1984: Bandits Stifle Punchless Panthers

The Michigan Panthers, champions of the United States Football League’s first season in 1983, had gotten off to a 6-0 start in ’84. Head Coach Jim Stanley’s team, featuring the passing combination of QB Bobby Hebert to WR Anthony Carter, looked as though it was on its way to another title until Carter suffered a season-ending broken arm in the sixth game. The Panthers lost the two that followed and were not the same without the second-year wide receiver, who was also an outstanding punt returner.

On April 23, 1984 Michigan hosted the Tampa Bay Bandits at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Bandits, coached by Steve Spurrier, were 5-3 and had won their previous two contests after losing three straight. 34-year-old veteran QB John Reaves directed the attack and had outstanding targets in WR Eric Truvillion and TE Marvin Harvey. RB Gary Anderson, in his first full year with the club, was proving to be a productive all-purpose back.

There were 31,443 fans in attendance for the Monday night contest. The visitors started out impressively, putting together an eight-play, 80-yard drive in their first possession. Reaves completed two key third down passes to Harvey along the way and finished the possession off by connecting with the tight end once more for a 12-yard touchdown.

Meanwhile, the Panthers were having difficulties moving the ball. But after two uninspiring possessions, Hebert woke up the crowd with a bomb to WR Walter Broughton, running a deep post pattern, that covered 80 yards. The score was tied at 7-7 after a quarter of play.

The Bandits got a break in the second quarter when Michigan RB John Williams fumbled the ball in his own territory and it was recovered by Tampa Bay LB James Harrell, who returned it 18 yards. Reaves quickly tossed another TD pass, this time of 17 yards to Truvillion in the left corner of the end zone, and Tampa Bay was back in front with 4:40 left in the half.

There was very little offense on display in the second half, but with the defense keeping the Panthers in check, the Bandits could afford to play for ball control. Zenon Andrusyshyn added field goals of 38 and 20 yards (he also missed twice, from 42 and 44 yards) and Tampa Bay coasted to an easy 20-7 win.

Michigan’s offense was stagnant throughout the game, with the long touchdown play the only highlight. The Panthers had just 44 rushing yards, 10 first downs, and turned the ball over five times. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay outgained Michigan by 342 yards to 295 and rolled up 20 first downs while dominating possession at 37:11 to 22:49.

John Reaves (pictured above) completed 22 of 37 passes for 251 yards with two touchdowns and an interception (Tampa Bay’s only turnover). Marvin Harvey caught 7 passes for 103 yards and a TD and Eric Truvillion contributed 6 receptions for 79 yards and the other touchdown. Gary Anderson and FB Greg Boone each carried the ball 16 times, with Boone gaining 67 yards to Anderson’s 43.

For the Panthers, Bobby Hebert went to the air 35 times and completed 18 for 262 yards with the one TD but was intercepted four times (twice by CB Warren Hanna). TE Mike Cobb had 7 receptions for 68 yards while, thanks to the long scoring play, Warren Broughton led the team in receiving yards with 96 on his two catches. RB Ken Lacy rushed for 34 yards on 9 carries and added 6 pass receptions for 52 yards.

“We felt that since they had lost two games in a row they would want to set up their running game,” said DE Mike Butler of the Bandits, a former Green Bay Packer. “So what we wanted to do was take that away from them from the beginning and that's what we accomplished.”

“It’s difficult to do the job when we get outplayed,” said a disappointed Coach Jim Stanley. “We didn’t get enough pressure on the quarterback. It appeared that we didn’t have enough heart and soul.”

The third straight defeat for Michigan put them in a three-way tie atop the Central Division with Houston and Oklahoma. They lost again the following week before ending the slide and ultimately made it into the postseason as a Wild Card entry with a 10-8 record, losing an epic overtime game to the Los Angeles Express.

The third straight win for Tampa Bay kept the club just behind the Birmingham Stallions and New Orleans Breakers in the Southern Division. The Bandits also ended up in the playoffs as a Wild Card at 14-4, losing to the Stallions in the first round.

John Reaves had an outstanding season, throwing for 4092 yards and 28 touchdowns. Eric Truvillion and Marvin Harvey each caught 70 passes and scored 9 TDs, with 1044 and 938 yards, respectively.

Bobby Hebert, dealing with the effects of a knee injury that hindered his mobility as well as the loss of his primary receiver, ended up with 3758 passing yards and 24 TD passes, but also gave up 22 interceptions, tying him for second in the USFL in that dubious category.

1995: Jaguars Obtain Mark Brunell from Packers

On April 21, 1995 the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars swung the first trade in franchise history. With the NFL draft looming, they dealt their third and fifth round selections to the Green Bay Packers for QB Mark Brunell.

The 24-year-old Brunell had played collegiately at the University of Washington, where he was successful until suffering a knee injury as a junior. Losing his starting job to Billy Joe Hobert, he regained it when Hobert received an NCAA suspension, but the injury damaged his draft status – he lasted until the fifth round in 1993. Behind the durable Brett Favre, Brunell saw no action as a rookie and appeared in two games in ’94. While there were concerns regarding his size (6'1”, 217) and passing accuracy, the mobile lefthander was considered a good prospect and was compared to San Francisco’s star QB Steve Young.

A restricted free agent, the Packers had been in negotiations with the Philadelphia Eagles during the week prior to the draft. The Eagles offered a four-year, $3.8 million deal but the quarterback’s agent rejected it and Green Bay then swung the trade with the Jaguars, pending Brunell’s acceptance of a three-year, $3.1 million pact that offered incentives, which came about quickly.

Brunell joined Steve Beuerlein and Andre Ware on the roster as quarterbacks for Jacksonville, and USC’s Rob Johnson was drafted in the fourth round to add to the mix. Ware ended up being the odd man out, but it was the 30-year-old veteran Beuerlein behind center as the inaugural season got under way. The Jaguars had invested heavily in free agents (as had that year’s other expansion club, the Carolina Panthers) and expectations were higher than usual for a team in its first season. Following a disappointing 1-4 start, Brunell was inserted into the lineup.

The Jaguars, under tough Head Coach Tom Coughlin, were in flux during their first season. The receiving corps was uninspiring, but Brunell’s performance was impressive. He completed 58.1 % of his passes for 2168 yards with 15 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. His passer rating was a solid 82.6 and he ranked fourth in the AFC with a 2.0 interception percentage. In addition, Brunell’s mobility paid off as he rushed for 480 yards and four TDs, averaging 7.2 yards per carry.

Things improved dramatically for both the young quarterback and the team in 1996. It didn’t start out that way – the Jaguars won only four of their first 11 games and Brunell had difficulties, throwing bad passes and giving up too many interceptions. But things came together in a 5-0 surge to finish off the regular season and qualify for the playoffs as a 9-7 wild card entry. RB Natrone Means played a big part in the winning streak, rushing for 364 yards and taking some of the pressure off of the quarterback. In addition, disappointing veteran WR Andre Rison was let go and replaced by Jimmy Smith, who paired with WR Keenan McCardell to provide a formidable pass receiving tandem. Brunell passed for a league-leading 4367 yards and 7.8 yards per attempt. He also led NFL quarterbacks with 396 rushing yards even though he also was sacked a league-leading 50 times. While he threw fewer touchdown passes (19) than interceptions (20), most of the pickoffs came when the club was struggling in the first half of the season. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl and also received a contract extension.

Jacksonville continued its streak into the postseason, stunning Buffalo in the Wild Card round and Denver in the Divisional playoff before finally succumbing to New England in the AFC Championship game.

The Jaguars followed up with a better record in 1997 (11-5) but didn’t get as far in the postseason, losing to Denver in the Wild Card playoff. Brunell suffered a knee injury in the preseason, missed two games, and had difficulty when he returned due to the diminished mobility. Still, he led the AFC in passing (91.2 rating), threw for 3281 yards with 18 TDs to just 7 interceptions, and again gained selection to the Pro Bowl.

The ’98 Jaguars benefited from the arrival of rookie RB Fred Taylor (1223 rushing yards) and put together another 11-5 record, advancing to the Divisional round of the playoffs. However, Brunell again missed time with injuries and his numbers slipped, although not badly – he ranked fourth in the conference with an 89.9 rating and had 20 touchdown passes to 9 interceptions.

The 1999 season marked a major high point for the club, as it put together an AFC-best 14-2 tally and reached the AFC title game. Brunell missed one game, threw for 3060 yards and was selected to his third Pro Bowl. But with expectations high for reaching the top in 2000, the team slipped badly to 7-9. While Brunell had another fine season statistically (3640 yards, 20 TDs), he was also sacked 54 times as the line sprang leaks due to injuries.

Things did not get better in 2001 and ’02 as salary cap problems and attrition overtook the club, with key offensive performers such as McCardell and OT Tony Boselli departing. Brunell’s numbers remained strong but his mobility was significantly diminished and he continued to take many sacks. Jacksonville posted back-to-back 6-10 records and Coach Coughlin was let go. Brunell lasted one more season (and went into it having been told by the front office that he would not receive a contract extension), giving way to rookie QB Byron Leftwich, the team’s first round draft pick, and moved on to Washington where he briefly enjoyed a resurgence before retreating to journeyman backup status.

In nine seasons with the Jaguars, he completed 60.4 % of his passes for 25,698 yards with 144 touchdowns and 86 interceptions. He also rushed for 2219 yards in 429 attempts (5.2 avg.) and exhibited outstanding leadership and toughness. The team’s record in his starts was 63-54, with the bulk of the wins coming from 1996 to ’99, although with somewhat disappointing results in the postseason.

As a footnote, Green Bay used the third and fifth round draft choices they received for 1995 to draft, respectively, North Carolina FB William Henderson and RB Travis Jervey out of The Citadel. Henderson played 12 years for the Packers, caught 320 passes out of the backfield, and was an All-Pro in 2004. Jervey made his mark on special teams in four years with Green Bay before moving on to the 49ers - he went to the Pro Bowl following the ’97 season as a Special Teams player.

MVP Profile: Sid Luckman, 1943

Quarterback/Defensive Back, Chicago Bears

Age:  27 (Nov. 21)

5^th season in pro football & with Bears

College: Columbia

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 195

Prelude:

The Bears traded up to the second spot in the 1939 NFL draft to take Luckman, who had been a star single-wing tailback in college. Following a difficult rookie season of transitioning to T-formation quarterback (he played at halfback for part of the year), he led the Bears to championships in 1940 and ’41 and was an All-Pro selection in 1941 and ’42. Luckman was intelligent and an excellent tactician on the field as well as an outstanding passer from any range.

1943 Season Summary

Appeared in all 10 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 202 [2]

Completions – 110 [2]

Yards – 2194 [1]

Completion percentage – 54.5 [2]

Yards per attempt – 10.9 [1]

TD passes – 28 [1]

Most TD passes, game – 7 at NY Giants 11/14

Interceptions – 12 [5, tied with Tony Canadeo]

Passer rating – 107.5 [1](Ranked 2nd by system used at time)

Rushing

Attempts – 22

Yards – -40

Yards per attempt – -1.8

TDs – 1

Punting

Punts – 34 [5]

Yards – 1220

Average – 35.9 [9]

Punts blocked – 1

Longest punt – 78 yards

Interceptions

Interceptions – 4 [10, tied with four others]

Return yards – 85 [7]

TDs – 0

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 1   

Yards – 7

Average per return – 7.0

TDs – 0

Punt Returns

Returns – 4   

Yards – 46

Average per return – 11.5

TDs – 0

Longest return – 14 yards

Scoring

TDs – 1         

Points – 6

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship vs. Washington)

Pass attempts – 26

Pass completions – 15

Passing yardage – 286

TD passes – 5

Interceptions – 0

Rushing attempts – 8

Rushing yards – 64

Average gain rushing – 8.0

Rushing TDs – 0

Interceptions – 2

Return yards – 39

TDs – 0

Punts – 5

Yards – 74

Average – 24.7

Punt returns – 2

Yards – 32

Average per return – 16.0

TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

NFL MVP: Joe F. Carr Trophy

1^st team All-NFL: AP, UPI, INS, Chicago Herald-American, Pro Football Illustrated, NY Daily News

Bears went 8-1-1 to win Western Division while leading the league in total yards (3961), passing yards (2310), scoring (315 points), and touchdowns (45). Defeated Washington Redskins (41-21) for NFL Championship.

Aftermath:

Having joined the Merchant Marine, Luckman missed part of the 1944 season but was still selected as a consensus first-team All-Pro for the fourth straight year. He came back to lead the NFL in passing yards (1727) and TD passes (14) in ’45 and did so again in 1946 with 1826 yards and 17 touchdowns along with a league-leading 8.0 yards per attempt. The Bears won the NFL Championship, their fourth with Luckman at quarterback. He was a first-team All-Pro for one last time in 1947 as he threw for a career-high 2712 yards and again led the league in yards per attempt (8.4) although he also led in interceptions (31, by far his career high). He played three more seasons, largely as a backup to Johnny Lujack, and retired in 1950. Overall, his passing totals of 14,686 yards and 137 TD passes seem modest by modern standards, but his 8.4 yards per attempt still rank second all-time and his record of 28 TD passes in ’43 remained the NFL standard until 1959. The Bears retired Luckman’s #42 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1965.

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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 2/9/14]

Past Venue: Frankford Stadium

Philadelphia, PA

aka Yellow Jacket Field

Year opened: 1923

Capacity: 10,000 (approx.)

Names:

Frankford Stadium, 1923-33

Yellow Jacket Field (unofficial)

Pro football tenants:

Frankford Yellow Jackets (Ind./NFL), 1923-30

Postseason games hosted:

None

Other tenants of note:

None

Notes: Located at intersection of Frankford Avenue and Devereaux Street in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. The venue suffered damage due to, first, a fire and then a windstorm in 1929. Crowds for Yellow Jackets games were noted for their enthusiasm, helped by the participation of the Yellow Jackets Band and the Frankford Legion Post 211 Drum & Bugle Corps. Venue also used for midget and women’s football.

Fate: Severely damaged by a fire in 1931 (forcing the Yellow Jackets to play in other venues), the structure was demolished following purchase by the Frankford Legion Athletic Association in 1933 and rebuilt as Franklin Legion Athletic Field (later renamed Yellow Trojan Field). A car dealership and row homes have since been constructed on the site.  

[Updated 2/16/15]

1983: Breakers Pull Away in Second Half to Beat Wranglers

The United States Football League Week 7 contest at Tempe, Arizona on April 17, 1983 featured the Boston Breakers, a 4-2 team that was in contention in the Atlantic Division, against the Arizona Wranglers, 3-3 along with the other three clubs in the Pacific Division.

The Breakers, coached by Dick Coury, had a potent offense directed by 35-year-old QB John Walton, who came out of retirement following previous stints in the Continental, World, and National football leagues. WR Charlie Smith, formerly of the NFL Eagles, combined with rookie wide receivers Nolan Franz and Frank Lockett to provide good targets and the running game was paced by HB Richard “Fast” Crump (pictured above). A solid linebacker corps, led by rookie Marcus Marek, anchored the defense. Boston was a game behind the division-leading Philadelphia Stars coming into the contest in Arizona.

Head Coach Doug Shively’s Wranglers had less talent across the board. The roster was undistinguished, but the team was holding its own in a mediocre division and had put together two exciting come-from-behind wins in doing so. Rookie QB Alan Risher played well and had a big-play wide receiver available in Jackie Flowers. Another ex-Eagle, Calvin Murray, was the top running back.

There were 20,911 in attendance at Sun Devil Stadium, and they had little to cheer about. Boston got the first big break early in the first quarter as Arizona punter Jim Asmus fumbled a snap and was tackled at his own two yard line. Walton promptly fired a pass to Crump for a touchdown.

The Wranglers immediately turned the ball over again thanks to a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. The Breakers came away with a 38-yard Tim Mazzetti field goal and the score was 10-0 with 7:21 left in the opening period.

Arizona finally got on the board halfway through the second quarter when Risher tossed a four-yard scoring pass to Flowers. With 31 seconds remaining before halftime, Mazzetti booted a 20-yard field goal and the score was 13-7 at the intermission.

In the third quarter, Boston put together a seven-play, 58-yard drive that resulted in FB Tony Davis running for a six-yard TD. The score was 20-7 with just under nine minutes remaining in the period. It got worse for the home team three minutes later when Breakers safety Joe Restic intercepted a Risher pass which resulted in Mazzetti adding to the margin with a 50-yard field goal.

Before the period was over, Arizona scored again, this time on a one-yard touchdown run by Murray that was followed by a successful two-point conversion on a throw from Risher to WR Neil Balholm. It was 23-15 after three quarters of play and Arizona was still within striking range.

However, there would be no late-game heroics for the mistake-prone Wranglers in this contest. The Breakers put it away with three fourth quarter touchdowns, the first two on four-yard runs by Crump and the last a fumble recovery by Lockett in the end zone. Arizona scored once more on a two-yard pass from backup QB Todd Krueger to Balholm, and the two connected again on a successful two-point conversion, but by then the outcome had long been decided. Boston came away with a convincing 44-23 win.

The Breakers outgained Arizona, 325 yards to 253, while the Wranglers had the edge with 19 first downs to Boston’s 18. Time of possession was nearly equal – the Breakers held the ball for 30:26 to Arizona’s 29:34. However, turnovers put the Wranglers in an early hole and sealed their fate – they gave up the ball five times to Boston’s one.

John Walton had an efficient day, completing 20 of 26 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown and none intercepted. Richard Crump rushed for an even 100 yards on 21 carries that included two TDs and caught 5 passes for 17 yards and one score. Nolan Franz had 6 receptions for 63 yards and Charlie Smith gained 66 yards on his 4 catches. Tim Mazzetti’s three field goals gave him 12 straight and, together with five extra points, he took over as the USFL’s scoring leader with 56 points.

For the Wranglers, Alan Risher was successful on 13 of 26 throws for 123 yards with a TD but two intercepted; Todd Krueger tossed 11 passes in relief and completed 6 for 55 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Calvin Murray was the leading rusher with 77 yards on 19 attempts and a TD. Neil Balholm pulled in 7 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown while Jackie Flowers caught 5 for 35 yards.

The Breakers remained in contention throughout the season, finishing second in the division with an 11-7 record and barely missing a wild card spot in the postseason. Arizona, however, completely collapsed, winning one more game the rest of the way and ending up tying Washington for the USFL’s worst record at 4-14.

John Walton missed time due to injury but still managed to throw more passes (589) than any other USFL quarterback and completed 56 percent of them for 3772 yards with 20 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Richard Crump was the league’s seventh-ranked rusher with 990 yards on 190 carries, giving him a 5.2-yard average. He also scored a total of 12 TDs. The ex-Falcon Tim Mazzetti (pictured below) ended up second in scoring (119 points) and field goals (27). 

MVP Profile: Harlon Hill, 1955

Offensive End, Chicago Bears

Age:  23

2^nd season in pro football & with Bears

College: Florence State

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 200

Prelude:

An obscure player from a small college, Hill was chosen by the Bears in the 15^th round of the 1954 NFL draft. He quickly became a star, catching 45 passes for 1124 yards (a league-leading 25.0 avg. gain) and 12 TDs. He received first-team All-Pro recognition from the UPI, New York Daily News, and Sporting News and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

1955 Season Summary

Appeared in all 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 42 [7, tied with Ray Mathews]     
Most receptions, game - 8 (for 151 yds.) at LA Rams 10/30 

Yards – 789 [3]
Most yards, game - 151 (on 8 catches at LA Rams 10/30

Average gain – 18.8 [4]

TDs – 9 [1]

Scoring

TDs – 9 [1, tied with Alan Ameche]

Points – 54 [10, tied with Alan Ameche]

Awards & Honors:

NFL MVP: NEA

1^st team All-NFL: AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News

Pro Bowl

Bears went 8-4 to finish second in the Western Conference, a half game behind the 8-3-1 Lions, and led the NFL in total yards (4316) and rushing yards (2388) while placing second in scoring (294 points) and touchdowns (37).

Aftermath:

Hill had another big year in 1956 as the Bears won the Western Conference, catching 47 passes for 1128 yards (24.0 avg.) and 11 touchdowns, and was again a consensus first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. With his speed combined with outstanding faking ability, he regularly drew double and triple coverage. However, major injuries limited his performance in 1957 and ’58 as he pulled in a combined 48 receptions for 848 yards (17.7 avg.) and 5 TDs. Hill bounced back with a 36-catch, 578-yard performance in 1959, but caught just 15 more passes over the last three years of his career that ended with stops in Detroit and Pittsburgh in 1962. Overall, he had 233 pass receptions for 4717 yards (20.2 avg.) and 40 TDs, but the bulk of his accomplishments came in his first three seasons.

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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 2/9/14]
[Updated 2/21/17]

Past Venue: Red Bird Stadium

Columbus, OH

aka Jets Stadium, Cooper Stadium       

Year opened: 1932

Capacity: 15,000. Listed at 11,887 when UFL Colts played there.

Names:

Red Bird Stadium, 1932-54

Jets Stadium, 1955-70

Franklin County Stadium, 1977-84

Cooper Stadium, 1984 to date

Pro football tenants:

Columbus Bullies (APFA/AFL), 1939-41
Columbus Colts (UFL), 1961-62

Postseason games hosted:

None

Other tenants of note:

Columbus Red Birds (minor league baseball), 1932-54

Columbus Bluebirds (baseball Negro leagues), 1933

Columbus Elite Giants (baseball Negro leagues), 1935

Columbus Jets (minor league baseball), 1955-70

Columbus Clippers (minor league baseball), 1978-2008

Notes: Owned and operated by Franklin County, Ohio. Located in Franklinton section of Columbus. Originally constructed by MLB St. Louis Cardinals as venue for its Columbus-based AAA farm club. Grass surface replaced with AstroTurf, 1984, and returned to grass in 2000. Significantly renovated in 1977, with luxury boxes added. Stadium renamed in 1984 for Harold Cooper, a Franklin County commissioner who played a significant role in keeping professional baseball in Columbus during the 1950s. Pro football Bullies were members of minor American Professional Football Assoc. in 1939 and transferred to third major incarnation of American Football League for 1940-41.

Fate: Currently closed but may be renovated into multi-purpose venue, including auto racing.

[Updated 2/3/14]