Rookie of the Year: Jim McMahon, 1982

Quarterback, Chicago Bears

Age:  23

College: Brigham Young

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 187

Prelude:

Following a record-setting career at BYU, where he operated in a pro style offense, McMahon was chosen by the Bears in the first round of the 1982 NFL draft (fifth overall) – the first QB taken by Chicago in the top round in over 30 years. While there were concerns regarding a knee injury and limited eyesight, as well as lack of ideal height, McMahon had also demonstrated outstanding leadership skills. Following the 57-day player strike in 1982, he was inserted into the starting lineup.

1982 Season Summary

Appeared in 8 of 9 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 210 [19]

Most attempts, game – 33 vs. St. Louis 12/19

Completions – 120 [18]

Most completions, game – 19 at Seattle 12/12

Yards – 1501 [18]

Most yards, game – 280 at LA Rams 12/26

Completion percentage – 57.1 [13]

Yards per attempt – 7.1 [14]

TD passes – 9 [14, tied with Vince Ferragamo & Doug Williams]

Most TD passes, game – 2 vs. Detroit 11/21, vs. New England 12/5, at LA Rams 12/26

Interceptions – 7

Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. Detroit 11/21

Passer rating – 79.9 [9]

200-yard passing games – 2

Rushing

Attempts – 24

Most attempts, game - 7 (for 23 yds.) at LA Rams 12/26

Yards – 105

Most yards, game – 24 yards (on 5 carries) vs. St. Louis 12/19

Yards per attempt – 4.4

TDs – 1

Punting

Punts – 1

Yards – 59

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Awards & Honors:

NFC Rookie of the Year: UPI

Bears went 3-6 to finish 12^th in the NFC, with the divisions having been discarded due to the players’ strike.

Aftermath:

Well known for his outlandish behavior as for skill on the field during seven years in Chicago, McMahon improved upon his promising rookie year, along with the team. The Bears went to the playoffs in 1984 and won the Super Bowl in ’85, a season in which McMahon was also chosen for the Pro Bowl. However, injuries were a constant issue. A smart, if quirky, quarterback who was adept at exploiting weaknesses in enemy defenses, the team went 46-15 in the regular season with McMahon behind center – but he missed a third of Chicago’s games along the way due to a series of maladies. Forced to sit out ever more time due to injury, and constantly feuding with Head Coach Mike Ditka, McMahon was dealt to San Diego in 1989 and moved on to a backup role with Philadelphia in ’90. He played well in relief of the injured Randall Cunningham in 1991, but again missed significant time due to his own injuries. He moved on to Minnesota for 1993, his last year as a full-time starter, and following a season in Arizona, ended up as Brett Favre’s backup in Green Bay for his last two years (1995-96). Overall, McMahon completed 58 percent of his passes for 18,148 yards with 100 TDs and his overall record as a starting QB was 67-30.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in the NFL (including NFC/AFC), AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year). 

[Updated 2/8/14]

MVP Profile: Ottis Anderson, 1979

Running Back, St. Louis Cardinals

Age: 22

1^st season in pro football

College: Miami (FL)

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 210

Prelude:

A record-setting runner in college, Anderson was taken by the Cardinals in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft (eighth overall). With breakaway speed to go with his size, he moved immediately into the starting lineup as a rookie with spectacular results.

1979 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 331 [4]

Most attempts, game - 31 (for 109 yds.) at NY Giants 9/9

Yards – 1605 [3]

Most yards, game – 193 yards (on 21 carries) vs. Dallas 9/2

Average gain – 4.8 [9]

TDs – 8 [14, tied with four others]

100-yard rushing games – 9

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 41       

Most receptions, game – 5 (for 11 yds.) vs. Pittsburgh 9/16, (for 39 yds.) at Dallas 10/21

Yards – 308

Most yards, game - 58 (on 4 catches) at Houston 10/7

Average gain – 7.5

TDs – 2

Passing

Pass attempts – 1

Pass completions – 0

Interceptions – 0

All-Purpose yards – 1913 [4]

Scoring

TDs – 10 [15, tied with five others]

Points – 60

Awards & Honors:

NFC Player of the Year: Sporting News

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: AP

1^st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA

2^nd team All-NFL: NEA

1^st team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News

Pro Bowl

Cardinals went 5-11 to finish fifth in the NFC East while leading the NFC in rushing yards (2582).

Aftermath:

While the rookie rushing total remained his career high, Anderson continued to be a consistently outstanding runner and had over a thousand yards in five of his first six seasons (only missing in strike-shortened 1982). Injuries limited him to 479 yards in 1985 and he was traded to the New York Giants during the ’86 season. He saw little action as a reserve in 1987 and ’88 but moved back into the starting lineup at age 32 in 1989 and rushed for 1023 yards and 14 TDs. He had another solid year in ’90, gaining 784 yards, scoring 11 touchdowns, and gaining MVP honors in the Super Bowl. Anderson was a reserve again in 1991 and ’92, his last two seasons. Overall, he had six 1000-yard rushing totals and gained 10,273 yards, the eighth-ranked career total in NFL history at the time of his retirement. His 86 touchdowns (81 rushing, 5 receiving) ranked 18^th. He also caught 376 passes for 3062 yards and was twice selected to the Pro Bowl.

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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). Also includes Associated Press NFL Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.

[Updated 2/8/14]

1961: Jurgensen and McDonald Lead Eagles Past College All-Stars

The 28^th annual installment of the College All-Star Game on August 4, 1961 presented a matchup involving a reigning NFL Champion undergoing a significant transition against a highly-regarded group of All-Stars.

The Philadelphia Eagles had won the 1960 NFL Championship, but lost both MVP quarterback Norm Van Brocklin and Head Coach Buck Shaw to retirement. Replacing Shaw was Nick Skorich, elevated from offensive line coach, while the new quarterback was the promising but untested Sonny Jurgensen (pictured at right).

Meanwhile, the All-Stars, coached for the fourth straight year by Otto Graham, contained a solid group of future pro standouts that included ends Aaron Thomas of Oregon State and Mike Ditka from Pittsburgh, quarterbacks Norm Snead of Wake Forest and UCLA’s Billy Kilmer, FB Bill Brown of Illinois, HB Bernie Casey from Bowling Green, Georgia Tech G Billy Shaw, and OT Jim Tyrer from Ohio State. On defense were DE Bob Lilly of  TCU, tackles Joe Rutgens of Illinois and Ernie Ladd from Grambling, and MLB E.J. Holub of Texas Tech.

It had been raining early in the evening of the Friday night contest, making the field soggy, and one highly-regarded All-Star was lost for the game when Navy HB Joe Bellino slipped on the wet turf while warming up and pulled a leg muscle.

There were 65,000 in attendance at Chicago’s Soldier Field and many of them booed the Eagles as they took the field, adding incentive for them to prove that they were a worthy defending champion. Still, the All-Stars came out fast as Bill Brown returned the opening kickoff 39 yards and Norm Snead fired a pass to Aaron Thomas that covered 42 yards to the Philadelphia 12 yard line. However, the drive moved backward from there and came to an end two plays later when Brown fumbled the ball away to the Eagles, with DT Jess Richardson recovering.

Taking over at his own 20, Jurgensen sparked the possession when, on a play when it appeared that he would be sacked, he improvised and instead tossed the ball behind his back to end Pete Retzlaff who went 13 yards for a first down. The Eagles capped the seven-play drive when Jurgensen threw to wide-open flanker Tommy McDonald, who leaped high to make the catch and fell on his back in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. Two seconds before the opening period ended, Jurgensen tossed a second TD pass, this time covering 25 yards to Retzlaff.

The All-Stars began to move in the second quarter under the direction of QB Billy Kilmer (pictured below). After tossing completions to Southern Methodist HB Glynn Gregory, Thomas, and end Fred Arbanas of Michigan State, they were at the Philadelphia 31. But once again the attack stalled and the Eagles took over at midfield.

Philadelphia’s backup QB King Hill pitched out to HB Timmy Brown for a 23-yard gain, FB Ted Dean gained four, and then Hill threw to McDonald for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead that carried into halftime.

Tempers flared several times during the game, especially right before the end of the first half in a scuffle in front of the Eagles’ bench with Grambling’s big Ernie Ladd in the middle of it.

The Eagles kept the ball mostly on the ground in the second half and slowed down the tempo, with the two quarterbacks throwing short passes when necessary. E.J. Holub intercepted a Jurgensen pass at the All-Star 36 late in the period, and while the All-Stars were unable to move the ball, Kilmer punted to the Philadelphia three yard line just prior to the close of the quarter.

The All-Stars finally got on the board in the fourth quarter as Kilmer, working out of a spread formation, threw to Gregory for an 18-yard touchdown. That capped a quick six-play, 75-yard drive. In the final seconds, lineman Dick Grecni intercepted a Hill pass and ran 57 yards for a TD. The two touchdowns came two minutes apart, but only salvaged pride for the All-Stars, with Philadelphia winning convincingly by a score of 28-14.

The Eagles had 401 total yards to 271 for the All-Stars, who were held to zero net rushing yards. Philadelphia held a much narrower edge in first downs, 17 to 16. The All-Stars intercepted three passes, to just one by the NFL champs, but lost one fumble while the Eagles gave up none.

Sonny Jurgensen completed 10 of 19 passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns and King Hill was 7 of 11 for 103 yards and a TD. Tommy McDonald (pictured below) accounted for three of the touchdowns.

Aaron Thomas was the receiving star for the All-Stars, catching 5 passes for 123 yards. Billy Kilmer was successful on 11 of his 20 throws for 173 yards while Norm Snead completed 8 of 13 for 97 yards.

“I’d like to turn around and play these guys again tomorrow night and on a dry field,” said a defiant Coach Otto Graham afterward. “I think we’d beat ‘em.”

“Our guys were concerned about being somewhat downgraded while the stars were being touted and we went out to justify our championship,” said Nick Skorich on behalf of the Eagles.

Sonny Jurgensen went on to have an outstanding breakout season, setting a record for passing yards with 3723 and tying the NFL record for TD passes with 32 (Houston’s George Blanda tossed 36 in the AFL). Tommy McDonald remained his favorite receiver, catching 64 passes while pacing the NFL in receiving yards (1144) and touchdown receptions (13). Philadelphia just missed winning the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row, finishing second to the New York Giants at 10-4.

Bill Kilmer, taken in the first round of the ’61 draft by the 49ers, went on to a long career that included stints in New Orleans and Washington as a quarterback better known for his leadership skills than passing finesse. Norm Snead, also a first round draft pick, was with Washington for three years before being dealt to the Eagles in a celebrated trade for Jurgensen. Aaron Thomas joined Kilmer with the 49ers, who took him with a fourth round pick, but spent most of his 10-season career with the New York Giants, where he caught 247 passes. 

1963: VanderKelen Leads College All-Stars to Upset Over Packers

The 30^th College All-Star Game on August 2, 1963 did not appear ahead of time as if it would offer much of a contest. Most of the All-Star Games had been won by the defending NFL Champions, and in this instance it was Head Coach Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers taking the field, having won their second straight league title in ’62. Green Bay had a powerful lineup, with QB Bart Starr (who tossed five TD passes in the previous year’s 42-20 shellacking of the All-Stars), FB Jim Taylor, and an outstanding line on offense and a defense that included future Hall of Famers in DE Willie Davis, DT Henry Jordan, CB Herb Adderley, and safety Willie Wood. However, star HB Paul Hornung had been suspended for gambling and would not be appearing in the offensive backfield. The Packers were also without another future Hall of Famer, MLB Ray Nitschke, who was injured, and Taylor was playing with a bad knee.

The All-Star team that was facing the Packers, coached for the sixth straight year by Otto Graham, contained many future pro stars that included Ohio State OT Bob Vogel; G Ed Budde from Michigan State; linebackers Dave Robinson from Penn State (who would play for Green Bay), Lee Roy Jordan out of Alabama, and Minnesota’s Bobby Bell; and UCLA safety Kermit Alexander. The player who started at quarterback and ended up being the star of the game, however, wasn’t even drafted by a NFL club.

Wisconsin’s Ron VanderKelen (pictured above) had been passed over in the draft (held on Dec. 3, 1962), but after a brilliant performance in the Rose Bowl he became a hot commodity and was signed by the Minnesota Vikings (the New York Titans – soon to be Jets – had taken him in the 21^st round of the AFL draft). Of the four quarterbacks on the All-Star roster, VanderKelen was selected to start by Graham.

There was a crowd of 65,000 in attendance at Soldier Field for the Friday night game. It seemed like business as usual when Green Bay scored in the first five minutes of the contest. Boyd Dowler, punter for the Packers as well as starting flanker, had put the All-Stars in a hole with his kick to the eight yard line. Iowa HB Larry Ferguson fumbled the ball away and the Packers recovered at the 11. Jim Taylor scored from six yards out for the early lead.

The All-Stars responded with a 57-yard drive highlighted by VanderKelen throwing to ends Paul Flatley from Northwestern and Miami of Ohio’s Bob Jencks, as well as the running of Ferguson. Jencks finished it off with a 20-yard field goal.

Late in the first quarter, CB Tom Janik from Texas A & I intercepted a Bart Starr pass and returned it to the Green Bay 27. A VanderKelen throw to end Pat Richter (pictured below), who had been a teammate at Wisconsin, gained 21 yards to close out the opening period. Ferguson opened the second quarter by blasting five yards into the end zone and Jencks added the extra point as the All-Stars took the lead by a 10-7 score.

The Packers came back with a 59-yard drive, mostly behind the running of Taylor and HB Tom Moore, who had a 27-yard carry along the way, and ended up with a 21-yard Jerry Kramer field goal. The All-Stars had a chance to add to their lead with a field goal of their own before the half, but a 19-yard attempt by Jencks was unsuccessful after being deflected by Herb Adderley. The score remained tied at the midway point.

There was no scoring in the third quarter with Mississippi QB Glynn Griffing in for VanderKelen. But, after the All-Stars recovered a fumble, Griffing passed the All-Stars down the field. The collegians were also aided by the running of Nebraska FB Bill Thornton and Washington HB Charlie Mitchell along the way. Jencks booted a 33-yard field goal to cap the 63-yard drive that put the All-Stars back in front at 13-10.

The Packers missed a scoring opportunity when Kramer was wide on a 37-yard field goal attempt. It set the stage for the game’s pivotal, and most sensational, play. VanderKelen, now back in for the All-Stars, threw 20 yards to Richter who pulled in the pass near the sideline and ran the rest of the way for a 73-yard touchdown. The Packers were in a ten-point hole with time running short.

Green Bay did score once more, driving 63 yards - mostly through the air - and Taylor pounded in from the one yard line, but there were only six seconds left and the All-Stars came away with a stunning 20-17 win. The crowd erupted once the final gun sounded and VanderKelen was carried off the field by his teammates.

The All-Stars had more first downs (16 to 15) and both out-rushed (141 to 96) and out-passed (183 to 119) the Packers. Each team suffered an interception and fumbled the ball away once. Green Bay was penalized for 77 yards to just 13 lost by the All-Stars.

Ron VanderKelen, the All-Star MVP, completed 9 of 11 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Glynn Griffing was successful on 6 of 10 throws for 42 yards.

“VanderKelen won the starting quarterback job in the last few days of the practices,” said Otto Graham. “He and Griffing did so well I just didn’t have a chance to use the others (Heisman Trophy-winner Terry Baker of Oregon State and Sonny Gibbs from TCU).”

For the Packers, Bart Starr completed 19 of 32 passes for 169 yards. Jim Taylor, playing hurt against an aggressive All-Star defense, gained 51 yards on 16 carries.

“We have no excuses,” said an embarrassed Vince Lombardi. “That was a fine All-Star squad and VanderKelen is a great pro prospect. He handles himself exceptionally well.”

The Packers narrowly missed finishing atop of the Western Conference once again in the ensuing NFL season, going 11-2-1 to end up second to the Chicago Bears.

Ron VanderKelen went on to play five seasons with Minnesota, and while he occasionally competed with Fran Tarkenton for the starting job, he was strictly a backup quarterback as a pro. Given an opportunity to start in 1967, he was quickly supplanted by Joe Kapp and finished up with a year in the CFL. He was never able to replicate his fine Rose Bowl and College All-Star Game performances in the NFL, but he led the All-Stars to perhaps the greatest upset in the history of the series.

The win for the All-Stars was the first since 1958, and the ninth (and last) of the series that was dominated by the pro teams, who won 31 of the games (there were two ties).

1974: Matthew Reed Rallies Americans Past Wheels

The participants in the World Football League game on July 31, 1974 in Ypsilanti, Michigan were teams moving in different directions.

The Detroit Wheels were coached by former Eastern Michigan Head Coach Dan Boisture, and the team played its home games at that college some 35 miles from the Motor City (the NFL Lions were able to block them from Tiger Stadium). The team suffered from financial difficulties right from the start and signed only three draft picks. They did draw heavily on young veterans with CFL experience, and one of them, Bubba Wyche, was the starting quarterback. After being blown out in the opening game at Memphis, they lost a close contest to Florida and then failed to hold a lead against The Hawaiians. At 0-3, Coach Boisture made clear that he considered the Week 4 contest to be a must-win for his team.

The visiting Birmingham Americans, coached by Jack Gotta, were 3-0, having won two close games to start the season and then most recently coming off a high-scoring 58-33 win at Memphis. However, veteran QB George Mira had a sprained ankle and would be sitting out the game against the Wheels. So, too, would ex-Redskins FB Charley Harraway, who had gotten off to a slow start and was now sidelined with a leg injury.

Taking Mira’s place was first-year QB Matthew Reed (pictured above). The 22-year-old Reed, an imposing 6’4” and 225 pounds, had been an outstanding college quarterback at Grambling but had failed to make it with the NFL Bills, who drafted him in the tenth round in 1973, and Saints.

There were just 14,614 fans present at Rynearson Stadium for the Wednesday night game. The hard-throwing Reed came out passing early, going for long bombs that fell incomplete while being blitzed heavily by the Detroit defense, hoping to take advantage of his inexperience.

Detroit got on the board when Bubba Wyche threw to newly-acquired TE Bruce Cullen for a 20-yard TD, although a running attempt for the “action point” failed (in the WFL, touchdowns counted for seven points and were followed by an “action point” that could not be kicked).

Late in the first half, and five minutes after the Wheels scored, Reed finally connected on a long pass play, hitting WR Dennis Homan for a 59-yard gain that set up an Earl Sark field goal of 27 yards with 14 seconds left on the clock. The score was 7-3 in favor of the Wheels at the half.

In the third quarter, Birmingham went 72 yards in five plays to score again. Homan made another big catch, diving to pull in the ball for a 29-yard gain, and RB Carl Bartles plunged in for a one-yard touchdown to finish the drive. Reed successfully passed for the “action point” and the Americans were ahead by 11-7.

At 4:42 into the fourth quarter, Sark booted a 36-yard field goal to extend Birmingham’s lead to 14-7. However, Detroit came back in stunning fashion when RB Jessie Mims took a pitchout and ran down the left sideline for a 55-yard touchdown. Wyche successfully converted the “action point” with a pass to RB Bill Sadler to put the Wheels in front at 15-14.

Following a short Birmingham possession that ended with a punt, it was Mims making another big play for the Wheels as he broke two tackles on the way to a 64-yard gain. That set up a 29-yard field goal by Eric Guthrie with 3:49 left in the game, and it appeared that Detroit might finally break into the win column.

Reed had the hot hand on the ensuing Birmingham drive, however, throwing to WR Alfred Jenkins for 14 yards, to TE Ted Powell for 32, and Homan for 12 yards to get the ball to the Detroit 9. Rolling out on an option play, the quarterback kept the ball and covered the nine yards, plowing over two defenders at the goal line for the winning touchdown with 2:12 left on the clock. The “action point” attempt failed, but Birmingham still came away the winner by a score of 21-18.

The Americans gained more yards (340 to 326) while Detroit led in first downs (18 to 13). Birmingham lost two fumbles and the Wheels turned the ball over once on an interception. Detroit was penalized seven times, for a loss of 50 yards, as opposed to two flags thrown on the Americans.

Matthew Reed completed just 8 of 21 passes, but they were good for 207 yards and he gave up no interceptions. Dennis Homan accounted for 4 catches for 110 yards. RB Paul Robinson led the rushing attack with 48 yards on 16 carries.

“We were flat early,” said Jack Gotta of his team’s offense. “I think it was rather obvious Matthew Reed was a little tight when he started. He had some problems early, but he stuck in there like they (the rest of the team) all did.”

For the Wheels, Jessie Mims rushed for 128 yards on just 9 carries. Bubba Wyche was successful on 19 of 32 throws for 190 yards and had one intercepted – he also ran for 30 yards on four carries. WR Jon Henderson pulled in 6 catches for 84 yards.

Detroit also suffered major injuries when WR Hubie Bryant and TE Dennis Macholz missed the second half due to leg injuries and CB Floyd Priester had to be carted off the field with a concussion on Birmingham’s winning score.

Typical of the Wheels, they played hard but came up short. They would go on to lose another close contest to the Americans at Birmingham the following week and a total of 10 straight before finally winning. With meager fan support and a lack of financial resources, the club failed to complete the season and folded with a 1-13 record.

Birmingham fared better, placing second in the Central Division at 15-5 and winning the only WFL Championship. Matthew Reed split time with George Mira and passed for 1345 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for 176 yards and three TDs on 40 carries.

Rookie of the Year: Rueben Mayes, 1986

Running Back, New Orleans Saints

Age: 23

College: Washington State

Height: 5’11”  Weight: 201

Prelude:

Lightly regarded coming out of college, Mayes was taken in the third round of the 1986 NFL draft as one of three running backs that the team took with its five available picks in the first three rounds, behind Dalton Hilliard. Nevertheless, the Canadian native moved past Hilliard and into the starting lineup in Week 5. Despite an Achilles tendon injury that nagged him all year, he proved to be a surprise star with his quick acceleration.

1986 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 286 [7]

Most attempts, game - 33 (for 157 yds.) vs. New England 11/30

Yards – 1353 [4]

Most yards, game – 203 yards (on 28 carries) vs. Miami 12/7

Average gain – 4.7 [3]

TDs – 8 [10, tied with five others]

200-yard rushing games – 1

100-yard rushing games – 6

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 17       

Most receptions, game – 3 (for 7 yds.) vs. Washington 10/5

Yards – 96

Most yards, game - 25 (on 2 catches) vs. New England 11/30

Average gain – 5.6

TDs – 0

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 10

Yards – 213

Most yards, game – 55 (on 3 ret.) vs. Green Bay 9/14, (on 2 ret.) at Atlanta 12/14

Avg. – 21.3

TDs – 0

Longest return – 34 yards

All-Purpose yards – 1662 [7]

Scoring

TDs – 8

Points – 48

Awards & Honors:

NFL Rookie of the Year: NEA, Sporting News

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: AP, PFWA

NFC Rookie of the Year: UPI

Pro Bowl

Saints went 7-9 to finish fourth in the NFC West.

Aftermath:

Mayes bypassed the Pro Bowl in order to have surgery on the injured Achilles tendon as quickly as possible after the season, and while he came back with another Pro Bowl year in 1987 (917 rushing yards in the strike-interrupted season), he suffered a severe knee injury that again required off-season surgery. A contract dispute resulted in a holdout and Mayes split time with Hilliard in 1988 and another Achilles tendon injury cost him all of the ’89 season. He came back to run for 510 yards in 1990 but was barely used in the last few games. Moving on to Seattle, he saw scant action and his career came to an end in 1991. The promising rookie season proved to be the high point for Mayes, and he ended up rushing for a total of 3484 yards on 866 carries (4.0 avg.) with 23 touchdowns and catching 57 passes for 401 yards (7.0 avg.) and no scores.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year). 

[Updated 2/8/14]

MVP Profile: Kurt Warner, 2001

Quarterback, St. Louis Rams

Age:  30

7^th season in pro football, 4^th in NFL & with Rams

College: Northern Iowa

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 220

Prelude:

An undrafted free agent out of Northern Iowa who failed to catch on with the Green Bay Packers in 1994, Warner played for the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League and earned another shot at the NFL with the Rams, who allocated him to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe for the spring 1998 season. He made the Rams as the third string QB in ’98 and was expected to back up new arrival Trent Green in 1999, but a season-ending injury to Green during the preseason thrust Warner into the starting lineup. The result was a remarkable year in which the obscure quarterback led the league in completion percentage (65.1), yards per attempt (8.7), TD passes (41), and passing (109.2) and the Rams won the Super Bowl. Injuries shortened his season in 2000, but Warner still led the NFL in completion percentage (67.7) and yards per attempt (9.9).

2001 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 546 [7]

Most attempts, game – 47 vs. New Orleans 10/28

Completions – 375 [1]

Most completions, game – 30 at New England 11/18

Yards – 4830 [1]

Most yards, game – 401 at New England 11/18

Completion percentage – 68.7 [1]

Yards per attempt – 8.8 [1]

TD passes – 36 [1]

Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. Miami 9/30, at Atlanta 12/2, at New Orleans 12/17

Interceptions – 22 [3, tied with Aaron Brooks & Jon Kitna]

Most interceptions, game – 4 vs. New Orleans 10/28

Passer rating – 101.4 [1]

400-yard passing games – 1

300-yard passing games – 9

200-yard passing games – 15

Rushing

Attempts – 28

Most attempts, game - 6 (for 3 yds.) at New England 11/18

Yards – 60

Most yards, game – 19 yards (on 4 carries) vs. San Francisco 12/9

Yards per attempt – 2.1

TDs – 0

Postseason: 3 G

Pass attempts – 107

Most attempts, game - 44 vs. New England, Super Bowl

Pass completions – 68

Most completions, game - 28 vs. New England, Super Bowl

Passing yardage – 793

Most yards, game - 365 vs. New England, Super Bowl

TD passes – 4

Most TD passes, game - 2 vs. Green Bay, NFC Divisional playoff

Interceptions – 3

Most interceptions, game - 2 vs. New England, Super Bowl

Rushing attempts – 9

Most rushing attempts, game - 4 vs. Green Bay, NFC Divisional playoff

Rushing yards – 8

Most rushing yards, game - 6 vs. New England, Super Bowl

Average gain rushing – 0.9

Rushing TDs – 1

Awards & Honors:

NFL MVP: AP, NEA

1^st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News

1^st team All-NFC: Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Rams went 14-2 to win NFC West and gain top playoff seed in conference while leading the NFL in total yards (6690), passing yards (4663), points scored (503) and touchdowns (62). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Green Bay Packers (45-17) and NFC Championship over Philadelphia Eagles (29-24). Lost Super Bowl to New England Patriots (20-17).

Aftermath:

Following three outstanding seasons, a hand injury in 2002 greatly hampered Warner’s effectiveness and he lost his starting job in 2003. After a year with the New York Giants, in which he paved the way for rookie QB Eli Manning, Warner moved on to the Arizona Cardinals and revived his career. He led the Cardinals to an NFC Championship following the 2008 season and retired after another productive, division-winning year in 2009. Warner left the NFL as the fifth-rated passer all-time (93.7 rating) and having thrown for 32,344 yards with 208 TDs and a 65.5 completion percentage. While his career was marked by abrupt ups and downs, his regular-season won-lost record as a starting quarterback was 67-49 (9-4 in the postseason).

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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 2/8/14]