1984: Gary Anderson Scores 3 TDs as Bandits Defeat Breakers

The Tampa Bay Bandits had started slowly in the United States Football League’s second season, but after a 3-3 beginning they won six straight contests. Coached by the offensive-minded Steve Spurrier, the team was adept at both passing and running.

On May 20, 1984 the Bandits (9-3) hosted the New Orleans Breakers (8-4) in a key Southern Division matchup before a crowd of 42,592 at Tampa Stadium. The Breakers had gotten off to the better start, going 7-2 before losing two of the prior three contests.

Tampa Bay scored first, thanks to a three-yard touchdown pass from the 34-year-old veteran QB John Reaves to WR Eric Truvillion. 20-year-old rookie RB Marcus Dupree tied the score for the Breakers near the end of the opening period on a one-yard run. The lead changed hands twice in the second quarter as Tim Mazzetti put New Orleans ahead 10-7 with a 31-yard field goal, followed by a two-yard TD run by Tampa Bay’s multi-talented RB Gary Anderson (pictured above), which was in turn followed by another Dupree one-yard touchdown carry that gave the Breakers a 17-14 advantage at halftime.

New Orleans turnovers in the third quarter proved crucial. The first was recovered by Tampa Bay LB Kelly Kirchbaum at the Breakers 20 yard line and resulted in a game-tying field goal by Zenon Andrusyshyn. On the very next New Orleans possession, it was DB Dwayne Anderson recovering a fumble for the Bandits, again deep in Breakers territory at the 30. This time it resulted in a touchdown as Gary Anderson ran for a three-yard score and 24-17 lead.

Mazzetti kicked a 19-yard field goal just over four minutes into the fourth quarter to narrow the margin, but Anderson’s third touchdown of the day, on a two-yard run with just under two minutes left to play, capped Tampa Bay’s 31-20 win.


Marcus Dupree was the game’s leading rusher, with 104 yards on 18 carries, while RB Buford Jordan contributed another 53 yards on 12 attempts as the Breakers outran the Bandits, 160 yards to 137. FB Greg Boone led Tampa Bay with 61 yards on 14 rushes while Gary Anderson, who scored all three of his TDs on the ground, had 57 yards on 16 carries. However, as an outstanding receiver out of the backfield as well as runner, Anderson gained 74 yards on 6 catches.

John Reaves had a typically solid passing performance, completing 23 of 32 throws for 276 yards with a TD and an interception. Eric Truvillion led the Bandits with 7 catches for 80 yards and a score. Meanwhile, John Walton connected on 19 of 32 passes for 258 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. WR Frank Lockett had an outstanding game with 5 pass receptions for 127 yards.

Neither team dominated the statistics, with Tampa Bay enjoying slight advantages in first downs (22 to 20) and time of possession (30:09 to 29:51). Both squads fumbled the ball away three times, but the Bandits better capitalized on their opportunities. Neither quarterback was sacked (not a surprise in the case of the Breakers, who allowed Walton to be sacked only 13 times all season).

Tampa Bay ended up with a 14-4 record, placing second in the Southern Division to Birmingham due to tiebreakers but losing to the Stallions in the first playoff round. New Orleans limped to an 8-10 mark to finish third in the division. Having moved from Boston after the ’83 season, the Breakers relocated to Portland, Oregon for 1985.

Gary Anderson gained 1008 yards rushing on 268 carries (3.8 average) with 19 touchdowns; he also caught 66 passes for another 682 yards and two more TDs. A sore hamstring ultimately hobbled Marcus Dupree, who compiled 684 yards on 145 carries (4.7 average) with 9 touchdowns.

John Reaves, who had been a disappointment in the NFL but a prolific USFL passer, ranked fourth in passing, including second in yards (4092) and completions (313) and third in TD passes (28). John Walton, a 36-year-old veteran of the Continental, World, and National Football Leagues, finished out his career with 3554 yards passing and 17 TDs to 19 interceptions.

Eric Truvillion had a second strong season as he caught 70 passes for 1044 yards (14.9 average) with 9 touchdowns. Frank Lockett snagged fewer passes (56) but for more yards (1199) and a 21.4 average with 8 TDs.

1983: John Walton Throws for 423 Yards as Breakers Fall to Panthers

35-year-old QB John Walton had made the rounds of minor and major pro football leagues prior to becoming a member of the Boston Breakers of the United States Football League in 1983. He had won a Continental Football League championship as a rookie with the Indianapolis Capitols in 1969 and spent a year with the Columbus Barons of the Midwest Football League in ’73. In between, he was on the taxi squad of the NFL’s Rams.

Walton moved on to the World Football League - after backing up in Chicago in 1974, he got a chance to start and performed well with the San Antonio Wings in 1975. From there, it was back to the NFL and a backup role with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976-79. At that point he retired as a player and returned to his alma mater, Elizabeth City State, where he was the head coach for three seasons before taking a shot at the USFL (his coaching record was 20-10-1).

Everywhere Walton went he had impressed with his strong throwing arm, and age had not diminished his passing ability. He also provided leadership; as Head Coach Dick Coury put it, “Talk about character, John’s the catalyst of that on the field.”

The Breakers had a 5-3 record as they hosted the Michigan Panthers (4-4) on May 1, 1983 at Nickerson Field. The Panthers had won three straight after a slow start, and scored the first touchdown when TE Don Echols recovered a fumble in the end zone. Boston scored 10 points in the second quarter as Walton passed to WR Nolan Franz for a 44-yard touchdown and Tim Mazzetti booted a 38-yard field goal. However, Michigan led 14-10 at the half thanks to a five-yard TD pass from QB Bobby Hebert to TE Mike Cobb.

The Panthers extended their lead to 21-10 in the fourth quarter as Hebert threw another TD pass, this one covering 47 yards to WR Anthony Carter. However, Walton drove the Breakers back into the lead with two touchdown throws to RB Anthony Steels that covered one and 13 yards, respectively. Boston had a 24-21 lead, but the storybook performance by Walton failed to have a happy ending; a shanked punt by Dario Casarino gave the Panthers good field position at the Breakers 43 yard line, and with under two minutes left to play, RB John Williams plowed over for a touchdown and the lead for the Panthers.

Walton and Boston still nearly pulled the game out. Taking possession at their own 22 yard line, the Breakers drove to the Michigan three. However, Boston was unable to stop the clock at that point and time ran out. The Panthers won, 28-24.

The veteran quarterback put on an impressive passing display in defeat, completing 37 of 48 passes for 423 yards with three TDs and no interceptions; the yardage figure was the highest of the ’83 USFL season. He also spread the ball around well, and several receivers had noteworthy performances: WR Frank Lockett and RB Richard Crump caught the most passes, with 8 apiece for 85 and 66 yards respectively, while Nolan Franz gained the most yards, 103, on six catches with the one TD. FB Tony Davis caught 6 passes for 65 yards, while veteran WR Charlie Smith (who had been a teammate of Walton’s with the NFL’s Eagles) had 4 catches for 75 yards. Anthony Steels, who caught the last two touchdown throws, had 5 receptions for 29 yards.

Michigan outgained the Breakers on the ground, 121 yards to 65, as RB Ken Lacy led the way with 55 yards on 16 carries and John Williams added 41 yards on 13 attempts, including the winning TD. Tony Davis, by contrast, led the Breakers with 26 yards on seven attempts.

Bobby Hebert completed 17 of 26 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns; like Walton, he had none picked off. Elite rookie Anthony Carter gained 77 yards on three catches with a TD while Mike Cobb led the club with 5 catches (for 53 yards).

There was plenty of sloppy play along the way, as the teams combined for 27 penalties (14 by Michigan, 13 by the Breakers for more yards).

Boston ended up with an 11-7 record, finishing in second place in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers surged to a 12-6 finish, and thanks to tiebreakers won the Central Division title over the Chicago Blitz. They also won the first USFL championship, defeating the Philadelphia Stars.

John Walton ranked first in the league in pass attempts (589), second in completions (330) and yards (3772), and tied for third in touchdown passes (20). However, it was the unheralded rookie, Bobby Hebert, ranking first among USFL passers in leading the Panthers to the title; he also topped the league in yards per attempt (7.9) and touchdown passes (27).