MVP Profile: Roger Staubach, 1971

Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys



Age: 29
3rd season in pro football & with Cowboys
College: Navy
Height: 6’3” Weight: 197

Prelude:
After starring at Navy, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a junior in 1963, Staubach didn’t arrive in the NFL until completing his five-year military commitment in 1969. The Cowboys had drafted him in the 10th round of the ’64 draft, as a future consideration (he was also picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 16th round of the AFL draft), and Staubach joined them in ’69. After backing up Craig Morton for two years, he alternated with the veteran in ’71 before winning the starting job outright.

1971 Season Summary
Appeared in 13 of 14 games, started 10 of them
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 211 [20]
Most attempts, game – 31 at St. Louis 11/7
Completions – 126 [17]
Most completions, game – 20 at St. Louis 11/7
Yards – 1882 [14]
Most yards, game – 232 at NY Giants 12/12
Completion percentage – 59.7 [3]
Yards per attempt – 8.9 [1]
TD passes – 15 [8, tied with Len Dawson]
Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. NY Jets 12/4, at NY Giants 12/12
Interceptions – 4
Most interceptions, game – 1 on four occasions
Passer rating – 104.8 [1]
200-yard passing games – 1

Rushing
Attempts – 41
Most attempts, game - 7 (for 60 yds.) at St. Louis 11/7
Yards – 343
Most yards, game – 90 yards (on 6 carries) vs. Philadelphia 11/14
Yards per attempt – 8.4
TDs – 2

Scoring
TDs – 2
Points - 12

Postseason: 3 G
Pass attempts – 51
Most attempts, game - 19 vs. Miami, Super Bowl
Pass completions – 31
Most completions, game - 12 vs. Miami, Super Bowl
Passing yardage – 321
Most yards, game - 119 vs. Miami, Super Bowl
TD passes – 3
Most TD passes, game - 2 vs. Miami, Super Bowl
Interceptions – 0

Rushing attempts – 15
Most rushing attempts, game - 8 vs. San Francisco, NFC Championship
Rushing yards – 75
Most rushing yards, game - 55 vs. San Francisco, NFC Championship
Average gain rushing – 5.0
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL Player of the Year: Bert Bell Award
NFC Player of the Year: Sporting News
2nd team All-NFL: PFWA, NEA
1st team All-NFC: AP, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Cowboys went 11-3 to win the NFC East and led league in total offense (5035 yards), points scored (406), and touchdowns (50) and NFC in passing yards (2786). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Minnesota Vikings (20-12), NFC Championship over San Francisco 49ers (14-3), and Super Bowl over Miami Dolphins (24-3).

Aftermath:
Injured early in the 1972 season, Staubach saw only limited action, but returned to the starting job in ’73 and led the NFL in passing (94.6 rating) and TD passes (23, tied with Roman Gabriel of the Eagles). From 1975 through the end of his career in ’79, he was named to the Pro Bowl five straight times and led the league in passing in each of his last two seasons (1978 and ’79). The Cowboys went to the Super Bowl three more times with Staubach at quarterback, winning once. He retired as the top-ranked passer in NFL history at the time (83.4 rating). Highly mobile, he also rushed for 2264 yards. Staubach was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1985.

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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]

Past Venue: Municipal Stadium

Baltimore, MD
aka Babe Ruth Stadium



Year opened: 1922
Capacity: 40,000 at opening, increased to 78,000 within two years, but eventually reduced to 58,917

Names:
Venable Stadium, 1922-24
Municipal Stadium, 1924-49
Babe Ruth Stadium, 1949-50

Pro football tenants:
Baltimore Colts (AAFC), 1947-49

Postseason games hosted:
AAFC Eastern Division playoff, Bills 28 Colts 17, Dec. 12, 1948

Other tenants of note:
Baltimore Orioles (minor league baseball), 1944-49
Baltimore Elite Giants (baseball Negro leagues), 1944-49

Notes: Hosted Army vs. Navy football games, 1924 and 1944. Stadium opened with a football game between teams fielded by the US Army Third Corps and Marines from Quantico, VA on Dec. 3, 1922. Regularly hosted Navy home games against significant opponents. Primarily a football stadium, the minor league baseball Orioles moved in during 1944 season after their home park was destroyed by fire. Briefly renamed for Baltimore native Babe Ruth following the baseball star’s death in 1948.

Fate: Gradually demolished between 1949 and ‘50 and rebuilt into Memorial Stadium.

1974: Seattle Awarded NFL Franchise for ’76 Season

On June 4, 1974 the commissioner of the NFL, Pete Rozelle, announced that the owners had awarded a franchise to Seattle for the 1976 season. With the approval of a team for Tampa the previous month, the league would be expanding from 26 to 28 clubs – the first adding of teams since the merger with the American Football League in 1970 (it had been rumored that the league might expand by four clubs, but in the end settled for two).

The only issue of concern had been the rental agreement for use of the new domed stadium being built in Seattle, but Commissioner Rozelle indicated that this had been resolved satisfactorily. The construction of the facility (later known as the Kingdome) had been the key to Seattle’s bid.

Other cities in the running were Phoenix, Memphis, and Honolulu (the latter two fielded World Football League teams that fall). Of the applicants, only Seattle received the recommendation for an immediate franchise by the NFL Expansion Committee. The vote had not been unanimous (acceptance by 20 of the 26 existing franchises was necessary). Both new franchises paid a fee of $16 million to enter the NFL. While Rozelle indicated that Tampa was very interested in moving the timetable up to 1975, it remained at ’76.

Heading the Seattle ownership group was majority owner Lloyd Nordstrom (who died before the team ever took the field), joined by Herman Sarkowsky (principal owner of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers), Ned Skinner, Lynn Himmelman, Howard Wright, and M. Lamont Bean. John Thompson, who had been the NFL Management Council’s executive director, was named general manager early in 1975, and Jack Patera, an assistant coach with the Vikings, was hired to be the team’s first head coach. A contest to name the club drew over 20,000 responses and came up with Seahawks for the fledgling franchise.

As was typical with expansion teams, an allocation draft of unprotected NFL veterans was held to stock the Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Seattle selected 39 players in that draft and, in the league draft of college talent, took another 25 rookies headed by first draft choice Steve Niehaus, a defensive tackle from Notre Dame.

As the team arrived at Eastern Washington University for its first training camp, there were plenty of personnel questions, beginning with who would start at quarterback. The two veteran quarterbacks taken in the allocation draft, Neil Graff from New England and Gary Keithley of the Cardinals, were nondescript career backups. A rookie free agent, Jim Zorn out of Cal Poly – Pomona (pictured above), who had failed to make the Cowboys the previous year (he was the final preseason cut after Dallas acquired RB Preston Pearson) won the job and provided plenty of excitement. A mobile lefthander who threw well – if not always accurately – on the run, Zorn set a rookie record with 2571 passing yards, but also led the NFL by tossing 27 interceptions as opposed to 12 TD passes.

During training camp, the Seahawks swung a trade with the Oilers for rookie WR Steve Largent out of Tulsa (pictured below), and it proved to be another fortuitous acquisition. The 5’11”, 184-pound receiver lacked speed, but proved to be sure-handed and able to get open with regularity. He led the club with 54 catches for 705 yards and four touchdowns, and would last 14 years in Seattle on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.


Yet another rookie, RB Sherman Smith, who was drafted by the Seahawks in the second round out of Miami of Ohio, made an impact. At 6’4” and 217 pounds, he had played quarterback in college but was projected to be a pro running back. He became the best of a mediocre crop of runners, topping the team with 537 yards on 119 carries as well as catching 36 passes for another 384 yards.

As for the remainder of the offense, while Smith showed promise, the running game as a whole ranked at the bottom of the NFL (1416 yards). Zorn placed second on the team in rushing with 246 yards, tied with FB Don Testerman, a rookie who had been drafted by the Dolphins but ended up starting eight games with Seattle.

A solid veteran wide receiver (although coming off of a knee injury), Ahmad Rashad, had been signed away from Buffalo, where he had played out his option, but he was in turn dealt to Minnesota just before the start of the regular season. Largent took his spot in the lineup, and across from him was WR Sam McCullum, a third-year player who was picked up in the expansion draft from the Vikings. He caught 32 passes for 506 yards and four TDs. While fifth-year veteran John McMakin was expected to start at tight end, he instead backed up Ron Howard, who hadn’t caught a pass in two seasons with Dallas but contributed 37 receptions for 422 yards with the ’76 Seahawks.

The offensive line was mediocre, containing two NFL veterans, 34-year-old ex-Dolphin OT Norm Evans and C Fred Hoaglin, in his 11th (and last) season. Only left tackle Nick Bebout, a fifth-year ex-Falcon, started every game on the line in 1976.

Defensively, Niehaus had a solid rookie season at the one tackle position. The other tackle, Richard Harris, had been a star rookie with the Eagles in 1971 but had not progressed in the ensuing five years. The ends were Dave Tipton and another 34-year-old veteran, Bob Lurtsema. 33-year-old Mike Curtis, once an outstanding middle linebacker for the Colts, played on the outside while ex-Steeler Ed Bradley started at MLB. Ken Geddes, formerly with the Rams, started nine games at the other outside position.

FS Dave Brown intercepted four passes, as did CB Rolly Woolsey. Another ex-Ram, Eddie McMillan, started at the other cornerback spot and Al Matthews was the strong safety. The unit gave up 27 touchdown passes but was also the most stable part of the defense throughout the season.

As for the specialists, John Leypoldt attempted only 12 field goals, but was successful on 8 of them. Rick Engles averaged a mediocre 38.3 yards on 80 punts.

In the end, the ’76 Seahawks went 2-12 to finish at the bottom of the NFC Western Division (they were shifted to the AFC West in ’77 and remained there until returning to the NFC as part of the 2002 restructuring). Their first win came in the sixth week of the season and was over the other expansion club, the Buccaneers (who ended up going 0-14).

The Seahawks improved rapidly, posting their first winning record in 1978, the franchise’s third year. Progress was not so smooth thereafter, however. They would not reach the postseason until 1983, under a new head coach, Chuck Knox, and with a different starting quarterback, Dave Krieg.

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.