1984: Young & Townsell Star as LA Defeats Showboats

The Los Angeles Express had been among the least-productive teams offensively during the United States Football League’s first season in 1983, and the club was not doing much better early in ’84. However, the arrival of rookie QB Steve Young, who had signed a huge contract to play in the USFL (10 years, $40 million), marked a change for the better.

On April 14, the Express hosted the first-year Memphis Showboats at the Memorial Coliseum. Under Head Coach John Hadl, they had lost their first four home games and were 2-5 coming into the contest. The team at least changed their appearance for the home fans, playing in white jerseys rather than the usual blue.

There were only 10,409 in attendance for the Saturday game at the huge stadium, and it did not get off to a promising start for the home team when Memphis WR Derrick Crawford returned the opening kickoff 71 yards. The Showboats, also 2-5 entering the contest, made the most of the good field position, driving to a touchdown on an eight-yard run by QB Walter Lewis.

Later in the first quarter, the Express got a big break when an underthrown pass by Young went through the hands of CB Leon Williams; WR JoJo Townsell made the catch and went all the way for an 81-yard touchdown that tied the game.

A minute into the second quarter, LA extended its lead when RB Kevin Nelson scored on a five-yard TD carry. Midway through the period, Alan Duncan kicked a 31-yard field goal for Memphis and the Express led by 14-10 at the half.

The Showboats were being outgained offensively, but nevertheless took the lead at 17-14 in the third quarter on a four-yard touchdown run by RB Cornelius Quarles, and it seemed as though Los Angeles might come up short once again.

With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Memphis had the ball and was seeking to run time off the clock and possibly score again. However, a 30-yard carry by RB Alan Reid was wiped out by a holding penalty and the Showboats were forced to give up possession. The Express took over at their 34 with 1:58 remaining.

Young drove the team down field and appeared to have given LA the advantage on a 12-yard scoring run with just 59 seconds left on the clock. However, the end zone celebration was cut short by a penalty on the team’s oldest player, 30-year-old RT Jeff Hart, who was called for holding. Nelson followed up with a 10-yard run to the Memphis 12 and Tony Zendejas tied the game at 17-17 on a 27-yard field goal with a second remaining.

The Showboats won the toss for the overtime period, but four plays into OT, Express CB Wymon Henderson forced a fumble on an attempted option pass by Crawford and LB David Howard recovered for LA at the Memphis 36. A pass from Young to Townsell, who got an outstanding block from tackle Gary Zimmerman, covered 34 yards to the Memphis two. Young scored the game-winning touchdown at 2:51 into overtime, pushing between C Mike Ruether and G Mike Durrette to get into the end zone. The final score was 23-17 in favor of the Express.

The Express easily outgained Memphis (527 yards to 255) and had far more first downs (26 to 11), but untimely penalties and turnovers had kept the score close and nearly cost LA the game.

Steve Young had his best performance to date. The rookie from Brigham Young threw for 358 yards as he completed 22 of 34 passes that included one TD while none were picked off. JoJo Townsell, the second-year receiver out of UCLA, was the chief beneficiary as he caught 9 of those passes for a league-record 249 yards and the long touchdown. Kevin Nelson, also a UCLA product, rushed for 113 yards on 21 carries, including a touchdown.


For Memphis, Walter Lewis completed 14 of 20 passes for 147 yards with no TDs or interceptions. Alan Reid ran for 81 yards on 18 attempts and added 55 yards on 5 catches out of the backfield. Derrick Crawford caught 6 passes for 21 yards while WR Cormac Carney had 57 yards on his lone reception.

“The only thing I can say is we did the same things we've been doing, but we won tonight,” said a relieved Coach John Hadl afterward. “Again, the kids showed a lot of character. We put ourselves in some bad situations again, but we came back.”

Behind Steve Young’s solid play, the Express ended up with a 10-8 record, good enough to place first (thanks to tiebreakers) in the weak Pacific Division. They won an epic triple-overtime Quarterfinal playoff game over the Michigan Panthers, but lost in the Western Conference Championship to the Arizona Wranglers. Memphis was 7-11 for fourth place in the Southern Division.

Appearing in twelve games, Young completed a healthy 57.7 percent of his passes and threw for 2361 yards with 10 touchdowns against 9 interceptions. He also rushed for 515 yards on 79 carries for a 6.5-yard average and seven TDs (Walter Lewis led all USFL quarterbacks in rushing with 552 yards). JoJo Townsell ended up with 58 catches for 889 yards (15.3 avg.), seven of which were for touchdowns.

Past Venue: Shea Stadium

New York, NY (Queens)



Year opened: 1964
Capacity: 62,439

Names:
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, 1964-2009

Pro football tenants:
New York Jets (AFL/NFL), 1964-83
New York Giants (NFL), 1975

Postseason games hosted:
AFL Championship, Jets 27 Raiders 23, Dec. 29, 1968
AFL Divisional playoff, Chiefs 13 Jets 6, Dec. 20, 1969
AFC Wild Card playoff, Bills 31 Jets 27, Dec. 27, 1981

Other tenants of note:
New York Mets (MLB – NL), 1964-2008
New York Yankees (MLB – AL), 1974-75

Notes: Under terms of the lease negotiated with baseball’s Mets, prior to 1978 the Jets were unable to host their first home game at the stadium each year until the Mets had completed their season. In 1975, both of New York’s pro football teams and both major league baseball teams used the stadium as a home venue due to the major renovation of Yankee Stadium, but while the Yankees returned to the Bronx, the Giants were awaiting construction of a new stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Stadium named in honor of William A. Shea, the lawyer who negotiated the return of National League baseball to New York. Constructed at Flushing Meadow in Queens, which at the time of opening was the site of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, and at the time of ground-breaking was referred to as Flushing Meadow Park.

Fate: Demolished in 2009, the site is used as a parking lot for the new Citi Field.

MVP Profile: George Blanda, 1961

Quarterback/Placekicker, Houston Oilers



Age: 34 (Sept. 17)
12th season in pro football, 2nd in AFL & with Oilers
College: Kentucky
Height: 6’2” Weight: 210

Prelude:
Blanda was chosen by the Chicago Bears in the 12th round of the 1949 NFL draft and, with a very brief hiatus in Baltimore, played for them for ten years. He led the league in passing attempts (362) and completions (169) in 1953, but otherwise was forced to share the quarterback job while handling the placekicking. After two seasons (1957 & ’58) in which he saw scant action at quarterback, he retired. The creation of the new AFL in 1960 pulled Blanda out of retirement, and he led the Oilers to the first league title while throwing for 2413 yards and 24 touchdowns.

1961 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games & started 12
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 362 [4]
Most attempts, game – 36 at Dallas Texans 10/1
Completions – 187 [3]
Most completions, game – 20 vs. NY Titans 11/19, vs. San Diego 12/3
Yards – 3330 [1]
Most yards, game – 464 at Buffalo 10/29
Completion percentage – 51.7 [3]
Yards per attempt – 9.2 [1]
TD passes – 36 [1]
Most TD passes, game – 7 vs. NY Titans 11/19
Interceptions – 22 [3, tied with Jack Kemp & George Herring]
Most interceptions, game – 4 at San Diego 9/24, at Buffalo 10/29
Passer rating – 91.3 [1]
400-yard passing games – 2
300-yard passing games – 4
200-yard passing games – 10

Rushing
Attempts – 7
Most attempts, game - 3 (for -4 yds.) at Dallas Texans 10/1
Yards – 12
Most yards, game – 7 yards (on 1 carry) vs. San Diego 12/3
Yards per attempt – 1.7
TDs – 0

Kicking
Field goals – 16 [2]
Most field goals, game - 2 on 5 occasions
Field goal attempts – 26 [3, tied with George Fleming]
Most field goal attempts, game – 5 vs. Buffalo 10/8
Field goal percentage – 61.5 [1]
PATs – 64 [1]
PAT attempts – 65 [1]
Longest field goal – 55 yards vs. San Diego 12/3

Points
Field goals – 16
PATs - 64
Points – 112 [2]

Postseason: 1 G (AFL Championship at San Diego)
Pass attempts – 40
Pass completions – 18
Passing yards – 160
TD passes – 1
Interceptions – 5

Rushing attempts – 2
Rushing yards – -4
Average gain rushing – -2.0
Rushing TDs – 0

Field goals – 1
Field goal attempts – 1
PATs – 1
PAT attempts – 1
Longest field goal – 46 yards

Awards & Honors:
AFL Player of the Year: AP, UPI, Sporting News
1st team All-AFL: League, AP, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News
AFL All-Star Game

Oilers went 10-3-1 to win the AFL Eastern Division. After starting off slowly at 1-3-1 (during which time Blanda was briefly benched in favor of backup Jacky Lee), Head Coach Lou Rymkus was replaced by Wally Lemm and the team won nine straight to close out the regular season. Set records for points scored (513) and touchdowns (66). Defeated San Diego Chargers for AFL Championship (10-3).

Aftermath:
Blanda was an AFL All-Star after each of the next two seasons and led the Oilers back to the AFL Championship game in ’62 despite being intercepted a record 42 times. He led the league in interceptions thrown for four straight years (1962-65), but also in passing yards in 1963 (3003) and both passes and completions from 1963-65. The team’s record had tailed off badly after ’62, however, and young QB Don Trull was drafted to be Blanda’s replacement. At age 39, Blanda was let go by Houston following the 1966 season and signed with the Oakland Raiders. He proved to be a capable backup quarterback – especially in a remarkable 1970 season when he again received MVP consideration – and placekicker for the Raiders through 1975, at age 48. Blanda retired as the all-time NFL leader in scoring (2002 points) and field goals (335), as well as seasons played (26 – the one that still stands), and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1981.

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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]

1960: Steelers Obtain John Henry Johnson From Lions

On April 11, 1960 the Detroit Lions traded FB John Henry Johnson to the team that originally drafted him, the Pittsburgh Steelers, for two draft choices (a 3rd round selection in 1961, used to pick OT Dick Mills from Pitt, and a 4th round selection in 1962 that went toward OT John Lomakoski of Western Michigan). As a 30-year-old running back whose production had diminished over the previous two seasons, it hardly seemed that obtaining Johnson was any sort of bargain for the Steelers.

“That’s the best we could get for him,” said Detroit Head Coach George Wilson. “We tried to make other deals but we had to settle for future draft picks.” (Neither Mills nor Lomakoski proved to be of consequence for the Lions).

After playing collegiately at little St. Mary’s College in California and - after that school dropped its football program - Arizona State, Johnson was a second-round pick of the Steelers in 1953, but never played for them (although they paid for a knee operation). He instead went to the Calgary Stampeders in Canada for a year before finally coming to the NFL in 1954 with the 49ers, who had dealt for his rights.

In San Francisco, Johnson was part of what was referred to as “The Million Dollar Backfield” along with HB Hugh McElhenny, FB Joe Perry, and QB Y.A. Tittle. It was an outstanding group, but it was also difficult for Johnson to get many carries with the other veteran backs that were available. He gained 681 yards on 129 carries (5.3 avg.) with nine touchdowns in ’54 and caught 28 passes for another 183 yards, gaining selection to the Pro Bowl. However, over the next two years he accumulated just 370 yards on 99 rushing attempts and had ten pass receptions for 96 yards. He also played as a defensive halfback and distinguished himself for his ferociousness as both a blocking back on offense and as a tackler in the defensive backfield.

Traded to the Lions in 1957, Johnson played well for the team that ultimately won the NFL title. He gained 621 yards on 129 attempts, caught 20 passes, and added his blocking ability to the offense. But once again, as in San Francisco, a good year was followed by two mediocre ones (524 yards rushing and 14 catches in 19 games).

There was also some controversy as Johnson was fined $1000 and suspended for a week in 1959 for missing the team plane to return from a West Coast trip. While the fine was later lifted, his days in Detroit were clearly numbered. Nick Pietrosante, a promising rookie in ’59, and third-year veteran Ken Webb were available to play fullback for the Lions, and Johnson was considered expendable.

Johnson joined two ex-Lions, QB Bobby Layne and HB Tom Tracy, under former Detroit head coach Buddy Parker in Pittsburgh (where Parker continued his practice of relying on veteran players), and despite his advanced age (for a running back), went on to have the most productive seasons of his career with the Steelers.

In combination with Tracy, Johnson helped give Pittsburgh a solid running game in 1960 (the team ranked 4th in both rushing yards and average), gaining 621 yards, with a healthy 5.3-yards per carry. Along the way, he had a 182-yard performance late in the season against the Eagles, which included an 87-yard run that was the longest in the NFL that year. In ’61, he carried the ball over 200 times (213) for the first time in his career and had 787 yards along with 24 pass receptions.

The Steelers contended in 1962, finishing second in the Eastern Conference with a 9-5 record, and Johnson finished second in rushing with 1141 yards on 251 carries (4.5 avg.) and caught 32 passes for another 226 yards at the age of 33 (which he turned in November). He had four hundred-yard games along the way and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time since his rookie year.

Pittsburgh contended again in ’63, and Johnson played a key role by rushing for 773 yards. However, there was some controversy as he removed himself from games after suffering an ankle injury early in the season and wasn’t always in agreement with Coach Parker as to when he was ready to return. The Steelers missed his inside running when he was out of the lineup. Johnson nevertheless was a strong performer when in action and again was named to the Pro Bowl.

Prior to the 1964 season, Parker announced that Johnson, now 34 years old, would not be the starting fullback. However, Johnson not only started but gained 1048 yards on 235 attempts (4.5 avg.). In a game at Cleveland, he compiled an even 200 rushing yards on 30 carries, three of them for touchdowns. For the third straight year, he was a Pro Bowl selection.

His career with the Steelers came to an abrupt end in the first quarter of the first game of the ’65 season when he tore knee ligaments against Green Bay and was sidelined for the remainder of the year. When conflict flared between Johnson and the Steelers management during the ensuing offseason, he was released and played one last year with the AFL’s Houston Oilers before retiring.

While his career, especially in San Francisco and Detroit, seemed to move sporadically, by the time of his retirement he had gained 6577 yards (4381 of that with the Steelers) to rank fourth all-time in NFL history (adding the 226 yards gained in the AFL, his total was 6803). He was held in equally great esteem for his blocking and was a tough competitor. Perhaps most remarkable was his rushing production in his thirties, normally a time when pro running backs are at the end of their effectiveness. He was eventually enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, gaining induction in 1987.

Past Venue: Polo Grounds

New York, NY



Year opened: 1890
Capacity: 55,000 following 1923 expansion, up from 34,000 in 1911.

Names:
Brotherhood Park, 1890
Polo Grounds, 1890-1964
aka Brush Stadium, 1912-19

Pro football tenants:
New York Giants (NFL), 1925-55
New York Bulldogs (NFL), 1949
New York Titans/Jets (AFL), 1960-63

Postseason games hosted:
NFL Championship, Giants 30 Bears 13, Dec. 9, 1934
NFL Championship, Packers 21 Redskins 6, Dec. 13, 1936
NFL Championship, Giants 23 Packers 17, Dec. 11, 1938
NFL Eastern Division playoff, Redskins 28 Giants 0, Dec. 19, 1943
NFL Championship, Packers 14 Giants 7, Dec. 17, 1944
NFL Championship, Bears 24 Giants 14, Dec. 15, 1946

Other tenants of note:
New York Giants (MLB – Players’ League), 1890
New York Giants (MLB – NL), 1891-1957
New York Yankees (MLB – AL), 1913-22
New York Mets (MLB – NL), 1962-63

Notes: Hosted Gotham Bowl, 1961. Was used at least occasionally by several New York-area college football teams, most notably Fordham Univ. and Columbia Univ. Hosted Army vs. Navy football games, 1913, 1915-16, 1919-21, 1923, 1925, 1927. Significantly renovated in 1911 following a fire and expanded in 1923. The stadium was one of four to use the name Polo Grounds – only the first was actually used for polo. Occasionally used as a soccer venue, dating back to 1894. Hosted one home game for the APFA Buffalo All-Americans, 1920 and New York Brickley Giants, 1921.

Fate: Demolished in 1964 and replaced with high-rise housing.

MVP Profile: LaDainian Tomlinson, 2006

Running Back, San Diego Chargers



Age: 27
6th season in pro football, all with Chargers
College: Texas Christian
Height: 5’10” Weight: 221

Prelude:
Chosen in the first round of the 2001 draft by the Chargers, Tomlinson gained over a thousand yards rushing in each of his first five seasons, with a high of 1683 yards in 2002. He also caught at least 50 passes in each season, including a high of 100 for 725 yards in 2003, when he led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2370. Tomlinson was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection once and had been selected to three Pro Bowls.

2006 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 348 [2]
Most attempts, game - 31 (for 131 yds.) at Oakland 9/11
Yards – 1815 [1]
Most yards, game – 199 yards (on 25 carries) vs. Kansas City 12/17
Average gain – 5.2 [7]
TDs – 28 [1]
100-yard rushing games - 10

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 56
Most receptions, game – 8 (for 34 yds.) vs. Pittsburgh 10/8
Yards – 508
Most yards, game - 74 (on 3 catches) at Denver 11/19
Average gain – 9.1
TDs – 3

Passing
Pass attempts – 3
Pass completions – 2
Passing yards – 20
TD passes – 2
Interceptions – 0

Scoring
TDs – 31 [1]
Points – 186 [1]

The 31 touchdowns and 186 points set NFL single-season records.

Postseason: 1 G (AFC Divisional playoff vs. New England)
Rushing attempts – 23
Rushing yards – 123
Average gain rushing – 5.4
Rushing TDs – 2

Pass receptions – 2
Pass receiving yards - 64
Average yards per reception – 32.0
Pass Receiving TDs - 0

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

Chargers went 14-2 to win AFC West and gain top playoff seed in conference while leading the NFL in points scored (492) and touchdowns (59). Lost Divisional playoff to New England Patriots (24-21).

Aftermath:
Tomlinson again led the league in rushing (1474 yards) and rushing TDs (14) in 2007 and was named once more to the Pro Bowl as well as receiving first-team All-Pro honors. While he gained 1110 yards rushing in ’08, he averaged only 3.8 yards per carry and was beginning to show the effects of eight years of wear-and-tear, and suffered through an injury-plagued season in 2009. He signed as a free agent with the New York Jets for 2010 and, splitting duty at running back, gained 914 yards and caught 52 passes.

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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]

1984: Outlaws Take Advantage of Turnovers to Beat Panthers

The Michigan Panthers, defending champions of the United States Football League, had won their first six games of the 1984 season and 12 straight going back to ’83. However, they had also suffered a significant loss offensively the previous week when star WR Anthony Carter went down for the remainder of the year with a broken arm.

On April 7, the Panthers faced the first-year Oklahoma Outlaws in a Saturday contest at Skelly Stadium. The Outlaws, under Head Coach Woody Widenhofer and led by veteran QB Doug Williams (pictured above), were off to a 4-2 start, and all four of their wins came when it was either raining or snowing. For the Saturday game against Michigan, attended by 21,510 hardy fans, the weather featured rain and wind.

Williams scored the initial touchdown of the game on a one-yard run in the first quarter, capping a short drive of 28 yards in three plays. In the opening moments of the second quarter, Michigan DB John Arnaud blocked a Case deBruijn punt and LB Will Cokeley returned it 25 yards to even the score.

Oklahoma put together a nine-play, 47-yard drive capped by FB Sidney Thornton scoring a TD on a one-yard plunge to put the Outlaws back in front at 14-7, but the score was tied at halftime after Michigan QB Bobby Hebert ended a short, 12-yard scoring drive by connecting with TE Mike Cobb for an eight-yard touchdown.

Oklahoma’s veteran placekicker Efren Herrera broke the tie ten minutes into the third quarter with a field goal. The Panthers, burdened by turnovers and sloppy play, seemed unable to mount a threat.

However, Michigan drove 76 yards to a game-tying field goal of 28 yards by Novo Bojovic with 2:13 remaining to play in the fourth quarter. Still, they had settled for three points after WR Derek Holloway dropped a pass in the end zone that could have given the defending champs the lead.

The Outlaws had to punt following the ensuing possession, but CB Bobby Futrell of the Panthers muffed it and Oklahoma recovered at the Michigan 11 with 55 seconds left. Three plays ran the clock down and set up the game-winning field goal attempt. Herrera did not disappoint, kicking a 32-yard field goal on the game’s last play for the 20-17 win – it was the second straight contest in which the veteran of eight NFL seasons booted a field goal in the final seconds for an Oklahoma victory.

The Panthers were victimized by turnovers, fumbling the ball away four times and suffering four interceptions, with seven of them coming in the second half. Neither club generated much offense, combining for a total of 99 yards on the ground (62 on 21 attempts by Michigan, 37 on 31 carries by the Outlaws), 230 through the air (the Panthers had the edge by 123 to 107), and 19 first downs (Michigan once again led, 10 to 9). But Oklahoma turned the ball over just three times (they had seven fumbles, only two of which were lost).


Doug Williams completed 12 of 33 passes for 115 yards with an interception and no touchdowns. Sidney Thornton (pictured at left) led the team’s miniscule running attack with 32 yards on 16 carries and also caught the most passes (4) for 24 yards. TE Ron Wheeler gained 44 yards on his three pass receptions.

Bobby Hebert, who had played so well during the team’s winning streak, had a rough performance as he was successful on just 13 of 34 passes for 144 yards and four interceptions as opposed to only one TD. RB Ken Lacy led the team both in rushing (40 yards on 11 carries) and pass receiving (three for 57 yards).

The loss to the Outlaws signaled a nosedive by the defending champions as they lost their next three games and won only four more times. They just made it into the playoffs as a wild card team with a 10-8 record, losing in triple overtime to the Los Angeles Express in the first round. Oklahoma, after showing promise in the first half of the season, advanced to 6-2 the following week against Washington but then proceeded to lose the remaining ten games to end up in fourth place in the Central Division at 6-12. Poor defensive play and the lack of an effective running game proved to be the team’s undoing.