1952: Rookie Ollie Matson Scores 2 TDs as Cards Beat Bears

The Chicago Cardinals had a new head coach for 1952 in Joe Kuharich, who had played for the team in the 1940s. They also had a rookie who set a collegiate career rushing record on Kuharich’s successful Univ. of San Francisco team in FB Ollie Matson (pictured above). Matson was fresh from winning two medals in the Olympics at Helsinki (bronze in the 400-meter run, gold as a member of the 1600-meter relay team) and, at 6’2” and 220 pounds, had a rare combination of size and speed. He was also versatile and, at least initially, Kuharich’s preference was to utilize him primarily as a defensive halfback as well as on kickoff returns.

Beyond Matson, who was optimistically referred to as “The Messiah” among Cardinals fans, there wasn’t a great deal of talent. Charley Trippi, once a great halfback during the team’s glory years in 1947 and ’48, had been converted into a mediocre quarterback. They lost their season-opening game to Washington by a 23-7 score.

On October 5 the Cardinals took on their cross-city rivals, the Bears, before 34,697 fans at Comiskey Park. The Bears, typically a strong team under owner/Head Coach George Halas, had beaten Green Bay in their opening game and came into the contest as 13-point favorites.

There was no scoring in the first quarter, but George Blanda kicked a 39-yard field goal early in the second period for the Bears. They followed up by driving 66 yards to a one-yard touchdown plunge by FB Fred “Curley” Morrison to extend the lead to 10-0.

Following the touchdown, Matson took the ensuing kickoff at dead center on his goal line and went 100 yards as he swerved down the sideline for a touchdown, passing the last defender, HB Billy Stone, with ease. The score remained 10-7 at the half as the Cards’ offense was never able to penetrate beyond midfield prior to the last two minutes of the second quarter.

After a scoreless third quarter, Matson struck again, this time in his defensive role as he returned a fumble by HB Chuck Hunsinger for a 34-yard touchdown, running over the unfortunate (and much smaller) Stone along the way and giving the Cardinals a 14-10 lead.

Late in the fourth quarter, with less than three minutes remaining, Cardinals DB Roy Barni recovered a fumble by end Gene Schroeder, who had caught a pass from QB Steve Romanik. On the next play, Trippi (pictured below) faked a pass and then scored for the Cards on a 59-yard run down the middle of the field. It was the icing on the cake as the Cardinals defeated the Bears, 21-10.


The Bears won the statistical battle, outgaining their intracity rivals (297 yards to 216) and accumulating more first downs (17 to 13). However, they also turned the ball over more often (5 to 3), and two of those turnovers led to scores for the Cardinals. FB Jack Dottley of the Bears had a notable performance, running for 121 yards on 24 carries in defeat.

The Cardinals won their next two games to improve to 3-1, but then lost five straight and finished in a tie for last place in the American Conference (along with the Redskins) with a 4-8 record. The Bears had an uncharacteristically poor season, falling under .500 for the first time since 1945 at 5-7 for a fifth-place finish in the National Conference.

Ollie Matson’s performance had fans calling for him to be used more on offense. “We are trying to work Matson into our offense,” Joe Kuharich said. “But as it is he's much too valuable to us as a defensive half.”

Kuharich did work his multitalented star into both platoons, and Matson ran for 344 yards on 96 carries with three touchdowns at fullback, caught 11 passes for 187 yards and three more scores, intercepted two passes on defense, and scored a second TD on a kickoff return as he ranked second in the league in that category with a 31.2 average. Overall, he scored 9 touchdowns and was fourth in the NFL with 1241 all-purpose yards. Matson was a first-team All-Pro choice by the Associated Press as a defensive halfback (modern cornerback) and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

Matson missed all of the 1953 season due to military service, but returned to the Cardinals in ’54 and was a force to be reckoned with, at both halfback and fullback on offense as well as returning kicks. By the time he was traded to the Rams following the ’58 season, he had twice led the NFL in all-purpose yards, had rushed for a total of 3331 yards, gained another 2150 on 130 pass receptions, and averaged 10.9 yards per punt return and 28.5 yards per kickoff return while bringing back three of the punts and six of the kickoffs for touchdowns – the latter a new league career record. He was named to the Pro Bowl in all six seasons with the Cards and was a consensus first-team All-Pro in each of the first five (he was a consensus second-team choice in 1958).

Matson ran into some controversy, primarily after being traded to Los Angeles for nine players, due to high expectations, but as talented as he was, he couldn’t lift subpar teams into contention. Still, with his impressive all-around abilities, he played for 14 years in the NFL (eventually being reunited with Coach Kuharich, who quit the Cardinals after one year, in Philadelphia) and became the first to accumulate over 10,000 all-purpose yards. At the time of his retirement, he ranked second to only Jim Brown with 12,884 total yards (5173 rushing, 3285 receiving, 595 returning punts, 3746 returning kickoffs, 51 returning interceptions, 34 returning fumbles) and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.

1970: Dennis Shaw Leads Bills Past Jets in First Start

The Buffalo Bills were entering a restructured NFL due to the 1970 merger, but they were still a team that had been struggling since last winning the AFL Eastern Division in 1966. John Rauch, who had led the Raiders to the league championship in 1967 but had fallen out with that team’s managing general partner, Al Davis, came to Buffalo in ‘69 and the team suffered through a 4-10 season. While prize rookie HB O.J. Simpson was a rising talent coming into his second year in ’70, QB Jack Kemp had retired to enter politics and left a void behind center – an especially big problem considering Rauch’s preference for a pass-oriented attack.

Third-year veteran Dan Darragh performed poorly in the first two losing games of the 1970 season, and the quarterback who relieved him, rookie Dennis Shaw out of San Diego State (pictured above), was given the starting assignment for the Week 3 contest against the New York Jets on October 4.

The Jets were just two years removed from a Super Bowl-winning season in 1968 and had followed up with a 10-4 record to win the Eastern Division again in ’69. Under Head Coach Weeb Ewbank, and with QB Joe Namath directing the offense, New York was a veteran team that came into the contest at Buffalo as a 14-point favorite.

There were 46,266 fans jamming War Memorial Stadium. The Jets took an early lead three minutes into the game when rookie CB Steve Tannen, the team’s first draft choice out of Florida, blocked a Paul Maguire punt and ran 41 yards for a touchdown. However, on the ensuing kickoff the Bills evened the score when Simpson, after initially bobbling the ball, returned it 95 yards for a TD.

New York’s offense took the field for the first time, and following a running play that gained a yard, Namath went to the air and threw a bomb to TE Rich Caster for a 72-yard touchdown (it was Namath’s 100th career TD pass). Tannen made another big play as he intercepted a Shaw pass at the Buffalo 43 that set up a 22-yard Jim Turner field goal and the Jets led by 17-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bills responded with a field goal of their own, of 10 yards by Grant Guthrie. With 31 seconds left in the first half, Namath connected with WR George Sauer for a 25-yard touchdown. The second quarter scoring wasn’t over, however, as 30 seconds later, following a six-yard run by Shaw and a 13-yard pass to WR Haven Moses, Buffalo finished off the half with a 40-yard field goal by Guthrie. Still, the Jets held a 24-13 lead at the midway point.

In the third quarter, Shaw passed to WR Marlin Briscoe in the end zone for a 19-yard TD, cutting New York’s lead to 24-20. Namath responded by throwing to Caster for a 53-yard gain to the Buffalo 11 and HB Emerson Boozer followed up with a touchdown run from six yards out.

Now into the fourth quarter, Shaw set up a touchdown with passes of 45 yards to Briscoe and 27 yards to Moses. Simpson finished off the drive with a one-yard scoring run and, with the extra point, New York’s margin was cut to four points at 31-27.

The Bills went for an onside kick and it succeeded when FB Bill Enyart recovered at the New York 47. Simpson carried the ball twice for 22 yards. Shaw’s second scoring pass, of 25 yards to Briscoe, then put the Bills in front with 7:20 left in the game. They held on to win by a final score of 34-31 as Turner missed field goal attempts from 33 and 38 yards, either of which would have tied the game.

Buffalo led the Jets both in total yards (401 to 337) and first downs (20 to 11). However, the Bills also turned the ball over five times, to none by New York, and Shaw was sacked five times while Buffalo’s defense didn’t get to Namath at all.


Dennis Shaw completed 12 passes out of 21 attempts for 317 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions apiece. Marlin Briscoe (pictured at left) and Haven Moses both had big days, each catching four passes with Briscoe gaining 120 yards and scoring two TDs and Moses accumulating 118 yards. O.J. Simpson ran for 99 yards on 21 carries that included a touchdown and also caught three passes for 63 yards.

Joe Namath went to the air 26 times and also completed 12 passes, for 228 yards and two scores with none intercepted. Rich Caster had four receptions for 138 yards and a TD, while Emerson Boozer also caught four passes out of the backfield, for 40 yards; he gained just 11 yards rushing on 8 carries that included a touchdown. FB Matt Snell led the Jets in rushing with 88 yards on 22 attempts but suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the fourth quarter that knocked him out of action for the remainder of the season.

Steve Tannen had an uneven performance – while he scored on the blocked punt and had an interception, he was also the victim on both of Briscoe’s scoring receptions. The normally-reliable placekicker Jim Turner had a dreadful day – in addition to missing the two crucial three-point attempts in the fourth quarter, he was unsuccessful on five field goal tries overall after succeeding on his first attempt.

“I play the type of game where I think we can score on every play,” the ever-confident Dennis Shaw said afterward. “You can't play conservative ball against the Jets.”

Shaw went on to put together a solid rookie season, completing 55.5 percent of his passes (178 of 321) for 2507 yards with 10 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He received Rookie of the Year honors from the Associated Press. The team, however, remained in the doldrums and finished at 3-10-1 for fourth place in the AFC East. Despite the promising start, Shaw’s career steadily declined thereafter - he lasted just four seasons in Buffalo and six overall.

Things got worse for the Jets, too. In addition to losing Snell, two games later Namath was also lost for the rest of the year with a broken wrist. By that point, New York was 1-4 and, while they rallied for three straight wins in November, the Jets ended up at 4-10 and just ahead of Buffalo in third.

MVP Profile: Jerry Rice, 1987

Wide Receiver, San Francisco 49ers



Age: 25 (Oct. 13)
3rd season in pro football & with 49ers
College: Mississippi Valley State
Height: 6’2” Weight: 200

Prelude:
Drafted by the 49ers in the first round in 1985, Rice moved into the starting lineup as a rookie and showed flashes of future greatness as he caught 49 passes for 927 yards and diverted coverage from veteran WR Dwight Clark. In ’86, Rice broke out with 86 receptions and led the NFL in receiving yards (1570) and TD catches (15). He was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection and was chosen for the Pro Bowl.

1987 Season Summary
Appeared in 12 of 15 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 65 [4]
Most receptions, game – 8 (for 106 yds.) at Pittsburgh 9/13, (for 75 yds.) vs. Chicago 12/14
Yards – 1078 [2]
Most yards, game - 126 (on 7 catches) vs. Cleveland 11/29
Average gain – 16.6
TDs – 22 [1]
100-yard receiving games - 4

Rushing
Attempts – 8
Yards – 51
Average gain – 6.4
TDs – 1

Scoring
TDs – 23 [1]
Points – 138 [1]

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Divisional playoff vs. Minnesota)
Pass receptions – 3
Pass receiving yards - 28
Average yards per reception – 9.3
Pass Receiving TDs – 0

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

49ers went 13-2 in the strike-shortened season (three games were played with replacement players) to finish with the best record in the conference while leading the league in total offense (5987 yards), rushing (2237 yards), touchdowns (59), and scoring (459 points) and the NFC in passing yards (3750). Lost NFC Divisional playoff to Minnesota Vikings (36-24).

Aftermath:
Rice went on to play 20 seasons in the NFL and re-wrote the record book by the time he was done. The 1986 and ’87 seasons were the first of 11 straight thousand-yard receiving seasons and 14 overall. He led the league in that category five more times, including a record 1848 in 1995. Rice also had four 100-catch seasons and was the NFL leader twice. A prolific scorer, he had a total of nine years in which he reached double figures in receiving TDs and paced the league six times. After 16 years with San Francisco, Rice moved on to the Raiders for three full seasons plus part of his last year, in 2004, in which he finished up with Seattle. Overall, he retired as career leader in pass receptions (1549), receiving yards (22,895), receiving touchdowns (197), and total TDs (208). He gained the most total yards (23,546) of any player in NFL history. Rice's #80 was retired by the 49ers and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2010.

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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 2/14/14]

1994: Don Shula’s Dolphins Beat David Shula’s Bengals in Father vs. Son Matchup

The October 2, 1994 game between the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals had a special distinction, not because of the action on the field, but due to the family relationship of the two head coaches. It was the first-ever father vs. son coaching matchup in pro football history – indeed, in any major professional sport.

For the visiting Dolphins it was Don Shula, who had started his NFL head coaching career in 1963 with the Baltimore Colts and, since 1970, had been head coach and general manager in Miami. Along the way his teams had reached the playoffs 17 times, won a pre-merger NFL title, five post-merger AFC championships, and two Super Bowls. In 1993, he had passed George Halas as the winningest head coach in league history and, with a 3-1 start in ’94, had an overall record of 330 wins, 159 losses, and 6 ties (309-143-6 in the regular season, 18-15 in the playoffs). His place in pro football history was secure, to say the least.

Son David Shula of the Bengals was in anything but a secure situation. Having started out as an assistant to his father with the Dolphins in 1982, he had gone on to become offensive coordinator of the Cowboys before being hired as head coach in Cincinnati for the 1992 season. The Bengals went 5-11 and 3-13 in the first two years under the younger Shula, and were off to a 0-4 beginning in ’94 for an overall tally of 8-28. QB David Klingler was proving to be a first-round bust, the defense was poor against the run, and overall, the organization under Vice-President/GM Mike Brown failed to devote needed resources to scouting. There was much speculation as to how much longer the third-year head coach would last if the situation didn’t begin to turn around.

It was an uncomfortable situation leading up to the contest. Father and son met at a barbecue the day before the game at David’s house in which the talk was about family, not football. There was an awkward staged media event at midfield prior to the kickoff.

“Please, Dad Not 0-5,” said a sign hanging from the upper deck at Riverfront Stadium. David Shula had lambasted his team at midweek, and the winless Bengals came out looking pumped up and upset-minded. Cincinnati scored first, on the third play of the game, thanks to a 51-yard pass play from Klingler to WR Darnay Scott, who blew past a hobbled Miami CB Troy Vincent.

While Cincinnati attempted razzle-dazzle and tried for big plays in the first two series, they were unable to score again and the tally remained 7-0 after one period of action. In the second quarter, Dolphins QB Dan Marino completed six passes on a possession that led to a 28-yard field goal by Pete Stoyanovich.

Miami followed up with an 80-yard drive in nine plays for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:14 left in the first half. Marino fired the 11-yard scoring pass to FB Keith Byars running a slant and the Dolphins took a 10-7 lead into halftime.

Early in the second half, Marino audibled and tossed a four-yard TD pass to WR Mark Ingram that gave Miami a ten-point margin, allowing the senior Shula to play conservatively. Stoyanovich kicked field goals of 27 and 32 yards in the fourth quarter as the Dolphins coasted to a 23-7 win.

The performance by the Dolphins was workmanlike and it was apparent there would be no effort to run up the score on the hapless Bengals. As an example, up by 20-7 and with a third-and-nine situation at the Cincinnati 15, Miami opted for a shovel pass to set up a field goal attempt rather than try for the end zone. At one point, Ingram, TE Keith Jackson, and WR Irving Fryar were seen behind the bench slamming their helmets in frustration at not trying to put more points on the board.

Miami outgained the Bengals (345 yards to 246) and had more first downs (21 to 14). The Dolphins also didn’t turn the ball over, while Cincinnati suffered five turnovers. It was a relatively ordinary day for Dan Marino, who completed 26 of 35 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. David Klingler, by contrast, was successful on just 16 of 30 throws for 188 yards and was intercepted three times, as opposed to the one early TD pass.

Irving Fryar might have been discontented with the conservative play of the Miami offense, but he still caught 8 passes for 89 yards; Keith Byars added 6 for 54. RB Steve Broussard was the top receiver for the Bengals, with 7 catches for 43 yards, and his 16 yards on six carries put him just three behind the team’s leading ground-gainer, RB Derrick Fenner, with 19 yards on four attempts (RB Bernie Parmalee led the Dolphins with 73 yards on 18 carries).

“This is all team. You can't ever think about anything individually,” Don Shula said afterward. "My responsibility is this football team and Dave's responsibility is his football team. He does the best job he can and I try to do the best job I can. We were just the better team.”

“Once the game began, there was no thought that Dad was the opposing coach,” the younger Shula commented. “There were too many other things to think about.”

Cincinnati reached 0-8 before finally winning two straight games. The Bengals again ended up at 3-13 to place third in the AFC Central. David Shula was retained as head coach and the club improved to 7-9 in ’95, including a second meeting against the Dolphins and Don Shula that Miami won by a much closer (26-23) score. However, following a 1-6 start in 1996 he was replaced by offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet. His overall record ended up at 19-52.

The Dolphins went on to finish atop the AFC East in 1994 with a 10-6 record, winning in the Wild Card round of the postseason but losing by one point (22-21) to San Diego at the Divisional level. Following a disappointing 9-7 season and earlier exit from the playoffs in 1995, Don Shula was forced into retirement by owner Wayne Huizenga in favor of Jimmy Johnson, formerly of the Univ. of Miami and the Dallas Cowboys. He ended up with 347 career wins (328 regular season, 19 postseason) and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

1961: NY Titans Overcome Early Miscues & Cappelletti to Beat Patriots

The Week 4 American Football League matchup at New York’s Polo Grounds on October 1, 1961 featured two division rivals, both with 2-1 records, that had already met in the first week of the season.

The host New York Titans, coached by former all-time great quarterback Sammy Baugh, featured an offense that could score points and a defense that gave up points just as readily. QB Al Dorow (pictured above) was mobile and had outstanding receivers to throw to in split end Art Powell and flanker Don Maynard. Much attention was drawn to the club off the field by colorful and controversial owner Harry Wismer.

The visiting Boston Patriots, under Head Coach Lou Saban, scored the fewest points in the AFL’s first season in 1960 and had taken steps to rectify the situation. QB Babe Parilli and FB Billy Lott were obtained in a trade with the Raiders, although Butch Songin, the starting quarterback in the inaugural year, continued to split time with the newcomer and was the starter against New York.

The Patriots had lost a close 21-20 decision to the Titans in the first week and considered the rematch to be a must-win game.

There were 15,189 in attendance at the decrepit venue. In the first ten minutes of the game, the New York offense played poorly and gave up the ball in its own territory on each of its first four possessions. The Patriots recovered three fumbles and gained possession after a poor snap on a punt made it impossible to get the kick away.

However, Boston was only able to get three field goals, of 34, 30, and 16 yards by Gino Cappelletti, and another attempt from 26 yards hit the goal post and was unsuccessful. Songin was 0-for-7 passing in the first quarter as the Patriots squandered the chance to bury the Titans early and the score was 9-0 after one period of play

The second quarter belonged to New York. FB Bill Mathis started the scoring with a two-yard touchdown carry. Dorow threw a five-yard TD pass to TE Thurlow Cooper, after which an attempted two-point conversion failed. Still, the Titans were ahead by 13-9.

Dorow had to leave the game temporarily later in the period due to a neck injury and backup QB Bob Scrabis threw a touchdown pass of four yards to Powell in his absence. New York took a 20-9 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, and down by 11 points, the multi-talented Cappelletti threw a touchdown pass to HB Larry Garron on a fake field goal attempt to cut the Titans’ margin to 20-16. Bill Shockley responded with a 26-yard field goal for New York, but Songin threw to flanker Jim Colclough for a 33-yard TD, and with Cappelletti’s successful PAT, the score was tied at 23-23 going into the final period.

Mathis put the Titans back in front with another two-yard scoring run, but Cappelletti tied the game once more with a spectacular catch of a 32-yard Songin pass in the end zone, followed by his kick for the extra point.

With the tally now at 30-30, the Titans moved the ball down the field and were helped by an interference penalty that put them on the Boston 13. From there, Dorow tossed a touchdown pass to Maynard, who wrestled the ball away from FS Fred Bruney with six minutes remaining to play. The Patriots still had a chance, but a fourth-down pass was intercepted by FS Lee Riley, thus nailing down the 37-30 win for New York.

The Titans outgained Boston (353 yards to 239) and had more first downs (26 to 11). However, they also turned the ball over three times (all in the first quarter), to two suffered by the Patriots.


Al Dorow completed 14 of 29 passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns and none intercepted; he also ran the ball six times for 26 yards. Bill Mathis gained 109 yards on 19 carries with two TDs. Don Maynard (pictured at left) caught 6 passes for 87 yards and a score, while Art Powell contributed 5 receptions for 37 yards and a TD.

For the Patriots, Butch Songin went most of the way at quarterback but was successful on just 10 of 23 throws for 131 yards and two touchdowns, although he was not picked off. Babe Parilli added four completions in eight attempts for 25 yards while Gino Cappelletti tossed the one 27-yard TD pass (the third quarterback, Tom Yewcic, gave up the clinching interception). Altogether, Cappelletti scored 18 points (one TD, three field goals, and three extra points) and passed for six more. Larry Garron was the team’s leading rusher with 38 yards on 6 attempts while Billy Lott added 33 yards on three carries.

“Our defense kept us in the ball game in the first quarter,” said Sammy Baugh. “We never could have won if it hadn’t.”

As Boston’s Coach Saban saw it, “We blew our opportunity right there. We had four shots and didn’t score a touchdown. We never hit a pass. We should have been at least three touchdowns ahead right from the opening period.”

It was the third win in four games for the Titans and put them on top of the Eastern Division. They lost their next two contests, however, and ended up in third place with a 7-7 record.

Despite losing twice to New York, the Patriots managed to finish ahead of the Titans in the end. After falling to 2-3, Coach Saban was fired and replaced by Mike Holovak. The team responded by going 7-1-1 the rest of the way for a 9-4-1 overall tally.

Al Dorow ranked at the top of the league in pass attempts (438), completions (197), and more unfortunately, interceptions (30). His 19 touchdown passes ranked second and 2651 passing yards third. For the second year, he also led all AFL quarterbacks in rushing (317 yards). The 32-year-old veteran was chosen for the league All-Star Game.

Art Powell and Don Maynard weren’t as productive as they were in ’60, but still were among the young league’s best receivers. Powell caught 71 passes for 881 yards and five touchdowns while Maynard had 43 receptions for 629 yards and 8 TDs.

Gino Cappelletti (pictured below) continued to be productive as both a receiver and placekicker and led the AFL in scoring with 147 points. He also led in field goals (17) as well as three-point attempts (32) and caught 45 passes for 768 yards and 8 touchdowns.

MVP Profile: Bill Dudley, 1946

Tailback/Defensive Back, Pittsburgh Steelers


Age: 26
3rd season in pro football & with Steelers
College: Virginia
Height: 5’10” Weight: 172

Prelude:
Despite questions about his size, Dudley was drafted in the first round by the Steelers in 1942, ran for a 55-yard TD in his first pro game, and went on to lead the NFL in rushing as a rookie with 696 yards. He also led the league in punt return yardage (271) and kickoff return average (27.1) and accumulated a league-leading 1349 all-purpose yards. Despite his nickname, Bullet Bill was not particularly fast, but had outstanding instincts. Playing halfback and tailback in a single-wing offense, he was also not a particularly adept passer, but his all-around skills made Dudley a star and he was an outstanding ball hawk in the defensive backfield. Due to World War II, Dudley missed the 1943 and ’44 seasons completely, but returned for the last four games of 1945.

1946 Season Summary
Appeared in all 11 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 146 [1]
Yards – 604 [1]
Yards per attempt – 4.1 [7]
TDs – 2

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 4
Yards – 109
Yards per catch – 27.3
TDs - 1

Passing
Attempts – 90 [10]
Completions – 32 [10]
Yards – 452 [10]
Completion percentage – 35.6
Yards per attempt – 5.0
TD passes – 2 [12, tied with five others]
Most TD passes, game – 1 vs. Chicago Cardinals 9/20, vs. NY Giants 10/6
Interceptions – 9 [8, tied with Tommy Thompson]
Passer rating – 20.5

Kicking
Field goals – 2 [9, tied with Roy Zimmerman]
Field goal attempts – 7 [8]
Percentage – 28.6
PATs – 12 [9, tied with Joe Stydahar]
PAT attempts – 14 [9]
Longest field goal – 34 yards vs. Boston Yanks 10/13

Punting
Punts – 60 [2, tied with Howard Maley]
Yards – 2409 [2]
Average – 40.2 [7]
Punts blocked – 1
Longest punt – 69 yards

Interceptions
Interceptions – 10 [1]
Return yards – 242 [1]
TDs – 1 [1, tied with six others]

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 14 [3]
Yards – 280 [6]
Average per return – 20.0 [7]
TDs – 0
Longest return – 34 yards

Punt Returns
Returns – 27 [1]
Yards – 385 [1]
Average per return – 14.3 [1]
TDs – 0
Longest return – 52 yards

All-Purpose yards – 1378 [1]

Scoring
TDs – 5 [8, tied with ten others]
Field goals – 2
PATs - 12
Points – 48 [5, tied with Hugh Gallarneau]

Also led NFL with 7 fumble recoveries

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: Joe F. Carr Trophy
1st team All-NFL/AAFC: Chicago Herald-American
1st team All-NFL: UPI, Pro Football Illustrated, NY Daily News
2nd team All-NFL: AP

Steelers went 5-5-1 to finish in a tie for third in the Eastern Division with the Washington Redskins.

Aftermath:
Despite his outstanding play, Dudley clashed with Pittsburgh Head Coach Jock Sutherland as well as teammates. Threatening retirement, he was traded to the Detroit Lions prior to the 1947 season, and while his rushing numbers dropped, he caught far more passes as a T-formation halfback and continued to be an outstanding kick returner and defensive player – he scored 11 TDs in four different ways in ’47 (2 rushing, 7 receiving, 1 punt return, 1 kickoff return). After three seasons with the Lions, he moved on to the Washington Redskins in 1950 and was chosen to the first two Pro Bowls following the ’50 and ’51 seasons. Continuing to be a versatile performer, he led the NFL in field goal percentage (76.9) in 1951. After missing the ’52 season, he played primarily as a placekicker in 1953, his last year. Overall, he rushed for 3057 yards, caught 123 passes for 1383 more, intercepted 23 passes, returned 124 punts for a 12.2 average and 78 kickoffs for a 22.3 average, punted 193 times with a 37.8 average, and kicked 33 field goals and 121 extra points. Dudley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1966.

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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 2/14/14]

1950: Ratterman Passes Yanks to Win Over Lions

The NFL had a new look in 1950, following the merger with the All-America Football Conference that brought three new clubs into the league. There were now 13 teams and there was realignment as the Eastern and Western Divisions were renamed American and National Conferences, respectively. Two National Conference teams that had showed promise in the early going met on September 29 in New York.

The host New York Yanks were owned by Ted Collins, who had operated the unsuccessful Boston Yanks from 1944 to ’48 and then started a new franchise called the New York Bulldogs in 1949. The Bulldogs, sharing the Polo Grounds with the Giants, went a dismal 1-10-1, but had undergone a significant transformation for ’50. Collins purchased the assets of the AAFC’s New York Yankees, and while the Giants were given first choice on the team’s best players, it still meant a significant improvement in personnel. Only three players from the ’49 Bulldogs remained on the roster of the team that was now called the Yanks, having moved into Yankee Stadium. The club also got a new head coach in Red Strader, who had guided the AAFC club to an 8-4 record in 1949.

The visiting Detroit Lions were far better established in the NFL, but were also undergoing a transformation. Under Head Coach Bo McMillan, the team had a new quarterback, Bobby Layne, who played for the Bulldogs the previous year. HB Bob “Hunchy” Hoernschemeyer was added from the AAFC and the rookie crop included HB Doak Walker, end Leon Hart, and linemen Lou Creekmur and Thurman McGraw.

The Lions had won their first two games while the Yanks split their first two contests on the road.

There were 12,482 fans at the Polo Grounds on a Friday night, where the game was shifted in order to not disturb the Yankee Stadium turf for the forthcoming World Series. In the first quarter, QB George Ratterman (pictured above), another ex-AAFC star, threw to end Dan Edwards for a 45-yard gain that set up a 21-yard touchdown pass to HB George Taliaferro. However, the Lions evened the score when DHB Bob Smith returned an intercepted pass 35 yards for a TD.


In the second quarter, Ratterman twice connected with FB Sherman Howard for scores of 36 and 31 yards to give New York a 21-7 halftime lead. The Yanks poured it on in the third quarter as Layne was tackled in his end zone by DB Duke Iverson for a safety and then Ratterman tossed his fourth touchdown pass, of six yards to end Jack Russell. It was 30-7 entering the final period.

In the fourth quarter, Detroit finally got on the board again when Walker went in from a yard out and added the extra point. However, Howard promptly returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a TD and the Yanks maintained a commanding lead of 37-14.

New York’s last touchdown was set up when DHB Spec Sanders, yet another former AAFC star, intercepted a Layne pass at the Detroit 24 and returned it to the five. Taliaferro went the rest of the way on a pitch-out. The Lions scored one last, meaningless TD as HB Lindy Pearson ran in from two yards out, and the final tally was a convincing 44-21 win for the Yanks.

New York outgained the Lions (359 yards to 267) and had the edge in first downs (16 to 14). Both teams turned the ball over three times and were penalized on five occasions.

George Ratterman completed 15 of 29 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns, with three intercepted. For Detroit, Bobby Layne was successful on just 10 of 30 throws for 118 yards.

The Yanks continued to put points on the board and win games, peaking at 6-1 before losing four straight. They ended up at 7-5 and in third place in the National Conference. The Lions were right behind in fourth with a 6-6 record.

George Ratterman led the NFL with 22 touchdown passes, but also 24 interceptions (tied with Jim Hardy of the Cardinals and Green Bay’s Tobin Rote). He finished second in passing yards (2251) to Bobby Layne (2323).

Sherman Howard, the second-year back who scored three touchdowns, ended up with 9 TDs for the year. He ran for 362 yards on 71 attempts (5.1 avg.) and three touchdowns, caught 12 passes for 278 yards (23.2 avg.) and five TDs, and had the score on the kickoff return (the only kick return for a touchdown by any of the Yanks).

While the Yanks were the better team on this day, and ended up with the better record (although the Lions won handily in the rematch in Detroit), the fate of the two franchises sharply diverged. By 1952, the Lions were on their way to the NFL Championship, while the Yanks no longer existed. Ratterman and several other players jumped to the Canadian League, and the team suffered on the field accordingly in ‘51. While Ratterman eventually rejoined the club, the final record was a dismal 1-9-2. Never a good draw even when the team played well, Ted Collins pulled the plug on the Yanks and sold the franchise back to the league.