1974: NY Stars Edge Bell on Fourth Quarter Field Goal

For the third week of the World Football League’s 1974 season, a natural rivalry took center stage on July 25 as the Philadelphia Bell hosted the New York Stars. There were 64,719 enthusiastic fans in attendance at JFK Stadium for the nationally-televised Thursday night contest, including Commissioner Gary Davidson – although the luster would dim weeks later when it was found out that most of those present had received free or significantly-discounted tickets.

The Bell were 1-1, having won their opener in front of a similarly large crowd before bowing to Houston the previous week. Head Coach Ron Waller’s team featured an exciting offense directed by QB Jim “King” Corcoran, a colorful veteran of minor league football. The ground game was strong and featured running backs Claude Watts and John Land, who also were experienced minor league hands. The most notable player on the defense was LB Tim Rossovich, a colorful figure in his own right who had played for the NFL Eagles.

New York was coached by former pro quarterback Babe Parilli and had yet to win in two hard-fought contests. There were several ex-Jets on the roster, including WR George Sauer, DE Gerry Philbin, and DT John Elliott. QB Tom Sherman had spent three years with the Boston Patriots before toiling in the minor leagues.

The Bell struck first, completing an 89-yard drive in five plays when Jim Corcoran threw to Claude Watts for an 18-yard touchdown and then successfully added the action point on a quarterback sneak, following three offside penalties on New York, to gain an 8-0 lead (in the WFL, touchdowns counted for seven points and were followed by an action point, which couldn’t be kicked).

New York got on the board when RB Dave Richards scored on a one-yard carry to finish off an 85-yard series, but the Stars remained a point behind when the pass attempt for the action point was unsuccessful.

The Stars took a 14-8 lead just before the end of the first half when RB Bob Gladieux dove one yard for a touchdown following a 20-yard completion from Tom Sherman to WR Al Young. However, they again failed to convert on the action point.

Philadelphia moved back in front a little less than six minutes into the third quarter on a Corcoran pass to TE LeVell Hill that covered nine yards for a touchdown. The score was set up by a 19-yard completion to WR Don Shanklin on the previous play. The Bell were unable to add the action point.

Moses Lajterman (pictured at top), an Argentine kicker out of Montclair State, booted a 40-yard field goal at 3:12 into the fourth quarter to put the Stars in front, following an 11-play, 50-yard series. Lajterman was playing in his first pro game, having earlier been cut from the squad but then re-signed when PK Pete Rajecki suffered a rib injury, and adding to the drama was the fact that Larry Butler was making his first snap of the season, having moved over to center due to an injury to Bob Kuziel.

The Bell had two chances in the last two minutes as Corcoran effectively passed them down the field, but Jack Simcszak missed to the right on a 36-yard field goal attempt and George Chatlos failed from 26 yards at the end of the contest. New York won by a final score of 17-15.

The Stars led in total yards (322 to 301) and first downs (17 to 12). Most of their yardage came on the ground (201) while Philadelphia was more productive through the air (215 yards). The Bell turned the ball over four times, to three turnovers suffered by the Stars.

Tom Sherman completed 7 of 15 passes for 121 yards with no touchdowns and one intercepted. Bob Gladieux rushed for 74 yards on 21 carries that included a TD and RB Ed White was right behind with 70 yards on 18 attempts. Al Young was New York’s top receiver, catching four passes for 74 yards.

For the Bell, “King” Corcoran was successful on 14 of 24 throws for 215 yards and two TDs, but also tossed two interceptions. John Land gained 59 yards on 14 rushing attempts and Claude Watts was held to 19 yards on five carries that included a score while also pulling in three passes for 31 yards. WR Don Shanklin had three pass receptions for 87 yards and WR Linzy Cole added 55 yards on his three catches.

“We played better against Jacksonville and Birmingham, but I’ll take it,” said Babe Parilli. “This is a tough, competitive league. All the teams are evenly matched. Nothing could have been bigger for us.”

Having finally broken into the win column, the Stars proceeded to put together a five-game winning streak. They were 8-5 when the franchise was shifted to Charlotte, where they were renamed the Hornets, and finished out the year with a 10-10 record. The Stars won their next two games but remained inconsistent, going 9-11, although they reached the postseason and lost in the first round. The revelations that the high early-season attendance figures were inflated by free and discounted tickets damaged the credibility of both the WFL and the Bell, which resulted in a dramatic decrease in fan support for games later in the schedule.

Moses Lajterman went on to kick 7 field goals in 11 attempts in his only pro season. George Chatlos, whose missed field goal attempt at the end of the game sealed Philadelphia’s fate, never got another opportunity to try for another, although he did remain with the club as a linebacker and scored a touchdown. The Bell had trouble with placekicking all season, with three kickers accounting for eight field goals in all. 

1974: Danny White TD Passes Lead Memphis to Win Over Hornets

The Memphis Southmen (aka “Grizzlies”) were not only successful on the field but also one of the few World Football League teams that was financially sound. Owned by Canadian businessman John Bassett Jr., the Southmen were coached by John McVay, formerly of the University of Dayton, and had won nine straight games as they prepared to meet the Charlotte Hornets on October 9, 1974.

Rookie backup QB Danny White (pictured above) was filling in for injured veteran John Huarte for the third time, but it had not slowed the Southmen. The running game, featuring J.J. Jennings, John Harvey, and Willie Spencer was the new league’s best and WR Ed Marshall led an able group of receivers.

The team they were facing was only recently relocated and renamed. As the New York Stars, coached by Babe Parilli, the club played reasonably well and had an 8-5 record. However, their home venue was the substandard Downing Stadium, and they drew poorly in competition with the NFL Giants and Jets. The franchise was sold to Upton Bell, son of former NFL Commissioner Bert Bell, and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. As the Charlotte Stars, they defeated the Chicago Fire on the road, but were now rechristened the Hornets as they faced Memphis in the first game at their new location.

There was a sellout crowd of 25,133 for the Wednesday night game at Charlotte’s Memorial Stadium, and with enthusiastic fans in attendance, the ex-Stars were clearly fired up. The teams traded fumbles in the first quarter before Memphis went 36 yards in five plays capped by J.J. Jennings scoring a one-yard touchdown. White passed to Ed Marshall to convert the action point to make it 8-0 (in the WFL, touchdowns counted as seven points and were followed by an “action point”, which could not be kicked).

Charlotte safety Ike Thomas returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards to the Memphis 33. Ten plays later, the Hornets scored on a one-yard sneak by QB Tom Sherman that was greeted by a huge ovation from the home crowd. RB Jim Ford tied the score at 8-8 by running for the action point. The exchange of first quarter touchdowns remained the only points of the first half as White struggled in the early going, completing just four of his first 11 passes.

In the third quarter, Bob Etter put the Southmen back in front with a 28-yard field goal. In response, RB Don Highsmith ran for a four-yard touchdown to put the Hornets in the lead, although the action point attempt failed.

Charlotte was ahead by 15-11 heading into the fourth quarter, but two minutes into the final period White threw to Marshall for a 13-yard touchdown and Memphis was back in front. White then threw to WR Roger Wallace for the action point.

The lead increased when White connected with Marshall for another TD of 19 yards with 6:15 to play that gave the Southmen a 27-15 margin after John Harvey ran for the action point.

The Hornets fought back, driving 61 yards and Highsmith finishing the possession off by powering across the goal line from a yard out for a touchdown. They successfully added the action point as Sherman threw to WR Al Barnes, narrowing the Memphis lead to four points.

With just over two minutes to play, Charlotte executed a successful onsides kick as ex-Jets WR George Sauer recovered at the Charlotte 44. With the home crowd cheering wildly, Sherman completed a third down pass to Sauer that moved the ball to the Memphis 40. The Southmen were putting heavy pressure on Sherman, and after a bomb intended for Barnes fell incomplete, a screen pass was intercepted by CB David Thomas at the Memphis 11 with 1:10 remaining to snuff out the home team’s hopes and preserve the 27-23 win for the Southmen.

Memphis outgained the Hornets (369 to 211) and in particular outrushed them (242 yards to 69). The Southmen also had the edge in first downs (20 to 15). Charlotte turned the ball over three times, to two suffered by Memphis.

Danny White, recovering from the slow start, ended up completing 9 of 18 passes for 127 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Willie Spencer gained 109 yards on 17 carries and J.J. Jennings had 104 yards, also on 17 attempts. Ed Marshall (pictured at right) caught three passes for 44 yards.

For Charlotte, Tom Sherman was successful on 12 of 27 throws for 142 yards and no TDs with two intercepted. Jim Ford was the leading rusher with 49 yards on 17 carries. George Sauer had 5 pass receptions for 57 yards.

“The crowd was just great, wonderful,” said Hornets Coach Babe Parilli. “It was a great thing for the players…There were never that many people cheering for us before.”

“We won a very tough game over an excellent team,” said John McVay. “Charlotte is lucky to get a team of this quality. I know they’ll get their share of wins before it’s over.”

The Southmen lost only one more game on their way to a league-best 17-3 record, putting them atop the Central Division. They were upset by the Florida Blazers in their playoff game. Despite the enthusiastic new fan base, Charlotte won only one of its last six contests to end up at 10-10 and second in the Eastern Division.

Danny White completed 79 of 155 passes for 1190 yards with 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He also handled the team’s punting, averaging 40.9 yards on 80 kicks. Following the demise of the WFL in 1975, he moved on to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys for 13 seasons.

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: Downing Stadium

New York, NY



Year opened: 1936
Capacity: 22,000

Names:
Randall’s Island Stadium, 1936-48
Triborough Stadium, 1948-55
Downing Stadium, 1955-2002

Pro football tenants:
New York Yankees (AFL), 1936-37
New York Yankees/Americans (AFL), 1940-41
Brooklyn Dodgers (ContFL), 1966
New York Stars (WFL), 1974

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
New York Cosmos (NASL), 1974-75

Notes: Both the Yankees and Yankees/Americans of the second and third AFL split their home games between Yankee Stadium and the then-Randall’s Island Stadium. Originally built as a WPA project and opened in conjunction with the Triborough Bridge. Facility opened with trials for 1936 US Olympic team. Eventually named for John J. Downing, a director of the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation. Venue also used for baseball, track & field, and soccer. Site of first televised college football game, Waynesburg vs. Fordham, 1939. Lights from Ebbets Field were moved there following that stadium’s demolition.

Fate: Demolished in 2002 and replaced by Icahn Stadium.

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.

1974: Birmingham Comes from 26 Points Behind to Beat NY Stars

The World Football League’s debut in New York City occurred on July 17, 1974 as the New York Stars hosted the Birmingham Americans. There were 17,943 fans in attendance at small and poorly-lit Downing Stadium for the Wednesday night contest (1200 with complimentary tickets).

The Stars, coached by former pro quarterback Babe Parilli, had lost their opening game by a 14-7 score at Jacksonville in the WFL’s inaugural week. The roster contained several ex-Jets, including WR George Sauer, DE Gerry Philbin, DT John Elliott, and CB John Dockery. The starting quarterback was Tom Sherman, who had seen action with the Boston Patriots and Buffalo Bills in the AFL but more recently had played for the Hartford Knights of the Atlantic Coast Football League.

Birmingham had narrowly defeated the Southern California Sun by a score of 11-7 in its opening game at home the previous week. Jack Gotta, a seasoned coach from the CFL, was both head coach and GM of the Americans. The club had George Mira at quarterback (pictured above), a former University of Miami star who was primarily a backup in the NFL for seven years before moving on to Canada for two. Dennis Homan, an ex-star at Alabama who saw some NFL action, was one of the wide receivers, while there were veterans with pro experience at running back in HB Paul Robinson and FB Charlie Harraway.

The crowd was enthusiastic, especially during a dominating first half by the home team, although the poor stadium lighting made the contest difficult to watch. In the first quarter, Birmingham got a break by recovering Sherman’s fumble on the third play of the game. The turnover gave the Americans the ball at the New York 19 yard line, but, setting the tone for the first half, the offense wasn’t able to score and Earl Sark kicked a 35-yard field goal.

It was all New York the rest of the way in the first two quarters. A six-play, 60-yard drive that featured a 25-yard gain on a pass to Sauer to the Birmingham one was capped when Sherman ran for the final yard and a TD.

Following the ensuing kickoff, another of the ex-Jets, Philbin, recovered a fumble by WR Denny Duron at the Birmingham 33. Five plays later, RB Bob Gladieux ran for a two-yard score. Both action point attempts were successful, and the Americans held a 16-3 lead after the opening period (touchdowns were worth seven points in the WFL).

In the second quarter, FB Andy Huff ran for a nine-yard TD to complete a drive of 80 yards that took 14 plays, although the action point attempt failed. Pete Rajecki kicked field goals of 20 and 38 yards, and the Stars carried a comfortable 29-3 lead into halftime.

The domination in the first half was complete as New York ran up 315 total yards (188 on the ground) and 18 first downs. By contrast, Birmingham failed to gain a single first down, rushing for just 12 yards and being held to -2 net yards in the air.

Birmingham’s comeback began in the third quarter following a 33-yard punt return by WR Alfred Jenkins to set up Mira’s 20-yard scoring pass to TE Ted Powell with just over nine minutes to go in the period, although the Americans failed to add the action point.

Still in the third quarter, Mira threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Jenkins. This time the action point attempt, another Mira-to-Jenkins toss, was successful. New York’s lead had been narrowed to 29-18 after three periods of play.

In the fourth quarter, the Stars’ lead was narrowed even further as Mira scored on a one-yard run to cap an 80-yard drive in 10 plays. Again the action point attempt failed, but the Americans were now just four points behind.

Birmingham went in front thanks to the biggest play of the game, a 73-yard touchdown pass from Mira to Homan with 2:15 remaining. Once more, the action point attempt failed and the Americans were left clinging to a three-point margin. It seemed as though that might not be enough as the Stars still had a chance to tie the game with 36 seconds on the clock, but Rejecki missed a 35-yard field goal attempt. Birmingham came away with a 32-29 win, having scored 29 unanswered points in the second half.

The Stars had more first downs (22 to 9) and rushed for 283 yards while passing for 171. Birmingham gained just 48 yards on 24 rushes and threw for 213. The Stars suffered three turnovers, to two by Birmingham and there were just five penalties in all.

George Mira was successful on 14 of 28 passes for 218 yards with three TDs and none intercepted. Dennis Homan caught three passes for 94 yards and a TD. RB Art Cantrelle was the leading rusher for the Americans with 15 yards on six carries, although he had three receptions for 50 yards.

For the Stars, Andy Huff ran for 105 yards on 21 attempts, RB Jim Ford gained 71 yards on 11 carries, and Bob Gladieux contributed 51 yards on 13 runs. Tom Sherman completed 10 of 21 passes for 171 yards with an interception. George Sauer caught four passes for 69 yards.

“It was really a matter of my receivers getting used to the poor lighting,” said Mira.

The poor lighting – and poor facility – became something that the Stars could not overcome. The team generally played well, but attendance dwindled. In September, the club was purchased by Upton Bell, son of former NFL commissioner Bert Bell, and moved to Charlotte, NC. While they were embraced by the fans in North Carolina far more enthusiastically than had ever been the case in New York City, paradoxically the team’s record suffered. 8-5 as the New York Stars, the franchise that was renamed the Charlotte Hornets ended up with a 10-10 record, putting them in second place in the Eastern Division and out of the playoffs (as with so much about the WFL, an oddity, since the Philadelphia Bell made it at 9-11).

Birmingham had good support at home and won its first ten games on the way to finishing second in the Central Division with a 15-5 tally. The Americans went on to win the WFL’s only championship, defeating the Florida Blazers in the World Bowl.