1984: Express Defeat Panthers in 3rd Overtime Period

The United States Football League first round playoff matchup on June 30, 1984 at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles featured two teams that completed the regular season with 10-8 records. The host Express, champions of the Pacific Division, were up against the Michigan Panthers, the defending league champions who had finished second in the Central Division and qualified for the postseason as a wild card entry.

The Panthers, under Head Coach Jim Stanley, had looked bound to win the title again as they broke out to a 6-0 start. However, the loss of key players to injury - in particular WR Anthony Carter, SS David Greenwood, and G Thom Dornbrook - caused the club to sputter. Michigan proceeded to lose four consecutive games, and seven of eight, before winning three of the last four contests to make it into the playoffs. QB Bobby Hebert, who had played so well as a rookie in ’83 in leading the team to the title, was still effective but was forced to play through injuries and clearly missed the presence of Carter as his primary receiver after the sixth game.

Los Angeles had started slowly at 2-5 under Head Coach John Hadl and had difficulty putting points on the board. However, the insertion of rookie Steve Young (pictured above) as the starting quarterback began to pay off in the second half of the season, and the team went 8-3 the rest of the way to win the league’s weakest division.

The Express had experienced difficulty in drawing fans, and even though it was a playoff game there were just 7964 in attendance at the huge Coliseum. LA scored first, keeping the ball on the ground for seven of ten plays in an opening drive that concluded with a five-yard touchdown run by RB Kevin Nelson, the club’s leading rusher during the season.

That was it until midway through the second quarter when the Express extended the lead to 10-0 thanks to a 32-yard field goal by Tony Zendejas. Michigan got on the board late in the period on a three-yard TD run by RB Cleo Miller and then scored quickly again after intercepting a Young pass that was followed by a 22-yard touchdown throw from Hebert to RB Ken Lacy. The Panthers took a 14-10 lead into halftime.

Zendejas narrowed the margin to 14-13 late in the third quarter with a 34-yard field goal. However, Hebert threw a two-yard touchdown pass to TE Mike Cobb in the fourth quarter to stake the Panthers to an eight-point lead.

With 8:57 left in regulation, LA took possession at its 20 yard line. On first down, Young looked set to pass but took off on a seven-yard run. He didn’t slide at the end of the play, attempting to pick up more yardage, and was hit hard by Michigan LB Kyle Borland. Appearing dazed by the hit, the rookie quarterback ignored a request by Coach Hadl to leave the game and trotted back to the huddle – an act that seemed to inspire the offense.

RB Mel Gray carried for six yards and a first down on the next play, and a screen pass to WR JoJo Townsell picked up nine more. The drive stalled on the Panthers 47, but on a fourth-and-one play Young ran for four yards before taking yet another hard hit, this time from FS Ron Osborne. He followed up with a 22-yard pass to TE Darren Long and then, on a third down play at the Michigan 12, took off on another run that ended just short of the goal line. From there, Nelson scored with just 52 seconds remaining. The Express went for the two-point conversion and Young ran it in to tie the contest at 21-21.

The game went into overtime, and for two periods neither team could break the deadlock. Michigan’s normally reliable placekicker, Novo Bojovic, who had been successful on 22 of 29 field goal attempts during the season, missed twice during OT – the first a near-miss from 37 yards out while the second, from 36 yards, was badly shanked. Hebert had been knocked out of the game after being blind-sided while sacked by DT Eddie Weaver and was replaced by backup Whit Taylor.

The Express offense couldn’t move during the first 30 minutes of overtime, but finally in the third OT period Young hit Townsell on two slant passes that totaled 47 yards and Gray ended the contest with a 24-yard burst for a touchdown. It was a painful end to the marathon game for Gray, who was hit hard as he reached the goal line and suffered a broken arm that had him lying on the field in pain rather than celebrating.

At 93 minutes and 33 seconds (the winning score came at 3:33 into the third overtime period), it had been the longest pro football game ever played, breaking the 82:40 mark of the 1971 NFL Divisional playoff between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. As John Hadl summed up afterward, “I’ve never been through anything like that in my life.”


Steve Young completed 23 of 44 passes for 295 yards with two interceptions, ran for 44 yards on 7 carries, and received praise for his gritty performance, particularly in the game-tying drive in the fourth quarter. Mel Gray (pictured at right), who would go on to an outstanding NFL career as a kick returner, rushed for 124 yards on 31 carries including the game-winning TD. JoJo Townsell led the LA receivers with five catches for 96 yards; TE David Hersey also caught five passes, for 68 yards.

In defeat, Bobby Hebert completed 13 of 27 pass attempts for 201 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. RB John Williams gained 113 yards on 23 carries while Ken Lacy added 60 yards on five rushes. Lacy was co-leader in pass receiving with four catches for 57 yards and WR Derek Holloway had four receptions for a team-leading 67 yards.

Both teams topped 200 rushing yards, with Michigan outgaining the Express 236 to 217. The Express had the net passing yardage advantage at 285 to 245 and also led in time of possession, 51:59 to 41:34. The Panthers suffered four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble) to LA’s three (two interceptions, one fumble). But the kicking game proved crucial, as Tony Zendejas was successful in both of his field goal attempts for the Express while Novo Bojovic missed all three of his attempted three-pointers for Michigan, including the two failures in overtime (Bojovic is pictured at bottom after one of the missed attempts).

The Express lost the Western Conference title game to the Arizona Wranglers the following week, 35-23. The marathon game proved to be the finale for the Michigan Panthers, although it wasn’t known at the time – the franchise was merged with the Oakland Invaders in 1985 and abandoned the Michigan home base and identity altogether.

1984: Steve Young Debuts with USFL’s LA Express

The April 1, 1984 matchup between the Los Angeles Express (2-3) and visiting New Jersey Generals (4-1) at the Memorial Coliseum before a small crowd of 19,853 didn’t provide any surprises; the Generals won handily, 26-10. But it did mark the first professional start for QB Steve Young, who had signed a 10-year, $40 million contract to join the USFL club after an outstanding career at Brigham Young.

The Express had failed to score more than 14 points in any of its first five contests, with Tom Ramsey and Frank Seurer splitting time at quarterback, and were ripe for an infusion of new talent. Young gave them that, completing 19 of 29 passes for 163 yards with a TD and an interception and also leading the club in rushing with 32 yards on six carries. His first pro touchdown pass was a nine yard toss to fellow rookie WR JoJo Townsell late in the second quarter, and at one point he completed nine consecutive throws.

“Steve is going to be a great quarterback,” said LA’s Head Coach John Hadl afterward. “He went up against one of the best defenses in the league and performed well. I like his leadership. He saw some things on the field that another quarterback wouldn’t see for a year.”

With his outstanding mobility to complement his passing, Young put together a solid rookie season. He completed 57.7 % of his 310 passes for 2361 yards with 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions and ran for 515 yards on 79 attempts for a healthy 6.5-yard average and seven TDs. Moreover, he rallied the Express to a 10-8 record and the Pacific Division title. After averaging 10.7 points and 296.8 yards per game over the first five contests, the Express averaged 22.9 points and 338 yards the rest of the way.

It was a rather ordinary performance for the Generals, with star RB Herschel Walker gaining just 59 yards on 16 rushing attempts but scoring on a 50-yard pass play from QB Brian Sipe as he accumulated 66 receiving yards on three catches. The Generals outgained the Express on the ground, 111 yards to 56.

The 34-year-old veteran Sipe, a high-profile signee from the NFL’s Cleveland Browns who had started slowly in the USFL due to injury, completed 13 of 21 passes for 219 yards with two touchdowns. It was a solid outing for him as well, and afterward he commented, “This was probably my best game. I felt more comfortable than I have felt so far. And it was nice to see us do a lot of different things. My knee injury was a real setback to me, but each week, I seem to feel more and more comfortable.”

New Jersey went 14-4 for the season, finishing in second place in the Atlantic Division and qualifying for a wild card playoff spot. They lost convincingly in the first postseason round to the team that finished ahead of them in the division (and went on to win the USFL title), the Philadelphia Stars.

The greater significance of the game, however, which lasted far beyond the ’84 season and the USFL itself, was the beginning of Steve Young’s 17-season career (two in the USFL, 15 in the NFL) that ultimately earned enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1995: 49ers Return to Top, Defeat Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX

After winning four Super Bowls in the 1980s, stretching from the 1981 to ’89 seasons, the San Francisco 49ers had come up short in the years from 1990 to ’93. They had not won fewer than 10 games, but had lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship games following the 1992 and ’93 seasons.

By 1994, the 49ers had retooled significantly since first rising to prominence in 1981. Head Coach Bill Walsh, builder of the dynasty, was gone, as was QB Joe Montana. So were others who had starred along the way, such as RB Roger Craig, WR Dwight Clark, and safety Ronnie Lott.

The ’94 49ers were still under Walsh’s successor, Head Coach George Seifert, who had led the team to its last championship in 1989, his first year at the helm. QB Steve Young (pictured above) had emerged from Montana’s shadow to lead the NFL in passing for the fourth consecutive season (with a then-record 112.8 rating) as well as touchdown passes (35), touchdown percentage (7.6), completion percentage (70.3), and yards per attempt (8.6); his 3969 yards ranked fourth. As he had been for Montana, WR Jerry Rice was Young’s favorite target, leading the league with 1499 yards on his 112 catches with 13 TDs. RB Ricky Watters had emerged to gain 1596 yards from scrimmage (877 rushing, 719 receiving). The defense featured DT Dana Stubblefield, flashy CB Deion Sanders, and safeties Merton Hanks and Tim McDonald.

San Francisco compiled a 13-3 record in winning the NFC West, easily defeated the Bears in the Divisional playoff round, and finally got past the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game by a 38-28 margin.

Opposing the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX were the San Diego Chargers, who had stunned the favored Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC title game. The Chargers, under Head Coach Bobby Ross, had gone 11-5 in winning the AFC West. Stan Humphries , while hardly an elite quarterback, played through injuries, had a strong arm, and provided good leadership. RB Natrone Means contributed 1350 yards rushing. LB Junior Seau and DE Leslie O’Neal anchored a defense that was especially effective against the run.

The 49ers were favored as the teams met for the championship on January 29, 1995 before 74,107 fans at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. They wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Young threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Rice just three plays into the game. On their next possession, they scored again, this time taking only four plays when Young passed to Watters for a 51-yard TD.

The Chargers showed poise, however, as they controlled the ball for over seven minutes and went 78 yards in 13 plays to score on a one-yard run by Means. Still, the San Diego defense couldn’t stop San Francisco’s offense, as the Niners went up by 21-7 on yet another touchdown pass by Young, this time of five yards to FB William Floyd.

Just under five minutes before halftime, Young threw his fourth TD pass of the game, connecting with Watters for a second time from eight yards out. John Carney kicked a 31-yard field goal for the Chargers and the score stood at 28-10 at the half.

The Niners pulled away in the third quarter, with Watters scoring his third touchdown on a nine-yard run and Young connecting with Rice for a 15-yard score. San Diego WR Andre Coleman returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and the Chargers successfully converted a two-point PAT on a Humphreys pass to WR Mark Seay. But at 42-18, there was little doubt as to the outcome.

Young set a Super Bowl record with his sixth touchdown pass, hitting Rice for the third time from seven yards out. San Diego scored one last time, on a 30-yard pass play from Humphries to WR Tony Martin, and after another successful two-point conversion, the final score was 49-26.


The 49ers outgained the Chargers by 455 yards to 354. Steve Young was the game’s MVP as he completed 24 of 36 passes for 325 yards with the six TDs and no interceptions. Jerry Rice (pictured at bottom) led the receivers with 10 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Young was actually the leading rusher as well, with 49 yards on five carries, but Ricky Watters (pictured) gained 47 yards with his 15 attempts, including a TD, and also had another 61 yards and two scores on three pass receptions.

As for San Diego, Stan Humphries went to the air 49 times, completed 24 for 275 yards and had a TD, but also threw two interceptions. Natrone Means was held to 33 yards on 13 attempts. Ronnie Harmon, used primarily as a pass receiver out of the backfield, had 8 receptions for 68 yards while Mark Seay accumulated 75 yards on 7 catches.

It was a great performance by San Francisco in becoming the first team to win five Super Bowls (joined the next year by Dallas, but since passed by Pittsburgh with a fifth and sixth). Steve Young proved himself as a championship-caliber quarterback, on his way to joining Joe Montana in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 49ers were in the playoffs for the next four seasons, although they didn’t reach the Super Bowl in any of them. San Diego dropped to 9-7 in 1995, still making the postseason as a wild card team and losing in the first round; the Chargers then fell into a long, eight-year playoff dry spell.