MVP Profile: Paul Lowe, 1965

Halfback, San Diego Chargers

Age:  29 (Sept. 27)

6^th season in pro football (5^th active) & with Chargers

College: Oregon State

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 205

Prelude:

After failing to catch on as a free agent rookie with the San Francisco 49ers, Lowe joined the Chargers of the new AFL in 1960. Starting off as a reserve, he moved into the starting lineup with outstanding results, placing second in the league with 855 yards rushing and first with a 6.3-yard per carry average. He received consensus first-team All-AFL recognition. Another good year in ’61 was followed by his sitting out all of 1962 with a broken wrist suffered in training camp. But he came back strong in ’63, forming an outstanding backfield tandem with FB Keith Lincoln and gaining 1010 yards on the ground while averaging 5.7 yards. The Chargers won the league title and Lowe was chosen for the AFL All-Star Game. Lowe had a lesser, injury-plagued year in 1964, rushing for 496 yards as the team again topped the Western Division.

1965 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 222 [2]

Most attempts, game - 21 (for 91 yds.) at Boston 10/17

Yards – 1121 [1]

Most yards, game – 157 yards (on 20 carries) vs. Houston 10/3

Average gain – 5.0 [1]

TDs – 6 [1, tied with Cookie Gilchrist, Curtis McClinton & Wray Carlton]

100-yard rushing games - 4

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 17       

Most receptions, game – 4 (for 31 yds.) at Boston 10/17, (for 57 yds.) at Denver 11/7

Yards – 126

Most yards, game - 57 (on 4 catches) at Denver 11/7

Average gain – 7.4

TDs – 1

Passing

Pass attempts – 4

Pass completions – 3

Passing yards – 81

TD passes – 0

Interceptions – 0

Scoring

TDs – 8 [7, tied with Willie Frazier]

Points – 48 [14, tied with Willie Frazier]

Postseason: 1 G (AFL Championship vs. Buffalo)

Rushing attempts – 12

Rushing yards – 57

Average gain rushing – 4.8

Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 3

Pass receiving yards - 3

Average yards per reception – 1.0

Pass Receiving TDs - 0

Awards & Honors:

AFL Player of the Year: UPI, Sporting News

1^st team All-AFL: League, AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News

AFL All-Star Game

Chargers went 9-2-3 to finish first in the Western Division while leading the AFL in total yards (5101), passing yards (3103), rushing (1998), scoring (340 points), and TDs (41). Lost AFL Championship to Buffalo Bills (23-0).

Aftermath:

Lowe was effective in 1966, running for 643 yards, but his career declined quickly thereafter. Suffering with a leg injury in ’67, he lost his starting job to Dickie Post and fell out with Head Coach Sid Gillman, with whom he had an uneasy relationship. Released early in the 1968 season, he caught on with the Kansas City Chiefs but saw little action. Upon his retirement, Lowe had rushed for 4995 yards on 1026 carries (4.9 avg.) and scored 38 TDs and added another 1045 yards on 111 pass receptions for 7 more scores.

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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]

1921: Akron Pros Awarded APFA Title

In the early days of the NFL, there were no divisions, no playoffs, and no hugely-watched Super Bowl to determine a champion. At the very beginning, it was not even the NFL – when the league first started in 1920, it was the American Professional Football Association (APFA). Teams did not have set schedules and, at the end of that first season of play, there was no champion. At a league meeting on April 30, 1921 the Akron Pros were officially handed the crown.

As was the case with many of the new football league’s franchises, the Pros had already been in existence for several years. The team had first formed in 1908 (although there were earlier semipro clubs in Akron dating to 1904) and had been known primarily over the years as the Indians. It had been a member of the Ohio League, a direct predecessor of the NFL, and won four championships, most recently in 1914. However, the team had suffered both on the field and at the gate since then and was coming off of a 5-5 record in 1919.

Under new owners, Art Ranney and Frank Neid, Akron joined the new APFA and the franchise was renamed the Pros. Star HB Fritz Pollard, an African-American who had played collegiately at Brown and was an outstanding breakaway threat, returned from the 1919 team. Other prominent players on the roster included end Al Nesser, one of several brothers who played pro football during that period, wingback Frank McCormick, and FB Rip King, an able passer as well as runner. The Pros were coached by Elgie Tobin, who also played quarterback.

Going into the 1920 season, Akron was not considered to be on a par with several other teams that included the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, and Decatur Staleys (future Chicago Bears). They blew out the Wheeling Stogies (a non-league opponent) and Columbus Panhandles by a combined score of 80-0 and, after shutting the Cincinnati Celts out by a 13-0 score, faced their first big test against Cleveland at home. Taking advantage of a great defensive play by end/tackle Bob “Nasty” Nash, Akron came away with a 7-0 win (Nash was later sold to Buffalo in what was the first recorded player transaction in league history).

The Pros followed up the big win over the Tigers with a trip to Canton that produced a 10-0 win over the legendary Jim Thorpe and the highly-touted Bulldogs. Following a scheduled game against Detroit that was rained out, Akron had a rematch against the Tigers in Cleveland. While the Pros gave up their first points of the season, they managed a 7-7 tie to remain undefeated, if not unscored-upon.

Next up were the Dayton Triangles, also undefeated coming into the contest. It was a tense battle for three quarters before Akron scored twice in the final period, on a King-to-McCormick TD pass and Pollard run, to win 13-0. On Thanksgiving day, the revenge-minded Bulldogs came to town for a rematch but again lost, this time by a 7-0 decision. Three days later it was off to Dayton and a second game against the Triangles, which was a 14-0 win thanks to two Pollard touchdowns to assure that the Pros were clearly the best Ohio-based team.

While there was no postseason mechanism in place, a tournament among the APFA clubs with the best records was quickly put together with the games all to count in the standings. The Buffalo All-Americans beat the Bulldogs, thus ending any last title hopes for Canton, and the Staleys of player/coach George Halas beat the Chicago Cardinals. The Pros then took on Buffalo and played to a scoreless tie. Following that, they finished up in Chicago against the Staleys and played to another scoreless draw, although the Pros came closest to putting points on the board in a hard-fought game before 12,000 fans (the biggest crowd to attend any of their contests in 1920; Halas had moved the game to Chicago in hopes of spurring attendance).

While Buffalo and Decatur made noises about having won the championship because Akron didn’t beat them, the fact was that in the end, only the Pros went unbeaten during the season and ended up with an 8-0-3 record (and gave up just seven points in compiling it). That was enough for the team managers gathered at the league meeting, and an award, the Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup, was presented to owners Ranney and Neid signifying that Akron was the 1920 league champion. Oddly enough, the cup disappeared shortly thereafter and its whereabouts remain unknown.

One newspaper, the Rock Island Argus, selected an All-Pro team for 1920 (recognized as the first in APFA/NFL history) and it included Fritz Pollard and Rip King on the first team. Second-team choices from the Pros included Bob Nash and G Alf Cobb and G Brad Tomlin made the third team.

Akron remained in the league until 1926 but did not win another championship. The Pros placed third in ’21 with an 8-3-1 record with Pollard (pictured below) serving as co-coach with Tobin, thus becoming the first black head coach in NFL history. They posted losing records in four of their last five seasons, however, before fading into history.

Past Venue: Providence Cycledrome

Providence, RI

Year opened: 1925

Capacity: 10,000

Names:

Providence Cycledrome, 1925-37

Pro football tenants:

Providence Steam Roller (NFL), 1925-31

Postseason games hosted:

None

Other tenants of note:

None

Notes: Constructed near the boundary between Providence and Pawtucket as a bicycle-racing venue (velodrome). The field was surrounded by a steeply-banked wooden track that cut into the end zones, reducing one to five yards in depth. Seating was permitted on the straightaway portions of the track, parallel to the field, and fans were so close to the action that plays going out of bounds could have players landing among the spectators. Lights were installed in 1930. Locker rooms, as such, provided very limited space and were only used by the home team – visitors had to dress for the game at their hotel. Largest crowd was 13,000 for Steam Roller vs. New York Giants.

Fate: Demolished in 1937 and replaced by a drive-in movie theater, which has since given way to a shopping plaza.

MVP Profile: Paul Hornung, 1961

Halfback, Green Bay Packers

Age: 26 (Dec. 23)

5^th season in pro football & with Packers

College: Notre Dame

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 215

Prelude:

Despite Notre Dame posting a miserable 2-8 record in his senior year, the “Golden Boy” was an All-American quarterback for the second time and capped his college career by winning the Heisman Trophy. He was chosen by the Packers in the first round of the 1957 draft but lacked the passing accuracy to play quarterback in the NFL. Hornung was tried at fullback and floundered for his first two years on a losing team before the arrival of Vince Lombardi as head coach in 1959. Lombardi installed him as an option halfback and, together with his role as the team’s placekicker, Hornung became a scoring machine as well as part of an excellent rushing tandem along with FB Jim Taylor. In 1959, he led the NFL with 94 points and earned a Pro Bowl selection while rushing for 681 yards and in ’60, as the Packers won the Western Conference, he set a league scoring record that lasted until 2006 with 176 points, including a league-leading 13 rushing touchdowns. He received consensus first-team All-Pro recognition and again was chosen to the Pro Bowl.

1961 Season Summary

Appeared and started 12 of 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 127 [15]

Most attempts, game - 22 (for 94 yds.) at Chicago 11/12

Yards – 597 [13]

Most yards, game – 111 yards (on 11 carries) vs. Baltimore 10/8

Average gain – 4.7 [9]

TDs – 8 [3, tied with J.D. Smith, Jim Brown & Rick Casares]

100-yard rushing games - 1

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 15       

Most receptions, game – 3 (for 17 yds.) vs. Detroit 9/17, (for 28 yds.) vs. Baltimore 10/8

Yards – 145

Most yards, game - 34 (on 1 catch) at Chicago 11/12

Average gain – 9.7

TDs – 2

Passing

Attempts – 5

Completions – 3

Yards – 42

TD passes – 1

Interceptions – 0

Kicking

Field goals – 15 [3, tied with Jim Martin & Lou Michaels]

Most field goals, game - 4 at Minnesota 10/22

Field goal attempts – 22 [10, tied with Tommy Davis]

Most field goal attempts, game – 4 vs. San Francisco 9/24, at Minnesota 10/22

Field goal percentage – 68.2 [2]

PATs – 41 [4]

PAT attempts – 41 [4, tied with Roger LeClerc]

Longest field goal – 51 yards at Chicago 11/12

Scoring

TDs – 10

Field Goals – 15

PATs – 41

Points – 146 [1]

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship vs. NY Giants)

Rushing attempts – 20

Rushing yards – 89

Average gain rushing – 4.5

Rushing TDs – 1

Pass receptions – 3

Pass receiving yards - 47

Average yards per reception – 15.7

Pass Receiving TDs – 0

Pass attempts – 2

Pass completions – 0

Passing yards – 0

TD passes – 0

Interceptions – 0

Field goals – 3

Field goal attempts – 3

PATs – 4

PAT attempts – 4

Longest field goal – 22 yards

Awards & Honors:

NFL MVP: AP, UPI, Bert Bell Award, Sporting News

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

2^nd team All-NFL: NEA

Packers went 11-3 to finish first in the Western Conference while leading NFL in rushing yards (2350), scoring (391 points), and touchdowns (49). Defeated New York Giants for NFL Championship (37-0).

Aftermath:

Missing time due to military service and injury, Hornung had a lesser year in 1962 as the Packers repeated as champions. A suspension for gambling cost him all of 1963, and when he returned in ’64 his performance suffered, in particular his placekicking. He lasted another two injury-plagued years, with a clutch five-TD performance against the Colts in ’65, as well as a solid rushing game in that season’s NFL Championship game, among the last major highlights of his career. Hornung was taken by the New Orleans Saints in the 1967 expansion draft but, due to a chronic pinched nerve in his neck, retired during training camp. He finished with 3711 rushing yards on 893 carries, 1480 yards on 130 pass receptions, five TD passes, 62 touchdowns, 66 field goals, 190 extra points, and 760 total points, which put him among the Top 10 career scoring leaders in NFL history at the time. An all-around talent who was at his best in scoring territory, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1986.

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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]

1967: Bears Trade Mike Ditka to Eagles for Jack Concannon

In the offseason following the 1966 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles lost star TE Pete Retzlaff to retirement while the Chicago Bears were seeking a quarterback due to the retirement talk surrounding 35-year-old QB Rudy Bukich (he stayed on for one more season as a backup). On April 26, 1967 the Eagles traded QB Jack Concannon and an unspecified 1968 draft pick to the Bears for TE Mike Ditka.

Ditka (pictured above) had quickly established himself as one of the premier tight ends in pro football after coming to the Bears as a first draft choice in 1961. He received Rookie of the Year recognition as he caught 56 passes for 1076 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first year and was selected to the Pro Bowl following each of the first five. A hard-nosed player who combined the strong blocking skills expected in the position with excellent pass receiving ability, he was one of the stars of the 1963 NFL Championship-winning team and topped out statistically with 75 catches for 897 yards in ‘64.

However, the 27-year-old Ditka was on the verge of becoming a free agent. He had refused to sign a contract for 1966 and played out his option. He also infuriated owner/Head Coach George Halas by accepting a $50,000 bonus to sign a three-year contract and jump leagues to play for the AFL’s Houston Oilers – a deal that was tossed out once the AFL/NFL merger was agreed to (although he got to keep the bonus).

Having obtained his rights, the Eagles were successful in signing Ditka to a contract. Ditka had often been a critic of the front office while with the Bears, but was diplomatic upon leaving. “I bear no animosity to the Bear team,” he stated. “It’s been a great six years in Chicago and I hope the next six years will be as great.”

The 24-year-old Concannon was Philadelphia’s second-round draft choice out of Boston College in 1964. At 6’3” and 205 pounds, he was known for his flashy running ability as a quarterback in college and showed off the same form in the NFL – at least, on the rare occasions when he played. Backing up veteran QB Norm Snead (along with King Hill) as a rookie, he was given a late-season start against Dallas and passed for two touchdowns while also rushing for 99 yards in just 8 carries. It was enough to make him a fan favorite, but did not guarantee him more playing time.

After mostly sitting on the bench for the next two years, sometimes relieving at quarterback and occasionally returning punts, Concannon got two late-season starts in 1966 (as part of Head Coach Joe Kuharich’s odd three-man starting quarterback rotation), and they were wins. Against the Steelers, he set a club single-game rushing record for a quarterback with 129 yards that lasted until 2010. However, he showed his erratic tendencies in the Playoff Bowl, tossing a costly interception in defeat. For all the excitement he generated, he appeared in just 18 games, completed only 43.7 % of his passes with four touchdowns and eight interceptions, but also rushed for 433 yards on 50 carries for an 8.7-yard average gain. He had a knack for making big plays, but was very much a work in progress.

Philadelphia reportedly gave the Bears their choice of any of the three veteran quarterbacks on the roster, including Snead and Hill. It was considered something of a surprise that Halas went with Concannon (Concannon himself expressed surprise that the Bears didn’t choose one of the others when reacting to the trade).

Ditka played for two seasons in Philadelphia, but they were not the best of his Hall of Fame career. In 1967, foot and hamstring injuries limited him to nine games, and he caught 26 passes for 274 yards and two TDs. The output was even less in ’68 (13 receptions for 111 yards and two scores) due not only to a knee injury but his being suspended by Kuharich for making critical comments regarding his management of the team. In a dreadful 2-12 season in which there was much dissension, Ditka’s voice was just one of those expressing dissatisfaction. Kuharich was relieved as GM and head coach following the year, and Ditka was traded to the Cowboys. He played effectively for four seasons and was part of another championship team in 1971. Ultimately, he reconciled with Halas and the Bears and became a successful head coach of the team, leading it to a Super Bowl victory following the 1985 season.

Jack Concannon (pictured above) ran into injury problems in Chicago, although the club went 5-1-1 in the second half of 1967 with him behind center to finish at 7-6-1. However, it was the same story as in Philadelphia – while he could make big plays and ran for 279 yards, he was still erratic throwing the ball, completing 49.5 % of his passes for 1260 yards and tossing far more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (6). The presence of star HB Gale Sayers made the greater impact on the offense’s output.

A fractured shoulder limited Concannon to seven games in 1968 and backup QB Virgil Carter yielded better results in relief. But from a 7-7 record, the Bears collapsed to 1-13 in ’69 and Concannon found himself competing with rookie Bobby Douglass as well as Carter. It seemed as though Douglass – another quarterback who was better at running than passing – would supplant the veteran, but when the young lefthander went down early in the 1970 season with a broken wrist, Concannon put together his best pro season, throwing for 2130 yards with 16 TDs against 18 interceptions. Chicago bounced back to 6-8. But he was lost to injury in ’71, the team committed to Douglass, and Concannon exited for Dallas, where he was never activated over the course of two years, finishing up with brief appearances with Green Bay and Detroit before retiring.

In all with the Bears, Concannon completed 51.1 % of his passes for 5222 yards with 31 TDs and 52 interceptions, rushed for 586 yards, and provided his share of excitement. However, he lacked the passing ability and consistency to be truly successful as a quarterback in the NFL. 

Past Venue: Civic Stadium

Portland, OR 

aka Multnomah Stadium, Jeld-Wen Field

Year opened: 1926

Capacity: 22,000, down from 32,500 when it was used for pro football

Names:

Multnomah Stadium, 1926-65

Civic Stadium, 1966-2000

PGE Park, 2001-10

Jeld-Wen Field, 2011 to date

Pro football tenants:

Portland Rockets (AFL), 1944
Portland Loggers (ContFL), 1969
Portland Storm/Thunder (WFL), 1974-75

Portland Breakers (USFL), 1985

Postseason games hosted:

None

Other tenants of note:

Portland Beavers (minor league baseball), 1956-93, 2001-10

Portland Mavericks (minor league baseball), 1973-77

Portland Timbers (NASL), 1975-82

Portland Rockies (minor league baseball), 1995-2000

Portland State Univ. (college football)

Portland Timbers (MLS), 2001 to date

Notes: Constructed by Multnomah Athletic Club on site of earlier athletic fields, dating back to 1893. Sold to the City of Portland in 1966 and renamed Civic Stadium. Underwent major renovation in 2001, at which point the naming rights were bought by Portland General Electric. Grass surface replaced with AstroTurf in 1969, Nexturf in 2001, and FieldTurf in 2011. Hosted occasional home games of Univ. of Oregon and Oregon State Univ. Hosted matches of Women’s World Cup, 1999 and 2003. Also used for greyhound racing, after Oregon legalized para-mutuel betting, 1933-55. First football game was Univ. of Washington vs. Univ. of Oregon, Oct. 9, 1926. Hosted NFL preseason game in 1955 between New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams in which sudden-death overtime was first used on an experimental basis.

Fate: Still in use.

[Updated 2/3/14]
[Updated 2/16/15]

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.