1983: Panthers Defeat Wranglers to Wrap Up Division Title

Coming into the season finale on July 3, 1983 at the Pontiac Silverdome, the host Michigan Panthers were running as hot as the visiting Arizona Wranglers were cold. Coached by Jim Stanley, it had been a remarkable first year for the Panthers, who stumbled out of the gate at 1-4 before winning six straight games to pull into contention. They had won 10 of the previous 12 contests coming into the last game, with the United States Football League’s Central Division title on the line.

Meanwhile, Arizona was going in the opposite direction. Head Coach Doug Shively’s team got off to a 4-4 start, good enough to be in contention in the weak Pacific Division, but then lost nine straight games.

Michigan’s balanced offense was led by rookie QB Bobby Hebert and contained key performers in wide receivers Anthony Carter and Derek Holloway, TE Mike Cobb, and running backs Ken Lacy and John Williams. On defense, OLB John Corker was having an outstanding season, along with NT Dave Tipton, ILB Ray Bentley, CB Clarence Chapman, and S David Greenwood.

There was a crowd of 31,905 in attendance, Michigan’s second largest of the season. The fans didn’t have long to wait for the home team to take control of the game. Less than three minutes into the contest, Lacy took a pitchout from Hebert and, rolling to his right, tossed a 38-yard touchdown pass to Holloway. On Michigan’s next possession, Lacy capped a five-play, 57-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run. It was 14-0 after the first quarter, and there was no turning back.

Novo Bojovic added a 42-yard field goal for the Panthers in the second quarter, and shortly before halftime they scored another touchdown when Hebert tossed a screen pass to Carter who turned it into a 68-yard scoring play. Bojovic added a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter and Williams topped off Michigan’s scoring in the final period with an 11-yard touchdown run (the extra point attempt failed, not that it mattered).

Arizona finally got on the board in the fourth quarter when QB Dan Manucci connected with WR Wally Henry for a 48-yard TD, but it only averted a shutout as the Panthers breezed to a 33-7 win.


Michigan’s domination was complete, as the Panthers gained 487 yards to Arizona’s 234 and accumulated 23 first downs to 16 by the Wranglers. Michigan’s defense sacked Manucci four times (three by Corker, pictured at left, to top off his league-leading total of 28) while the Wranglers didn’t record any.

Before being relieved by backup QB Whit Taylor, Bobby Hebert completed 11 of 15 passes for 141 yards with a TD and none intercepted. In addition to throwing for a score, Ken Lacy rushed for 92 yards on 13 carries that included a touchdown; John Williams added another 85 yards and a TD on 16 attempts. Anthony Carter caught four passes for 112 yards and a score and Mike Cobb also had four receptions, for 32 yards.

For the Wranglers, Dan Manucci was successful on 18 of 43 pass attempts for 226 yards with a TD and an interception. TE Mark Keel led the receivers with 5 catches for 72 yards. The feeble running attack was topped by RB Harold Blue, who gained 37 yards on 13 carries.

The Panthers, at 12-6, ended up with the same record as the Chicago Blitz but won the division title thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker (they won both of their games against the highly-touted Blitz). With a full head of steam heading into the playoffs, they easily defeated the Oakland Invaders, Pacific Division champs despite a 9-9 record, in the first round and went on to win the USFL’s first Championship game over the Philadelphia Stars.

Arizona finished at a dismal 4-14, at the bottom of the Pacific Division and tied with the Washington Federals for the league’s worst record. When the Wranglers took the field in the spring of 1984, they would essentially be the team that had played as the Chicago Blitz in ’83 – in an odd turn of events, what was left of the 1983 Arizona club (minus Coach Shively, among others) became, in turn, the Chicago Blitz, under new ownership - but with no greater success.

MVP Profile: Emmitt Smith, 1992

Running Back, Dallas Cowboys


Age: 23
3rd season in pro football & with Cowboys
College: Florida
Height: 5’9” Weight: 203

Prelude:
Taken by the Cowboys in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft, Smith had an immediate impact for the rebuilding club as he ran for 937 yards as a rookie and was selected for the Pro Bowl as well as Offensive Rookie of the Year (AP). In ’91, he led the league with 365 carries for 1563 yards and earned a second trip to the Pro Bowl.

1992 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 373 [2]
Most attempts, game - 30 (for 163 yds.) vs. Philadelphia 11/1
Yards – 1713 [1]
Most yards, game – 174 yards (on 24 carries) at Atlanta 12/21
Average gain – 4.6 [7]
TDs – 18 [1]
100-yard rushing games - 7

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 59
Most receptions, game – 12 (for 67 yds.) at Phoenix 11/22
Yards – 335
Most yards, game - 67 (on 12 catches) at Phoenix 11/22
Average gain – 5.7
TDs – 1

Scoring
TDs – 19 [1]
Points – 114 [6]

Postseason: 3 G
Rushing attempts – 71
Most rushing attempts, game - 25 vs. Philadelphia, NFC Divisional playoff
Rushing yards – 336
Most rushing yards, game - 114 vs. Philadelphia, NFC Divisional playoff; at San Francisco, NFC Championship
Average gain rushing – 4.7
Rushing TDs – 3
100-yard rushing games - 3


Pass receptions – 13
Most pass receptions, game – 7 at San Francisco, NFC Championship
Pass receiving yards - 86
Most pass receiving yards, game - 59 at San Francisco, NFC Championship
Average yards per reception – 6.6
Pass Receiving TDs - 1

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

Cowboys went 13-3 to top the NFC East while placing second to the 49ers in points (409) and touchdowns (48). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Philadelphia Eagles (34-10), NFC Championship over San Francisco 49ers (30-20), and Super Bowl over Buffalo Bills (52-17).

Aftermath:
Smith led the NFL in rushing for a third straight year in 1993 (1486 yards) as the Cowboys repeated as league champions, and he again received MVP recognition. He led the NFL once more in rushing (1773 yards in 1995) in the process of gaining over a thousand yards in 11 straight seasons. Smith also led the league in touchdowns scored on three occasions, including a then-record 25 in 1995. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro four times and was selected to eight Pro Bowls. Smith became the NFL’s all-time leading rusher while still with Dallas before finishing up with two seasons in Arizona. He ended up with 18,355 yards on the ground (17,162 of them with the Cowboys) and scored a total of 175 TDs. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2010.

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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: City Stadium

Green Bay, WI
aka East Stadium



Year opened: 1925
Capacity: 25,000, up from 6000 at opening

Names:
City Stadium, 1925 to date

Pro football tenants:
Green Bay Packers (NFL), 1925-56

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
Green Bay East High School, 1925 to date
Preble High School, 1960-2004

Notes: Often referred to as East Stadium or Old City Stadium and not to be confused with Lambeau Field, which was originally named City Stadium from 1957-64 and was often referred to as the New City Stadium during that time. Owned by Green Bay East High School. Also used for high school soccer matches and track & field. Initially, the stadium lacked both rest rooms and locker rooms - the Packers used the high school for locker room facilities – although these were eventually added (but there was never a visitors’ locker room – visiting teams either used the high school or suited up at the hotel before coming to the stadium). Beginning in 1933, Packers played some home games each year in Milwaukee (the practice continued through 1994).

Fate: While the structure was demolished in 1966, the field is still in use by the high school. An ornamental fence and monuments pertaining to the field’s pro football history have since been added.

1985: Stallions Edge Gamblers Thanks to 5 Field Goals by Danny Miller

The United States Football League Quarterfinal playoff game on June 29, 1985 matched the Birmingham Stallions, with the league’s second best defense, against the USFL’s highest scoring team, the Houston Gamblers.

The host Stallions, coached by Rollie Dotsch, had finished first in the Eastern Conference with a 13-5 record. The defense, which featured DT Doug Smith, LB Herb Spencer, and FS Chuck Clanton (16 interceptions), allowed opponents to score just 299 points during the season. To be sure, the offense was effective as well, led by QB Cliff Stoudt, the league’s second-ranked passer (91.2), and including WR Jim Smith, who caught 87 passes for 1322 yards and 20 TDs; RB Joe Cribbs, the USFL’s leading rusher in 1984 who contributed another 1047 yards on the ground in ’85; and All-League guards Buddy Aydelette and Pat Saindon.

Houston, under Head Coach Jack Pardee, featured a run-and-shoot offense that could generate plenty of points – 618 in 1984 and 544 in ’85. QB Jim Kelly, who had a sensational rookie season in ’84, missed the last four games with a knee injury but still ended up as the USFL’s top-rated passer (97.9) and also paced the league by throwing for 4623 yards and 39 touchdowns. WR Richard Johnson was the leading receiver for the second straight year (103 catches) and gained 1384 yards with 14 TDs; WR Clarence Verdin ranked fourth with 84 receptions that added up to 1004 yards and 9 scores. The team faltered with Kelly out of the lineup, but still finished in third place in the Western Conference at 10-8, and Kelly would be behind center against the Stallions, although wearing a knee brace that would hinder his mobility.

There were 18,500 fans in attendance at Legion Field on a 90-degree day in Birmingham. Stallions PK Danny Miller started off the scoring with 39-yard field goal four minutes into the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Birmingham DB Ted Walton knocked the ball away from Verdin and DB Dennis Woodberry recovered for the Stallions at the Houston 34. Four plays later, the Stallions added to their lead with Stoudt’s eight-yard TD pass to Jim Smith.

Kelly showed no rust following the injury layoff, and completed his first seven passes. His 23-yard scoring throw to WR Gerald McNeil cut Birmingham’s lead to 10-7, and that was the tally after one quarter of play.

The teams traded field goals in the second quarter, although it had appeared that the Gamblers were on their way to another touchdown with the ball deep in Birmingham territory. But a goal-line stand by the Stallions, in which RB Todd Fowler was twice stopped short while attempting to dive into the end zone, caused Houston to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Toni Fritsch. Miller booted a 26-yard field goal for Birmingham and the Stallions took a 13-10 lead into halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, Miller kicked his third field goal of the day from 41 yards out. However, a short time later, Johnson got between the safeties and hauled in a Kelly pass, skidding through the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown. With the successful conversion, Houston had its first lead of the game at 17-16.

Birmingham came right back, driving 35 yards in 10 plays that culminated in Miller booming a 57-yard field goal near the end of the period, and took a 19-17 margin into the fourth quarter. In what was turning into a see-saw battle of field goals, the Gamblers responded with another of their own, of 46 yards by Fritsch with just over nine minutes left to play.

The Stallions drove to midfield on their next possession and, forced to punt, veteran Bob Parsons kicked one that was downed on the Houston one. The Gamblers moved to their 20 before having to punt in turn, and the field position advantage was strongly in the Stallions’ favor as they took over at the Houston 48. Playing conservatively, the offense drove 29 yards in six plays (four runs, including a 21-yard bootleg by Stoudt, and an incomplete pass) to set up Miller’s fifth field goal, which was successful from 35 yards with just under two minutes remaining (pictured at top).

Houston had one last shot, and it didn’t appear that the two-point lead would hold up when Kelly hit McNeil for a 21-yard gain on a fourth-and-18 play to the Birmingham 32 with five seconds remaining. The Gamblers had gone 58 yards in nine plays and now stood to win as the 39-year-old Fritsch, a 13-season pro veteran, attempted a 49-yard field goal. But the portly Austrian placekicker known as La Machine hooked the kick to the left and Birmingham came away with the 22-20 win.


Houston outgained the Stallions (385 yards to 248) and also had more first downs (25 to 18). But as Cliff Stoudt summed up afterward, “The only stat that counts is who got the W and who got the L. I feel real bad for Toni Fritsch - well, I don't feel real bad.”

Stoudt was successful on 13 of 26 passes for 156 yards and was not intercepted. Joe Cribbs gained 70 yards on 16 attempts, playing with an injured hand and bruised ribs. WR Joey Jones caught four passes for 59 yards while Jim Smith also caught four for 45.

While Danny Miller’s kicking statistics during the regular season were fairly ordinary (13 field goals in 20 attempts, five missed PATs), it was the second year in a row that he booted five field goals in a playoff game.

For the Gamblers, Jim Kelly completed 23 of 40 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Richard Johnson caught 7 passes for 120 yards. Todd Fowler ran for 36 yards on 9 carries and Sam Harrell had 29 yards on five attempts.

The end came for the Stallions the following week, as they lost in the Quarterfinal round to the eventual league champions, the Baltimore Stars. In their three seasons of existence, they made it to the postseason twice, advancing to the second round both times. Houston, a 1984 expansion team, went to the playoffs twice and lost in the first round in both instances.

MVP Profile: Gino Cappelletti, 1964

Flanker/Placekicker, Boston Patriots



Age: 30
5th season in pro football & with Patriots
College: Minnesota
Height: 6’0” Weight: 190

Prelude:
A quarterback in college, Cappelletti was undrafted by the NFL and played semi-pro football in Canada before failing in a preseason tryout with the Detroit Lions. After sitting out all of 1959, he made the Patriots of the new AFL as a defensive back and placekicker. In 1961, Cappelletti moved to split end on offense and led the AFL in scoring (147 points) and field goals (17). Slow but sure-handed, he caught 45 passes for 768 yards and 8 TDs and was named to the AFL All-Star game. He scored 128 points in 1962 and again led the league with 113 in ’63 (and also again in field goals with 22). He was named an AFL All-Star for the second time.

1964 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 49 [10, tied with Don Norton]
Most receptions, game – 7 (for 147 yds.) at NY Jets 10/31
Yards – 865 [9]
Most yards, game - 147 (on 7 catches) at NY Jets 10/31
Average gain – 17.7 [9]
TDs – 7 [9, tied with four others]
100-yard receiving games - 2

Rushing
Attempts – 1
Yards – 7
Average gain – 7.0
TDs – 0

Kicking
Field goals – 25 [1]
Most field goals, game - 6 at Denver 10/4
Field goal attempts – 39 [1]
Most field goal attempts, game – 7 at San Diego 9/20
Field goal percentage – 64.1 [2]
PATs – 36 [4]
PAT attempts – 36 [4]
Longest field goal – 51 yards vs. Denver 11/20

Scoring
TDs – 7 [13, tied with four others]
Field Goals – 25
PATs – 36
2-point PATs – 1
Points – 155 [1]

Awards & Honors:
AFL Player of the Year: AP, UPI
2nd team All-AFL: NEA, UPI
AFL All-Star Game

Patriots went 10-3-1 to finish second in the AFL Eastern Division and ranked third in the league in points scored (359).

Aftermath:
Cappelletti led the AFL in scoring over the next two seasons (132 points in 1965, 119 in ’66) and had the league’s best field goal percentage in 1965 (63.0). He was named to the league All-Star game after ’65 and ’66. Cappelletti played a total of 11 seasons, all with the Patriots, and scored a total of 1130 points (his 1100 points in the AFL alone were the most in league history), with 42 TDs, 176 field goals, and 342 extra points. One of 20 players who were in the AFL for all ten seasons, he also finished with 292 pass receptions for 4589 yards.

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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: Tiger Stadium

Detroit, MI
aka Briggs Stadium



Year opened: 1912
Capacity: 52,416

Names:
Navin Field, 1912-37
Briggs Stadium, 1938-60
Tiger Stadium, 1960-2008

Pro football tenants:
Detroit Tigers (APFA), 1921
Detroit Tigers/Panthers (NFL), 1925-26
Detroit Lions (NFL), 1938-74

Postseason games hosted:
NFL National Conf. playoff, Lions 31 Rams 21, Dec. 21, 1952
NFL Championship, Lions 17 Browns 16, Dec. 27, 1953
NFL Championship, Lions 59 Browns 14, Dec. 29, 1957

Other tenants of note:
Detroit Tigers (MLB – AL), 1912-99
Detroit Cougars (NPSL/NASL), 1967-68

Notes: Lions split home games between Briggs Stadium and Univ. of Detroit’s Titan Stadium in 1938 and ’39. Hosted one home game of NFL Cleveland Bulldogs in 1927. Hosted Little League baseball games, 2002. Stadium replaced an earlier ballpark, Bennett Field, which had stood on the same spot but was significantly smaller. Originally named for Frank Navin, long-time president of the Tigers, and was renamed for owner Walter O. Briggs after he gained a controlling interest in the franchise.

Fate: Demolished in 2008-09 after efforts to preserve the structure failed.

1981: Bob Griese Retires from Dolphins

A significant era in Miami Dolphins history came to an end on June 25, 1981 as 36-year-old Bob Griese announced his retirement at a press conference. The 6’1”, 190-pound quarterback, who seemed smaller, had overcome leg injuries and a significant vision problem that forced him to wear glasses on the field over the course of his career, but was unable to sufficiently recover from a lingering shoulder injury suffered during the ’80 season that made it impossible for him to throw, and thus chose to walk away after 14 eventful seasons.

“I think that's one of the things I've always done is not to look at how long I can do something, but how well I can do it,” said Griese. “That's the way I came into the league and I was as shocked as anybody to play for as long as I have.”

“This is a somewhat emotional moment in the history of the Miami Dolphins," team owner Joe Robbie, standing next to Griese, told reporters. “He has been with us 14 or 15 years. Bob has been more important than any of us to this franchise.” Head Coach/GM Don Shula was unable to attend the press conference, but referred to Griese as “the most unselfish player I’ve ever been around.”

Having one year remaining on his $400,000 per year contract, Griese agreed to remain with the club as an assistant to Shula in addition to doing public relations work for the team.

A two-time All-American at Purdue, where he kicked as well as played quarterback, he placed second to Florida’s Steve Spurrier in the 1966 Heisman Trophy balloting. The Dolphins, coming off of their first season as an AFL expansion team that had gone through several quarterbacks along the way, chose Griese in the first round of the ’67 AFL/NFL draft. When starting QB John Stofa went down with a season-ending broken ankle in the opening game, it didn’t take long for the rookie to move into the starting lineup (after overcoming his first pro injuries, a concussion and sprained shoulder). Mobile as well as a good passer (even if his arm was not the strongest), he finished fifth in passing in the AFL and went through one stretch of 122 throws without an interception.

Griese was named to the AFL All-Star Game after each of his first two seasons, but the Dolphins still had plenty of holes and were not yet a winning team – his record as a starter from 1967 to ’69 was 10-20-2 and he led the league by being sacked 33 times in 1969.

All of that changed with the arrival of Shula as head coach in 1970. The team went 10-4 and made it into the playoffs as a wild card entry in the newly-restructured NFL. Griese began to become a more disciplined quarterback, less likely to scramble and more adept at throwing long – particularly thanks to the addition of WR Paul Warfield. With a strong running game led by FB Larry Csonka, HB Jim Kiick, and HB Eugene “Mercury” Morris, Griese threw less but won more, and his skills developed accordingly. His interceptions dropped from 17 in 1970 to 9 in ’71, a season in which he led the NFL in percentage of touchdown passes (7.2 on his 19 scoring throws) and the Dolphins advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time. The fifth-year veteran was a consensus first team All-Pro selection and received MVP honors from the Newspaper Enterprise Association.

In 1972, the Dolphins were even better, although Griese suffered a broken leg five games into the season. Veteran backup QB Earl Morrall guided the club through the remainder of the undefeated regular season and into the playoffs. However, when he struggled in the AFC Championship game against Pittsburgh, Griese came off the bench in the third quarter and led the offense on two touchdown drives to secure the win (his pass completion to Warfield that covered 52 yards highlighted the first one). He was behind center for the Super Bowl victory over the Redskins.

Miami won back-to-back Super Bowls following the 1972 and ’73 seasons, yet Griese threw a combined 18 passes in those two games, completing 14. He deftly guided the ball-control offense, was effective when he did throw, and as Shula said later, “He got as much of a thrill calling the right running play for a touchdown as he did throwing a bomb.”

Analytical and intense, Griese would go on to show, if there was any doubt, that he could excel throwing the ball. When Warfield, Csonka, and Kiick jumped to the World Football League following the ’74 season, the veteran quarterback became all the more important to the team. While he rose to the occasion when healthy, injuries became an issue over the next two years. He suffered a knee injury in 1975 that cost him six games, and a concussion in a ’76 season in which the Dolphins posted a losing record for the first time under Shula.

Wearing glasses for the first time in 1977, Griese recovered to have an outstanding year, throwing more passes (307) than he had since the pre-Shula 1968 season, completing 58.6 percent of them for 2252 yards and a league-leading 22 touchdowns (against 13 interceptions) while also pacing the NFL in passing (87.8 rating). There was no dominant running back (Benny Malone led the team with 615 yards) and the defense was in transition with several young players, but Miami bounced back to 10-4, narrowly missing the playoffs. Griese was a consensus first-team All-Pro for the second time, was selected to the Pro Bowl, and received the Bert Bell Trophy as NFL Player of the Year.

Injuries again took their toll thereafter, although Griese still performed well when he played. He missed a total of five games in ’78 but led the league’s passers in completion percentage (63.0) and was selected to the Pro Bowl once more.

Overall, Griese was selected to two AFL All-Star Games and, after the merger, six Pro Bowls and passed for 25,092 yards with 192 touchdowns. The Dolphins won nearly 70 percent of their regular season games (82-36-1) with Griese at quarterback after Shula took over as coach, and were 6-5 in the playoffs with two NFL Championships. The cerebral quarterback who made up for a lack of flamboyance with cool, precise play was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. His son, Brian, also was a quarterback in the NFL with the Broncos, Buccaneers, and Bears, as well as a year with the Dolphins.