1962: New-Look Broncos Upset Chargers

Coming into the 1962 American Football League season, the Denver Broncos had undergone a transformation – at least in terms of leadership and appearance. In 1960 and ’61, the club had a decidedly austere air about it. Coached by Frank Filchock, a former NFL quarterback and CFL coach, the team had little money to work with (especially during the inaugural season, when owned by the Howsam family), epitomized by the uniforms of gold (more accurately mustard yellow) jerseys and brown pants with vertically-striped brown-and-yellow socks that had been purchased cheaply from the organizers of a defunct college all-star game (the Copper Bowl).

Frank Tripucka, who last played in the NFL with the ill-fated Dallas Texans in 1952 before heading north to Canada, originally came to the Broncos in ’60 to be a coach but ended up becoming the starting quarterback for Filchock’s pass-oriented attack. There was talent on the club in split end Lionel Taylor, the AFL’s leading receiver in each of its first two seasons (including an even 100 catches in ’61); HB/PK Gene Mingo, the league’s leading scorer in 1960; All-League DT Bud McFadin; and safety Austin “Goose” Gonsoulin, who intercepted 17 passes in two years. Still, the team lost far more than it won, going a combined 7-20-1.

For 1962, there was a new head coach/GM in Jack Faulkner (pictured above), who had been an assistant with the Chargers under Sid Gillman. The team’s offices were revamped, and so were the uniforms. The new outfits were orange, blue, and white with a cartoon bucking bronco on the helmet, and the hated vertically-striped socks were publicly burned amid great ceremony prior to an intrasquad scrimmage before a cheering crowd (at least one pair survived to eventually reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame).


The team that took the field on September 7 for the season-opening game at Bears Stadium against San Diego still contained most of the same key personnel, including Tripucka, Taylor, Mingo, McFadin, and Gonsoulin. But there was a new enthusiasm present as a crowd of 28,000 turned out for the Friday night contest, a new high for the franchise.

The team the Broncos were hosting, the Chargers, had won the Western Division in each of the previous two seasons and was expected to provide an ample test for the refurbished club. However, San Diego’s potent offense had already been crippled by the loss of star HB Paul Lowe, who was gone for the year due to a fractured wrist suffered in training camp.

The Broncos started off the scoring with a first quarter drive that covered 56 yards, capped by Mingo’s five-yard touchdown carry. Mingo added the extra point and then, later in the opening period, kicked a 12-yard field goal to put Denver ahead by 10-0 after a quarter of play.

San Diego responded with a seven-yard TD pass from QB Jack Kemp to split end Don Norton to narrow the score to 10-7 in the second quarter. But the Broncos came back with another drive that concluded with a long pass play of 49 yards (17 in the air) from Tripucka to flanker Bob Scarpitto, a newcomer to the club.

On Denver’s next possession, Tripucka completed eight passes, the last for a two-yard TD to FB Bo Dickinson. The 34-year-old quarterback completed 20 of 33 passes for 252 yards in the first half as the Broncos raced out to a 24-7 lead. His protection was excellent, as well as his accuracy.

Mingo padded the lead to 30-7 in the third quarter with field goals of 41 and 53 yards. The Chargers, who made it into Denver territory just twice more after scoring their first touchdown, finally got on the board again on the last play of the third quarter when CB Claude Gibson returned a pass interception 35 yards for a touchdown.

San Diego’s rookie QB John Hadl led the Chargers on a 55-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended with a 15-yard scoring pass to FB Bobby Jackson, but the result was not in doubt. The Broncos came away with a convincing 30-21 win.

Denver’s offensive output of 505 yards was impressive and easily outdistanced the Chargers, who gained 208. The Broncos not only dominated through the air (384 yards to 123), but on the ground also (121 to 96) and had twice as many first downs (28 to 14). It was Denver’s first-ever win over the Chargers following four defeats.


Frank Tripucka had an outstanding day as he completed 28 of 47 passes for 376 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Lionel Taylor and TE Gene Prebola each caught 7 passes, with Taylor gaining 79 yards to Prebola’s 69. Thanks to the long scoring reception, Bob Scarpitto was right behind with 68 yards on just two receptions. HB Al Frazier was the team’s leading rusher with 72 yards on 14 carries. Through both rushing and placekicking, Gene Mingo accounted for 18 points.

For the Chargers, the usually capable Jack Kemp went to the air 27 times and had only 8 completions for 108 yards, including one TD and one interception. TE Dave Kocurek caught 4 passes for 66 yards. Bobby Jackson ran for 51 yards on 9 carries.

The Broncos continued to play well under Faulkner as they won six of their first seven games to move into contention in the Western Division. They were 7-2 after beating the Chargers again in San Diego, but the roof fell in on the overachieving club after that – the Broncos didn’t win another game the rest of the way and finished in second place with a 7-7 record. Still, it was progress and Faulkner received AFL Coach of the Year honors.

San Diego recovered to win handily the next week, but lost Jack Kemp to a hand injury and when the club waived him in an administrative move, he was lost to the Buffalo Bills. The loss of Lowe and Kemp was just the beginning as many starters fell to injury along the way. The Chargers advanced as far as 3-2 with rookie John Hadl at quarterback, but proceeded to lose eight of the last nine games to finish far out of the running in third place with a 4-10 record.

1981: Schonert Comes Off Bench to Lead Bengals to Win Over Seahawks

The Cincinnati Bengals had endured three straight losing seasons from 1978 to ’80 and, while the team had a new look with their tiger-striped uniforms being worn for the first time in regular season play, things did not look promising after one quarter of action in the 1981 season-opening game on September 6 against the Seattle Seahawks. Already, many of the 41,177 fans in attendance at Riverfront Stadium were booing the home team.

Ken Anderson, a talented quarterback who had suffered along with the rest of the club during the down period and had lost his job briefly in 1980, had a dreadful opening period. He completed just 5 of 15 passes for 39 yards, and two of his passes had been intercepted. The first led directly to a score when FS John Harris returned it 29 yards for a touchdown. Benefiting from the inept play of the Bengals offense, Seattle scored on a 36-yard pass play from QB Jim Zorn to WR Steve Largent and a one-yard rush by FB Jim Jodat to lead by 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.

With the fans voicing their frustration, second-year Head Coach Forrest Gregg pulled Anderson for Turk Schonert (pictured above), the third-string quarterback and second-year player out of Stanford, who was appearing in his first regular season game. The regular backup, Jack Thompson, aka “the Throwin’ Samoan”, was unavailable due to injury.

Things started inauspiciously when Schonert fumbled the ball away on his first snap, but the game completely turned around from that point on. Cincinnati’s defense shut down the Seahawks for the remaining three quarters while the young backup directed the offense on five scoring drives.

In the second quarter, Jim Breech got the Bengals on the board with a 25-yard field goal. Shortly before the end of the half, FB Pete Johnson bulled over from three yards out to cut Seattle’s lead to 21-10 at the intermission.

Following another Breech field goal of 40 yards in the third quarter, the Seahawks missed an opportunity to extend their lead when Efren Herrera failed on a 37-yard field goal attempt. Cincinnati capitalized, driving 80 yards to a three-yard touchdown carry by RB Archie Griffin. It was the former two-time Heisman Trophy winner’s first rushing TD since his rookie year in 1976 and, with the successful PAT, put the Bengals behind by just a point with three minutes remaining in the period.

Cincinnati’s game-winning drive came in the fourth quarter and covered 84 yards, capped by Johnson’s two-yard touchdown with just over five minutes to play. With the Seahawks unable to respond, the Bengals came away with a 27-21 come-from-behind victory.

Cincinnati ended up outgaining the Seahawks (375 yards to 290) and had more first downs (24 to 17). But while the visitors had more passing yards (230 to 169), they gained just 60 yards on 23 rushing attempts, to Cincinnati’s 210. Both teams turned the ball over four times.

Turk Schonert completed 9 of 18 passes for 130 yards, and while he threw for no touchdowns, he also gave up no interceptions and ran for 41 yards on 7 carries. Pete Johnson led the running attack with 84 yards on 20 attempts and two touchdowns. Rookie WR Cris Collinsworth caught 4 passes for 65 yards.

For the Seahawks, Jim Zorn was successful on 21 of 41 passes for 230 yards with a TD and an interception. Steve Largent caught 8 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. But Jim Jodat was the leading rusher with just 21 yards on 8 attempts and the short TD.


“When you hear fans booing, it gets you charged up,” said Pete Johnson (pictured at left). “We showed that we can come back, but I hope we don't have to do it that way again.”

While Coach Gregg considered starting Schonert or Thompson the following week, he stayed with Anderson. The Bengals came from behind once again, this time with the veteran quarterback going the distance, to beat the Jets. Cincinnati went on to win the AFC Central with a 12-4 record, including seven victories in the last eight games, and advanced to the Super Bowl before succumbing to another upstart team, the San Francisco 49ers. Anderson recovered from the humiliating start to put together an MVP season, leading the league in passing while throwing for 3754 yards with 29 touchdowns against 10 interceptions – just eight in the 15 games following the abysmal first quarter against Seattle.

The rookie Cris Collinsworth, who led the Bengals in receiving in the opener, went on to be a key component of the offense as he caught 67 passes for 1009 yards and eight TDs. Pete Johnson continued to lead the running attack, gaining 1077 yards on 274 carries (3.9 avg.) while scoring 12 touchdowns.

For the Seahawks, coached by Jack Patera, the failure to hold the lead in Cincinnati not only resulted in the sixth straight opening-game loss for the franchise, but proved to be a portent of things to come. They lost five of their next six games and ended up with a 6-10 record that put them in last place in the AFC West. The acquisition of RB Theotis Brown from the Cardinals during the season helped bolster the running game, a weak area as evidenced in the opening loss.

Turk Schonert returned to the bench and threw just one more pass in 1981. He remained a backup with the Bengals for eight of his nine seasons and saw his most significant action in 1983 and ’84, when injuries put him back in the starting lineup for three games apiece (he had his most starts – five – in his one year with Atlanta in 1986). The opening-day win in 1981 remained the most memorable performance of his career.

Past Venue: Pontiac Silverdome

Pontiac, MI



Year opened: 1975
Capacity: 80,311

Names:
Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium, 1975
Pontiac Silverdome, 1975 to date

Pro football tenants:
Detroit Lions (NFL), 1975-2001
Michigan Panthers (USFL), 1983-84

Postseason games hosted:
Super Bowl XVI, 49ers 26 Bengals 21, Jan. 24, 1982
USFL Semifinal playoff, Panthers 37 Invaders 21, July 10, 1983
NFC Divisional playoff, Lions 38 Cowboys 6, Jan. 5, 1992
NFC Wild Card playoff, Packers 28 Lions 24, Jan. 8, 1994

Other tenants of note:
Detroit Pistons (NBA), 1978-88
Detroit Express (NASL), 1978-80

Notes: Hosted Cherry Bowl, 1984-85. Hosted annual Motor City Bowl, 1997-2001. Used as venue for FIFA World Cup, 1994. Original teflon-coated roof was supported by air pressure inside the stadium. Was replaced by a canvas fabric following 1985 storm damage. Original AstroTurf surface replaced by FieldTurf in 2005. Temporary grass surface utilized for FIFA World Cup. Originally owned by City of Pontiac, venue was closed in 2006 and auctioned off to private ownership in 2009 (at a substantial loss), reopening in 2010. However, it has since fallen into serious decay.

Fate: Still standing,but no longer in use.



[Updated 5/17/14]

1983: Dickey Throws 5 TD Passes as Packers Defeat Oilers in Overtime

On the morning of September 4, 1983 it seemed doubtful that Lynn Dickey would start at quarterback for the Green Bay Packers later that day in the season-opening game against the Houston Oilers. During the preseason, he had suffered from back spasms and, more recently, missed practice the preceding Friday due to severe headaches as well as the effects of a virus.

“He looked terrible at breakfast,” said seventeenth-year veteran PK Jan Stenerud. “I didn't think there was any way he could play.”

But when the game started before 44,073 at the Astrodome, the eleventh-year veteran and ex-Oiler was behind center for the Packers. Dickey not only played, but excelled as he completed 18 straight passes to start the game. His first incompletion came on an overthrown pass intended for WR John Jefferson with 1:12 left in the half, but by then he had tossed four touchdown passes.

The first had been a 25-yard completion to TE Paul Coffman in the first quarter. Houston responded with a 49-yard field goal by Florian Kempf and then took the lead with a 47-yard TD pass from QB Archie Manning to WR Tim Smith.

Green Bay dominated the second quarter, though, as Dickey connected with Jefferson twice on scoring passes of five and 13 yards and then with RB Gerry Ellis for an 11-yard touchdown. The Packers were ahead by 28-10, but the lead would prove to not be secure in the second half.

Star RB Earl Campbell scored three touchdowns of his own for the Oilers in the third and fourth quarters. The first came in the third period from seven yards out and was countered by a 46-yard Stenerud field goal. Campbell ran for an eight-yard TD in the fourth quarter, and the home team was now only a touchdown behind at 31-24.

After Dickey threw his only interception of the game, in which LB Robert Abraham gave Houston possession at its own 36, the Oilers tied the score at 31-31 when Campbell scored his third touchdown, from one yard out. Green Bay responded with a 74-yard scoring bomb from Dickey to WR James Lofton to go ahead 38-31 with 3:13 to go in regulation.

With 48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, RB Larry Moriarty dove into the end zone from two yards away to cap an 81-yard drive and, with the successful extra point, the contest was again tied at 38-38 and remained so at the end of regulation.

Green Bay’s backup QB David Whitehurst took over for the first overtime possession as Dickey was again suffering from headaches so severe that he needed to leave the field. Starting at the 17, Whitehurst completed a key 10-yard pass to WR Phillip Epps in a third down situation, RB Eddie Lee Ivery had runs of 9, 12, and 8 yards, and the Packers drove to the Houston 24, from where the 40-year-old Stenerud booted the game-winning 42-yard field goal at just under six minutes into the extra period. The high-scoring contest ended with Green Bay on top, 41-38.

The Oilers, playing catchup throughout the second half, outgained the Packers (498 yards to 479) and led in first downs (28 to 22). Overall, the statistics were as close as the final score, with Houston holding a 15-yard edge in rushing (150 to 135) and gaining just four more passing yards (348 to 344). Each team turned the ball over twice.

Lynn Dickey was successful on 27 of 31 passes for 333 yards with five touchdowns and the one interception – the TD passes tied the club record, while the consecutive completions streak of 18 broke the existing standard. James Lofton caught 8 passes for 154 yards and the one long TD, while John Jefferson contributed 6 receptions for 60 yards and two scores. Eddie Lee Ivery paced the running attack with 71 yards on 12 carries.

For the Oilers, Archie Manning went to the air 34 times and completed 22 for 348 yards with a TD and two picked off. Lost in the defeat was Tim Smith’s 8 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown, as well as Earl Campbell’s 123 yards on 27 attempts that included three TDs before he had to leave the game late in the fourth quarter with a bruised knee.

“I'm glad it's over. In the first quarter I was wishing it was over,” said Dickey. “I really don't remember half of it. I never knew anything about a streak. When your line gives you time and your receivers don't drop the ball, you are going to have a good day.”

“It was a great game, gentlemen,” Oilers Coach Ed Biles said to his defeated team. “It's unfortunate we didn't win it but we can't give a better effort. We grew up in the second half.”

For the Packers, it was an encouraging beginning to a season of great expectations following a 5-3-1 record in the strike-shortened ’82 campaign that had the team in the postseason for the first time under Head Coach Bart Starr. Dickey and the passing game had been a big part of that, especially following the arrival of John Jefferson, disgruntled in San Diego, in ’81 to combine with fleet James Lofton and the productive tight end, Paul Coffman.

Alas, any visions of a return to the glory years of the Lombardi era were dashed in what ended up being a disappointing 8-8 season in 1983. Dickey was certainly productive, throwing for a league-leading 4458 yards and 32 touchdowns - however, he also led the NFL with 29 interceptions. Lofton (58 receptions, 1300 yards) and Coffman (54 catches, 814 yards, 11 TDs) were again highly successful, and so was Jefferson (57 receptions, 830 yards) who chafed at being used more as a possession receiver. The defense played poorly, however, and overall the club was as inconsistent as the record indicated. It spelled the end for Starr as head coach after nine years at the helm.

For Houston, the opening-game loss was the team’s eighth consecutive regular season defeat. The Oilers, one of the AFC’s strongest teams under Head Coach Bum Phillips in the late 70s, suffered through a dreadful 1-8 year in 1982 under Biles. With poor play by the offensive line combined with the effects of wear-and-tear from carrying a heavy workload since his rookie season in 1978, Earl Campbell’s production dropped off significantly. His performance against the Packers was heartening, and he went on to rush for 1301 yards and 12 touchdowns in ‘83. But 34-year-old Archie Manning, obtained from New Orleans during the ’82 season, started just three games for the Oilers as the club lost another nine straight contests and finished at a miserable 2-14. By that point, Ed Biles was gone as head coach and Chuck Studley guided the club the rest of the way in the interim.

MVP Profile: Tobin Rote, 1963

Quarterback, San Diego Chargers



Age: 35
14th season in pro football, 1st in AFL & with Chargers
College: Rice
Height: 6’3” Weight: 222

Prelude:
Rote was chosen in the second round of the 1950 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers and took over as the starting quarterback as a rookie. Playing for a poor team, he led the league by tossing 24 interceptions. Over the course of seven seasons with the Packers, he established himself as the league’s best running quarterback, gaining a high of 523 yards in ’51 that was the NFL record for a QB until 1971; Rote also scored 11 TDs in 1956. As a passer, he was inconsistent but led the league in both attempts and completions twice, in passing yards once (2203 in 1956), and TD passes twice (17 in 1955, 18 in ’56). He was selected for the Pro Bowl in ‘56. Traded to Detroit prior to the 1957 season, Rote split time with veteran Bobby Layne, and when Layne went down with a broken leg, guided the Lions the rest of the way to an NFL Championship. Layne was traded away in ’58 and Rote started for the next two years, but after a poor season in 1959 and a contract dispute with the Lions, he jumped to Toronto of the CFL. He led the league with 38 TD passes as the Argonauts won a division title in 1960 and played two more seasons for them before signing with the AFL Chargers for 1963, a team searching for a veteran QB to lead the high-powered attack.

1963 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 286 [6]
Most attempts, game – 29 vs. Buffalo 9/8, at NY Jets 11/2, at Boston 11/10
Completions – 170 [4]
Most completions, game – 21 at NY Jets 11/2
Yards – 2510 [3]
Most yards, game – 369 at NY Jets 11/2
Completion percentage – 59.4 [1]
Yards per attempt – 8.8 [1]
TD passes – 20 [3, tied with Tom Flores]
Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. Kansas City 9/29, at Denver 10/6, at NY Jets 11/2, at Oakland 12/8
Interceptions – 17 [6]
Most interceptions, game – 4 vs. Oakland 10/27
Passer rating – 86.7 [1]
300-yard passing games – 1
200-yard passing games – 6

Rushing
Attempts – 24
Most attempts, game - 5 (for 7 yds.) at Oakland 12/8
Yards – 62
Most yards, game – 12 yards (on 2 carries) at Buffalo 11/17
Yards per attempt – 2.6
TDs – 2

Points
TDs – 2
Points – 12

Postseason: 1 G (AFL Championship vs. Boston)
Pass attempts – 15
Pass completions – 10
Passing yards – 173
TD passes – 2
Interceptions – 0

Rushing attempts – 4
Rushing yards – 15
Average gain rushing – 3.8
Rushing TDs – 1

Awards & Honors:
AFL Player of the Year: AP
1st team All-AFL: League, AP, UPI, NEA, NY Daily News
AFL All-Star Game

Chargers went 11-3 to win AFL Western Division while leading league in points scored (399), touchdowns (50), and total yardage (5145). Defeated Boston Patriots (51-10) for AFL Championship.

Aftermath:
Rote had a lesser season with the Chargers in 1964 and split time with young QB John Hadl. San Diego again won the Western Division, but lost to Buffalo in the title game with Rote at quarterback most of the way. He played briefly for Denver in 1966, his last season. Overall, in the NFL and AFL he passed for 18,850 yards, throwing for 148 TDs while being intercepted 191 times. He also ran for 3128 yards and scored 37 touchdowns, although his mobility was much diminished by the time he joined the Chargers. Rote’s CFL passing totals were 9872 yards with 66 touchdowns and 58 interceptions, and he ran for 238 yards.

--

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 4/12/12]
[Updated 2/14/14]

1966: Dolphins Score Quick TD, But Lose Debut to Raiders

September 2, 1966 marked the regular season debut of the American Football League’s first expansion team, the Miami Dolphins. Coached by George Wilson, who once led the NFL Lions to a championship, the Dolphins, like all first-year teams, were made up of a combination of veteran castoffs and inexperienced young talent.

The quarterback position included examples of both, with strong-armed but immobile Dick Wood, a fifth-year veteran most recently with the Raiders and, for two years before that, the Jets, slated to start and rookie Rick Norton, the club’s first draft choice out of Kentucky, who was the primary backup. Miami had been successful in signing 11 of its draft choices, which in addition to Norton notably included another Kentucky star, LB Frank Emanuel, and split end Howard Twilley out of Tulsa.

There were 26,776 in attendance at the Orange Bowl on a Friday night to welcome the new club as it hosted the Oakland Raiders. Oakland, with a new head coach in John Rauch, was coming off of an 8-5-1 season in 1965 and was a 17-point favorite against the newcomers.

It didn’t take long for the Dolphins to excite the home crowd. HB Joe Auer, a 25-year-old Miami-area resident who had been a reserve with the Buffalo Bills, started things off with a bang by returning the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown (pictured above). Only Oakland’s DB Rodger Bird came close to stopping him, missing a tackle at the 10 before Auer dove into the end zone and was greeted by entertainer Danny Thomas, one of the team’s co-owners.

Things went quickly downhill from there. While the Raiders offense sputtered, especially when a first quarter bomb from QB Cotton Davidson was dropped by a wide-open (and normally reliable) split end Art Powell at the Miami 35 yard line, the Dolphins proved adept at beating themselves. Wood was intercepted four times in the first half, twice each by safety Howie Williams and CB Dave Grayson.

The interceptions proved critical, cutting off two promising drives and leading to 10 points for the Raiders in the second quarter. Twice Oakland took possession on the Miami 16, leading to a 16-yard field goal by Mike Mercer and a two-yard TD run by FB Hewritt Dixon. The Raiders led narrowly by 10-7 at halftime.


The rookie Norton took over at quarterback for the Dolphins in the second half. Early in the third quarter, Miami got a break when CB Jim Warren intercepted a Davidson pass. The Dolphins established their ground game in the ensuing drive as Auer and FB Billy Joe ran the ball effectively. However, seventh-year veteran Gene Mingo missed a 19-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game.

Tom Flores replaced Davidson at quarterback and led the Raiders on an 11-play, 81-yard drive that included passes of 17 yards to Powell, 19 yards to FB Roger Hagberg, and 12 yards to TE Tom Mitchell. The possession resulted in a 15-yard TD pass to Powell with 3:27 remaining in the period, extending Oakland’s lead to 17-7.

The Dolphins resorted to trickery as the head coach’s son, George Wilson Jr., who was also the punter and a backup quarterback, took off on a fake punt and ran 37 yards to the Raiders’ 11. But Mingo missed another short field goal attempt, this time from 15 yards. Still, Miami got on the board again and made the game close when Norton tossed a two-yard scoring pass to aging ex-Bears FB Rick Casares for a TD that cut Oakland’s lead to 17-14.

Near the end, the Raiders finally clinched the win when Flores threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell to cap a 72-yard drive with just over two minutes left to play. The extra point attempt failed and the final score was 23-14.

“Except for the alertness of Williams and Grayson, we would have been in real trouble,” said a relieved John Rauch afterward.

The Raiders outgained Miami (257 yards to 182), especially dominating in net passing yards (241 to 88). However, they ran the ball poorly, gaining just 16 yards on 22 attempts to 94 yards by the Dolphins, and for as much as Miami was damaged by five turnovers, Oakland hurt itself with six.


Cotton Davidson completed only 7 of 19 passes for 80 yards with no TDs and three interceptions. Tom Flores was more effective, going to the air 20 times and completing 11 for 161 yards with two touchdowns against one that was picked off. Art Powell made up for his early drop with 8 catches for 104 yards and a TD. Roger Hagberg led the anemic rushing attack with 23 yards on six carries.

For the newcomers, Dick Wood completed just 4 of 13 passes for 49 yards and, of course, had the four interceptions. Rick Norton was successful on 7 of 19 throws for 52 yards with a TD as well as an interception. George Wilson Jr., with his one carry on the fake punt, led the Dolphins in rushing with 37 yards. Billy Joe gained 31 yards on 9 attempts and Joe Auer, who started things off in spectacular fashion with the kickoff return touchdown, ran for 25 yards on 10 carries and caught two passes for 30 more to lead the team in pass receiving yardage. The old pro, 35-year-old Rick Casares, caught the most passes, with three for 21 yards and a score.

It took until the sixth week of the season for the Dolphins to finally win their first game, and they ended up at 3-11 and tied for last in the AFL’s Eastern Division with the Houston Oilers. The Raiders once again went 8-5-1 to place second in the Western Division.

The quarterback position remained unsettled for Miami all through the inaugural season, with four different players starting. Joe Auer ended up being the club’s leading rusher (416 yards) and scorer (nine touchdowns for 54 points), but the fullback position was held down by several players along the way. Only the defensive backfield truly came together, as Jim Warren and safety Willie West were AFL All-Stars.

1979: Eckwood and Turnovers Key Tampa Bay Win Over Lions

Getting a jump on the rest of the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers started off the 1979 regular season with a Saturday night game against the Detroit Lions on September 1. There were 68,225 in attendance on an 80-degree evening at Tampa Stadium.

Since first taking the field in 1976, the Buccaneers, coached by the patient and quotable John McKay, had endured plenty of growing pains. They lost all 14 games in their inaugural season and, in fact, 26 straight before finally reeling off two wins to finish out ’77. In 1978, they got off to a 4-4 start before injuries and inexperience caused the bottom to fall out on a 5-11 campaign. There was reason for hope as the ’79 season got under way, with second-year QB Doug Williams, power-running RB Ricky Bell, and tight ends Jimmie Giles and Jim Obradovich healthy and ready to go on offense and a defense anchored by the Selmon brothers, DE Lee Roy and LB Dewey, and including a backfield that led the NFL with 29 interceptions in 1978. In the season-opening game, a newcomer to the offense, third-round draft pick RB Jerry Eckwood (pictured above), played a key role as well.

The Lions, coached by Monte Clark, were coming off of a 7-9 season, but had closed out the schedule at 6-3 after a slow start. Rookie DE Al “Bubba” Baker accounted for an unofficial total of 23 sacks (individual sacks did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982) and Gary Danielson had emerged as a competent starting quarterback. However, Danielson was lost for the year with a knee injury suffered just a week before the opening contest – starting in his place was eighth-year veteran Joe Reed, a mediocre career backup.

Things started off badly for the Lions on the first play from scrimmage when RB Dexter Bussey fumbled and Tampa Bay LB David Lewis recovered at the Detroit 17. The offense couldn’t get into the end zone and Neil O’Donoghue kicked a 31-yard field goal at just over a minute into the opening period to give the home team the early lead.

The Bucs took advantage of another Detroit fumble in the first quarter, this time by RB Horace King, with Lee Roy Selmon picking up the ball and running 29 yards for a touchdown and 10-0 lead (it was the only TD of Selmon’s Hall of Fame career).

In all, the Lions turned the ball over three times in the first quarter, but seemed as though they would get back into the game when CB Luther Bradley recovered a fumble by Eckwood that was forced by LB James Hunter. Six plays later, Reed passed to TE David Hill for an 11-yard TD, cutting Tampa Bay’s margin to 10-7.

The Buccaneers came back as Bell powered over for a seven-yard touchdown to cap an 11-play, 62-yard drive that was helped along by penalties on Detroit DB Walt Williams (pass interference and an illegal chuck, which turned an incompletion on a third-and-eight play into a Tampa Bay first down). Later in the second quarter, Doug Williams passed to Giles on a touchdown play that covered 66 yards. The Buccaneers held a solid 24-7 lead at the half.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Tampa Bay put together a drive that was aided by two fourth-down conversions and ended with Williams tossing a two-yard TD pass to Obradovich early in the final period.

Joe Reed suffered a pulled muscle and was relieved by backup Jeff Komlo in the fourth quarter. The rookie quarterback from Delaware led the Lions to a touchdown as RB Rick Kane ran for a three-yard score with 4:39 remaining in the contest, but it was too little, too late. Detroit got two last points when Tampa Bay backup QB Mike Rae was tackled in his end zone for a safety, but the final score was a resounding 31-16 win for the Buccaneers.

It was Tampa Bay’s first win over the Lions as well as its first opening-game victory. The Bucs ground out a club-record 229 rushing yards as they outgained the Lions (334 yards to 231) and had the edge in first downs (18 to 16).

Jerry Eckwood spearheaded the running game with 121 yards on 20 carries while Ricky Bell added 53 yards on 13 attempts that included a touchdown. Doug Williams completed just 4 of 16 passes for 99 yards, but two of the completions were for touchdowns and there were no interceptions, and he kept the offense moving effectively as a result of the running attack. Jimmie Giles (pictured below) caught three passes for 97 yards and the one long TD.


Neither quarterback was particularly effective for Detroit, as Joe Reed completed 8 of 15 passes for 61 yards and a touchdown and Jeff Komlo, attempting to play catch-up, was successful on just 5 of 21 throws for 45 yards; neither was intercepted (Komlo quickly supplanted Reed as the starter). Horace King led the running attack with 53 yards on 10 carries. David Hill was the top receiver with 5 catches for 48 yards and a TD.

The convincing opening-night win signaled a major turnaround by the Buccaneers. They won their first five games on the way to topping the NFC Central with a 10-6 record and advancing to the conference title game. For the Lions, the loss was a bad portent as they proceeded to go 2-14 and finish at the bottom of the division.

As the primary outside running threat, Jerry Eckwood gained 690 yards on 194 carries (the 121-yard performance remained the best of his three-year career). Ricky Bell was the team’s top rusher, accumulating 1263 yards with a 4.5 average. As the opening day showing indicated, Doug Williams was still very much a work in progress, throwing for 2448 yards and 18 TDs, but with 24 interceptions and a 41.8 completion percentage. But the defense ranked first overall in the NFL and Lee Roy Selmon was the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year.