1984: Gold Overcomes 3-TD Deficit to Defeat Maulers

The Pittsburgh Maulers were one of six new teams in the United States Football League’s second season, and were experiencing plenty of difficulties as they got off to a 2-5 start. Coached by Joe Pendry, the offense was directed by former Cowboys backup QB Glenn Carano and featured rookie Heisman Trophy-winning RB Mike Rozier. However, the defense was mediocre, Rozier got off to a slow start, and Carano struggled (at least, prior to a 388-yard passing performance the week before in a losing effort at New Orleans).

Pittsburgh’s opponent at Three Rivers Stadium on April 14, 1984 was the Denver Gold. Under Head Coach Craig Morton, the Gold had gotten off to a 6-1 start and sat atop the Pacific Division. It hardly seemed likely that the Maulers would mount a strong challenge.

However, at halftime the score was 21-0 in favor of Pittsburgh. Carano had thrown touchdown passes of 21 and 24 yards to WR Greg Anderson and, in between, connected for a 65-yard TD to WR Jackie Flowers.

Denver finally got on the board in the third quarter as QB Craig Penrose threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to WR Kevin Williams. Shortly thereafter, Penrose went down with torn knee ligaments, but reserve QB Bob Gagliano stepped in and narrowed the margin to 21-13 with a 25-yard TD throw to WR Leonard Harris (the extra point attempt failed).

In the fourth quarter, Gagliano connected with Harris for another score, this one from five yards out, and the quarterback ran for a successful two-point conversion to tie the contest. The Gold pulled ahead thanks to an 18-yard touchdown run by Williams on an end-around, and Brian Speelman’s 20-yard field goal with under two minutes to play sealed the 31-21 Denver victory.


The game had been all Pittsburgh in the first half, all Denver in the second. The Maulers outrushed the Gold, 176 yards to 97, and controlled the ball for almost 34 minutes to Denver’s 26. However, Carano (pictured at left) threw three interceptions and was sacked six times (three times apiece by defensive ends Dave Stalls and Bruce Thornton), as opposed to Denver suffering one sack and neither quarterback having a pass picked off. Pittsburgh also committed 12 penalties, adding up to 100 yards, to Denver’s four for 26 yards.

A bright spot for the Maulers was the performance of Rozier, who had his first pro hundred-yard game with 137 yards on 24 carries. Carano’s numbers reflected his inconsistency as he threw three touchdowns, three interceptions, and completed just 14 of 34 passes. Greg Anderson caught 6 passes (for 96 yards) while Jackie Flowers led the team in receiving yards with 125 on three catches.

For Denver, Bob Gagliano’s solid relief performance was summed up by his completing 8 of 9 passes for 90 yards and the two TDs. Prior to that, Craig Penrose was successful on 7 of 16 passes for 106 yards and a score. Leonard Harris was the top receiver with 5 catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. RB Harry Sydney led the runners with 60 yards on 15 carries.

The win marked the high point of the season for the Gold – they lost their next five contests and won only two more games the rest of the way to finish at 9-9 and in third place in the Pacific Division. Pittsburgh never got on track, ending up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division (along with the Washington Federals) with a 3-15 record. The Maulers folded following the season while the Gold changed ownership and Morton was replaced as coach by Darrell “Mouse” Davis, who had popularized the “run-and-shoot” offense.

List of the Day: Best Passing Yardage Seasons, 1960s NFL

Sonny Jurgensen

TOP 10
1- Sonny Jurgensen, 1967 Washington Redskins
3747 yards, 288-508, 56.7 %, 31 TD, 16 INT

2- Sonny Jurgensen, 1961 Philadelphia Eagles
3723 yards, 235-416, 56.5 %, 32 TD, 24 INT

3- Johnny Unitas, 1963 Baltimore Colts
3481 yards, 237-410, 57.8 %, 20 TD, 12 INT

4- Johnny Unitas, 1967 Baltimore Colts
3428 yards, 255-436, 58.5 %, 20 TD, 16 INT

5- Norm Snead, 1967 Philadelphia Eagles
3399 yards, 240-434, 55.3 %, 29 TD, 24 INT

6- Charley Johnson, 1963 St. Louis Cardinals
3280 yards, 222-423, 52.5 %, 28 TD, 21 INT

7- Sonny Jurgensen, 1962 Philadelphia Eagles
3261 yards, 196-366, 53.6 %, 22 TD, 26 INT

8- Y.A. Tittle, 1962 New York Giants
3224 yards, 200-375, 53.3 %, 33 TD, 20 INT

9- Sonny Jurgensen, 1966 Washington Redskins
3209 yards, 254-436, 58.3 %, 28 TD, 19 INT

10-Bill Wade, 1962 Chicago Bears
3172 yards, 225-412, 54.6 %, 18 TD, 24 INT


Johnny Unitas



Norm Snead



Charley Johnson



Y.A. Tittle

BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT IN TOP 10
San Francisco 49ers: John Brodie, 1965
3112 yards, 242-391, 61.9 %, 30 TD, 16 INT

Pittsburgh Steelers: Ed Brown, 1963
2982 yards, 168-362, 46.4 %, 21 TD, 20 INT

Cleveland Browns: Frank Ryan, 1966
2974 yards, 200-382, 52.4 %, 29 TD, 14 INT

Dallas Cowboys: Don Meredith, 1966
2805 yards, 177-344, 51.5 %, 24 TD, 12 INT

Los Angeles Rams: Roman Gabriel, 1967
2779 yards, 196-371, 52.8 %, 25 TD, 13 INT

Detroit Lions: Earl Morrall, 1963
2621 yards, 174-328, 53.0 %, 24 TD, 14 INT

Minnesota Vikings: Fran Tarkenton, 1965
2609 yards, 171-329, 52.0 %, 19 TD, 11 INT

New Orleans Saints: Billy Kilmer, 1969*
2532 yards, 193-360, 53.6 %, 20 TD, 17 INT

Green Bay Packers: Bart Starr, 1962
2438 yards, 178-285, 62.5 %, 12 TD, 9 INT

Atlanta Falcons: Randy Johnson, 1966**
1795 yards, 129-295, 43.7 %, 12 TD, 21 INT

* Saints joined NFL in 1967
** Falcons joined NFL in 1966


Bill Wade



John Brodie



Ed Brown



Frank Ryan

1936: Second AFL Awards Eight Franchises

On April 11, 1936 the second pro football organization to be called the American Football League (the first existed for one season in 1926) awarded eight franchises for the inaugural ’36 season.

The prime mover behind the new league was Harry March (pictured below left), an experienced executive both as personnel director for the New York Giants and in the league office of the NFL. Plans had been announced in November of 1935 for the formation of the AFL, which March indicated would be a “players’ league” and would seek to draw talent away from the NFL.


The eight franchises announced on April 11 were in Boston, Cleveland, Jersey City, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, and Syracuse. This lineup of clubs was hardly set, however, as three of the franchises (Jersey City, Philadelphia, and Providence) dropped out in August, well before the season commenced. Rochester was granted a franchise, although by early September that team was also gone and Brooklyn entered the circuit.

The league played its first regular season game on September 27 before 6500 fans at New York’s Triborough Stadium, with the New York Yankees defeating the Syracuse Braves, 13-6.

The Yankees were the most successful at raiding the NFL – most notably, they signed back/kicker Ken Strong away from the Giants. They were coached by ex-Giant Jack McBride (pictured at top right) and also had end Les Borden and back Stu Clancy (both also former Giants). Syracuse had star end Red Badgro, who was also a co-coach, but he stayed for just three games and jumped back to the NFL. The Pittsburgh Americans snagged two members of the NFL’s Pirates, end Ben Smith and guard Dave Ribble. Cleveland’s entry, the Rams, signed fullback Damon “Buzz” Wetzel as well as Ohio State’s All-American center, Gomer Jones (pictured below), and an end who would later become far more prominent as a pro head coach, Sid Gillman.


It was the team that accomplished the least in pursuing players from the NFL that ended up having the most success, the Boston Shamrocks. Coached by George Kennedy and splitting their games between Fenway Park and Braves Field, the Shamrocks won the AFL title with an 8-3 record.

The Cleveland Rams went 5-2-2 with the league’s best defense to finish second and draw well at Municipal Stadium. The Yankees, playing at Yankee Stadium (where they hosted the first night football game in that storied venue’s history) as well as Triborough Stadium, were next at 5-3-2. Pittsburgh was a competitive 3-2-1 on the field but drew poorly at Forbes Field, averaging 2500 per home game.

The remaining teams were both uncompetitive and unstable. After losing five straight contests, the Syracuse Braves moved to Rochester, played two more games, and folded with a final record of 1-6. The Brooklyn Tigers, who were in trouble from the start because of the lack of a home stadium, took advantage of the demise of the Braves to take up residence in Rochester; it didn’t help, as the club played just one home game at Red Wing Stadium and failed to win at all, completing the season with a 0-6-1 tally.

Following the season, the Rams were accepted into the NFL for 1937 (two relocations later, they are still there). Another Ohio city, Cincinnati, joined the league in ’37 as well as an independent team that failed to gain entry into the NFL, the Los Angeles Bulldogs. The Bulldogs, considered the first major league sports team to be based on the West Coast, dominated the league in its second (and final) season.

The second AFL lasted just two unstable seasons, but, in the Rams, did field one franchise that survives to this day. They also provided a team name that was revived later, the Cincinnati Bengals – beyond that, the club bears no relation to the 1968 expansion franchise in the fourth AFL that is part of today’s NFL. However, this first Bengals team joined the minor league American Professional Football Association after the league’s demise and became a member of the third AFL in 1940.

1983: John Reaves Sets USFL Passing Records as Bandits Defeat Gold in Overtime

33-year-old QB John Reaves was making the most of his new opportunity with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League. An outstanding college passer at Florida, he had been the first draft choice of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles in 1972. He had started seven games for a very bad Eagles team in his rookie season, but then sat on the bench for two years after veteran Roman Gabriel was obtained from the Rams. Traded to Cincinnati, Reaves backed up Ken Anderson for four years. But after appearing in five games with the Houston Oilers in 1981, it appeared that his career was over. He had become better known for his off-field problems than any on-field accomplishments.

In 1983, a clean and sober Reaves became starting quarterback for the USFL franchise in Tampa Bay, operating Head Coach Steve Spurrier’s air-oriented offense. He led the team to wins in the first four games, but then suffered a disastrous performance against the Chicago Blitz in which he was intercepted four times and pulled in the third quarter.

In the following contest, on April 9, 1983 at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Reaves filled the air with passes as he set single-game league records for passes attempted (63) and completed (38). The Bandits defeated the Denver Gold, 22-16, but it wasn’t easy.

Denver was up 13-3 at halftime thanks to a 56-yard pass play from QB Ken Johnson to RB Harry Sydney and two Brian Speelman field goals. The Bandits had managed only a 36-yard first quarter field goal by Zenon Andrusyshyn.

Reaves led Tampa Bay on a long scoring drive in the third quarter that culminated in a six-yard TD pass to WR Danny Buggs; Denver blocked the ensuing extra point attempt. A one-yard fourth quarter touchdown run by RB Sam Platt put the Bandits ahead by a 16-13 margin, but the Gold fought back as Speelman tied the game with a 33-yard field goal with 45 seconds remaining in regulation.

Reaves directed a 73-yard scoring drive to win the game in overtime, including a key 28-yard pass to WR Eric Truvillion that set up an 11-yard touchdown run by RB Greg Boone.

Reaves’ 38-of-63 performance yielded 357 yards; he threw two interceptions in addition to his one TD pass. Sam Platt caught the most passes for the Bandits with 12 receptions out of the backfield for 87 yards while Danny Buggs led the team with 97 yards on 8 catches. Boone was Tampa Bay’s top rusher with 41 yards on seven carries; Platt contributed another 36 yards on 16 attempts.

For Denver, Harry Sydney was the top rusher with 68 yards on 17 carries. Ken Johnson completed 13 of 23 passes for 157 yards with the lone touchdown and no interceptions. TE Bob Niziolek caught 5 passes, for 27 yards, while Sydney was the receiving yardage leader with 56 thanks to his touchdown reception.

Tampa Bay’s strong start didn’t result in continued success over the course of the season; the Bandits ended up with an 11-7 record and finished in third place in the strong Central Division and out of the postseason. Denver was 7-11 and ended up third in the far weaker Pacific Division.

Reaves suffered a broken right wrist the week after the Denver game and didn’t return until the next-to-last contest of the season (three quarterbacks started in his absence, most notably Jimmy Jordan, a former Florida State star). Thus, his overall numbers were held to 139 completions in 259 attempts (53.7 %) for 1726 yards with 9 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. That he was playing football at all, and in general quite effectively, was the bigger story. He would go on to have his greatest professional season in 1984.

1985: Herschel Walker Runs for USFL-Record 233 Yards vs. Houston

Since signing with the United States Football League’s New Jersey Generals as an underclassman in 1983 after a legendary college football career at Georgia, RB Herschel Walker had gained a lot of yards and received his share of plaudits, but had taken criticism along the way as well. The problem was one of immense expectations for a player who had been a dominating force at both the high school and college levels.

While Walker had led the league with 1812 yards in ’83, the Generals had compiled a weak 6-12 record. And while the club went 14-4 and made it to the postseason in 1984, Walker ranked “only” third among the USFL’s rushers with 1339 yards. Moreover, he was criticized for running tentatively and being too quick to head out of bounds rather than challenging defending players for extra yards; in reality, a sore shoulder was hampering him and thus altering his style.

In 1985, the Generals added another Heisman Trophy winner, QB Doug Flutie, who took some of the media attention off of Walker. During the preceding offseason, the star running back had surgery to correct the shoulder problems. He started off slowly, gaining just six yards in the season opening game and averaging 83.3 yards over the first six contests.

But on April 7, 1985 against the Houston Gamblers at Giants Stadium, Walker broke loose for 233 yards, breaking the existing league single-game record of 208. Included were two touchdown runs, one an 88-yard sprint that also was a league high and another with a one-yard plunge on fourth down. Flutie contributed a seven-yard touchdown run as the Generals set a team rushing record of 343 yards and defeated the Gamblers, 31-25.

Houston, having won its first five games, dropped to 5-2 on the way to a 10-8 final record and third place in the Western Conference; the Gamblers lost to Birmingham in the quarterfinal playoff round. New Jersey improved to 4-3 and went on to finish in second place in the Eastern Conference at 11-7, also losing in the quarterfinal round to the eventual champions, the Baltimore Stars.

The record-setting performance spurred Herschel Walker to a record-setting season. Over the course of the 18 games, he accumulated 2411 yards on 438 carries for a 5.5-yard average with 21 touchdowns. He also led the club in pass receiving with 37 catches for 467 yards and a TD. His 22 total touchdowns made him the USFL’s scoring leader with 132 points and he was named MVP by both the league and The Sporting News.

At 6’1” and 222 pounds, Walker ran with both power and speed. While he was criticized for being strictly a straight-ahead runner without great instincts, he still gained 5562 rushing yards in three USFL seasons, and went on to add another 8225 yards in twelve years in the NFL (and that doesn’t count another 11,496 yards when adding pass receptions and kickoff returns). As Generals president Jason Seltzer once said, “No matter what Herschel does, it’s never enough.” But in the game against Houston, and over the course of his career, he did plenty.

List of the Day: Best Rushing Seasons, 1960s NFL

Jim Brown

TOP 10
1- Jim Brown, 1963 Cleveland Browns
1863 yards, 291 att., 6.4 avg., 12 TD

2- Jim Brown, 1965 Cleveland Browns
1544 yards, 289 att., 5.3 avg., 17 TD

3- Jim Taylor, 1962 Green Bay Packers
1474 yards, 272 att., 5.4 avg., 19 TD

4- Jim Brown, 1964 Cleveland Browns
1446 yards, 280 att., 5.2 avg., 7 TD

5- Jim Brown, 1961 Cleveland Browns
1408 yards, 305 att., 4.6 avg., 8 TD

6- Jim Taylor, 1961 Green Bay Packers
1307 yards, 243 att., 5.4 avg., 15 TD

7- Jim Brown, 1960 Cleveland Browns
1257 yards, 215 att., 5.8 avg., 9 TD

8- Leroy Kelly, 1968 Cleveland Browns
1239 yards, 248 att., 5.0 avg., 16 TD

9- Gale Sayers, 1966 Chicago Bears
1231 yards, 229 att., 5.4 avg., 8 TD

10-Leroy Kelly, 1967 Cleveland Browns
1205 yards, 235 att., 5.1 avg., 11 TD


Jim Taylor



Leroy Kelly



Gale Sayers

BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT IN TOP 10
Pittsburgh Steelers: John Henry Johnson, 1962
1141 yards, 251 att., 4.5 avg., 7 TD

Los Angeles Rams: Dick Bass, 1966
1090 yards, 248 att., 4.4 avg., 8 TD

St. Louis Cardinals: John David Crow, 1960
1071 yards, 183 att., 5.9 avg., 6 TD

Minnesota Vikings: Dave Osborn, 1967
972 yards, 215 att., 4.5 avg., 2 TD

San Francisco 49ers: Ken Willard, 1968
967 yards, 227 att., 4.3 avg., 7 TD

Philadelphia Eagles: Tom Woodeshick, 1968
947 yards, 217 att., 4.4 avg., 3 TD

Dallas Cowboys: Don Perkins, 1962
945 yards, 222 att., 4.3 avg., 7 TD

New York Giants: Alex Webster, 1961
928 yards, 196 att., 4.7 avg., 2 TD

Baltimore Colts: Tom Matte, 1969
909 yards, 235 att., 3.9 avg., 11 TD

Washington Redskins: Larry Brown, 1969
888 yards, 202 att., 4.4 avg., 4 TD

Detroit Lions: Nick Pietrosante, 1960
872 yards, 161 att., 5.4 avg., 8 TD

New Orleans Saints: Andy Livingston, 1969*
761 yards, 181 att., 4.2 avg., 5 TD

Atlanta Falcons: Junior Coffey, 1966 & 1967**
722 yards, 199 att., 3.6 avg., 4 TD (1966)
722 yards, 180 att., 4.0 avg., 4 TD (1967)

*Saints joined NFL in 1967
**Falcons joined NFL in 1966


John Henry Johnson



Dick Bass



Don Perkins



Alex Webster

List of the Day: Best Pass Receiving Seasons, 1950s NFL

Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch

TOP 10 RECEPTIONS
1- Tom Fears, 1950 Los Angeles Rams
84 rec., 1116 yds., 13.3 avg., 7 TD

2(tied)- Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, 1951 Los Angeles Rams
66 rec., 1495 yds., 22.7 avg., 17 TD

2(tied)- Raymond Berry, 1959 Baltimore Colts
66 rec., 959 yds., 14.5 avg., 14 TD

4- Pete Pihos, 1953 Philadelphia Eagles
63 rec., 1049 yds., 16.7 avg., 10 TD

5(tied)- Mac Speedie, 1952 Cleveland Browns
62 rec., 911 yds., 14.7 avg., 5 TD

5(tied)- Elbie Nickel, 1953 Pittsburgh Steelers
62 rec., 743 yds., 12.0 avg., 4 TD

5(tied)- Pete Pihos, 1955 Philadelphia Eagles
62 rec., 864 yds., 13.9 avg., 7 TD

8- Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, 1953 Los Angeles Rams
61 rec., 941 yds., 15.4 avg., 4 TD

9(tied)- Pete Pihos, 1954 Philadelphia Eagles
60 rec., 872 yds., 14.5 avg., 10 TD

9(tied)- Billy Wilson, 1954 San Francisco 49ers
60 rec., 830 yds., 13.8 avg., 5 TD

9(tied)- Billy Wilson, 1956 San Francisco 49ers
60 rec., 889 yds., 14.8 avg., 5 TD


Tom Fears

BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT IN TOP 10
Chicago Cardinals: Fran Polsfoot, 1951
57 rec., 796 yds., 14.0 avg., 4 TD

Green Bay Packers: Billy Howton, 1956
55 rec., 1188 yds., 21.6 avg., 12 TD

Chicago Bears: Jim Dooley, 1953
53 rec., 841 yds., 15.9 avg., 4 TD

New York Yanks: Dan Edwards, 1950*
52 rec., 775 yds., 14.9 avg., 6 TD

New York Giants: Frank Gifford, 1956
51 rec., 603 yds., 11.8 avg., 4 TD

Detroit Lions: Cloyce Box, 1950
50 rec., 1009 yds., 20.2 avg., 11 TD

Washington Redskins: Hugh Taylor, 1952
41 rec., 961 yds., 23.4 avg., 12 TD

Dallas Texans: Dick Wilkins, 1952**
32 rec., 416 yds., 13.0 avg., 3 TD

* Yanks folded following 1951 season
**Texans played in 1952 only


Raymond Berry



Pete Pihos

TOP 10 YARDS
1- Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, 1951 Los Angeles Rams
1495 yds., 66 rec., 22.7 avg., 17 TD

2- Billy Howton, 1952 Green Bay Packers
1231 yds., 53 rec., 23.2 avg., 13 TD

3- Bob Boyd, 1954 Los Angeles Rams
1212 yds., 53 rec., 22.9 avg., 6 TD

4- Billy Howton, 1956 Green Bay Packers
1188 yds., 55 rec., 21.6 avg., 12 TD

5- Harlon Hill, 1956 Chicago Bears
1128 yds., 47 rec., 24.0 avg., 11 TD

6- Harlon Hill, 1954 Chicago Bears
1124 yds., 45 rec., 25.0 avg., 12 TD

7- Tom Fears, 1950 Los Angeles Rams
1116 yds., 84 rec., 13.3 avg., 7 TD

8- Del Shofner, 1958 Los Angeles Rams
1097 yds., 51 rec., 21.5 avg., 8 TD

9- Pete Pihos, 1953 Philadelphia Eagles
1049 yds., 63 rec., 16.7 avg., 10 TD

10-Cloyce Box, 1950 Detroit Lions
1009 yds., 50 rec., 20.2 avg., 11 TD


Bob Boyd



Harlon Hill


BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT IN TOP 10
Chicago Cardinals: Bob Shaw, 1950
971 yds., 48 rec., 20.2 avg., 12 TD

Washington Redskins: Hugh Taylor, 1952
961 yds., 41 rec., 23.4 avg., 12 TD

Baltimore Colts: Raymond Berry, 1959
959 yds., 66 rec., 14.5 avg., 14 TD

Cleveland Browns: Mac Speedie, 1952
911 yds., 62 rec., 14.7 avg., 5 TD

Pittsburgh Steelers: Jimmy Orr, 1958
910 yds., 33 rec., 27.6 avg., 7 TD

San Francisco 49ers: Billy Wilson, 1956
889 yds., 60 rec., 14.8 avg., 5 TD

New York Yanks: Dan Edwards, 1950*
775 yds., 52 rec., 14.9 avg., 6 TD

New York Giants: Frank Gifford, 1959
768 yds., 42 rec., 18.3 avg., 4 TD

Dallas Texans: Dick Wilkins, 1952**
416 yds., 32 rec., 13.0 avg., 3 TD

* Yanks folded following 1951 season
** Texans played in 1952 only


Elbie Nickel



Billy Wilson