MVP Profile: Marcus Allen, 1985

Running Back, Los Angeles Raiders



Age: 25
4th season in pro football & with Raiders
College: Southern California
Height: 6’2” Weight: 205

Prelude:
After winning the 1981 Heisman Trophy at USC, Allen was chosen by the Raiders in the first round of the ’82 draft. In the strike-shortened 1982 season, he led the NFL with 1098 yards from scrimmage, 14 TDs, and 84 points. He gained over a thousand yards rushing in each of the next two seasons, with a high of 1168 yards in ’84, when he again led the league in touchdowns with 18. He also was the MVP of the Super Bowl following the ’83 season, after rushing for 191 yards. Allen caught a total of 170 passes for 1749 yards in his first three years. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro in 1982 and was selected to the Pro Bowl twice.

1985 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 380 [2]
Most attempts, game - 31 (for 135 yds.) vs. Cincinnati 11/17
Yards – 1759 [1]
Most yards, game – 173 yards (on 24 carries) vs. Denver 11/24
Average gain – 4.6 [14]
TDs – 11 [3, tied with Ron Davenport, 1st in AFC]
100-yard rushing games - 11

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 67 [16, tied with Wes Chandler]
Most receptions, game – 8 (for 53 yds.) vs. San Francisco 9/22, (for 25 yds.) at LA Rams 12/23
Yards – 555
Most yards, game - 54 (on 6 catches) vs. Cincinnati 11/17
Average gain – 8.3
TDs - 3

Passing
Attempts – 2
Completions – 1
Yards – 16
TD passes – 0
Interceptions – 0

Scoring
TDs – 14 [4]
Points – 84


Postseason: 1 G (AFC Divisional playoff vs. New England)
Rushing attempts – 22
Rushing yards – 121
Average gain rushing – 5.5
Rushing TDs – 1

Pass receptions – 3
Pass receiving yards - 8
Average yards per reception – 2.3
Pass Receiving TDs - 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: AP
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Sporting News
1st team All-AFC: UPI
Pro Bowl

Raiders went 12-4 to finish first in the AFC West with the best record in the conference. Lost Divisional playoff to New England Patriots (27-20).

Aftermath:
Allen played another 12 years in the NFL, and went to the Pro Bowl again in 1986, ’87, and ’93, but never again ran for a thousand yards or caught more than 51 passes. Bothered by injuries (and involved in disputes with owner Al Davis), he shared time with other running backs during the remainder of his career with the Raiders, most notably Bo Jackson. Signing with the Chiefs as a free agent in 1993 reinvigorated his career at age 33, and he led the NFL with 12 rushing touchdowns. Allen retired in 1997 with 123 career touchdowns, as well as 12,243 rushing yards and 587 pass receptions for another 5412 yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2003.

--

MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/15/14]
[Updated 11/28/14]

1985: Rams Sign CFL Star Dieter Brock

On March 26, 1985 the Los Angeles Rams announced the signing of QB Dieter Brock, an 11-year veteran of the Canadian Football League who had played out his option with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It was reported that the 34-year-old Brock agreed to a four-year deal (three years plus option) with the Rams for $2.1 million.

The acquisition sealed the fate of Vince Ferragamo, who had himself signed a four-year contract extension with the Rams a year earlier. Ferragamo had come off the bench to lead LA to the Super Bowl in 1979 after starter Pat Haden went down with an injury, followed up with a 30-TD year in ’80, jumped to Montreal of the CFL in 1981, and, after performing poorly in Canada, returned to the Rams in ’82. He was inconsistent, but kept regaining the starting job, before going down for the year with a hand injury suffered in the third game of the 1984 season. Head Coach John Robinson made clear, in announcing Brock’s signing, that Ferragamo would be dealt.

While not guaranteed the starting job off the bat, Brock said “I just feel this is an excellent opportunity for me and I'm not afraid of competition. This is a dream come true.”

Brock’s 11 seasons in the CFL included the first 9 1/2 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the last 1 1/2 with Hamilton. He was traded by Winnipeg to Hamilton during the ’83 season for QB Tom Clements after staging a series of walkouts in an effort to get out of his contract. His career numbers in the CFL were 2602 completions in 4535 attempts for 34,830 yards with 210 touchdowns and 158 interceptions; he led the CFL in passing four times and won the Schenley Award in 1980 and ’81 as the league’s MVP.

Brock, from Birmingham, Alabama, had backed up Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan at Auburn before transferring to Jacksonville State. Sensing little interest from the NFL, he signed with Winnipeg before the NFL draft in 1974 (consequently, no team had prior rights to him).

Before signing with Los Angeles, Brock tried out with Buffalo, Green Bay, and Cleveland. Buffalo was rumored to have the inside track, especially since they were looking to replace 34-year-old Joe Ferguson (ironically, they ended up getting Ferragamo). The Packers reportedly made the highest offer, but were committed to veteran Lynn Dickey as the starter.

The club Brock was joining had made it to the postseason in 1984 as a wild card team with a 10-6 record (they lost in the first round). But while RB Eric Dickerson had performed brilliantly in his first two seasons, gaining a rookie-record 1808 yards in 1983 followed by a NFL record 2105 yards in ‘84, the team had not done well through the air. Young QB Jeff Kemp went 9-4 starting in place of Ferragamo, but the Rams ranked at the bottom of the NFC in passing offense.

Kemp was still with the team, as were the untested Scott Tinsley and veteran backup Steve Dils, but it was clear that the starting job was Brock’s to lose. While Coach Robinson preferred a run-oriented attack (going back to his years as a college coach at USC), he hoped that improving the passing game would, if nothing else, make Dickerson even more effective (he also expressed a desire to utilize the star runner, who had caught 51 passes in 1983 but only 21 in ’84, more often as a receiver out of the backfield).

The 1985 Rams, even with Dickerson holding out at the beginning of the season, won their first seven games and ended up at the top of the NFC West with an 11-5 record. Brock set a then-club record by completing 59.7 percent of his 365 passes for 2658 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. However, he played conservatively, rarely throwing long, and, even with one of the best offensive lines in the league in front of him, was sacked 51 times. The Rams still ranked low in passing yards.

In the postseason, Brock's performance was especially disappointing. While LA beat the Cowboys 20-0 in the Divisional round, it was primarily because of Dickerson rushing for 248 yards - Brock completed only 6 of 22 passes for 50 yards with an interception and no touchdowns. Playing for the NFC Championship against Chicago, Brock was successful on just 10 of 31 throws for 66 yards, again with one picked off and no TDs, and the Bears won handily, 24-0. Chicago Head Coach Mike Ditka remarked afterward that “I’m glad they didn’t play Jeff Kemp.”

Brock returned for the 1986 season, but back and knee injuries, the latter of which required surgery, kept him from playing. Steve Dils and veteran Steve Bartkowski, who had been obtained from the Falcons, handled the starting quarterback duties initially, but an early-season trade with Houston brought highly-touted rookie Jim Everett to the team, and he was the starter by the end of the year – and clearly the first choice to start going forward. Brock chose to retire.

Dieter Brock’s NFL career was brief and undistinguished, but he was recognized for his outstanding play in the CFL by being selected as one of the Top 20 All-Time Greats for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to mark the franchise’s 75th anniversary, and he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

1984: Walton Throws for 440 Yards as Breakers Beat Blitz in Overtime

The New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League were riding a four-game winning streak to start the season as they hosted the winless Chicago Blitz on March 25, 1984 at the Louisiana Superdome. The Breakers, who had represented Boston in ’83 and played at little (capacity 20,535) Nickerson Field, had a much larger (capacity 69,658) and more luxurious venue in their second season, and were playing well. Unchanged were the head coach (Dick Coury) and starting quarterback (36-year-old John Walton, pictured above with WR Frank Lockett).

The Blitz were a transformed club, bearing little resemblance to the team of the same name that had been coached by George Allen in 1983. That team had moved to Arizona and was, for the most part, replaced by the former Arizona Wranglers franchise. Chicago had a new head coach, however, in Marv Levy and a veteran quarterback, Vince Evans, formerly of the NFL Bears.

There were 43,692 enthusiastic fans in attendance at the Superdome, and they saw the home team take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. First, RB Marcus Dupree, a rookie from Oklahoma who joined the club two weeks into the season after signing a $6 million contract, scored on a one-yard run. Dupree reinjured his hamstring, however, and sat out the rest of the game after gaining three yards on two carries. His replacement, RB Buford Jordan (pictured below left), scored the next touchdown on a 14-yard pass from Walton.


The Blitz started off the second quarter with Evans completing a six-yard touchdown pass to WR Marcus Anderson to cut the Breakers’ lead to 14-7. Jordan scored again for New Orleans, on a one-yard carry, three minutes later, but Chicago came back as Evans connected with TE Mark Keel for a 14-yard touchdown and Kevin Seibel kicked a 30-yard field goal in the last minute of the half. The Breakers led by 21-17 at halftime.

Late in the third quarter, Walton threw to veteran TE Dan Ross for a four-yard touchdown to make it 28-17. It seemed as though New Orleans would put the game away early in the fourth quarter, but Jordan fumbled at the Chicago eight yard line after being hit hard by DT Dennis Puha and LB Tom Kilkenny, and safety Mike Fox grabbed the loose ball and ran 92 yards for a TD. Evans followed up with a successful pass to Keel for the two-point conversion, and instead of the Breakers extending their lead, it was cut to 28-25 with 12:46 left in regulation.

Six minutes later, the Blitz went in front when Evans connected with Anderson for a 50-yard touchdown. With the score now 32-25, the New Orleans offense started the ensuing possession from its own four yard line after the kickoff bounced past the kick return team. The Breakers couldn’t get a first down and had to punt after, on a third-and-two play at the nine, Blitz CB Virgil Livers broke into the backfield and tackled Jordan for a loss. It appeared that an upset was in the making.

Chicago wasn’t able to take advantage, however, and had to punt the ball back. The Breakers proceeded to drive 80 yards in seven plays to regain the lead on a nine-yard TD pass from Walton to WR Charlie Smith (a former teammate with the NFL Eagles) with 1:52 left on the clock.

The Blitz got the ball back with one timeout remaining. Evans used sideline routes to move down the field and manage the clock. A 21-yard completion to TE Gary Lewis got the ball to the New Orleans 23, and a pass interference penalty advanced it to the 12 with 40 seconds to go. Breakers LB Ben Needham nearly intercepted a pass that Evans threw on the run with the clock down to 11 seconds, and Chicago tied score at 35-35 with no time remaining as Seibel kicked a 23-yard field goal.

The Breakers won the toss for the overtime period and held onto the ball the entire time. After advancing across midfield, and helped by a 10-yard completion to WR Marion Brown on a third-and-seven play that barely stayed inbounds, Walton faked a short pass and then fired long to WR Frank Lockett, who caught the ball in full stride along the left sideline and proceeded into the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown at 2:59 into OT. New Orleans remained undefeated by a score of 41-35.

The Breakers significantly outgained Chicago (591 yards to 414) and led in first downs (30 to 20). There was only one turnover in the game – the fumble by Buford Jordan that was returned for a touchdown. Neither defense recorded a sack.

John Walton was outstanding, completing 29 of 43 passes for 440 yards and four touchdowns with, of course, none intercepted. Frank Lockett’s game-winning touchdown capped a performance in which he gained 155 yards on 5 catches. Dan Ross had 7 receptions for 92 yards, including a TD, and Buford Jordan also caught 7 passes, for 71 yards and a score. Jordan, a rookie from McNeese State, set a then-team record with 135 yards on 19 carries, making the most of the opportunity to fill in for Dupree.


For the Blitz, Vince Evans was successful on 22 of 32 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns. RB Larry Canada, formerly of the NFL Broncos, led the club with 68 yards rushing on 13 attempts as well as 7 pass receptions for 48 yards. Marcus Anderson gained 81 yards on four catches that included two TDs.

Frank Lockett said of the game-winning TD pass that it was “a hell of a throw. I just turned and the ball was there.” Coach Levy of the Blitz stated simply that “their guy threw a pass, our guy missed it, their guy caught it.”

“I'm frustrated we don't play tough on defense,” Levy added. “We have some guys who played real well, but we just did not play well as a team.”

New Orleans failed to maintain the early momentum, losing the next week at Birmingham and going just 3-10 the rest of the way to finish up at 8-10 and in third place in the Southern Division. The Blitz ended up at the bottom of the Central Division with a 5-13 record.

In the final season of a pro career that included play in five different leagues, John Walton passed for 3554 yards and 17 touchdowns. Frank Lockett caught 56 passes for 1199 yards, for a very respectable 21.4-yard average, and scored eight TDs. Dan Ross led the club with 65 catches for 833 yards. Buford Jordan outgained Marcus Dupree, 1276 yards (averaging 6.0 yards per carry) to 684.

Past Venue: Orange Bowl

Miami, FL



Year opened: 1937
Capacity: 74,476, up from 23,330 at opening and down from 80,010 when seating was added to what had been an open (west) end but was removed in 1977.

Names:
Burdine Stadium, 1937-59
Orange Bowl, 1959-2008

Pro football tenants:
Miami Seahawks (AAFC), 1946
Miami Dolphins (AFL/NFL), 1966-86
Miami Tropics (SFL), 2000

Postseason games hosted:
Super Bowl II, Packers 33 Raiders 14, Jan. 14, 1968
Super Bowl III, Jets 16 Colts 7, Jan. 12, 1969
Super Bowl V, Colts 16 Cowboys 13, Jan. 17, 1971
AFC Championship, Dolphins 21 Colts 0, Jan. 2, 1972
AFC Divisional playoff, Dolphins 20 Browns 14, Dec. 24, 1972
AFC Divisional playoff, Dolphins 34 Bengals 16, Dec. 23, 1973
AFC Championship, Dolphins 27 Raiders 10, Dec. 30, 1973
Super Bowl X, Steelers 21 Cowboys 17, Jan. 18, 1976
AFC Wild Card playoff, Oilers 17 Dolphins 9, Dec. 24, 1978
Super Bowl XIII, Steelers 35 Cowboys 31, Jan. 21, 1979
AFC Divisional playoff, Chargers 41 Dolphins 38, Jan. 2, 1982
AFC First Round playoff, Dolphins 28 Patriots 13, Jan. 8, 1983
AFC Divisional playoff, Dolphins 34 Chargers 13, Jan. 16, 1983
AFC Championship, Dolphins 14 Jets 0, Jan. 23, 1983
AFC Divisional playoff, Seahawks 27 Dolphins 20, Dec. 31, 1983
AFC Divisional playoff, Dolphins 31 Seahawks 10, Dec. 29, 1984
AFC Championship, Dolphins 45 Steelers 28, Jan. 6, 1985
AFC Divisional playoff, Dolphins 24 Browns 21, Jan. 4, 1986
AFC Championship, Patriots 31 Dolphins 14, Jan. 12, 1986

Other tenants of note:
Univ. of Miami (college football), 1937-2007
Miami Gatos/Toros (NASL), 1971-76
Miami Freedom (ASL/APSL), 1988-92
Florida International Univ. (college football), 2007

Notes: Hosted annual NFL Playoff Bowl, 1961-70. Hosted NFC/AFC Pro Bowl, Jan. 20, 1975. Hosted annual Orange Bowl football game, 1938-95 and ’99. Hosted annual North-South Shrine Game, 1948-73. Hosted a CFL exhibition game between the Birmingham Barracudas and Baltimore Stallions, 1995. Last pro football team to use the stadium was the Miami Tropics of the Spring Football League that existed only for one mini-season in 2000. Used as venue for FIFA World Cup, 1994, and as a soccer venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Occasionally used for minor league baseball games by the Miami Marlins, 1956-60. Originally named for Roddy Burdine, a significant figure in the development of Miami. The natural grass field was replaced with PolyTurf in 1970 and then Prescription Athletic Turf in 1976.

Fate: Demolished in 2008, to be replaced by a new baseball stadium for major league baseball’s Florida Marlins.

MVP Profile: Norm Van Brocklin, 1960

Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles



Age: 34
12th season in pro football, 3rd with Eagles
College: Oregon
Height: 6’1” Weight: 190

Prelude:
Van Brocklin started his career with the Rams in 1949, who drafted him in the 4th round. While forced to split time with Bob Waterfield in his first four seasons – an arrangement not to the liking of either player – “The Dutchman” still led the NFL in passing in 1950 and ’52 and, following Waterfield’s departure, in ’54 as well. Also led league in yards per attempt four times, completion percentage once (55.1 % in 1952) and passing yards once (2637 in 1954). Threw the winning TD pass as Rams defeated Browns for 1951 NFL Championship and was selected to six straight Pro Bowls. However, differences with Head Coach Sid Gillman led him to demand a trade following the ’57 season, and he was dealt to Philadelphia. Took charge of the Eagles offense and led the NFL in pass attempts (374) and completions (198) in 1958 and was named to the Pro Bowl in both ’58 and ‘59. Van Brocklin was also an outstanding punter who led the league in average twice (1955 and ’56).

1960 Season Summary
Appeared in all 12 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 284 [2]
Most attempts, game – 30 vs. Cleveland 9/25, vs. Pittsburgh 11/6
Completions – 153 [2]
Most completions, game – 19 vs. Pittsburgh 11/6
Yards – 2471 [2]
Most yards, game – 295 vs. Pittsburgh 11/6
Completion percentage – 53.9 [6]
Yards per attempt – 8.7 [2]
TD passes – 24 [2]
Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. St. Louis 10/9, at Cleveland 10/23, vs. Pittsburgh 11/6, vs. NY Giants 11/27
Interceptions – 17 [7, tied with Bobby Layne]
Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. Cleveland 9/25, at Dallas 9/30, vs. Washington 11/13, vs. NY Giants 11/27
Passer rating – 86.5 [2]
200-yard passing games – 5

Rushing
Attempts – 11
Most attempts, game - 2 (for -2 yds.) vs. St. Louis 10/9
Yards – -13
Most yards, game – 1 yard (on 1 carry) at Cleveland 10/23, vs. Pittsburgh 11/6, vs. NY Giants 11/27
Yards per attempt – -1.2
TDs – 0

Punting
Punts – 60 [4]
Yards – 2585 [4]
Average – 43.1 [5]
Punts blocked – 0
Longest punt – 70 yards

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship vs. Green Bay)
Pass attempts – 20
Pass completions – 9
Passing yardage – 204
TD passes – 1
Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 2
Rushing yards – 3
Average gain rushing – 1.5
Rushing TDs – 0

Punts – 6
Yards – 237
Average – 39.5
Punts blocked – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, UPI, NEA, Bert Bell Award, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Eagles went 10-2 to win Eastern Conference. Defeated Green Bay Packers for NFL Championship (17-13).

Aftermath:
Van Brocklin retired following the championship season (at the time, he ranked among all-time career leaders with 23,611 passing yards and 178 TD passes) and became head coach of the expansion Minnesota Vikings. He coached the Vikings for six seasons and the Atlanta Falcons for seven (five complete, as he took over during 1968 season and resigned eight games into ’74). “The Dutchman” was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1971.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/15/14]

Past Venue: Municipal Stadium

Kansas City, MO



Year opened: 1923
Capacity: 35,561, up from 16,000 at opening

Names:
Muehlebach Field, 1923-37
Ruppert Stadium, 1937-43
Blues Stadium, 1943-54
Municipal Stadium, 1954-76

Pro football tenants:
Kansas City Blues/Cowboys (NFL), 1924-26
Kansas City Chiefs (AFL/NFL), 1963-71

Postseason games hosted:
AFC Divisional playoff, Dolphins 27 Chiefs 24, Dec. 25, 1971

Other tenants of note:
Kansas City Blues (minor league baseball), 1923-54
Kansas City Monarchs (baseball Negro leagues), 1923-31, 37-54
Kansas City Athletics (MLB – AL), 1955-67
Kansas City Royals (MLB – AL), 1969-72
Kansas City Spurs (NASL), 1968-70

Notes: Temporary stands erected in baseball’s left field in order to add seating for football. Stadium was significantly reconstructed into Municipal Stadium for the arrival of major league baseball in 1955. Originally named for George Muehlebach, owner of the minor league baseball Blues, who built the stadium but was renamed for Jacob Ruppert, owner of the New York Yankees, when that club purchased the Blues.

Fate: Demolished in 1976 and was replaced by a municipal garden. Currently the site of a housing development.

1983: Mazzetti Field Goals Lift Breakers Past Federals

The Boston Breakers had split their first two games on the road in the United States Football League’s inaugural season. On March 20, 1983 they played their first home game, drawing 18,430 to the 20,535-seat Nickerson Field at Boston University. Under Head Coach Dick Coury and offensive coordinator Roman Gabriel, they had 35-year-old John Walton at quarterback, a veteran of four different pro football leagues (Continental, Midwest, NFL, and WFL) who had come out of retirement as head coach at Elizabeth City State to lend his strong passing arm to a fifth league.

Their opponents, the Washington Federals, had lost both games thus far under Head Coach Ray Jauch. They were further handicapped coming into the contest at Boston by the loss to injury of starting QB Mike Hohensee and RB Craig James, two prize rookies.

Veteran NFL backup QB Kim McQuilken took over for Hohensee, and the Federals started off the scoring when Obed Ariri kicked a 38-yard field goal 5:43 into the first quarter. The Breakers responded when Tim Mazzetti, the former bartender-turned-NFL placekicker who spent three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, booted a 20-yard field goal. The score stood at 3-3 after one quarter.

Mazzetti kicked a 47-yard field goal in the second quarter to put Boston ahead by 6-3, but Washington regained the lead by scoring the first touchdown of the game on a 17-yard pass from McQuilken to WR Joey Walters. A third Mazzetti field goal, from 21 yards, made it 10-9 in favor of the Federals at the half.

Washington extended its lead to 16-9 in the third quarter when DB Mike Guess returned a punt 43 yards, setting up a two-yard touchdown carry by RB James Mayberry. The extra point attempt was missed.

It seemed as though the underdog Federals would pull out the win on the road, especially since Boston’s offense was missing scoring opportunities. On four occasions, the Breakers made it inside the Washington ten yard line without scoring a TD - Walton had turned the ball over on two of those occasions, with a fumble and an interception. But turnovers on special teams by the Federals in the last five minutes of the game ultimately determined the outcome.

With the ball deep in their own territory, an attempted punt by Steve Coffman was botched due to a bad snap, forcing the punter to fall on the ball on the one yard line. With 4:37 remaining on the clock, Boston RB Richard Crump ran for the one-yard touchdown. The successful PAT tied the score at 16-16.

Then, with time running down, Washington got another chance to retake the lead, lining up for a 42-yard field goal attempt. However, the snap passed over Ariri’s head, and traveled all the way to the Federals’ 35 yard line, where Ariri finally fell on it, resulting in a 40-yard change of possession.

Walton completed passes of 13 yards to WR Dwayne Strozier and 9 yards to Crump to set up Mazzetti’s fourth field goal of the game, which was successful from 29 yards out with 27 seconds left on the clock. The Breakers came away with a 19-16 win.

Obed Ariri kicked a field goal for the Federals, but also missed an extra point and had a 33-yard field goal attempt blocked. C Dave Pacella was handling the long-snapping in place of another injured player, Bruce Byrom, with disastrous results. Breakers NT Jeff Gaylord disrupted Pacella, causing the bad snaps that ultimately cost the Federals the game.

Boston outgained Washington (390 yards to 335) and had the edge in first downs (19 to 18), although the Federals held onto the ball longer (31:42 to 28:18). As would prove typical throughout the season, the Breakers gave up no sacks as the line gave Walton good protection.

The veteran Walton had a relatively ordinary day, completing 21 of 42 passes for 247 yards with no TDs and two interceptions. Richard Crump (pictured below) had an outstanding game, rushing for 130 yards on 15 carries, including the short touchdown, and caught 5 passes for another 50 yards. WR Nolan Franz had 5 receptions for a team-leading 73 yards and ex-Patriots RB Andy Johnson also grabbed 5 passes for 55 yards.



For the Federals, Kim McQuilken went to the air 47 times, with 25 completions for 322 yards, but also gave up four interceptions. RB Eric Robinson caught 9 passes for 98 yards and Joey Walters gained 112 yards on 7 catches. However, the running game was ineffective, with a total of 27 yards on 27 attempts – Robinson led the club by gaining 32 yards on 20 carries.

The narrow win would come to characterize the Breakers throughout the ’83 season. 11 of their 18 games were decided by fewer than nine points, and the outcome of 10 weren’t determined until the fourth quarter. Overall, Boston went 11-7 to finish second in the Atlantic Division, just missing a chance at the playoffs. Washington ended up at the bottom with a 4-14 record.

John Walton suffered a knee injury late in the season, but still managed to lead the USFL with 589 pass attempts, of which he completed 56 percent for 3772 yards with 20 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. Richard Crump ran for 990 yards on 190 carries for a good 5.2-yard average and 8 touchdowns – he scored another four TDs among his 44 pass receptions. Tim Mazzetti was the league’s second-leading scorer with 119 points that included 27 field goals and 38 extra points.