2006: Texans Draft Mario Williams 1st Overall Ahead of Bush & Young

After steadily progressing in their first three seasons in the NFL, the Houston Texans dropped to a league-worst 2-14 record in 2005. Head Coach Dom Capers and his staff were dismissed, and offensive-minded Gary Kubiak was hired in his place.

However, with the first pick in the NFL draft on April 29, 2006 the Texans opted for help on defense and made official the selection of North Carolina State DE Mario Williams as their choice (he had actually been signed to a contract the night before).

The decision drew criticism from both commentators and fans. At a draft party held at Reliant Stadium, many of the attendees booed the selection of Williams and began chanting “Reg-gie! Reg-gie!” in reference to Reggie Bush, the star running back and Heisman Trophy winner from USC. There had also been sentiment for picking a local favorite, QB Vince Young from Texas. They ended up being the next two players drafted, by the Saints and Titans, respectively.

Not all of the reviews were critical, to be sure. As one scout said, “I like the Texans’ pick of Mario Williams over Reggie Bush. If you tell me I can have a great running back or I can have a great defensive end, I’ll take the defensive end every time. He’ll have a longer career, he’s on the field for more plays, and defensive ends are harder to find than running backs.”

The 6’7”, 295-pound Williams had chosen to leave school early to enter the draft, but was considered by scouts to be ready for the NFL. In 2005, he had recorded 62 tackles (24 of them for a loss) and 14.5 sacks over the course of 12 games. Moreover, he filled a clear need for a Houston defense that had ranked next to last in the league, including 32nd against the run and 24th vs. the pass (to be sure, they ranked 30th in total offense as well). New defensive coordinator Richard Smith was replacing the 3-4 scheme favored by Capers with a 4-3 alignment, and Williams seemed a good fit for the revamped defensive line.

Initially, the critics appeared to be vindicated by the results of the 2006 season. While the team’s record improved to 6-10, Williams suffered through an injury-marred and inconsistent campaign and recorded just 4.5 sacks. Meanwhile, Bush proved to be a potent complement to power runner Deuce McAllister, accumulating 1523 all-purpose yards (742 on 88 pass receptions alone) as the Saints ranked first in team offense and made it to the postseason. Vince Young showed great promise with the Titans, passing for 2199 yards and running for another 552 while being selected Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.

The Houston offense ranked 28th in the NFL. QB David Carr, the first player ever drafted by the club in 2002, continued to be mired in mediocrity. RB Ron Dayne led the team in rushing with 612 yards. A revamping followed in the offseason.

However, the situation for Williams, especially in comparison to Bush and Young, shifted significantly from 2007 onward. Healthy and playing with greater confidence, he tied for third in the league in sacks with 14. In ’08, he had another 12 sacks, was a first team All-NFL selection of The Sporting News and second team pick by the AP, and went to the Pro Bowl for the first time. That was followed up in 2009 with another Sporting News first team All-NFL pick and second Pro Bowl invitation.

Reggie Bush failed to build upon his fine rookie season and his performance was decidedly uneven. While a dynamic player with outstanding outside running ability and good receiving skills out of the backfield who contributed to a championship team, he had durability issues and did not fulfill the hopes that he could be an every-down running back – let alone an elite performer. He averaged just 3.7 yards-per-carry in his first three seasons (although he also caught 213 passes). Strictly a role player, his numbers in all categories declined in 2009 - but his postseason performance was solid, in particular an impressive showing against Arizona in the NFC Divisional playoff.

Vince Young struggled in his second season and was benched for virtually all of his third; brought back into the starting lineup midway through the ’09 campaign with favorable results, his career is at an uncertain stage.

While all three careers are very much in progress, after four seasons, the selection of Williams in the top spot of the first round in ’06 has looked more justified with each passing year.

1981: Giants Draft Lawrence Taylor in 1st Round

Since appearing in the 1963 NFL Championship game, the New York Giants had settled into a long period of mediocrity. From the advent of divisional play in 1933 through ’63, the club had gone 226-123-19 with 16 postseason appearances and three championships. From 1964 through 1980, the record was 84-156-4; not only were there no playoff appearances, but the Giants posted just two records over .500 in that 17-year span.

The performance in 1980 hardly indicated that improvement might be coming anytime soon. New York struggled through an injury-riddled 4-12 season. The linebacker corps had been especially hard hit, with Harry Carson, Brian Kelley, Dan Lloyd, John Skorupan, and Frank Marion all missing time. At one point in November, a free agent named Joe McLaughlin, who had failed to catch on with two clubs in 1979 and was painting houses in Wisconsin for a living, was called in on a Monday, passed his physical, worked out twice, played on special teams the following Sunday and then was in the starting lineup the next week (he actually led the team with 10 tackles). As a result, the Giants ranked 24th in the NFL in total defense (26th against the run, 17th vs. the pass).

On April 28, 1981 the Giants, using the second pick in the first round of the NFL draft, chose Lawrence Taylor, a linebacker from North Carolina (New Orleans used the first pick to take RB George Rogers, the Heisman Trophy winner from South Carolina).

There had been some question in the run-up to the draft as to whether New York would take Taylor or UCLA running back Freeman McNeil (eventually chosen by the other New York club, the Jets). Linebacker was considered one of the team’s strengths (at least, with the expectation that all hands would be healthy) and there was a need to improve the running game. The situation was further muddied by talk from some of the veteran players that they would boycott if the team drafted Taylor and gave him the three-year, $1 million deal that his agent was reportedly intending to seek. A ruffled Taylor had sent a telegram to Giants GM George Young the night before the draft asking that they not choose him.

In the end, of course, Young did choose Taylor (he signed a three-year deal, but for $900,000), and it marked a significant step in the reinvigorating of the franchise. Head Coach Ray Perkins, looking ahead to the ’81 season, said “Taylor should start on the weakside for us. He’ll have to earn that, of course, but from everything we’ve seen and everything we know about him, I have no doubt he’ll become a dominating player.”

Perkins was very much on the mark. Playing in a 3-4 defense, Taylor lined up with veteran Brad Van Pelt at the other outside linebacker position and Kelley and Carson on the inside and almost immediately displayed the dominance anticipated for him. He received the most votes in Pro Bowl balloting and was selected as NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press, as well as Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Defense was the key to the Giants finishing 9-7 and grabbing the second wild card spot to make it into the postseason for the first time since that long-ago 1963 title game (they upset Philadelphia, 27-21, in the first round but succumbed to the 49ers in the divisional playoff). While the offense was the lowest-ranked in the league – young QB Phil Simms was still a work in progress, and missed five games due to injury – the defense keyed the improvement. Taylor was a big part of that surge, although there were also key contributions by rookie NT Bill Neill and second-year CB Mark Haynes. Defensive ends George Martin and Gary Jeter had outstanding seasons as well.

Taylor, however, would prove to be not only the unit’s leader over the course of 13 years, but one of the most dominating defensive players in pro football history. At 6’3” and 237 pounds, he re-defined the position of linebacker, proving to be an almost unstoppable pass rusher as well as run-stuffer. More than outstanding outside linebackers of the past, he brought an attacking element into his play that transformed the game and made him a weapon that opposing offenses continually needed to account for. While drug issues eventually dogged him off the field, the intensity level never dropped while on it.

By the time the player known as “LT” retired, he had been named league MVP on one occasion (1986), always notable for a defensive player, and Defensive Player of the Year three times. Taylor was a consensus first team All-Pro eight times and was selected to 10 Pro Bowls. His number 56 was retired by the Giants, and he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

Thanks to George Young’s personnel moves (hired as GM in 1979 in a compromise between the feuding team owners, Wellington Mara and his nephew Tim), which so notably included the drafting of Taylor and, in 1983, the promotion of Bill Parcells to head coach, the Giants again became a perennial contender. From 1981 through ’90, the last season with Parcells at the helm, the team had a 90-61 record, went to the postseason six times, and won the Super Bowl twice. Arguably more than any other player on the team, Taylor personified the change in attitude and direction.

1984: Chuck Fusina Throws 5 TD Passes as Stars Dominate Breakers

The Philadelphia Stars were the most successful team in the United States Football League’s brief history. Coached by Jim Mora, they excelled on both sides of the ball. Typically, the offense was spurred by the running game, in particular star RB Kelvin Bryant. But on April 27, 1984 against the New Orleans Breakers at Veterans Stadium, it was QB Chuck Fusina who was the headliner.

The game was really no contest at all as the Stars rolled over the Breakers, 35-0. To be sure, the running game was successful as always, accumulating 167 yards. Bryant, having missed the three prior contests due to injury, contributed 105 of that total on 17 carries, while his capable backup, Allen Harvin, added another 30 yards on five runs. But the scoring came directly as a result of the aerial attack as Fusina tied the USFL single-game record with five touchdown passes (it was the third of an eventual seven occurrences by five quarterbacks).

The first two TD tosses were to FB David Riley, covering 47 and 13 yards respectively. WR Willie Collier also caught two of the scoring throws, of 19 yards in the second quarter and 8 yards in the third period. In between, also in the third quarter, TE Steve Folsom caught a five-yard pass for a touchdown.

Fusina completed 20 of 26 passes for 250 yards with none picked off. It was an effective and efficient performance by a quarterback who had not been highly regarded in 1983, even though the team made it to the league title game, and was often overshadowed by bigger-name quarterbacks in ’84. Rookie Jim Kelly put up big numbers directing Houston’s “run-and-shoot” offense, and mobile Steve Young did well in Los Angeles. Veterans Cliff Stoudt (Birmingham), John Reaves (Tampa Bay), and Greg Landry (Arizona) all performed capably. Yet in the end, it was Fusina at the top of the passing standings with a 104.7 rating and 31 touchdown passes to just 9 interceptions.

In this game, Bryant led the team in receptions with four (for 27 yards) while four other players caught three passes apiece (Riley, Collier, Folsom, and WR Scott Fitzkee). Riley was the receiving yardage leader with 76.

The defense excelled, holding the usually effective New Orleans running game to just 31 yards on 16 carries (rookie RB Marcus Dupree led with 20 yards on 9 attempts). The passing game was held to 193 net yards and quarterbacks Johnny Walton and Doug Woodward threw a total of four interceptions. All-League CB Garcia Lane accounted for two of the pickoffs.

Philadelphia went on to compile a 16-2 record in once again topping the Atlantic Division – they went on to win the USFL championship with ease. The Breakers, who had been located in Boston in ’83, went 8-10 to finish third in the Southern Division.

What made Philadelphia such a successful team? A look at the postseason honorees in ’84 provides ample evidence - as might be expected, many members of the Stars ended up receiving All-League recognition (by either the league, The Sporting News, or both). On offense, they included Fusina, Bryant, OT Irv Eatman, G Chuck Commiskey, C Bart Oates, while on defense there were DT Pete Kugler, LB Sam Mills, CB Garcia Lane, and S Mike Lush. Punter Sean Landeta also received recognition from The Sporting News. In addition, and perhaps most significantly, Mora was Coach of the Year and The Sporting News chose President/GM Carl Peterson as Executive of the Year for assembling the talent.

The win over the Breakers was a reflection of the sort of overall ability – from front office to the sideline to the playing field – that allowed the Stars to succeed with such consistency.

List of the Day: Best Rushing Seasons, 1960s AFL

Jim Nance

TOP 10
1- Jim Nance, 1966 Boston Patriots
1458 yards, 299 att., 4.9 avg., 11 TD

2- Jim Nance, 1967 Boston Patriots
1216 yards, 269 att., 4.5 avg., 7 TD

3- Hoyle Granger, 1967 Houston Oilers
1194 yards, 236 att., 5.1 avg., 6 TD

4- Paul Lowe, 1965 San Diego Chargers
1121 yards, 222 att., 5.0 avg., 6 TD

5- Clem Daniels, 1963 Oakland Raiders
1099 yards, 215 att., 5.1 avg., 3 TD

6- Cookie Gilchrist, 1962 Buffalo Bills
1096 yards, 214 att., 5.1 avg., 13 TD

7- Mike Garrett, 1967 Kansas City Chiefs
1087 yards, 236 att., 4.6 avg., 9 TD

8- Abner Haynes, 1962 Dallas Texans
1049 yards, 221 att., 4.7 avg., 13 TD

9- Paul Robinson, 1968 Cincinnati Bengals
1023 yards, 238 att., 4.3 avg., 8 TD

10-Charley Tolar, 1962 Houston Oilers
1012 yards, 244 att., 4.1 avg., 7 TD


Hoyle Granger



Paul Lowe



Clem Daniels

BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT IN TOP 10
Denver Broncos: Cookie Gilchrist, 1965
954 yards, 252 att., 3.8 avg., 6 TD

New York Titans/Jets: Matt Snell, 1964
948 yards, 215 att., 4.4 avg., 5 TD

Miami Dolphins: Jim Kiick, 1968*
621 yards, 165 att., 3.8 avg., 4 TD

*Dolphins joined AFL in 1966


Cookie Gilchrist



Mike Garrett



Abner Haynes

1983: Eric Truvillion’s 3 TD Receptions Help Bandits Defeat Federals

The Tampa Bay Bandits had won their first four games in the United States Football League’s inaugural season, but had stumbled in losing two of the next three contests. The loss of veteran QB John Reaves with a broken wrist didn’t help matters.

On April 24, 1983 the Bandits traveled to Washington to take on the lowly (1-6) Federals at RFK Stadium before a sparse crowd of 9070. Jimmy Jordan, a former star at Florida State, had taken over at quarterback. Like Reaves, Jordan wasn’t very mobile and also suffered from a sore shoulder, but he proved to be effective in this, his first start.

It looked like it would be an easy win for the Bandits as they broke out to a 20-6 halftime lead. Jordan hit WR Eric Truvillion with three touchdown passes, of 28, 15, and six yards (the extra point attempt was blocked after the first one). Washington only got on the board thanks to a 94-yard kickoff return by RB Eric Robinson after the first Tampa Bay score (the Bandits blocked the ensuing PAT attempt in turn).

However, sloppy play by the Bandits - they turned the ball over seven times in all - allowed the Federals to nearly pull the game out. First, RB Craig James ran for a 19-yard touchdown to cut the margin to 20-13 in the third quarter. Then in the fourth quarter, QB Mike Hohensee passed to WR Mike Holmes for a 10-yard TD that tied the score. The Federals gained the lead at 23-20 with a 23-yard Dale Castro field goal, but it didn’t last long.

Jordan took the Bandits to the Washington 15 yard line on the next possession, which culminated in Zenon Andrusyshyn re-tying the game at 23-23 with a 31-yard field goal. CB Leon Williams intercepted a pass to regain possession for Tampa Bay, and with under three minutes remaining RB Carl Franks dashed 18 yards through the middle for the winning touchdown. The final score was 30-23 in favor of the Bandits.

Jimmy Jordan completed 30 of 45 passes for 345 yards with the three touchdowns, but tossed three interceptions as well. Eric Truvillion caught 9 passes for 113 yards with the three scores, while WR Danny Buggs also exceeded a hundred receiving yards with 103 on 7 catches. RB Sam Platt led the club in rushing with 71 yards on 22 carries; he also contributed a further 49 yards on 7 pass receptions.


The two Washington quarterbacks, rookie Mike Hohensee and veteran Joe Gilliam, combined to complete 16 of 37 passes for 213 yards with a TD and four interceptions (Hohensee tossed the TD while Gilliam had three of his passes picked off). Craig James rushed for 60 yards on 15 attempts. WR Joey Walters was the Federals’ top receiver with 7 catches for 85 yards.

Tampa Bay gave up more turnovers than Washington thanks to four fumbles and the three passes picked off, but also won the total yardage battle (452 to 267) and dominated in first downs (31 to 16) and time of possession (35:28 to 24:32). The Federals recorded the only sacks of the contest, however, with three; 1.5 were credited to 15-year veteran DE Coy Bacon.

The Bandits encountered rough going the rest of the way, finishing with an 11-7 record that put them in third place in the Central Division and out of the playoffs. Washington went 4-14 to end up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, tied with Arizona for the worst record in the league.

Jordan performed well overall, placing fourth among the USFL’s passers (Reaves was 12th) as he completed 60.9 % of his 238 throws for 1831 yards with 14 TDs and 14 interceptions. Eric Truvillion was an All-League selection both by the USFL and The Sporting News as he caught 66 passes for 1080 yards and 15 touchdowns (Danny Buggs grabbed 76 passes for 1146 yards, but with just 5 TDs). Prize rookie Craig James was one of the few bright spots for the Federals as he rushed for 823 yards on 202 carries.

1986: Lee Roy Selmon Announces Retirement

It was not a surprise on April 23, 1986 when star DE Lee Roy Selmon announced his retirement. He had not appeared in a game since the Pro Bowl following the ’84 season where he suffered a herniated disk in his back. Selmon was forced to sit out all of 1985, hoping that surgery would not be necessary and that he would be able to return to action. But once he received word that even with surgery there was no certainty of playing again, he made the decision to retire. At the press conference, he said “I’m just thankful I was able to play ten years.”

It had actually been just nine years encompassing 121 regular season games, but a great nine years. Selmon’s retirement marked a significant milestone in Buccaneers history. He was the first player ever drafted by Tampa Bay with the initial overall pick as an expansion team in 1976 (the other new team that year, the Seattle Seahawks, lost a coin toss to the Bucs and chose second). His college credentials at Oklahoma were outstanding, where he had won both the Outland and Lombardi trophies for his play on the line. Head Coach John McKay was looking to emphasize defense in the new team’s first draft, and going with the best defensive player available made sense. In the second round, Tampa Bay picked Selmon’s older brother (by 11 months), Dewey, a defensive tackle (he was moved to linebacker in his second pro season); the two had played together in high school and college, and would now have the opportunity to do so again in the NFL.

The Buccaneers got off to a rough start, even for an expansion team, losing all 14 games in ’76 and the first 26 altogether before finally winning the last two contests of the 1977 season. The defense was the league’s worst in ’76, not helped by Selmon missing half of the campaign due to a knee injury.

The team began to improve in 1977, and Selmon was a key contributor. When they won their first game, at New Orleans, Selmon had three sacks (not yet an official statistic) and 12 tackles. The big breakthrough came in 1979, however, as Tampa Bay went 10-6 and advanced all the way to the NFC Championship game.

The overall performance of the defense was significant to the club’s success in ’79, and not surprisingly, Selmon led the way. Playing at right defensive end in a 3-4 alignment, he recorded 11 sacks (unofficially). He also had 117 tackles and forced three fumbles (with two recoveries, one for a touchdown). For his efforts, Selmon was a consensus first team All-Pro selection, went to the Pro Bowl for the first of six consecutive years, and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.

Brother Dewey was part of an outstanding group of linebackers that included Richard Wood at the other inside spot and David Lewis and Cecil Johnson on the outside. The secondary was the most effective in the league and consisted of cornerbacks Jeris White and Mike Washington and safeties Mark Cotney and Cedric Brown. The other two starting defensive linemen, nose tackle Randy Crowder and left end Wally Chambers, rounded out the solid unit that ranked first overall in the NFL – they gave up the fewest points (237), total yards (3949), and passing yards (2076).

The Buccaneers failed to sustain the success of 1979 – they sank back to 5-10-1 in ’80 and made it to the postseason just twice more during Selmon’s career.

The 6’3”, 250-pounder was often double- and triple-teamed by opposing offenses, yet his speed, strength, and agility made him an impact player in any event. In 1980, with offenses concentrated on stopping him, Selmon was credited with 72 quarterback “hurries” to go along with nine sacks. In all, he was credited with 78.5 sacks and 380 “hurries” over the course of his career.

Selmon received first or second team All-Pro recognition in five of his nine seasons, and was an All-NFC choice (first or second team) after seven of them. It was hardly surprising that the Buccaneers retired his number 63; he also became the first inductee into the team’s Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium in 2009. Selmon was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

Brother Dewey also played well for Tampa Bay (he was named team MVP in 1978) until a thigh injury suffered in training camp knocked him out for the 1981 season; he was traded to San Diego, where he played one year in ’82 prior to retiring.

Pleasant and soft-spoken off the field, Selmon was a terror on it. As Coach McKay put it at the time of Selmon’s selection to the Hall of Fame, “He was almost unblockable. I can’t imagine anyone being better. He was the heart of our team. At a time when we were pretty fair, he was what made us pretty fair.” Doug Williams, the club’s quarterback during much of Selmon’s career, added, “If he had been in a four-man front, they would have banned Lee Roy from the game.”

Maybe the most telling tribute came from an opposing offensive tackle, Ted Albrecht of the Bears, who once told an assistant coach at halftime of a game against the Bucs, “There are four things in the world I don’t want to do under any circumstance. Number one, I don’t want to milk a cobra. Number two, I don’t want to be buried at sea. Number three, I don’t want to get hit in the head with a hockey puck. And number four, I don’t want to play the second half against Lee Roy Selmon.”

2001: LA Routs Demons for XFL Title

The 10-game XFL season culminated in a two-round postseason capped by the championship game. On April 21, 2001 the Los Angeles Xtreme hosted the San Francisco Demons at the Memorial Coliseum in the contest dubbed the “Million Dollar Game”.

The Xtreme, coached by Al Luginbill, had won the Western Division with a 7-3 record. They were the league’s highest-scoring team (235 points) while QB Tommy Maddox was the individual leader in passing yards (2186) and touchdown passes (18). Maddox (pictured above) had underachieved in the NFL with the Broncos, Rams, and Giants, but after time away from the game and a stint playing arena football, showed improvement as a pocket passer. His primary target was WR Jeremaine Copeland, who led the XFL with 67 receptions (16 more than the runner-up, Birmingham’s Stepfret Williams). At the other wide receiver spot, Darnell McDonald led the league with eight touchdowns.

San Francisco, under Head Coach Jim Skipper, had come in second to Los Angeles in the Western Division with a mediocre 5-5 record (they gained a playoff spot over Memphis thanks to tiebreakers). QB Mike Pawlawski was the league leader in completion percentage (62.6) while finishing second to Maddox in passing yards (1659) and third in TD passes (12). WR Jimmy Cunningham was the top receiver with a third-ranked 50 catches for 408 yards.

The Xtreme defeated the Chicago Enforcers in the first round of the playoffs, 33-16, while the Demons upset the club with the XFL’s best record, the Orlando Rage (8-2), by a 26-25 score.

The teams had split their two meetings during the regular season, but before a spirited crowd of 24,153, the Xtreme dominated. After jumping out to a 3-0 first quarter lead thanks to a 37-yard field goal by the league’s top placekicker, Jose Cortez, Los Angeles took control with 18 second quarter points. Maddox hit TE Josh Wilcox with a one-yard scoring pass early in the period, and DB Reggie Durden returned a punt 71 yards for the next touchdown; in both instances, the extra point attempt (which, as mandated by league rules, couldn’t be kicked) failed. Cortez kicked field goals of 34 and 50 yards just before the half.

LA extended the lead to 31-0 in the third quarter thanks to a 19-yard TD pass from Maddox to Copeland (the run for an extra point was successful) and the fourth field goal of the day for Cortez, from 22 yards. RB Rashaan Shehee capped the scoring for the Xtreme in the fourth quarter with a 10-yard touchdown pass to WR Latario Rachal (Shehee then proceeded to run for the successful PAT). San Francisco avoided being shut out late in the game as QB Oteman Sampson ran for a 21-yard touchdown. The final score was 38-6.


The statistics reflected the Xtreme’s domination. Maddox was the game’s MVP as he completed 16 of 28 passes for 210 yards with two TDs and an interception. Darnell McDonald was the leading receiver with 7 catches for 82 yards (Jeremaine Copeland had 4 receptions for 67 yards, which included the one TD). RB Saladin McCullough (pictured) rushed for 109 yards on 20 carries.

Three San Francisco quarterbacks combined for just 11 completions in 27 attempts for 115 yards with three intercepted (two by safety Ron Carpenter); Pawlawski accounted for 8 of 20 of that total, for 74 yards with two of the interceptions. Jimmy Cunningham was by far the receiving leader for the Demons, with 6 catches for 71 yards. San Francisco was not a very successful running team during the season, and it was evident in this contest as well as the third-string QB, Sampson, was the leading rusher – even without the touchdown run at the end - with 36 yards on two carries.

The game not only decided the league championship but was the last in the XFL’s brief history. While Vince McMahon, the World Wrestling Federation promoter who founded the new football league, spoke gamely of returning for another year, it was not to be. After the first week of telecasts on NBC, viewership had dropped off badly and the network was not interested in televising another season. Football fans were disappointed in the subpar quality of play and WWF-style trappings that further damaged the league’s credibility. The XFL officially folded a few weeks after the “Million Dollar Game”.

Tommy Maddox made the most of his XFL success, returning to the NFL in the fall of 2001 with the Pittsburgh Steelers; he took over as starting quarterback in ’02 and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He ended up as a member of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl-winning squad in 2005, although by then he was backing up Ben Roethlisberger.

Jeremaine Copeland went to the Canadian Football League, playing for the Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders, where he was a member of Grey Cup championship teams in 2002 (Montreal) and ’08 (Calgary). Jose Cortez became a journeyman placekicker in the NFL, appearing with seven teams from 2001 to ’05.