MVP Profile: Tony Adams, 1974

Quarterback, Southern California Sun



Age: 24
1st season in pro football
College: Utah State
Height: 6’1” Weight: 195

Prelude:
Following an outstanding season at Utah State in 1972, Adams was drafted in the 14th round by the NFL’s San Diego Chargers for 1973, but could not get past a fellow rookie, Dan Fouts, or young veteran Wayne Clark and an over-the-hill Johnny Unitas on the depth chart. He signed with the Southern California Sun of the new World Football League for ’74.

1974 Season Summary
Appeared in all 20 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 510 [2]
Completions – 276 [2]
Yards – 3905 [1]
Most yards, game – 376
Completion percentage – 54.1 [4]
Yards per attempt – 7.7 [2]
TD passes – 23 [4]
Interceptions – 18 [4]
Passer rating – 79.4 [3]
300-yard passing games – 3

Rushing
Attempts – 60
Yards – 217
Yards per attempt – 3.6
TDs – 8 [8, tied with four others]

Scoring
TDs – 8 [15, tied with five others]
Action Points - 2
Points – 58 [16, tied with Dennis Homan]
(Note: Touchdowns counted for 7 points in the WFL)

Postseason: 1 G (WFL First Round playoff vs. The Hawaiians)
Pass attempts – 21
Pass completions – 11
Passing yardage – 189
TD passes – 1
Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 1
Rushing yards – 3
Average gain rushing – 3.0
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
WFL MVP: League (co-winner), Sporting News
1st team All-WFL: Sporting News

Sun went 13-7 to win Western Division. Lost WFL First Round playoff to The Hawaiians (32-14) – several key players refused to play after failing to be paid for the regular season finale.

Aftermath: Joined the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs in 1975 and played four seasons there. Strictly a backup, Adams started a total of seven games and never threw more than 92 passes in any one year. Moved on to the CFL and played for the Toronto Argonauts, where he again achieved some success as he passed for 2692 yards and 13 TDs in 1979. However, injuries limited his playing time in ’80 and he eventually retired. Adams made a brief comeback, returning to the Minnesota Vikings as a 37-year-old replacement player for three games during the NFL players’ strike in 1987, and put up good numbers, although the replacement team lost all three contests.

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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 4/12/12]
[Updated 2/15/14]

Past Venue: Cotton Bowl

Dallas, TX



Year opened: 1930
Capacity: 92,100, up from 72,000 when the Cowboys played there and 45,000 at opening

Names:
Fair Park Bowl, 1930-36
Cotton Bowl, 1936 to date

Pro football tenants:
Dallas Rams (AFL), 1934
Dallas Texans (NFL), 1952
Dallas Cowboys (NFL), 1960-71
Dallas Texans (AFL), 1960-62

Postseason games hosted:
NFL Championship, Packers 34 Cowboys 27, Jan. 1, 1967
NFL Eastern Conf. Championship, Cowboys 52 Browns 14, Dec. 24, 1967
NFL Eastern Conf. Championship, Browns 38 Cowboys 14, Dec. 28, 1969
NFC Divisional playoff, Cowboys 5 Lions 0, Dec. 26, 1970

Other tenants of note:
Southern Methodist University (college football), 1932-78, 95-2000
Dallas Tornado (NASL), 1967-68
Dallas Burn/FC Dallas (MLS), 1996-2002, 04-05

Notes: Hosted first two home games of Cowboys’ 1971 season before they moved to Texas Stadium in Irving. Hosted annual Cotton Bowl Classic, 1937-2009. Hosts annual Red River Shootout/Rivalry college football game between Univ. of Oklahoma and Univ. of Texas, 1932 to date. Hosts annual Dallas Independent School District Football Playoffs, 1974 to date. Hosted TicketCity Bowl, 2011. Used as a venue for FIFA World Cup, 1994. Referred to as “The House That Doak Built” due to expansions in 1940s that increased capacity to 60,000 to accommodate crowds who came to see SMU’s Heisman-winning halfback Doak Walker in action. Stadium is located at the state fairgrounds and replaced the Fair Park Football Stadium, which had stood at the same location. The grass field of 1930 to ’69 was replaced with AstroTurf from 1970 to ’93 before returning to grass in 1994.

Fate: Still in use following three major renovations, most recently in 2008.



(more recent view of stadium below, showing expansion that has completely enclosed the upper deck)



[Updated 2/16/15]

MVP Profile: Steve Young, 1992

Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers



Age: 31 (Oct. 11)
10th season in pro football, 8th in NFL, and 6th with 49ers
College: Brigham Young
Height: 6’2” Weight: 200

Prelude:
Young played his first two pro seasons with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL and joined the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had picked him in the first round of the 1984 supplemental draft, for the ’85 season and appeared in five games. Traded to the 49ers following the 1986 season, he primarily backed up Joe Montana for four years until taking over as starting QB in 1991, when he led the NFL in passing (101.8 rating) and yards per attempt (9.0).

1992 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 402 [11]
Most attempts, game – 37 vs. Buffalo 9/13, vs. New Orleans 11/15
Completions – 268 [7]
Most completions, game – 26 vs. Buffalo 9/13
Yards – 3465 [2, 1st in NFC]
Most yards, game – 449 vs. Buffalo 9/13
Completion percentage – 66.7 [1]
Yards per attempt – 8.6 [1]
TD passes – 25 [1]
Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. Buffalo 9/13, vs. Atlanta 10/18, at Atlanta 11/9, vs. Tampa Bay 12/19
Interceptions – 7
Most interceptions, game – 1 on seven occasions
Passer rating – 107.0 [1]
400-yard passing games – 1
300-yard passing games – 3
200-yard passing games – 8

Rushing
Attempts – 76
Most attempts, game - 9 (for 69 yds.) at New England 10/11
Yards – 537
Most yards, game – 69 yards (on 9 carries) at New England 10/11
Yards per attempt – 7.1
TDs – 4

Scoring
TDs – 4
Points - 24

Postseason: 2 G
Pass attempts – 65
Most pass attempts, game - 35 vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
Pass completions – 45
Most pass completions, game - 25 vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
Passing yardage – 540
Most passing yards, game - 313 vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
TD passes – 3
Most TD passes, game - 2 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff
Interceptions – 3
Most interceptions, game - 2 vs. Dallas, NFC Championship

Rushing attempts – 16
Most rushing attempts, game - 8 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff, vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
Rushing yards – 106
Most rushing yards, game - 73 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff
Average gain rushing – 6.6
Rushing TDs – 1

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, Bert Bell Award
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: AP
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Sporting News
1st team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl

49ers went 14-2 to win NFC West and gain top playoff seed in conference. Won Divisional playoff over Washington Redskins (20-13) and lost NFC Championship to Dallas Cowboys (30-20).

Aftermath: Played six more full seasons with 49ers before his career ended three games into the 1999 season, after suffering a third concussion in four years. Had one more NFL MVP season, was a consensus 1st team All-Pro selection in each of the next two years, and was selected to the next six consecutive Pro Bowls. Led league in passing four more times (including next two years). Led 49ers to NFL Championship in 1994. Retired with highest career passer rating in NFL history (96.8) and second most rushing yards by a quarterback (4239). His #8 was retired by the 49ers and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2005.

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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 2/15/14]
[Updated 11/28/14]

Past Venue: Municipal Stadium

Cleveland, OH
aka Cleveland Stadium, Lakefront Stadium



Year opened: 1931
Capacity: 81,000

Names:
Cleveland Municipal Stadium, 1931-96

Pro football tenants:
Cleveland Indians (NFL), 1931
Cleveland Rams (AFL), 1936
Cleveland Rams (NFL), 1937, 39-41, 45
Cleveland Browns (AAFC/NFL), 1946-95

Postseason games hosted:
NFL Championship, Rams 15 Redskins 14, Dec. 16, 1945
AAFC Championship, Browns 14 Yankees 9, Dec. 22, 1946
AAFC Championship, Browns 49 Bills 7, Dec. 19, 1948
AAFC First Round playoff, Browns 31 Bills 21, Dec. 4, 1949
AAFC Championship, Browns 21 49ers 7, Dec. 11, 1949
NFL American Conf. playoff, Browns 8 Giants 3, Dec. 17, 1950
NFL Championship, Browns 30 Rams 28, Dec. 24, 1950
NFL Championship, Lions 17 Browns 7, Dec. 28, 1952
NFL Championship, Browns 56 Lions 10, Dec. 26, 1954
NFL Championship, Browns 27 Colts 0, Dec. 27, 1964
NFL Eastern Conf. playoff, Browns 31 Cowboys 20, Dec. 21, 1968
NFL Championship, Colts 34 Browns 0, Dec. 29, 1968
AFC Divisional playoff, Colts 20 Browns 3, Dec. 26, 1971
AFC Divisional playoff, Raiders 14 Browns 12, Jan. 4, 1981
AFC Divisional playoff, Browns 23 Jets 20, Jan. 3, 1987
AFC Championship, Broncos 23 Browns 20, Jan. 11, 1987
AFC Divisional playoff, Browns 38 Colts 21, Jan. 9, 1988
AFC Wild Card playoff, Oilers 24 Browns 23, Dec. 24, 1988
AFC Divisional playoff, Browns 34 Bills 30, Jan. 6, 1990
AFC Wild Card playoff, Browns 20 Patriots 13, Jan. 1, 1995

Other tenants of note:
Cleveland Indians (MLB – AL), 1932-33, 36-93
Cleveland Stokers (NASL), 1967-68

Notes: Hosted college football Great Lakes Bowl in 1947. Hosted annual Navy vs. Notre Dame college football game on 11 occasions from 1932 to ‘78. The stadium was occasionally used by Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University football teams. Hosted University of Illinois vs. Penn State in 1959 and four Ohio State football games. The end zone bleachers, which served as center field seating for baseball, became known as the “Dog Pound” during Browns games from the mid-1980s on. The first event held at the stadium was a World Heavyweight Championship boxing match in which Max Schmeling successfully defended his title against Young Stribling.

Some inaccurate, but commonly believed, “facts” about the origins of the stadium were that it was built as a WPA project (while publicly financed, it was completed before the existence of the WPA) and that it was constructed with hopes of luring the 1932 Olympics to Cleveland (the groundbreaking occurred after the games had been awarded to Los Angeles).

Fate: Demolished in 1996 and replaced by Cleveland Browns Stadium, which stands on same site. Pieces of the stadium were put in Lake Erie to create two artificial reefs.

Past Venue: Nippert Stadium

Cincinnati, OH



Year opened: 1924
Capacity: 35,097, up from 12,000 when first completed. Capacity was at 24,000 at the time the Bengals played there.

Names:
James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium, 1924 to date

Pro football tenants:
Cincinnati Bengals (AFL), 1968-69

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
University of Cincinnati, 1924-89, 91 to date
Moeller High School, 2006-08

Notes: The site was being used by the University of Cincinnati for football as early as 1902, when it was known as Carson Field (which is still the name of the playing surface, if not the structure). While ground was broken in 1916 for a brick and concrete structure, it wasn’t fully completed until 1924. The field was converted from grass to AstroTurf in 1970 and to FieldTurf in 2000. The stadium was closed for major renovation in 1990, during which season the football team played home games at Riverfront Stadium. Stadium named for Jimmy Nippert, who died of blood poisoning after receiving a spike wound while playing football for the University of Cincinnati. Nippert’s grandfather, James Gamble of Procter & Gamble, provided the final $250,000 that allowed for the facility to be completed.

Fate: Still in use.


(Lower view is more recent, showing renovations. Top view shows stadium as it appeared when Bengals played there)

1958: Buck Shaw Hired as Head Coach of Philadelphia Eagles

On February 14, 1958 the Philadelphia Eagles announced that Lawrence “Buck” Shaw had been hired as head coach. The Eagles most recently had endured two disappointing seasons under Hugh Devore.

Since Earle “Greasy” Neale, who built the club into a two-time NFL champion, was let go in 1950, the team had gone through four head coaches, from Bo McMillin, who resigned after two games in ’51 due to health reasons, through Wayne Millner, Jim Trimble, and Devore.

The 58-year-old Shaw had been a star player under Head Coach Knute Rockne at Notre Dame (where he was a teammate of the legendary George Gipp) and, with Rockne’s encouragement, went on to coach at Santa Clara, Nevada, and North Carolina State before moving into the pro ranks as the original head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in the AAFC in 1946. “The Silver Fox”, as he was dubbed due to his full head of gray hair, stayed at the helm for nine years and his record with the 49ers, who became part of the NFL in 1950, was a solid 71-39-4. From there, he had become the first head coach at the Air Force Academy, and resigned after going 9-8-2 in two seasons.

While it was publicly stated that Shaw was signed to an extended contract, it was actually a one-year deal with an option on both sides for a second (the term was at the coach’s request). Shaw also had business interests in California and made clear that he would handle his coaching duties from June through December only, which, even in an era in which pro coaching was not yet a year-round occupation, was still somewhat unusual.

Fortunately for Shaw, while the team had played poorly in the previous three seasons (a combined 11-23-2), they had drafted well. The first four picks in ’57 alone proved valuable to the team’s future – FB Clarence Peaks from Michigan State, Wake Forest HB Billy Barnes, HB Tommy McDonald from Oklahoma, and QB Sonny Jurgensen out of Duke.

While Jurgensen started some games in his first year and showed promise, the new coach made clear at his introductory press conference that, in emphasizing the passing game, he intended to obtain an experienced and accomplished quarterback, and did so with the acquisition of 32-year-old Norm Van Brocklin from the Rams (The Dutchman was unhappy with the LA organization, especially Head Coach Sid Gillman, and was threatening to retire if not traded).

Peaks and Barnes both saw substantial action in ’57, but Coach Devore had taken criticism for his handling of the diminutive McDonald. Too small to play halfback (5’9”, 172 pounds), the coach stubbornly resisted suggestions that he be moved to flanker until late in the season. The immediate results were spectacular, and under Van Brocklin’s tutelage, McDonald developed into an outstanding deep threat.

Shaw was soft-spoken, rarely raising his voice, and acted much as the organization’s CEO, letting his strong group of assistants handle the details. Offensive line coach Charlie Gauer was highly regarded, and Van Brocklin largely directed the offense. Jerry Williams proved to be an innovative and highly-effective defensive assistant. Shaw handled administration (which he did ably), made personnel decisions, and set the overall tone.

With a new home field (the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field) as well as head coach and quarterback, the Eagles looked to improve in 1958. The record (2-9-1) was actually worse than in ’57, but the team was in the process of rebuilding and did show signs of turning around.

Van Brocklin threw the ball well (and often – he led the NFL with 374 pass attempts and 198 completions), and was an outstanding team leader. Barnes joined The Dutchman as a Pro Bowl selection, leading the club in rushing with 551 yards and gaining another 423 on 35 pass receptions. McDonald caught just 29 passes, but 9 of them were for touchdowns and he gained 603 yards for a 20.8 average gain. Pete Retzlaff, who had been buried on the depth chart at halfback after being obtained from the Lions, was nurtured by Van Brocklin and blossomed into an outstanding end – he caught 56 passes to co-lead the NFL along with Baltimore’s Raymond Berry. Veteran end Bobby Walston continued to be a reliable receiver and also handled the placekicking.

The team had been sound defensively under Devore, and contained solid players in DE Tom Scott, DT Jess Richardson, LB Bob Pellegini, HB Tom Brookshier, and safeties Jerry Norton and Lee Riley. However, players at the other positions proved less adept. Such was also the case with the offensive line, where former All-Pro linebacker Chuck Bednarik had moved to center, but holes remained elsewhere. As Van Brocklin said after the season, “We bled for linemen. After last year, Barnes and Peaks are lucky to be alive.”

The personnel were overhauled as needed (they traded or released 20 players in 1958), and the Eagles improved to 7-5 in 1959 and 10-2 in ’60, when they won the NFL Championship. Important acquisitions included rookies J.D. Smith (OT), Joe Robb (DE), and Gene Johnson (DB) in 1959 and Maxie Baughan (LB) and Ted Dean (RB) in ’60 as well as veterans Stan Campbell (G) and Don Burroughs (FS).

Shaw made clear prior to the 1960 season that it would be his last, and he went out on top (he is pictured at top celebrating with #11 Van Brocklin & #60 Bednarik). In making his retirement official the day after the Eagles won the championship, he said “I can’t think of a better time to bow out. I can’t soar any higher than being head coach of a world championship professional football team. It was a distinct pleasure coaching the Eagles, and I can’t pay too high a tribute to this 1960 team. It was a team of tremendous desire, a team that just would not accept defeat.”

Shaw returned to California and retirement with a 90-55-5 overall record as a pro head coach (AAFC and NFL) and 2-1 in the postseason. He was remembered long afterward as a quiet but firm gentleman who demanded top performance and molded a championship team (McDonald compared him to Bud Wilkinson, his coach at Oklahoma).

Much to the consternation of Van Brocklin, who believed he had been promised the job, assistant coach Nick Skorich was named as Shaw’s successor. After contending in 1961, the injury-plagued Eagles dropped to the basement in ’62 and ’63. They would not return to the postseason until 1978.

Past Venue: Wrigley Field

Chicago, IL



Year opened: 1914
Capacity: 46,000

Names:
Weeghman Park, 1914-20
Cubs Park, 1920-26
Wrigley Field, 1926 to date

Pro football tenants:
Chicago Tigers (APFA), 1920
Chicago Bears (APFA/NFL), 1921-70
Chicago Cardinals (NFL), 1931-37, 39

Postseason games hosted:
NFL Championship, Bears 23 Giants 21, Dec. 17, 1933
NFL Championship, Redskins 28 Bears 21, Dec. 12, 1937
NFL Western Division playoff, Bears 33 Packers 14, Dec. 14, 1941
NFL Championship, Bears 37 Giants 9, Dec. 21, 1941
NFL Championship, Bears 41 Redskins 21, Dec. 26, 1943
NFL Championship, Bears 14 Giants 10, Dec. 29, 1963

Other tenants of note:
Chicago Whales (MLB – Federal League), 1914-15
Chicago Cubs (MLB – NL), 1916 to date
Chicago Sting (NASL), 1977-82, 84

Notes: The Bears obtained a portable bleacher section that added approximately 9000 seats to the normal stadium capacity for football games. In addition to the dates noted above, the NFL Cardinals played two home games at Wrigley Field in 1920 and one in 1958. Hosted college football games up until 1938, and again between Northwestern and Illinois, Nov. 20, 2010, although the presence of extra box seats added by the Cubs after the Bears left brought the end line of the east end zone uncomfortably close to a wall, and thus all offensive plays had to be run in the same direction. Hosted NHL Winter Classic, Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings, 2009.

The stadium was originally named for Charlie Weeghman, owner of the Chicago Whales of major league baseball’s short-lived Federal League. When that league folded, Weeghman, as part of a syndicate that included William Wrigley Jr., bought the NL’s Chicago Cubs, who moved into the new stadium. The Cubs have owned it since 1916. It is the last surviving Federal League ballpark.

Fate: Still in use.