Highlighted Year: Billie Hayes, 1975

Cornerback, San Antonio Wings

Age: 28

3^rd season in pro football, 2^nd in WFL & 1^st with Wings

College: San Diego State

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 181

Prelude:

Hayes transferred from Riverside Junior College and received first-team All-Pacific Coast Athletic Association honors as part of the San Diego State team that went 11-0 in 1969. He was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 1970 NFL draft but failed to make the club. He also failed to catch on with the Rams in ’71 and his only NFL experience came with the New Orleans Saints in 1972, where he was a backup and had no interceptions. Hayes signed with the Florida Blazers of the WFL in 1974 and moved into the starting lineup, intercepting six passes. His contract was purchased by the new San Antonio club, which was the successor franchise to the Blazers.

1975 Season Summary

Appeared in all 13 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Interceptions – 6 [1, tied with Leon Jenkins]

Int. return yards – 115 [4]

Int. TDs – 0

Sacks – 0

Fumble recoveries – 1

Tackles – 33

Assists – 19

Wings went 7-6 and were second in the WFL Western Division when the league folded. They led the league in interceptions (27).

Aftermath:

The demise of the WFL effectively marked the end of Hayes’ career. In his two WFL seasons, which were his most significant as a pro, he intercepted 12 passes that he returned for 220 yards.

--

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

Highlighted Year: George Ratterman, 1949

Quarterback, Buffalo Bills

Age:  23 (Nov. 12)

3^rd season in pro football & with Bills

College: Notre Dame

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 190

Prelude:

An outstanding all-around athlete in college who lettered in four sports, Ratterman primarily backup up quarterbacks Frank Dancewicz and Johnny Lujack. He signed with the Bills in 1947 and passed for 1840 yards and 22 touchdowns, although with an AAFC-high 20 interceptions, as a rookie. He followed up in ’48 by throwing for 2577 yards and 16 TDs, again topping the league with 22 interceptions. Not averse to taking risks, Ratterman was an accurate passer with good ball-handling skills and sound leadership qualities.

1949 Season Summary

Appeared in 11 of 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 252 [4]

Completions – 146 [3]

Yards – 1777 [4]

Completion percentage – 57.9 [1]

Yards per attempt – 7.1 [4]

TD passes – 14 [3, tied with Y.A. Tittle]

Most TD passes, game – 3 at Baltimore 11/27

Interceptions – 13 [5, tied with Johnny Clement]

Passer rating – 76.8 [3]

Rushing

Attempts – 36

Yards – 85

Yards per attempt – 2.4

TDs – 4 [9, tied with four others]

Scoring

TDs – 4 [19, tied with eight others]           

Points – 24

Postseason: 1 G (AAFC First Round playoff at Cleveland)

Pass attempts – 39

Pass completions – 21

Passing yardage – 293

TD passes – 3

Interceptions – 2

Bills went 5-5-2 to finish fourth in the AAFC. Lost AAFC First Round playoff to Cleveland Browns (31-21).

Aftermath:

With the demise of the AAFC, Ratterman joined the New York Yanks of the NFL in 1950 and led the league in both TD passes (22) and interceptions (24) while throwing for 2251 yards, which ranked second. He jumped to Montreal of the CFL in ’51 but re-joined the Yanks at midseason, although with far less impressive results. Ratterman spent the remaining five years of his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns, where he backed up star QB Otto Graham. Given the opportunity to start in 1956, he lasted four games before suffering a career-ending knee injury. Overall, Ratterman passed for 10,473 yards and 91 touchdowns while giving up 96 interceptions, with 6194 yards and 52 TDs with 55 INTs coming in the AAFC.

--

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

Highlighted Year: Benny Friedman, 1927

Tailback/Defensive Back, Cleveland Bulldogs

Age: 22

1^st season in pro football

College: Michigan

Height: 5’10” Weight: 183

Prelude:

Friedman established himself as an outstanding passer in college and was a consensus first-team All-American in 1925 and ’26. Turning pro, he proved to be extremely accurate, if not possessed of an exceptionally strong arm, and was innovative in his willingness to pass on any down despite the less-streamlined ball in use at the time and rules that discouraged reliance on throwing the ball. Friedman was also a capable runner and fair kicker.

1927 Season Summary

Appeared in all 13 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

TD Passes – 11 [1]

Scoring

Rushing TDs – 2 [14, tied with twelve others]

Receiving TDs – 0

Other TDs – 0

Total TDs – 2

Field Goals – 0

Extra Points – 11 [2]

Points – 23 [19]

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: Chicago Tribune, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Bulldogs went 8-4-1 to finish fourth in the NFL while leading the league in touchdowns (30) and scoring (209 points).

Aftermath:

Friedman moved on to the Detroit Panthers in 1928 and again led the NFL with 9 TD passes as well as rushing touchdowns (6, tied with two others). The franchise was bought out by Tim Mara of the Giants and Friedman went to New York and continued to lead the league in touchdown passes for the next two years, including a remarkable 20 in 1929 (the runner-up threw 6). Friedman received consensus first team All-NFL honors in each of his first four NFL seasons, but a leg injury reduced his effectiveness in 1931 and he moved on to the Brooklyn Dodgers in ’32. He finished up with one game for the Dodgers in 1934, having already moved into assistant coaching at the college level that reduced his playing time. While passing statistics are incomplete for that era, Friedman was certainly far ahead of the rest of the field in passing yards (7650) and TD passes (68), and his single-season record of 20 lasted until 1942. Friedman went on to become a college head coach at City College of New York and Brandeis University, where he also served as athletic director. His brashness might have been off-putting, but he was a keen student of the game and one of its early innovators and notable performers. Friedman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2005.

--

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

1973: Broncos Rally to Upset Battered Steelers

The Denver Broncos were fighting to stay in the AFC West playoff hunt as they faced the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 18, 1973. Coached by John Ralston, the Broncos had overcome a slow start to compile a 4-3-2 record thus far. Veteran QB Charley Johnson effectively directed the offense that included HB Floyd Little (pictured at right) and TE Riley Odoms, who was breaking out in his third season.

The Steelers, under Head Coach Chuck Noll, were at 8-1 and had won four straight games and 13 in a row at home. However, they were also having injury problems and were without QB Terry Bradshaw and HB John “French” Fuqua, while DT “Mean Joe” Greene was suffering from a back injury and would not be in the starting lineup for the first time in his career (he did enter the game in the fourth quarter to spell his replacement, DT Tom Keating).

There were 48,580 fans in attendance at Three Rivers Stadium and they saw the home team run into trouble at the very start. HB Rocky Bleier fumbled while returning the opening kickoff and DB Maurice Tyler recovered to give the Broncos possession at the Pittsburgh 15. They weren’t able to move the ball, but Jim Turner kicked a 32-yard field goal to give Denver the early 3-0 advantage.

The Steelers responded with a series in which QB Terry Hanratty completed passes of nine yards to HB Preston Pearson and 22 yards to WR Ron Shanklin, but after reaching the Denver 16 they came up empty when Roy Gerela was wide on a 23-yard field goal try. Later in the period, Pittsburgh again advanced deep into Denver territory, the key plays being a Hanratty completion to TE John McMakin for 44 yards and a 17-yard run by FB Franco Harris on a sweep. This time Gerala tied the score with a 15-yard field goal.

Turner attempted a long field goal for the Broncos from 52 yards early in the second quarter, but it was short. The Steelers were on the move again when Hanratty threw to WR Frank Lewis for a 40-yard gain. Again having to try for a field goal, Gerela was successful from 18 yards but DE Lyle Alzado was penalized for roughing-the-kicker and Pittsburgh chose to take the points off the board and keep the ball. Shortly thereafter they ended up having to call on Gerela again, and he was again good from 13 yards. Late in the period, the Broncos threatened, reaching the Pittsburgh four with a 69-yard advance before having to settle for a Turner field goal from 11 yards and the teams were tied at 6-6 going into halftime.

Denver HB Otis Armstrong returned the second half kickoff 32 yards and that spurred the Broncos to a 10-play, 67-yard drive, helped along by a 25-yard pass interference penalty on CB Mel Blount. Floyd Little ran the last ten yards for a touchdown and Turner converted to put the visitors up by 13-6.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Steelers finished off an 80-yard advance in just four plays. Hanratty (pictured at left) threw to Lewis for 19 yards, Harris ran for four yards around end, and it was then Hanratty to McMakin for 15 yards and to Shanklin for a 42-yard TD. Gerela added the game-tying point after.

A 41-yard drive in ten plays by the Broncos that featured Little’s running and short completions by Charley Johnson ended when Turner kicked a field goal from 46 yards that hit the cross bar but bounced over, putting them ahead by 16-13.

On the ensuing kickoff, HB Steve Davis fumbled and the Broncos recovered at the Pittsburgh 27. Little was stopped for a three-yard loss on first down, but FB Joe Dawkins ran for 25 and, three plays later, Denver capitalized when Johnson tossed a two-yard touchdown pass to TE Riley Odoms. Turner converted to put the visitors ahead by ten. It was too much for the Steelers to recover from and the Broncos held on to win by a final score of 23-13.

Pittsburgh led in total yards (300 to 257) while the Broncos had more first downs (20 to 12). Denver outrushed the Steelers (184 to 83) while the home team compiled far more net passing yards (217 to 73). Pittsburgh turned the ball over three times, to none by the Broncos.

Charley Johnson (pictured at right) completed 13 of 20 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Floyd Little rushed for 88 yards on 27 carries that included a TD and also had four catches for 23 yards. Riley Odoms topped the Denver receivers with 6 pass receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown.

For the Steelers, Terry Hanratty was successful on 10 of 19 throws for 217 yards and a TD while also not being picked off. Franco Harris gained 53 yards on 11 rushing attempts. John McMakin caught three passes for 64 yards and Ron Shanklin also accumulated 64 yards on his two receptions that included a touchdown.

“In all fairness to Pittsburgh, I think we were fortunate to be in the right spot on their schedule,” said Denver’s Coach Ralston. “They’d just had three hard wins over Cincinnati, Washington, and Oakland, and games like that take something out of you.”

The Broncos split their last four games and, while they failed to make it to the playoffs, the resulting 7-5-2 record placed second in the AFC West and was the first winning season in franchise history. The hobbled Steelers lost their next two contests but won the last two to end up at 10-4 and second in the AFC Central, although still good enough for a Wild Card playoff berth. Pittsburgh lost to Oakland in the Divisional round.

Highlighted Year: Larry Brown, 1970

Halfback, Washington Redskins

Age: 23 (Sept. 19)

2^nd season in pro football & with Redskins

College: Kansas State

Height: 5’11” Weight: 195

Prelude:

Brown played two seasons at Kansas State after transferring from Dodge City Junior College and had an undistinguished career, rushing for 684 yards and catching 13 passes. An eighth round pick by the Redskins in the 1969 NFL draft, Brown led the team in rushing as a rookie with 888 yards on 202 carries (4.4 avg.) and caught 34 passes for another 302 yards. He was selected to the Pro Bowl.

1970 Season Summary

Appeared in 13 of 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 237 [2]

Most attempts, game – 27 (for 110 yds.) at Philadelphia 10/4

Yards – 1125 [1]

Most yards, game – 139 yards (on 17 carries) vs. NY Giants 11/29

Average gain – 4.7 [3]

TDs – 5 [13, tied with eleven others]

100-yard rushing games – 6

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 37      

Most receptions, game – 9 (for 76 yds.) at Oakland 10/19

Yards – 341

Most yards, game – 76 (on 9 catches) at Oakland 10/19

Average gain – 9.2

TDs – 2

Scoring

TDs – 7 [18, tied with nine others]

Points – 42

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Pro Football Weekly

1^st team All-NFC: AP, UPI, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News

Pro Bowl

Redskins went 6-8 to finish fourth in the NFC East.

Aftermath:

Brown’s production dropped off to 948 yards in 1971 as defenses keyed on him, but he was selected to a third Pro Bowl and received consensus first-team All-NFC recognition. He was the consensus league MVP in ’72 as he led the NFC in rushing with 1216 yards and the Redskins reached the Super Bowl. 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 yards over the last three seasons of a career spent entirely with Washington that ended in 1976. Overall, he rushed for 5875 yards on 1530 attempts (3.8 avg.) and caught 238 passes for 2485 yards (10.4 avg.) while scoring a total of 55 touchdowns. Brown was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection twice, received first-team All-NFC honors after one other season, and was selected to four Pro Bowls.

--

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

1930: Nagurski’s 2 TDs Lead Bears to Win Against Giants

The Chicago Bears were a team in transition as they faced the New York Giants on November 16, 1930. Coming off of a disappointing 4-9-2 record in 1929, the Bears were in their first season under Head Coach Ralph Jones, with George Halas concentrating on front office duties. Jones revamped the offense and benefited from the arrival of two rookies in the backfield, QB Carl Brumbaugh and power-running FB Bronko Nagurski (pictured at right). Thus far the Bears were at 4-4-1 as they faced the Giants, a powerful club under Head Coach Roy Andrews that had a 10-1 record including five straight wins at home and an offense that featured tailback Benny Friedman, the best passer in pro football.

There were 5000 fans in attendance on a rainy day at the Polo Grounds and the field was muddy. The teams slogged through three scoreless quarters, with Chicago’s ground game dominating. Early in the first quarter, the Bears drove from their 27 to the New York 15, but the visitors came up empty when three runs and a pass came up short and they had to turn the ball over on downs.

In the third quarter, Chicago put together another promising drive fueled by the running of Bronko Nagurski  and halfbacks Red Grange and Joe Lintzenich. But after reaching the New York six, the Bears again failed to reach the end zone and had to turn the ball over on downs.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Bears took possession at their 41 and again moved the ball effectively. Nagurski ran for nine yards, Grange gained enough for a first down and followed up with a pass to end Luke Johnsos for 28 yards to the New York 22. Carries by Grange and Carl Brumbaugh got the ball down to the seven and Nagurski barreled over for a touchdown from there, but Garland Grange failed on the extra point attempt.

The Giants started out deep in their own territory following the kickoff.  Benny Friedman came out passing, but his third toss was intercepted by Lintzenich at the New York 20. He returned the ball to the 10 and, four plays later, Nagurski dove into the end zone from a yard out for a second touchdown. The try for point after was again unsuccessful, but it was of no consequence. Chicago won by a final score of 12-0.

The Bears led in first downs (13 to 5) and otherwise dominated the game. It was a precursor of good things to come as they won their remaining four contests to finish with a 9-4-1 record that placed third in the league standings. New York defeated Green Bay in a key battle the next week but lost two of four to finish second at 13-4.

For Bronko Nagurski, the two touchdowns against the Giants were part of five that he scored on the year. He received second-team All-NFL honors from Collyers Eye and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Highlighted Year: Billy Cannon, 1961

Halfback, Houston Oilers

Age: 24

2^nd season in pro football & with Oilers

College: LSU

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 212

Prelude:

Cannon was a star all-purpose halfback in college who rushed for 1867 yards while averaging 5.2 yards-per-carry, caught 31 passes for 522 yards, and scored 21 touchdowns. He was a two-time consensus first-team All-American and winner of the 1959 Heisman Trophy, following a season in which he also returned a punt 89 yards to key a LSU win against Mississippi. Cannon was chosen by the Los Angeles Rams as the first overall pick of the 1960 NFL draft, but signed with both the Rams and Oilers of the new AFL. A judge’s decision awarded him to the Oilers and he had a fair rookie season, rushing for a team-leading 644 yards and scoring a touchdown in the AFL Championship game on an 88-yard pass play. He was a second-team All-AFL selection by the league and UPI.

1961 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 200 [2]

Most attempts, game – 25 (for 216 yds.) at NY Titans 12/10

Yards – 948 [1]

Most yards, game – 216 yards (on 25 carries) at NY Titans 12/10

Average gain – 4.7 [1]

TDs – 6 [4, tied with Jack Kemp]

200-yard rushing games – 1

100-yard rushing games – 3

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 43 [11, tied with Don Maynard]

Most receptions, game – 7 (for 122 yds.) vs. NY Titans 11/19

Yards – 586 [15]

Most yards, game – 122 (on 7 catches) vs. NY Titans 11/19

Average gain – 13.6 [16]

TDs – 9 [3, tied with Jim Colclough]

100-yard receiving games – 2

Passing

Attempts – 5

Completions – 0

Yards – 0

TD passes – 0

Interceptions – 1 [20, tied with seven others]

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 18 [3, tied with Al Frazier]

Yards – 439 [5]

Most yards, game – 84 (on 3 ret.) vs. Boston 11/12

Average per return – 24.4 [6]

TDs – 0

Longest return – 47 yards

Punt Returns

Returns – 9 [6]

Yards – 70 [9]

Most yards, game – 20 (on 1 ret.) vs. Buffalo 10/8

Average per return – 7.8

TDs – 0

Longest return – 20 yards

All-Purpose yards – 2043 [1]

Scoring

TDs – 15 [2]

Points – 90 [4]

Postseason: 1 G (AFL Championship at San Diego)

Rushing attempts – 15

Rushing yards – 48

Average gain rushing – 3.2

Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 5

Pass receiving yards – 53

Average yards per reception – 10.6

Pass receiving TDs – 1

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-AFL: League, AP, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News

AFL All-Star Game

Oilers went 10-3-1 to finish first in the AFL Eastern Division while leading the league in total yards (6288), passing yards (4392), touchdowns (66), and scoring (513 points). Won AFL Championship over San Diego Chargers (10-3).

Aftermath:

Cannon suffered a back injury that limited his effectiveness in 1962, holding him to 474 rushing yards although he still caught 32 passes for 451 yards and scored a total of 13 touchdowns. He saw little action in an injury-plagued 1963 season and was traded to the Oakland Raiders, where he was tried at fullback with some success before being shifted to tight end in 1965. While Cannon caught only 21 passes combined in his first two seasons at the new position, his production increased significantly in 1967, when he had 32 catches for 629 yards and 10 TDs and received first-team All-AFL honors from UPI and the Associated Press. He spent two more years with the Raiders and was an AFL All-Star in 1969. Cannon spent one last year with Kansas City as a backup in 1970. Altogether, he rushed for 2455 yards on 602 carries (4.1 avg.) with 17 TDs and caught 236 passes for 3656 yards (15.5 avg.) and 47 touchdowns. Cannon was a consensus first-team All-AFL selection after one season, received some first- or second-team recognition after three other seasons, and was chosen to two AFL All-Star Games. His son Billy Jr. played linebacker for the Cowboys for one year.

--

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 Percentage, 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