1974: Bell Defeat Wheels After Near-Forfeit

During the World Football League’s first season, the Philadelphia Bell might not have been one of the more successful teams, but it was certainly one of the most entertaining. Under Head Coach Ron Waller, the Bell ran a complex offense full of unorthodox formations. Directing that offense on the field was QB Jim “King” Corcoran (#9 in above photo), a flamboyant minor league football veteran who had spent ten years playing for such clubs as the Norfolk Neptunes and Pottstown Firebirds. He had arrived at training camp in a white Lincoln Continental with the license plate of “KING” while shouting out the window through a bullhorn, “The King has arrived! The King has arrived!”

For all the flamboyance, Corcoran proved to be an effective quarterback for the Bell, passing to wide receivers Donnie Shanklin and Ron Holliday, as well as a local product from non-football-playing St. Joseph’s named Vince Papale who would later make the NFL Eagles as a 30-year-old special teams standout. RB John Land led the Bell in both rushing and pass receiving, and formed a solid tandem with Claude Watts.

Defensively, the team included former Eagles and Chargers LB Tim Rossovich, perhaps better remembered for his off-field behavior that included eating glass and occasionally setting his hair on fire than for his on-field exploits. Other standouts included LB Wally Dempsey, an eight-year veteran of the CFL, and CB Ron Mabra.

However, the team had also been responsible for the league’s biggest scandal when large crowds for the first two home games were found to have been significantly padded by tickets that had been given away (if not substantially discounted). With the end of the complimentary tickets, the crowds dropped off significantly, despite the exciting nature of the team’s play.

Philadelphia had compiled a 3-4 record as they prepared to host the winless (0-7) Detroit Wheels at JFK Stadium on August 28, 1974 before a crowd of 15,100. As was the case with many of the WFL teams, the Wheels were experiencing severe financial hardship to such an extent that the game came close to not being played.

The Wheels had started out short on cash and were never able to dig out of the hole. Not only was money short to pay players, but the team couldn’t cover administrative costs either. Programs were not delivered for one home game because the printer had not been paid, and players brought towels from home so they could take showers.

When the Detroit players arrived for the game at JFK Stadium, they found that there were no supplies, including tape, available. The team considered forfeiting since it wasn’t safe for the players to take the field without taping up. However, WR Jon Henderson was able to talk a Johnson & Johnson salesman into donating a carton of tape so that the game could be played.

For all the adversity, the Wheels were typically competitive on the field, and this game would be no different. The Bell scored first on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Corcoran to Land. But by the third quarter, Detroit was leading 16-14. Philadelphia’s Jerry Warren put the Bell ahead to stay with a 23-yard field goal, and the Bell followed that up with a 24-yard TD pass from Corcoran to Shanklin. The Wheels scored again, but couldn’t catch up as Philadelphia held on for a 27-23 win.

The Bell accumulated 174 yards on the ground, led by John Land’s 90 yards on 16 carries; Claude Watts contributed 34 yards on 15 attempts and a touchdown. “King” Corcoran completed 11 of 29 passes for 184 yards and two TDs. Both Land and Ronnie Shanklin caught three passes apiece, with Shanklin’s 64 yards topping the club.

Detroit outrushed the Bell, gaining 194 yards, as RB Jesse Mims led the way with 85 yards on 15 carries and a TD. QB Bubba Wyche, a CFL veteran (as were many of the players on the team) who capably directed the offense throughout the difficult season, completed 13 of 28 passes for 156 yards, with no touchdowns and two of them picked off. Mims and FB Sam Scarber each caught four passes, for 20 and 33 yards respectively, although RB Billy Sadler gained the most yards receiving with 67 on his one catch.

The Wheels would not survive the season, although they did win once before folding with a 1-13 record. They also had the distinction of having the lowest average home attendance during the WFL’s first season (10,228). Philadelphia finished up at 9-11, putting them third in the Eastern Division but good enough to qualify for the postseason – they lost convincingly to the Florida Blazers in the first round.


“King” Corcoran led the WFL in pass attempts (546), completions (280), and touchdown passes (31) while ranking second in passing yards (3632); he also tossed 30 interceptions. John Land (pictured at left) rushed for over a thousand yards (1136) and also led the club with 54 pass receptions; Claude Watts was just under a thousand rushing yards with 927.

As Coach Waller summed up his exciting and colorful team, “We’re not a very conventional team. People come to our games to be entertained. We don’t put you to sleep like the Miami Dolphins do.” Of course, it could be said that the Bell also failed to win with the regularity of the Dolphins at that time, but they certainly contributed plenty to the brief history of the off-beat World Football League.

1974: Mark Kellar Scores 36 Points as Chicago Defeats Hawaiians

The World Football League’s Chicago Fire traveled to Honolulu to take on The Hawaiians before a sparse crowd of 12,608 at Halwala Stadium on July 28, 1974. While the league played its games on Wednesday nights in its first season, with a nationally-televised Thursday night contest, The Hawaiians insisted on playing their home games on Sunday afternoons.

The Hawaiians were coming off of a win over the Detroit Wheels in their home opener the week before and thus sported a 1-2 record. Coached by Mike Giddings, the offense was directed by rookie QB Norris Weese throwing primarily to first year wide receivers Tim Boyer, Grady Richardson, and Tim Delaney and TE John Kelsey. Running backs included Ernie O’Leary, Dave Buchanan, and Pete Taggares. The defense contained more experienced talent, most notably defensive linemen Ron East, Greg Wojcik, and Karl Lorch.

Chicago had won its first three games under Head Coach Jim Spavital and had a pro veteran at quarterback in Virgil Carter as well as TE Jim Seymour, plus speed at wide receiver with James Scott and Jack Dolbin. RB Cyril Pinder had played in the NFL with the Eagles, Bears, and Cowboys, but rookie Mark Kellar from Northern Illinois had emerged as the primary running back.

Kellar, nicknamed “the Baby Bull” for his straight-ahead power-running style, had been drafted by the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings in the 6th round after leading all Division 1-A rushers in ’73, but saw the WFL as a better opportunity. A classic fullback who was effective between the tackles but not particularly fast, he once told a Chicago Tribune reporter “I don’t have much speed. When I run the forty they have to use a calendar to time me.”

The tone of the contest in Honolulu was set on Chicago’s first possession as the offense rolled 69 yards down the field on four plays, capped by Kellar scoring a touchdown on a two-yard run. By halftime, the score was 30-7 and the Fire went on to win by a 53-29 margin. Kellar scored a WFL-record 36 points with five touchdowns and an action point.

Kellar led the club with 51 yards on 14 carries and three of the TDs while he also caught 3 passes for 35 yards and the other two touchdowns. RB Bob Wyatt added 47 yards on 19 runs and Cyril Pinder added 43 more on just four carries as Chicago rolled up 157 rushing yards. Virgil Carter completed 15 of 25 passes for 205 yards with three TDs against no interceptions. James Scott led the receivers with 6 catches for 68 yards and Jack Dolbin gained the most receiving yards with 78 on three receptions.

The Hawaiians, forced to go to the air early and often, gained just 21 yards rushing. Norris Weese passed for 338 yards as he completed 24 of 52 throws and tossed three TDs as well as three interceptions. Tim Delaney caught 9 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown and John Kelsey grabbed four for 67 yards, but the contest was long decided by the time the passing statistics began to add up.

The Fire failed to maintain the early momentum - after starting out at 7-2, the club lost its last 11 contests (the last by forfeit) and ended up at 7-13 and in third place in the Central Division. Injuries were a major factor as both Kellar and James Scott were lost for the season in a loss to Southern California in Week 11 and Virgil Carter went down two weeks later.

The Hawaiians recovered to go 9-11 and finish in second place in the Western Division, making it into the postseason (they also gained revenge in the rematch with the Fire in Chicago, winning 60-17). The Honolulu club won its first round playoff game against a demoralized Southern California Sun squad (the players had considered striking over missed pay and two key offensive performers refused to play and were cut from the team) before losing to the eventual WFL champions, the Birmingham Americans, in the semifinal round.

In his injury-shortened season, Mark Kellar ended up with 778 yards on 189 carries for a 4.1-yard average gain and nine touchdowns; he caught 28 passes for 342 yards and another six TDs. The Baby Bull went on to play for the Chicago Winds in the WFL’s abbreviated second season in ’75 and moved on to the NFL, where he was a backup with the Vikings for three years.

1974: Alfred Jenkins Gains 200 Receiving Yards as Birmingham Overwhelms Memphis

The Birmingham Americans and Memphis Southmen (or Grizzlies, as they were popularly referred to by the local fans) had won their first two World Football League games in 1974 and had already established themselves as among the better franchises in the league’s short history. The clubs met for the first time before 61,319 fans at Birmingham’s Legion Field on the night of July 24 in what proved to be a high-scoring affair.

The Americans, under Head Coach Jack Gotta, split the quarterback duties between veteran George Mira and Matthew Reed. The stable of running backs was led by former Bengal and Oiler Paul Robinson and included Jimmy Edwards, Carl Bartles, Charlie Harraway, and Art Cantrelle. WR Dennis Homan, a local favorite who had a modest NFL career after coming out of Alabama, had been drawing the primary coverage by opposing defenses, and this opened the door for fast rookie WR Alfred Jenkins.

Memphis was coached by John McVay and had created a sensation earlier in the year by signing three key members of the NFL champion Miami Dolphins (FB Larry Csonka, HB Jim Kiick, and WR Paul Warfield) to contracts for the ’75 season. However, those players were not available for 1974 and so the offense was led by RB J.J. Jennings, a former Rutgers standout; QB John Huarte, a former Heisman Trophy winner at Notre Dame who had been a career backup in the AFL and NFL; TE Gary Shirk, from Morehead State; and tall (6’5”) WR Ed Marshall.

The tone of the game was set on the Memphis offense’s first play when Huarte fumbled the snap and DE Dick Trower recovered at the Southmen nine yard line. Bartles ran three yards for the touchdown, and while the action point was no good, Birmingham had an early 7-0 lead.

After a Bob Etter field goal for Memphis cut the lead to 7-3, Mira threw to Jenkins for a 38-yard touchdown; once again the action point failed. Again, Mira connected with Jenkins for a long touchdown pass play that covered 74 yards for a 21-3 advantage (once more, the action point attempt was unsuccessful).

The Southmen came back as Huarte passed to Shirk for a 35-yard TD and, with a successful action point, the Birmingham margin was narrowed to 21-11. However, the Americans scored once more prior to the half as Mira connected on four passes in a 59-yard drive that culminated in a 12-yard touchdown throw to Homan. With yet another failed action point, the tally stood at 28-11 in favor of Birmingham at halftime.

Memphis scored quickly in the third quarter thanks to a five-play drive that featured a 46-yard run by RB John Harvey. Harvey completed the drive with a two-yard TD run and, after a successful Huarte-to-WR Roger Wallace pass for the action point, the Southmen were back in the contest at 28-19.

Mira suffered a sprained ankle while scrambling during the next possession, but that didn’t slow the Birmingham offense as Reed threw to Jenkins for a 52-yard touchdown on his first play. The Americans finally converted an action point and led by 36-19.

The Southmen didn’t give up as they responded with an 80-yard drive that ended with a one-yard TD run by Harvey, although they failed to make the action point. Again, Birmingham responded with a touchdown as Reed connected with TE Jim Bishop on a four-yard scoring pass. With a failed action point, the Americans now led by a 43-26 margin.

Aided by a pass interference call in the end zone, the Southmen came back once more to score on a one-yard TD run by Jennings, but a failed action point attempt kept the margin at ten points (43-33). Once more the Americans drove right back down the field with Robinson scoring on a two-yard touchdown carry and a successful action point. The back-and-forth nature of the second half finally ended when LB Steve Conley intercepted a Huarte pass and gave Birmingham good field position at its own 49. After a 31-yard carry by Robinson, Jimmy Edwards swerved his way to an 18-yard touchdown run. The action point was missed, but the margin proved decisive as the Americans defeated the Southmen, 58-33.

The Birmingham quarterbacks, Mira and Reed, combined for 367 yards and five touchdowns. Paul Robinson led the runners with 93 yards on 18 carries with a TD. The defense had forced six turnovers, including two fumbles and four interceptions. But the most spectacular performance was turned in by Alfred Jenkins as he caught 5 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns (it could have been more, but an apparent long scoring play was called back due to a penalty – one of 14 the Americans committed). The 200 yards would remain the single-game record for pass receiving yards in the WFL’s short history.

For Memphis, John Huarte passed for 224 yards with a TD, but had four passes picked off. John Harvey rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while Ed Marshall caught 6 passes for 114 yards.

Birmingham went on to finish at 15-5, putting them in second place in the Central Division behind the Southmen, who survived the high-scoring loss to post the league’s best record at 17-3. However, in the postseason Memphis was upset in the semifinal round by the Florida Blazers, who ended up losing the league championship game to the Americans.

Alfred Jenkins was a consensus All-League pick after catching 60 passes for a WFL-best 1326 yards with 12 touchdowns. He would parlay his notable WFL showing into an outstanding nine-year career with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

1974: WFL Debuts with Five Games

The World Football League kicked off its inaugural 20-week season with five games on July 10, 1974. The new league started off with 12 teams, along with great ambitions and several novelties. Most games were scheduled on Wednesday nights in order to avoid conflict with high school, college, and NFL games (a weekly nationally-televised game would be played on Thursdays). The July start (the league played no preseason games, although there were some intersquad scrimmages) gave the WFL a head start on the NFL, which was beset by a player’s strike during the preseason that kept veterans out of the training camps until late August.

The WFL instituted several rules changes, some of which the NFL had adopted for the ’74 season as well - they included moving the goal posts to the back of the end zone, allowing for an overtime period in case of ties, and bringing the ball back to the line of scrimmage if a field goal was missed outside the 20 yard line. While kickoffs in the NFL would now be from the 35 rather than 40 yard line, the WFL chose to kick off from the 30. Additionally, the new league banned fair catches of punts, allowed for forward motion by backs prior to the snap, required receivers to have just one foot in bounds for a catch to be legal, and prohibited the bumping of receivers beyond three yards of the line of scrimmage. Touchdowns would be seven, rather than six points, to be followed by an “action point” that could not be kicked. An invention called a “Dickerrod” was used instead of the traditional chains for measuring first down yardage.

There were 55,534 fans in JFK Stadium as the Philadelphia Bell hosted the Portland Storm, winning 33-8 behind QB Jim “King” Corcoran (pictured below left), who had the best passing night in the WFL’s first week. Corcoran, a semi-legendary figure in the world of minor league football, completed 21 of 38 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. The running tandem of Claude Watts (94 yards on 16 carries) and John Land (73 yards on 14 attempts) also had an impressive debut. WR Vince Papale, later to become celebrated as a walk-on free agent and special teams standout for the NFL’s Eagles, caught three passes for 39 yards.


Attendance at Orlando’s Tangerine Bowl was far less (18,625) as the Florida Blazers defeated The Hawaiians in a low-scoring 8-7 contest. RB Jim Strong was the star for the Blazers, catching a three-yard touchdown pass and then scoring the decisive action point. RB Derrick Williams gained 94 yards on 18 carries for The Hawaiians while Strong and fellow running backs Tommy Reamon and A.D. Whitfield combined for 104 yards for Florida. Blazers QB Bob Davis passed for only 55 yards and Norris Weese and Bill Donckers combined for just 106 yards for the Honolulu-based club.

A crowd of over 36,000 at Soldier Field saw the Chicago Fire record a 17-0 shutout of the visiting Houston Texans. QB Virgil Carter (pictured below right) threw two touchdown passes, although he also had three picked off. WR James Scott had 10 catches for 84 yards and one of the TDs. Houston ground out 116 yards rushing but veteran quarterbacks Don Trull and Mike Taliaferro passed for just 58 yards.


Legion Field in Birmingham was filled with 53,231 fans who saw the Birmingham Americans defeat the Southern California Sun by an 11-7 tally thanks to a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by CB Steve Williams. RB Paul Robinson spurred the ground game with 79 of Birmingham’s 144 rushing yards although rookie RB Kermit Johnson of the Sun led all rushers with 88 yards on 24 attempts.

Elvis Presley was among 30,122 in attendance at the Liberty Bowl where the Memphis Southmen were winners over the Detroit Wheels, 34-15. Memphis RB J.J. Jennings (pictured at top) had the most rushing yards in the first week with 99, including a touchdown, and also caught four passes for 83 yards and another TD. Detroit WR Hubie Bryant had the best receiving game of the first week in defeat with 7 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown.

The following night, in the first nationally-televised contest with Commissioner Gary Davidson in attendance, the largest crowd of all, 59,112, was present at Jacksonville’s Gator Bowl as the Sharks defeated the New York Stars, 14-7. However, the game suffered a delay when a blown generator caused a blackout – it was perhaps a portent of bad things to come.

While the crowds were certainly encouraging, the scarcity of points was a disappointment. The league averaged just 13.8 points per game for the six contests. Scoring would improve as the season progressed, but other factors would cast a shadow over the WFL.

Several weeks into the season, it was divulged that attendance, particularly in Philadelphia and Jacksonville, had been considerably aided by the handing out of huge numbers of free tickets. Of the 55,534 fans at JFK Stadium, only 13,800 had actually paid; a crowd of 64,719 for the second home game, against New York, contained only 6200 paid attendees. The big opening night crowd at the Gator Bowl was padded by some 44,000 free passes.

League credibility never recovered from the disclosure, and the fact that the WFL was floating in a sea of red ink became clearer as the season progressed. By the end, 10 teams remained and two of those had relocated (Detroit and Jacksonville folded; the Houston Texans became the Shreveport Steamer and the Stars moved from New York to Charlotte, NC).

1974: Warfield, Csonka, and Kiick Sign with the WFL

The Miami Dolphins had barely finished celebrating a second consecutive championship when the stunning announcement was made on March 31, 1974 that three key members of the offense, FB Larry Csonka, HB Jim Kiick, and WR Paul Warfield, had been signed by the Toronto Northmen of the newly-organized World Football League. They would not play in the WFL until 1975, as each was in their final contract year with the Dolphins for ’74.

It was a major coup for the new league that would sign several significant NFL players to contracts, some that would take effect in the first season (QB Virgil Carter by the Chicago Fire, RB Charlie Harraway by the Birmingham Americans, DT John Elliott by the New York Stars), others that, like the three Miami stars, would take effect in 1975 (TE Ted Kwalick and RB Calvin Hill by The Hawaiians, QB Daryle Lamonica by the Southern California Sun), and still others that would never occur at all due to the league’s demise (QB Ken Stabler by the Birmingham Americans for 1976).

Unlike most of the new league’s franchises, Toronto, owned by media executive John Bassett, had strong and stable financial backing. A joint contract was negotiated for the trio and totaled $3 million over three years, with Csonka getting $1.4 million, Warfield $900,000, and Kiick $700,000.

The team never played in Toronto, however - the introduction of legislation by the Canadian parliament that would have banned the WFL from fielding teams in Canada forced the relocation of the franchise to Memphis. Renamed the Southmen (not a popular nickname with the locals, who preferred to refer to the team as the “Grizzlies” due to the bear logo on the helmet), the club had the best record of the chaotic 1974 season at 17-3, winning the Central Division but losing to Florida in the first round of the playoffs.

The Dolphins, who had won the Super Bowl following the 1972 and ’73 seasons, went 11-3 in again winning the AFC East but lost in a thrilling divisional playoff game to Oakland. In their last season in Miami, Csonka had his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl-year as he gained 749 yards rushing; Warfield caught 27 passes for 536 yards (a 19.9-yard average gain), also gaining Pro Bowl recognition, in his case for the seventh straight year; and Kiick, a reserve at this point, gained 274 rushing yards and caught 18 passes while splitting time at halfback with Benny Malone and Mercury Morris.

Joining the Southmen (or “Grizzlies”) in 1975, the Miami trio at least had the good fortune of joining a stable club coming off of a winning season. However, the health of the league as a whole wasn’t good – financially rickety during the ’74 season, the lack of a television contract made the situation even more untenable and the WFL folded on October 22 after thirteen weeks.

Kiick was the star of the season opening game, scoring three touchdowns that included the game-winner with 38 seconds remaining. He also gained 106 yards rushing in a win over The Hawaiians and ended up outgaining Csonka with 462 yards on 121 carries with nine touchdowns; he also caught 25 passes for 259 yards and another TD.

Csonka had a high of 114 yards rushing in the club’s second game but missed time due to injury during the season. He ended up gaining 421 yards on 99 rushes with one TD and caught five passes for 54 yards and a score (holdover RB Willie Spencer led the club with 581 yards on 100 carries).

Warfield caught 25 passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns, second on the team to WR Ed Marshall, who had 31 catches for 582 yards.

After the demise of the WFL, all three players returned to the NFL in 1976. Csonka spent three nondescript seasons with the New York Giants before returning to the Dolphins for one last, solid year in 1979 (837 yards rushing with 12 TDs). Kiick went to the Denver Broncos, where he gained just 114 yards rushing and caught 10 passes in ’76; he appeared in four games for the Broncos and Redskins in 1977, his last season, running the ball only once and catching two passes. Warfield returned to his original club, the Cleveland Browns, and played two seasons in which he caught 58 passes for 864 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Dolphins went 10-4 in 1975, but missed the postseason for the first time since 1969 (the year before Don Shula took over as head coach). They dropped to 6-8 in ’76 but rebounded to a 10-4 mark in 1977 and returned to the postseason in ’78. During that period, Don Nottingham, Norm Bulaich, and Leroy Harris took the place of Csonka at fullback. In Warfield’s absence, WR Nat Moore emerged as a productive receiver, along with Duriel Harris and, to a lesser extent, Freddie Solomon.

The abbreviated 1975 season in the WFL provided a footnote to the Hall of Fame careers of Csonka and Warfield, and was a last hurrah for Kiick. As gate attractions for the doomed WFL, they also provided something of a last hurrah for the league as well.