1983: Generals Defeat Federals as Offenses Pile Up Yards

It had been a difficult first season in the United States Football League for the two teams that met at Washington’s RFK Stadium on May 29, 1983. The host Washington Federals, under Head Coach Ray Jauch, had gone 1-11 through the first twelve weeks, and suffered through bad weather, low turnouts, and injuries to key players, such as QB Mike Hohensee, RB Craig James, and WR Joey Walters.

The visiting New Jersey Generals had caused the biggest splash in the preseason by signing Heisman Trophy-winning RB Herschel Walker out of Georgia, a controversial move at the time since he still had a year of college eligibility left. After a slow start, Walker proved his worth, but the rest of the team, under Head Coach Chuck Fairbanks, was a big disappointment. Veteran QB Bobby Scott was mediocre and had been traded to the Chicago Blitz the week before (the Blitz had lost their more successful veteran quarterback, Greg Landry, to a broken ankle). Earlier, they obtained QB Jeff Knapple from the Denver Gold, and he would now handle the starting job, but the team had a 3-9 record and was well out of the running.

It was a typically rainy Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium, and only 11,264 fans attended (there were 12,437 no-shows). The Generals had the first possession, and on the first play from scrimmage, Walker ran 83 yards for a touchdown (his 14th of the season).

Washington got on the board twice in the first quarter as Sandro Vitiello kicked field goals of 42 and 45 yards, narrowing New Jersey’s margin to 7-6 after one period. However, in the second quarter Knapple extended the Generals’ lead with a 27-yard touchdown pass to WR Mike Friede.

The two teams traded field goals for the remainder of the period. The new placekicker for the Generals, Dave Betz, kicked a 28-yard field goal and Vitiello booted one that made it 17-9 at halftime. Betz was appearing in his first game after replacing Dave Jacobs, who had missed a key extra point attempt the previous week and was released.

In Washington’s first possession of the third quarter, ex-Giants RB Billy Taylor scored a 32-yard TD on a sweep that cut New Jersey’s lead to 17-16. The Federals went ahead when Hohensee threw to James for an 11-yard touchdown with 5:22 remaining in the period. Betz was successful on a 45-yard field goal attempt before the quarter ended and the score stood at 23-20.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Hohensee tossed a 19-yard TD pass to WR Mike Harris, but the ensuing extra point attempt was missed, although they still led by 29-23. New Jersey came back and with 3:40 left in regulation, Knapple threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to TE Sam Bowers to draw even. However, Betz failed on his extra point attempt as well, maintaining the tie at 29-29.

With overtime looming, New Jersey got the ball back and drove 33 yards in seven plays in just under a minute to set up a long field goal attempt. Betz, making up for the missed PAT, was successful from 50 yards out as time expired and the Generals came away with a 32-29 win.

Altogether, the two teams gained 945 yards, with 496 accumulated by the Federals and 449 accounted for by New Jersey. Of the Generals’ total, 211 came on the ground while Washington had 317 net passing yards. The Federals also led in first downs (29 to 20) while New Jersey had a slight edge in time of possession (30:43 to 29:17).

The main cog in the Generals’ running game was, of course, Herschel Walker, who set a new USFL single-game record with 194 yards on 23 carries that included the long, game-opening touchdown dash. Jeff Knapple completed 17 of 31 passes for 249 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Mike Friede was the top receiver with four catches for 65 yards and a TD.


As for Washington, the offensive stars that had missed time with injuries were back and in good form. Mike Hohensee was successful on 23 of 43 throws for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He gave up no interceptions. Joey Walters had 12 pass receptions for 193 yards. And while Billy Taylor led the rushing attack with 73 yards on 13 attempts, Craig James was right behind with 70 yards on 14 carries.

New Jersey went 2-3 the rest of the way and finished the season at 6-12 and third in the Atlantic Division. The loss to the Generals was the ninth in a row for Washington, but the Federals played hard, with many of their defeats coming in close contests, and finished the season on a high note by winning three of the last four games. Still, the final record was a dismal 4-14, putting them two games behind New Jersey in the standings.

Herschel Walker was the league’s top rusher, with 1812 yards on 412 carries; he also scored 18 touchdowns (17 rushing, one on a reception). However, Dave Betz lasted just three games, missing two of his six extra point attempts, and gave way to John Roveto.

In nine games, rookie Mike Hohensee threw for 1297 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. Craig James, who missed four contests and was also in his first year, led the Federals in rushing with 823 yards on 202 attempts. Joey Walters, who had played six seasons in the Canadian Football League prior to coming to the USFL, missed two games but caught 63 passes for 959 yards and six touchdowns.

MVP Profile: Fran Tarkenton, 1975

Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings



Age: 35
15th season in pro football, 10th with Vikings
College: Georgia
Height: 6’0” Weight: 190

Prelude:
Chosen by the expansion Vikings in the third round of the 1961 NFL draft, Tarkenton took over as starting quarterback almost immediately as a rookie and made up for lack of size and arm strength with a flashy scrambling ability and outstanding leadership qualities. Tarkenton was named to the Pro Bowl in 1964 and ’65, but friction with Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin led to his ultimately being traded to the New York Giants in 1967. He helped the Giants to overachieve while being selected to four more Pro Bowls and was traded back to the Vikings in 1972. The club won NFC Championships in 1973 and ’74, although it fell short each time in the Super Bowl, and Tarkenton was a first-team All-NFC selection of UPI and The Sporting News in ’72, a first-team All-NFL choice by NEA in 1973, and second-team All-NFC of UPI in ‘74. He was also selected to a seventh Pro Bowl in 1974.

1975 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Passing
Attempts – 425 [1]
Most attempts, game – 39 at New Orleans 11/16
Completions – 273 [1]
Most completions, game – 27 at Washington 11/30
Yards – 2994 [2, 1st in NFC]
Most yards, game – 357 at Washington 11/30
Completion percentage – 64.2 [2, 1st in NFC]
Yards per attempt – 7.0 [17]
TD passes – 25 [1, tied with Joe Ferguson]
Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. Chicago 10/5, at Green Bay 11/2, at New Orleans 11/16, vs. Green Bay 12/7
Interceptions – 13 [16, tied with Bob Griese]
Most interceptions, game – 2 on five occasions
Passer rating – 91.8 [2, 1st in NFC]
300-yard passing games – 2
200-yard passing games – 9

Rushing
Attempts – 16
Most attempts, game - 2 on five occasions
Yards – 108
Most yards, game – 30 yards (on 2 carries) at Washington 11/30
Yards per attempt – 6.8
TDs – 2

Scoring
TDs – 2
Points – 12

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Divisional playoff vs. Dallas)
Pass attempts – 26
Pass completions – 12
Passing yardage – 135
TD passes – 0
Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 3
Rushing yards – 32
Average gain rushing – 10.7
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, NEA, Bert Bell Award
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: AP
NFC 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

Vikings went 12-2 to finish first in NFC Central with best record in conference. Lost NFC Divisional playoff to Dallas Cowboys (17-14).

Aftermath:
Tarkenton had one last Pro Bowl season in 1976 and the Vikings won the NFC title again, but lost in the Super Bowl. The durable scrambler lost five games to injury in ’77, but in 1978 he led the NFL in attempts (572), completions (345), yards (3468), and, less fortunately, in interceptions (32). He retired after that year as the NFL career leader in multiple passing categories including yards (47,003) and TD passes (342). Tarkenton also was the career rushing leader for quarterbacks (3674) at the time. His #10 was retired by the Vikings and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1986.

--

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: Griffith Stadium

Washington, DC



Year opened: 1911
Capacity: Varied from 32,000 to 27,550 in final year

Names:
National Park, 1911-20
Griffith Stadium, 1920-65

Pro football tenants:
Washington Senators (APFA), 1921
Washington Pros/Presidents (DFL)*, 1936-37
Washington Redskins (NFL), 1937-60

*Dixie Football League

Postseason games hosted:
NFL Championship, Bears 73 Redskins 0, Dec. 8, 1940
NFL Championship, Redskins 14 Bears 6, Dec. 13, 1942

Other tenants of note:
Washington Senators (MLB – AL), 1911-60
Washington Pilots (baseball Negro leagues), 1932
Washington Elite Giants (baseball Negro leagues), 1936-37
Washington Black Senators (baseball Negro leagues), 1938
Washington Senators (MLB – AL), 1961 (second franchise)
Georgetown Univ., 1925-50
Univ. of Maryland, 1948

Notes: Replaced an earlier wooden ballpark on the same site that had been built in 1891. Named in 1920 for Clark Griffith, owner of the Washington Senators baseball team that owned the stadium. Occasionally used as home venue for George Washington Univ. football and Homestead Grays of baseball Negro leagues. Was also used for some of the scenes in the movie version of “Damn Yankees” (1958).

Fate: Demolished in 1965, site is now occupied by Howard University Hospital.



[Updated 2/16/15]

MVP Profile: Jim Brown, 1957

Fullback, Cleveland Browns


Age: 21
1st season in pro football
College: Syracuse
Height: 6’2” Weight: 220

Prelude:
Following an outstanding career at Syracuse, in which he distinguished himself as an all-around athlete (lacrosse, basketball, track & field) as well as in football, Brown was chosen in the first round of the 1957 NFL draft by the Browns. With his blend of speed, power, and agility, he moved quickly into the starting lineup as a rookie.

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

Rushing
Attempts – 202 [2]
Most attempts, game - 31 (for 237 yds.) vs. LA Rams
Yards – 942 [1]
Most yards, game – 237 yards (on 31 carries) vs. LA Rams
Average gain – 4.7 [6]
TDs – 9 [1]
200-yard rushing games – 1
100-yard rushing games – 2

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 16
Yards – 55
Average gain – 3.4
TDs – 1

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 6
Yards – 136
Average per return – 22.7
TDs – 0
Longest return – 29 yards

Scoring
TDs – 10 [2]
Points – 60 [8, tied with Gordie Soltau]

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship at Detroit)
Rushing attempts – 20
Rushing yards – 69
Average gain rushing – 3.5
Rushing TDs – 1

Kickoff Returns – 4
Yards – 106
Average per return – 26.5
TDs – 0
Longest return – 50 yards

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, Sporting News
NFL Rookie of the Year: UPI, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Browns went 9-2-1 to finish first in the Eastern Conference. Lost NFL Championship game to Detroit Lions (59-14).

Aftermath:
Brown’s rushing title as a rookie in 1957 was the first of eight in nine seasons. Along the way he set numerous records as well as a new standard for running backs to be measured against. He twice set the single-season rushing record and retired as the all-time leader in rushing (12,312 yards) and touchdowns (126). Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry and 104.3 yards per game over the course of his career. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in all nine seasons, was a first-team All-Pro eight times, and received MVP recognition on three more occasions. Brown’s #32 was retired by the Browns and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1971.

--

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: 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).