Past Venue: Texas Stadium

Irving, TX



Year opened: 1971
Capacity: 65,675

Names:
Texas Stadium, 1971-2010

Pro football tenants:
Dallas Cowboys (NFL), 1971-2008

Postseason games hosted:
NFC Championship, Cowboys 14 49ers 3, Jan. 2, 1972
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 27 Rams 16, Dec. 23, 1973
NFC Championship, Vikings 27 Cowboys 10, Dec. 30, 1973
NFC Divisional playoff, Rams 14 Cowboys 12, Dec. 19, 1976
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 37 Bears 7, Dec. 26, 1977
NFC Championship, Cowboys 23 Vikings 6, Jan. 1, 1978
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 27 Falcons 20, Dec. 30, 1978
NFC Divisional playoff, Rams 21 Cowboys 19, Dec. 30, 1979
NFC Wild Card playoff, Cowboys 34 Rams 13, Dec. 28, 1980
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 38 Buccaneers 0, Jan. 2, 1982
NFC First Round playoff, Cowboys 30 Buccaneers 17, Jan. 9, 1983
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 37 Packers 26, Jan. 16, 1983
NFC Wild Card playoff, Rams 24 Cowboys 17, Dec. 26, 1983
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 34 Eagles 10, Jan. 10, 1993
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 27 Packers 17, Jan. 16, 1994
NFC Championship, Cowboys 38 49ers 21, Jan. 23, 1994
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 35 Packers 9, Jan. 8, 1995
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 30 Eagles 11, Jan. 7, 1996
NFC Championship, Cowboys 38 Packers 27, Jan. 14, 1996
NFC Wild Card playoff, Cowboys 40 Vikings 15, Dec. 28, 1996
NFC Wild Card playoff, Cardinals 20 Cowboys 7, Jan. 2, 1999
NFC Divisional playoff, Giants 21 Cowboys 17, Jan. 13, 2008

Other tenants of note:
Dallas Tornado (NASL), 1972-75, 80-81
Southern Methodist Univ. (college football), 1979-86

Notes: Originally was to have had a retractable roof, but while this proved untenable, it resulted in the unique construction in which all of the seating was under cover. Stadium was also used for neutral-site college games and high school contests. Owned by the City of Irving.

Fate: Demolished in 2010, the site is currently used by the Texas Dept. of Transportation.

1963: Raiders Obtain Archie Matsos from Buffalo

It had been a rocky first three years for the Oakland Raiders franchise. They had been a late entry into the American Football League, after the Minneapolis ownership group defected to the NFL, and had played their home games in San Francisco the first two seasons (Kezar Stadium in 1960, Candlestick Park in ’61). While they finally found a temporary home in Oakland in ’62 at Frank Youell Field, the struggling club went a dreadful 1-13. Their combined record from 1960 through ’62, under three head coaches, was 9-33.

The Raiders had a new head coach and general manager for 1963 in 34-year-old Al Davis, who had been an assistant under Sid Gillman with the Chargers. Davis immediately set about refurbishing the team and on June 19, 1963 made a significant trade to help the defense, sending CB Hank Rivera, DT Pete Nicklas, and DT George Shirkey to the Buffalo Bills for an established AFL star middle linebacker, Archie Matsos.

Matsos (often referred to simply as Arch) had been drafted out of Michigan State by the Baltimore Colts in the 16th round in 1958, but at 6’0 and 212 pounds was considered too small to be a NFL linebacker. He joined the Bills in the newly-formed AFL in 1960 and proved that, while he may have lacked size, he made up for it with speed and agility. In that first season, he intercepted eight passes and was a consensus first-team All-AFL selection. He played in every game for Buffalo in his three years there, received first-team All-AFL honors again in 1961 and was selected for the first two AFL All-Star Games, played after the 1961 and ’62 seasons.

“He's not as big as we'd like but he is fast and is agile,” said Davis. “He is good against both the pass and run and figures to make a big contribution to the team in '63.”

Two of the players traded for Matsos, Rivera and Nicklas, were rookies in 1962 while Shirkey was a three-year veteran who had been with Houston in 1960 and ‘61. Rivera played in just three games in his lone season in Buffalo, while Nicklas and Shirkey failed to make the team, ultimately making the deal appear to be a major steal by Davis.

Oakland’s offense was boosted by the other major acquisition of that offseason, split end Art Powell, who was signed after playing out his option with the New York Titans (renamed Jets for ’63). Powell left college early and had played both split end and defensive back with Toronto in the Canadian Football League, then spent one year as a defensive back/kick returner for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1959 before moving on to the Titans in the AFL. He put up big numbers, along with flanker Don Maynard, but had also gained a reputation as a malcontent – the type of player that Al Davis would regularly stock up on over the years, often with great success.

The Raiders won their first two games in ’63, but then reverted to form by losing four straight. However, they didn’t lose again the rest of the way, running off a string of eight consecutive wins to stun the league with a 10-4 record. It was second only to the champion Chargers in the Western Division (a team Oakland defeated twice).

The 29-year-old Matsos had his greatest season, intercepting four passes and gaining consensus first-team All-AFL recognition once more. Moreover, he helped solidify a young unit that included DE Dalva Allen, rookie DT Dave Costa, and two other All-AFL players, CB Fred Williamson and safety Tom Morrow.

On offense, Davis used a tandem of Cotton Davidson and Tom Flores at quarterback, who combined for 3377 yards and 31 TD passes. Powell was sensational, catching 73 passes for 1304 yards and 16 touchdowns. Equally sensational was holdover HB Clem Daniels, who led the AFL in rushing with 1099 yards and also showed outstanding downfield receiving ability out of the backfield, catching 30 passes for 685 yards (a league-leading 22.8 yards-per-reception). Two solid veterans, center Jim Otto and guard Wayne Hawkins, anchored the line.

To be sure, there were still plenty of holes to fill on the team, and Davis cautioned Oakland fans not to expect too much too soon. “You’ve got to understand, it isn’t realistic to hope for all good bounces, to think of a title in 1964 or 1965,” he told a banquet audience after the ’63 season. “We’re building.”

The words of warning were appropriate, for the Raiders dropped to 5-7-2 in 1964. But they improved to 8-5-1 in both 1965 and ’66 and were AFL Champions in 1967.

Matsos was gone by then. Suffering from the flu at the start of the ’64 season, he was not at full strength (and likely was playing at under 200 pounds) but regained form steadily as the campaign progressed. He played one more season with the Raiders in 1965, but with a group of good young linebackers joining the team, Matsos was traded to Denver for Hewritt Dixon, a tight end that was converted to running back in Oakland with good results. One of the good new linebackers, Dan Conners, replaced Matsos in the starting lineup. The Broncos dealt him to San Diego during the ’66 season – his last - after the Chargers lost their starting middle linebacker, Chuck Allen, to a broken leg.


Overall, Archie Matsos ended up receiving first team All-AFL recognition three times and was chosen for three AFL All-Star Games. With his speed at the middle linebacker position, he intercepted a total of 22 passes, one of which he returned for a touchdown. A stalwart performer of the new league’s early years, he brought ability and leadership to the rebuilding Raiders.

Likewise, Art Powell was a standout on offense in Oakland, gaining selection to four straight AFL All-Star Games and catching 254 passes for 4491 yards (a healthy 17.7 avg.) and 50 touchdowns. However, like Matsos he wasn’t around by the time the Raiders won a championship – he was traded to Buffalo following the 1966 season in the deal that brought QB Daryle Lamonica to Oakland, who had an MVP year in leading the club to the top of the AFL.

MVP Profile: Earl Campbell, 1978

Running Back, Houston Oilers


Age: 23
1st season in pro football
College: Texas
Height: 5’11” Weight: 224

Prelude:
Following an outstanding college career that was capped by rushing for 1744 yards and winning the Heisman Trophy, Campbell was the first overall pick by the Oilers in the 1978 NFL draft (Houston traded with Tampa Bay for the top choice).

1978 Season Summary
Appeared in 15 of 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 302 [3]
Most attempts, game - 28 (for 199 yds.) vs. Miami 11/20
Yards – 1450 [1]
Most yards, game – 199 yards (on 28 carries) vs. Miami 11/20
Average gain – 4.8 [7]
TDs – 13 [2]
100-yard rushing games - 7

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 12
Most receptions, game – 2 on 5 occasions
Yards – 48
Most yards, game - 15 (on 2 catches) at Kansas City 9/10, vs. Cleveland 11/5
Average gain – 4.0
TDs - 0

Scoring
TDs – 13 [2, tied with John Jefferson]
Points – 78 [14, tied with John Jefferson]

Postseason: 3 G
Rushing attempts – 75
Most rushing attempts, game - 27 at New England, AFC Divisional playoff
Rushing yards – 264
Most rushing yards, game - 118 at New England, AFC Divisional playoff
Average gain rushing – 3.5
Rushing TDs – 2
100-yard rushing games - 1

Pass receptions – 3
Most pass receptions, game - 1 at Miami, AFC Wild Card playoff, at New England, AFC Divisional playoff, at Pittsburgh, AFC Championship
Pass receiving yards - 27
Most pass receiving yards, game - 13 at Miami, AFC Wild Card playoff
Average yards per reception – 9.0
Pass Receiving TDs - 0

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

Oilers went 10-6 to finish second in the AFC Central and qualify for the postseason as a wild card entry. Won Wild Card playoff over Miami Dolphins (17-9) and Divisional playoff over New England Patriots (31-14). Lost AFC Championship to Pittsburgh Steelers (34-5).

Aftermath:
Campbell led the NFL in rushing again in 1979 and ’80 (1697 & 1934 yards), received MVP/Player of the Year recognition in each, and was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection. He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons, through 1981, when he led the AFC with 1376 yards. After one more 1000-yard rushing season in 1983 (1301 yards), his heavy workload and physically-punishing running style caused his performance to drop significantly in ’84 and Campbell was traded to New Orleans during the season. He finished his career in 1985, rushing for 643 yards and a 4.1-yard average for the Saints. Campbell retired with 9407 rushing yards on 2187 carries and 81 touchdowns. His #34 was retired by the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1991.

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

[Updated 2/15/14]

Past Venue: League Park

Cleveland, OH



Year opened: 1910
Capacity: 21,414 at opening, increased to 22,500 in 1939

Names:
Somers Park, 1910-15
Dunn Field, 1916-27
League Park, 1927-51

Pro football tenants:
Cleveland Tigers/Indians (APFA), 1920-21
Cleveland Indians/Bulldogs (NFL), 1923-25
Cleveland Rams (NFL), 1937, 42, 44-45

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
Cleveland Indians (MLB – AL), 1910-46
Cleveland Buckeyes (baseball Negro Leagues), 1943-48

Notes: While Rams played home games at venue in 1945, NFL Championship game was played at Municipal Stadium. Stadium, which was a steel and concrete structure, replaced an earlier wooden ball park of the same name that opened in 1892.

Fate: Demolished for the most part in 1951, some portions remained afterward and the ticket office still stands. The site is used as a public park.

1985: Outlaws Defeat Express at Pierce College

As the 1985 United States Football League season neared completion, the Los Angeles Express franchise was in critical condition. J. William Oldenburg, who purchased the team prior to the 1984 season, was forced to surrender it back to the league, and GM Don Klosterman was running the club while frantically assisting the USFL to find a buyer. The colorful Oldenburg had caused plenty of excitement and poured money (too much money, it turned out) into the franchise during his brief tenure – most notably a contract worth over $40 million to rookie QB Steve Young.

The Express had never been a good draw while playing at the huge Memorial Coliseum (they bottomed out by drawing a combined 12,629 for their last three games there), and the final home game, on June 15 against the Arizona Outlaws, was moved to 16,000-seat John Shepard Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills. The team, coached by John Hadl, had lost six straight games and was barely remaining viable due to lack of money. As a result of injuries and the inability to sign replacements, LA fielded only 37 players for the game, including two kickers, with Tony Boddie (pictured above) the only healthy running back.

There were just 8200 fans in attendance at the small facility. The stadium had added temporary bleachers and the scoreboard showed the team names written with felt marker on paper, adding to the sense of decline. “It was humbling,” said Young. “I almost expected the cheerleaders to dress up our team bus like they did in high school.” (Alas, even the club’s cheerleading squad had been disbanded as a cost-cutting measure)

The visiting team was a union of two clubs that played as the Arizona Wranglers and Oklahoma Outlaws in 1984. Coached by Frank Kush, the offense boasted a seasoned veteran quarterback with NFL experience, Doug Williams, and RB Reggie Brown, who paced the ground attack. Arizona was 7-9 coming into the contest and out of playoff contention.

The Outlaws opened the scoring midway through the first quarter as Williams threw to a diving WR Greg Anderson for a 23-yard touchdown. However, the extra point attempt failed and the score stood at 6-0 after one period of play.

LA’s Tony Zendejas kicked a 50-yard field goal to put the Express on the board in the second quarter. Luis Zendejas, Tony’s brother and counterpart as placekicker for Arizona, responded with a 22-yard field goal to make the score 9-3 at the half.


Luis Zendejas booted another field goal, of 27 yards, in the third quarter before the Express scored a touchdown on a one-yard run by Boddie. With the score at 12-10, it seemed as though Los Angeles might pull out a win in its home finale. But two fourth quarter personal foul penalties proved disastrous for the Express. The first ended a drive by the offense at the Arizona 46. The second, on defense, helped prolong a possession by the Outlaws that culminated in Brown’s one-yard TD five plays later.

Reggie Brown’s touchdown with 4:45 left in the game made the score 18-10 (an attempted two-point conversion failed) and, for all intents and purposes, nailed down the win. Luis Zendejas capped the scoring with his third field goal of the game, of 20 yards, with just under five minutes left on the clock and the final tally was 21-10 in favor of the Outlaws.

Arizona gained 129 yards on 34 running plays and 250 yards through the air while Los Angeles ran the ball 24 times for 102 yards and netted 125 passing yards. The Outlaws also had the edge in first downs (19 to 13), although they had to overcome five turnovers (to three by LA).

Reggie Brown ran for 99 yards on 26 carries including a TD, and thus crossed the thousand-yard threshold for the season (he ended up with 1031 for the year, along with 12 rushing TDs). Doug Williams completed 15 of 29 passes for 250 yards with the one TD and two interceptions. Greg Anderson caught 5 passes for 109 yards and a score.

Tony Boddie led LA in both rushing and receiving with 73 yards on 18 carries and 4 catches for 44 yards. Steve Young contributed 29 yards to the ground total while running five times and also threw 25 passes, completing 13 of them, for 125 yards with no TDs and two interceptions.

GM Klosterman accented the positive and expressed encouragement with the turnout at the small venue. “For me, this (turnout) provides light at the end of the tunnel for prospective owners that wasn't there at the Coliseum,” he said. “But nothing's going to happen until after we find an owner, and I can't promise there's going to be anybody.” In the end, no new owner was ever found, and the USFL folded in any case.

“With these big, professional guys on that tiny field ...I don't know, it seemed kind of weird,” summed up Young after the game. “I don't mean to make fun of the efforts of anybody, though, and I guess these (spectators) were excited. Even under the circumstances, I still had fun.” In the offseason, Young bought out of the huge contract and moved on to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

John Hadl and his staff had already been told they would be let go after the finale in Orlando, which ended up being a loss that put the cap on a dismal 3-15 season. The Express finished up at the bottom of the Western Conference, while the Outlaws, who also lost their last game, came in fourth with an 8-10 record.

MVP Profile: Bart Starr, 1966

Quarterback, Green Bay Packers


Age: 32
11th season in pro football & with Packers
College: Alabama
Height: 6’1” Weight: 200

Prelude:
An unheralded 17th-round draft pick of the Packers in 1956, Starr backed up veteran Tobin Rote as a rookie, became the starter for a poor team in ’57, and saw limited playing time in 1958 due to an ankle injury. In 1959, new Head Coach Vince Lombardi went with Lamar McHan as the starting QB, but when he ran into injury problems, Starr took over and held onto the job. In 1960, the Packers went to the postseason and Starr was picked for the Pro Bowl. He was better in ’61, achieving new personal highs in completion percentage (58.3), passing yards (2418), and TD passes (16) and again going to the Pro Bowl as the Packers won the NFL title. He led the league in passing (90.7 rating) and completion percentage (62.5) in 1962, another championship season for the team, and went to a third straight Pro Bowl. A broken wrist hindered Starr in ’63 but he was back on top of the passing standings (97.1) in 1964 as well as first in completion percentage (59.9) and threw 15 TDs to just 4 INTs. The Packers were champions once again in 1965, with Starr again directing the offense.

1966 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 251 [11]
Most attempts, game – 31 at Minnesota 11/27
Completions – 156 [9]
Most completions, game – 20 at Cleveland 9/18, at Minnesota 11/27
Yards – 2257 [8]
Most yards, game – 287 at San Francisco 10/9
Completion percentage – 62.2 [1]
Yards per attempt – 9.0 [1]
TD passes – 14 [7]
Most TD passes, game – 2 on 5 occasions
Interceptions – 3
Most interceptions, game – 1 vs. Baltimore 9/10, at San Francisco 10/9, at Chicago 10/16
Passer rating – 105.0 [1]
200-yard passing games – 6

Rushing
Attempts – 21
Most attempts, game – 4 (for 17 yds.) at Cleveland 9/18
Yards – 104
Most yards, game – 36 yards (on 3 carries) vs. Baltimore 9/10
Yards per attempt – 5.0
TDs – 2

Scoring
TDs – 2
Points – 12

Postseason: 2 G
Pass attempts – 51
Most attempts, game - 28 at Dallas, NFL Championship
Pass completions – 35
Most completions, game - 19 at Dallas, NFL Championship
Passing yardage – 554
Most yards, game - 304 at Dallas, NFL Championship
TD passes – 6
Most TD passes, game - 4 at Dallas, NFL Championship
Interceptions – 1
Most interceptions, game - 1 vs. Kansas City, Super Bowl

Rushing attempts – 2
Most rushing attempts, game - 2 at Dallas, NFL Championship
Rushing yards – -1
Most rushing yards, game - -1 at Dallas, NFL Championship
Average gain rushing – -0.5
Rushing TDs – 0

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

The Packers went 12-2 to finish first in the Western Conference. Won NFL Championship over Dallas Cowboys (34-27) and Super Bowl over Kansas City Chiefs (35-10).

Aftermath:
Playing hurt to start the 1967 season, Starr threw more interceptions in the season-opening tie against Detroit than he had in all of ’66 (4). In the end, however, the Packers were champions for the third straight year and won Super Bowl II; Starr led the NFL in yards per attempt (8.7). With Lombardi gone as head coach and age setting in, the team’s performance dropped off and Starr, while still a solid QB, suffered through injury-plagued seasons before retiring in 1971. At his leaving, he was the fourth-rated passer of all-time (80.5) to go along with five championships. The Packers retired Starr’s #15 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1977.

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

[Updated 2/15/14]

Past Venue: Riverfront Stadium

Cincinnati, OH
aka Cinergy Field



Year opened: 1970
Capacity: 59,754

Names:
Riverfront Stadium, 1970-95
Cinergy Field, 1996-2002

Pro football tenants:
Cincinnati Bengals (NFL), 1970-99

Postseason games hosted:
AFC Divisional playoff, Bengals 28 Bills 21, Jan. 3, 1982
AFC Championship, Bengals 27 Chargers 7, Jan. 10, 1982
AFC First Round playoff, Jets 44 Bengals 17, Jan. 9, 1983
AFC Divisional playoff, Bengals 21 Seahawks 13, Dec. 31, 1988
AFC Championship, Bengals 21 Bills 10, Jan. 8, 1989
AFC Wild Card playoff, Bengals 41 Oilers 14, Jan. 6, 1991

Other tenants of note:
Cincinnati Reds (MLB – NL), 1970-2002
Univ. of Cincinnati (college football), 1990

Notes: Originally had AstroTurf surface, but was converted to a grass field in 2001 (when the baseball Reds were the sole tenant). In addition to the 1990 season, the stadium occasionally hosted other Univ. of Cincinnati football games against major opponents. Capacity reduced by about 13,000 due to need to knock out a section in 2001 in order to accommodate construction of the next-door Great American Ball Park. The birthplace and boyhood home of singing cowboy/actor Roy Rogers was one of the buildings that the stadium replaced.

Fate: Demolished in 2002, the site is now the western concourse of Great American Ball Park.