List of the Day: Best Passing Yardage Seasons, AAFC

(1946-49)

Otto Graham

TOP 10
1- Otto Graham, 1949 Cleveland Browns
2785 yards, 161-285, 56.5 %, 19 TD, 10 INT

2- Otto Graham, 1947 Cleveland Browns
2753 yards, 163-269, 60.6 %, 25 TD, 11 INT

3- Otto Graham, 1948 Cleveland Browns
2713 yards, 173-333, 52.0 %, 25 TD, 15 INT

4- George Ratterman, 1948 Buffalo Bills
2577 yards, 168-335, 50.1 %, 16 TD, 22 INT

5- Y.A. Tittle, 1948 Baltimore Colts
2522 yards, 161-289, 55.7 %, 16 TD, 9 INT

6- Glenn Dobbs, 1948 Los Angeles Dons
2403 yards, 185-369, 50.1 %, 21 TD, 20 INT

7- Bud Schwenk, 1947 Baltimore Colts
2236 yards, 168-327, 51.4 %, 13 TD, 20 INT

8- Y.A. Tittle, 1949 Baltimore Colts
2209 yards, 148-289, 51.2 %, 14 TD, 18 INT

9- Frankie Albert, 1948 San Francisco 49ers
1990 yards, 154-264, 58.3 %, 29 TD, 11 INT

10-Glenn Dobbs, 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers
1886 yards, 135-269, 50.2 %, 13 TD, 15 INT


George Ratterman


Y.A. Tittle

BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT IN TOP 10
Chicago Rockets/Hornets: Sam Vacanti, 1947
1571 yards, 96-225, 42.7 %, 16 TD, 16 INT

New York Yankees: Spec Sanders, 1947
1442 yards, 93-171, 54.4 %, 14 TD, 17 INT

Miami Seahawks: Marion Pugh, 1946*
608 yards, 55-118, 46.6 %, 5 TD, 12 INT

*Seahawks played in 1946 only


Frankie Albert

1983: Stallions Defeat Invaders in 1st USFL Overtime Game

On March 13, 1983 the Oakland Invaders hosted the Birmingham Stallions at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in the second week of the young USFL’s season. It was the home opener for the Invaders, who had won at Arizona the previous week, while Birmingham lost a close contest at home to the Michigan Panthers.

With a crowd of 47,344 in attendance, the Invaders recorded the only score of the first half on a one-yard run by FB Ted Torosian. However, the Stallions took a 14-7 lead with two third quarter touchdowns, a 46-yard pass play from QB Reggie Collier to WR Ron Frederick and a one-yard run by RB Ken Talton.

Oakland QB Fred Besana (pictured above) threw a 26-yard TD pass to WR Wyatt Henderson to tie the score. Invader PK Kevin Shea missed a field goal that could have won the game in regulation, and for the first time in the USFL’s young history, the game went into overtime.

Birmingham QB Bob Lane, who relieved Collier, led a 48-yard scoring drive in the “sudden death” period, plunging over from a yard out for the winning touchdown and a final score of 20-14. The key play had been a pass from Lane to RB Earl Gant that surprised the Invaders defense on third-and-one at the Oakland 28 yard line and covered 25 yards for a first-and-goal at the three.

The placekicker, Shea, was the goat for Oakland as he missed all four of his field goal attempts, including the one that would have won the game in the fourth quarter plus another in overtime. Wasted was a 19-of-30, 270-yard passing performance by Besana, the surprising star who had played behind Steve Bartkowski in college at California but, after failing to latch on in the NFL, had lately been playing semi-pro football for the Twin Cities Cougars of the California Football League.

Oakland won the statistical battle, with 127 rushing and 222 net passing yards to 92 and 188 yards, respectively, for the Stallions. Torosian was the leading rusher for the Invaders, with 48 yards on 12 carries, with HB Arthur Whittington, an ex-Raider, right behind at 41 yards on 13 attempts. Wyatt Henderson had the most receptions, with 5 (for 73 yards), while 34-year-old TE Raymond Chester, another ex-Raider, accumulated the most receiving yards with 78 on four catches.


Between them, quarterbacks Collier and Lane completed 11 of 24 passes for 197 yards with Collier’s TD pass and two interceptions tossed by Lane. Ken Talton led the Stallions in rushing with 44 yards on 18 carries. Ron Frederick, Earl Gant (pictured at left), and WR Greg Anderson all caught three passes apiece, with Frederick’s 80 yards leading the club.

Both teams went on to compile 9-9 records, which was good enough to win the weak Pacific Division title for the Invaders while the Stallions finished at the bottom of the Central Division.

Fred Besana was one of the league’s top passers, leading the USFL in completions (345), completion percentage (62.7), and yards (3980). Not a mobile quarterback, he was also sacked the most times (71) – in the game against Birmingham, he was hauled down six times, with a resulting loss of 46 yards. He wasn’t helped by the generally poor play by the offensive line.

The two ex-Oakland Raiders, Arthur Whittington and Raymond Chester, had solid years. Whittington led the club with 1043 rushing yards and caught 66 passes. Chester was the top receiver with 68 catches in his final pro season.

Despite the dreadful placekicking performance against the Stallions, Kevin Shea completed the season and put up respectable numbers with 19 field goals out of 32 attempts that included 12 of 17 from inside the 40.

Birmingham’s two rookie quarterbacks went through their share of growing pains. Reggie Collier, the more heralded of the two coming out of Southern Mississippi, suffered through an injury-plagued season. Lane, from Northeast Louisiana, saw the most action. As he did in this game, Ken Talton led the Stallions in rushing with 907 yards; Earl Gant was second with 530.

For the Stallions, the overtime win was the first of two during the ’83 season – they would not play in any more during the remaining two years of the franchise’s existence. Oakland would appear in two more – one of which, in 1985, ended up being the only tie game in USFL history.

1984: Sam Harrell Runs for 200 Yards & Scores 4 TDs as Gamblers Defeat Blitz

The Houston Gamblers, new to the United States Football League in 1984, had established themselves as a potent passing team in the first two weeks of the season. Rookie QB Jim Kelly had thrown for a combined 538 yards and three touchdowns as the club lost a narrow 20-17 verdict at Tampa Bay and handily defeated the San Antonio Gunslingers, 35-7. In their third game, on March 11 at Chicago’s Soldier Field, it was RB Sam Harrell making headlines as he became the league’s first 200-yard rusher and scored four touchdowns in a high-scoring battle won by the Gamblers, 45-36.

There were just 7808 fans in attendance as the two offenses piled up 81 points, the most in any USFL game thus far. Harrell scored on runs of 7, 53, and 2 yards as he amassed an even 200 yards on 20 carries; he also scored on a 13-yard pass from Kelly. The young quarterback hit WR Ricky Sanders for a 61-yard TD that opened the scoring in the first quarter and WR Greg Moser from 33 yards in the third quarter. In the end, Kelly completed 13 of 26 passes for 229 yards with three touchdowns against a lone interception. Sanders was Houston’s top receiver with 4 receptions for 119 yards.

Chicago’s QB Vince Evans, formerly of the NFL’s Bears, had a big statistical day as he completed 22 of 36 passes for 371 yards with a touchdown and an interception; he also ran for two scores. TE Gary Lewis led the Blitz receivers with 7 pass receptions for 105 yards. The running game was not nearly as effective as Houston’s, accumulating 91 yards on 26 attempts – leading ground gainer was Larry Canada with 35 yards on 11 carries.

“This is the greatest game I’ve ever played, that I’ve ever had in my life,” said Harrell afterward. It was certainly the highlight of his season – he gained a total of 697 yards on 120 carries, averaging an impressive 5.8 yards-per-carry and scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 25 passes for 304 yards and two more scores in a year in which he missed several games due to a broken leg. He was part of an effective running tandem with Todd Fowler, who was ultimately the club’s leading rusher with 1003 yards.

The 6’2”, 225-pound Harrell had been chosen in the 11th round of the 1980 NFL draft out of East Carolina by the Minnesota Vikings, but he missed all of that season due to a hip injury and saw extremely limited action in ’81 and ’82. Released during preseason in 1983, he signed with the Gamblers and started the first eight games of ’84 until sidelined by the injury.

Head Coach Jack Pardee’s team remained committed to the innovative “run-and-shoot” passing game that allowed Jim Kelly to lead the league in attempts (587), completions (370), yards (5219), yards per attempt (8.9), and touchdown passes (44) – on the downside, he also led in interceptions (26). The Gamblers ended up with two hundred-catch receivers in wide receivers Richard Johnson (115) and Ricky Sanders (101).

Houston ended up with a 13-5 record to win the Central Division, but lost to Arizona in the first round of the playoffs. The Blitz, who were the remnant of 1983’s Arizona Wranglers team (the franchises had switched locations), were the mirror opposite, going 5-13 and ending up at the bottom of the same division.

List of the Day: Best Rushing Seasons, AAFC

(1946-49)

Spec Sanders

TOP 10
1- Spec Sanders, 1947 New York Yankees
1432 yds., 231 att., 6.2 avg., 18 TD

2- Marion Motley, 1948 Cleveland Browns
964 yds., 157 att., 6.1 avg., 5 TD

3- John Strzykalski, 1948 San Francisco 49ers
915 yds., 141 att., 6.5 avg., 4 TD

4- John Strzykalski, 1947 San Francisco 49ers
906 yds., 143 att., 6.3 avg., 5 TD

5- Marion Motley, 1947 Cleveland Browns
889 yds., 146 att., 6.1 avg., 8 TD

6- Chet Mutryn, 1947 Buffalo Bills
868 yds., 140 att., 6.2 avg., 9 TD

7- Chet Mutryn, 1948 Buffalo Bills
823 yds., 147 att., 5.6 avg., 10 TD

8- Joe Perry, 1949 San Francisco 49ers
783 yds., 115 att., 6.8 avg., 8 TD

9- Spec Sanders, 1948 New York Yankees
759 yds., 169 att., 4.5 avg., 9 TD

10-Lou Tomasetti, 1948 Buffalo Bills
716 yds., 134 att., 5.3 avg., 7 TD


Marion Motley


Johnny Strzykalski

BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT IN TOP 10
Brooklyn Dodgers: Mickey Colmer, 1948
704 yds., 164 att., 4.3 avg., 6 TD

Baltimore Colts: Bus Mertes, 1948
680 yds., 155 att., 4.4 avg., 4 TD

Los Angeles Dons: John Kimbrough, 1947
562 yds., 131 att., 4.3 avg., 8 TD

Chicago Rockets/Hornets: Bob Hoernschemeyer, 1949
456 yds., 133 att., 3.4 avg., 2 TD

Miami Seahawks: Pres Johnston, 1946*
165 yds., 30 att., 5.5 avg., 2 TD

*Seahawks played in 1946 only


Joe Perry


John Kimbrough

1967: Vikings Trade Fran Tarkenton to Giants

Following a 1966 season that was the worst in franchise history, the New York Giants had a need for a capable quarterback. The Minnesota Vikings and their erratic but talented quarterback, Fran Tarkenton, were ready to part ways. On March 7, 1967 a deal was struck that sent Tarkenton to the Giants for four draft picks (two first- and two second-round choices spread across three seasons).

Tarkenton was an original Viking, having been selected in the third round of the 1961 draft out of Georgia. Even as a rookie, it didn’t take him long to push veteran George Shaw aside as the starting quarterback. From the beginning, he showed a distinctive style of play, especially in being quick to abandon the pocket and scramble for time. Considering the lack of quality of the offensive line in this expansion season, it made sense and Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin showed tolerance.

Van Brocklin, a good but stubborn coach, had not been at all mobile during his great career as a pro quarterback and made an effort to alter Tarkenton’s style of play in the next few seasons, to no effect. To be sure, while he might have been overly quick to scramble and improvise, his performance was solid – he went to the Pro Bowl following the 1964 and ’65 seasons and was the third-ranked passer in the league in ’64 as the Vikings finished with their first ever winning record at 8-5-1. While many questioned the wisdom of the 6’0”, 190-pound quarterback’s willingness to run out of the pocket so often, he didn’t lose any time to injury during his first six seasons.

Van Brocklin had valued Tarkenton enough to veto a trade to the Eagles for Sonny Jurgensen after the 1963 season. While he couldn’t alter his quarterback’s style of play, he did have success in teaching him how to read defenses. But there was friction between the two strong-willed individuals, and the antagonism spilled out when on various occasions the head coach accused his young quarterback of playing selfishly and showboating. While Tarkenton could make exciting things happen through his scrambling, Van Brocklin believed that less improvising and a more conventional approach could yield better results.

After peaking in ’64, the Vikings dropped to 7-7 in 1965 and 4-9-1 in ’66. The situation between head coach and quarterback became untenable during the 1966 campaign. After leading Minnesota to an upset of the Green Bay Packers, Tarkenton followed up with a five-interception performance in a loss to Detroit. Van Brocklin benched Tarkenton in favor of fourth-year backup Ron VanderKelen the next week in a loss to the Rams, and two weeks later Bob Berry, in his second season, was given the start at home against the expansion Atlanta Falcons. Much was made at the time of Tarkenton being benched for a game that was being broadcast back to his native Georgia, although it was unlikely that that had played a factor in Van Brocklin’s thinking.

Following the season, Tarkenton demanded to be traded and was accommodated with the deal to the Giants. In the meantime, Van Brocklin abruptly resigned as head coach, to be replaced by Bud Grant, who had been successful in the Canadian Football League. The feuding had resulted in the departure of both of the antagonists.

Meanwhile in New York, the Giants had struggled since winning three consecutive Eastern Conference titles from 1961-63 (and losing the ensuing NFL title games) while the outstanding veteran quarterback, Y.A. Tittle, set records. The aging team crashed in 1964, Tittle’s last, forlorn season. While veteran Earl Morrall was acquired from Detroit and led the team to a respectable 7-7 finish in ’65, he suffered a broken wrist during the 1966 season. Gary Wood and Tom Kennedy proved inadequate as fill-ins as the Giants went 1-12-1.

Tarkenton had a Pro Bowl season in 1967, passing for 3088 yards and 29 touchdowns as the Giants, who had far too many holes to fill to contend, improved to 7-7. A particularly productive target was WR Homer Jones, who caught 49 passes for 1209 yards for a 24.7 yards-per-catch average and 13 touchdowns. In five seasons in New York, Tarkenton was selected for the Pro Bowl four times and led the team to a 9-5 record in 1970 – the club’s best between 1963 and 1985. He was traded back to Minnesota following the 1971 season.

The Vikings stumbled badly out of the gate in ’67 as VanderKelen proved inadequate as the starting quarterback. However, Joe Kapp, a CFL veteran, joined the club early in the season and took over the job. With Kapp’s scrappy leadership, a good running game, and an outstanding defense, Bud Grant’s team made it to the postseason for the first time in 1968 and won the NFL championship in ’69 (although they lost to the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl).

The draft choices obtained for Tarkenton were used to pick HB Clint Jones from Michigan State (1st round in ’67, second overall pick), HB Bob Grim from Oregon State (2nd round in ’67), OT Ron Yary from USC (1st round in ’68, first overall pick), and G Ed White from California (2nd round in ’69).

Yary and White became mainstays on the offensive line, with Yary garnering six consecutive consensus first team All-Pro selections and going to seven Pro Bowls on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and White going to the Pro Bowl three times (and once more with the Chargers). Jones was a useful halfback and good kickoff returner. Grim, who was converted to wide receiver, had a Pro Bowl season in 1971 when he caught 45 passes; ironically, he was part of the package sent to the Giants in the trade that brought Tarkenton back to the Vikings.

1983: Blitz Wins USFL Debut as George Allen Returns to Washington

March 6, 1983 marked opening day for the new United States Football League (USFL), and the Washington Federals hosted the Chicago Blitz at RFK Stadium. It was something of a homecoming for Blitz Head Coach George Allen, who had coached the NFL Redskins from 1971-77.

Allen was the most prestigious of the new league’s head coaches, and thus he and the Blitz received a fair amount of attention prior to the USFL commencing its first spring season. After initially gaining notoriety as the defensive assistant for the Bears under George Halas when they won the 1963 NFL title, Allen had gone on to his first head coaching job with the Rams. Taking over a franchise that had posted six consecutive losing seasons prior to 1966, he immediately turned the team’s fortunes around and ended up with a 49-19-4 record before departing following the 1970 season. From there it was to Washington and a 69-35-1 tally that included a NFC championship in 1972. Hard-working and intense, he also was an outstanding motivator whose teams typically played with great spirit and enthusiasm.

Allen left Washington to return to the Rams for the ’78 season, but never made it through the preseason as he was replaced by Ray Malavasi. He retreated to the broadcast booth until taking on the challenge of coaching a new team in a start-up league. His arrival in Chicago heralded great expectations and, as Allen had done with the Rams and Redskins, a strong nucleus of veteran players was assembled.

QB Greg Landry (pictured below left), a 14-year NFL veteran, guided an offense that included the team’s two most significant rookie signings, WR Trumaine Johnson and RB Tim Spencer. The defense was filled with experienced players, most notably defensive ends Karl Lorch (WFL and Redskins) and Junior Ah You (CFL), DT Joe Ehrmann (Colts and Lions), LB Stan White (Colts and Lions), CB Virgil Livers (Bears), and safety Luther Bradley (Lions). Even punter/placekicker Frank Corral (Rams) was an experienced pro.


Chicago met expectations in the opener, easily defeating the Federals, 28-7. Landry directed the typically conservative but effective offense (a signature of Allen’s teams), completing 19 of 27 passes for 251 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. The rookie WR Johnson made an immediate impression, catching 11 of those passes for 158 yards and a score. Spencer led the running attack with 69 yards on 17 carries. On defense, Bradley picked off two passes and Ah You and Ehrmann each recorded a sack.

The Blitz outrushed the Federals, 143 yards to 36 (rookie RB Craig James gained 34 of those yards on 14 carries), and outpassed them 213 to 172. Washington had only three first downs in the first three quarters, didn’t score until the fourth quarter, and was forced to punt nine times.

Speculation that Chicago was the USFL’s dominant team grew to a fever pitch, although Allen attempted to calm the inflated expectations. “I don’t feel that we’ll dominate the league in any manner,” was his response, and it was proven so the following week when the Blitz gave up 18 points in the fourth quarter to blow a 29-12 lead over the Arizona Wrangers, who won 30-29.

At the end of the year, Chicago had a 12-6 record and the wild card spot in the playoffs (their record matched that of the Michigan Panthers in the Central Division, but the eventual-champion Panthers won the division title by sweeping the season series between the teams). They lost to the Philadelphia Stars in the Semifinal round. Washington, by contrast, went 4-14 and ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

The Blitz scored the most points (456) and had the third-ranked offense as well as top-ranked defense in the USFL. Trumaine Johnson topped the league with 81 catches for 1322 yards and Luther Bradley led in interceptions with 12. Allen was criticized for his offense’s predictability, and for sitting on late leads that made them vulnerable to opponents staging comebacks. However, the team suffered key injuries, losing Landry to a foot injury twelve weeks into the campaign as well as some key offensive linemen. But for the outsized expectations (and monetary losses that led the franchise to exchange locations with the Wranglers for 1984), it was a respectable showing and did nothing to damage a coaching career that landed Allen in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

List of the Day: Best Pass Receiving Seasons, 1940s NFL

Tom Fears

TOP 10 RECEPTIONS
1- Tom Fears, 1949 Los Angeles Rams
77 rec., 1013 yds., 13.2 avg., 9 TD

2- Don Hutson, 1942 Green Bay Packers
74 rec., 1211 yds., 16.4 avg., 17 TD

3- Bob Mann, 1949 Detroit Lions
66 rec., 1014 yds., 15.4 avg., 4 TD

4- Jim Keane, 1947 Chicago Bears
64 rec., 910 yds., 14.2 avg., 10 TD

5- Jim Benton, 1946 Los Angeles Rams
63 rec., 981 yds., 15.6 avg., 6 TD

6(tied)- Don Looney, 1940 Philadelphia Eagles
58 rec., 707 yds., 12.2 avg., 4 TD

6(tied)- Don Hutson, 1941 Green Bay Packers
58 rec., 738 yds., 12.7 avg., 10 TD

6(tied)- Don Hutson, 1944 Green Bay Packers
58 rec., 866 yds., 14.9 avg., 9 TD

9- Bill Chipley, 1949 New York Bulldogs
57 rec., 631 yds., 11.1 avg., 2 TD

10-Tom Fears, 1948 Los Angeles Rams
51 rec., 698 yds., 13.7 avg., 4 TD


Don Hutson


Bill Chipley

BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT IN TOP 10
New York Giants: Bill Swiacki, 1949
47 rec., 652 yds., 13.9 avg., 4 TD

Washington Redskins: Bob Nussbaumer, 1947
47 rec., 597 yds., 12.7 avg., 4 TD

Chicago Cardinals: Mal Kutner, 1947
43 rec., 944 yds., 22.0 avg., 7 TD

Pittsburgh Steelers: Val Jansante, 1948
39 rec., 623 yds., 16.0 avg., 3 TD

Boston Yanks: Hal Crisler, 1946*
32 rec., 385 yds., 12.0 avg., 5 TD

Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers: Perry Schwartz, 1941**
25 rec., 362 yds., 14.5 avg., 2 TD

* Yanks played from 1944-48
**Brooklyn folded after 1944 season


Bill Swiacki

TOP 10 YARDS
1- Don Hutson, 1942 Green Bay Packers
1211 yds., 74 rec., 16.4 avg., 17 TD

2- Jim Benton, 1945 Cleveland Rams
1067 yds., 45 rec., 23.7 avg., 8 TD

3- Bob Mann, 1949 Detroit Lions
1014 yds., 66 rec., 15.4 avg., 4 TD

4- Tom Fears, 1949 Los Angeles Rams
1013 yds., 77 rec., 13.2 avg., 9 TD

5- Jim Benton, 1946 Los Angeles Rams
981 yds., 63 rec., 15.6 avg., 6 TD

6- Mal Kutner, 1947 Chicago Cardinals
944 yds., 43 rec., 22.0 avg., 7 TD

7- Mal Kutner, 1948 Chicago Cardinals
943 yds., 41 rec., 23.0 avg., 14 TD

8- Jim Keane, 1947 Chicago Bears
910 yds., 64 rec., 14.2 avg., 10 TD

9- Don Hutson, 1944 Green Bay Packers
866 yds., 58 rec., 14.9 avg., 9 TD

10-Don Hutson, 1945 Green Bay Packers
834 yds., 47 rec., 17.7 avg., 9 TD


Mal Kutner

BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT IN TOP 10
Boston Yanks: Don Currivan, 1947*
782 yds., 24 rec., 32.6 avg., 9 TD

Washington Redskins: Hugh Taylor, 1949
781 yds., 45 rec., 17.4 avg., 9 TD

Philadelphia Eagles: Pete Pihos, 1948
766 yds., 46 rec., 16.7 avg., 11 TD

New York Giants: Gene Roberts, 1949
711 yds., 35 rec., 20.3 avg., 8 TD

Pittsburgh Steelers: Elbie Nickel, 1949
633 yds., 26 rec., 24.3 avg., 3 TD

New York Bulldogs: Bill Chipley, 1949**
631 yds., 57 rec., 11.1 avg., 2 TD

Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers: Perry Schwartz, 1940***
370 yds., 21 rec., 17.6 avg., 3 TD

* Yanks played from 1944-48
** Bulldogs records for 1949 only
***Brooklyn folded after 1944 season


Hugh Taylor


Pete Pihos


Elbie Nickel