.D. Whitfield and Jim Strong, rookie Tommy Reamon had emerged as the leader of the group. The defense was especially able in the backfield, featuring more experienced players in safeties Rickie Harris and W.K. Hicks along with CB Miller Farr.

Houston, on the other hand, was 1-2 and had yet to score an offensive touchdown (the defense had accounted for one in the club’s lone victory). Head Coach Jim Garrett’s team had plenty of experience, which was apparent on defense, but not much scoring punch. QB Mike Taliaferro had already missed time due to injury while the running game was led by FB Jim Nance (pictured above), who twice led the American Football League in rushing. The clubs had met the previous week in Orlando and Florida won handily by a 15-3 score.

16,268 fans showed up for the Wednesday night contest billed as “Nickel Hot Dog Night” at the Astrodome. Less than two minutes into the first quarter, Houston safety John Mallory intercepted a Bob Davis pass and returned it 59 yards to the Florida one yard line. From there, Jim Nance plunged to the left for a touchdown on the next play. While the try for the action point failed, the Texans held the early 7-0 lead (in the WFL, touchdowns counted for seven points and were followed by an action point, which could not be kicked).

Later in the opening period, the Blazers got on the board following a 42-yard drive with a Les Perry field goal from 26 yards. Along the way, Davis threw to RB Jim Strong for an 18-yard gain that proved to be the longest of the game for either club. Perry connected on another field goal in the second quarter, this time from 21 yards, to climax a 36-yard advance that was helped along by a 17-yard defensive pass interference penalty.

Houston’s Mike Taliaferro left the game due to injury and was relieved by Dave Mays, a rookie out of Texas Southern. It seemed to ignite the Texans, who reached the Florida eight before Charlie Durkee’s 24-yard field goal attempt sailed wide of the mark.

Beyond that, Houston’s defensive line of ends Don Brumm and Joe Robb and tackles Al Dotson and Jim Kanicki kept constant pressure on Bob Davis and the home team held on to the narrow one-point lead for the remainder of the game. The Texans were threatening late in the fourth quarter, but after reaching the Florida three they came up empty when time ran out. Still, they won by a narrow 7-6 verdict.

In the defense-dominated game, the Texans led in total yards (157 to 122) and first downs (14 to 9), with the offense almost perfectly balanced between rushing yardage (79) and passing (78). Houston also turned the ball over three times, to two by the Blazers. However, the Texans recorded six sacks and Florida was penalized 16 times, at a cost of 136 yards, to 7 flags for 81 yards thrown on Houston.

Mike Taliaferro completed one of three passes for 11 yards before exiting the game and Dave Mays was 7 of 17 for 67 yards while giving up an interception. Jim Nance gained just 29 yards on 10 carries, but that included the game’s only touchdown. WR Rick Eber led Houston’s receivers with 5 catches for 46 yards.

For the Blazers, Bob Davis was successful on only 5 of 18 throws for 54 yards and was picked off twice. Tommy Reamon was the leading ground gainer with a lackluster 21 yards on 15 attempts and Jim Strong, who ran for 14 yards on 10 carries, led the club in pass receiving with three catches for 27 yards.

Houston tied Portland the following week before dropping five of their next six games. At that point, the underfinanced franchise moved to Shreveport, Louisiana and was renamed the Steamer, finishing up with a record of 7-12-1 that tied with Portland at the bottom of the WFL’s Western Division. Florida won its next three games on the way to topping the Eastern Division at 14-6. However, the club was also beset by financial problems that included missed payrolls, although the Blazers still made it to the WFL Championship Game (the World Bowl) and lost narrowly to the Birmingham Americans.

Jim Nance’s touchdown against the Blazers was his first of eight over the course of the season. The 31-year-old veteran rushed for 1240 yards on an even 300 carries. John Mallory’s interception that set up the TD was one of five on the year, and at 59 yards was his longest return.

1974: Bob Gladieux Scores 4 TDs as NY Stars Rout Texans

The New York Stars of the World Football League were riding high (at least on the field) as they faced the Houston Texans on August 21, 1974. Coached by former pro quarterback Babe Parilli, the Stars had lost their first two games but then reeled off four straight victories. The offense was directed by QB Tom Sherman, included ex-Jets star WR George Sauer, and had the new league’s top-ranked rushing attack, led by a former Notre Dame standout in RB Bob Gladieux (pictured). The defense featured a line that was anchored by two more ex-Jets, DE Gerry Philbin and DT John Elliott. However, the club was forced to play its home games at the substandard Downing Stadium on out-of-the-way Randalls Island in the shadow of the Triborough Bridge, and attendance (not to mention credibility) suffered as a result.

The visiting Texans seemed to match up well with the Stars, for they boasted the top-rated rushing defense in the WFL. Coached by former Giants assistant Jim Garrett, Houston had a club laden with veterans. On offense, that included former AFL standouts in WR Don Maynard and FB Jim Nance, plus QB Mike Taliaferro and TE Willie Frazier. The defense had end Don Brumm, tackle Jim Kanicki, and LB Garland Boyette. Still, they sported a mediocre 2-3-1 record, largely due to an inability to score points.

There was a meager crowd of 12,042 at the poorly-lit Downing Stadium for the Wednesday night matchup. Things went wrong for Houston on the game’s third play when FB Mike Richardson fumbled and Philbin recovered for the Stars at the Texans’ 37. A 10-yard Tom Sherman completion to WR Al Young got the ball down to the one and Bob Gladieux scored on the next play. The action point failed (in the WFL, touchdowns counted for seven points and were followed by an “action point” that could not be kicked).

Another turnover gave the Stars the ball when CB Steve Dennis intercepted a pass at the New York 47. Sherman passed to WR Kreg Kapitan for 16 yards to the eight yard line and, from five yards out, threw to Gladieux for a touchdown. The Stars again came up empty on the action point attempt, but were ahead by 14-0.

The third New York score was set up thanks to a shanked 16-yard punt. Sherman passed twice to Young, for 24 and 7 yards, and then Young drew a 13-yard pass interference penalty. Gladieux scored another touchdown, plowing in from a yard out.

The Texans finally got on the board 30 seconds before halftime when Charlie Durkee kicked a 43-yard field goal, but Houston was in a deep hole at 21-3. A furious Coach Garrett berated his team at halftime and promised to rid the club of players that weren’t giving an adequate effort.

Garrett’s outburst failed to inspire the Texans in the second half. Bob Gladieux made it four touchdowns with a four-yard run in the third quarter to add to the home team’s lead. This time New York was able to convert the action point as Sherman passed to Young. The Stars had the game well in hand at 29-3. The contest became a rout before the period was over, this time with Sherman tossing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Kapitan. The action point failed, but it didn’t matter.

Houston scored its only other points of the game with just under nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter as Mike Richardson ran for a one-yard TD that was set up by QB Mike Taliaferro pass completions of 21 yards to Don Maynard and eight yards to TE Don Davis.

Sherman gave way at quarterback to rookie Gary Danielson, who completed two passes - to Kapitan for 16 yards and 23 yards to WR Tom Spinks to the Houston one yard line – and then scored on a quarterback sneak. Instead of a close battle, New York breezed to a 43-10 win.

The Stars rolled up an impressive 231 rushing yards and 405 overall to just 178 total yards for Houston. New York also held a huge edge in first downs, 25 to 11, and didn’t turn the ball over while the Texans suffered three, all of which proved costly.

Tom Sherman completed 10 of 20 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Bob Gladieux was the most notable offensive star, rushing for 84 yards on 20 carries and catching one short scoring pass that gave him a total of four touchdowns. RB Ed White added 69 yards on 16 attempts and RB Dave Richards gained 63 on 14 rushes. Al Young caught 5 passes for 63 yards and Kreg Kapitan gained 64 yards on his 4 receptions that included a touchdown.

For Houston, Mike Taliaferro completed 12 of 25 passes for just 81 yards. Mike Richardson and FB Jim Nance each gained 26 yards rushing, on 11 and four carries, respectively. WR Rick Eber led the receivers with three catches for 39 yards.

“I can’t believe this game! I thought it would be close,” New York’s Gerry Philbin exclaimed afterward.

“We weren’t ready to play,” said a disappointed Coach Jim Garrett. “It was obvious in the warmup.”

It was the fifth straight win for the Stars, and also the high point for their season. They played the Texans again the following week in Houston and lost, in a contest best remembered for the legally abbreviated appearance by DE John Matuszak for the home team, and never won consistently again. Unable to draw in New York, the franchise was sold and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where it concluded the season with a final record of 10-10.

The Texans also failed to complete the season where they started, ending up in Louisiana as the Shreveport Steamer and going 7-12-1.

Bob Gladieux led the Stars in rushing with 690 yards on 177 carries (3.9 avg.) and caught a total of 9 passes for 99 yards. Despite his four-TD performance against the Texans, he ended up with a total of 7 touchdowns (the pass receiving score was his only one of the year). It was the final season of a nondescript five-year pro career spent mostly with the Patriots in the AFL and NFL.

Past Venue: Astrodome

Houston, TX



Year opened: 1965
Capacity: 62,439

Names:
Harris County Domed Stadium, 1965
Houston Astrodome, 1965-2000
Reliant Astrodome, 2000 to date

Pro football tenants:
Houston Oilers (AFL/NFL), 1968-96
Houston Texans (WFL), 1974
Houston Gamblers (USFL), 1984-85

Postseason games hosted:
AFC Wild Card playoff, Oilers 13 Broncos 7, Dec. 23, 1979
USFL Quarterfinal playoff, Wranglers 17 Gamblers 16, July 1, 1984
AFC Wild Card playoff, Oilers 23 Seahawks 20, Jan. 3, 1988
AFC Wild Card playoff, Steelers 26 Oilers 23, Dec. 31, 1989
AFC Wild Card playoff, Oilers 17 Jets 10, Dec. 29, 1991
AFC Divisional playoff, Chiefs 28 Oilers 20, Jan. 16, 1994

Other tenants of note:
Houston Astros (MLB – NL), 1965-99
Univ. of Houston (college football), 1965-97
Houston Hurricane (NASL), 1978-80

Notes: Hosted AFL All-Star game, Jan. 17, 1970. Hosted annual Bluebonnet Bowl, 1968-84, 87. Hosted Houston Bowl, 2000-01. Hosted annual Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, 1966-2003. Also hosted high school football playoff games. World’s first air-conditioned domed stadium when completed in 1965 and dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World”, it was also the world’s largest self-supporting dome at the time of construction. Original grass surface proved impractical and was replaced with AstroTurf in 1966 (the first such use of an artificial surface). Underwent major renovation in 1989, with external ramps added outside the structure, the dirt floor converted to concrete, and a new artificial surface installed. Conceived by Judge Roy Hofheinz, an entrepreneur and politician who was instrumental in bringing major league baseball to Houston and who maintained a large luxury apartment in the Astrodome that was removed as part of the renovation (Hofheinz died in 1982). Located in what is now Reliant Park; Reliant Stadium was constructed adjacent to it.

Fate: Facility is closed but still standing.




(more recent view, showing external renovations)

1974: Steamer Defeats Bell Before 750 Fans at JFK Stadium

It was a rainy Wednesday night in Philadelphia on October 16, 1974 as the host Bell took on the Shreveport Steamer in a World Football League contest at JFK Stadium. Adding to the gloom was a miniscule estimated turnout of 750 at the 100,000-seat venue, a bitter pill for a team that had drawn big crowds in its first two home games – and created a scandal when it was later revealed that the vast majority of those fans were using free or heavily-discounted tickets.

The Bell, under Head Coach Ron Waller, was a colorful club with an exciting offense led by eccentric QB Jim “King” Corcoran. The passing game was productive, and there were good running backs in John Land and Claude Watts. Still, Philadelphia had a losing 6-9 record coming into the contest with Shreveport.

The Steamer had started the season as the Houston Texans and moved to Shreveport in late September. At the time of the relocation, they sported a 3-7-1 tally and things had not gotten better for the veteran team, which was 1-3 in its new city for a combined record of 4-10-1. There had been plenty of turmoil with the move, as many players were opposed to it and Head Coach Jim Garrett was suspended when he actively urged them to not report to Shreveport. Garrett was replaced by Marshall Taylor, and despite the misgivings, the club received a warm welcome from the fans in the new locale. FB Jim Nance (pictured above), an ex-AFL star with the Patriots, was a standout running the ball. Another former AFL player, LB Garland Boyette, was the leader of the well-seasoned defense. Veteran QB Mike Taliaferro quit the team, and two rookie quarterbacks, D.C. Nobles and Dave Mays, ran the option offense.

Philadelphia fumbled less then four minutes into the game and Nobles started off the scoring with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Eber that was followed by a successful pass for the action point. After Bell DB Ron Mabra intercepted a Nobles pass, Land and Watts proceeded to grind out a drive. Watts scored for Philadelphia, but the action point attempt failed and the Steamer held an 8-7 lead after a period of play (touchdowns counted for seven points in the WFL, followed by an action point that could not be kicked).

In the second quarter, Mays came in at quarterback for Shreveport after Nobles strained his shoulder and connected with TE Willie Frazier for a 29-yard TD. The pass attempt for the action point was unsuccessful and Shreveport took a 15-7 lead into halftime.

The Bell started off the second half scoring when Jerry Warren kicked a 32-yard field goal to cut the margin to 15-10. Nobles came back into the game for Shreveport and the Steamer responded with a drive that concluded with Nance scoring on a two-yard run. Nobles ran for the action point, making the score 23-10.

“King” Corcoran passed to WR Ron Holliday for a nine-yard touchdown, capping an eight-play, 64-yard drive by the Bell, but the action point was again missed and the score stood at 23-17. It didn’t stay that way for long. Safety Richmond Flowers returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards. On the next play, Nobles threw his second scoring pass to Eber, this time covering 39 yards, extending the Steamer lead to 30-17 as the action point attempt failed.

The Bell scored once more in the fourth quarter when Corcoran threw an eight-yard TD pass to WR Vince Papale, and Land ran for the action point. The Steamer missed a chance to extend the lead when a 20-yard field goal attempt by Charlie Durkee hit the upright and was no good. But Boyette intercepted a Corcoran pass and Shreveport was able to run out the last four minutes to win 30-25.

The statistics were very even, with Shreveport barely outgaining the Bell (323 yards to 321) and having the edge in first downs (17 to 15). Philadelphia had more rushing yards (180 to 164) while the Steamer gained more net passing yards (159 to 141). However, the Bell lost three fumbles, to none given up by Shreveport. Jim Nance ran for 104 yards for the Steamer, and John Land gained 105 yards on 13 attempts for Philadelphia.

The biggest story from the game was the paltry attendance, which was the smallest for any WFL game.

“I don’t know if it was the World Series, the weather or what, but that’s the smallest crowd that I can ever remember playing in front of,” said Land.

“Hell, I wrestled before bigger crowds than that at Indiana (Pa.) High School,” added Jim Nance.

With the win, the Steamer was now 2-2 under Coach Taylor. They went 1-2 the rest of the way and finished at 7-12-1 and tied for third in the Western Division. Philadelphia won by a surprisingly big margin of 45-7 over the Southern California Sun the next week and, with a win by forfeit to conclude the season, ended up with a 9-11 record and a playoff spot. The Bell lost to the Florida Blazers in the first round.

Jim Nance ranked third in the WFL with 1240 yards on 300 carries (4.1 avg.) and eight touchdowns. John Land wasn’t far behind as he carried the ball 243 times for 1136 yards (4.7 avg.) and eight TDs. Land was a far more productive pass receiver out of the backfield than Nance (who caught just 14 passes) with 54 catches for 621 yards and another four touchdowns.

After averaging 60,127 fans in the first two home games (inflated by the free and discounted tickets), the Bell averaged just 9328 in the remaining eight, including the 750 against the Steamer. The team survived to return for the aborted 1975 season, but moved to the less-spacious Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania.

1974: Injunction Removes Matuszak, but Texans Beat NY Stars

The Houston Texans had the oldest and most veteran-laden team in the World Football League’s 1974 season, but that did not bring them a great deal of success. By the time of their Week 8 matchup against the visiting New York Stars on August 28, the Texans were just 2-4-1. The solid defense had performed well until just the week before, against the Stars at Downing Stadium, when they were blown out by a score of 43-10. The offense had difficulty putting points on the board and had yet to score more than 15 points in a game.

Houston’s defense was to be further bolstered by the addition of 6’8”, 282-pound DE John Matuszak, who had jumped from the NFL Oilers to the Texans during the preceding week. An All-American at Tampa and the number one overall draft choice in 1973, he had played in a preseason game with the Oilers and practiced the two days before leaving camp suddenly and announcing the next day that he had joined the Texans. He indicated that he had found a loophole in his contract with the Oilers that allowed him to sign and play immediately with the Texans – a point of dispute with the NFL club that would lead to a bizarre situation during the game.

New York, in the meantime, had won five straight games, including the big win over the Texans the previous week, after losing the first two.

There were 10,126 fans in attendance for the Wednesday night contest at the Astrodome. They saw yet another ex-NFL veteran, safety Richmond Flowers, return the opening kickoff 30 yards. They also saw the home team get the first big break of the game when safety Joe Green recovered a fumble at the New York 17 yard line. Shortly thereafter, QB Mike Taliaferro threw a six-yard touchdown pass to TE Willie Frazier. The action point attempt failed, but the Texans led by 7-0 (in the WFL, touchdowns counted for seven points and were followed by an action point, which could not be kicked).

Early in the second quarter, Taliaferro was intercepted by New York CB Larry Shears, who returned it 48 yards. Following the defensive series by Houston, Harris County sheriff’s deputies entered the field at the Astrodome looking for Matuszak and handed him a temporary injunction ordering him not to play for the Texans. Matuszak had been escorted down the sideline by owner Steve Arnold.

“I didn't have time to read the court order and evaluate it,” the flashy owner of the Texans said, “but God, it looked real. And I didn't want to go to jail.”

Matuszak waved the papers at the stunned and silenced crowd and then received a roar of approval as he made his way to the bench and watched the remainder of the game from there (pictured at top). Moses Lajterman proceeded to kick a 34-yard field goal for New York following Matuszak’s removal from the contest and the score remained 7-3 at the half.

Early in the fourth quarter, Taliaferro threw a second scoring pass, this time to a wide-open WR Rick Eber for a 25-yard TD. Later, with just over two minutes remaining, the Stars scored when QB Tom Sherman connected with WR Kreg Kapitan for an 11-yard TD. The two again combined for the lone successful action point of the game.

New York got the ball back with less than a minute remaining but, having no time outs left, couldn’t get into field goal range before time ran out. Houston held on to win, 14-11.

The Texans outgained New York (327 yards to 205) and had more first downs (18 to 13). There were just three turnovers, with Houston giving the ball up twice, but a total of 10 penalties, with 11 committed by the Texans.

Mike Taliaferro completed 11 of 20 passes for 182 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. FB Mike Richardson led the Texans in rushing with 83 yards on 18 carries. Rick Eber caught four passes for 81 yards and a TD.

For the Stars, Tom Sherman was successful on 12 of 29 throws for 119 yards with one TD and none intercepted. RB Ed White rushed for 42 yards on 9 attempts. Kreg Kapitan and WR Tommy Spinks each caught five passes, with Kapitan gaining 54 yards to 50 for Spinks.

In all, John Matuszak appeared in five plays for Houston, and was outstanding during that brief period. The sheriff’s deputies had intended to serve the papers before the teams took the field, but Oilers owner Bud Adams said they had left too late to get to the stadium on time (at least one account indicated that the deputies got lost in the Astrodome).

In another twist, Stars GM Bob Keating protested the game afterward because Houston dressed 39 players instead of the league limit of 37.

“Terry Cole and Paul Zaeski were the extra players dressed by (Head Coach) Jim Garrett of the Texans,” said Keating. He further indicated that the problem was caused when Houston picked up DT Bill Yost and WR Billy Walik prior to the game and did not declare them active or inactive. Nothing came of the protest and the result stood.

Matuszak was left behind the following week when the team went to Hawaii, as the hearing on the court order was set for September 5. In the end, he never played again for either the Texans or the Oilers. Unappreciative of his antics, the NFL club dealt the big defensive end to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he lasted two seasons while having off-field issues with drugs and alcohol. He was traded again, this time to Washington, but never made it to the regular season after running afoul of Head Coach George Allen (when asked by reporters why Matuszak had been cut, the coach responded, “Vodka and Valium, the breakfast of champions.”). Picked up by the Oakland Raiders, the player known simply as “The Tooz” finally achieved some level of the success that had been anticipated for him and was part of the team that won the Super Bowl following the 1980 season (his next to last).

By the time the WFL season ended, neither the Texans nor Stars were in their original location (or under the same ownership). The Texans moved to Shreveport, Louisiana (and were renamed the Steamer) less than a month after hosting the Stars and finished at a disappointing 7-12-1 and tied for third place in the Western Division with the Portland Storm. Shortly thereafter, the Stars shifted to Charlotte, North Carolina and became the Charlotte Hornets. From their promising beginning, they ended up at 10-10 and second in the Eastern Division.