1983: Dickey Throws 5 TD Passes as Packers Defeat Oilers in Overtime

On the morning of September 4, 1983 it seemed doubtful that Lynn Dickey would start at quarterback for the Green Bay Packers later that day in the season-opening game against the Houston Oilers. During the preseason, he had suffered from back spasms and, more recently, missed practice the preceding Friday due to severe headaches as well as the effects of a virus.

“He looked terrible at breakfast,” said seventeenth-year veteran PK Jan Stenerud. “I didn't think there was any way he could play.”

But when the game started before 44,073 at the Astrodome, the eleventh-year veteran and ex-Oiler was behind center for the Packers. Dickey not only played, but excelled as he completed 18 straight passes to start the game. His first incompletion came on an overthrown pass intended for WR John Jefferson with 1:12 left in the half, but by then he had tossed four touchdown passes.

The first had been a 25-yard completion to TE Paul Coffman in the first quarter. Houston responded with a 49-yard field goal by Florian Kempf and then took the lead with a 47-yard TD pass from QB Archie Manning to WR Tim Smith.

Green Bay dominated the second quarter, though, as Dickey connected with Jefferson twice on scoring passes of five and 13 yards and then with RB Gerry Ellis for an 11-yard touchdown. The Packers were ahead by 28-10, but the lead would prove to not be secure in the second half.

Star RB Earl Campbell scored three touchdowns of his own for the Oilers in the third and fourth quarters. The first came in the third period from seven yards out and was countered by a 46-yard Stenerud field goal. Campbell ran for an eight-yard TD in the fourth quarter, and the home team was now only a touchdown behind at 31-24.

After Dickey threw his only interception of the game, in which LB Robert Abraham gave Houston possession at its own 36, the Oilers tied the score at 31-31 when Campbell scored his third touchdown, from one yard out. Green Bay responded with a 74-yard scoring bomb from Dickey to WR James Lofton to go ahead 38-31 with 3:13 to go in regulation.

With 48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, RB Larry Moriarty dove into the end zone from two yards away to cap an 81-yard drive and, with the successful extra point, the contest was again tied at 38-38 and remained so at the end of regulation.

Green Bay’s backup QB David Whitehurst took over for the first overtime possession as Dickey was again suffering from headaches so severe that he needed to leave the field. Starting at the 17, Whitehurst completed a key 10-yard pass to WR Phillip Epps in a third down situation, RB Eddie Lee Ivery had runs of 9, 12, and 8 yards, and the Packers drove to the Houston 24, from where the 40-year-old Stenerud booted the game-winning 42-yard field goal at just under six minutes into the extra period. The high-scoring contest ended with Green Bay on top, 41-38.

The Oilers, playing catchup throughout the second half, outgained the Packers (498 yards to 479) and led in first downs (28 to 22). Overall, the statistics were as close as the final score, with Houston holding a 15-yard edge in rushing (150 to 135) and gaining just four more passing yards (348 to 344). Each team turned the ball over twice.

Lynn Dickey was successful on 27 of 31 passes for 333 yards with five touchdowns and the one interception – the TD passes tied the club record, while the consecutive completions streak of 18 broke the existing standard. James Lofton caught 8 passes for 154 yards and the one long TD, while John Jefferson contributed 6 receptions for 60 yards and two scores. Eddie Lee Ivery paced the running attack with 71 yards on 12 carries.

For the Oilers, Archie Manning went to the air 34 times and completed 22 for 348 yards with a TD and two picked off. Lost in the defeat was Tim Smith’s 8 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown, as well as Earl Campbell’s 123 yards on 27 attempts that included three TDs before he had to leave the game late in the fourth quarter with a bruised knee.

“I'm glad it's over. In the first quarter I was wishing it was over,” said Dickey. “I really don't remember half of it. I never knew anything about a streak. When your line gives you time and your receivers don't drop the ball, you are going to have a good day.”

“It was a great game, gentlemen,” Oilers Coach Ed Biles said to his defeated team. “It's unfortunate we didn't win it but we can't give a better effort. We grew up in the second half.”

For the Packers, it was an encouraging beginning to a season of great expectations following a 5-3-1 record in the strike-shortened ’82 campaign that had the team in the postseason for the first time under Head Coach Bart Starr. Dickey and the passing game had been a big part of that, especially following the arrival of John Jefferson, disgruntled in San Diego, in ’81 to combine with fleet James Lofton and the productive tight end, Paul Coffman.

Alas, any visions of a return to the glory years of the Lombardi era were dashed in what ended up being a disappointing 8-8 season in 1983. Dickey was certainly productive, throwing for a league-leading 4458 yards and 32 touchdowns - however, he also led the NFL with 29 interceptions. Lofton (58 receptions, 1300 yards) and Coffman (54 catches, 814 yards, 11 TDs) were again highly successful, and so was Jefferson (57 receptions, 830 yards) who chafed at being used more as a possession receiver. The defense played poorly, however, and overall the club was as inconsistent as the record indicated. It spelled the end for Starr as head coach after nine years at the helm.

For Houston, the opening-game loss was the team’s eighth consecutive regular season defeat. The Oilers, one of the AFC’s strongest teams under Head Coach Bum Phillips in the late 70s, suffered through a dreadful 1-8 year in 1982 under Biles. With poor play by the offensive line combined with the effects of wear-and-tear from carrying a heavy workload since his rookie season in 1978, Earl Campbell’s production dropped off significantly. His performance against the Packers was heartening, and he went on to rush for 1301 yards and 12 touchdowns in ‘83. But 34-year-old Archie Manning, obtained from New Orleans during the ’82 season, started just three games for the Oilers as the club lost another nine straight contests and finished at a miserable 2-14. By that point, Ed Biles was gone as head coach and Chuck Studley guided the club the rest of the way in the interim.

MVP Profile: Tobin Rote, 1963

Quarterback, San Diego Chargers



Age: 35
14th season in pro football, 1st in AFL & with Chargers
College: Rice
Height: 6’3” Weight: 222

Prelude:
Rote was chosen in the second round of the 1950 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers and took over as the starting quarterback as a rookie. Playing for a poor team, he led the league by tossing 24 interceptions. Over the course of seven seasons with the Packers, he established himself as the league’s best running quarterback, gaining a high of 523 yards in ’51 that was the NFL record for a QB until 1971; Rote also scored 11 TDs in 1956. As a passer, he was inconsistent but led the league in both attempts and completions twice, in passing yards once (2203 in 1956), and TD passes twice (17 in 1955, 18 in ’56). He was selected for the Pro Bowl in ‘56. Traded to Detroit prior to the 1957 season, Rote split time with veteran Bobby Layne, and when Layne went down with a broken leg, guided the Lions the rest of the way to an NFL Championship. Layne was traded away in ’58 and Rote started for the next two years, but after a poor season in 1959 and a contract dispute with the Lions, he jumped to Toronto of the CFL. He led the league with 38 TD passes as the Argonauts won a division title in 1960 and played two more seasons for them before signing with the AFL Chargers for 1963, a team searching for a veteran QB to lead the high-powered attack.

1963 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 286 [6]
Most attempts, game – 29 vs. Buffalo 9/8, at NY Jets 11/2, at Boston 11/10
Completions – 170 [4]
Most completions, game – 21 at NY Jets 11/2
Yards – 2510 [3]
Most yards, game – 369 at NY Jets 11/2
Completion percentage – 59.4 [1]
Yards per attempt – 8.8 [1]
TD passes – 20 [3, tied with Tom Flores]
Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. Kansas City 9/29, at Denver 10/6, at NY Jets 11/2, at Oakland 12/8
Interceptions – 17 [6]
Most interceptions, game – 4 vs. Oakland 10/27
Passer rating – 86.7 [1]
300-yard passing games – 1
200-yard passing games – 6

Rushing
Attempts – 24
Most attempts, game - 5 (for 7 yds.) at Oakland 12/8
Yards – 62
Most yards, game – 12 yards (on 2 carries) at Buffalo 11/17
Yards per attempt – 2.6
TDs – 2

Points
TDs – 2
Points – 12

Postseason: 1 G (AFL Championship vs. Boston)
Pass attempts – 15
Pass completions – 10
Passing yards – 173
TD passes – 2
Interceptions – 0

Rushing attempts – 4
Rushing yards – 15
Average gain rushing – 3.8
Rushing TDs – 1

Awards & Honors:
AFL Player of the Year: AP
1st team All-AFL: League, AP, UPI, NEA, NY Daily News
AFL All-Star Game

Chargers went 11-3 to win AFL Western Division while leading league in points scored (399), touchdowns (50), and total yardage (5145). Defeated Boston Patriots (51-10) for AFL Championship.

Aftermath:
Rote had a lesser season with the Chargers in 1964 and split time with young QB John Hadl. San Diego again won the Western Division, but lost to Buffalo in the title game with Rote at quarterback most of the way. He played briefly for Denver in 1966, his last season. Overall, in the NFL and AFL he passed for 18,850 yards, throwing for 148 TDs while being intercepted 191 times. He also ran for 3128 yards and scored 37 touchdowns, although his mobility was much diminished by the time he joined the Chargers. Rote’s CFL passing totals were 9872 yards with 66 touchdowns and 58 interceptions, and he ran for 238 yards.

--

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 4/12/12]
[Updated 2/14/14]

1966: Dolphins Score Quick TD, But Lose Debut to Raiders

September 2, 1966 marked the regular season debut of the American Football League’s first expansion team, the Miami Dolphins. Coached by George Wilson, who once led the NFL Lions to a championship, the Dolphins, like all first-year teams, were made up of a combination of veteran castoffs and inexperienced young talent.

The quarterback position included examples of both, with strong-armed but immobile Dick Wood, a fifth-year veteran most recently with the Raiders and, for two years before that, the Jets, slated to start and rookie Rick Norton, the club’s first draft choice out of Kentucky, who was the primary backup. Miami had been successful in signing 11 of its draft choices, which in addition to Norton notably included another Kentucky star, LB Frank Emanuel, and split end Howard Twilley out of Tulsa.

There were 26,776 in attendance at the Orange Bowl on a Friday night to welcome the new club as it hosted the Oakland Raiders. Oakland, with a new head coach in John Rauch, was coming off of an 8-5-1 season in 1965 and was a 17-point favorite against the newcomers.

It didn’t take long for the Dolphins to excite the home crowd. HB Joe Auer, a 25-year-old Miami-area resident who had been a reserve with the Buffalo Bills, started things off with a bang by returning the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown (pictured above). Only Oakland’s DB Rodger Bird came close to stopping him, missing a tackle at the 10 before Auer dove into the end zone and was greeted by entertainer Danny Thomas, one of the team’s co-owners.

Things went quickly downhill from there. While the Raiders offense sputtered, especially when a first quarter bomb from QB Cotton Davidson was dropped by a wide-open (and normally reliable) split end Art Powell at the Miami 35 yard line, the Dolphins proved adept at beating themselves. Wood was intercepted four times in the first half, twice each by safety Howie Williams and CB Dave Grayson.

The interceptions proved critical, cutting off two promising drives and leading to 10 points for the Raiders in the second quarter. Twice Oakland took possession on the Miami 16, leading to a 16-yard field goal by Mike Mercer and a two-yard TD run by FB Hewritt Dixon. The Raiders led narrowly by 10-7 at halftime.


The rookie Norton took over at quarterback for the Dolphins in the second half. Early in the third quarter, Miami got a break when CB Jim Warren intercepted a Davidson pass. The Dolphins established their ground game in the ensuing drive as Auer and FB Billy Joe ran the ball effectively. However, seventh-year veteran Gene Mingo missed a 19-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game.

Tom Flores replaced Davidson at quarterback and led the Raiders on an 11-play, 81-yard drive that included passes of 17 yards to Powell, 19 yards to FB Roger Hagberg, and 12 yards to TE Tom Mitchell. The possession resulted in a 15-yard TD pass to Powell with 3:27 remaining in the period, extending Oakland’s lead to 17-7.

The Dolphins resorted to trickery as the head coach’s son, George Wilson Jr., who was also the punter and a backup quarterback, took off on a fake punt and ran 37 yards to the Raiders’ 11. But Mingo missed another short field goal attempt, this time from 15 yards. Still, Miami got on the board again and made the game close when Norton tossed a two-yard scoring pass to aging ex-Bears FB Rick Casares for a TD that cut Oakland’s lead to 17-14.

Near the end, the Raiders finally clinched the win when Flores threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell to cap a 72-yard drive with just over two minutes left to play. The extra point attempt failed and the final score was 23-14.

“Except for the alertness of Williams and Grayson, we would have been in real trouble,” said a relieved John Rauch afterward.

The Raiders outgained Miami (257 yards to 182), especially dominating in net passing yards (241 to 88). However, they ran the ball poorly, gaining just 16 yards on 22 attempts to 94 yards by the Dolphins, and for as much as Miami was damaged by five turnovers, Oakland hurt itself with six.


Cotton Davidson completed only 7 of 19 passes for 80 yards with no TDs and three interceptions. Tom Flores was more effective, going to the air 20 times and completing 11 for 161 yards with two touchdowns against one that was picked off. Art Powell made up for his early drop with 8 catches for 104 yards and a TD. Roger Hagberg led the anemic rushing attack with 23 yards on six carries.

For the newcomers, Dick Wood completed just 4 of 13 passes for 49 yards and, of course, had the four interceptions. Rick Norton was successful on 7 of 19 throws for 52 yards with a TD as well as an interception. George Wilson Jr., with his one carry on the fake punt, led the Dolphins in rushing with 37 yards. Billy Joe gained 31 yards on 9 attempts and Joe Auer, who started things off in spectacular fashion with the kickoff return touchdown, ran for 25 yards on 10 carries and caught two passes for 30 more to lead the team in pass receiving yardage. The old pro, 35-year-old Rick Casares, caught the most passes, with three for 21 yards and a score.

It took until the sixth week of the season for the Dolphins to finally win their first game, and they ended up at 3-11 and tied for last in the AFL’s Eastern Division with the Houston Oilers. The Raiders once again went 8-5-1 to place second in the Western Division.

The quarterback position remained unsettled for Miami all through the inaugural season, with four different players starting. Joe Auer ended up being the club’s leading rusher (416 yards) and scorer (nine touchdowns for 54 points), but the fullback position was held down by several players along the way. Only the defensive backfield truly came together, as Jim Warren and safety Willie West were AFL All-Stars.

1979: Eckwood and Turnovers Key Tampa Bay Win Over Lions

Getting a jump on the rest of the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers started off the 1979 regular season with a Saturday night game against the Detroit Lions on September 1. There were 68,225 in attendance on an 80-degree evening at Tampa Stadium.

Since first taking the field in 1976, the Buccaneers, coached by the patient and quotable John McKay, had endured plenty of growing pains. They lost all 14 games in their inaugural season and, in fact, 26 straight before finally reeling off two wins to finish out ’77. In 1978, they got off to a 4-4 start before injuries and inexperience caused the bottom to fall out on a 5-11 campaign. There was reason for hope as the ’79 season got under way, with second-year QB Doug Williams, power-running RB Ricky Bell, and tight ends Jimmie Giles and Jim Obradovich healthy and ready to go on offense and a defense anchored by the Selmon brothers, DE Lee Roy and LB Dewey, and including a backfield that led the NFL with 29 interceptions in 1978. In the season-opening game, a newcomer to the offense, third-round draft pick RB Jerry Eckwood (pictured above), played a key role as well.

The Lions, coached by Monte Clark, were coming off of a 7-9 season, but had closed out the schedule at 6-3 after a slow start. Rookie DE Al “Bubba” Baker accounted for an unofficial total of 23 sacks (individual sacks did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982) and Gary Danielson had emerged as a competent starting quarterback. However, Danielson was lost for the year with a knee injury suffered just a week before the opening contest – starting in his place was eighth-year veteran Joe Reed, a mediocre career backup.

Things started off badly for the Lions on the first play from scrimmage when RB Dexter Bussey fumbled and Tampa Bay LB David Lewis recovered at the Detroit 17. The offense couldn’t get into the end zone and Neil O’Donoghue kicked a 31-yard field goal at just over a minute into the opening period to give the home team the early lead.

The Bucs took advantage of another Detroit fumble in the first quarter, this time by RB Horace King, with Lee Roy Selmon picking up the ball and running 29 yards for a touchdown and 10-0 lead (it was the only TD of Selmon’s Hall of Fame career).

In all, the Lions turned the ball over three times in the first quarter, but seemed as though they would get back into the game when CB Luther Bradley recovered a fumble by Eckwood that was forced by LB James Hunter. Six plays later, Reed passed to TE David Hill for an 11-yard TD, cutting Tampa Bay’s margin to 10-7.

The Buccaneers came back as Bell powered over for a seven-yard touchdown to cap an 11-play, 62-yard drive that was helped along by penalties on Detroit DB Walt Williams (pass interference and an illegal chuck, which turned an incompletion on a third-and-eight play into a Tampa Bay first down). Later in the second quarter, Doug Williams passed to Giles on a touchdown play that covered 66 yards. The Buccaneers held a solid 24-7 lead at the half.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Tampa Bay put together a drive that was aided by two fourth-down conversions and ended with Williams tossing a two-yard TD pass to Obradovich early in the final period.

Joe Reed suffered a pulled muscle and was relieved by backup Jeff Komlo in the fourth quarter. The rookie quarterback from Delaware led the Lions to a touchdown as RB Rick Kane ran for a three-yard score with 4:39 remaining in the contest, but it was too little, too late. Detroit got two last points when Tampa Bay backup QB Mike Rae was tackled in his end zone for a safety, but the final score was a resounding 31-16 win for the Buccaneers.

It was Tampa Bay’s first win over the Lions as well as its first opening-game victory. The Bucs ground out a club-record 229 rushing yards as they outgained the Lions (334 yards to 231) and had the edge in first downs (18 to 16).

Jerry Eckwood spearheaded the running game with 121 yards on 20 carries while Ricky Bell added 53 yards on 13 attempts that included a touchdown. Doug Williams completed just 4 of 16 passes for 99 yards, but two of the completions were for touchdowns and there were no interceptions, and he kept the offense moving effectively as a result of the running attack. Jimmie Giles (pictured below) caught three passes for 97 yards and the one long TD.


Neither quarterback was particularly effective for Detroit, as Joe Reed completed 8 of 15 passes for 61 yards and a touchdown and Jeff Komlo, attempting to play catch-up, was successful on just 5 of 21 throws for 45 yards; neither was intercepted (Komlo quickly supplanted Reed as the starter). Horace King led the running attack with 53 yards on 10 carries. David Hill was the top receiver with 5 catches for 48 yards and a TD.

The convincing opening-night win signaled a major turnaround by the Buccaneers. They won their first five games on the way to topping the NFC Central with a 10-6 record and advancing to the conference title game. For the Lions, the loss was a bad portent as they proceeded to go 2-14 and finish at the bottom of the division.

As the primary outside running threat, Jerry Eckwood gained 690 yards on 194 carries (the 121-yard performance remained the best of his three-year career). Ricky Bell was the team’s top rusher, accumulating 1263 yards with a 4.5 average. As the opening day showing indicated, Doug Williams was still very much a work in progress, throwing for 2448 yards and 18 TDs, but with 24 interceptions and a 41.8 completion percentage. But the defense ranked first overall in the NFL and Lee Roy Selmon was the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year.

1934: First College All-Star Game Ends in Scoreless Tie

August 31, 1934 marked the first installment of an annual preseason football event that lasted until 1976 when the reigning NFL Champions, the Chicago Bears, took on a team of College All-Stars at Soldier Field in Chicago. The All-Stars were chosen in a poll conducted by the Chicago Tribune with the assistance of 105 other newspapers.

The contest was the idea of sportswriter Arch Ward, creator of major league baseball’s All-Star game the previous year (and later a prime mover of a significant rival to the NFL, the All-America Football Conference) and was played on behalf of Chicago Charities. While it was anticipated that the pro champions would dominate the All-Stars, it was a great publicity vehicle for the National Football League at a point when college football was still dominant and the professional game sought wider acceptance.

There were 79,432 fans in attendance for the Friday night contest. College rules were used for the most part, although the goal posts were on the goal line, as was the case in the NFL at that time. An impressive ceremony opened the proceedings as the lights were turned off and each All-Star was introduced while running in a single spotlight onto the field, accompanied by his college team’s fight song.


The All-Stars, coached by Noble Kizer of Purdue, got off to a fast start in the first quarter when Iowa HB Joe Laws (pictured at left) intercepted a pass by Bears QB Carl Brumbaugh and returned it to the Chicago 38 yard line. Laws ran twice around left end to get the ball to the 21. HB Beattie Feathers from Tennessee got inside the 20 but, on his next carry, fumbled and LB Ookie Miller recovered for Chicago on the 16, ending the scoring threat.

In the second quarter, it was the turn of the Bears to move into scoring position as they completed consecutive passes that brought them to the All-Star nine yard line and also brought the spectators to their feet. However, star end Bill Hewitt fumbled a lateral from HB Gene Ronzani and Notre Dame tackle Ed Krause recovered.

The All-Stars once again threatened as Michigan HB Herman Everhardus guided them to the Chicago 27, but once more they fumbled it away when back Fred Hecker of Purdue lost the ball and the Bears recovered.

The All-Stars had the longest gain of the game when FB Mike Mikulak of Oregon returned the kickoff to open the second half 45 yards. They again came close to getting on the board, but Washington end Bill Smith barely missed a 40-yard field goal attempt.

In the fourth quarter, the Bears intercepted a pass and had good field position at their own 45. HB Johnny Sisk ran for six yards to take the NFL champs into All-Star territory. HB Red Grange then threw a pass to Sisk that covered 25 yards, but the drive stalled and the Bears again came up empty.

Later in the final period, Chicago end Wayland Becker blocked a punt and the Bears took over at the All-Star 19. However, when the Bears attempted to go for a quick scoring strike, Laws intercepted HB George Corbett’s pass on his goal line. Everhardus (pictured below) punted the ball 50 yards to again pin the pro champs back.


With time running out, Nebraska HB George Sauer intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards to the Chicago 36. Smith attempted another field goal, this time from 42 yards, but missed and the 0-0 duel came to an end.

The All-Stars outgained the Bears on the ground (136 yards to 62) and also had more first downs (6 to 3). Joe Laws was the most consistent runner for the All-Stars while Michigan center Chuck Bernard played notably well on the line.

“They were better than we thought they would be,” said Chicago’s Head Coach George Halas. “You can't beat that Notre Dame running attack.”

As would be the case throughout the series, several of the players who had notable performances for the All-Stars went on to play pro football. The Bears benefited from the presence of Beattie Feathers, who became the NFL’s first thousand-yard rusher with 1004 in an impressive rookie season. Joe Laws played 12 seasons and George Sauer three for the Green Bay Packers.

While the games were often competitive in the early years, gradually the pro teams tended to dominate the contests. They won 31 times, to 9 for the All-Stars, and there were two ties. Eventually, the College All-Star Game fell victim to pro teams complaining about their top prospects missing time in training camp and being exposed to injury, athletes themselves becoming less willing to jeopardize big contracts through potential injury, and the predictable domination of the pro clubs. But for many years, it served as the annual kickoff to the preseason and a vehicle for the top players coming out of college to show what they could do against pro competition.

Past Venue: Luna Bowl

Cleveland, OH



Year opened: circa 1912
Capacity: 20,000

Names:
Luna Park Stadium
Luna Bowl (unofficial)

Pro football tenants:
Cleveland Panthers (AFL), 1926
Cleveland Bulldogs (NFL), 1927

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
John Carroll Univ. (college football)

Notes: Constructed as part of Luna Park, an amusement park. A separate baseball park was adjacent to the football stadium. Stadium also used for soccer.

Fate: Destroyed by fire in 1929. Following the closing of the amusement park, a housing development was built on the site.

1974: Injunction Removes Matuszak, but Texans Beat NY Stars

The Houston Texans had the oldest and most veteran-laden team in the World Football League’s 1974 season, but that did not bring them a great deal of success. By the time of their Week 8 matchup against the visiting New York Stars on August 28, the Texans were just 2-4-1. The solid defense had performed well until just the week before, against the Stars at Downing Stadium, when they were blown out by a score of 43-10. The offense had difficulty putting points on the board and had yet to score more than 15 points in a game.

Houston’s defense was to be further bolstered by the addition of 6’8”, 282-pound DE John Matuszak, who had jumped from the NFL Oilers to the Texans during the preceding week. An All-American at Tampa and the number one overall draft choice in 1973, he had played in a preseason game with the Oilers and practiced the two days before leaving camp suddenly and announcing the next day that he had joined the Texans. He indicated that he had found a loophole in his contract with the Oilers that allowed him to sign and play immediately with the Texans – a point of dispute with the NFL club that would lead to a bizarre situation during the game.

New York, in the meantime, had won five straight games, including the big win over the Texans the previous week, after losing the first two.

There were 10,126 fans in attendance for the Wednesday night contest at the Astrodome. They saw yet another ex-NFL veteran, safety Richmond Flowers, return the opening kickoff 30 yards. They also saw the home team get the first big break of the game when safety Joe Green recovered a fumble at the New York 17 yard line. Shortly thereafter, QB Mike Taliaferro threw a six-yard touchdown pass to TE Willie Frazier. The action point attempt failed, but the Texans led by 7-0 (in the WFL, touchdowns counted for seven points and were followed by an action point, which could not be kicked).

Early in the second quarter, Taliaferro was intercepted by New York CB Larry Shears, who returned it 48 yards. Following the defensive series by Houston, Harris County sheriff’s deputies entered the field at the Astrodome looking for Matuszak and handed him a temporary injunction ordering him not to play for the Texans. Matuszak had been escorted down the sideline by owner Steve Arnold.

“I didn't have time to read the court order and evaluate it,” the flashy owner of the Texans said, “but God, it looked real. And I didn't want to go to jail.”

Matuszak waved the papers at the stunned and silenced crowd and then received a roar of approval as he made his way to the bench and watched the remainder of the game from there (pictured at top). Moses Lajterman proceeded to kick a 34-yard field goal for New York following Matuszak’s removal from the contest and the score remained 7-3 at the half.

Early in the fourth quarter, Taliaferro threw a second scoring pass, this time to a wide-open WR Rick Eber for a 25-yard TD. Later, with just over two minutes remaining, the Stars scored when QB Tom Sherman connected with WR Kreg Kapitan for an 11-yard TD. The two again combined for the lone successful action point of the game.

New York got the ball back with less than a minute remaining but, having no time outs left, couldn’t get into field goal range before time ran out. Houston held on to win, 14-11.

The Texans outgained New York (327 yards to 205) and had more first downs (18 to 13). There were just three turnovers, with Houston giving the ball up twice, but a total of 10 penalties, with 11 committed by the Texans.

Mike Taliaferro completed 11 of 20 passes for 182 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. FB Mike Richardson led the Texans in rushing with 83 yards on 18 carries. Rick Eber caught four passes for 81 yards and a TD.

For the Stars, Tom Sherman was successful on 12 of 29 throws for 119 yards with one TD and none intercepted. RB Ed White rushed for 42 yards on 9 attempts. Kreg Kapitan and WR Tommy Spinks each caught five passes, with Kapitan gaining 54 yards to 50 for Spinks.

In all, John Matuszak appeared in five plays for Houston, and was outstanding during that brief period. The sheriff’s deputies had intended to serve the papers before the teams took the field, but Oilers owner Bud Adams said they had left too late to get to the stadium on time (at least one account indicated that the deputies got lost in the Astrodome).

In another twist, Stars GM Bob Keating protested the game afterward because Houston dressed 39 players instead of the league limit of 37.

“Terry Cole and Paul Zaeski were the extra players dressed by (Head Coach) Jim Garrett of the Texans,” said Keating. He further indicated that the problem was caused when Houston picked up DT Bill Yost and WR Billy Walik prior to the game and did not declare them active or inactive. Nothing came of the protest and the result stood.

Matuszak was left behind the following week when the team went to Hawaii, as the hearing on the court order was set for September 5. In the end, he never played again for either the Texans or the Oilers. Unappreciative of his antics, the NFL club dealt the big defensive end to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he lasted two seasons while having off-field issues with drugs and alcohol. He was traded again, this time to Washington, but never made it to the regular season after running afoul of Head Coach George Allen (when asked by reporters why Matuszak had been cut, the coach responded, “Vodka and Valium, the breakfast of champions.”). Picked up by the Oakland Raiders, the player known simply as “The Tooz” finally achieved some level of the success that had been anticipated for him and was part of the team that won the Super Bowl following the 1980 season (his next to last).

By the time the WFL season ended, neither the Texans nor Stars were in their original location (or under the same ownership). The Texans moved to Shreveport, Louisiana (and were renamed the Steamer) less than a month after hosting the Stars and finished at a disappointing 7-12-1 and tied for third place in the Western Division with the Portland Storm. Shortly thereafter, the Stars shifted to Charlotte, North Carolina and became the Charlotte Hornets. From their promising beginning, they ended up at 10-10 and second in the Eastern Division.