1998: Hearst’s 96-Yard Run in OT Propels 49ers Over Jets

The season-opening NFL game in San Francisco on September 6, 1998 featured the 49ers, a perennial contender, hosting the New York Jets, a team that was on the rise.

The 49ers were a savvy veteran club that was used to winning, having been to the postseason in each of the previous six seasons and 16 of the past 18 years. Steve Mariucci had taken over as head coach in 1997 and the result was a conference-best 13-3 record and an appearance in the NFC Championship game. 36-year-old QB Steve Young routinely won passing titles, and while there were concerns that he could no longer deliver the long ball, the return of star WR Jerry Rice, who was lost for the year in the first week of ‘97, was expected to help, even coming off of two knee surgeries.

New York was just two years removed from a dreadful 1-15 campaign in 1996 but had perked up considerably to 9-7 in the first year under Head Coach Bill Parcells. QB Glenn Foley, taking over for the departed Neil O’Donnell, brought a gunslinger attitude to the offense but was also inexperienced, and underachieving veteran QB Vinny Testaverde was signed during the offseason. RB Curtis Martin was obtained from New England, where he had previously played with distinction under Parcells, and there was a young pass receiving corps led by brash WR Keyshawn Johnson. The team was in rebuilding mode but appeared poised to move up.

There were 64,419 fans in attendance on an unseasonably warm day at 3Com Park. The 49ers had the game’s first possession but turned the ball over when a pass by Steve Young was intercepted by FS Kevin Williams, who returned it 34 yards to the San Francisco 27. Glenn Foley (pictured at right) completed two passes to Keyshawn Johnson and John Hall kicked a 24-yard field goal to give the Jets the early lead.

The teams exchanged punts before San Francisco put together an 84-yard drive in eight plays. Young completed four passes along the way, with the longest to WR Terrell Owens for 23 yards, and RB Garrison Hearst (pictured at top) capped the series with a five-yard touchdown run up the middle. Wade Richey kicked the extra point and the home team was ahead by 7-3.

The Jets had the ball for the remainder of the opening period, but on the first play of the second quarter CB Antonio Langham picked off a Foley pass to give the 49ers possession at the New York 48. Hearst burst up the middle for 19 yards on first down, but three consecutive incomplete passes forced a long field goal try by Richey, and his 47-yard attempt missed the mark. Seven plays later, Foley connected with Johnson for a 41-yard TD and, with Hall’s point after, the visitors were back on top by 10-7.

The teams again traded punts before the 49ers put together a seven-play, 63-yard scoring drive. Young threw to WR J.J. Stokes for 25 yards and followed up with a completion to FB Marc Edwards for 16 yards to reach the New York 17. The drive bogged down but a defensive holding penalty on a third-and-six play gave the Niners a first down at the eight and, two plays later, it was Young to Stokes for a six-yard touchdown. Richey’s conversion had San Francisco ahead by 14-10.

There were still two minutes remaining in the first half following RB Leon Johnson’s 33-yard kickoff return, and Foley fired passes to WR Dedric Ward for 19 yards and Keyshawn Johnson for nine to reach the San Francisco 32. The Jets got a break when an interception was nullified by a penalty on the 49ers and, three plays later, Foley tossed a pass to WR Wayne Chrebet for a six-yard TD with 37 seconds left on the clock. Hall booted the extra point and, in see-saw fashion, the Jets took a 17-14 lead into halftime.

Following a possession by the Jets that concluded with a punt to start the third quarter, the 49ers tied the score with a 38-yard drive in seven plays that ended with a Richey field goal from 22 yards. However, New York came right back when, on the first play of the next series, Foley threw to Chrebet for a 48-yard gain to the San Francisco 30. Three plays later, with a roughing-the-passer penalty mixed in to move the Jets closer, Foley connected with Keyshawn Johnson for a 21-yard touchdown and, with Hall providing the extra point, the visitors were up by 24-17.

The 49ers responded with a 68-yard series in seven plays that featured Young completing consecutive passes to Owens for 19 yards and WR Jerry Rice for 21. Facing fourth-and-one at the New York 14, it was Young to Rice for a TD but the extra point attempt was blocked by DT Jason Ferguson and New York remained in the lead by a point.

The Jets had the ball in a possession that extended into the fourth quarter. Foley threw to Curtis Martin for 18 yards and to Chrebet twice, once for eight yards in a third-and-seven situation and then for 22 to get the ball to the San Francisco 29. But New York came up empty when the drive stalled and Hall missed a 45-yard field goal attempt.

The teams exchanged punts before the Jets advanced to another score. Foley completed passes to Martin for 22 yards, Keyshawn Johnson for 14, and Chrebet for 22 and, after Martin ran twice to get to the San Francisco 14, Hall booted a 32-yard field goal to make the score 27-23.

After the ensuing kickoff, the 49ers took possession with 3:38 remaining in regulation. On first down, Young passed to Hearst for a 35-yard gain to the New York 41. Four plays later, it was Young to Stokes (pictured at left), who out-jumped Kevin Williams and dove into the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown and, with Richey making the extra point, the Niners were in the lead by three points at 30-27 with the clock down to 1:32.

There was still time for the Jets, and they drove 60 yards in 12 plays. Foley converted a third-and-ten play with a throw to Chrebet for 19 yards and a fourth-and-ten situation with a toss to Ward for 22 to the San Francisco 32. Another pass to Ward on third down picked up 19 yards and, as time expired, Hall booted a 31-yard field goal to make it 30-30 and send the contest into overtime.

The Jets had the ball first in the extra period but went three-and-out. CB R.W. McQuarters returned Nick Gallery’s punt 16 yards to give San Francisco good field position at the New York 43, but the 49ers were unable to move and punted in return.

The visitors, helped by a face mask penalty, drove to their 47 before having to punt again, and Gallery’s 49-yard kick had the 49ers taking possession at their four yard line. But on the next play, Hearst broke away off right tackle, stiff-armed Williams at the 20, and was off to the races for a 96-yard touchdown run, reaching the end zone just ahead of LB Mo Lewis’ desperation tackle. In stunning fashion, San Francisco came away the winner by a final score of 36-30.

The teams combined for 1003 yards, with the 49ers having the edge (557 to 465) as well as in first downs (26 to 25). New York, whose yardage total was its most in eight years, led in time of possession (34:43 to 29:25). Each club turned the ball over once.

Steve Young completed 26 of 46 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns while giving up one interception. Boosted by the game-winning run that was the longest in franchise history, Garrison Hearst accumulated 187 yards on 20 carries that included two TDs. J.J. Stokes had 7 catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns and Jerry Rice pulled in 6 passes for 86 yards and a score.

For the Jets, Glenn Foley had a career day as he succeeded on 30 of 58 throws for 415 yards and three TDs with one interception. There were two receivers with over a hundred yards led by Keyshawn Johnson, who caught 9 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns, along with Wayne Chrebet (pictured at right) with 6 receptions for 125 yards and a TD. Dedric Ward was four yards short of the century mark as he gained 96 yards on five catches. Curtis Martin had a fairly quiet rushing day, gaining 58 yards on 22 attempts, but also had four pass receptions for 41 yards. 

“It’s disappointing to fight that hard and lose,” said a drained Coach Parcells. “You just put players in a position to make plays and you’ve got to make them. Hearst was right there. We missed some tackles there.”

San Francisco went on to a 12-4 record that placed second in the NFC West and qualified for a Wild Card playoff spot. The 49ers defeated Green Bay in the first round before falling to Atlanta at the Divisional level. The Jets were a bigger surprise in also going 12-4 and topping the AFC East. They reached the AFC Championship game before finally succumbing to the Denver Broncos.

Steve Young had another stellar year, passing for a career-high 4170 yards and a league-leading 36 touchdowns. He was chosen to a seventh straight Pro Bowl, his last. Garrison Hearst went on to gain 1570 yards on 310 carries with seven TDs and was also a Pro Bowl selection for the first time. J.J. Stokes achieved career bests with 63 pass receptions for 770 yards and eight touchdowns and Jerry Rice returned to Pro Bowl form as he caught 82 passes for 1157 yards and nine TDs.

For Glenn Foley, the big opening performance against the 49ers proved to be the highlight of his season. Two lackluster starts while also being sidelined with a rib injury in between caused him to be relegated to the bench in favor of Vinny Testaverde, who put together a Pro Bowl year in quarterbacking the Jets to the postseason.

Highlighted Year: John Corker, 1983

Linebacker, Michigan Panthers

Age: 24

4^th season in pro football, 1^st in USFL & with Panthers

College: Oklahoma State

Height: 6’5”   Weight: 240

Prelude:

Corker was the Big-8 Defensive Player of the Year in 1978, impressing with his combination of speed and size, although he suffered torn ligaments in his knee during the season. He came back to receive second-team all-conference recognition in ’79 and was chosen by the Houston Oilers in the fifth round of the 1980 NFL draft but, after three undistinguished and injury-plagued years, was let go following the 1982 season. Corker was signed by the Panthers of the new USFL, who obtained his rights from the Washington Federals.

1983 Season Summary

Appeared in 17 of 18 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Sacks – 28 [1]

Most sacks, game – 6 at New Jersey 4/10

Multi-sack games – 6

Interceptions – 2

Int. return yards – 22

Int. TDs – 0

Fumble recoveries – 5

Fumble recovery TDs – 1

Tackles – 116.5

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Postseason: 2 G

Sacks – N/A

Interceptions – 0

TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

USFL Defensive Player of the Year: League, Pro Football Weekly

1^st team All-USFL: Official, Sporting News, College & Pro Football Newsweekly, Pro Football Weekly

Panthers went 12-6 to finish first in the USFL Central Division while leading the league in sacks (74). Won Semifinal playoff over Oakland Invaders (37-21) & USFL Championship over Philadelphia Stars (24-22).

Aftermath:

Corker followed up his sensational 1983 season with a lesser, if still effective, performance, registering 8 sacks and 76 tackles over the course of 14 games in ’84 and receiving All-USFL honors from The Sporting News. He was left unprotected when the Panthers merged with the Oakland Invaders in 1985 and joined the Memphis Showboats. Adding another 5.5 sacks, he finished his USFL career with 41.5. With the demise of the USFL, Corker attempted a return to the NFL but failed to catch on, at least partly due to off-field drug use. He joined the Detroit Drive of the Arena Football League in 1988, performed well on offense as well as defense, and returned to the NFL with Green Bay, appearing in two games. Corker returned to the arena league in 1990 and spent another six seasons with the Detroit Drive and Miami Hooters. He was named to the Arena Football League’s 10^th Anniversary All-Time team as an offensive and defensive lineman and was inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame in 2002.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

1994: Marino Passes for 473 Yards & 5 TDs as Dolphins Defeat Patriots

The Miami Dolphins had QB Dan Marino (pictured above) back behind center as they hosted the New England Patriots in a season-opening game on September 4, 1994. After ten years of highly-productive, and often record-setting, passing while remaining injury free, Marino had been lost to a ruptured Achilles tendon five games into the ’93 season.

Head Coach Don Shula’s team had initially weathered the loss of Marino well and was at 9-2 before losing five straight games to close out the season and miss the playoffs at 9-7. The receiving corps, led by WR Irving Fryar, was capable while the running attack was mediocre, with RB Terry Kirby more productive as a receiver out of the backfield. However, it was key injuries on the defensive side that ultimately sank the Dolphins, and improvement was anticipated.

New England was coming off of a 5-11 record in its first year under Head Coach Bill Parcells, but after five straight losing seasons there was reason for optimism. QB Drew Bledsoe had a year of action under his belt, TE Ben Coates emerged as an outstanding receiver, and the defense, led by MLB Vincent Brown, was much better. 

There were 69,613 fans in attendance at Joe Robbie Stadium and there was a heavy downpour an hour before kickoff that turned the baseball infield portion of the field into a muddy mess. The game started off quietly enough as the Patriots went three-and-out on their first possession and Dan Marino misfired on his first two passes before Miami moved to the New England 39. However, in attempting to convert a fourth-and-one play, Terry Kirby fumbled and FS Myron Guyton recovered for the Patriots.

New England drove 59 yards in 11 plays. Drew Bledsoe started off with a completion to RB Leroy Thompson for 20 yards and, after the loss of a yard on a running play, connected with WR Michael Timpson for 12 yards. It was RB Marion Butts carrying most of the load from there as the Patriots kept the ball on the ground and FB Kevin Turner gained the last yard for a touchdown. Matt Bahr added the extra point and the home team was ahead by 7-0.

The Dolphins responded with a long series that stretched into the second quarter. Marino completed six passes along the way, four of them to Kirby, but after reaching the New England six his throw intended for FB Keith Byars was intercepted by LB Dwayne Sabb.

The teams exchanged punts before the Patriots advanced into Miami territory, fueled by a 28-yard Bledsoe-to-Timpson pass play. Bledsoe had two more completions before being picked off in the end zone by CB Troy Vincent. Three plays later, Marino fired a pass to WR Mark Ingram for a 64-yard touchdown. Pete Stoyanovich booted the point after and the score was tied.

The Patriots responded with a scoring drive of eight plays that covered 68 yards. Bledsoe had four pass completions, the two biggest to TE Ben Coates for 26 yards and Turner for 19, to reach the Miami two and from there he tossed a TD pass to Coates. Bahr again converted to put the visitors up by seven with 2:15 left in the first half.

There was still time for Marino to pass the Dolphins into scoring position and, on the final play of the half, Stoyanovich kicked a 42-yard field goal and the New England lead was 14-10 at halftime.

A short Miami series to start the third quarter ended with a punt but, on their second play, the Patriots came through with a big one as Bledsoe (pictured at left) threw to Coates for a 62-yard touchdown. Bahr’s conversion stretched the New England lead to 21-10.

The teams again traded punts before the Dolphins, striking quickly, got back on the board. Taking over from their 39, Marino went long to WR Irving Fryar for 40 yards to the New England 21. A run for five yards that was followed by a holding penalty and then an incomplete pass had the home team facing third-and-15. Marino then connected with TE Keith Jackson for a TD from 26 yards out. Kirby dove into the end zone for a two-point conversion (the first in team history) and the New England lead was cut to 21-18.

FS Gene Atkins intercepted a Bledsoe pass on the next series to give the ball back to the Dolphins, but a fumble by Marino on the next play gave the ball back to the Patriots at the Miami 24. Five plays later, Bledsoe connected with Timpson for a five-yard touchdown and, with Bahr’s extra point, the visitors were ahead by ten at 28-18. Helped along by a pass interference penalty, the Dolphins responded with another long Marino TD pass, this time to Fryar for 54 yards. Stoyanovich’s kick made it a three-point game at 28-25.

The Patriots had the ball for the remainder of the period and punted to start the fourth quarter. Two plays later, Kirby took a handoff and then tossed the ball back to Marino on a flea-flicker that resulted in another scoring pass to a wide-open Fryar, this time covering 50 yards. Stoyanovich converted and the Dolphins had their first lead of the day at 32-28.

New England was far from finished and advanced 67 yards in seven plays. Bledsoe completed a pass to WR Vincent Brisby for six yards to convert a third-and-six situation at midfield and WR Ray Crittenden put the Patriots back in front with a leaping catch in the corner of the end zone of a Bledsoe pass for a 23-yard touchdown. Bahr’s successful conversion made the score 35-32 with 10:12 left to play.

Following an exchange of punts, the Dolphins took over on their 20 with 8:50 remaining on the clock. Marino passed to Kirby for 21 yards on a third-and-12 play and, shortly thereafter facing third-and-seven, he connected with WR Scott Miller for 18 yards. Four plays later, and facing fourth-and-five, Marino correctly surmised that the Patriots were in single coverage and threw to Fryar for a 35-yard touchdown. Stoyanovich’s PAT put Miami ahead by four points.

Bledsoe came out throwing following the ensuing kickoff and hit Thompson for eight yards and Brisby for 19 to reach the New England 47. The next two passes fell incomplete before Coates caught a pass for a 23-yard gain, but the tight end fumbled when hit by Atkins at the end and SS Michael Stewart recovered for the Dolphins at the Miami 26 to nail down the 39-35 win.

Both teams piled up yards, with the Dolphins compiling the most (525 to 472), although New England led in first downs (25 to 21) and time of possession (32:42 to 27:18). Each club turned the ball over three times.

Dan Marino showed that he was back in good form as he completed 23 of 42 passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns while giving up one interception. Irving Fryar (pictured above) had a huge performance with 211 yards on his five catches that included three touchdowns. Mark Ingram contributed 87 yards and a TD on his three receptions and Terry Kirby, who rushed for 56 yards on 19 carries, also caught 7 passes for 61 yards.

For the Patriots, Drew Bledsoe was successful on 32 of 51 throws for 421 yards and four TDs while being intercepted twice. Ben Coates topped the receivers by catching 8 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Marion Butts led the miniscule running attack with 25 yards on 15 attempts, closely followed by Leroy Thompson’s six carries for 22 yards.

“Dan is back,” said Miami’s Coach Shula. “All week I’ve never seen him more intense than he’s been this week. This game probably meant as much as any he has played in for a while.”

The Dolphins won four of their first five games on the way to a 10-6 record and first place in the AFC East. They defeated Kansas City in the Wild Card playoff round before losing a close contest to the Chargers at the Divisional level. New England also went 10-6, losing both of its games to Miami to thus finish second in the division, and qualified for the postseason as a Wild Card entry. The Patriots lost to Cleveland in the Wild Card round.

As the opening game foreshadowed, both quarterbacks had productive passing seasons. Dan Marino finished second in the NFL in pass attempts (615), completions (385), and yards (4453) and third in touchdown passes (30) and passer rating (89.2, best in the AFC). It was the emergent Drew Bledsoe placing first in attempts (691), completions (400), and yards (4555), although also interceptions (27), which were two more than his touchdown passing total (25). Both were chosen to the Pro Bowl (the eighth such honor for Marino, the first for Bledsoe).

Likewise, the game’s top receivers remained productive all year. Irving Fryar, whose 211 yards against the Patriots were his career high, caught 73 passes for 1270 yards, both totals exceeding any of the previous ten years of his career, and seven TDs. Ben Coates topped the AFC with 86 pass receptions, for 1174 yards and seven scores. Like Marino and Bledsoe, both were Pro Bowl selections.

1978: Dusek Fumble Return Lifts Redskins Past Patriots

The Washington Redskins were under new leadership and facing long odds (they were 9.5-point underdogs) as they faced the New England Patriots in a season-opening game on September 3, 1978.

Jack Pardee was making his debut as head coach of the Redskins, the successor to George Allen and his seven straight winning records, including 9-5 in ‘77. Allen had dealt away draft picks to stockpile veterans, and there were concerns about retooling at certain positions. Foremost was at quarterback, where Bill Kilmer was almost 39 years old and being pressed by Joe Theismann, who was named the starter just prior to the opener. HB Mike Thomas was capable and it was hoped that FB John Riggins would rebound from an injury-plagued year. The defense was tough but old and there were concerns in particular about the backfield.

New England, coached by Chuck Fairbanks, had also been 9-5 the previous year but was considered to be a contender in the highly competitive AFC East. Steve Grogan brought grit and mobility to the quarterback position and there was a promising group of runners led by FB Sam Cunningham. WR Darryl Stingley’s career was cut short by a spinal cord injury suffered during the preseason and WR Harold Jackson was obtained from the Rams to take his place. The defense was fifth overall in 1977 and especially strong against the run.

There were 55,037 fans in attendance at Schaeffer Stadium in Foxboro, MA. The Redskins came through with a big gain on their first play from scrimmage as Joe Theismann fired a pass to WR Danny Buggs that picked up 63 yards to the New England 17. From there, the visitors made it to the eight before Mark Moseley came on to kick a 26-yard field goal for the early 3-0 lead.

That lead held up through the first half as both quarterbacks were erratic and the Patriots failed to take advantage of several opportunities. Drives to the Washington 23 and 26 both came up empty, the last when CB Lamar Parrish picked off a Grogan pass at his 18 with 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Three minutes into the third quarter, the Patriots finally got on the board as the result of an 80-yard drive in seven plays when QB Steve Grogan passed to WR Stanley Morgan for a 33-yard touchdown. John Smith added the extra point for a 7-3 advantage.

The Redskins responded later in the period thanks to 18-year veteran DE Ron McDole’s interception of a Grogan pass that he batted into the air at the line of scrimmage and that resulted in an 11-play, 55-yard advance. Mike Thomas converted one third down with a six-yard run and then another in which he made a diving catch for 14 yards to the New England 22. After reaching the 10, a fumbled snap lost five yards and Theismann’s throw to WR Frank Grant in the end zone was dropped. Once more it was Thomas, circling out of the backfield and getting open for a 15-yard TD toss from Theismann. Moseley’s extra point attempt hit the goal post and was unsuccessful but the visitors were in front by 9-7.

As the game headed into the fourth quarter, the Patriots put together an 80-yard drive as two reserves, HB Horace Ivory and TE Don Hasselbeck, made key plays and Grogan went long to Harold Jackson for a 45-yard touchdown. Smith’s conversion put New England back on top by 14-9.

Up by five points, the Patriots were attempting to run out the clock as they took possession in the last three minutes. But on a second down play Ivory, attempting to sweep around right end, was hit hard by DT Dave Butz, causing a fumble. LB Brad Dusek, a former member of the Patriots, grabbed the ball on one bounce and raced down the left sideline along with a convoy of teammates for a 31-yard touchdown. Moseley this time made good on the PAT and the visitors clung to a two-point lead with 2:40 left to play.

The Patriots still had time and a brisk wind at their backs. They got a break on the next series as Grogan fumbled when sacked by DE Diron Talbert and the Redskins recovered, but the play was nullified by an illegal bump on Parrish. That gave the Patriots a first down at their 32, but a handoff to HB Andy Johnson was botched, DE Coy Bacon sacked Grogan for a 13-yard loss, and a third down pass was dropped by WR Don Westbrook to force a punt. Washington then put the game away when John Riggins broke away for a 31-yard gain to the New England 16 in the last minute, allowing the Redskins to run out the clock and win by a final score of 16-14.

Total yards were nearly even, with the Patriots having a slight edge (326 to 324) although New England more decisively led in first downs (21 to 14). However, the Patriots also turned the ball over three times, to two suffered by Washington, and the Redskins recorded three sacks, to one by New England.

Joe Theismann completed 10 of 24 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown while giving up an interception. Mike Thomas ran for 70 yards on 11 carries and also led the Redskins with four catches, for 46 yards and a TD. With the long gain to start the game, Danny Buggs gained 89 yards on two pass receptions. John Riggins contributed 60 rushing yards on 16 attempts.

For the Patriots, Steve Grogan was successful on just 12 of 31 throws for 199 yards and two TDs with two interceptions. Despite the late fumble, Horace Ivory had a fine overall performance with 89 yards on 16 carries. Harold Jackson caught 7 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown.

The opening win was the first of six straight for the Redskins, but they slipped badly during the second half of the season to finish at 8-8 and third in the NFC East. New England recovered to win eight of the next nine games, and topped the AFC East with an 11-5 record. However, the announcement by Coach Fairbanks that he was resigning to take over at the University of Colorado just prior to the season finale, and his immediate dismissal by owner William H. Sullivan effectively pulled the plug on the season. The Patriots lost decisively to Houston in the AFC Divisional playoff round.

Brad Dusek, who was originally drafted by the Patriots, was in his fifth season with Washington and well established as the starting left linebacker. His game-winning fumble recovery was one of two for the year and 16 over the course of his career, three of which he returned for touchdowns.

Highlighted Year: Charlie O’Rourke, 1946

Quarterback/Defensive Back, Los Angeles Dons

Age: 29

2^nd season in pro football, 1^st in AAFC & with Dons

College: Boston College

Height: 5’11” Weight: 175

Prelude:

“Chuckin’ Charlie” O’Rourke starred at Boston College, where he passed for 1108 yards and 14 touchdowns and led the 1940 team to an undefeated record and victory in the Sugar Bowl. He was chosen by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 1941 NFL draft and joined the club in ’42, backing up QB Sid Luckman and throwing for 951 yards and 11 TDs. O’Rourke then entered the US Navy for the remainder of World War II and signed with the Dons of the new AAFC in 1946.

1946 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 182 [4]

Completions – 105 [2]

Yards – 1250 [5]

Completion percentage – 57.7 [1]

Yards per attempt – 6.9 [4]

TD passes – 12 [5]

Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. Miami 9/20, vs. Buffalo 12/1

Interceptions – 14 [2, tied with four others]

Passer rating – 68.7 [3]

Rushing

Attempts – 47

Yards – 50

Yards per attempt – 1.1

TDs – 1

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 1

Yards – 28

TDs – 0

Punting

Punts – 8 [17, tied with Fred Evans]

Yards – 312 [17]

Average – 39.0

Punts blocked – 0

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Dons went 7-5-2 to finish third in the AAFC Western Division.

Aftermath:

O’Rourke found himself in competition with QB Glenn Dobbs, who was obtained from Brooklyn a week into the 1947 season, but proved the better fit in the T-formation offense and passed for a career-high 1449 yards with 13 touchdowns. With the shift to a spread formation geared to Dobbs in 1948, O’Rouke was sold to the Baltimore Colts where he acted as a player/coach backing up QB Y.A. Tittle for the last two seasons of his career, ending with the dissolution of the AAFC in ’49. Overall in the AAFC, O’Rourke passed for 3088 yards and 28 touchdowns. Of that, 2699 passing yards and 25 TDs came with the Dons.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

1996: Bills Rally to Force Tie, Defeat Giants in Overtime

The Buffalo Bills were highly-regarded favorites as they faced the New York Giants in a season-opening game on September 1, 1996. Coached by Marv Levy, who guided the club to four consecutive AFC Championships from 1990 to ’93, the Bills were coming off of a 10-6 record in 1995. They still had their solid, if aging, core on offense of QB Jim Kelly, RB Thurman Thomas, and WR Andre Reed (pictured at right), and hoped to benefit from the arrival of free agent WR Quinn Early. DE Bruce Smith remained the cornerstone of a defense that had returned to form in ‘95 following a down year in 1994. There was some concern regarding Smith, who was involved in a contract dispute and threatened to boycott the game, but he was in the lineup to face the Giants.

New York was in its fourth season under Head Coach Dan Reeves and went a miserable 5-11 the previous year. The Giants managed to retain star RB Rodney Hampton, who received an offer sheet from the 49ers in the offseason, but elsewhere there were question marks. QB Dave Brown had failed to develop as hoped and the defense did not look good in a lackluster preseason.

There were 74,218 fans in attendance at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands for the Sunday night contest. Following a three-and-out series by the Bills that included two sacks of Jim Kelly and forced the visitors to punt from their own end zone, the Giants started off with good field position at the Buffalo 46 and drove to the game’s first score. Dave Brown completed passes to WR Lawrence Dawsey for 13 yards and FB Charles Way for 12 and Rodney Hampton had a 12-yard run. After gaining a first-and-goal at the five, New York was unable to reach the end zone and settled for a 22-yard Brad Daluiso field goal.

The teams traded punts as the game headed into the second quarter, but one of them yielded more points for the Giants when rookie WR Amani Toomer thrilled the crowd as he returned Chris Mohr’s 51-yard kick for a club-record 87-yard touchdown.  Daluiso’s PAT made it 10-0.

A short possession by the Bills, struggling against a swarming New York defense, ended in yet another punt and the Giants went 57 yards in four plays, the big one a Brown pass to Way for a 37-yard TD. Daluiso converted for a seventeen point advantage, and an upset seemed very possible.

Buffalo began to dig out of the 17-0 hole on the next series, helped when Daluiso’s kickoff went out of bounds and thus gave the Bills the ball at their 40, driving 60 yards in nine plays. Kelly completed three straight passes, to TE Lonnie Johnson for three yards, TE Tony Cline for six, and then to Andre Reed for 31 yards to the New York 16. Thurman Thomas ran twice for eight yards before Kelly again connected with Cline, this time for seven yards to the one, and two plays later it was Thomas bulling up the middle for a touchdown.  Steve Christie converted to narrow the score to 17-7, which remained the tally at the half.

The Giants had the ball first in the third quarter and punted, but got it back on the next play with Kelly’s pass was intercepted by CB Philippi Sparks, who returned it 19 yards to the Buffalo 14. Four plays later Daluiso booted a 34-yard field goal and the lead was extended to 20-7.

The Bills responded by advancing 80 yards in 10 plays, the biggest of which were passes by Kelly (pictured at left) to Quinn Early for 39 yards and Reed for 28. Christie’s 28-yard field goal made it a ten-point contest at 20-10.

A short series by the Giants ended with a punt and Buffalo, now utilizing its no-huddle offense effectively against a tiring defense, moved quickly to score again. RB Darrick Holmes ran twice for 12 yards before Kelly went for Reed on a slant pattern and the receiver split the secondary and raced for a 60-yard touchdown. Christie again added the PAT and, with 6:30 remaining in the period, the New York lead was narrowed to 20-17.

The Giants got an apparent break on the next series when, forced to punt, Buffalo DB Jeff Burris fumbled and LB Corey Widmer recovered for the home team, but they were unable to take advantage and shortly thereafter had to punt again.

The teams exchanged punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter until the Bills put together a long drive of 75 yards in 13 plays. Thomas started things off with two runs that covered a total of 13 yards and Kelly connected with Johnson for eight. Three plays later Reed ran for 13 yards on a reverse to get the ball into Buffalo territory but, following a sack of Kelly by LB Corey Miller, the visitors were facing a third-and-18 situation at the New York 45. Kelly completed a pass to Early for 20 yards that kept the drive alive and four plays later Christie kicked a 39-yard field goal that tied the score at 20-20.

Neither team was able to score in the remaining minutes of regulation, although a long pass by Brown with 2:56 remaining on the clock barely missed being caught for a sizable gain by WR Thomas Lewis, and the contest headed into overtime. Buffalo had the ball first and punted. The Giants advanced to their 41 on the ensuing possession but Brown fumbled when sacked by Bruce Smith and LB Chris Spielman recovered at the New York 33. The Bills advanced methodically to the 16, with Kelly throwing to Cline for eight yards to convert a third-and-seven play, before Christie came in to kick a 34-yard field goal with 4:52 remaining in the extra period and Buffalo, which had trailed for most of the contest, came away the winner by a final score of 23-20.

The Bills led significantly in total yards (410 to 231), first downs (25 to 12), and time of possession (40:30 to 29:38). However, the Giants recorded seven sacks, to five by Buffalo, and the Bills turned the ball over twice, to one suffered by New York, although it led to the decisive score. The teams punted a combined 19 times, with 10 by Mike Horan of the Giants and 9 by Buffalo’s Chris Mohr.

Jim Kelly completed 24 of 41 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown along with an interception. Thurman Thomas rushed for 97 yards on 32 carries that included a TD. Andre Reed gained 138 yards on his five catches that included a touchdown while Tony Cline and Lonnie Johnson had 6 pass receptions apiece, for 41 and 37 yards, respectively. On defense, Bruce Smith was credited with two sacks, including the one that resulted in the game-deciding turnover.

For the Giants, Dave Brown was successful on 11 of 27 throws for 169 yards and a TD with none intercepted. Rodney Hampton led the club with 50 yards on 18 rushing attempts. Charles Way topped the receivers with four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Including the 87-yard touchdown, Amani Toomer (pictured at right) had a noteworthy debut with a 28.3-yard average on four punt returns.

“I can tell you, we can play better, that’s good news,” said Buffalo’s Coach Levy. “I’m very proud of our team hanging in and coming back and playing the game out.”

The Bills got off to a 9-3 start, although initially struggling to put points on the board, but faded down the stretch to finish at 10-6, which placed second in the AFC East and qualified for a Wild Card playoff spot. They lost to the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round. New York was 0-3 before winning two straight games on the way to a 6-10 record that placed last in the NFC East.

Andre Reed’s big opening game heralded a return from an injury-plagued ’95 season as he caught 66 passes for 1036 yards (15.7 avg.) and six touchdowns. Bruce Smith’s two sacks were part of an eventual 13.5 for the year, his best total since 1993, and he was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection for the fourth straight year.

Amani Toomer averaged 16.6 yards on 18 punt returns and returned one more for a touchdown during the season. Primarily a kick returner in his first three seasons, he would move into the starting lineup as a wide receiver and catch 668 passes for 9497 yards (14.7 avg.) and 54 TDs in a 13-year career with the Giants.

Highlighted Year: Pat Haden, 1975

Quarterback, Southern California Sun

Age: 22

1^st season in pro football

College: Southern California

Height: 5’11” Weight: 180

Prelude:

Haden was a member of national championship teams at USC in 1972 and ’74 and appeared in three Rose Bowls. He was also an Academic All-American and received a Rhodes Scholarship following his graduation. Haden was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 1975 NFL draft but signed with the Sun of the WFL with the stipulation that he would need to cut his season short in order to begin his studies at Oxford. He took over the starting duties in the second week and played well until departing the club just a few weeks before the league folded.

1975 Season Summary

Appeared in 7of 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 163 [9]

Most attempts, game – 40 at San Antonio 8/9

Completions – 98 [6]

Most completions, game – 24 at San Antonio 8/9

Yards – 1404 [6]

Most yards, game – 313 at San Antonio 8/9

Completion percentage – 60.1 [1]

Yards per attempt – 8.6 [1]

TD passes – 11 [4, tied with Don Horn]

Most TD passes, game – 3 at San Antonio 8/9, vs. Philadelphia 8/29

Interceptions – 9 [8, tied with Tom Sherman & Sonny Sixkiller]

Most interceptions, game – 3 at San Antonio 8/9

300-yard passing games – 1

200-yard passing games – 3

Rushing

Attempts – 12

Most attempts, game – 4 (for 26 yds.) vs. Charlotte 9/14

Yards – 44

Most yards, game – 26 yards (on 4 carries) vs. Charlotte 9/14

Average gain – 3.7

TDs – 0

Sun went 7-5 and were first in the WFL Western Division when the league folded. They led the league in touchdowns (45, tied with San Antonio) and were second in rushing yards (2047), passing yards (2431), and scoring (354 points).

Aftermath:

With the WFL having folded, Haden joined the Rams in 1976. There were concerns about his lack of size and arm strength and he made the club as the third-string quarterback behind James Harris and Ron Jaworski but started seven games (amid some controversy when Harris was benched in his favor) and showed promise. Haden overcame the challenge of fading veteran QB Joe Namath in 1977 to pass for 1551 yards and 11 touchdowns and gained selection to the Pro Bowl. He had his biggest statistical season in ’78, starting all 16 games for the only time in his career and throwing for 2995 yards with 13 TDs, although also 19 interceptions. Haden started the first ten games in 1979 until going down with a broken finger and backup QB Vince Ferragamo led the club to the NFC Championship. Regaining the starting job in ’80, he again suffered a broken passing hand and threw only 41 passes and, following another injury-riddled year in 1981, Haden retired to practice law. Overall in the NFL, he threw for 9296 yards and 52 touchdowns. A smart and unselfish quarterback, if physically limited and best suited to a ball control offense, the club went 35-19-1 during Haden’s starts and he was named to one Pro Bowl.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970