MVP Profile: John Hadl, 1973

Quarterback, Los Angeles Rams

Age:  33

12^th season in pro football, 1^st with Rams

College: Kansas

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 214

Prelude:

Hadl was taken by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 1962 AFL draft (and first round by Detroit in the NFL, who had visions of converting him into an option halfback) and, with the injury and subsequent waiver departure of QB Jack Kemp, saw considerable action as a rookie. With the signing of veteran Tobin Rote for 1963, Hadl learned from the bench for a year but gradually saw more action in ’64 and took over as the starting quarterback in 1965 – a season in which he led the AFL in passing yards (2798) and yards per attempt (8.0). With a strong arm, he fit well in Head Coach Sid Gillman’s passing offense, although he was prone to throwing interceptions. In 1968, Hadl led the league in pass attempts (440), completions (208), yards (3473), TD passes (27), but also interceptions (32). Following the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, he led the NFL in pass attempts (431), completions (233), yards (3075), and TD passes (21) in 1971, a year when he also was picked off 25 times, and in 1972 he led the league in interceptions thrown with 26. Still, he was selected to four AFL All-Star games and one Pro Bowl with the Chargers through ’72, passing for a total of 26,938 yards and 201 TDs in 11 seasons. Dissatisfied with changes to the post-Gillman offense, Hadl was traded to the Rams for 1973 and, with the dispatch of veteran QB Roman Gabriel to Philadelphia, he took over as the starting quarterback in LA.

1973 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 258 [12]

Most attempts, game – 26 at New Orleans 11/25

Completions – 135 [12]

Most completions, game – 13 vs. New Orleans 11/11

Yards – 2008 [8]

Most yards, game – 279 vs. Dallas 10/14

Completion percentage – 52.3 [16]

Yards per attempt – 7.8 [2, tied with Bob Lee]

TD passes – 22 [3]

Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. Dallas 10/14

Interceptions – 11 [15]

Most interceptions, game – 2 Dallas 10/14, at Minnesota 10/28, at New Orleans 11/25, vs. NY Giants 12/10

Passer rating – 88.8 [3]

200-yard passing games – 3

Rushing

Attempts – 14

Most attempts, game – 2 on 5 occasions

Yards – 5

Most yards, game – 6 yards (on 1 carry) vs. New Orleans 11/11

Yards per attempt – 0.4

TDs – 0

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Divisional playoff at Dallas)

Pass attempts – 23

Pass completions – 7

Passing yardage – 133

TD passes – 0

Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 2

Rushing yards – 10

Average gain rushing – 5.0

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

NFC Player of the Year: Sporting News

1^st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Pro Football Weekly

2^nd team All-NFL: NEA

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

Pro Bowl

Rams went 12-2 to finish first in NFC West while leading NFL in total offense (4906 yards) and scoring (388 points) and the conference in rushing (2925 yards). Lost NFC Divisional playoff to Dallas Cowboys (27-16).

Aftermath:

With his performance declining in 1974, the Rams traded Hadl to Green Bay at midseason. He took over as starting quarterback for the Packers and stayed through ’75, but passed for just 9 TDs with 29 interceptions for a losing team. Hadl was traded again, to the Houston Oilers for QB Lynn Dickey, and finished out the last two seasons of his 16-year career as a backup. Overall, he threw for 33,503 yards (which ranked third all-time in AFL/NFL history at the time) and 244 touchdowns with 268 interceptions (second all-time) and had an 82-76-9 record as a starting quarterback in the AFL and NFL.

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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). 

1983: Stars Rally Past Panthers

On June 5, 1983 the Philadelphia Stars, the team with the best record in the United States Football League at 11-2, hosted the Michigan Panthers, winners of 7 of their past 8 contests to make them 8-5 after a slow start.

The Stars, coached by Jim Mora, had an efficient, ball-control offense spurred by rookie RB Kelvin Bryant and a stingy, opportunistic defense. But as effective as Philadelphia’s offense had been, QB Chuck Fusina (pictured above) was sacked 45 times in 13 games. In addition, the Stars were coming off a tough loss to the Boston Breakers the previous week that had cost them an opportunity to wrap up the Atlantic Division title.

Meanwhile, Head Coach Jim Stanley’s Panthers had unheralded rookie QB Bobby Hebert and the better-known first-year WR Anthony Carter featured in an exciting offense while the defense, led by LB John Corker, was the best at sacking opposing passers.

There were 19,088 fans in attendance at Veterans Stadium. The Stars were up by 9-0 after a quarter of play following a 38-yard field goal by David Trout and a 15-yard touchdown run by Bryant, although the extra point attempt failed.

However, the Panthers took control in the second quarter, holding the ball for all but two minutes. Bobby Hebert passed to TE Mike Cobb for a five-yard touchdown six minutes into the period, followed by Novo Bojovic’s successful PAT. Hebert then put the Panthers ahead with a one-yard run around end just before the end of the half. With the extra point, it was 14-9 at the halfway point.

The Stars came back to take the lead two minutes into the third quarter when Fusina connected with FB Booker Russell for a 39-yard touchdown and the successful extra point made it 15-14. Later in the same period, Fusina struck again with a five-yard TD pass to WR Scott Fitzkee.

The Panthers responded with a big play as Hebert completed a bomb to RB John Williams, who charged past LB Jon Brooks for a 53-yard touchdown, but the try for two points that would have tied the score was unsuccessful.

Philadelphia put the game away with just under two minutes remaining to play on a five-yard scoring pass from Fusina to RB David Riley. The Stars held on to win by a final score of 29-20.

The Panthers had the edge in total yards (398 to 328) and first downs (25 to 18). Each team turned the ball over once. Michigan was only able to sack Fusina twice, thanks to his utilizing a quick drop to thwart the blitz. Novo Bojovic also missed both of his field goal attempts, with one of them a close call.

Chuck Fusina completed 24 of 32 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns with none intercepted. Kelvin Bryant ran the ball 15 times for 74 yards and a TD and caught 5 passes for another 62 yards. WR Willie Collier had 6 pass receptions for 47 yards.

For the Panthers, Bobby Hebert was successful on 25 of 45 throws for 314 yards and two TDs and had one picked off. Anthony Carter caught 6 of those passes for 74 yards while RB Cleo Miller also had 6 receptions, for 49 yards. Mike Cobb contributed 5 catches for 56 yards and a touchdown and, thanks to the long scoring reception, John Williams gained 65 yards on his two receptions. RB Ken Lacy led the ground attack with 71 yards on 13 attempts.

“They have a great pass rush, and they lead the league in sacks. So we felt we’d get them with a quick five-step drop,” explained Chuck Fusina. “We had a pretty good time of it.”

“I have to give them (the Stars) credit because they made the big plays at the right time,” said Coach Jim Stanley in defeat.

The Stars went on to finish up with a 15-3 record and won a dramatic come-from-behind overtime victory over the Chicago Blitz in their Semifinal playoff game. However, it was the Panthers who triumphed in the end, topping the Central Division at 12-6, handily defeating the Oakland Invaders in the Semifinal round and then edging Philadelphia in the rematch for the USFL Championship by a 24-22 score.

Rookie of the Year: Johnny Roland, 1966

Running Back, St. Louis Cardinals

Age: 23

College: Missouri

Height: 6’2”   Weight: 207

Prelude:

A star on both offense and defense in college, Roland was chosen by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 1966 NFL draft. While there was talk of putting him at safety, he was utilized at halfback on offense where his outside speed and pass receiving ability could be put to best use.

1966 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 192 [7]

Most attempts, game - 23 (for 76 yds.) at NY Giants 11/6

Yards – 695 [11]

Most yards, game – 109 yards (on 20 carries) at Washington 10/23

Average gain – 3.6 [15, tied with Junior Coffey]

TDs – 5 [11, tied with Ken Willard & Don Meredith]

100-yard rushing games – 1

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 21      

Most receptions, game – 4 (for 34 yds.) at Pittsburgh 11/13

Yards – 213

Most yards, game - 40 (on 2 catches) vs. Philadelphia 9/11

Average gain – 10.1

TDs – 0

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 15

Yards – 347

Most yards, game – 116 (on 4 ret.) vs. NY Giants 10/9

Average per return – 23.1 [16]

TDs – 0

Longest return – 33 yards

Punt Returns

Returns – 20 [6]

Yards – 221 [3]

Most yards, game – 142 (on 3 ret.) at Philadelphia 10/2

Average per return – 11.1 [1]

TDs – 1 [1, tied with five others]

Longest return – 86 yards

Passing

Attempts – 8

Completions – 5

Yards – 130

TDs – 1

INT – 0

All-Purpose Yards – 1476 [5]

Scoring

TDs – 6

Points – 36

Awards & Honors:

NFL Rookie of the Year: UPI

Pro Bowl

Cardinals went 8-5-1 to finish fourth in the NFL Eastern Conference.

Aftermath:

Roland followed up his outstanding rookie season with another Pro Bowl year in 1967. He rushed for 876 yards and 10 TDs and caught 20 passes for another 269 yards and a score. However, in the next to last game he suffered a knee injury that required surgery and, while he played for another six years, never again approached his early level of performance. His highs for rushing attempts and yards during the remainder of his career were 138 and 498, respectively, in 1969. In 1972, his last year with the Cards, he reached career highs with 38 pass receptions for 321 yards. Altogether with St. Louis he rushed 962 times for 3608 yards (3.8 avg.) and 27 touchdowns and caught 131 passes for 1240 yards and five TDs. He spent one last year with the New York Giants in ’73, gaining 142 yards on the ground and 190 yards on 22 receptions. With two punt returns for scores, he had a total of 36 TDs.

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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).

1984: Late Field Goals Propel Showboats Past Breakers

The United States Football League matchup in Memphis on June 1, 1984 featured the New Orleans Breakers, at 8-6 struggling to stay in the playoff hunt, against the Memphis Showboats, 6-8 and in an even more precarious situation, although much improved after a 2-7 start.

The Showboats, coached by colorful Pepper Rodgers in their first USFL season, had an exciting offense but had backup QB Mike Kelley (pictured at right) behind center in place of injured rookie QB Walter Lewis. And while the defense had a star in rookie DE Reggie White, the unit as a whole gave up too many yards.

New Orleans was coached by Dick Coury and was moving in the opposite direction of the Showboats, having stumbled after winning seven of the first nine games. Veteran QB John Walton led a talented offense, but the defense, while also containing talent, had trouble against the pass.

There were 31,191 in attendance at the Liberty Bowl for the Friday night game. They saw the visitors score first on a 42-yard Tim Mazzetti field goal. The Showboats scored the initial touchdown of the game on their second possession that ended with Kelley throwing to TE Gary Shirk from three yards out.

A blocked punt set up the second Memphis TD late in the second quarter. RB Cornelius Quarles ran in for the score from a yard out with less than a minute left on the clock and the Showboats led by 14-3 at the half.

The Breakers narrowed the margin in the third quarter thanks to a three-play, 69-yard drive that ended with John Walton throwing to WR Frank Lockett for a 42-yard TD. Walton struck again in the fourth quarter with a 10-yard scoring throw to RB Buford Jordan and it was 17-14 in favor of New Orleans with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

The Showboats fought back and with 1:10 left on the clock Alan Duncan booted a 45-yard field goal to tie the score. Overtime appeared likely until DB Mike Thomas made the biggest defensive play of the game, intercepting a Walton pass and returning it 28 yards to the New Orleans 35. Duncan came through with another long field goal, from 52 yards, with two seconds to spare and Memphis came away with a stunning 20-17 win.

New Orleans outgained the Showboats (341 yards to 266) and had the edge in first downs (15 to 14). Memphis even turned the ball over five times, to four by the Breakers, but the last New Orleans turnover proved to be fatal.

Mike Kelley completed 17 of 25 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown, but also tossed three interceptions. RB Glenn Ford gained 80 yards on 18 carries and caught 5 passes for 36 yards. WR Cormac Carney gained 49 yards on his three pass receptions.

For the Breakers, John Walton was successful on just 14 of 29 throws for two touchdowns but also the one big interception. Buford Jordan rushed for 104 yards on 14 carries and scored a TD on one of his three pass receptions for 16 more yards. RB Marcus Dupree led the team with four pass receptions, for 37 yards, to go along with his 12 carries for 29 yards while Frank Lockett had 59 yards and a score on his two catches.

Despite the win, Memphis was eliminated from postseason contention two days later. The Showboats ended up fourth in the Southern Division with a 7-11 record. The Breakers were right ahead of them at 8-10, having lost all of their remaining games.

 

Alan Duncan, who had been drafted by the NFL’s Eagles in 1981 but never made it to the regular season and was an assistant coach at Carson Newman College in 1983, was successful on 21 of his 28 field goal attempts and all but one of his 36 extra point tries to end up with 98 points in what was his most successful pro season. 

MVP Profile: Walter Payton, 1985

Running Back, Chicago Bears

Age: 31

11^th season in pro football & with Bears

College: Jackson State

Height: 5’10” Weight: 202

Prelude:

Chosen by the Bears in the first round of the 1975 NFL draft, Payton played hurt during his rookie season (and missed the only game of his career) as he accumulated 679 rushing yards. He broke out in ’76, running for 1390 yards on a league-leading 311 carries and scoring 13 touchdowns, and followed that up with a MVP season in 1977 in which he rushed for 1852 yards, including a then-record 275 in a single game. Over the course of the next seven seasons, Payton rushed for over a thousand years in all but strike-shortened 1982 and led the NFC in rushing for five straight years, despite being part of a lackluster offense that had opposing teams keying on him. In 1984 he surpassed Jim Brown’s NFL career record of 12,312 rushing yards. Payton was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and was a consensus first-team All-Pro on four occasions prior to ‘85.  

1985 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 324 [4]

Most attempts, game - 28 (for 192 yds.) at Green Bay 11/3, (for 53 yds.) at NY Jets 12/14

Yards – 1551 [3]

Most yards, game – 192 yards (on 28 carries) at Green Bay 11/3

Average gain – 4.8 [8, tied with James Brooks & Eddie Lee Ivery]

TDs – 9 [8, tied with Roger Craig & Larry Kinnebrew]

100-yard rushing games - 10

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 49      

Most receptions, game – 6 (for 37 yds.) vs. Tampa Bay 9/8

Yards – 483

Most yards, game - 69 (on 4 catches) vs. Detroit 11/10

Average gain – 9.9

TDs – 2

Passing

Attempts – 5

Completions – 3

Yards – 96

TDs – 1

Interceptions – 0

All-Purpose Yards – 2034 [4]

Scoring

TDs – 11 [9, tied with Mike Quick]

Points – 66

Postseason: 3 G

Rushing attempts – 67

Most rushing attempts, game - 27 vs. NY Giants, NFC Divisional playoff

Rushing yards – 186

Most rushing yards, game - 93 vs. NY Giants, NFC Divisional playoff

Average gain rushing – 2.8

Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 8

Most pass receptions, game - 7 vs. LA Rams, NFC Championship

Pass receiving yards - 52

Most pass receiving yards, game – 48 vs. LA Rams, NFC Championship

Average yards per reception – 6.5

Pass Receiving TDs - 0

Awards & Honors:

NFL MVP: NEA, Bert Bell Award

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

1^st team All-NFC: UPI

Pro Bowl

Bears went 15-1 to finish first in the NFC Central with the conference’s best record while leading the NFL in rushing (2761 yards) and NFC in scoring (456 points). Won NFC Divisional playoff over New York Giants (21-0), NFC Championship over Los Angeles Rams (24-0), and Super Bowl over New England Patriots (46-10).

Aftermath:

Payton played two more seasons, and was selected to the Pro Bowl once more in 1986. Not only a productive ground gainer, he was an outstanding blocker and receiver out of the backfield, as well as an accomplished passer on option plays (he was even the club’s emergency quarterback). Payton ultimately totaled 10 thousand-yard rushing seasons. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro five times and was chosen to nine Pro Bowls. The even-tempered player known as “Sweetness” was also an unselfish team leader and hard worker, and was popular not only with Bears fans, but throughout the league. He retired as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards and also topped the list in carries (3838) and rushing TDs (110); his total of 125 touchdowns ranked second. Payton also caught 492 passes for 4538 yards and exceeded 2000 yards from scrimmage in four seasons. The Bears retired his #34 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1993. 

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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). 

Rookie of the Year: Al Richardson, 1980

Linebacker, Atlanta Falcons

Age: 23 (Sept. 23)

College: Georgia Tech

Height: 6’2”   Weight: 206

Prelude:

Richardson was an eighth round draft choice by the Falcons for 1980, one of four linebackers the Falcons took. Starting on the outside, he combined with fellow rookie Buddy Curry, veteran Fulton Kuykendall, and second-year OLB Joel Williams to create an outstanding corps of linebackers.

1980 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Sacks – N/A

Interceptions – 7 [5, tied with 7 others]

Most interceptions, game – 2 at San Francisco 9/28

Int. return yards – 139 [4]

Most int. return yards, game – 52 (on 1 int.) at Philadelphia 12/7

Int. TDs – 0

Fumble recoveries – 3

Forced fumbles – 0

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Divisional playoff vs. Dallas)

Interceptions – 0

Awards & Honors:

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year: AP (co-winner)

2^nd team All-NFC: UPI

Falcons went 12-4 to finish first in the NFC West with the best record in the conference. Lost NFC Divisional playoff to Dallas Cowboys (30-27).  

Aftermath:

Due to an injury to Joel Williams, Richardson became the team’s chief blitzing linebacker in 1981 and, while his interception total dropped to one, he led the Falcons with 10.5 sacks (unofficially). A fractured shoulder blade limited Richardson to five games in 1983, following the strike-shortened ’82 season, and his level of performance dropped off thereafter. His career lasted just six seasons, through 1985, until he was cut during the preseason in ‘86. Overall, he played in 77 games and intercepted 9 passes; sacks not being an official statistic until 1982, he was credited with 9 but in actuality had more than double that number.

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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). 

MVP Profile: Michael Strahan, 2001

Defensive End, New York Giants

Age:  30 (Nov. 21)

9^th season in pro football & with Giants

College: Texas Southern

Height: 6’5”   Weight: 275

Prelude:

Strahan was chosen by the Giants in the second round of the 1993 NFL draft, but a preseason foot injury hindered his progress as a rookie. He moved into the starting lineup in ’94 and was a consensus first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection for the first time in 1997, a year in which he also reached double digits in sacks with 14. He duplicated the honors in ’98 and went to the Pro Bowl for a third straight year in 1999 despite a drop in sacks from 15 to 5.5. Following a slow start in 2000, Strahan reasserted his dominant pass rushing skills as the season progressed and finished up with 9.5 sacks.

2001 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Sacks – 22.5 [1]

Most sacks, game – 4 at St. Louis 10/14

Multi-sack games (2 or more) – 5

Interceptions – 0

Fumble recoveries – 1

Forced fumbles – 6

Tackles – 62

Assists – 11

Sack total of 22.5 set NFL record

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Awards & Honors:

NFL Defensive Player of the Year: AP

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

1^st team All-NFC: Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Giants went 7-9 to finish third in the NFC East.

Aftermath:

Strahan was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2002 and again led the NFL with 18.5 sacks in ’03, when he was a consensus All-NFL selection for the fourth (and last) time. While major injuries hampered him in 2004 and ’06, Strahan played until 2007, a total of 15 seasons, and retired following a Super Bowl title for the team. Fast and adaptable, he ended up with 141.5 sacks, which ranked fifth all-time at his retirement, and was selected to the Pro Bowl on seven occasions.

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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.