1984: Late Williams TD Pass Gives Outlaws Win Over Federals

The Oklahoma Outlaws were coming off of two straight closely-fought wins as they took on the Washington Federals in a United States Football League game on April 14, 1984. One of six expansion franchises for the USFL’s second season, the Outlaws were 5-2 and a game behind the defending-champion Michigan Panthers in the Central Division. Coached by Woody Widenhofer, the offense was directed by QB Doug Williams (pictured at right), formerly of the NFL Buccaneers, and had capable receivers in WR Alphonso Williams and TE Ron Wheeler, but the running game was lacking.

Washington, just as had been in the case in 1983, was a poor team and poorly supported. The Federals were a miserable 0-7 and had undergone a coaching change from Ray Jauch to Dick Bielski after a first-week blowout. There was talent in WR Joey Walters and RB Curtis Bledsoe, and second-year QB Mike Hohensee showed potential, but overall the team had little going for it.

There were just 6075 fans in attendance at RFK Stadium. The Federals scored on their first possession, with Jeff Brockhaus kicking a 40-yard field goal that was set up by Mike Hohensee throwing to WR Greg Taylor for 12 yards on a third-and-17 play that moved the home team into range. It was the first successful field goal of the year for the Federals, with the newly-acquired Brockhaus the team’s third placekicker.

Brockhaus got another field goal before the opening period was over, this time from 25 yards that was set up by a Hohensee pass to WR Mike Fisher that picked up 54 yards to the Oklahoma 11. At just under five minutes into the second quarter, the Outlaws finally got on the board when Efren Herrera booted a 24-yard field goal and the score of 6-3 held up until halftime.

Washington put together another scoring drive in the third quarter as Hohensee completed passes to Joey Walters and RB Eric Robinson, and Curtis Bledsoe had an 18-yard carry. The series culminated in a third straight Brockhaus field goal, from 43 yards.

The Outlaws took advantage of a turnover midway through the period when Hohensee fumbled after being blindsided by blitzing DB Kelvin Middleton. The ensuing possession resulted in another Herrera field goal of 28 yards that cut Washington’s lead to 9-6.

Hohensee left the game due to a head injury and Reggie Collier came in at quarterback. The Federals extended their lead to 16-6 near the end of the third quarter when Collier ran for a two-yard touchdown and Brockhaus added the extra point.

The Outlaws came back with the help of an interception by Middleton, who returned it seven yards to give Oklahoma possession at the Washington 43. Two plays later, Doug Williams threw long to Alphonso Williams for a 43-yard touchdown. Herrera kicked the extra point to make it a three-point game.

Oklahoma had a chance to tie the score with seven minutes remaining on the clock, but a bad snap doomed a 38-yard field goal try by Herrera.

Getting the ball back with four minutes to go, the Outlaws drove 93 yards in 10 plays. Doug Williams completed six of nine passes for 71 yards along the way and, with 57 seconds to play, he connected with Ron Wheeler, who was open in the corner of the end zone, for an eight-yard touchdown. It was Oklahoma’s first lead of the game, and proved decisive as the Outlaws won by a final score of 20-16.

Oklahoma led in total yards (393 to 336) and first downs (19 to 18) while the Federals had the edge in time of possession (32:56 to 27:04) in the closely-fought contest. As usual, and especially since they were playing from behind for most of the game, the Outlaws gained far more yards through the air (333) than on the ground (60). Meanwhile, the Federals turned the ball over three times, to two by the Outlaws, and also hurt themselves with nine penalties, to six flags thrown on the visitors.

Doug Williams completed 24 of 45 passes for 333 yards and the two big fourth quarter touchdowns, as opposed to one interception. Ron Wheeler had 6 catches for 87 yards and the game-winning TD while Alphonso Williams gained 105 yards on his five receptions that also included a score. RB Sidney Thornton also caught 6 passes, for 54 yards, to go along with his 7 rushing attempts for 14 yards. RB Ted Sample led the Outlaws with 33 rushing yards on five carries.

For the Federals, Mike Hohensee was successful on 7 of 19 throws for 134 yards with no TDs and one interception before giving way to Reggie Collier, who completed 12 of 23 for 117 yards and also tossed an interception. WR Ricky Simmons pulled in 6 pass receptions for 68 yards and Mike Fisher gained 89 yards on his four catches. RB Billy Taylor led the club with 44 rushing yards on 16 carries and Curtis Bledsoe was right behind with 42 yards on 10 attempts. Jeff Brockhaus (pictured at left) was successful on all three of his field goal attempts, the first of the year for Washington.

The win for the Outlaws put them in a first-place tie with Michigan at 6-2, but it proved to be the high water mark of their season. The bottom fell out as they lost their remaining games, with the defense collapsing and Doug Williams eventually going out with an injury. They ended up with a 6-12 record and placed fourth in the Central Division. Washington eventually did break into the win column, but only three times as the Federals finished up tied with Pittsburgh in the basement of the Atlantic Division at 3-15.

1984: Reaves Tosses 4 TD Passes as Bandits Beat Outlaws

The Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League were on a roll, having won five straight games prior to hosting the Oklahoma Outlaws on May 14, 1984. Head Coach Steve Spurrier’s team featured an exciting offense directed by 34-year-old QB John Reaves and a defense that was solid up front if less proficient at defending against the pass.

The Oklahoma Outlaws, one of six new clubs for the USFL’s second season, appeared to be going in the opposite direction, having lost three straight games by lopsided scores after getting off to a promising 6-2 start. Coached by Woody Widenhofer, the offense featured QB Doug Williams, who had spent five seasons with the NFL Buccaneers and was making his return to Tampa. Defense was the biggest problem for the Outlaws, who had given up an alarming 124 points in the three losses leading up to the game against the Bandits.

There were 45,116 fans in attendance for the Monday night contest at Tampa Stadium, and they lustily booed Williams when he first appeared. The game started off as a shootout as the Bandits scored the first three times they had the ball, driving 77, 78, and 79 yards respectively, and Oklahoma did so on its first two possessions.

On the first series, RB Gary Anderson tossed an option pass to TE Marvin Harvey for a 10-yard touchdown to finish it off. The Outlaws came back with a scoring drive of their own, with WR Alphonso Williams catching a pass from Doug Williams for an 11-yard TD. It was 7-7 after a period of play.

RB Greg Boone scored a touchdown for the Bandits on the first play of the second quarter, running in from a yard out, and Tampa Bay’s lead increased when John Reaves threw to WR Spencer Jackson for a 26-yard TD. Down by 21-7, the Outlaws rallied back with two quick scores. Williams tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to WR Lonnie Turner to cap a five-play, 69-yard series. He then threw to TE Jerry Price from three yards away and, with the successful extra point, the game was tied with 2:42 left in the half.

However, the Bandits responded by going 74 yards in seven plays ending with a 10-yard Reaves scoring pass to Harvey. It was 28-21 at the midpoint. 

After a very competitive first two quarters, Tampa Bay’s defense shut down the Outlaws in the second half. Reaves tossed a pass to WR Eric Truvillion for a 35-yard touchdown in the third quarter and to Anderson for a six-yard TD in the final period. The extra point was missed after the fourth scoring pass by Reaves, but it hardly mattered, and in any event Truvillion, who normally caught passes, threw one to Harvey from 13 yards out for a TD that capped the scoring. It was the third touchdown for Harvey, each coming from a different passer. Tampa Bay ended up winning comfortably by a final score of 48-21.

The Bandits rolled up 511 total yards to Oklahoma’s 435 and had the edge in first downs by 28 to 27. However, the Outlaws turned the ball over four times, to none by Tampa Bay. Oklahoma had three possessions end with interceptions, one via a fumble, and one more in which they had to turn the ball over on downs. There was only one punt during the game, by the Bandits in the second quarter.

John Reaves had a big day as he completed 22 of 31 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns with none intercepted. WR Willie Gillespie had 5 catches for 107 yards while Marvin Harvey contributed 5 receptions for 68 yards and the three scores. Eric Truvillion pulled in four passes for 74 yards and a touchdown while also passing for a TD. Gary Anderson rushed for 49 yards on 17 carries and had a touchdown pass as well.

For Oklahoma, Doug Williams was successful on 25 of 48 throws for 317 yards and three TDs, but also had three intercepted. In addition, Williams was flagged once for unsportsmanlike conduct after arguing a call and was also penalized for a late hit on an interception return that sparked a scuffle between the teams along the sideline as well as a shower of debris from some nearby fans. Alphonso Williams caught 6 passes for 119 yards and a TD. RB Ted Sample ran for 70 yards on 8 carries.

The sixth straight win for the Bandits put them a game behind the Birmingham Stallions in the Southern Division. They went on to finish at 14-4 and earn a Wild Card playoff spot, although they lost convincingly to the Stallions in the first round. Oklahoma’s collapse continued and the Outlaws ended up at 6-12 and fourth in the division.

John Reaves, who had been a disappointment in the NFL, ranked fifth among USFL passers as he threw for 4092 yards and 28 touchdowns with a 57.5 completion percentage. Eric Truvillion and Marvin Harvey were favorite targets, each catching 70 passes and scoring 9 touchdowns while accumulating 1044 and 938 yards, respectively. 

1984: Outlaws Use Late Comeback to Force Tie, Beat Gamblers in OT

Two of the United States Football League’s six new teams for 1984 met on March 31 in a Week 6 contest at Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Outlaws and Houston Gamblers were both off to promising 3-2 starts and were jockeying for position in the USFL Central Division.

Coached by Woody Widenhofer, former defensive coordinator of the Steelers, the Outlaws didn’t run the ball especially well, but they did have former Buccaneer Doug Williams (pictured above) at quarterback. Their games had typically been low-scoring and they had yet to put more than 17 points on the board. A cause for concern was a 49-7 loss at Arizona the previous week.

Houston, under Head Coach Jack Pardee and offensive coordinator Darrel “Mouse” Davis, had no difficulty scoring with its run-and-shoot offense. Highly-touted rookie QB Jim Kelly was proving to be the master of it and there was a talented group of receivers. RB Sam Harrell even had a 200-yard rushing game in the early going. But the Gamblers were also coming off a tough defeat the week before, by a 52-34 margin to the defending-champion Michigan Panthers.

There were 17,266 in attendance on a Saturday at Skelly Stadium, and for most of the game it appeared that the home team would disappoint them. The Gamblers scored first as Kelly connected with slotback Richard Johnson for a 39-yard touchdown in the opening period. It was 14-0 ten minutes into the second quarter when Harrell ran for a one-yard TD. Meanwhile, the Outlaws were struggling - at one point during the first half, Doug Williams missed on 10 straight pass attempts. Only a 45-yard field goal by Efren Herrera with four seconds left before halftime kept Oklahoma from being shut out in the first thirty minutes of play.

Williams ran six yards for a touchdown to narrow the margin to 14-10, but less than two minutes later Harrell scored on another one-yard carry for Houston. Herrera booted a 37-yard field goal, but it seemed as though the Gamblers had put the game away when Kelly again passed to Johnson for a TD, this time on a play that covered 25 yards.

The 28-13 score held up through most of the fourth quarter. However, Oklahoma got a break when DB Lee Wilson intercepted a Kelly pass and the Outlaws capitalized as RB Sidney Thornton scored a touchdown on a one-yard plunge with 1:58 remaining (pictured below).


It was 28-20 and the home team had one more opportunity with 35 seconds left. Doug Williams engineered a 68-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 48-yard touchdown pass to rookie WR Alphonso Williams, who out-jumped two defenders in the end zone and held on as they attempted to wrestle the ball away with no time remaining in regulation. Williams then threw to RB Ted Sample at the goal line for the two-point conversion that sent the game into overtime.

Houston won the toss for the extra period and it appeared that the Gamblers would prevail as they drove to midfield. But Kelly’s pass intended for WR Greg Moser went through the receiver’s hands and was intercepted by Wilson, making his second key pickoff of the game.

On a flea-flicker play, Doug Williams went long for Alphonso Williams, who again made a spectacular catch in which he pulled the ball away from defenders at the one yard line for a 53-yard gain. On the next play, Herrera kicked the game-winning field goal at 3:19 into the overtime period and the Outlaws came away with a stunning 31-28 victory.

The Gamblers outgained Oklahoma (350 yards to 308) and had the edge in first downs (19 to 17). The Outlaws suffered one turnover while Houston gave the ball up three times. Both teams recorded five sacks apiece and the Gamblers were penalized 9 times for a loss of 92 yards to 7 flags thrown on Oklahoma at a loss of 65 yards.

While Doug Williams had the first-half dry spell, he made big completions when they counted most and ended up connecting on 16 of 35 passes for 243 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Alphonso Williams was the receiving star with 4 catches for 115 yards and a TD. RB Andrew Lazarus led the team in rushing with 41 yards on 10 carries. Efren Herrera was successful on three of his four field goal attempts, missing from 51 yards on a kick that bounced off the crossbar.

For Houston, Jim Kelly was successful on 25 of 42 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns, but also was picked off three times. Richard Johnson pulled in 10 of those throws for 162 yards and both scores. Sam Harrell rushed 8 times for 32 yards and two TDs.

While the thrilling come-from-behind win put Oklahoma a game in front of the Gamblers, the two teams moved in divergent directions over the remainder of the season. The Outlaws peaked at 6-2, keeping pace atop the division standings with Michigan, before the bottom fell out and they lost their remaining 10 games to end up at a disappointing 6-12. Houston completed the schedule with a 13-5 record to win the Central Division, although the Gamblers were upset in the first round of the playoffs.

Before he was lost to a knee injury late in the season (the crowning blow in the team’s total collapse), Doug Williams threw for 3084 yards with 15 TDs but 21 interceptions, with a low completion percentage (49.4) and average gain per attempt (5.8) for the offensively-challenged team. Alphonso Williams remained a bright spot, catching 50 passes for 1087 yards (21.7 avg.) and seven touchdowns. The lack of a running game remained a chronic problem for the offense – none of the backs accumulated as many as 300 yards.

Houston remained an offensive juggernaut. Jim Kelly had a momentous rookie year, leading the league in most major passing categories including yards (5219) and touchdowns (44). Richard Johnson led the USFL in pass receptions with 115, good for 1455 yards and 15 TDs.

1984: Outlaws Defeat Maulers in USFL Debut Game for Each

The United States Football League added six new franchises for its second season, and two of those teams were matched up on February 26, 1984 at Tulsa’s Skelly Stadium to open their regular season.

The host Oklahoma Outlaws, coached by the former defensive coordinator of the NFL Steelers, Woody Widenhofer, featured a veteran quarterback in Doug Williams (pictured above). Williams, dissatisfied with his contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was lured to the Outlaws and provided instant credibility at the key position on offense.

The visiting Pittsburgh Maulers, under Head Coach Joe Pendry, also had a marquee name on the roster, although it was a rookie rather than veteran player. RB Mike Rozier won the 1983 Heisman Trophy at Nebraska and would be starting his first pro game. The team’s quarterback was Glenn Carano, a veteran backup with the Cowboys.

The weather conditions were far from ideal, as the contest was played in a steady downpour with gusty winds and a wind chill that dipped into the 20s. It certainly dampened the turnout, as 11,638 attended the game; there were 4300 reported no-shows.

The bad weather induced sloppy play. Three first half drives by the Outlaws ended in fumbles, but the Maulers were unable to capitalize on the turnovers despite making it inside the Oklahoma 30 on two occasions. The first ended with Mickey Barilla missing a 40-yard field goal attempt, and the second came up empty when Rozier was thrown for a two-yard loss in a fourth-and-one situation at the Oklahoma 29.

Pittsburgh finally scored on a Barilla field goal from 32 yards out with eight seconds left in the half, finishing a drive that was highlighted by a 20-yard Carano scramble to the Outlaws’ 28 yard line. Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s offense was unable to advance at all into Pittsburgh territory during the first half, and the Maulers held a 3-0 lead at the intermission.

Oklahoma finally put together a scoring drive in the second half, going 80 yards for the only touchdown of the game. In a key play, former Steelers RB Sidney Thornton ran 34 yards on a trap to the Pittsburgh 8. At just over a minute into the fourth quarter, Williams threw a swing pass to FB Derek Hughes that covered 12 yards for the TD.

Pittsburgh responded by driving to the Oklahoma 19 yard line as Carano completed a 13-yard pass to WR Greg Anderson on a fourth-and-six play along the way, but the Maulers were stopped when Carano threw incomplete on a fourth-and-12 pass intended for WR Reggie Butts.

With 2:56 remaining, Pittsburgh’s last shot came up short when Carano was intercepted by LB Terry Beeson at the Oklahoma 37. The Outlaws came away the winners of the sloppy contest by a final score of 7-3.

Neither team mounted much offense, with the Maulers outgaining Oklahoma (219 yards to 172) and accumulating the most first downs (11 to 9). The Outlaws also turned the ball over four times, to three by Pittsburgh.

Doug Williams completed just 9 of 22 passes for 62 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Sidney Thornton paced the running game for the Outlaws with 66 yards on 12 carries. WR Lonnie Turner led the team with a mere 17 yards on two catches.

For the Maulers, Glenn Carano was successful on 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards, and was picked off twice. Greg Anderson led all receivers with three catches for 45 yards. Carano also was the team’s leading rusher with 29 yards on 10 carries. Mike Rozier (pictured below) had a rough debut, running for only 27 yards on 16 attempts - he had just two carries for four yards in the second half. Having joined the team late, his lack of familiarity with the offense’s plays proved a hindrance.


“This is the first time we've won and if feels great,” Woody Widenhofer said. “We needed to win the first game to get the feeling of what it's like.”

Widenhofer stated further, “They are an excellent football team defensively, but our offense broke open their defense in the second half. We made adjustments after halftime. We ran the ball very well in the second half against their five defensive backs.”

“I sure can't complain about how it turned out,” summed up Doug Williams. “I can't complain at all. I wanted to win this game as bad as I've ever wanted to win a game.”

“I thought our defense did extremely well,” said Coach Pendry of the Maulers. “With a good passing game like Oklahoma has with Doug Williams, sometimes you're .going to break a draw or a trap and that's exactly what happened.”

However, Pendry wasn't happy with the offense. “We have to go back to Pittsburgh and look at the films and see what happened,” he said. “We made lots of first-game mistakes out there.”

Pendry failed to last the entire season as the Maulers compiled a 3-15 record, tying the Washington Federals not only at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, but for the USFL's worst record. Mike Rozier ultimately rushed for 792 yards on 223 carries (3.6 avg.).

Oklahoma got off to a promising 6-2 start, but lost the remaining 10 games to end up at 6-12 and in fourth place in the Central Divison. The lack of an effective running attack, combined with the collapse of the defense and late-season loss of Doug Williams to a knee injury, ultimately did the Outlaws in.