1971: Falcons Beat Saints to Cap First Winning Season

The Atlanta Falcons had not posted a winning record in their first five years since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1966. However, as they faced the New Orleans Saints in the 1971 season finale on December 19, their record was 6-6-1 and the prospect of ending up over .500 a distinct possibility. In their third full year under Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin, the Falcons were better on defense than offense, despite the loss of star MLB Tommy Nobis to a knee injury. OLB Don Hansen was a solid player, and the defensive line had outstanding talent in ends Claude Humphrey and John Zook. The secondary, led by CB Ken Reaves, was tough against the pass. Van Brocklin emphasized toughness, and that was most apparent in the nondescript offense directed by small-but-accurate QB Bob Berry and featuring a group of running backs that were pluggers and lacked outside speed.

New Orleans, which had joined the NFL a year after the Falcons, was also seeking a franchise-best record under Head Coach J.D. Roberts, but at a more modest level. The Saints were 4-7-2 and trying to outdo their 5-9 record of 1969 – they were already assured of besting 1970’s 2-11-1 tally. Moreover, three of their wins had come against contending teams (the Rams, 49ers, and eventual-champion Cowboys), thus providing encouragement that the club might be heading in the right direction. The offense was led by rookie first draft pick QB Archie Manning, who had suffered through an injury-plagued campaign, but there was too little talent surrounding him and the defense was a liability.

There were 75,554 in attendance at Tulane Stadium, and they saw the Falcons score first on a six-yard run by FB Art Malone that was set up by the recovery of a New Orleans fumble at the Saints’ 15. The home team responded with a six-yard touchdown run of its own, by HB Bob Gresham, to make it a 7-7 game after one quarter.

The Saints moved ahead with just over four minutes to play in the first half, capping a six-minute drive with Charlie Durkee’s 30-yard field goal. Atlanta put together a 10-play, 76-yard series in response that was highlighted by a 35-yard gain on a pass from Berry to rookie WR Ken Burrow and finished off with a 12-yard field goal by Bill Bell. The score was tied at 10-10 at halftime.

The Saints got a break midway through the third quarter after a punt hit Atlanta HB Willie Belton and was recovered by LB Ray Hester at the Falcons’ 12. Manning ran for a six-yard touchdown and New Orleans held a 17-10 edge going into the final period.

Atlanta’s struggling offense finally came alive in the last six minutes of the game, sparked by a big play. Berry threw to Burrow for an 84-yard gain to the New Orleans three yard line, and Malone capped the series with a one-yard scoring run. With Bell’s extra point, the game was tied once more at 17-17.

The Saints came right back, however, as HB Virgil Robinson returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards to set up a 36-yard field goal by Durkee that put them back in front with 3:14 to play.

HB Jim “Cannonball” Butler came up with a good kickoff return of his own, running it back 36 yards to his own 49. Nine plays later, on a series highlighted by a Berry throw to his other rookie starting wide receiver, Wes Chesson, for a 19-yard gain on a third-and-18 play to the New Orleans 26, the Falcons scored when Berry tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Burrow with just 34 seconds left to play. Atlanta held on to win by a final score of 24-20.

The Falcons outgained the Saints (319 yards to 300) although New Orleans had more first downs (20 to 14). Atlanta gained only 57 yards on 22 running plays but the defensive line came through with five sacks. Each team turned the ball over once.

Ken Burrow had a huge performance as he caught 8 passes for 190 yards and a TD. Bob Berry completed 18 of 27 passes for 269 yards with a touchdown and had none intercepted. Art Malone was the team’s leading rusher with 24 yards on 8 carries that nevertheless included two TDs. “Cannonball” Butler was right behind with 22 yards, also on eight attempts.


For the Saints, Archie Manning went to the air 26 times and completed 17 for 174 yards with none for scores, but also no interceptions – in addition, he ran the ball three times for 28 yards and a TD. Bob Gresham was the top receiver with 6 catches for 60 yards while also rushing 18 times for 52 yards and a score. FB Jim Strong was the leading ground-gainer as he accumulated 73 yards on 17 carries.

“The Saints played the run a lot tougher this time and we just couldn't get our hands on the ball much because they controlled it,” said Coach Norm Van Brocklin. “I think the Saints are the most improved team in football.”

Atlanta concluded the schedule with a 7-6-1 record that placed the Falcons third in the NFC West. They would break even in 1972 at 7-7 and contend for a time in ’73 while ending up at 9-5, but the Falcons would not reach the postseason until 1978. The Saints, who finished behind Atlanta at 4-8-2, would find their hopes dashed with a 2-11-1 mark in 1972. It would take far longer – until 1987 – for New Orleans to finally put together a winning mark and make it into the playoffs.

Bob Berry, who had the best years of his 11-season career under Van Brocklin’s tutelage, ranked second in the NFL in yards per attempt (8.87, to 8.92 for Roger Staubach of the Cowboys) and completion percentage (60.2) and fourth overall in the conference in passing under the system in use at the time (third by today’s system at 75.9).

Ken Burrow caught 33 passes for 741 yards (22.5 avg.) and six touchdowns. Over the course of a five-year career, all with the Falcons, he never exceeded the yardage total and had a high of 34 catches in 1974. Overall, he ended up with 152 receptions for 2668 yards (17.6 avg.) and 21 TDs. The 84-yard catch against the Saints was his longest and the eight pass receptions his most in a single game, and the 190 receiving yards tied his career high.

1971: Willie Ellison Runs for 247 Yards as Rams Beat Saints

Prior to the December 5, 1971 game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints, halfback Willie Ellison had largely labored in obscurity. In his fifth year out of Texas Southern, as part of a stable of good backs in LA he had only occasionally started; in his best season, 1968, he gained 616 yards, but had a combined total of 521 in the other three years. At 6’2” and 210 pounds, he had good speed but was stuck behind bigger backs more to the liking of Head Coach George Allen such as Les Josephson and Larry Smith.

1971 was a year of transition for the Rams, as Allen had been let go following the ’70 season and replaced by Tommy Prothro, a career college coach who had been at UCLA. One of the changes the new head coach made was to utilize Ellison more, and it would lead to his not only achieving a career high in rushing but a place in the record book as well.

Los Angeles was 6-4-1 coming into the game against the Saints at the Memorial Coliseum, a half-game behind the 49ers (7-4) in the NFC West. New Orleans, under Head Coach J.D. Roberts, was struggling at 4-5-2, although the Saints were coming off of a win the week before at Green Bay and had beaten the Rams in the first game of the season. However, rookie QB Archie Manning, who had starred in that opening-day contest, was injured against the Packers and out for the rematch with LA – third-year backup Edd Hargett started in his place.

There were 73,610 fans present at the huge stadium, and they didn’t have to wait long for the Rams to get on the board. On the third play from scrimmage, Ellison ran around end for an 80-yard touchdown. Sprung thanks to a block by perennial Pro Bowl guard Tom Mack on New Orleans FS D’Artagnan Martin, Ellison had clear sailing until he reached the Saints’ 20 and dodged the strong safety, Hugo Hollas, to continue on to the end zone.

The next score was set up when New Orleans punter Julian Fagan, after fielding a bad snap that had gone over his head, launched a punt that went just four yards. LA took over on the New Orleans 33 and capitalized when QB Roman Gabriel completed a 37-yard TD pass to WR Jack Snow.

The Saints then capped an eight-play drive at 9:38 into the opening period as Hargett completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to WR Dan Abramowicz. But no sooner had they cut LA’s lead to seven points when RB Travis Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 105 yards for a TD. The Rams led by 21-7 after one quarter of play.

On LA’s first series of the second quarter, Ellison broke loose for a 48-yard run to the New Orleans 12, but David Ray ended up missing a 15-yard field goal attempt to make it all for naught. However, when the Saints were forced to punt again, WR Lance Rentzel returned it 24 yards to the New Orleans 37. In a drive assisted by a roughing-the-passer penalty on DT Dave Long, Larry Smith ran the final five yards for a TD.

In the final seconds of the second quarter, Gabriel threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Rentzel that capped a drive of 69 yards in 13 plays which included three runs for 33 yards by Ellison. After one half, Los Angeles was comfortably leading 35-7 and Ellison had gained 186 yards rushing on 13 carries.

After building the big first half lead, the Rams played poorly in the third quarter. A series of penalties kept them in bad field position - one was an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Prothro, who stormed onto the field after Gabriel was called for intentional grounding.

New Orleans took advantage of LA’s miscues to score twice. After a 17-yard punt by Pat Studstill from his two yard line, the Saints had excellent field position at the LA 19 and HB Bob Gresham scored from a yard out. Then Ellison fumbled after taking a hard hit and the ball was recovered by Saints LB Jim Flanigan. New Orleans drove 60 yards in seven plays that resulted in a short TD carry by Hargett.

The score was 35-21 after three quarters, putting the Saints in striking distance, but early in the fourth quarter, Gabriel connected with Rentzel for a 39-yard touchdown to cap a 10-play, 65-yard drive that got the Rams back on track. Hargett followed by throwing a desperation pass while pressured by DT Merlin Olsen that was intercepted by CB Jim Nettles at the New Orleans 45. While the Saints scored once more on a second short, one-yard run by Gresham, the outcome was essentially decided.

The only drama remaining pertained to Ellison as he closed in on the single-game rushing record. The existing NFL record had been 237, twice achieved by Cleveland’s Jim Brown, but with the adopting of the American Football League’s records following the merger in 1970, the target was now the 243 yards gained by Cookie Gilchrist of the Bills against the Jets in 1963.

A ten-yard gain put Ellison even with Gilchrist at 243 yards, but then Prothro pulled the halfback for a breather with two minutes left to play, much to the displeasure of the crowd. He returned, to cheers, and broke the record with a two-yard run off left tackle. Ellison added another two-yard run for good measure, bringing his new record total to 247 yards, and left the field to a standing ovation.

The result of the game was almost an afterthought, as Ray kicked a 12-yard field goal to make the final score 45-28.

The Rams easily outgained the Saints, by 421 yards to 263, although they gave up 119 yards as a result of 14 penalties (New Orleans was flagged six times). Willie Ellison’s 247 rushing yards came on 26 carries for a 9.5-yard average gain and included the one long touchdown.

Roman Gabriel completed 10 of 18 passes for 137 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. Lance Rentzel caught 5 passes for 65 yards and two scores to lead the receivers.

For the Saints, Edd Hargett threw 36 passes and was successful on 19 of them for 213 yards with a touchdown and one picked off. Dan Abramowicz and TE Dave Parks both caught five passes, with Abramowicz gaining 91 yards (and scoring a TD) to 46 for the veteran tight end. New Orleans gained just 56 yards on the ground, on 23 carries, and FB Jim Strong led with 33 yards on 7 attempts. While Bob Gresham scored the two short TDs, he averaged less than a yard a carry with 9 yards on 11 attempts.

“Yes, they made me aware of the records (at halftime),” said Ellison afterward. “I knew I needed something like 60 yards to break the NFL mark. But really, I didn't let it concern me. I felt whatever comes will come.”

“Willie Ellison ran like hell all day,” said Saints Coach North. “He has a little bit of everything – including blocking.”

“You need 11 guys to block,” added veteran Rams G Joe Scibelli. “But you also need a guy who knows how to hit the hole. Personally I feel honored to be a part of Willie Ellison's record.”

The record-setting performance (it was broken by Buffalo’s O.J. Simpson in the first week of the 1973 season) gave Willie Ellison 929 yards in 12 games, on his way to an even 1000 yards on 211 carries (4.7 avg.). He also caught 32 passes for 238 yards, but all four of his touchdowns came on the ground. Ellison led the team with 764 yards in ’72, but by the following year he was playing fullback in Kansas City, where his career ended in 1974 (returning to the obscurity from whence he had come).

The Rams ended up with an 8-5-1 record to again finish second to San Francisco in the NFC West; following a losing season in 1972, Prothro would be out as coach. New Orleans lost its last two games to conclude with a 4-8-2 tally, once again at the bottom of the division (the Saints would not escape the NFC West cellar until 1974).

1970: Tom Dempsey Kicks 63-Yard Field Goal to Jolt Lions

The November 8, 1970 game between the New Orleans Saints (1-5-1) and visiting Detroit Lions (5-2) at Tulane Stadium hardly seemed like a matchup that would come down to the last play. The Saints weren’t playing well, had lost their last two games by 32-14 and 30-17 margins, and had just replaced Head Coach Tom Fears with J.D. Roberts.

The Lions were contenders in the NFC Central and were coming off a key divisional loss to Minnesota, with the rematch coming up the following week. But they led by only 7-6 at the half and were down, 16-14, in the fourth quarter when Saints RB Tom Barrington scored on a four-yard run. However, with 6:42 left in the game, QB Greg Landry led the Lions on a 76-yard drive that ended in an 18-yard Errol Mann field goal with only 11 seconds remaining.

The Saints ran one play after the ensuing kickoff, with QB Billy Kilmer hitting WR Al Dodd along the sideline for a 17-yard gain to the New Orleans 45 yard line (there was some doubt that Dodd had managed to keep both feet inbounds). With two seconds remaining, placekicker Tom Dempsey came onto the field to attempt a field goal.

Dempsey had been born without a right hand and with no toes on his right (kicking) foot. In spite of his disabilities, he played football for Palomar Junior College in California, and joined the Saints in ’69 after a stint on San Diego’s taxi squad. A hefty 6’2” and 255 pounds, he had a powerful leg, but accuracy was always an issue. There was also controversy regarding the modified shoe that he wore on his kicking foot which was in questionable compliance with league rules on footwear.

In his first season in New Orleans, he had been successful on 53.7 % of his field goal attempts (22 of 41) – and was just one for 11 from 50 or more yards away – and thus far in 1970 he had been hampered by a pulled muscle in his hip and had been good on only five of 15 field goal attempts.

On this day against the Lions, Dempsey had kicked field goals from 29, 27, and 8 yards. Now he instructed his holder, Joe Scarpati, to set up eight yards deep rather than the customary seven to provide a bit more time and room for his long attempt.

The snap and hold were just right, and Dempsey kicked the ball solidly. Many of the Detroit defenders didn’t take the long field goal attempt seriously and barely mounted a rush, although veteran DT Alex Karras came charging in and nearly got a hand on the kick. But the ball cleared the line with plenty of height, hung for a long time, and went over the crossbar just to the right of center by about a foot, landing three yards beyond.

Fans and teammates erupted wildly, over both the 19-17 win for the Saints and the wholly improbable manner in which they had won. As Detroit Head Coach Joe Schmidt put it afterward, “You’ll never see it again. It’s like winning the Masters with a 390-yard hole-in-one on the last shot”.

Dempsey’s kick broke the existing record for longest field goal – 56 yards by Baltimore’s Bert Rechichar in 1953 – by seven yards. To date, few have come close, and it was finally tied by Jason Elam of the Broncos 28 years later.

The 63-yard field goal made Dempsey an overnight celebrity, but it didn’t guarantee him job security. He finished the ’70 season at 18 for 34 (52.9 %) and was cut the following preseason. Picked up by Philadelphia during the 1971 season, he actually led the league in field goal percentage (70.6 on 12 of 17 attempts) and set a then-team record for the Eagles with a 54-yard boot. He went on to play three more seasons in Philadelphia before moving on to the Rams, Oilers, and Bills.

The win was the high point for the New Orleans Saints in ’70 – they lost the remainder of their games and ended up with a 2-11-1 record at the bottom of the NFC West. Detroit recovered to finish at 10-4, good enough for second place in the NFC Central and, in this first season of the newly-merged NFL, a postseason spot as the conference’s wild card team.