1974: Last-Play TD Pass Propels Sun Past Sharks

In the third week of World Football League action in 1974, the Southern California Sun traveled to Florida to face the Jacksonville Sharks on July 24. Both teams had split their first two contests in the new league’s early going.

The Sun were coached by Tom Fears, a Hall of Fame player with the Rams who had been the first head coach of the NFL Saints. They had made preseason headlines by signing highly-touted rookie running backs James McAlister and Kermit Johnson out of UCLA as well as USC tackle Booker Brown. There was a good mix of veteran and new talent on the team. QB Tony Adams (pictured above), who had failed to catch on with the NFL Chargers the previous year, had proven veteran WR Dave Williams to throw to and Brown was joined on the offensive line by 13-year veteran OT Joe Carollo. After losing a close contest to Birmingham in their opening game, the Sun had won a shootout over The Hawaiians.

Jacksonville hired an ex-high school coach, Bud Asher, to direct the club but had plenty of players with NFL experience. QB Kay Stephenson was a backup with the Chargers and Bills. RB Tommy Durrance, a local college star out of Florida, led the running attack. The defensive line was anchored by seasoned veterans in DE Ike Lassiter and DT Bob Taterak. The club had won its opening nationally-televised game against the New York Stars but lost on a last-second field goal to the Chicago Fire the next week.

There was a big crowd of 46,780 in attendance at the Gator Bowl for the Wednesday night contest (although the number that had actually paid to attend was reportedly at least 15,000 less). Southern California had difficulty mounting an offensive threat in the first half as Tony Adams faced significant pressure from Jacksonville’s tough defensive line, tossing two interceptions, and McAlister and Johnson were held to just two rushing yards. Additionally, punter Steve Schroder bobbled two snaps and WR Terry Lindsey fumbled a punt return. The explosion and fire on a cargo ship on the nearby St. John’s River created far more excitement than the visiting team’s offense.

The Sharks used four Grant Guthrie field goals to take a 12-0 lead – the first, from 23 yards, provided the only points in the first quarter and the other three came from 29, 27, and 42 yards. Still, after dominating the first half, the home team had yet to penetrate the end zone and the visitors were still within striking distance.

Tony Adams and the Sun offense came alive in the third quarter and drives of 44 and 62 yards put them ahead by 15-12. The first ended with Adams throwing to Dave Williams for a 20-yard TD, but the action point attempt, a running play, failed (in the WFL, touchdowns counted for seven points and were followed by an action point, which could not be kicked). The second came on a one-yard run by RB Ralph Nelson and Adams threw to James McAlister to add the action point.

An eight-play, 68-yard series put the Sharks back in front on the first play of the fourth quarter. Kay Stephenson threw to WR Tony Lomax for a 16-yard touchdown. The pass for the action point was unsuccessful but the home team was ahead by 19-15.

Twice the Sharks stopped Southern California drives in the final period and, buoyed by the enthusiastic crowd, appeared to be in command. With 2 ½ minutes remaining, the Sun got the ball back and mounted a drive from their own 20. Short passes to McAlister and Williams moved the ball to midfield. On a fourth-and-six play Adams completed a pass to Kermit Johnson to the Jacksonville 40 for a first down but with only seven seconds left on the clock.

Following a timeout, and with the crowd in a frenzy, Adams threw deep into the end zone from 40 yards out and Williams made a leaping catch for a touchdown. Williams, a seven-year NFL veteran, made use of his four-inch height advantage to out-leap 5’10” Jacksonville CB Jerry Davis. The action point attempt failed, but it didn’t matter as the Sun came away with a stunning 22-19 win.

The Sharks outgained the Sun (271 yards to 258) although the visitors had the edge in first downs (17 to 16). However, Jacksonville also turned the ball over three times, to two by the Sun.

Despite a rough start, Tony Adams completed 18 of 31 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns as well as two interceptions. Kermit Johnson rushed for 88 yards on 15 carries while James McAlister, who ran for 18 yards on 6 attempts, led the club with 9 pass receptions for 74 yards. Dave Williams (pictured below) had 5 catches for 99 yards and the two TDs.

For the Sharks, Kay Stephenson was successful on 12 of 21 throws for 127 yards and a touchdown with one picked off. Tommy Durrance ran for 73 yards on 22 carries and RB Ricky Lake added another 60 yards on 9 attempts. WR Drew Buie topped the team’s receivers with four receptions for 51 yards.

“We just threw up a prayer and hoped someone would answer,” said Dave Williams of the climactic touchdown play.

It was the second straight game in which the Sharks had lost on the last play of the game and Coach Asher could only shake his head afterward and say “I can’t tell you how much this hurts – losing two in a row like that.” They lost again the next week and then scandal would hit the team – and the whole league – when it was revealed that robust attendance figures were inflated by the handing out of free tickets. Asher lasted six weeks before being fired and the financially troubled club failed to last the full season, ending up with a 4-10 record.

The Sun also had financial problems but completed the schedule, topping the Western Division with a 13-7 tally and reaching the playoffs. They lost dismally to The Hawaiians in the first round, however, after the star rookies McAlister, Johnson, and Brown chose to sit out the contest due to a missed payroll.

Tony Adams ended up being one of the WFL’s three Co-MVPs as he led the league in passing yards (3905). Dave Williams caught 59 passes for a team-leading 979 yards (16.6 avg.) and 11 TDs. 

Grant Guthrie went to the Birmingham Americans, who won the league title, after the Sharks folded and received All-League honors from both the WFL and The Sporting News. A veteran of two NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills, his 18 field goals topped the WFL. 

1983: Ferguson Passes for 419 Yards & 5 TDs as Bills Beat Dolphins in OT

The Buffalo Bills were 3-2 under new Head Coach Kay Stephenson as they took on the Miami Dolphins on October 9, 1983. To be sure, the Bills had lost badly to the Jets the previous Monday night, but had run the ball effectively with RB Joe Cribbs in the three preceding wins. 33-year-old QB Joe Ferguson (pictured above), coming off of a poor year in a tumultuous ’82 season for the whole organization, was playing well.

On the other hand, the Dolphins seemed to be in trouble. The defending AFC Champions were also 3-2 (including a 12-0 win at Buffalo in the opening game), but Head Coach/GM Don Shula was concerned about the offense. QB David Woodley had performed badly in the second half of the previous year’s Super Bowl loss against Washington and was having difficulty in ’83, especially after a knee injury removed WR Jimmy Cefalo. Rookie first draft pick Dan Marino out of Pittsburgh had relieved Woodley in the previous two games and was now drawing his first starting assignment against the Bills.

There were 59,948 fans present at the Orange Bowl, and they saw the home team get a break on the opening kickoff when Buffalo RB Robb Riddick fumbled and LB Rodell Thomas recovered for the Dolphins. Miami had the ball at the Buffalo 17, but two plays later a pass by Marino was tipped and intercepted by FS Steve Freeman to snuff out the threat.

The teams traded punts back and forth as neither offense was able to move the ball until the Bills took over at their 16 with 5:14 remaining in the opening period. Ferguson connected on back-to-back passes covering 18 and 11 yards to WR Frank Lewis and then 18 yards to Cribbs to advance to the Miami 37. Buffalo continued to methodically move down the field, finishing off the 11-play drive with a 10-yard Ferguson pass to WR Byron Franklin in the end zone for a touchdown. The score was 7-0 after a quarter of play.


Following another Miami punt, the Bills took possession with good field position at their 48 yard line. They scored again in five plays, highlighted by a 21-yard Ferguson pass to Lewis and a second TD throw to Franklin, this time covering 30 yards.

Marino was again intercepted, but following a Buffalo punt the Dolphins put together a long scoring drive. The rookie quarterback completed three passes as the team moved from its 14 yard line to the Bills’ six. On a third-and-five play, Marino’s pass to WR Mark Duper was broken up, but an interference call gave the Dolphins a first down at the one (it also removed Buffalo CB Charles Romes from the game, who was ejected when he argued the call). FB Woody Bennett powered in for a TD and the Buffalo lead was cut to 14-7.

With just under five minutes remaining in the first half, Ferguson came out passing and completed a 25-yard throw to WR Jerry Butler, who made a diving catch, and then followed up with a 14-yard gain to the Miami 27. However, the drive came up empty when Joe Danelo’s 27-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright. Buffalo’s seven-point margin stood at halftime.

The teams traded punts to start the third quarter. On Miami’s second possession, Marino threw to Duper (pictured below), who took off down the sideline, eluded two Buffalo defenders at the 15, and continued on to the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown.


With the score tied at 14-14, RB Van Williams returned the kickoff 40 yards to give the Bills good field position at their 47 yard line. Helped along by a 37-yard pass interference penalty, Ferguson capped the 53-yard drive with an 11-yard scoring pass to FB Booker Moore that again put Buffalo in the lead at 21-14.

Miami responded with an 80-yard, six-play drive that culminated in a trick play when Clayton, taking the ball on a reverse, fired a pass to Duper who caught it at the Buffalo 23 and ran the rest of the way for a 48-yard touchdown. Uwe van Schamann’s extra point again tied the score at 21-21.

The Bills came right back on a 63-yard drive that extended into the early fourth quarter and was highlighted by a Ferguson pass to Cribbs that gained 26 yards to the Miami 25. The veteran quarterback found Cribbs again in the middle of the end zone for a four-yard TD on a third-and-goal play, and Buffalo was once again in front by a touchdown. But both offenses were seemingly unstoppable. The Dolphins drove down the field, with Marino throwing to Clayton for a 39-yard gain to the Bills’ 13, and while the rookie quarterback fumbled the snap on two successive plays, he finished off the possession with a one-yard scoring pass to WR Nat Moore on a rollout. With the successful PAT, the score was once more tied at 28-28 with 7:35 left in regulation.

The back-and-forth scoring barrage was interrupted on Buffalo’s next possession when Ferguson was intercepted by CB Fulton Walker near midfield. Seven plays later, Marino passed to Clayton for a 14-yard touchdown (his first in the NFL), and it was the Dolphins taking the lead at 35-28 with just over three minutes to go.

Taking over at their 20, the Bills advanced as Ferguson completed his first two passes, to Cribbs for ten yards and TE Mark Brammer for six. However, following a sack by safety Mike Kozlowski, Buffalo faced a third-and-16 situation. Ferguson kept the drive alive with a completion to Franklin for 20 yards and then followed up with a 19-yard throw to WR Perry Tuttle that put the ball at the Miami 37 at the two minute warning.

Forced to scramble, Ferguson completed a pass to Butler for a 12-yard gain. Two pass completions later, the Bills had a first-and-goal at the Miami 8. A first pass was thrown away to stop the clock, and a second intended for Cribbs was underthrown and incomplete. On third down, Ferguson completed a throw to Butler who was stopped short at the one, forcing the Bills to use their last time out with 28 seconds on the clock. On the fourth-and-goal play, Ferguson threw his fifth touchdown pass to Cribbs, and with Danelo’s successful extra point, the game was tied once more at 35-35 and went into overtime.

The Dolphins got the first possession of the extra period and Marino immediately completed a pass to Duper for a 31-yard gain. However, the drive stalled at the Buffalo 35 and von Schamann’s 52-yard field goal attempt was wide to the left.

The Bills went three-and-out and punted. Greg Cater’s kick bounced over Clayton’s head at the 13 and, forced to chase it down, he lost 11 yards on the return which caused the Dolphins to have to take over at their two yard line. Still, Miami’s offense moved the ball effectively, and in 14 plays got to the Buffalo 25. But once again, von Schamann was wide on his field goal attempt, this time from 43 yards.

The Bills took over with 5:15 to go in the overtime period, and on a critical third-and-ten play Ferguson connected with WR Mike Mosley for a 35-yard gain to the Miami 29. Following three running plays, it was time for Danelo to attempt a game-winning field goal, and he was successful from 36 yards. Buffalo came away with a dramatic 38-35 win.

Both teams rolled up plenty of yards, with the Dolphins holding a slight edge (488 to 483) as they also did in first downs (31 to 28). Miami was more effective on the ground (153 yards on 43 running plays to 76 yards on 23 carries for the Bills) while Buffalo had the advantage in net passing yards (407 to 335). Each club turned the ball over twice. The Bills were flagged a whopping 15 times, compared to four penalties called on Miami.

Joe Ferguson had an outstanding performance, completing 38 of 55 passes for a career-high 419 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Joe Cribbs (pictured below) led the Bills in both rushing, with 49 yards on 11 carries, and pass receiving, with 9 catches for 93 yards and two TDs. Jerry Butler also caught 9 passes, for 89 yards.


Dan Marino, giving a hint of things to come, was successful on 19 of his 29 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns, against two that were picked off. Mark Duper gained 202 yards on his 7 catches that included two scores. RB Andra Franklin led the running attack with 65 yards on 17 attempts.

Buffalo topped out at 5-2 with a win the next week, but went 3-6 the rest of the way to finish third in the AFC East with an 8-8 record. Miami, on the other hand, lost only once more and won the division with a 12-4 tally. The Dolphins were beaten by Seattle in the Divisional round of the playoffs.

Dan Marino was a big part of Miami’s surge as he completed 173 passes (58.4 %) for 2210 yards with 20 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. Mark Duper had a Pro Bowl year, catching 51 passes for 1003 yards and 10 TDs. Mark Clayton’s scoring reception against the Bills was his only one of the season as he caught just six passes and was used primarily as a punt returner (his touchdown pass was the only one of his 11-year NFL career). All three would rise to greater heights in 1984.

Joe Ferguson’s season reflected his team’s overall inconsistency. He was in the league’s top ten in pass attempts (508) and completions (281) and ranked fourth in TD passes (26, along with Joe Montana of the 49ers and Cleveland’s Brian Sipe) but third in interceptions (25). He averaged only 5.9 yards per attempt in throwing for 2995 yards, and his career descended thereafter. But in a dramatic game at the Orange Bowl, he turned in a memorable performance.

1984: Greg Bell’s 206 Rushing Yards Spur Bills Upset of Cowboys

It had been a long and disappointing season in Buffalo as the winless Bills (0-11) prepared to take on the visiting Dallas Cowboys (7-4) at Rich Stadium on November 18, 1984. The Cowboys were tied with Washington atop the NFC East and couldn’t be blamed for believing that they had little to fear from the hapless Bills.

The Bills were a team in transition under Head Coach Kay Stephenson. The offense had been particularly disappointing, with the exception of rookie RB Greg Bell, replacing the talented Joe Cribbs who had jumped to the USFL. Bell had carried the ball 158 times for 646 yards thus far, a 4.1 average gain, with two hundred-yard performances. On this day he set the tone by taking off on an 85-yard scoring run on Buffalo’s first play from scrimmage. It would prove to be all the points the Bills would need.

The defense played inspired football, holding the Cowboys to just 78 rushing yards on 24 attempts (virtually all by RB Tony Dorsett, who had 70 yards on 17 carries). Dallas QB Gary Hogeboom completed fewer than half his passes (22 of 45) and the Bills intercepted him twice.

Buffalo missed opportunities to score twice more in the first half. Don Wilson returned a punt 34 yards to put the Bills in good field position, but the resulting field goal attempt failed due to a bad snap. LB Joe Azelby blocked a Danny White punt, but Bills QB Joe Ferguson promptly threw an interception that led to the only Dallas score of the game, a 20-yard Rafael Septien field goal that made it 7-3 at the half.

Thanks to Bell’s running, the Bills were able to control the ball for extended periods during the second half, including a total of 11:34 in the fourth quarter alone. A nine-play, 70-yard drive resulted in the only other touchdown of the day, fittingly scored by Bell on a four-yard pass from Ferguson. Safety Rod Kush and CB Brian Carpenter both intercepted Hogeboom passes to snuff out Dallas drives. The final score was 14-3 as Buffalo entered the win column.

Bell, the star of the game, ran for 206 yards on 27 carries and caught two passes for another 12. QB Ferguson had an ordinary performance, completing just 13 of 29 passes for 117 yards with a TD and two interceptions. WR Byron Franklin topped the Buffalo receivers in both receptions (6) and yards (55).

In the euphoric mood after the game, Bills DE Ben Williams said “this is kind of like our Super Bowl.” Owner Ralph Wilson added “I feel like we’re leading the league.” Meanwhile, Dorsett summed up the feeling of the stunned Cowboys by saying “I’m totally embarrassed…it’s total humiliation.”

The joy didn’t last long for the Bills – they lost decisively at Washington the next week, although they did win once more to the floundering Indianapolis Colts to conclude the season with a league-worst 2-14 record. However, they used the first overall pick in the 1985 draft to select Bruce Smith from Virginia Tech, who would become a bulwark at defensive end. The Cowboys split the remainder of their games and finished with a 9-7 record, which was the same as that of the Giants and Cardinals in the NFC East but, with tie-breakers applied, left them in fourth place and out of the postseason.

Greg Bell ended up compiling 1100 yards on 262 carries for the year with seven TDs, and caught 34 passes for 277 yards and another score. He was selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team.