The Philadelphia Stars were cruising along with a 6-1
record as they hosted the Chicago Blitz in a United States Football League game
on April 15, 1984. While they were missing star RB Kelvin Bryant due to an
injury, and had to rally to edge the Arizona Wranglers in their previous game,
Head Coach Jim Mora’s team was still sound on both sides of the ball. QB Chuck
Fusina was behind center to guide the ball-control offense and the tough and
opportunistic defense was masterful at generating turnovers and keeping
opposing teams out of the end zone. Undersized ILB Sam Mills was particularly
adept at making big plays – as the Blitz would find out.
Chicago was struggling at 2-5. Coached by Marv Levy, the
team had ex-Bear Vince Evans at quarterback but was a shadow of the club that
played by the same name in 1983 and, through an ownership switch, had mostly
been transferred to Arizona. The Blitz had little fan support and scant success
on the field.
There were 17,417 fans in attendance at Veterans Stadium.
It didn’t the Stars long to make the home crowd happy as they scored four
touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the game.
It all started when Sam Mills recovered a fumble by RB
Larry Canada to set up the first Philadelphia TD. Chuck Fusina threw to WR
Willie Collier for a 19-yard touchdown less than four minutes into the contest.
Following a punt by the Blitz, the Stars again scored
quickly. WR Herbert Harris gained 33 yards on a reverse to set up a 25-yard TD
pass from Fusina to TE Steve Folsom. On the next series, RB Vegas Ferguson
fumbled at his 35 and safety Scott Woerner grabbed the loose ball and returned
it for another touchdown. Just like that, the Blitz were in a 21-0 hole.
It continued to go badly for Chicago when the next pass
Evans threw was picked off by Mills, who returned it ten yards. The possession
concluded with FB David Riley plowing over from a yard out to add a fourth TD
for the Stars. In short order, Mills intercepted another Evans throw to give
the Stars the ball at their 40. Six plays later, David Trout kicked a 30-yard
field goal and, with 25 seconds remaining in the opening period, Philadelphia
was up by 31-0. The point total was a USFL record for one quarter.
The Stars cruised from there. Midway through the second
quarter, Trout added a 49-yard field goal. Once again a turnover had been
turned into points by Philadelphia as CB Garcia Lane picked off a pass and
returned it 19 yards to the Stars’ 35 to set up the score.
Three minutes into the third quarter, safety Mike Lush
intercepted an Evans pass near midfield. RB Allen Harvin, the replacement for
the injured Kelvin Bryant, topped off the resulting possession with an
eight-yard touchdown carry. Chicago finally got on the scoreboard, long after
it mattered, with a two-yard TD pass from Evans to OT Doug Hoppock, getting his
only reception of the year on a tackle-eligible play. There was no further
scoring as the Stars came away with a crushing 41-7 win.
The Stars gained 320 yards to Chicago’s 299 and had the
edge in first downs by 16 to 15 – deceivingly close numbers since Philadelphia
put the game away early and the Blitz vainly tried to play catch-up the rest of
the way. More meaningfully, the Blitz turned the ball over seven times, to two
given up by the Stars.
Chuck Fusina completed 11 of 17 passes for 180 yards with
two touchdowns and one interception. Allen Harvin (pictured at left) rushed for 82 yards on 19
carries with one TD. Steve Folsom, Willie Collier, and David Riley each caught
three passes, for 56, 52, and 43 yards, respectively. The biggest star was Sam
Mills on defense with two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and 11 tackles to
fuel the onslaught.
For the Blitz, Vince Evans was successful on 18 of 36
throws for 170 yards and the one TD, but also gave up five interceptions before
backup Ron Reeves finished up. RB Jim Stone ran for 61 yards on 5 attempts and
also led the team with four catches for 37 yards.
The Stars continued to win with regularity through the
remainder of the season, compiling a 16-2 record and three more victories in
the postseason that culminated in a USFL Championship. The Blitz also continued
to lose, ending up at the bottom of the Central Division with a 5-13 tally.
Sam Mills went on to lead Philadelphia in tackles (92)
and assists (118) while intercepting three passes and recording five sacks. He
was named to the USFL All-League team for the second year.
