Past Venue: Liberty Bowl

Memphis, TN



Year opened: 1965
Capacity: 62,380

Names:
Memphis Memorial Stadium, 1965-76
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, 1976 to date

Pro football tenants:
Memphis Southmen (WFL), 1974-75
Memphis Showboats (USFL), 1984-85
Memphis Mad Dogs (CFL), 1995
Tennessee Oilers (NFL), 1997
Memphis Maniax (XFL), 2001

Postseason games hosted:
WFL Semifinal playoff, Blazers 18 Southmen 15, Nov. 29, 1974
USFL Quarterfinal playoff, Showboats 48 Gold 7, June 30, 1985
USFL Semifinal playoff, Invaders 28 Showboats 19, July 6, 1985

Other tenants of note:
Univ. of Memphis (college football), 1965 to date
Memphis Rogues (NASL), 1978-80

Notes: Hosts annual Liberty Bowl football game, 1965 to date. Hosts annual Southern Heritage Classic football game between Jackson State and Tennessee State, 1990 to date. Located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, playing surface was named Rex Dockery Field in 1983 in honor of Univ. of Memphis football coach who was killed in a plane crash. Stadium has also hosted home games for Univ. of Tennessee, Univ. of Mississippi, and Mississippi State Univ. Field area was not large enough to accommodate larger regulation CFL football field, resulting in the Mad Dogs playing by CFL rules on a US-sized field. Stadium was originally built lopsided, with the southwest side taller than the facing northeast side, but an expansion that added 12,000 seats in 1987 resulted in a balanced look. Hosted an exhibition baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers during the 1975 season, with the right field fence only 174 feet down the line.

Fate: Still in use

1983: Third-String QB and Defense Lead Bandits to Win Over Invaders

The Tampa Bay Bandits had gotten off to a good start in the United States Football League’s inaugural season and were on top of the Central Division with an 8-3 record after eleven weeks. Coached by Steve Spurrier, the Bandits had an explosive offense and kept on winning even after veteran QB John Reaves was lost with a broken wrist. Backup Jimmy Jordan performed well in relief, but he also went down with an injury.

On May 21, 1983 the Bandits hosted the Oakland Invaders at Tampa Stadium, and they were starting their third-string quarterback, Mike Kelley, who had made his first appearance in a winning cause the previous week. A first-year player out of Georgia Tech, Kelley had originally been drafted by the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons in 1982, was cut in the preseason, and had been cut by both the Birmingham Stallions and Invaders of the USFL without seeing any action prior to signing with the quarterback-desperate Bandits.

Oakland, under Head Coach John Ralston, also boasted a good offense and had the league’s top-rated passer, former minor league star Fred Besana, at quarterback. The Invaders had a lesser record, at 5-6, but that still was enough to contend in the mediocre Pacific Division where they were tied for first with the Los Angeles Express. They had lost to Tampa Bay at home just 13 days earlier in a close contest.

There were 43,389 fans in attendance for the Saturday night game. In the first possession, Mike Kelley completed five of six passes for 71 yards as Tampa Bay went 80 yards in eight plays. Kelley threw to star WR Eric Truvillion, running a slant, for a 21-yard TD. A key play along the way had been a 22-yard completion to RB Gary Anderson, a highly-touted rookie who signed with the club a week earlier and had an impressive debut in the previous game.

Oakland responded with a 43-yard field goal by Kevin Shea, and the score was 7-3 after one period of play. The Bandits had an apparent three-yard TD run by Anderson in the second quarter called back because of illegal procedure and had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Zenon Andrusyshyn, making the score 10-3.

The Bandits’ swarming defense was effective in throttling the Oakland attack and before the second quarter was over, Tampa Bay mounted a second scoring drive. Anderson again played a key role as he grabbed a short pass from Kelley on a third-and-12 play from the Bandits’ own six yard line and gained 26 yards. WR Willie Gillespie scored on a 16-yard pass play from Kelley with 41 seconds remaining in the half to extend Tampa Bay’s lead to 17-3.

There was a scary moment in the third quarter when veteran TE Raymond Chester, well known to Oakland fans from his years with the Raiders, was injured and had to be taken from the field on a stretcher. Fortunately, x-rays were negative and the star tight end was diagnosed with a severe neck sprain. He returned to the sideline later wearing a cervical collar.

Andrusyshyn kicked two field goals in the third quarter, from 26 and 38 yards, to extend Tampa Bay’s lead to 23-3 before Besana finally got the Invaders on the board in the final period when he scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak, although the extra point attempt failed. With seven minutes left to play, Oakland got a break when Anderson fumbled and NT George Atiyeh recovered for the Invaders at the Tampa Bay 14. However, Oakland’s coaching staff was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for running onto the field to protest a call on an ensuing sideline pass, moving the ball back to the 26, and the Bandits defense held to end the threat.

RB Greg Boone scored the final points for Tampa Bay on a 12-yard run with 36 seconds left in the game. The PAT attempt was no good, but it hardly mattered as the Bandits won easily by a score of 29-9.

Tampa Bay outgained the Invaders (419 yards to 284) and had more first downs (24 to 15). Moreover, the defense held Oakland to just 25 rushing yards on 17 carries and sacked Besana a league-record 10 times. NT Ken Times led the way with three of those sacks, while DE Walter Carter and NT Fred Nordgren had two apiece.

Mike Kelley completed 21 of 40 passes for 307 yards with two touchdowns and none intercepted. Gary Anderson ran for 66 yards on 16 attempts and caught three passes for 55 more. WR Danny Buggs caught four passes for 72 yards while Greg Boone also had four receptions, for 41 yards, to go along with his 62 yards on 19 rushing attempts that included one TD.


For Oakland, despite being under heavy pressure for much of the game, Fred Besana was successful on 27 of 47 throws for 328 yards, although he was intercepted once and had no touchdown passes. WR Gordon Banks caught 9 of those passes for 128 yards. RB Arthur Whittington led what there was of a running attack, gaining just 12 yards on 9 carries.

The Bandits stayed on top of their division with the win although the loss knocked Oakland out of the tie with Los Angeles in theirs. However, Tampa Bay was badly beaten by Michigan the next week and lost four of its last six games to not only lose the division, but fail to make the postseason. They finished third in the Central Division with a record of 11-7. Conversely, Oakland did make it to the postseason, winning the Pacific Division at 9-9, and lost to the Panthers in the first round of the playoffs.

Mike Kelley ended up completing 48.8 percent of his 166 passes for 1003 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. He was taken by the Memphis Showboats in the league’s expansion draft for 1984. Gary Anderson finished off his fine rookie year with 516 yards rushing on 97 carries (5.3 avg.) and four touchdowns and gained another 347 yards on 29 pass receptions. Both Fred Nordgren and Ken Times reached double figures in sacks in ’83 (15 and 11, respectively), and Nordgren was an All-League selection.

[Revised 6/10/12]

1971: Alworth Moves from Chargers to Cowboys in Three-Team Trade

On May 19, 1971 a major three-team NFL trade was announced, involving the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, and San Diego Chargers – and centering around two wide receivers named Lance. The Rams sent TE Billy Truax and WR Wendell Tucker to Dallas for WR Lance Rentzel. The Cowboys then dealt DT Ron East, TE Pettis Norman, and OT Tony Liscio to San Diego for WR Lance Alworth.

The future Hall of Famer Alworth (pictured above) was the biggest name involved. At the time he ranked seventh in all-time pro pass receptions (most having come in the AFL) with 493 for 9584 yards and 81 TDs. Coming into the league in 1962 (he was originally drafted by the Raiders but San Diego traded for his draft rights), he was a consensus All-AFL first team selection for six straight seasons (1963-68) and was selected for seven consecutive AFL All-Star Games. He led the league in pass receptions three times and had seven straight thousand-yard receiving totals, also leading the AFL in that category on three occasions. In the competition between the younger league and the NFL prior to the merger of the two in 1970, the player known as Bambi for his grace as well as speed was considered one of the elite receivers in all of pro football, regardless of league.

In ’70, Alworth caught just 35 passes for 608 yards and, at age 30 (he turned 31 prior to the 1971 season), appeared to be on the downside of his great career. He also had off-field financial issues and had sued the Chargers for breach of contract and the NFL for antitrust, briefly retiring during the summer of 1970. Alworth and the Chargers settled their issues and the star wide receiver had signed a contract extension.

The Cowboys, NFC Champions in 1970, were looking to stockpile wide receivers in the offseason (they had already traded for WR Gloster Richardson from Kansas City). They were in contract negotiations with split end Bob Hayes, their speedy deep threat who had played out his option and was actively shopping himself around the NFL, and had decided to rid themselves of Rentzel, who was talented but had become a public relations problem for the team.

The 28-year-old Rentzel had been with the Cowboys for four years and starred at flanker, catching 183 passes for 3521 yards (19.2 avg.) and 31 touchdowns. He accumulated over 900 yards in each of his first three seasons with Dallas, with a high of 1009 in 1968, and led the NFL in yards per reception (22.3) and TD catches (12) in ’69. However, he had off-field issues of a different nature, having pled guilty to indecently exposing himself to a young girl during the 1970 season. Rentzel didn’t play in the last five games of the regular season as well as the ensuing Super Bowl drive in the playoffs.

Billy Truax, also 28, had been a starter for the Rams for the past four seasons but underwent knee and elbow surgery in the offseason. An able receiver as well as blocker, he was expected to compete with veteran TE Mike Ditka for the starting job. Pettis Norman, who had been with the Cowboys since 1962, alternated with Ditka and had been used mostly as a blocker in ’70.

Wendell Tucker, 27 years old, had been with the Rams for three years and caught 38 passes for 629 yards (16.6 avg.) and seven TDs in ’69, but dropped off to just 12 receptions in 1970.

Of the players Dallas gave up to the Chargers for Alworth, in addition to Norman, Tony Liscio was the most accomplished, having spent seven years with the Cowboys and occasionally starting at offensive tackle. Ron East had been strictly a backup on the defensive line since joining the club in 1967.

“Alworth's record speaks for itself,” said.Dallas Coach Tom Landry. “We were very reluctant to trade men the caliber of Norman, Liscio and East, but when the chance for Alworth came we couldn't pass it up.”

Referring to the trade, Chargers Head Coach Sid Gillman said, “It was made for only one reason - to help the Chargers win. We obtained three excellent players in positions in which we need help. Our club will be stronger for the trade.”

Alworth, paired with Hayes (who ultimately re-signed with the Cowboys) as one of the starting wide receivers, caught 34 passes for 487 yards in 1971, for a 14.3-yard average and two TDs (Hayes, by comparison, had 35 receptions for 840 yards, a 24.0 average gain, and eight scores). The Cowboys reached the top, beating Miami in the Super Bowl with Alworth scoring the game’s first touchdown. It was something of a last hurrah – he caught just 15 passes for 195 yards in ’72 and retired. In 1978, he became the first AFL star to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Truax took over the role vacated by Pettis Norman and played well in alternation with Ditka in ‘71, although the knee injury continued to cause him problems. He appeared in just eight games over the course of the 1972 and ’73 seasons, his last two in the NFL, catching four passes.

Wendell Tucker failed to make the Cowboys and was waived in the preseason. While the Broncos picked him up, he never again appeared in a regular season NFL contest.

As for Lance Rentzel, he played well for the 8-5-1 Rams in ‘71, providing a much-needed deep threat and taking pressure off of the other veteran wide receiver, Jack Snow. Rentzel led the team with 38 pass receptions for 534 yards (Snow gained 666 yards on his 37 catches) and scored five TDs. The team did less well in 1972, and the same could be said for Rentzel, who contributed 27 catches for 365 yards. He again ran into off-field problems, this time a marijuana possession charge that caused him to be suspended for the ’73 season. The talented but troubled receiver played one last year for the Rams in 1974 before his NFL career came to an end.


In San Diego, Pettis Norman caught a career-high 27 passes in 1971, the first of three seasons as the starting tight end to finish off his career. Ron East, undersized at 236 pounds but a tough competitor, lasted three years with the Chargers before jumping to The Hawaiians of the World Football League in 1974. When he returned to the NFL in ’75, it was with the Cleveland Browns.

Tony Liscio’s fate was perhaps the most interesting (Liscio pictured #72 above). Suffering from a back injury, he was traded by San Diego to Miami in a late ’71 preseason deal for center Carl Mauck, but chose to retire instead of report to the Dolphins. The Chargers retained his rights and eventually waived him, at which point he was picked up once again by the Cowboys. With tackles Ralph Neely and Don Talbert injured, they needed an experienced lineman and Liscio, who had moved back to the Dallas area, was inserted immediately into the starting lineup. He went on to finish out the season in good form and ended his pro career with a Super Bowl victory (and as a teammate of the player he had been traded for, Alworth).

MVP Profile: Jim Taylor, 1962

Fullback, Green Bay Packers


Age: 27 (Sept. 20)
5th season in pro football & with Packers
College: LSU
Height: 6’0” Weight: 215

Prelude:
Chosen by the Packers in the 2nd round of the 1958 NFL draft, Taylor saw scant action in his rookie season. With the coming of Vince Lombardi as head coach in ’59, he moved into the starting lineup, although burns suffered in a kitchen grease fire caused him to miss action. He broke out in 1960, gaining 1101 yards on a league-leading 230 carries, and rushed for 1307 yards and a NFL-leading 15 rushing TDs in ’61. A physically-punishing runner, Taylor provided the power for Green Bay’s offense and was selected to the Pro Bowl following the ’60 and ’61 seasons.

1962 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 272 [1]
Most attempts, game - 25 (for 124 yds.) at Chicago 11/4, (for 141 yds.) at Philadelphia 11/11
Yards – 1474 [1]
Most yards, game – 164 yards (on 17 carries) at Minnesota 10/14
Average gain – 5.4 [2]
TDs – 19 [1]
100-yard rushing games - 7

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 22
Most receptions, game – 4 (for 40 yds.) vs. St. Louis 9/23
Yards – 106
Most yards, game - 40 (on 4 catches) vs. St. Louis 9/23
Average gain – 4.8
TDs – 0

Scoring
TDs – 19 [1]
Points – 114 [1]

The 19 touchdowns set a then-NFL single-season record.

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship at NY Giants)
Rushing attempts – 31
Rushing yards – 85
Average gain rushing – 2.7
Rushing TDs – 1

Pass receptions – 3
Pass receiving yards - 20
Average yards per reception – 6.7
Pass Receiving TDs - 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, NEA
1st team All-NFL: AP, NEA, UPI
1st team All-Western Conference: Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Packers went 13-1 to win Western Conference while leading league in rushing offense (2460 yards), scoring (415 points), and TDs (53). Won NFL Championship over New York Giants (16-7).

Aftermath:
Taylor had two more thousand-yard seasons, in 1963 and ’64, and was named to the Pro Bowl after each, to give him five straight. He began to show signs of wear in 1965, running for 734 yards and a 3.5-yard average, and following a 705-yard season in ’66, Taylor played out his option and signed with the expansion New Orleans Saints. He led the team in rushing, but with just 390 yards, and retired prior to the 1968 season with 8597 career yards (second highest in NFL history at the time). Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1976.

--

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: Tampa Stadium

Tampa, FL
aka Houlihan’s Stadium



Year opened: 1967
Capacity: 74,301, up from 45,000 at opening

Names:
Tampa Stadium, 1967-95
Houlihan’s Stadium, 1996-98

Pro football tenants:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL), 1976-97
Tampa Bay Bandits (USFL), 1983-85

Postseason games hosted:
NFC Divisional playoff, Buccaneers 24 Eagles 17, Dec. 29, 1979
NFC Championship, Rams 9 Buccaneers 0, Jan. 6, 1980
Super Bowl XVIII, Raiders 38 Redskins 9, Jan. 22, 1984
USFL Championship, Stars 23 Wranglers 3, July 15, 1984
Super Bowl XXV, Giants 20 Bills 19, Jan. 27, 1991
NFC Wild Card playoff, Buccaneers 20 Lions 10, Dec. 28, 1997

Other tenants of note:
Univ. of Tampa (college football), 1967-74
Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL), 1975-84
Tampa Bay Mutiny (MLS), 1996-98
Univ. of South Florida (college football), 1997

Notes: Hosted AFC/NFC Pro Bowl, Jan. 23, 1978. Hosted Can-Am Bowl, 1977-79. Hosted Hall of Fame/Outback Bowl, 1986-98. Hosted one home game of AFL Miami Dolphins in 1969. Hosted several NFL preseason games prior to the creation of the Buccaneers, beginning with Washington Redskins vs. Atlanta Falcons in Aug. 1968. A major expansion project in 1975 added 27,000 seats. Referred to as the Big Sombrero due to its distinctive shape. Renamed Houlihan’s Stadium after Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Buccaneers as well as the Houlihan’s restaurant chain, also purchased the stadium’s naming rights.

Fate: Demolished in 1999, the site is now a parking lot for Raymond James Stadium.

MVP Profile: John Brodie, 1970

Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers



Age: 35
14th season in pro football & with 49ers
College: Stanford
Height: 6’1” Weight: 203

Prelude:
Chosen by the 49ers in the 1st round of the 1957 NFL draft, Brodie backed up Y.A. Tittle for four seasons (although seeing enough action for the injured Tittle in ’58 to lead the league in completion percentage at 59.9) before inheriting the full-time starting job in 1961. With all of the necessary tools but plagued by inconsistency, he was selected for the Pro Bowl in 1965 after leading the NFL in pass attempts (391), completions (242), completion percentage (61.9), yards (3112), and TD passes (30). Brodie also led the league in pass attempts (404), completions (234), completion percentage (57.9), and yards (3020) in ’68, but in between were years of mediocrity, both for Brodie and the team.

1970 Season Summary
Appeared & started in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 378 [4]
Most attempts, game – 36 vs. New Orleans 10/18, vs. LA Rams 11/29
Completions – 223 [1]
Most completions, game – 21 at Chicago 11/8
Yards – 2941 [1]
Most yards, game – 317 at Chicago 11/8
Completion percentage – 59.0 [2]
Yards per attempt – 7.8 [3]
TD passes – 24 [1]
Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. Cleveland 9/27, at Chicago 11/8, at Houston 11/15, at New Orleans 12/13, at Oakland 12/20
Interceptions – 10
Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. New Orleans 10/18, at Detroit 11/22
Passer rating – 93.8 [1]
300-yard passing games – 1
200-yard passing games – 7

Rushing
Attempts – 9
Most attempts, game - 2 (for 7 yds.) vs. Cleveland 9/27, (for 11 yds.) at LA Rams 10/11
Yards – 29
Most yards, game – 11 yards (on 2 carries) at LA Rams 10/11
Yards per attempt – 3.2
TDs – 2

Scoring
TDs – 2
Points – 12

Postseason: 2 G
Pass attempts – 72
Most pass attempts, game – 40 vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
Pass completions – 35
Most pass completions, game – 19 vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
Passing yardage – 463
Most passing yards, game – 262 vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
TD passes – 2
Most TD passes, game – 1 at Minnesota, NFC Divisional playoff, vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
Interceptions – 2
Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. Dallas, NFC Championship

Rushing attempts – 2
Most rushing attempts, game – 2 at Minnesota, NFC Divisional playoff
Rushing yards – 4
Most rushing yards, game – 4 at Minnesota, NFC Divisional playoff
Average gain rushing – 2.0
Rushing TDs – 1

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

49ers went 10-3-1 to win the NFC West while leading the NFL in passing offense (2923 yards), scoring (352 points), and touchdowns (41, tied with Detroit). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Minnesota Vikings (17-14). Lost NFC Championship to Dallas Cowboys (17-10).

Aftermath:
Brodie had a lesser year in 1971, throwing more interceptions (24) than TD passes (18), but the 49ers again won the NFC West with a 9-5 record and again advanced to the NFC Championship game, losing once more to Dallas. Brodie went down with a severely sprained ankle in ‘72 and gave way to Steve Spurrier, but rallied the team into the playoffs for the third straight year, although the 49ers once again fell to the Cowboys (this time in the Divisional round). He retired after the 1973 season, ranking third lifetime in the NFL in both pass attempts (4491) and completions (2469) while having thrown for 31,548 yards with 214 TDs and 224 interceptions. Brodie’s #12 was retired by the 49ers.

--

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]

1968: Steelers Deal Bill Nelsen to Browns

On May 14, 1968 the Pittsburgh Steelers traded QB Bill Nelsen and safety Jim Bradshaw to the Cleveland Browns for QB Dick Shiner, DT Frank Parker, and an unspecified draft choice. The deal officially brought to an end Nelsen’s injury-riddled career in Pittsburgh, and at the time was seen as an effort to bolster the defensive line.

The 27-year-old Nelsen came to Pittsburgh in 1963 as a tenth round draft pick out of USC, where he had split time at quarterback with Pete Beathard during a 1962 season in which the Trojans were national champions. While he wasn’t big at 6’0” and 195 pounds, and didn’t possess an especially strong arm, he proved to be a decent passer with a good attitude and outstanding leadership qualities.

After backing up veteran QB Ed Brown in his first two seasons, Nelsen took over as starting quarterback in ’65, but was playing on a bad knee. He missed time and was challenged for the starting job by another young (and less talented) quarterback, Tommy Wade. After off-season surgery, he came back in 1966 and went down with an injury to the other knee. In 1967, Nelsen lost his starting job to Kent Nix as he missed eight games with further knee problems.

In trading Nelsen for Dick Shiner, the Steelers were obtaining a quarterback who had come into the NFL a year later but had seen far less action. A seventh-round draft choice out of Maryland by the Redskins in 1964, Shiner had been strictly a backup behind Sonny Jurgensen in Washington for three years and then Frank Ryan in Cleveland for one, and broke his leg in practice the previous year.

Speculation initially centered around Parker as the key to the trade. The 6’5”, 270-pound defensive tackle missed all of 1965 due to a major knee injury suffered in ‘64 that required surgery. A promising player prior to the injury, he had played sparingly in the two seasons since.

Jim Bradshaw saw little action in ’67, playing both safety positions, after losing his starting job to former Pitt star Paul Martha. He had intercepted a total of nine passes in 1965 and ’66. In 1967, he also returned 16 punts for a 6.1-yard average.

“Parker will give us the interior pass rushing we needed so badly last season,” said Steelers Head Coach Bill Austin. “As far as quarterbacks are concerned, if we opened our NFL schedule tomorrow I'd go with Kent Nix.” Austin added that “I still think Nelsen is a good football player who has been very unfortunate because of injuries. If he didn't beat out Nix this summer it would be very discouraging for him. A shift in scenery should help.”

The change in scenery proved more beneficial to Nelsen’s career than was anticipated when the deal was culminated. 32-year-old Frank Ryan had played well at quarterback for the Browns, including leading them to a championship in 1964, but injuries suffered during the ’67 season took their toll. When the team started off poorly in 1968, Nelsen took over as starting quarterback and significantly reinvigorated the passing game. The Browns won eight of their last nine contests and advanced to the NFL title game before losing to the Colts. Nelsen ranked sixth among the league’s passers, throwing for 2366 yards and 19 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.

Nelsen was even better in 1969, earning selection to the Pro Bowl as he threw for 2743 yards and 23 TDs. The Browns again advanced to the NFL Championship game before succumbing to the Minnesota Vikings. With the merger, Cleveland moved to the AFC and Nelsen stayed on as the starting quarterback for two more seasons before giving way to highly-touted Mike Phipps in 1972, his final year. Playing with two bad knees that had him wearing aluminum braces during games, and thus lacking mobility, he nevertheless did well in Cleveland. Over the course of five seasons, four as the starter, Nelsen threw for 9725 yards with 71 touchdowns and, most significantly, the Browns went 34-16-1 in the regular season with him under center and 2-3 in the playoffs.

Dick Shiner ended up supplanting Nix as the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh, but the team played poorly. In two seasons with the Steelers, he proved to be inconsistent and the club’s record in his starts was a dismal 3-16-1. Having drafted, first, QB Terry Hanratty in 1969 and then, with the first overall choice in ’70, Terry Bradshaw, Shiner was traded to the Giants, where he saw little action behind veteran star Fran Tarkenton. Moving on to Atlanta in 1971, he was still a backup, but had the distinction of starting the opening game of the ’73 season and earning a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in a 62-7 shellacking of the New Orleans Saints. It was the highlight of his career, and he lost the starting job to Bob Lee shortly thereafter, finishing up with the Patriots in ’74.

Frank Parker was just a backup defensive lineman in Pittsburgh and moved on to the Giants for one last year in 1969. Jim Bradshaw was waived during the preseason and never again played in the NFL.

The conditional draft choice ended up being used by the Steelers to take RB Warren Bankston of Tulane in the second round in 1969. He was a backup for four seasons in Pittsburgh before moving on to Oakland in ’73.

All told, the trade for Bill Nelsen proved to be a good one for the Browns. The Steelers would ultimately put together four championships in the decade of the 1970s, but the 1968 deal with Cleveland was not a part in that process (although the poor play in ’68 set the stage for the hiring of Chuck Noll as head coach and the accompanying rebuilding job).