MVP Profile: Terry Bradshaw, 1978

Quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers



Age: 30
9th season in pro football & with Steelers
College: Louisiana Tech
Height: 6’3” Weight: 215

Prelude:
The first overall pick by the Steelers in 1970, Bradshaw took time to develop. In his fifth season (1974), he lost his starting job early to Joe Gilliam but got it back and led Pittsburgh to the first championship in franchise history. With a solid hold on the starting job, he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in 1975 as the Steelers won a second straight Super Bowl. Following an injury-plagued 1976 season, he came back in ’77 to achieve a new high with 2523 passing yards while leading the NFL with 8.0 yards per attempt.

1978 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 368 [13, tied with Dan Pastorini]
Most attempts, game – 33 vs. Seattle 9/10, vs. Houston 10/23
Completions – 207 [10]
Most completions, game – 17 vs. Seattle 9/10, at NY Jets 10/1, vs. Houston 10/23
Yards – 2915 [9]
Most yards, game – 242 at Cincinnati 9/17
Completion percentage – 56.3 [7]
Yards per attempt – 7.9 [1]
TD passes – 28 [1]
Most TD passes, game – 3 at NY Jets 10/1, at San Francisco 11/27, vs. Baltimore 12/9
Interceptions – 20 [8, tied with Dan Fouts & Jim Zorn]
Most interceptions, game – 4 vs. Cincinnati 11/19
Passer rating – 84.7 [2, 1st in AFC]
200-yard passing games – 8

Rushing
Attempts – 32
Most attempts, game - 6 (for 6 yds.) at San Francisco 11/27
Yards – 93
Most yards, game – 27 yards (on 2 carries) vs. Cleveland 9/24
Yards per attempt – 2.9
TDs – 1

Scoring
TDs – 1
Points - 6

Postseason: 3 G
Pass attempts – 78
Most attempts, game - 30 vs. Dallas, Super Bowl
Pass completions – 44
Most completions, game - 17 vs. Dallas, Super Bowl
Passing yardage – 790
Most yards, game - 318 vs. Dallas, Super Bowl
TD passes – 8
Most TD passes, game - 4 vs. Dallas, Super Bowl
Interceptions – 4
Most interceptions, game - 2 vs. Houston, AFC Championship

Rushing attempts – 11
Most rushing attempts, game - 7 vs. Houston, AFC Championship
Rushing yards – 28
Most rushing yards, game - 29 vs. Houston, AFC Championship
Average gain rushing – 2.6
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, Bert Bell Award
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Pro Football Weekly
2nd team All-NFL: NEA
1st team All-AFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Steelers went 14-2 to win AFC Central. Won Divisional playoff over Denver Broncos (33-10), AFC Championship over Houston Oilers (34-5), and Super Bowl over Dallas Cowboys (35-31).

Aftermath:
Bradshaw had a Pro Bowl season in 1979, throwing for a career-high 3724 yards and leading the Steelers to another NFL title. While there were no more championships, Bradshaw played well from 1980 to ’82, but a severe elbow injury limited him to the season finale in 1983, and he was forced to retire. For his career, he passed for 27,989 yards and 212 TDs, but most significantly had a 107-51 record as a starting quarterback (as well as 14-5 in the postseason, 4-0 in the Super Bowl). Bradshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1989.

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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]
[Updated 11/28/14]

Past Venue: Frank Youell Field

Oakland, CA



Year opened: 1962
Capacity: 22,000

Names:
Frank Youell Field, 1962-69

Pro football tenants:
Oakland Raiders (AFL), 1962-65

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
None

Notes: Hosted Alameda-Contra Costa All-Star Football Classic (high school), 1967-68. Stadium was constructed by the Oakland Recreation Commission as a temporary home for the Raiders until the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum was completed. Named for Francis J. Youell, a city council member and prominent local sports booster.

Fate: Demolished in 1969, the site is now a parking lot for Laney Community College.

1963: Commissioner Suspends Hornung & Karras for Gambling

On April 17, 1963 the Commissioner of the National Football League, Pete Rozelle, announced several actions resulting from a three-and-a-half month investigation by the league into gambling involvement by players. The most noteworthy step taken by the Commissioner was to indefinitely suspend HB/PK Paul Hornung of the Green Bay Packers (pictured at right) and DT Alex Karras of the Detroit Lions. He also fined five other members of the Lions $2000 apiece for betting on the 1962 NFL title game and the Lions organization was penalized $4000.

The suspensions created headlines due to the prominence of the players involved. Hornung, a former Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame, had led the league in scoring for three straight years (1959-61), including the 1960 season when he set a record of 176 points (it would last until 2006). He received MVP recognition in 1961 as the Packers won their first of two straight championships. While had had missed time in ’62 due to injuries, the Golden Boy was a popular player known for his fun-loving nature and enjoyment of the night life while also being talented on the football field. Karras, a five-year pro out of Iowa, was one of the mainstays of the outstanding defense in Detroit and had been selected for the Pro Bowl for the third straight season in 1962, also receiving consensus first-team All-Pro honors in 1960 and ’61.

Newspaper rumors had first surfaced in January, leaked by Chicago owner/head coach George Halas, indicating that the league was looking into allegations of gambling involving a player on a Midwestern team. Austin Gunsel, formerly of the FBI and now treasurer of the NFL, had begun coordinating the investigation a month before as a result of a large number of rumors involving players associating with gamblers. The 16 agents retained by the league were used to conduct the probe, and 50 players were interviewed with several undergoing lie detector tests.

Rozelle indicated that no evidence of fixes of games had been found as a result of the investigation (“There is no evidence that any NFL player has given less than his best in playing any game. There is no evidence that any player has ever bet against his own team.”). However, he made clear that gambling or association with suspicious characters would not be tolerated, and beyond those specifically named, the Commissioner indicated that several players had been reprimanded for making small wagers among friends and playing one-dollar betting cards.

Hornung and Karras were accused of betting typically in the $50 to $200 range on NFL games. Rozelle said that Karras had placed at least six bets since 1958 of $50 each until upping the amount to $100 on the Lions to beat the Packers in the 1962 Thanksgiving Day game and on the Packers to beat the Giants in the NFL Championship game. As to Hornung, the Commissioner indicated that he had placed several bets through a friend on the West Coast over the course of his career.

Detroit players fined $2000 apiece were star linebackers Joe Schmidt and Wayne Walker, G John Gordy, S Gary Lowe, and DE Sam Williams. Rozelle had concluded that they were each guilty of a single violation of the league’s gambling policy (“basically a group action, an action of extremely rash judgment but one abnormal for each”). The levy amounted to approximately one-sixth of their salaries.


Hornung was subdued and humble afterward, admitting his guilt. “I did wrong. I should be penalized. I just have to stay with it.” Karras, by contrast, expressed outrage (he allegedly shouted at Rozelle during the phone call notifying him of the suspension). “It comes as a shock to me,” he stated. “I haven’t done anything I am ashamed of and I am not guilty of anything.” (Karras, pictured at left, had not helped his situation by admitting in a broadcast interview that he had bet on NFL games)

The owners stood behind Rozelle’s action, although William Clay Ford of the Lions indicated that, while the team would comply, “compliance does not mean that we agree with the nature or extent of the penalties imposed.”

Both the American Football League and Canadian Football League confirmed that Hornung and Karras would not be allowed to play in either while under suspension by the NFL. “Under no circumstances will they be permitted to play in the American Football League until after suspensions are lifted,” said AFL Commissioner Joe Foss. Sidney Halter, CFL commissioner, stated that “I would refuse to register any contract submitted by a CFL club with a player suspended by an American league for betting on games.”

While the suspensions of Hornung and Karras were indefinite, Rozelle indicated that they could be reviewed, although no earlier than the conclusion of the 1963 season. The initial reactions of the two players carried over into their behavior over the course of the ensuing year. Hornung remained contrite and kept in contact with the league office, clearing his activities (such as attending the Kentucky Derby) and seeking a path toward reinstatement. Karras remained defiant and refused to sell the interest that he had in a bar, Lindell’s A.C. Cocktail Lounge, that had first drawn the attention of the Detroit police to the defensive tackle’s association with known gamblers (the Lions were fined for not adequately following up on the reports they had received from the police, and for allowing unauthorized individuals who were suspected gamblers, including one of Karras’ partners in the business, to sit on the team’s bench during games).

In early January of 1964, Karras, concerned about his chances of being reinstated, finally sold his interest in the bar. Both he and Hornung were reinstated by Commissioner Rozelle for the 1964 NFL season. The year away from the game showed in the performances of both when they returned. Hornung had particular problems with his placekicking in ’64, and Karras, who had dropped twenty pounds from his usual playing weight, had a somewhat less stellar season than usual.

Both players did bounce back to some degree. Karras had an All-Pro season in 1965 and played through ’70, finally being released late in the 1971 preseason. Hornung showed flashes of his old form, including a five-touchdown performance in a 1965 showdown against the Baltimore Colts on the way to Green Bay regaining the NFL title. The Golden Boy played through the ’66 season and was taken by the New Orleans Saints in the 1967 expansion draft, but retired during training camp.

1983: Invaders Roll Up Yards, But Bryant & Stars Prevail

The Philadelphia Stars were off to a 5-1 start in the inaugural United States Football League season as they faced the Oakland Invaders at Veterans Stadium on April 16, 1983. Under the direction of Head Coach Jim Mora, the Stars boasted a stingy defense and a ground-oriented offense that featured rookie RB Kelvin Bryant (pictured above). The Invaders, coached by John Ralston, were 3-3, but that made them contenders in the Pacific Division as, entering Week 7, all of the teams had identical records. Two ex-Raiders, RB Arthur Whittington and TE Raymond Chester, were key players on the offense, as was QB Fred Besana, a former minor league star.

There were 34,901 fans in attendance for the Saturday game at the Vet. For much of the first half, they saw Oakland outplay the Stars, but fail to score points. Bryant, who had been held to under a hundred yards in the previous two games as he played with a bruised sternum, was held to three yards in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Oakland ran up 215 yards of offense in the first half, yet came up empty. Within inches of a touchdown on one first quarter possession, FB Jairo Penaranda fumbled into the end zone and CB Antonio Gibson recovered for the Stars. In addition, PK Kevin Shea missed two field goal attempts, of 46 and 42 yards, to stifle scoring opportunities.

Deep into the second quarter, Philadelphia’s offense had generated just one first down and was being kept in check. However, that all changed when Bryant took a handoff in his own territory, appeared to be stopped behind the line of scrimmage near the sideline, but then broke a tackle and reversed field. 45 yards later he was pulled down at the Oakland 25, setting up a 39-yard field goal by David Trout for the first score of the game.

Following the Trout field goal, the Stars got the ball back quickly when safety Mike Lush intercepted a Besana pass and returned it 33 yards. Bryant again made a big play with less than two minutes remaining in the half, running for a 37-yard touchdown, and Philadelphia went into halftime with a 10-0 lead. Bryant, thanks to the two long runs, gained 99 yards rushing in the second quarter alone.

Near the end of the third quarter, Besana threw to WR Wyatt Henderson for an eight-yard TD, the first touchdown the Stars defense had allowed in three weeks (they had surrendered just six points in their previous two games combined). However, Philadelphia put the game away in the fourth quarter when QB Chuck Fusina connected with WR Tom Donovan for an 18-yard touchdown. The defense kept Oakland in check the rest of the way and the final score was 17-7.

The Invaders outgained Philadelphia (339 yards to 270) and generated far more first downs (23 to 12). But they failed to score points when they had the opportunity and turned the ball over three times (the Stars suffered no turnovers at all).

Kelvin Bryant gained 118 yards on 14 carries that included one touchdown. Chuck Fusina completed 9 of 16 passes for 146 yards with a TD and no interceptions. Bryant, WR Willie Collier, and FB Booker Russell each caught two passes, with Collier’s 57 yards leading the club.

For Oakland, Fred Besana was successful on 26 of 42 throws for 271 yards and included a touchdown, but two were picked off. Arthur Whittington gained 89 yards rushing on 27 attempts. Raymond Chester caught 6 passes for 51 yards while Wyatt Henderson accumulated 78 yards on five receptions and scored the team’s lone TD.

“I’ve never been around a defense that comes through like these guys, week after week after week,” said Coach Mora. “They bend, but they don’t break.”

A disappointed Fred Besana said afterward, “It’s the same old story, we drive up and down the field, then we have breakdown after breakdown.”

The Stars continued on to a 15-3 record, winning the Atlantic Division, and advanced to the USFL Championship game, which they lost in a close 24-22 contest against the Michigan Panthers. The Invaders finished first in the Pacific Division with a mediocre 9-9 tally and lost to the Panthers in the Semifinal playoff round.

Kelvin Bryant was leading the league in rushing after the win over Oakland with 713 yards. He ultimately ended up as the runner-up to New Jersey’s Herschel Walker with 1442 yards on 318 carries (4.5 avg.) and was named MVP by the league.

MVP Profile: Y.A. Tittle, 1957

Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers



Age: 31 (Oct. 24)
10th season in pro football, 8th in NFL and 7th with 49ers
College: LSU
Height: 6’0” Weight: 190

Prelude:
While drafted by the NFL’s Detroit Lions in 1948, Tittle instead signed with the Baltimore Colts of the AAFC. He had an immediate impact, leading the league in yards per attempt (8.7) and throwing for 16 TDs against 9 interceptions. After another year in the AAFC, Tittle and the Colts joined the NFL in 1950, and he led the league in pass completions (161) although the team went a dismal 1-11 and folded. Picked up by the 49ers in ’51, he gradually took over from Frankie Albert as the starting quarterback and was selected to the Pro Bowl following the 1953 and ’54 seasons.

1957 Season Summary
Appeared in all 12 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 279 [3]
Most attempts, game - 34 vs. Baltimore 12/8
Completions – 176 [1]
Most completions, game - 24 at Baltimore 11/24
Yards – 2157 [2]
Most yards, game - 295 at Baltimore 11/24
Completion percentage – 63.1 [1]
Yards per attempt – 7.7 [5]
TD passes – 13 [3]
Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. LA Rams 10/6
Interceptions – 15 [4, tied with Lamar McHan]
Passer rating – 80.0 [3]
200-yard passing games - 4

Rushing
Attempts – 40
Yards – 220
Yards per attempt – 5.5
TDs – 6

Points
TDs - 6
Points – 36 [19, tied with ten others]

Postseason: 1 G (Western Conference playoff vs. Detroit)
Pass attempts – 31
Pass completions – 18
Passing yards – 248
TD passes – 3
Interceptions – 3

Rushing attempts – 3
Rushing yards – -12
Average gain rushing – -4.0
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: UPI
1st team All-NFL: AP, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News
2nd team All-NFL: NEA
Pro Bowl

49ers went 8-4 to tie for first place in the NFL Western Conference. Lost playoff to Detroit Lions (31-27).

Aftermath:
Tittle suffered through an injury-plagued season in 1958 and, and while he bounced back with a Pro Bowl year in ’59, by ’60 found himself in competition with the up-and-coming John Brodie. With Head Coach Red Hickey committing to a shotgun offense for 1961, Tittle was dealt to the New York Giants in the preseason. He revived his career in New York, receiving MVP, All-Pro, and Pro Bowl recognition after each of the next three seasons and tossing over 30 TDs (33 and 36) in back-to-back years in 1962 and ’63. The Giants won the Eastern Conference in all three, but came up short in the title games after each. The team collapsed in 1964, Tittle’s last season. He retired as NFL career leader in pass attempts (3817), completions (2118), and yards (28,339) and 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]
[Updated 2/21/17]

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.