1974: Sun Lose Key Players, Then Lose WFL Playoff Game to Hawaiians

Befitting the state of the World Football League as it staggered toward the end of its first (and only complete) season, the outcome of the first round playoff game between the Southern California Sun and The Hawaiians was significantly determined by off-field events before the teams took the field on November 21, 1974.

Prior to the season, the Sun had made a splash with the signing of three prize rookies, FB James McAlister and RB Kermit Johnson from UCLA and OT Booker Brown out of USC. It was good publicity for the team, especially with all three players coming out of local major college programs. Indeed, the Sun was the most aggressive of the WFL clubs in pursuing their draft choices, with considerable success.

Coached by Tom Fears, a Hall of Fame end with the Rams who had also been the first head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Southern California had former Utah State QB Tony Adams running the offense that included several players with NFL experience, most notably WR Dave Williams, formerly of the Cardinals; TE Dave Parks, previously with the 49ers and Saints; and 13-year-veteran OT Joe Carollo, who had been with the Rams, Eagles, and Browns. The Sun easily won the Western Division with a 13-7 record.

For the WFL’s Honolulu-based team, the road to the playoffs had been more difficult. Coached by Mike Giddings, a former assistant with the NFL 49ers, The Hawaiians were also a young club with many players from West Coast schools. They had begun the season with rookie Norris Weese starting at quarterback, with predictable problems. The receiving corps was good, however, although the running game was lacking, and there was experience on defense. There was also a grueling round of travel, not helped by The Hawaiians insisting on playing Sunday afternoon home games while the rest of the league took the field on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

They got off to a 2-8 start, but the addition of several veteran players who were released from NFL contracts had a good effect in the second half of the year, in particular QB Randy Johnson (pictured at top), previously of the Falcons and Giants. By season’s end, The Hawaiians were 9-11, which was nothing special but enough to finish second in the Western Division and qualify to appear in the much-revamped postseason.

Just before the game, it was announced that McAlister (who was injured in any case), Johnson (the team’s leading rusher), and Brown would not be playing for the Sun. Because owner Larry Hatfield had missed a week’s payroll, the agent for the three players, Mike Trope, said that their contracts had thus been violated and they were now free agents. It was a huge blow for the club.

There was a disappointing crowd of 11,430 on hand at Anaheim Stadium. The Sun started 20-year-old Ralph Nelson and 258-pound Greg Herd at running back in place of the missing rookies.

In the first quarter, Tony Adams threw to Dave Parks for a 23-yard gain that set up a 47-yard field goal attempt by Rod Garcia, but it was missed with 9:47 to go in the period.

The Hawaiians had difficulty moving the ball on offense and finally scored thanks to a turnover. LB Jim Sniadecki picked off an Adams pass intended for Parks at the Sun 43 and returned it to the 23. Randy Johnson passed to TE John Kelsey for a 20-yard gain and HB Al Davis ran in for a touchdown from three yards out. The score remained 7-0 as Davis was stopped short on the action point attempt (touchdowns counted for seven points in the WFL and were followed by an action point, which could not be kicked).

The Hawaiians stopped the Sun on offense and got the ball back at their own 38. Johnson completed a 12-yard pass to WR Tim Delaney, who led the WFL in pass receptions during the season, and throws of 12 and 19 yards to Kelsey to set up a 23-yard field goal by R.A. Coppedge at just under three minutes into the second quarter.

Again Southern California couldn’t move the ball and Adams was sacked for a 14-yard loss on a third down play to force another punt from deep in Sun territory. CB Willie Williams returned the kick 27 yards to the Southern California nine yard line.

The Sun briefly got a break when a holding penalty backed The Hawaiians up ten yards, but gave it right back with a pass interference call that gave the visitors a first down at the five. Kelsey, running a crossing pattern, caught a touchdown pass from Johnson that gave The Hawaiians a 17-0 advantage (they again failed on the action point attempt, which consisted of Weese tossing an incomplete pass).

Southern California fought back thanks to the throwing of Adams and running and receiving of Herd, who gained 18 yards on a pass. Their next possession was finally stopped at The Hawaiians’ 20 yard line and Garcia kicked a 37-yard field goal with 3:54 left in the half to finally get the Sun on the board.

The Sun got the ball back as the clock ticked down to 41 seconds remaining before halftime and ran the ball, prompting boos from the crowd. Adams called a timeout and then threw to Nelson for 18 yards and 46 yards to WR Keith Denson for a touchdown. A pass was completed to HB Clay Jeffries for the action point and the score was 17-11 at the intermission.

The Sun still had the momentum as the third quarter began. The defense held The Hawaiians to a short possession and the offense then drove to The Hawaiians’ 16. However, they had to settle for a field goal when Adams was sacked for a nine-yard loss on third down. Garcia was successful on the 42-yard attempt and it was a three-point game with 9:07 remaining in the third quarter. It was the high point of the contest for Southern California.

The Hawaiians took the ensuing kickoff and went 72 yards in 12 plays. Davis capped the drive by diving into the end zone from two yards out for the TD. Weese ran for the action point, increasing the visitors’ lead to 25-14.

To make matters worse for the Sun, Adams was knocked out of the game with a knee injury after being tackled by DT Ron East early in the fourth quarter and backup Gary Valbuena came in to replace him. He was not up to the task of engineering a comeback as he was sacked three times and tossed three interceptions.

The second of the interceptions, by LB John Douglas, was returned 37 yards to the Southern California 14. Three plays later, Johnson threw to WR John Isenbarger for an eight-yard touchdown which not only sealed the win but started a fight when CB Jim Bowman of the Sun took a swing at Isenbarger. The Hawaiians again failed to convert the action point, but it no longer mattered.

Valbuena threw to WR Ike Harris for a 49-yard gain late in the game, but followed up with his third interception. Ex-USC and Philadelphia Eagles LB Adrian Young picked it off at the six. That was the last gasp for Southern California, and The Hawaiians advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 32-14 win.

The Sun, playing catch-up for almost the entire game, outgained The Hawaiians (402 yards to 254) and had more first downs (23 to 17). However, Southern California’s running game accumulated just 99 yards on 30 carries without Johnson and McAlister in the backfield; The Hawaiians sacked the Sun quarterbacks six times, at a loss of 58 yards, while Johnson was only dumped once; and the Sun turned the ball over four times while he visitors suffered no turnovers.


Randy Johnson completed 14 of 24 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. John Kelsey caught 6 passes for 82 yards and a TD while Tim Delaney contributed 5 receptions for 40 yards. Al Davis (pictured at left) was the team’s top ground gainer with 49 yards on 12 carries that included two scores.

For the Sun, Tony Adams was successful on 11 of 21 passes for 189 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Gary Valbuena went to the air 17 times and had 10 completions along with three interceptions. Keith Denson caught 6 passes for 122 yards and the one long TD. Greg Herd ran for 52 yards on 10 attempts and Ralph Nelson added 39 yards on his 14 carries.

Afterward, there was plenty of frustration over the off-field issues expressed by Coach Tom Fears and the Southern California players.

“It sure as hell didn't help any not having Kermit and Booker,” said Fears.

“If management had done their part, we would have gone all the way,” complained DT Dave Roller. “You can’t win if you can’t concentrate and you can’t concentrate if you don’t get paid.”

The Hawaiians lost a close contest to the eventual-champion Birmingham Americans in the next playoff round. Both franchises returned for the abbreviated 1975 season, but James McAlister, Kermit Johnson, and Booker Brown jumped to the NFL and never played for the Sun again.

None of the three distinguished themselves post-WFL. McAlister played for two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and one with the Patriots, gaining a total of 677 yards rushing, catching 30 passes for 218 more, and returning kickoffs for an average of 20.5 yards. Johnson spent two years with the San Francisco 49ers and ran for just 124 yards, caught one pass, and had a 24.9 average on his 10 kickoff returns. Booker Brown also played just two seasons in the NFL, with the San Diego Chargers.

Both starting quarterbacks also defected to the NFL in 1975. Tony Adams, the league’s top passer and a co-MVP in ’74, became a backup with the Kansas City Chiefs. Randy Johnson joined the Washington Redskins, where he played behind Bill Kilmer along with Joe Theismann.

1978: Campbell Leads Oilers Past Dolphins in Monday Night Thriller

The Houston Oilers were a team on the rise as they hosted the Miami Dolphins at the Astrodome on November 20, 1978. Under Head Coach Bum Phillips, the Oilers were 7-4 and coming off a dramatic come-from-behind win at New England the previous week. The key to their resurgence was rookie RB Earl Campbell (pictured above), the 1977 Heisman Trophy-winner out of Texas, whose power running fueled the ball-control offense.

The visiting Dolphins, under Head Coach Don Shula, had missed the postseason the past three years but were 8-3 and winners of their previous three contests. QB Bob Griese had missed the first five games with a knee injury, but was back in action. The proficient running attack was led by offseason-addition RB Delvin Williams, who was leading the league in rushing coming into the game at Houston.

There were 50,290 fans on hand as well as a national television audience for the Monday night contest. In the first quarter, Miami drove to the first score of the game with the help of Griese’s passing (he hit on four of five attempts), including one of 27 yards down the middle to WR Nat Moore that, in turn, set up a ten-yard touchdown throw to Moore

The Oilers responded with Pastorini completing passes to TE Mike Barber for gains of 29 and 12 yards, the latter to the Miami four yard line, setting up Campbell’s first TD from a yard out with 3:32 to play in the opening period.

Moving into the second quarter, DE Elvin Bethea sacked Griese on a third down play that forced the Dolphins to punt. Houston drove 87 yards in seven plays, helped along by a 38-yard pass interference call. WR Mike Renfro gained nine yards on an end-around run and then caught a pass from Pastorini for eight more. A completion to WR Ken Burrough gained 13 yards to the Miami 18 and on a third-down play, Pastorini avoided the blitz and connected on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Barber.

Down 14-7, Griese completed five of six passes on a drive that ended with a one-yard scoring plunge by Williams with 21 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The score was tied at 14-14 at the half. After thirty minutes of play, the Dolphins defense had held Campbell to 44 yards on the ground, but it would be a different matter in the second half.

The Oilers went back in front at 21-14 in the third quarter when Campbell ran for a six-yard TD, but the Dolphins drove 89 yards and FB Leroy Harris scored from a yard out to again knot the score at 21-21.

The evenly-matched teams had scored a touchdown apiece for the first three quarters. The tie was broken once again early in the fourth quarter, this time as the result of a safety as Miami DE A.J. Duhe sacked Pastorini in the end zone for two points. The Dolphins then got the ball back on the free kick with excellent field position at the Houston 45 and seemed poised to put the game away. But in a key series, the Oilers defense held and Miami was forced to punt.

Houston got the ball back and put together an 80-yard drive in which Pastorini connected with WR Ken Burrough on a 24-yard pass play and Campbell twice converted third downs with runs of six and eight yards, respectively. With less than five minutes to go, Campbell capped the possession as he ran around right end for a 12-yard touchdown that put the Oilers back in front at 28-23

The Dolphins responded by driving into Houston territory, with WR Duriel Harris gaining 31 yards on a pass reception along the way, but FS Mike Reinfeldt deflected a Griese pass intended for TE Andre Tillman at the eleven yard line and LB Steve Kiner intercepted. The turnover proved to be decisive. After running the ball three times to gain another first down, Campbell took off on a sweep to the right, got a key block from OT Greg Sampson, made a move on SS Tim Foley, and charged down the sideline for an electrifying 81-yard touchdown run, his fourth of the game. While Griese threw to WR Jimmy Cefalo for an 11-yard score at the end, it only narrowed Houston’s winning margin of 35-30.

Miami outgained the Oilers (454 yards to 406) and had more first downs (27 to 23). However, the Dolphins turned the ball over twice, including the big interception that set up the decisive touchdown run, while Houston turned the ball over once.

Earl Campbell was the game’s biggest star as he ran for 199 yards on 28 carries with four touchdowns. Dan Pastorini made good use of slip screen passes (passes to a wide receiver who has stepped back behind the line of scrimmage), going to the air 15 times and completing 10 for 156 yards with a TD and an interception. Mike Barber led the Oilers in pass receiving with 3 catches for 56 yards, including a score.

For Miami, Bob Griese (pictured below) was in top form as he completed 23 of 33 passes for 349 yards with two touchdowns and one intercepted. Delvin Williams was well-contained as he rushed for 73 yards on 18 attempts that included one TD. Nat Moore caught 3 passes for 84 yards and a score while Duriel Harris had 4 pass receptions for 79 yards and Leroy Harris grabbed 5 passes out of the backfield for 25 yards (he also rushed 12 times for 51 yards and a TD).


“I just try and do my best, that's all,” said the soft-spoken Earl Campbell afterward, who passed Williams as the NFL’s leading rusher. “Sometimes my best looks like my worst, but it's not important how it looks. What matters is how we do, whether we win.”

“After the safety we got the ball in good position and didn’t do anything,” said Bob Griese. “That was the key series. They have a good defense and you’re not going to score every time you get the ball.”

“Give credit to Don Shula for making my night a track meet,” said veteran CB Willie Alexander. “He's one of the greatest of all time. His game plan was magnificent. We didn't know where they were coming from next.”

“It was two great offenses on the field tonight and they really carried it to each other,” summed up Steve Kiner.

Houston ended up second in the AFC Central with a 10-6 record and qualified for a wild card slot, as did 11-5 Miami in the AFC East. The two clubs met again in the Wild Card playoff round and the Oilers again came away winners, this time by a score of 17-9. Houston won again at the Divisional level over New England but lost decisively to the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC title game.

Earl Campbell led the NFL with a then-rookie record 1450 yards on 302 carries with 13 touchdowns. The player nicknamed “The Tyler Rose” (he was from Tyler, Texas) was a consensus first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection, and received league MVP honors from the Pro Football Writers Association and Newspaper Enterprise Association, as well as being named Offensive Player of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. It was the beginning of a relatively brief but brilliant pro career in which Campbell led the league in rushing in each of his first three seasons, and the AFC in his first four.

1961: Jim Brown Ties Rushing Record as Browns Crush Eagles

By the 1961 NFL season, Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns was well-established as the top runner in pro football. He had led the league in ground-gaining in each of his first four years and set both a single-game record of 237 yards in 1957 and season record of 1527 yards in ’58. On November 19 against the Philadelphia Eagles the 25-year-old fullback added to his list of accomplishments.

The Browns were 6-3 and trying to keep pace with the Eagles and New York Giants in the Eastern Conference. While players were becoming increasingly restive under autocratic Head Coach Paul Brown, the team was still a regular contender. QB Milt Plum was the most accurate passer in the NFL and Brown was complemented in the backfield by HB Bobby Mitchell, an outstanding outside runner. Plum had been suffering from a hand injury but appeared to now be completely healthy. Mitchell had been called up to active military duty a few weeks before, but was on a weekend pass and available against the Eagles.

The Eagles were the defending NFL Champions and defeated Cleveland in the season-opening game in Philadelphia. They were a team in transition as both Head Coach Buck Shaw and star QB Norm Van Brocklin retired after the title-winning campaign. Nick Skorich was now the coach and 27-year-old Sonny Jurgensen the quarterback. The largely-untested Jurgensen had been nothing short of spectacular as he stepped out of Van Brocklin’s shadow. Philadelphia got off to a 7-1 start, but the loss of CB Tom Brookshier to a season-ending broken leg hindered the pass defense and the Eagles were coming off of a loss to the Giants the previous week.

There was a crowd of 68,399 in attendance at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium and they saw the Eagles start off the scoring in the first quarter with a 34-yard field goal by Bobby Walston. Jim Brown put Cleveland ahead on the fourth play of the second quarter with a three-yard touchdown run that made it 7-3. The Eagles rebounded with a 68-yard drive, 46 of them on passes by Jurgensen, and HB Ted Dean scored from two yards out.

The Browns came right back with another three-yard TD by Brown that put them back in front at 14-10, which remained the score at halftime. They never trailed again.

Cleveland took the second half kickoff and went 73 yards in eight plays, with Plum throwing to Mitchell for a 28-yard touchdown. Lou Groza added a 17-yard field goal late in the third quarter that made it a 14-point game at 24-10.

The fourth quarter was eventful. Brown started things off with a one-yard TD on the period’s second play. The Eagles were forced to punt on their next possession and the Browns went 68 yards in eight plays for another TD, Brown’s fourth of the contest on an eight-yard sweep around left end.

Philadelphia responded with a five-play, 74-yard drive to finally get on the board again. Flanker Tommy McDonald caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Jurgensen, but at 38-17, the game was out of reach.

On the ensuing kickoff, Mitchell extinguished any remaining hopes for the Eagles by returning it 91 yards for a TD. The Eagles scored one last touchdown, on a Jurgensen pass to Timmy Brown that covered 39 yards, but it only made the score marginally closer. Cleveland came away with a convincing 45-24 win.

The only remaining drama pertained to Jim Brown’s pursuit of his own single-game rushing record. The Browns got the ball with less than two minutes remaining and Brown carried three times to tie the record (Brown was originally credited with a record-breaking 242 yards, but the official scorer admitted a mistake in addition the following day).

For the day, Brown’s total was 237 yards on 34 carries with four touchdowns. He also gained another 52 yards on three pass receptions and returned a kickoff 24 yards, giving him 313 total yards. He also threw a pass, but it fell incomplete.

“I've played some better all-around games this year,” Brown said afterward. “I missed a few blocks today, and a couple of times I went the wrong way when I got a good block. The blocking was tremendous. I don't think I ran any better than usual. You always go all out and sometimes you gain and sometimes you don’t.”

The Browns dominated statistically across the board, outgaining the Eagles by 505 yards to 327 and rolling up 30 first downs to Philadelphia’s 19. In addition, Cleveland didn’t turn the ball over at all, as opposed to two turnovers by the Eagles, and the Browns only punted once.

In addition to missing Tom Brookshier, Philadelphia’s defensive backfield suffered a further blow when FS Don Burroughs was lost with a slight concussion in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Browns CB Bernie Parrish had an exceptional game, holding star flanker Tommy McDonald to two catches for 25 yards (one of which was a short TD) and intercepting a pass in the third quarter.


Milt Plum completed 16 of 21 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. Adding to Jim Brown’s output, Bobby Mitchell (pictured at left) ran for 43 yards on 8 carries, caught 4 passes for 54 more yards and a touchdown, and of course scored on a kickoff return. Flanker Ray Renfro gained 73 yards on his 4 pass receptions.

Sonny Jurgensen went to the air 32 times for the Eagles and completed 18 for 230 yards and two TDs with one intercepted. Timmy Brown led the club in rushing with 49 yards on just two attempts and also had the most pass receiving yards with 58 on his two catches that included a score. Ted Dean caught 6 passes for 51 yards to go along with his 31 yards on 9 rushing attempts with one TD. Only seven of Jurgensen’s completions went to an end or flanker.

“We had to win or else,” said Paul Brown afterward. “There was nothing left for us if we didn't win it.”

The Browns moved into a second place tie with Eagles at 7-3 as result of the win. But any hopes of finishing atop the Eastern Conference were dashed as they lost two of the next three games, including a showdown with the Giants the week after hosting Philadelphia. Cleveland’s final record was 8-5-1, which resulted in a third-place finish.

The Eagles ended up in second at 10-4, recovering from the loss to the Browns to win three of their last four. However, the loss was to the Giants, who came in a half-game ahead of Philadelphia at 10-3-1.

Jim Brown won his fifth consecutive rushing title with 1408 yards on 305 carries (a record at the time) for a 4.6-yard average and eight touchdowns. He also caught 46 passes for another 459 yards and two TDs, giving him a league-leading 1867 yards from scrimmage and, with a pair of kickoff returns added in, 1917 all-purpose yards.

The record-tying rushing performance was the second of an eventual four 200-yard games during his brilliant career (he came closest to topping his own mark again with 232 yards against Dallas in a 1963 contest). Buffalo’s Cookie Gilchrist ran for 243 yards in an AFL game in ’63 and Willie Ellison of the Rams topped Brown’s mark with 247 in a 1971 NFL contest.

MVP Profile: Walter Payton, 1977

Running Back, Chicago Bears


Age: 23
3rd season in pro football & with Bears
College: Jackson State
Height: 5’10” Weight: 204

Prelude:
Chosen by the Bears in the first round of the 1975 NFL draft, Payton played hurt during his rookie season (and missed the only game of his career) as he accumulated 679 rushing yards. He broke out in ’76, running for 1390 yards on a league-leading 311 carries and scoring 13 touchdowns. For his efforts, he achieved consensus first-team All-NFL honors and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

1977 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 339 [1]
Most attempts, game - 40 (for 275 yds.) vs. Minnesota 11/20
Yards – 1852 [1]
Most yards, game – 275 yards (on 40 carries) vs. Minnesota 11/20
Average gain – 5.5 [1]
TDs – 14 [1]
200-yard rushing games – 2
100-yard rushing games - 10

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 27
Most receptions, game – 6 (for 23 yds.) at NY Giants 12/18
Yards – 269
Most yards, game - 107 (on 4 catches) at Detroit 11/24
Average gain – 10.0
TDs – 2
100-yard receiving games – 1

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 2
Yards – 95
Average per return – 47.5
TDs – 0

All-Purpose Yards – 2216 [1]

Scoring
TDs – 16 [1]
Points – 96 [2, 1st in NFC]

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Divisional playoff at Dallas)
Rushing attempts – 19
Rushing yards – 60
Average gain rushing – 3.2
Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 3
Pass receiving yards - 33
Average yards per reception – 11.0
Pass Receiving TDs – 0

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 3
Yards – 57
Average per return – 19.0
TDs – 0

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

Bears went 9-5 to finish second in the NFC Central and secure a wild card berth in the playoffs while leading the NFL in rushing yardage (2811). Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Divisional playoff (37-7).

Aftermath:
Payton continued to be not only a highly productive rusher for another 10 seasons in the NFL, but was also an outstanding blocker and receiver out of the backfield, as well as an accomplished passer on option plays (he was even the club’s emergency quarterback). Payton led the NFC in rushing for five straight years, despite being part of a lackluster offense that had opposing teams keying on him, and totaled 10 thousand-yard rushing seasons. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro five times and was chosen to nine Pro Bowls. The even-tempered player known as “Sweetness” was also an unselfish team leader and hard worker, and was popular not only with Bears fans, but throughout the league. He retired as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards and also topped the list in carries (3838) and rushing TDs (110); his total of 125 touchdowns ranked second. Payton also caught 492 passes for 4538 yards and exceeded 2000 yards from scrimmage in four seasons. The Bears retired his #34 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1993.

--

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 2/12/14]
[Updated 11/28/14]

1940: Redskins Beat Bears, Setting Stage for Title Game Showdown

The teams best positioned to vie for the NFL Championship met in Week 9 of the regular season at Washington’s Griffith Stadium on November 17, 1940. The Redskins, coached by Ray Flaherty, were 7-1 and had lost for the first time the week before at Brooklyn. Washington had the league’s best passer in tailback Sammy Baugh, who split time with his capable backup, Frank Filchock, in operating the team’s double-wing offense. The receiving corps of ends Charley Malone and Wayne Millner was a good one, as was HB Dick Todd (pictured at right), a solid receiver as well as runner, and FB Jimmy Johnston.

The Bears, owned and coached by George Halas, utilized the T-formation and had added an outstanding group of rookies, most notably HB George McAfee, end Ken Kavanaugh, tackle Lee Artoe, and center Clyde “Bulldog” Turner to a solid core of young veterans that included QB Sid Luckman, FB Bill Osmanski, HB Ray Nolting, G Dan Fortmann, and T Joe Stydahar. Chicago came into the contest at 6-2, also having lost its last game at Detroit.

There was a crowd of 35,331 in attendance at Griffith Stadium. The Bears took the lead following McAfee’s recovery of a fumble by Washington back Bob Hoffman at the Chicago 38. Nolting and McAfee made long gains on runs that got the ball to the Washington 30. Jack Manders capped the drive by kicking a 33-yard field goal and the Bears held a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Baugh completed a nine-yard pass to Millner to end the opening period, and with substitutions gave way to Filchock for the second quarter. Filchock (pictured below) was effective as he completed passes to end Bob Masterson for first downs. They set up a touchdown throw to Todd, who caught the ball at the Chicago 22 and dodged five defenders on his way to the end zone. Bo Russell kicked the extra point and Washington had a four-point lead. It would prove to be enough, but barely.


The Bears dominated the second half but couldn’t score. Four times they had the ball inside the Washington 15 yard line and came up empty. Sammy Baugh affected the outcome more with his leg than his arm thanks to some outstanding punts that kept Chicago from starting drives in good field position.

The Redskins had a chance to extend their lead when Baugh completed a pass to wingback Ed Justice to the Chicago 13. But his throw into the end zone on the next play was intercepted by DB Solly Sherman. McAfee punted 77 yards with the ball going out of bounds at the Chicago three. Baugh punted it back to the Bears’ 33. Chicago’s drive lasted five plays and the Bears had to turn the ball over on downs.

With 25 seconds left in the game, QB Bob Snyder passed from midfield to McAfee at the 12, who was stopped by Todd a foot short of a game-winning touchdown. Chicago called for a timeout to stop the clock and suffered a five-yard penalty. Luckman threw a pass that was batted away by Wilkin. With fans pouring onto the field, Luckman threw again, this time intended for end Ed Manske in the end zone, but it fell incomplete. Washington’s 7-3 margin in the second quarter remained the final score.

The Bears won the statistical battle as they outgained the Redskins (297 yards to 169) and had more first downs (16 to 11). They both out-rushed (149 to 44) and out-passed (148 to 125) Washington. However, they also turned the ball over one more time than the Redskins (three to two). Sammy Baugh completed 11 of 17 passes for 98 yards

Afterward, many of the Bears insisted that the receiver had been interfered with in the end zone on the climactic play of the game. This led Washington owner George Preston Marshall to state for publication that “the Bears are front-runners, quitters. They’re not a second-half team, just a bunch of cry-babies.”

Washington lost to the Giants the next week, but defeated the Eagles in the season finale to win the Eastern Division with a 9-2 record. The Bears won their final two games to finish at 8-3 atop the Western Division. Halas brought in his offensive consultant of long standing, Stanford Head Coach Clark Shaughnessy, in the period leading up to the NFL Championship game to design some new plays for the rematch with Washington. He also made certain that his players were well aware of owner Marshall’s comments about them in the wake of the 7-3 loss. The result in the title game was very different – a monumental 73-0 shellacking of the Redskins, the seeds of which were sown in the earlier meeting.

1969: Long Lamonica-to-Wells TD Gives Raiders Win Over Chargers

The Oakland Raiders were 7-1-1 and battling the Chiefs atop the Western Division of the American Football League as they took on their West Coast rivals, the San Diego Chargers, on November 16, 1969. Oakland had won the division the previous two seasons (and put together an outstanding 25-3 regular-season record in doing so) and, under first-year Head Coach John Madden, was looking to win one last AFL Championship before the scheduled merger with the NFL. QB Daryle Lamonica (pictured at right) directed a dynamic passing attack on offense and the defense was intimidating and effective.

The game marked a noteworthy milestone for the Chargers, for it would be the first in franchise history without Sid Gillman as head coach. While he remained as general manager, a bleeding ulcer had forced him to hand over the coaching reigns to assistant Charlie Waller. Doubtless it had not helped his condition that the talented club was 4-5 and had lost its last three games, including one at home against the Raiders. Typically known for their offensive prowess under Gillman, the Chargers had failed to score an offensive touchdown in their last two contests.

There were 54,372 in attendance at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Chargers implemented a zone defense to try and shut down Oakland’s aerial attack, at one point going to six defensive backs to thwart the outside passing game. As a result, the Raiders offense sputtered much of the game, but the Chargers weren’t able to capitalize despite inspired defensive play.

Following a scoreless first quarter, San Diego CB Speedy Duncan intercepted a Lamonica pass and made a spectacular 72-yard return, shaking attempted tackles by virtually all of the Raiders on the field along the way.

Oakland came back and Lamonica completed a 19-yard scoring pass to WR Fred Biletnikoff that, with the successful extra point, evened the score at 7-7. The defense put the Raiders ahead before the half when LB Dan Conners pulled the ball out of TE Willie Frazier’s hands and ran 25 yards for a touchdown. Oakland was ahead by 14-7 after thirty minutes of play.

The Chargers drew closer in the third quarter thanks to an 18-yard field goal by Dennis Partee that made it a 14-10 game. Partee made it a one-point contest with a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but San Diego continued to miss opportunities on offense. An apparent five-yard scoring run by HB Dickie Post was nullified by an illegal procedure penalty on rookie OT Gene Ferguson, who was subbing for injured star Ron Mix.

Another opportunity was lost when Partee missed a 31-yard field goal attempt after the Chargers recovered a fumble by Raiders HB Charlie Smith at the Oakland 17. San Diego twice made it inside the Oakland 15 in the fourth quarter, but came away with just three points

Still, the Chargers took the lead on Partee’s third successful field goal of the game, from 14 yards out, that capped a 53-yard drive highlighted by five runs by the scatback Post, one of 42 yards up the middle, that got the ball to the Oakland six. Waller chose to kick rather than go for the touchdown despite the success the Chargers were having running the ball

The ensuing kickoff was returned 21 yards by WR Rod Sherman and the Raiders lost a yard on the next play (a draw by Charlie Smith) before Lamonica threw long to WR Warren Wells, who ran between CB Bob Howard and FS Jim Hill and caught the ball in stride at the San Diego 20. The well-thrown pass traveled some 60 yards in the air and Wells took it in unmolested for a spectacular 80-yard touchdown. Lamonica’s foot had slipped before throwing, and Howard and Hill, thinking that he had been sacked, backed off for a critical moment, allowing the speedy Wells to get past them.

With 5:41 remaining to play, the Chargers regained possession but couldn’t get beyond their own 23 and had to punt. Oakland sought to control the ball, and with 1:15 remaining, Lamonica completed a 14-yard pass to Biletnikoff on a third-and-six play from the Oakland 39. It allowed the Raiders to run out the clock and win the hard-fought contest by a score of 21-16.

Oakland outgained the Chargers by 309 yards to 224, but San Diego led in first downs, 17 to 13. The Raiders gained just 74 yards on 28 running plays and turned the ball over four times, to three by the Chargers.


Daryle Lamonica had a generally subpar performance as he completed 15 of 29 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns and had three intercepted, but he made the big plays when he had to. Most of the completions were to FB Hewritt Dixon on flares and screens, and he ended up with 8 catches for 49 yards while also leading the club in rushing with 64 yards on 14 carries. With the long scoring play, Warren Wells (pictured at left) had 105 yards on two completions. Fred Biletnikoff added three catches for 47 yards and a TD.

For the Chargers, QB John Hadl went to the air 32 times but had only 12 completions for 127 yards, although he threw no interceptions. Dickie Post had an outstanding rushing performance as he gained 113 yards on 20 carries. Oakland’s cornerbacks Willie Brown and Nemiah Wilson were effective in keeping San Diego’s star WR Lance Alworth bottled up, and he had just 3 catches for 25 yards and with no TDs. As a result, TE Jeff Queen led the team in passing yards with 59 on his two receptions. WR Rick Eber also had three catches, for 28 yards.

“Good teams - teams that win championships - win close games like this one,” Oakland’s Coach Madden said afterward. “You’d like to win them by big scores but sometimes you win on 80-yard pass plays. The important thing is that you win.”

“This was the first time in 35 years I was up in the stands while a team of mine was playing down on the field,” said a wan Sid Gillman, who suffered through the game while sitting with Chargers coaches up in the press box. “It was, to put it mildly, a little tough on me. But I'll get used lo it. I'll get used to anything – except losing.”

“Boy, it really hurts,” summed up the 47-year-old Charlie Waller, a loser in his first game as a head coach. He added, “Our defense gave us good field position, but we didn’t have any punch. We couldn’t get the touchdown and then we missed a 30-yard field goal, too.”

The Raiders won the remainder of their games to once again win the Western Division with a 12-1-1 record. In the playoff format for the AFL’s final season, the division winners faced the second place teams in the opposite division in the first round, and Oakland easily dispatched the Eastern Division’s number two club, the Houston Oilers, by a 56-7 score. However, the Chiefs, who finished second in their division to the Raiders, defeated the top team in the East, the defending-champion New York Jets. While Oakland had beaten Kansas City twice during the regular season, the Chiefs came away with a 17-7 win in the AFL title game.

As for the Chargers, the loss to the Raiders marked the third straight game without an offensive TD. However, they rallied under Coach Waller to win their last four games and ended up third in the Western Division at 8-6.

Daryle Lamonica was named AFL Player of the Year by UPI as he led the league in pass attempts (426), completions (221), yards (3302), and TD passes (34). On the downside, he also led the AFL by throwing 25 interceptions. He ranked second in passing (79.8 rating), yards per attempt (7.8), and completion percentage (51.9).

Warren Wells had 47 catches for a league-leading 1260 yards, 26.8 per-reception average, and 14 touchdowns. His 1284 yards from scrimmage also led the AFL.

Dickie Post, the diminutive halfback (5’9”, 190 pounds), led the AFL in rushing 873 yards on 182 carries (4.8 avg.) and six touchdowns. His 1182 total yards ranked seventh and he was an AFL All-Star for the second time.

MVP Profile: Dan Fouts, 1982

Quarterback, San Diego Chargers



Age: 31
10th season in pro football & with Chargers
College: Oregon
Height: 6’3” Weight: 205

Prelude:
A third-round draft choice by the Chargers in 1973, Fouts gradually took over the starting job as a rookie while an over-the-hill Johnny Unitas faded from the scene in his last season. He struggled for the next two years but benefited from the presence of Bill Walsh as offensive coordinator in 1976. Fouts missed the first 10 games in ’77 due to a lawsuit against the NFL. Head Coach Tommy Prothro was replaced by the pass-oriented Don Coryell during the 1978 season, and the sturdy drop-back passer’s career benefited greatly. After leading the NFL in yards per attempt in ’78 (7.9), he set a new passing yardage record in 1979 with 4082, led the league in completion percentage (62.6), and was a consensus first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. With an outstanding group of receivers to throw to in the Air Coryell passing game, Fouts broke his passing yardage record in each of the next two seasons (4715 in 1980, 4802 in ’81) while leading the NFL in attempts and completions each year and in TD passes in 1981 (33). He was a Pro Bowl selection again following each season, although the team consistently came up short in the playoffs.

1982 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 9 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank]

Passing
Attempts – 330 [2]
Most attempts, game – 48 at San Francisco 12/11
Completions – 204 [3]
Most completions, game – 33 at San Francisco 12/11
Yards – 2883 [1]
Most yards, game – 444 at San Francisco 12/11
Completion percentage – 61.8 [6]
Yards per attempt – 8.7 [1]
TD passes – 17 [1, tied with Joe Montana & Terry Bradshaw]
Most TD passes, game – 5 at San Francisco 12/11, vs. Baltimore 12/26
Interceptions – 11 [8, tied with six others]
Most interceptions, game – 2 at LA Raiders 11/22, at Cleveland 12/5, vs. Cincinnati 12/20, vs. LA Raiders 1/2
Passer rating – 93.3 [2]
400-yard passing games – 2
300-yard passing games – 5
200-yard passing games – 9

Rushing
Attempts – 9
Most attempts, game - 3 (for 5 yd.) at Cleveland 12/5
Yards – 8
Most yards, game – 5 yards (on 3 carries) at Cleveland 12/5
Yards per attempt – 0.9
TDs – 1

Scoring
TDs – 1
Points – 6

Postseason: 2 G
Pass attempts – 76
Most attempts, game - 42 at Pittsburgh, AFC First Round playoff
Pass completions – 42
Most completions, game - 27 at Pittsburgh, AFC First Round playoff
Passing yardage – 524
Most yards, game - 333 at Pittsburgh, AFC First Round playoff
TD passes – 4
Most TD passes, game - 3 at Pittsburgh, AFC First Round playoff
Interceptions – 5
Most interceptions, game - 5 at Miami, AFC Second Round playoff

Rushing attempts – 2
Most rushing attempts, game - 2 at Miami, AFC Second Round playoff
Rushing yards – 3
Most rushing yards, game - 3 at Miami, AFC Second Round playoff
Average gain rushing – 1.5
Rushing TDs – 0

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

Chargers went 6-3 in strike-shortened season and were 5th seed in the AFC playoff tournament that replaced the usual postseason format while leading the NFL in total offense (4048 yards), passing (2927), scoring (288 points), and touchdowns (34). Won First Round playoff over Pittsburgh Steelers (31-28). Lost Second Round playoff to Miami Dolphins (34-13).

Aftermath:
Playing in just 10 games in 1983, Fouts again achieved Pro Bowl recognition. While he never again passed for 4000 yards in the remaining five years of his career, he did throw for over 3000 three more times, led the league in yards per attempt (8.5) and TD percentage (6.3) in 1985, and was twice more selected to the Pro Bowl (for a total of six). At the time of his retirement, he ranked second all-time in NFL career pass attempts (5604), completions (3297), and yards (43,040) and had a passer rating of 80.2. The Chargers retired his #14 and Fouts was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1993.

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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 2/12/14]