MVP Profile: Thurman Thomas, 1991

Running Back, Buffalo Bills



Age: 25
4th season in pro football & with Bills
College: Oklahoma State
Height: 5’10” Weight: 198

Prelude:
Drafted in the second round by Buffalo in 1988, Thomas led the NFL in total yardage in 1989 and ’90 (as he would in 1991), had over 1200 yards rushing (1244 & 1297), and was named to the Pro Bowl in both seasons as well. He also had a high of 60 catches for 669 yards in 1989. Thomas was a consensus first-team All-Pro in 1990 and performed well in the narrow Super Bowl loss to the Giants following that season.

1991 Season Summary
Appeared and started in 15 of 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 288 [3]
Most attempts, game - 32 (for 126 yds.) vs. New England 11/3
Yards – 1407 [3, 1st in AFC]
Most yards, game – 165 yards (on 25 carries) vs. Miami 9/1
Average gain – 4.9 [3]
TDs – 7 [12, tied with Reggie Cobb & Vince Workman]
100-yard rushing games - 8

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 62
Most receptions, game – 13 (for 112 yds.) at NY Jets 9/15
Yards – 631
Most yards, game - 112 (on 13 catches) at NY Jets 9/15
Average gain – 10.2
TDs – 5
100-yard receiving games - 2

All-purpose yards - 2038 [1]

Scoring
TDs – 12 [4, tied with Mark Clayton & Andre Rison]
Points – 72

Postseason: 3 G
Rushing attempts – 58
Most rushing attempts, game - 26 vs. Denver, AFC Championship
Rushing yards – 185
Most rushing yards, game - 100 vs. Kansas City, AFC Divisional playoff
Average gain rushing – 3.2
Rushing TDs – 1

Pass receptions – 11
Most pass receptions, game - 4 vs. Kansas City, AFC Divisional playoff, vs. Washington, Super Bowl
Pass receiving yards - 63
Most pass receiving yards, game - 27 vs. Washington, Super Bowl
Average yards per reception – 5.7
Pass Receiving TDs - 0

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

Bills went 13-3 to win AFC East while leading the league in rushing (2381 yards) and touchdowns (58). They repeated as conference champions by winning a Divisional playoff over the Kansas City Chiefs (37-14) and AFC Championship over the Denver Broncos (10-7), but again lost the Super Bowl, this time to the Washington Redskins (37-24).

Aftermath:
Thomas ran for a career-high 1487 yards in 1992 and led the NFL in total yards for the fourth straight year. He was named to the Pro Bowl following the ’92 and ’93 seasons, but while Thomas continued to run for over a thousand yards for the next five years, his average gain slipped under four yards per carry from 1993 to ’96 and his pass receiving production also began to drop off, with one 50-catch season after ’92 and his average gain falling consistently under 10 yards per reception. In 1997, his last full year as a starting RB, Thomas ended up with under a thousand yards (643) for the first time since his rookie season and totaled 533 yards and 29 catches in his last two years with the Bills (1998 and ’99). He spent one last year as a backup with Miami in 2000. Overall, Thomas ran for 12,074 yards, caught 472 passes for 4458 more yards, and scored 88 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2007.

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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: Baker Bowl

Philadelphia, PA



Year opened: 1887
Capacity: 18,800

Names:
Huntingdon Grounds, 1895-1913
Baker Bowl, 1913-50 (unofficial)
aka National League Park, 1895-1938 (official)
Also at various times referred to as Philadelphia Base Ball Park and Phillies Ball Park

Pro football tenants:
Frankford Yellow Jackets (NFL), 1931
Philadelphia Eagles (NFL), 1933-35

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
Philadelphia Phillies (MLB – NL), 1887-1938

Notes: Extra seating was added for football when the Eagles moved in. The stadium was owned by major league baseball’s Phillies and was named for a one-time owner of that club, William F. Baker. Also used for bicycle racing and for a time contained a banked track for that purpose. Tragic mishaps occurred in 1903, when a section of the left field balcony collapsed onto the street below, killing 12 and injuring over 200, and 1927 when a section of the grandstand collapsed, causing some 50 injuries. After Phillies left for Shibe Park, upper deck was removed and stadium was used for midget car racing, ice skating, and other sports.

Fate: Demolished in 1950, the site is now occupied by a bus maintenance facility for the Philadelphia School District.

1990: Colts Trade Rison & Hinton to Falcons to Draft Jeff George

On April 20, 1990, two days before the NFL draft commenced, the Atlanta Falcons (a 3-13 club in ’89) traded the first overall pick and a fourth-round draft choice to the Indianapolis Colts for OT Chris Hinton, WR Andre Rison, and two draft picks (fifth round in 1990, first round in ’91). The deal was contingent upon the Colts reaching a contract agreement with Illinois QB Jeff George, which they accomplished at 5:30 that morning following an all-night bargaining session.

George (pictured above), an Indianapolis native, signed a six-year, $15 million contract that included a $3.5 million signing bonus. The package made him the third-highest-paid quarterback in the league without playing a down as a pro, behind Buffalo’s Jim Kelly and Randall Cunningham of Philadelphia (and ahead of such notable veteran quarterbacks as Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and John Elway).

While many Colts fans objected to the deal, General Manager Jim Irsay made clear his commitment to it. “Obviously, we feel that this trade will prove to be very significant for this organization,” he said. “Our position is, let's let time decide.”

The price was very steep. Hinton had been selected to the Pro Bowl six times since joining the Colts in 1983 when they were still in Baltimore – ironically, they obtained him from the Broncos as part of the deal that sent the draft rights to QB John Elway to Denver. Rison was the team’s top draft choice in 1989 and showed great promise during his rookie season, catching 52 passes for 820 yards.

“I'm an action guy. This is just an ideal place for me. I expect a lot of great things are going to happen for me and Indianapolis in the next year,” the confident George said. He had passed for 2932 yards and 22 touchdowns in his last season at Illinois. His college career had started at Purdue, but when the head coach was fired, he transferred to Illinois (after initially committing to Miami). George passed up his last year of college eligibility to enter the draft. While he had ideal size at 6’4” and 218 pounds, and there was no question as to his athletic ability, the lack of stability during his college career raised some questions.

Indianapolis had two veteran quarterbacks on the roster, Chris Chandler, who started as a rookie in 1988 but went down with a knee injury in ’89, and Jack Trudeau, who also played collegiately at Illinois. Head Coach Ron Meyer indicated that one of them would likely be dealt (it was Chandler, to Tampa Bay).

It looked as though the Colts had made the right decision during the second half of the ’90 season. After getting off to a 2-6 start (not helped by star RB Eric Dickerson being suspended for the first five games), Indianapolis won five of the remaining eight games with George starting at quarterback and playing well. In the five wins, he threw for 1070 yards with 10 touchdowns and only one picked off, and overall for the year totaled 2152 yards with more TD passes (16) than interceptions (13).

However, it was all down hill from there. The team collapsed to 1-15 in 1991 and Meyer was replaced as head coach by Ted Marchibroda – a move that was anticipated as being one that would spur George’s progress. The team’s record improved, but for all of his ability, George was highly erratic (not helped by the lack of a strong ground game once Dickerson departed plus poor pass protection) as well as prone to complain, a poor leader, and resistant to being coached. By his fourth year (1993), he was at odds with Marchibroda, his teammates, and the fans and the offense often seemed more effective when Trudeau was behind center. George was traded after the season – ironically enough, to the Falcons.


As for Atlanta, trading the first overall pick in 1990 had worked out well. Rison (pictured at left) proved to be an excellent fit in new Head Coach Jerry Glanville’s run-and-shoot passing offense. He set a new team record with 82 pass receptions while accumulating 1208 yards and 10 touchdowns and was a consensus first-team All-Pro. Hinton started off slowly due to a contract holdout, but was back in good form by midseason and part of an improved offensive line. However, the fifth-round draft choice obtained from the Colts was used to take Reggie Redding, a tight end from Cal State-Fullerton who was converted to offensive tackle and had a short and inconsequential career.

The Falcons were back in the postseason in 1991 with a 10-6 record and Rison put together another Pro Bowl season (81 catches, 976 yards, 12 TDs). The first-round draft choice for ’91 that had been picked up from the Colts was used to take WR Mike Pritchard, who contributed 50 receptions for 624 yards as the Falcons boasted an exciting passing offense. Hinton was selected to his seventh Pro Bowl after the season.


The team’s fortunes ultimately declined again, but in five years in Atlanta, Rison caught 423 passes for 5633 yards and 56 touchdowns (he led the NFL in TD receptions with 15 in 1993, when he also gained a career-high 1242 yards; his high for catches was 93 in 1992). Hinton played four years with the Falcons and was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection in 1993. In three seasons before moving on to Denver, Pritchard caught 201 passes for 2187 yards (10.9 avg.) and 10 TDs.

Jeff George never achieved the level of success that was anticipated when he came into the NFL. Despite a strong arm and quick release, good performances were all-too-frequently followed by ineffectiveness and controversy, and the stops along the way over the course of his NFL career became progressively shorter. Two productive years in Atlanta were followed by his being suspended during the ’96 season after a nationally-televised tirade directed at Head Coach June Jones; from there it was on to two years in Oakland (where he led the NFL with 3917 passing yards in 1997, but didn’t fit into new Head Coach Jon Gruden’s West Coast-style offense in ‘98), a season with the Vikings, and two in Washington (where he became a source of friction between owner Dan Snyder and head coaches Norv Turner and Marty Schottenheimer). Efforts at staging a comeback in the ensuing years went nowhere.

To be sure, the quarterback crop in 1990 had not been a strong one – only one other was taken in the first round, and it was Heisman Trophy-winner Andre Ware out of Houston, chosen by Detroit with the seventh pick and a complete bust as a pro. The only signal-callers of consequence taken in that entire draft were Neil O’Donnell (chosen by Pittsburgh, third round), Scott Mitchell (fourth round by the Dolphins), and John Friesz (sixth round, San Diego). On the other hand, outstanding players at other positions selected in the first round that year included DT Cortez Kennedy (Seattle), LB Junior Seau (San Diego), and RB Emmitt Smith (Dallas). The fourth round draft pick that the Colts obtained from Atlanta went for WR Stacey Simmons out of Florida, who played just one year as a kick returner.

MVP Profile: Terry Bradshaw, 1978

Quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers



Age: 30
9th season in pro football & with Steelers
College: Louisiana Tech
Height: 6’3” Weight: 215

Prelude:
The first overall pick by the Steelers in 1970, Bradshaw took time to develop. In his fifth season (1974), he lost his starting job early to Joe Gilliam but got it back and led Pittsburgh to the first championship in franchise history. With a solid hold on the starting job, he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in 1975 as the Steelers won a second straight Super Bowl. Following an injury-plagued 1976 season, he came back in ’77 to achieve a new high with 2523 passing yards while leading the NFL with 8.0 yards per attempt.

1978 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 368 [13, tied with Dan Pastorini]
Most attempts, game – 33 vs. Seattle 9/10, vs. Houston 10/23
Completions – 207 [10]
Most completions, game – 17 vs. Seattle 9/10, at NY Jets 10/1, vs. Houston 10/23
Yards – 2915 [9]
Most yards, game – 242 at Cincinnati 9/17
Completion percentage – 56.3 [7]
Yards per attempt – 7.9 [1]
TD passes – 28 [1]
Most TD passes, game – 3 at NY Jets 10/1, at San Francisco 11/27, vs. Baltimore 12/9
Interceptions – 20 [8, tied with Dan Fouts & Jim Zorn]
Most interceptions, game – 4 vs. Cincinnati 11/19
Passer rating – 84.7 [2, 1st in AFC]
200-yard passing games – 8

Rushing
Attempts – 32
Most attempts, game - 6 (for 6 yds.) at San Francisco 11/27
Yards – 93
Most yards, game – 27 yards (on 2 carries) vs. Cleveland 9/24
Yards per attempt – 2.9
TDs – 1

Scoring
TDs – 1
Points - 6

Postseason: 3 G
Pass attempts – 78
Most attempts, game - 30 vs. Dallas, Super Bowl
Pass completions – 44
Most completions, game - 17 vs. Dallas, Super Bowl
Passing yardage – 790
Most yards, game - 318 vs. Dallas, Super Bowl
TD passes – 8
Most TD passes, game - 4 vs. Dallas, Super Bowl
Interceptions – 4
Most interceptions, game - 2 vs. Houston, AFC Championship

Rushing attempts – 11
Most rushing attempts, game - 7 vs. Houston, AFC Championship
Rushing yards – 28
Most rushing yards, game - 29 vs. Houston, AFC Championship
Average gain rushing – 2.6
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, Bert Bell Award
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Pro Football Weekly
2nd team All-NFL: NEA
1st team All-AFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Steelers went 14-2 to win AFC Central. Won Divisional playoff over Denver Broncos (33-10), AFC Championship over Houston Oilers (34-5), and Super Bowl over Dallas Cowboys (35-31).

Aftermath:
Bradshaw had a Pro Bowl season in 1979, throwing for a career-high 3724 yards and leading the Steelers to another NFL title. While there were no more championships, Bradshaw played well from 1980 to ’82, but a severe elbow injury limited him to the season finale in 1983, and he was forced to retire. For his career, he passed for 27,989 yards and 212 TDs, but most significantly had a 107-51 record as a starting quarterback (as well as 14-5 in the postseason, 4-0 in the Super Bowl). Bradshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1989.

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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: Frank Youell Field

Oakland, CA



Year opened: 1962
Capacity: 22,000

Names:
Frank Youell Field, 1962-69

Pro football tenants:
Oakland Raiders (AFL), 1962-65

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
None

Notes: Hosted Alameda-Contra Costa All-Star Football Classic (high school), 1967-68. Stadium was constructed by the Oakland Recreation Commission as a temporary home for the Raiders until the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum was completed. Named for Francis J. Youell, a city council member and prominent local sports booster.

Fate: Demolished in 1969, the site is now a parking lot for Laney Community College.

1963: Commissioner Suspends Hornung & Karras for Gambling

On April 17, 1963 the Commissioner of the National Football League, Pete Rozelle, announced several actions resulting from a three-and-a-half month investigation by the league into gambling involvement by players. The most noteworthy step taken by the Commissioner was to indefinitely suspend HB/PK Paul Hornung of the Green Bay Packers (pictured at right) and DT Alex Karras of the Detroit Lions. He also fined five other members of the Lions $2000 apiece for betting on the 1962 NFL title game and the Lions organization was penalized $4000.

The suspensions created headlines due to the prominence of the players involved. Hornung, a former Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame, had led the league in scoring for three straight years (1959-61), including the 1960 season when he set a record of 176 points (it would last until 2006). He received MVP recognition in 1961 as the Packers won their first of two straight championships. While had had missed time in ’62 due to injuries, the Golden Boy was a popular player known for his fun-loving nature and enjoyment of the night life while also being talented on the football field. Karras, a five-year pro out of Iowa, was one of the mainstays of the outstanding defense in Detroit and had been selected for the Pro Bowl for the third straight season in 1962, also receiving consensus first-team All-Pro honors in 1960 and ’61.

Newspaper rumors had first surfaced in January, leaked by Chicago owner/head coach George Halas, indicating that the league was looking into allegations of gambling involving a player on a Midwestern team. Austin Gunsel, formerly of the FBI and now treasurer of the NFL, had begun coordinating the investigation a month before as a result of a large number of rumors involving players associating with gamblers. The 16 agents retained by the league were used to conduct the probe, and 50 players were interviewed with several undergoing lie detector tests.

Rozelle indicated that no evidence of fixes of games had been found as a result of the investigation (“There is no evidence that any NFL player has given less than his best in playing any game. There is no evidence that any player has ever bet against his own team.”). However, he made clear that gambling or association with suspicious characters would not be tolerated, and beyond those specifically named, the Commissioner indicated that several players had been reprimanded for making small wagers among friends and playing one-dollar betting cards.

Hornung and Karras were accused of betting typically in the $50 to $200 range on NFL games. Rozelle said that Karras had placed at least six bets since 1958 of $50 each until upping the amount to $100 on the Lions to beat the Packers in the 1962 Thanksgiving Day game and on the Packers to beat the Giants in the NFL Championship game. As to Hornung, the Commissioner indicated that he had placed several bets through a friend on the West Coast over the course of his career.

Detroit players fined $2000 apiece were star linebackers Joe Schmidt and Wayne Walker, G John Gordy, S Gary Lowe, and DE Sam Williams. Rozelle had concluded that they were each guilty of a single violation of the league’s gambling policy (“basically a group action, an action of extremely rash judgment but one abnormal for each”). The levy amounted to approximately one-sixth of their salaries.


Hornung was subdued and humble afterward, admitting his guilt. “I did wrong. I should be penalized. I just have to stay with it.” Karras, by contrast, expressed outrage (he allegedly shouted at Rozelle during the phone call notifying him of the suspension). “It comes as a shock to me,” he stated. “I haven’t done anything I am ashamed of and I am not guilty of anything.” (Karras, pictured at left, had not helped his situation by admitting in a broadcast interview that he had bet on NFL games)

The owners stood behind Rozelle’s action, although William Clay Ford of the Lions indicated that, while the team would comply, “compliance does not mean that we agree with the nature or extent of the penalties imposed.”

Both the American Football League and Canadian Football League confirmed that Hornung and Karras would not be allowed to play in either while under suspension by the NFL. “Under no circumstances will they be permitted to play in the American Football League until after suspensions are lifted,” said AFL Commissioner Joe Foss. Sidney Halter, CFL commissioner, stated that “I would refuse to register any contract submitted by a CFL club with a player suspended by an American league for betting on games.”

While the suspensions of Hornung and Karras were indefinite, Rozelle indicated that they could be reviewed, although no earlier than the conclusion of the 1963 season. The initial reactions of the two players carried over into their behavior over the course of the ensuing year. Hornung remained contrite and kept in contact with the league office, clearing his activities (such as attending the Kentucky Derby) and seeking a path toward reinstatement. Karras remained defiant and refused to sell the interest that he had in a bar, Lindell’s A.C. Cocktail Lounge, that had first drawn the attention of the Detroit police to the defensive tackle’s association with known gamblers (the Lions were fined for not adequately following up on the reports they had received from the police, and for allowing unauthorized individuals who were suspected gamblers, including one of Karras’ partners in the business, to sit on the team’s bench during games).

In early January of 1964, Karras, concerned about his chances of being reinstated, finally sold his interest in the bar. Both he and Hornung were reinstated by Commissioner Rozelle for the 1964 NFL season. The year away from the game showed in the performances of both when they returned. Hornung had particular problems with his placekicking in ’64, and Karras, who had dropped twenty pounds from his usual playing weight, had a somewhat less stellar season than usual.

Both players did bounce back to some degree. Karras had an All-Pro season in 1965 and played through ’70, finally being released late in the 1971 preseason. Hornung showed flashes of his old form, including a five-touchdown performance in a 1965 showdown against the Baltimore Colts on the way to Green Bay regaining the NFL title. The Golden Boy played through the ’66 season and was taken by the New Orleans Saints in the 1967 expansion draft, but retired during training camp.

1983: Invaders Roll Up Yards, But Bryant & Stars Prevail

The Philadelphia Stars were off to a 5-1 start in the inaugural United States Football League season as they faced the Oakland Invaders at Veterans Stadium on April 16, 1983. Under the direction of Head Coach Jim Mora, the Stars boasted a stingy defense and a ground-oriented offense that featured rookie RB Kelvin Bryant (pictured above). The Invaders, coached by John Ralston, were 3-3, but that made them contenders in the Pacific Division as, entering Week 7, all of the teams had identical records. Two ex-Raiders, RB Arthur Whittington and TE Raymond Chester, were key players on the offense, as was QB Fred Besana, a former minor league star.

There were 34,901 fans in attendance for the Saturday game at the Vet. For much of the first half, they saw Oakland outplay the Stars, but fail to score points. Bryant, who had been held to under a hundred yards in the previous two games as he played with a bruised sternum, was held to three yards in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Oakland ran up 215 yards of offense in the first half, yet came up empty. Within inches of a touchdown on one first quarter possession, FB Jairo Penaranda fumbled into the end zone and CB Antonio Gibson recovered for the Stars. In addition, PK Kevin Shea missed two field goal attempts, of 46 and 42 yards, to stifle scoring opportunities.

Deep into the second quarter, Philadelphia’s offense had generated just one first down and was being kept in check. However, that all changed when Bryant took a handoff in his own territory, appeared to be stopped behind the line of scrimmage near the sideline, but then broke a tackle and reversed field. 45 yards later he was pulled down at the Oakland 25, setting up a 39-yard field goal by David Trout for the first score of the game.

Following the Trout field goal, the Stars got the ball back quickly when safety Mike Lush intercepted a Besana pass and returned it 33 yards. Bryant again made a big play with less than two minutes remaining in the half, running for a 37-yard touchdown, and Philadelphia went into halftime with a 10-0 lead. Bryant, thanks to the two long runs, gained 99 yards rushing in the second quarter alone.

Near the end of the third quarter, Besana threw to WR Wyatt Henderson for an eight-yard TD, the first touchdown the Stars defense had allowed in three weeks (they had surrendered just six points in their previous two games combined). However, Philadelphia put the game away in the fourth quarter when QB Chuck Fusina connected with WR Tom Donovan for an 18-yard touchdown. The defense kept Oakland in check the rest of the way and the final score was 17-7.

The Invaders outgained Philadelphia (339 yards to 270) and generated far more first downs (23 to 12). But they failed to score points when they had the opportunity and turned the ball over three times (the Stars suffered no turnovers at all).

Kelvin Bryant gained 118 yards on 14 carries that included one touchdown. Chuck Fusina completed 9 of 16 passes for 146 yards with a TD and no interceptions. Bryant, WR Willie Collier, and FB Booker Russell each caught two passes, with Collier’s 57 yards leading the club.

For Oakland, Fred Besana was successful on 26 of 42 throws for 271 yards and included a touchdown, but two were picked off. Arthur Whittington gained 89 yards rushing on 27 attempts. Raymond Chester caught 6 passes for 51 yards while Wyatt Henderson accumulated 78 yards on five receptions and scored the team’s lone TD.

“I’ve never been around a defense that comes through like these guys, week after week after week,” said Coach Mora. “They bend, but they don’t break.”

A disappointed Fred Besana said afterward, “It’s the same old story, we drive up and down the field, then we have breakdown after breakdown.”

The Stars continued on to a 15-3 record, winning the Atlantic Division, and advanced to the USFL Championship game, which they lost in a close 24-22 contest against the Michigan Panthers. The Invaders finished first in the Pacific Division with a mediocre 9-9 tally and lost to the Panthers in the Semifinal playoff round.

Kelvin Bryant was leading the league in rushing after the win over Oakland with 713 yards. He ultimately ended up as the runner-up to New Jersey’s Herschel Walker with 1442 yards on 318 carries (4.5 avg.) and was named MVP by the league.