1983: Bobby Hebert Tosses 5 TD Passes as Panthers Beat Blitz

After a slow start in the United States Football League’s first season, the Michigan Panthers caught fire. They were 1-4 by the fifth week, but proceeded to win six straight games and 9 of 11 prior to their June 26, 1983 showdown against the Chicago Blitz at Soldier Field.

The Panthers offense had prospered behind the play of two rookies, QB Bobby Hebert and WR Anthony Carter, and this game would be no different. Meanwhile the Blitz, coached by George Allen and heavy preseason favorites to dominate the USFL, were 11-5 and just a game ahead of Michigan in the Central Division. They had obtained veteran QB Bobby Scott from the New Jersey Generals after Greg Landry, the club’s original starter, went down with a broken ankle; after Landry’s replacement, Tim Koegel, also suffered an injury, Scott moved into the starting lineup the previous week in a 29-14 win over Birmingham.

On a 99-degree day before 25,041 fans, the Panthers took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a pass from Hebert to RB Ken Lacy that covered 39 yards. It was 14-0 in the second quarter after Hebert threw his second TD pass of the day, for 35 yards to Carter. The Blitz got on the board with a 34-yard field goal by Frank Corral, but Hebert threw a 42-yard TD pass to WR Derek Holloway and Michigan took a 21-3 lead into halftime.

Hebert hit Holloway for another touchdown, of 15 yards, in the third quarter. While the extra point failed, the lead of 27-3 seemed secure. Still, Chicago rallied for 16 straight points in the fourth quarter. RB Kevin Long ran for a four-yard TD, although the attempted two-point conversion afterward failed. But Corral kicked a 40-yard field goal and Scott threw a nine-yard scoring pass to WR Trumaine Johnson to pull within reach of the Panthers at 27-19. However, Hebert’s fifth touchdown pass of the day, covering 32 yards to Carter, sealed the 34-19 win for Michigan.

Bobby Hebert completed 13 of 20 passes for 265 yards and an interception. His five touchdown passes set a USFL record that was tied six times over the next two seasons but never exceeded. Anthony Carter had his best game as a pro to date, catching 8 passes for 143 yards including the two TDs. Ken Lacy led the club in rushing with 77 yards on 21 carries in addition to his lone pass reception, the 39-yard TD.

Bobby Scott did not do badly for the Blitz, completing 22 of 39 passes for 345 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Trumaine Johnson, the eventual league-leader in pass receiving, had 8 receptions for 138 yards and the one TD. However, the normally proficient running game was held to 98 yards, with Kevin Long accumulating 33 yards on 10 carries and Tim Spencer adding 29 yards, also on 10 attempts.


The Panthers sacked Scott six times (suffering just one of their own), with LB John Corker accounting for two on his way to a USFL-leading 28. Corker also had an interception.

The win put the Panthers in a three-way tie atop the Central Division with the Blitz and Tampa Bay Bandits. Ultimately, after the final week action, Michigan and Chicago ended up with 12-6 records; the Panthers won the division title on tiebreakers while the Blitz made it to the postseason as the wild card entry. Tampa Bay placed third with an 11-7 mark. Chicago lost to the Philadelphia Stars in the first round of the postseason. Michigan ultimately won the league championship, defeating the Stars, 24-22.

Bobby Hebert led the league in overall passing rank as well as touchdowns (27) and yards per attempt (7.9). His 3568 yards through the air ranked third. Anthony Carter placed well behind Trumaine Johnson in pass receptions, but had an outstanding first year with 60 catches for 1181 yards and 9 touchdowns. John Corker not only was an All-League selection, but the Defensive Player of the Year.

1984: Kelly & Johnson Achieve Milestones as Gamblers Defeat Blitz

The Houston Gamblers were the best of the six expansion teams in the United States Football League’s second season. Under the direction of Head Coach Jack Pardee and operating the “run-and-shoot” offense developed by offensive coordinator Darrel “Mouse” Davis, the Gamblers got off to a 6-5 start. By the time they hosted the Chicago Blitz before 24,243 fans at the Astrodome on June 10, 1984 they had won four straight games and stood atop of the Central Division with a 10-5 tally.

Houston wasted little time in taking command of the game against the Blitz, who were struggling at 4-10 entering the contest. RB Sam Harrell, returning to action from a midseason injury, scored on a one-yard run in the first quarter, and before the period was over star rookie QB Jim Kelly threw a 10-yard TD pass to WR Richard Johnson.

Chicago got on the board early in the second quarter with a 38-yard field goal by Kevin Seibel, but the Gamblers came right back with another Kelly to Johnson TD pass, this one covering 30 yards. The score was 21-10 at halftime as Blitz QB Ron Reeves tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to WR Kris Haines just before the end of the period.

The Gamblers put the game away in the second half thanks to two more touchdown throws by Kelly, of 62 yards to WR Ricky Sanders in the third quarter and 11 yards to WR Mark Barousse in the final period. Toni Fritsch capped the scoring with a 46-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter, while Chicago managed only one more Seibel field goal in the third quarter. Houston won for the fifth consecutive game by a convincing 38-13 margin.

Jim Kelly completed 21 of 36 passes for 335 yards with the four touchdowns against two interceptions before being spelled by backup QB Todd Dillon. As a result, not only did his passing totals of 4825 yards and 40 TD passes after 16 games extend USFL records but they exceeded the then-existing NFL totals of 4802 passing yards by San Diego’s Dan Fouts and 36 touchdown passes by George Blanda of the Oilers (actually an AFL record) and Y.A. Tittle of the Giants. Interestingly, both of those records were broken by Miami’s Dan Marino when the NFL took the field in ’84.


Richard Johnson, who had emerged as Kelly’s favorite target, caught 5 passes for 58 yards and the two touchdowns. The five receptions gave him 103 for the year, also exceeding the existing NFL/AFL record of 101 held by Charley Hennigan of the Houston Oilers (another record that would fall in the NFL in ’84). However, Ricky Sanders, another accomplished member of the outstanding group of receivers, had the most catches and yards for the Gamblers in this contest, grabbing 7 passes for 130 yards and the one long TD.

While Houston’s aerial attack accounted for 394 net yards, the typically-solid running game accounted for another 149 yards on 25 attempts. RB Todd Fowler led with 105 yards on 14 carries.

By contrast, RB Larry Canada led the Blitz with 26 yards rushing on seven carries, Ron Reeves completed just 16 of 36 passes for 168 yards with a TD and an interception, and Kris Haines was the team’s best receiver with 5 catches for 45 yards and the lone TD.

The Gamblers ended up winning seven straight games to end the season with a 13-5 record and the division title. They were upset in the first postseason round, 17-16, by the Arizona Wranglers (the George Allen-coached club that had played in the Windy City in ’83 before swapping locations for 1984). Chicago remained at the bottom of the Central Division, finishing out at 5-13. The franchise folded in the ensuing offseason.

With two more games left in the USFL’s 18-game schedule, Kelly added to his totals and ended up with 5219 passing yards and 44 touchdown passes - an astounding performance for a rookie quarterback in any pro league. Richard Johnson led the league with 115 pass receptions, closely followed by Ricky Sanders with 101; they thus became the first teammates in pro football history to catch over 100 passes in a season.

1983: Long & Spencer Run Blitz to Win Over Wranglers

George Allen was a defensive-minded coach who preferred a conservative, run-based offense. With the Chicago Blitz of the United States Football League, the formula was unchanged from what it had been in the NFL. On May 30, 1983 the ground game lifted the Blitz to a win over the Arizona Wranglers before a sparse crowd of 13,952 at Soldier Field.

The running tandem of Kevin Long, an NFL veteran with five years of experience with the New York Jets, and rookie Tim Spencer (pictured above) keyed an attack that ran up 253 yards on the ground. It was especially welcome in that an inexperienced first-year quarterback, Tim Koegel, was getting his first start in place of 36-year-old veteran Greg Landry, who had suffered a broken ankle the week before.

Arizona, with a 4-8 record coming into the game, scored first when QB Alan Risher connected with WR Neil Balholm for a 21-yard touchdown pass play. The Wranglers went for two points and successfully converted for an 8-0 lead. Frank Corral put Chicago, 8-4 entering the contest, on the board later in the first quarter with a 40-yard field goal.

The Blitz took control in the second quarter, scoring 21 points on two more field goals by Corral, a 36-yard TD pass from Koegel to WR Trumaine Johnson that was followed by a successful two-point conversion, and a 40-yard punt return by WR Lenny Willis.

The Wranglers never got back into the game, with a 36-yard field goal by Phil Denfeld in the third quarter accounting for their remaining points. Chicago added two more field goals by Corral, a one-yard touchdown run by Spencer, and a safety to win the contest handily, 36-11. The margin could have been wider – while the veteran kicker Corral connected on four field goal attempts, he also missed three.

Long was the top rusher for the Blitz, gaining 102 yards on 19 carries. Spencer added another 90 yards on 16 attempts, including the short TD. Reserve RB Mack Boatner accounted for 47 yards on 8 runs. In all, Chicago ran the ball 50 times and averaged 5.1 yards-per-carry. Meanwhile, Koegel completed 12 of 29 passes for 202 yards with an interception and a touchdown. Trumaine Johnson had a typically solid outing, leading the receivers with 4 catches for 117 yards and a score.

The Blitz defense throttled Arizona’s offense. The Wranglers accumulated only 62 net yards of passing offense and gained 46 yards on 21 running plays. Chicago ran up five sacks, with DE Junior Ah You leading the way with two (Koegel wasn’t sacked at all). Arizona had just seven first downs (as opposed to Chicago’s 25) and was forced to punt 9 times. They also suffered 9 fumbles, losing 4 of them (the Blitz turned the ball over three times).

RB Calvin Murray led the Wranglers in rushing with 34 yards on 9 carries. Alan Risher threw 24 passes and completed 15 of them for 104 yards and the lone touchdown while having none picked off. Both Murray and RB Steve Howell caught 6 passes, with Murray’s 36 yards topping the receivers.

The Blitz, preseason favorites to dominate the USFL, failed to live up to expectations, but nevertheless concluded the regular season with a 12-6 record; that put them in second place in the Central Division behind eventual-champion Michigan due to tiebreakers. It was good enough for the lone wild card spot, but they lost to the Philadelphia Stars in the Semifinal round of the playoffs. Arizona fell to the bottom of the Pacific Division, continuing to lose the rest of the way and ending up with a 4-14 tally. Oddly enough, these franchises ended up switching locations for the 1984 season.

Both Tim Spencer and Kevin Long (pictured below) rushed for a thousand yards in ’83, with Spencer, despite nagging injuries, placing fourth in the league with 1157 yards on 300 carries (3.9 average) and six touchdowns and Long ranking sixth with 1022 yards on 262 attempts, also for a 3.9-yard average but with 12 TDs.

1983: Stars Come from Behind to Defeat Blitz

By the eleventh week of the inaugural United States Football League season, the Philadelphia Stars had put together a league-best 9-1 record. However, the Chicago Blitz, a team stocked with ex-NFL veterans and coached by George Allen, was 7-3 and, in the minds of many sportswriters, still the team to beat in the USFL.

On May 15, 1983 the Stars hosted the Blitz before 20,931 fans at Veterans Stadium, and for three quarters Chicago held the upper hand. 15-year veteran QB Greg Landry passed to WR Lenny Willis for a 24-yard first quarter touchdown. While the Stars got on the board with a 46-yard David Trout field goal and took the lead in the second quarter thanks to a 12-yard TD pass from QB Chuck Fusina to WR Tom Donovan, the Blitz went up 14-10 before halftime with a seven-yard touchdown run by RB Kevin Long.

Chicago was ahead 24-10 at the end of the third quarter, and appeared to have the game under control, after a nine-yard TD throw from Landry to WR Trumaine Johnson and a 37-yard field goal by Frank Corral.

But Philadelphia came back in the fourth quarter. First, the Stars engineered a 57-yard drive that culminated in a three-yard scoring run by star rookie RB Kelvin Bryant. LB Jon Brooks recovered a fumble on the Chicago 16 yard line that led to another touchdown run by Bryant, this from five yards out, that tied the score.

The defense made another big play on Chicago’s next possession, with LB Sam Mills (pictured above) recovering a fumble on the Blitz 19. Shortly thereafter, Fusina rolled out to his right and scrambled 17 yards for the winning touchdown. The Blitz could not come back – the final score was 31-24.


While the passing yardage was virtually identical (156 to 155 in favor of Philadelphia), the Stars outrushed the Blitz, 204 yards to 141. Kelvin Bryant had a typically strong performance, rushing for 98 yards and the two touchdowns on 23 carries. Chuck Fusina (pictured at left) completed 16 of 28 passes for 187 yards with a TD and one intercepted; crucially, he also ran for 87 yards on 12 attempts, including the winning score. WR Willie Collier was the team’s top receiver with 5 catches for 79 yards.

Chicago’s solid running game, as usual, featured Kevin Long (76 yards on 16 carries), formerly of the New York Jets, and standout rookie RB Tim Spencer (65 yards on 15 rushes). Greg Landry completed 13 of his 24 passes for 156 yards with both a TD and an interception. The other star rookie on offense, Trumaine Johnson, led the receivers with 6 catches for 82 yards and the TD.

The result was in keeping with the season’s outcome for each team. Philadelphia ended up on top of the Atlantic Division with a 15-3 record and lost the league title game to the Michigan Panthers in a close-fought 24-22 contest. Chicago wound up at 12-6, second in the Central Division to the Panthers as a result of tiebreakers. They lost to the Stars in the Semifinal round, once again due to a late comeback. The veteran team that had entered the season with such high expectations exhibited a tendency to lose leads late in the going.

Kelvin Bryant ended up second in the USFL in rushing with 1442 yards. Greg Landry ranked third in passing in the league, two ahead of Fusina, although Fusina’s 2.4 interception percentage was the lowest among qualifiers. Trumaine Johnson had the most pass receptions and yards receiving in the USFL’s first season, with 81 for 1322 yards and 10 TDs.

Significantly for the Stars, as was demonstrated by the two timely fumble recoveries in the fourth quarter, the defense had the best turnover ratio in the USFL (+35) and recovered the most fumbles (28). Fourth in total defense, they averaged the fewest points yielded (11.3 per game) of any unit in the league. Sam Mills and safety Scott Woerner were both All-League selections.

1984: Sam Harrell Runs for 200 Yards & Scores 4 TDs as Gamblers Defeat Blitz

The Houston Gamblers, new to the United States Football League in 1984, had established themselves as a potent passing team in the first two weeks of the season. Rookie QB Jim Kelly had thrown for a combined 538 yards and three touchdowns as the club lost a narrow 20-17 verdict at Tampa Bay and handily defeated the San Antonio Gunslingers, 35-7. In their third game, on March 11 at Chicago’s Soldier Field, it was RB Sam Harrell making headlines as he became the league’s first 200-yard rusher and scored four touchdowns in a high-scoring battle won by the Gamblers, 45-36.

There were just 7808 fans in attendance as the two offenses piled up 81 points, the most in any USFL game thus far. Harrell scored on runs of 7, 53, and 2 yards as he amassed an even 200 yards on 20 carries; he also scored on a 13-yard pass from Kelly. The young quarterback hit WR Ricky Sanders for a 61-yard TD that opened the scoring in the first quarter and WR Greg Moser from 33 yards in the third quarter. In the end, Kelly completed 13 of 26 passes for 229 yards with three touchdowns against a lone interception. Sanders was Houston’s top receiver with 4 receptions for 119 yards.

Chicago’s QB Vince Evans, formerly of the NFL’s Bears, had a big statistical day as he completed 22 of 36 passes for 371 yards with a touchdown and an interception; he also ran for two scores. TE Gary Lewis led the Blitz receivers with 7 pass receptions for 105 yards. The running game was not nearly as effective as Houston’s, accumulating 91 yards on 26 attempts – leading ground gainer was Larry Canada with 35 yards on 11 carries.

“This is the greatest game I’ve ever played, that I’ve ever had in my life,” said Harrell afterward. It was certainly the highlight of his season – he gained a total of 697 yards on 120 carries, averaging an impressive 5.8 yards-per-carry and scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 25 passes for 304 yards and two more scores in a year in which he missed several games due to a broken leg. He was part of an effective running tandem with Todd Fowler, who was ultimately the club’s leading rusher with 1003 yards.

The 6’2”, 225-pound Harrell had been chosen in the 11th round of the 1980 NFL draft out of East Carolina by the Minnesota Vikings, but he missed all of that season due to a hip injury and saw extremely limited action in ’81 and ’82. Released during preseason in 1983, he signed with the Gamblers and started the first eight games of ’84 until sidelined by the injury.

Head Coach Jack Pardee’s team remained committed to the innovative “run-and-shoot” passing game that allowed Jim Kelly to lead the league in attempts (587), completions (370), yards (5219), yards per attempt (8.9), and touchdown passes (44) – on the downside, he also led in interceptions (26). The Gamblers ended up with two hundred-catch receivers in wide receivers Richard Johnson (115) and Ricky Sanders (101).

Houston ended up with a 13-5 record to win the Central Division, but lost to Arizona in the first round of the playoffs. The Blitz, who were the remnant of 1983’s Arizona Wranglers team (the franchises had switched locations), were the mirror opposite, going 5-13 and ending up at the bottom of the same division.

1983: Blitz Wins USFL Debut as George Allen Returns to Washington

March 6, 1983 marked opening day for the new United States Football League (USFL), and the Washington Federals hosted the Chicago Blitz at RFK Stadium. It was something of a homecoming for Blitz Head Coach George Allen, who had coached the NFL Redskins from 1971-77.

Allen was the most prestigious of the new league’s head coaches, and thus he and the Blitz received a fair amount of attention prior to the USFL commencing its first spring season. After initially gaining notoriety as the defensive assistant for the Bears under George Halas when they won the 1963 NFL title, Allen had gone on to his first head coaching job with the Rams. Taking over a franchise that had posted six consecutive losing seasons prior to 1966, he immediately turned the team’s fortunes around and ended up with a 49-19-4 record before departing following the 1970 season. From there it was to Washington and a 69-35-1 tally that included a NFC championship in 1972. Hard-working and intense, he also was an outstanding motivator whose teams typically played with great spirit and enthusiasm.

Allen left Washington to return to the Rams for the ’78 season, but never made it through the preseason as he was replaced by Ray Malavasi. He retreated to the broadcast booth until taking on the challenge of coaching a new team in a start-up league. His arrival in Chicago heralded great expectations and, as Allen had done with the Rams and Redskins, a strong nucleus of veteran players was assembled.

QB Greg Landry (pictured below left), a 14-year NFL veteran, guided an offense that included the team’s two most significant rookie signings, WR Trumaine Johnson and RB Tim Spencer. The defense was filled with experienced players, most notably defensive ends Karl Lorch (WFL and Redskins) and Junior Ah You (CFL), DT Joe Ehrmann (Colts and Lions), LB Stan White (Colts and Lions), CB Virgil Livers (Bears), and safety Luther Bradley (Lions). Even punter/placekicker Frank Corral (Rams) was an experienced pro.


Chicago met expectations in the opener, easily defeating the Federals, 28-7. Landry directed the typically conservative but effective offense (a signature of Allen’s teams), completing 19 of 27 passes for 251 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. The rookie WR Johnson made an immediate impression, catching 11 of those passes for 158 yards and a score. Spencer led the running attack with 69 yards on 17 carries. On defense, Bradley picked off two passes and Ah You and Ehrmann each recorded a sack.

The Blitz outrushed the Federals, 143 yards to 36 (rookie RB Craig James gained 34 of those yards on 14 carries), and outpassed them 213 to 172. Washington had only three first downs in the first three quarters, didn’t score until the fourth quarter, and was forced to punt nine times.

Speculation that Chicago was the USFL’s dominant team grew to a fever pitch, although Allen attempted to calm the inflated expectations. “I don’t feel that we’ll dominate the league in any manner,” was his response, and it was proven so the following week when the Blitz gave up 18 points in the fourth quarter to blow a 29-12 lead over the Arizona Wrangers, who won 30-29.

At the end of the year, Chicago had a 12-6 record and the wild card spot in the playoffs (their record matched that of the Michigan Panthers in the Central Division, but the eventual-champion Panthers won the division title by sweeping the season series between the teams). They lost to the Philadelphia Stars in the Semifinal round. Washington, by contrast, went 4-14 and ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

The Blitz scored the most points (456) and had the third-ranked offense as well as top-ranked defense in the USFL. Trumaine Johnson topped the league with 81 catches for 1322 yards and Luther Bradley led in interceptions with 12. Allen was criticized for his offense’s predictability, and for sitting on late leads that made them vulnerable to opponents staging comebacks. However, the team suffered key injuries, losing Landry to a foot injury twelve weeks into the campaign as well as some key offensive linemen. But for the outsized expectations (and monetary losses that led the franchise to exchange locations with the Wranglers for 1984), it was a respectable showing and did nothing to damage a coaching career that landed Allen in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.