MVP Profile: Larry Brown, 1972

Running Back, Washington Redskins



Age: 25 (Sept. 19)
4th season in pro football & with Redskins
College: Kansas State
Height: 5’11” Weight: 195

Prelude:
An 8th round pick by the Redskins in the 1969 NFL draft, Brown led the team in rushing as a rookie (888 yards) and won the league rushing title in ’70 (1125 yards). His production dropped off to 948 yards in 1971 as defenses keyed on him, but he was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three years and was a consensus first-team All-Pro in 1971.

1972 Season Summary
Appeared in 12 of 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 285 [3]
Most attempts, game - 30 (for 106 yds.) vs. NY Giants 11/12
Yards – 1216 [2, 1st in NFC]
Most yards, game – 191 yards (on 29 carries) at NY Giants 10/29
Average gain – 4.3 [18]
TDs – 8 [7, tied with four others]
100-yard rushing games - 6

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 32
Most receptions, game – 7 (for 100 yds.) vs. Dallas 10/22
Yards – 473
Most yards, game - 100 (on 7 catches) vs. Dallas 10/22
Average gain – 14.8
TDs – 4

Scoring
TDs – 12 [4, tied with Mercury Morris & Gene Washington]
Points – 72

Led NFL with 1689 yards from scrimmage

Postseason: 3 G
Rushing attempts – 77
Most rushing attempts, game - 30 vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
Rushing yards – 261
Most rushing yards, game - 101 vs. Green Bay, NFC Divisional playoff
Average gain rushing – 3.4
Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 7
Most pass receptions, game - 5 vs. Miami, Super Bowl
Pass receiving yards - 42
Most pass receiving yards, game - 26 vs. Miami, Super Bowl
Average yards per reception – 6.0
Pass Receiving TDs - 0

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

Redskins went 11-3 to finish first in NFC East with best record in conference. Won NFC Divisional playoff over Green Bay Packers (16-3) and NFC Championship over Dallas Cowboys (26-3). Lost Super Bowl to Miami Dolphins (14-7).

Aftermath:
Brown ran for 860 yards and caught 40 passes in 1973, but the workhorse runner began to show signs of wear in ’74 and totaled just 838 over his last three seasons (1974-76). For his career, he ran for 5875 yards (3.8 avg.) and caught 238 passes for 2485 yards (10.4 avg.) while scoring a total of 55 touchdowns.

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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]

1984: Panthers Rally Behind Backup QB to Beat Gunslingers in Overtime

The Michigan Panthers, defending champions of the United States Football League, looked likely to repeat when they started off at a 6-0 pace in 1984. However, losing star WR Anthony Carter to a season-ending injury sent Head Coach Jim Stanley’s team into a downward spiral. By the time they took on the expansion San Antonio Gunslingers on June 1, they were 7-7 and in danger of falling out of contention.

The Gunslingers, coached by Gil Steinke and one of six new teams in the USFL for ’84, came into the contest with a 5-9 record. The offense had a rookie starting at quarterback, Rick Neuheisel out of UCLA, and had difficulty scoring either through the air or on the ground. The defense, which came to be known as The Bounty Hunters, was better and kept the team competitive.

There were 16,384 fans in attendance at Alamo Stadium for the Friday night game. They witnessed a first half that was almost scoreless. The only points came very late in the opening period as San Antonio’s Nick Mike-Mayer booted a 26-yard field goal to give the Gunslingers a 3-0 lead, capping a 60-yard drive that ended at the Michigan three yard line.

The Panthers’ Novo Bojovic had a chance to tie the game midway threw the second quarter, but he missed a 22-yard field goal attempt, and that was the closest the defending champions came to scoring before halftime. It was the first time during the 1984 season, and the second time ever, that Michigan was shut out in the first half.

San Antonio extended its lead on the club’s first possession of the second half that culminated in Neuheisel passing to WR Jerry Gordon for a 22-yard touchdown. Michigan’s quarterback, Bobby Hebert, left the game due to injury after completing just two of his eight passes for 35 yards, and backup QB Whit Taylor (pictured at top) came into the game. With just under four minutes left in the third quarter, Bojovic was successful with a 28-yard field goal that narrowed San Antonio’s lead to 10-3.

Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, the Panthers tied the game when Taylor threw to TE Mike Cobb for a three-yard touchdown. However, San Antonio went back ahead at 17-10 with 6:28 remaining in regulation as RB George Works dove into the end zone for a TD on a fourth-and-one play.

The Panthers responded with a 14-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a four-yard scoring pass from Taylor to WR Anthony Allen with 51 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and with Bojovic’s successful PAT, the contest was again tied at 17-17.

The Gunslingers had a chance to win on the last play of the fourth quarter, but Mike-Mayer’s 58-yard field goal attempt hit the crossbar and was no good. The game proceeded into overtime.

With a strong wind blowing, Michigan won the toss and elected to kick off to start the OT period. It didn’t take long for the gamble to pay off. CB Oliver Davis intercepted a Neuheisel pass and returned it for a 27-yard touchdown just 22 seconds into the extra period to win the game for the Panthers by a final score of 23-17.

The Gunslingers outgained Michigan (311 yards to 251) and had a slight edge in first downs (19 to 18), although they also turned the ball over three times, to the Panthers’ one, the last time fatally.

Coming off the bench in the second half, Whit Taylor completed 13 of 23 passes for 139 yards with two touchdowns and none intercepted. Anthony Allen caught 7 passes for 98 yards and a TD. RB Ken Lacy led the running attack with 32 yards on 12 carries, while RB Albert Bentley was right behind at 31 yards on his 10 attempts.


For San Antonio, Rick Neuheisel was successful on 16 of 32 passes for 213 yards that included one TD but also two interceptions. TE Joey Hackett was the top receiver with 4 receptions for 89 yards. RB Mike Hagen rushed for 44 yards on 14 carries.

“We were in double rotation nickel coverage, and I had a short area of responsibility,” said Davis of the play that resulted in the decisive score. “I made a hell of a break for the ball and got to walk it in. My main thing was to make sure I had the ball. I think he (Neuheisel) never really saw me. We disguised the defense to make him think it was a man-to-man.”

“We were in the nickel defense with an extra back,” added Coach Stanley. “This is one of the real good victories for this team. We showed class in the game. I'm proud of this team more than any other.”

The Panthers lost the next week but went on to finish up with two wins in the last four games, just qualifying for the postseason as a wild card with a 10-8 record. They lost to the Los Angeles Express in an epic triple-overtime First Round playoff game. San Antonio ended up at 7-11 and in third place, behind the Panthers, in the Central Division.

The relief performance by Whit Taylor was a highlight of his two seasons with Michigan (ironically, he played for San Antonio in 1985). Overall, he completed 47 of 96 passes for 790 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.

Past Venue: Busch Stadium

St. Louis, MO
aka Sportsman’s Park



Year opened: 1909
Capacity: 30,500, up from 17,600 at opening

Names:
Sportsman’s Park, 1909-53
Busch Stadium, 1953-66

Pro football tenants:
St. Louis All-Stars (NFL), 1923
St. Louis Gunners (NFL), 1934
St. Louis Cardinals (NFL), 1960-65

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
St. Louis Browns (MLB – AL), 1909-53
St. Louis Cardinals (MLB – NL), 1920-66

Notes: Replaced earlier wooden ballpark, also called Sportsman’s Park, that stood from 1902-08. Owned by St. Louis Browns until bought by Cardinals and renamed in 1953. At the time, Cardinals wanted to name the ballpark Budweiser Stadium, but MLB Commissioner Ford Frick disallowed it, at which point owner August A. “Gussie” Busch named it Busch Stadium. Was used for football by St. Louis University. Also used occasionally for soccer (most notably as one of two sites utilized by the St. Louis Soccer League, 1935-36).

Fate: Structure demolished in 1966, although the baseball diamond remained for use by the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club.

1983: Generals Defeat Federals as Offenses Pile Up Yards

It had been a difficult first season in the United States Football League for the two teams that met at Washington’s RFK Stadium on May 29, 1983. The host Washington Federals, under Head Coach Ray Jauch, had gone 1-11 through the first twelve weeks, and suffered through bad weather, low turnouts, and injuries to key players, such as QB Mike Hohensee, RB Craig James, and WR Joey Walters.

The visiting New Jersey Generals had caused the biggest splash in the preseason by signing Heisman Trophy-winning RB Herschel Walker out of Georgia, a controversial move at the time since he still had a year of college eligibility left. After a slow start, Walker proved his worth, but the rest of the team, under Head Coach Chuck Fairbanks, was a big disappointment. Veteran QB Bobby Scott was mediocre and had been traded to the Chicago Blitz the week before (the Blitz had lost their more successful veteran quarterback, Greg Landry, to a broken ankle). Earlier, they obtained QB Jeff Knapple from the Denver Gold, and he would now handle the starting job, but the team had a 3-9 record and was well out of the running.

It was a typically rainy Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium, and only 11,264 fans attended (there were 12,437 no-shows). The Generals had the first possession, and on the first play from scrimmage, Walker ran 83 yards for a touchdown (his 14th of the season).

Washington got on the board twice in the first quarter as Sandro Vitiello kicked field goals of 42 and 45 yards, narrowing New Jersey’s margin to 7-6 after one period. However, in the second quarter Knapple extended the Generals’ lead with a 27-yard touchdown pass to WR Mike Friede.

The two teams traded field goals for the remainder of the period. The new placekicker for the Generals, Dave Betz, kicked a 28-yard field goal and Vitiello booted one that made it 17-9 at halftime. Betz was appearing in his first game after replacing Dave Jacobs, who had missed a key extra point attempt the previous week and was released.

In Washington’s first possession of the third quarter, ex-Giants RB Billy Taylor scored a 32-yard TD on a sweep that cut New Jersey’s lead to 17-16. The Federals went ahead when Hohensee threw to James for an 11-yard touchdown with 5:22 remaining in the period. Betz was successful on a 45-yard field goal attempt before the quarter ended and the score stood at 23-20.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Hohensee tossed a 19-yard TD pass to WR Mike Harris, but the ensuing extra point attempt was missed, although they still led by 29-23. New Jersey came back and with 3:40 left in regulation, Knapple threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to TE Sam Bowers to draw even. However, Betz failed on his extra point attempt as well, maintaining the tie at 29-29.

With overtime looming, New Jersey got the ball back and drove 33 yards in seven plays in just under a minute to set up a long field goal attempt. Betz, making up for the missed PAT, was successful from 50 yards out as time expired and the Generals came away with a 32-29 win.

Altogether, the two teams gained 945 yards, with 496 accumulated by the Federals and 449 accounted for by New Jersey. Of the Generals’ total, 211 came on the ground while Washington had 317 net passing yards. The Federals also led in first downs (29 to 20) while New Jersey had a slight edge in time of possession (30:43 to 29:17).

The main cog in the Generals’ running game was, of course, Herschel Walker, who set a new USFL single-game record with 194 yards on 23 carries that included the long, game-opening touchdown dash. Jeff Knapple completed 17 of 31 passes for 249 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Mike Friede was the top receiver with four catches for 65 yards and a TD.


As for Washington, the offensive stars that had missed time with injuries were back and in good form. Mike Hohensee was successful on 23 of 43 throws for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He gave up no interceptions. Joey Walters had 12 pass receptions for 193 yards. And while Billy Taylor led the rushing attack with 73 yards on 13 attempts, Craig James was right behind with 70 yards on 14 carries.

New Jersey went 2-3 the rest of the way and finished the season at 6-12 and third in the Atlantic Division. The loss to the Generals was the ninth in a row for Washington, but the Federals played hard, with many of their defeats coming in close contests, and finished the season on a high note by winning three of the last four games. Still, the final record was a dismal 4-14, putting them two games behind New Jersey in the standings.

Herschel Walker was the league’s top rusher, with 1812 yards on 412 carries; he also scored 18 touchdowns (17 rushing, one on a reception). However, Dave Betz lasted just three games, missing two of his six extra point attempts, and gave way to John Roveto.

In nine games, rookie Mike Hohensee threw for 1297 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. Craig James, who missed four contests and was also in his first year, led the Federals in rushing with 823 yards on 202 attempts. Joey Walters, who had played six seasons in the Canadian Football League prior to coming to the USFL, missed two games but caught 63 passes for 959 yards and six touchdowns.

MVP Profile: Fran Tarkenton, 1975

Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings



Age: 35
15th season in pro football, 10th with Vikings
College: Georgia
Height: 6’0” Weight: 190

Prelude:
Chosen by the expansion Vikings in the third round of the 1961 NFL draft, Tarkenton took over as starting quarterback almost immediately as a rookie and made up for lack of size and arm strength with a flashy scrambling ability and outstanding leadership qualities. Tarkenton was named to the Pro Bowl in 1964 and ’65, but friction with Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin led to his ultimately being traded to the New York Giants in 1967. He helped the Giants to overachieve while being selected to four more Pro Bowls and was traded back to the Vikings in 1972. The club won NFC Championships in 1973 and ’74, although it fell short each time in the Super Bowl, and Tarkenton was a first-team All-NFC selection of UPI and The Sporting News in ’72, a first-team All-NFL choice by NEA in 1973, and second-team All-NFC of UPI in ‘74. He was also selected to a seventh Pro Bowl in 1974.

1975 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Passing
Attempts – 425 [1]
Most attempts, game – 39 at New Orleans 11/16
Completions – 273 [1]
Most completions, game – 27 at Washington 11/30
Yards – 2994 [2, 1st in NFC]
Most yards, game – 357 at Washington 11/30
Completion percentage – 64.2 [2, 1st in NFC]
Yards per attempt – 7.0 [17]
TD passes – 25 [1, tied with Joe Ferguson]
Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. Chicago 10/5, at Green Bay 11/2, at New Orleans 11/16, vs. Green Bay 12/7
Interceptions – 13 [16, tied with Bob Griese]
Most interceptions, game – 2 on five occasions
Passer rating – 91.8 [2, 1st in NFC]
300-yard passing games – 2
200-yard passing games – 9

Rushing
Attempts – 16
Most attempts, game - 2 on five occasions
Yards – 108
Most yards, game – 30 yards (on 2 carries) at Washington 11/30
Yards per attempt – 6.8
TDs – 2

Scoring
TDs – 2
Points – 12

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Divisional playoff vs. Dallas)
Pass attempts – 26
Pass completions – 12
Passing yardage – 135
TD passes – 0
Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 3
Rushing yards – 32
Average gain rushing – 10.7
Rushing TDs – 0

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

Vikings went 12-2 to finish first in NFC Central with best record in conference. Lost NFC Divisional playoff to Dallas Cowboys (17-14).

Aftermath:
Tarkenton had one last Pro Bowl season in 1976 and the Vikings won the NFC title again, but lost in the Super Bowl. The durable scrambler lost five games to injury in ’77, but in 1978 he led the NFL in attempts (572), completions (345), yards (3468), and, less fortunately, in interceptions (32). He retired after that year as the NFL career leader in multiple passing categories including yards (47,003) and TD passes (342). Tarkenton also was the career rushing leader for quarterbacks (3674) at the time. His #10 was retired by the Vikings and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1986.

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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: Griffith Stadium

Washington, DC



Year opened: 1911
Capacity: Varied from 32,000 to 27,550 in final year

Names:
National Park, 1911-20
Griffith Stadium, 1920-65

Pro football tenants:
Washington Senators (APFA), 1921
Washington Pros/Presidents (DFL)*, 1936-37
Washington Redskins (NFL), 1937-60

*Dixie Football League

Postseason games hosted:
NFL Championship, Bears 73 Redskins 0, Dec. 8, 1940
NFL Championship, Redskins 14 Bears 6, Dec. 13, 1942

Other tenants of note:
Washington Senators (MLB – AL), 1911-60
Washington Pilots (baseball Negro leagues), 1932
Washington Elite Giants (baseball Negro leagues), 1936-37
Washington Black Senators (baseball Negro leagues), 1938
Washington Senators (MLB – AL), 1961 (second franchise)
Georgetown Univ., 1925-50
Univ. of Maryland, 1948

Notes: Replaced an earlier wooden ballpark on the same site that had been built in 1891. Named in 1920 for Clark Griffith, owner of the Washington Senators baseball team that owned the stadium. Occasionally used as home venue for George Washington Univ. football and Homestead Grays of baseball Negro leagues. Was also used for some of the scenes in the movie version of “Damn Yankees” (1958).

Fate: Demolished in 1965, site is now occupied by Howard University Hospital.



[Updated 2/16/15]

MVP Profile: Jim Brown, 1957

Fullback, Cleveland Browns


Age: 21
1st season in pro football
College: Syracuse
Height: 6’2” Weight: 220

Prelude:
Following an outstanding career at Syracuse, in which he distinguished himself as an all-around athlete (lacrosse, basketball, track & field) as well as in football, Brown was chosen in the first round of the 1957 NFL draft by the Browns. With his blend of speed, power, and agility, he moved quickly into the starting lineup as a rookie.

1957 Season Summary
Appeared in all 12 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 202 [2]
Most attempts, game - 31 (for 237 yds.) vs. LA Rams
Yards – 942 [1]
Most yards, game – 237 yards (on 31 carries) vs. LA Rams
Average gain – 4.7 [6]
TDs – 9 [1]
200-yard rushing games – 1
100-yard rushing games – 2

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 16
Yards – 55
Average gain – 3.4
TDs – 1

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 6
Yards – 136
Average per return – 22.7
TDs – 0
Longest return – 29 yards

Scoring
TDs – 10 [2]
Points – 60 [8, tied with Gordie Soltau]

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship at Detroit)
Rushing attempts – 20
Rushing yards – 69
Average gain rushing – 3.5
Rushing TDs – 1

Kickoff Returns – 4
Yards – 106
Average per return – 26.5
TDs – 0
Longest return – 50 yards

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, Sporting News
NFL Rookie of the Year: UPI, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Browns went 9-2-1 to finish first in the Eastern Conference. Lost NFL Championship game to Detroit Lions (59-14).

Aftermath:
Brown’s rushing title as a rookie in 1957 was the first of eight in nine seasons. Along the way he set numerous records as well as a new standard for running backs to be measured against. He twice set the single-season rushing record and retired as the all-time leader in rushing (12,312 yards) and touchdowns (126). Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry and 104.3 yards per game over the course of his career. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in all nine seasons, was a first-team All-Pro eight times, and received MVP recognition on three more occasions. Brown’s #32 was retired by the Browns and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1971.

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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]