The Chicago Fire was 4-1, but coming off a big loss to
the Florida Blazers, as they faced the Philadelphia Bell in World Football
League action on August 14, 1974.
The Fire, coached by Jim Spavital, had Virgil Carter at
quarterback (pictured at right), a smart and experienced player who had been with the Bears and
Bengals in the NFL. The running game was strong with HB Cyril Pinder, formerly
of the Eagles and Bears, and unheralded but effective rookie FB Mark Kellar.
Philadelphia was coached by Ron Waller and featured an
exciting and complex offense that was guided by QB Jim “King” Corcoran, an
eccentric field general who had been around the minor league football circuit
for nearly a decade. Running backs John Land and Claude Watts were also
experienced minor league players who were proving to be productive, although
Land was out for the game at Chicago.
The Bell’s record stood at 3-2 and they were determined
to keep pace with the New York Stars in the Eastern Division. But while the
team had drawn huge crowds to JFK Stadium for its initial home games, it had
recently been learned that many of the tickets had been distributed for free or
at a substantial discount, casting a shadow over both the franchise and WFL.
There were 27,607 fans in attendance at Soldier Field for
the Wednesday night game. The Fire, coming off the big loss the previous week,
seemed flat during the early going. The Bell scored first in the opening period
as Claude Watts ran for a six-yard touchdown. RB Alan Thompson added the action
point for an 8-0 lead (in the WFL, touchdowns were worth seven points and were
followed by an action point, which could not be kicked). Before the period was
over, Chuck Ramsey booted a 26-yard field goal for the home team and the score
was 8-3 after a quarter of play.
In the second quarter, Cyril Pinder caught a pass from
Virgil Carter for a six-yard TD and Carter ran for the action point. Mark
Kellar added a one-yard touchdown carry and although the try for the action
point failed, Chicago held an 18-8 lead.
The Bell scored once again in the first half as Corcoran
connected with Thompson for a two-yard TD. The pass for an action point was
unsuccessful and the score stood at 18-15 in favor of the home team at the
intermission.
The Fire took command and opened up a 25-15 lead in the
third quarter as Pinder scored another touchdown, this time on a one-yard carry
through the line. The action point attempt failed. Meanwhile, the Fire’s
defensive line harassed Corcoran and the Bell could get nothing going
offensively.
However, Chicago’s 10-point lead evaporated in the fourth
quarter as the Bell scored twice. First, Chicago safety Barry Ruffner fumbled a
punt at his own 10 yard line to set up a Philadelphia score. Corcoran ran for a
TD from a yard out although the pass attempt for the action point failed.
Four minutes later, a shanked punt gave the Bell good
field position at the Chicago 45. It didn’t take long for the visitors to
capitalize. On the next play, Corcoran tossed a pass down the middle to Watts
that resulted in a 45-yard touchdown. Again the action point try was
unsuccessful, but Philadelphia led by 29-25 with 8:13 remaining in the contest.
Still behind with 3:34 left on the clock, the Fire drove
80 yards in nine plays. Carter completed five straight passes along the way,
the last to WR Jack Dolbin from 11 yards out for a TD. The action point attempt
was no good but the home team was back in front by three points with the clock
down to 1:34. The lead held up and Chicago came away with a 32-29 win.
Chicago accumulated 394 yards on offense, to 346 for the
Bell, with 275 of that total coming on the ground. The Fire also held a 23 to
15 advantage in first downs. Philadelphia turned the ball over three times, to
two suffered by Chicago, and was hurt by 10 penalties.
Both Cyril Pinder (pictured at left) and Mark Kellar reached triple digits
in rushing yards, with Pinder gaining 151 yards on 18 carries and Kellar
running for 112 yards on 23 attempts. Each scored a rushing touchdown and
Pinder added another on one of his two pass receptions. Virgil Carter completed
12 of 20 passes for 119 yards and two TDs with one intercepted. Jack Dolbin and
Mark Kellar each caught three passes, for 26 and 13 yards, respectively. TE Don
Burchfield gained 37 yards on his two receptions to top the club.
For the Bell, Jim Corcoran was successful on 17 of 34
throws for 256 yards and two touchdowns but with three interceptions. Alan
Thompson paced the ground game with 49 yards on 16 carries and while Claude
Watts ran for only 20 yards and a TD on 5 attempts, he also caught 5 passes for
144 yards and the one long score. Thompson also had five receptions, for 29
yards and including a TD.
The Fire appeared to be back on track and won two of their
next three games, but reversed course and didn’t win again the rest of the
season. Injuries, in particular to Virgil Carter, were the primary culprit as
Chicago ended up at 7-13 and third in the Central Division. Philadelphia was
9-11 and third in the Eastern Division, although in bizarre fashion they made
it to the postseason, falling in the first round.
Virgil Carter ended up ranking second in the WFL in
touchdown passes with 27 – putting him behind Jim “King” Corcoran, the league
leader with 31 – and also in completion percentage at 54.5. Cyril Pinder led
the club with 925 rushing yards on 179 carries for a fine 5.2-yard average. He
scored a total of 11 touchdowns, putting him second on the club to Mark Kellar
with 15.
Claude Watts ended up leading the Bell in touchdowns with
18 (and was second in the WFL overall) as he rushed for 927 yards on 199
carries (4.7 avg.) and caught 46 passes for 584 yards.
