JANUARY 2, 1967
PRO FOOTBALL GROWS AGAIN
Atlanta and Milwaukee Bring AFA/NFA To 24 TeamsFootball's popularity continued to soar with a number of cities clamoring for expansion clubs. The American Football Association and National Football Association each added one time prior to the 1966 season to bring the loops to 24 teams and there were plenty of rumblings that more would be on the way. The two newcomers would be the Milwaukee Stags, who will join the AFA's East Division, boosting that group to a whooping eight teams, along with the Atlanta Firebirds. The Firebirds would become the fifth member of the NFA's East Division.
Milwaukee had a rough go of things playing in perhaps the toughest division in the sport. The Stags went 2-12 and finished last in the East but perhaps they set themselves up well for the future with the selection of quarterback Russ Burgess with the second pick in the draft. The Central Ohio starter led the Aviators to three straight Classic game appearances and had them ranked second in the nation each of the past two seasons although he did miss a good chunk of his senior campaign with an injury. He started 9 games as a rookie and had his struggles at times but he, along with fellow rookie Bill Davis, a halfback out of Ferguson, gained valuable experience.
Four straight wins to end the season gave the Pittsburgh Paladins top spot in the East at 10-4, a game ahead of the defending champion Boston Americans who struggled down the stretch with two losses in their final four outings. It was quite a turnaround for the Paladins who won just five games a year ago and had not made the playoffs in 13 years. Pittsburgh got off to a hot 5-1 start, although much of it was overlooked as the local sports fans were focused on the baseball Miners pennant run and World Championship Series. Following the disappointment of yet another Miners WCS failure -they have not won a title since 1901- focus was squarely on the Paladins and a breakout season from third year back High Brasfield, who ran for a career best 1,317 yards. Even with Brasfield's big year the Pittsburgh offense was average at best. The Paladins defense was another story with 4 Pittsburgh defenders making the All-Pro Game after the club surrendered the fewest points and least rushing yards in the AFA.
Boston probably ended up with a better record than they should have as the club certainly struggled at times and was doomed by late season road losses to the Los Angeles Tigers and Houston Drillers. Bob McKoon, who played very well in the title season, lost his job at quarterback to his former back-up Willie Matthews, and Matthews struggled mightily. Veteran Kevin Sova (1,183 yds rushing) was still a steady back but this was clearly a down year for the Americans.
Washington, at 8-5-1, nosed out a pair of 8-6 teams in New York and Buffalo for third place. For the sixth year Red Jackets the 8-6 finish marked their first showing over .500 and much of the credit for that goes to fourth year halfback Tom Fraley, who finished second behind only Harmon Harrod of Minnesota in rushing and was named the Player of the Year.
Cleveland, which hasn't made the playoffs since 1947, continued to struggle as the Finches 6-7-1 Finches have finished over .500 just once since 1955. Philadelphia continued to slide, going from a playoff berth two years ago to 7-7 last season and now finished in seventh place at 4-10 ahead of only expansion Milwaukee in the East Division. It also marked the first time in six years that halfback Doug Lucy failed to top the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the Frigates.
*** Ramblers Class of West Division ***
1966 marked the fifth consecutive year that either the St. Louis Ramblers or Houston Drillers led the way in the West Division and once more it was a battle between the two rivals, although the Kansas City Cowboys attempted to crash the party. The Ramblers, league champs in 1963 and 1964, finished in top spot at 11-3 thanks to the most productive offense in the league. St. Louis benefitted from a strong season from Matt Harris in his first season as full-time quarterback. The 1964 first round selection threw for 1,434 yards with veteran end William Robertson, who caught 35 passes for 643 yards, becoming his favourite target. Halfback Jeff Pierini took much of the heat off of the passing game as the Ramblers kept defenses guessing with Pierini rushing for a career best 1,366 yards.
Houston had plenty of talent on both sides of the ball with quarterback Miller Bogert (2,163 yds passing), receiver Dan Hackbarth (595 yds receiving) and second year halfback Vern Rebovich (1,204 rushing) leading the offense. The defense, of course, was built around Joh Padgett who tied for the AFA sack lead with 17 and was named Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in his six year career. An awful early season 13-10 loss to expansion Milwaukee had the Ramblers in chase mode and they simply could not keep up with St. Louis.
Kansas City football fans have not had a lot to cheer about, not since the days of Pat Chappell well over a decade ago, but maybe things are on the upswing as their 9-5 record was the best the club has produced since 1951. A big reason for the turn around was the showing of rookie defensive end Bobby Barrell Jr. The son of the baseball Hall of Famer tied for the sack lead with 17 and was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
San Francisco finished fourth at 8-6 in what was the Wings best showing since a 9-3 campaign in 1957. Los Angeles meandered through a 6-8 season despite big seasons from quarterback Morton Swenson and third year linebacker Ed Hardy with Chicago and Detroit rounding out the division. The sixth place Wildcats went 5-9 while the Maroons, who seem to have holes everywhere and look worse than an expansion team, won just one game all season and surprisingly it was over Kansas City.
*** Miami, Minnesota Set Pace in NFA ***
The National Football Association completed its third season and the level of play does seem to be improving. The loop never lacked for excitement with plenty of offense and that continued this season with the return to form of Harmon Harrod. Detroit's 1960 fourth round pick out of St. Magnus never could earn regular playing time with the Maroons but joined Minnesota in 1964 and rushed for 1,938 yards and 18 touchdowns. Injuries slowed him a year ago but Harrod was back and at the top of his game again this season and he led pro football with 1,866 yards on the ground. His work helped Minnesota lead the West Division with an 11-3 record.
After going 11-3 each of their first two seasons the Los Angeles Olympians slipped to 8-6 this time around but held off Denver for second place. The San Diego Admirals are nothing if not consistent as they finished with a 3-11 record for the third consecutive season.
The Miami Mariners, led by the solid quarterback work of Steve Giles and a terrific pass defense won the East Division for the second time in three years while compiling a 12-2 record. The defending NFA champion New York Titans and the Cincinnati Rivermen tied for second at 7-7, just a game ahead of an impressive debut for the expansion Atlanta Firebirds. The Dallas Stallions brought up the rear in the East for the third year in a row and the franchise all-time record is now just 6-36.
PLAYOFFS
The Pittsburgh Paladins were playing in their first AFA championship game since 1951 while the St. Louis Ramblers were in the title game for the third time in the past four years. Experience did not matter much early as the clubs battled through a tight first half that concluded with the Paladins holding a slim 14-10 lead.
The Pittsburgh defense took over in the second half with 3 sacks of St. Louis quarterback Matt Harris and a huge interception that Jerry Worcester returned for a touchdown in the closing minutes to put the game away. Pittsburgh held the Ramblers scoreless after the break and went on to win the game by a 34-10 count. It marked the fourth time the Paladins have won the AFA title.
The NFA title game was very similar in that the Miami Mariners took over control in the second half and went on to win 22-14. The Lakers have played in all three NFA championship games, beating Miami in the inaugural event, but now have lost the last two.
AFA-NFA CLASSIC GAME
For what is believed to be the first time in pro football history the championship game required overtime. The NFA had never won in the three years the new loop has challenged the champion of the long-running AFA but the Miami Mariners certainly made this one interesting. The Mariners led 20-10 with six minutes remaining in regulation but ended up falling by a 23-30 count when Pittsburgh Paladins kicker Mike Purnell was successful on a game winning 32-yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining in the first overtime. It was Purnell's third successful field goal in the game including a 42-yarder with 2:55 left in regulation to force the overtime.
As the fourth quarter progressed it looked like Miami might earn the first victory for the National Conference. The Mariners led 20-10 but with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth period, Pittsburgh defender Pat Lamb recovered a fumble by Miami receiver Bill Jenks at the Mariners 31 yard line. Seven players later the Paladins Larry Babyak scored on a six-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 20-17. The Pittsburgh defense forced a quick three and out by Miami and following a nice punt return by Frankie James the Paladins ended up in field goal range where Purnell made no mistake and tied the contest.
Bob Ferguson, the Pittsburgh linebacker who had 16 tackles and was named the playoff MVP, made a huge stop on a Miami fourth and short in overtime to help set up the game winning field goal and give the Paladins the victory.
SAINTS WIN FIRST GRID TITLE SINCE '47
Perfect 12-0 Season Puts St Blane Back On Top
It was a long time coming but the St. Blane Fighting Saints are once more at the top of the collegiate football pile. The Saints completed a perfect 12-0 season with a 21-10 victory over Plains Athletic Association champion Eastern Kansas in the Sunshine Classic and finish the season ranked number one for the first time since 1947.
Eight times in an eleven year span beginning with the first of back-to-back unbeaten national title wins in 1946, St Blane finished the season ranked in the top ten. In a four year stretch they went 34-2-1 and were a fixture on the New Years Day calendar. It felt like the Saints run at the top of the collegiate table would never end....until it did.
In 1956 St. Blane finished 9-2 and ranked 5th in the nation, closing out their season with a 28-3 victory over Lubbock State in the Lone Star Classic on New Years Day. Few imagined at the time it would be the last New Years Day appearance for St. Blane in a decade as the Saints dipped to 7-3 the following season and did not appear in the top twenty of the final polls over the next eight years. The Saints record over that stretch was 51-31, certainly nothing to sneeze at but far off their pace the previous decade where they went on an 81-15-4 run. This was a school that had produced three Christian Trophy Winners in Mike O'Rourke, Ricky McCallister and Bobby Leonard, two Ipswich Trophy winners in Jack O'Sullivan and Finn O'Boyle along with more All-Americans than you could count. Only the mighty Rome State team of the same era would be in a class comparable to that of the Fighting Saints.
In 1957 the Saints dipped to 7-3 and missed a New Years invitation for the first time in the 1950s. Aging coach Virgil Dragon had done wonders with the Saints, particularly on the recruiting side, but this turned out to be more than just a one year hiccup. Under Dragon they went 7-3 again in 1958 and then followed that up with three consecutive four loss seasons. When they bottomed out at 5-5 in 1962 the aging Dragon retired and Frank Dugger was hired despite having struggled at St. Ignatius.
It would take some time but Dugger got the Saints to 7-4 in 1964 and they finally returned to the top twenty, finishing the season ranked 18th. Still no Classic Game invite but that changed a year ago when the Saints, led by a terrific couple of recruiting classes, finished 10-2 and won the Bayside Classic, defeating Western Iowa 34-13 and finished fifth in the polls.
Big things were expected from Dugger and the Saints this year and they delivered. Right from the get go as they opened with a tough game right off the bat, hosting a Georgia Baptist team that would go on to finish 7-4 and ranked 15th in the nation. St Blane beat the Gators 17-7 behind the strength of a 137-yard rushing day from sophomore halfback Charlie MacBean. MacBean would go on to rush for 1,400 yards, just 61 shy of the school record, while also establishing a modern Saints record for rushing touchdowns with 15. They also enjoyed great success through the air as quarterback Jack Denson, another sophomore, enjoyed a terrific season.
The Saints dealt with some tight games including back to back three point wins over Chicago Poly and Commonwealth Catholic but they finished with their first perfect season since 1947, and now are the proud owners of their third National Title.
*** Mavericks Surprise of the Deep South ***
St Blane was not the only school that benefitted from young talent. Pre-1940 records a spotty but it is believed that Northern Mississippi won the Deep South Conference title for the first time in school history and played on New Years Day for the first time ever. The Mavericks went 11-1, fielding a young roster full of underclassmen include sophomore quarterback Duane Gray and finished ranked 2nd in the nation after cracking the top twenty the previous year (18th) for the first time since being ranked 20th in a war-shortened 1944 season.
The Deep South is considered the toughest conference in the AIAA and has produced the national champion in six of the last eleven seasons, a fact that left many in the south suggesting rather vociferously that the Mavericks and not St Blane should have been ranked #1. Sure the Fighting Saints did not lose, they conceded, but the Northern Mississippi schedule was far more difficult and included wins over ranked teams Detroit City College, Bayou State and Noble Jones College with the lone blemish a hard-luck 15-13 loss on the road to Georgia Baptist in a game the Mavericks did not surrender a touchdown and came within a missed fourth quarter two-point conversion of forcing overtime.
Detroit City College may have lost to Northern Mississippi but the Knights did finish 8-4 including 7-1 in Great Lakes Alliance play which allowed them to return to Santa Ana for the East-West Classic for the first time since 1961. A 33-10 victory in the Motor City over Central Ohio in their annual Thanksgiving weekend matchup proved the difference and earned DCC the conference title despite both schools losing once in section play. The Knights improved to 5-1 all-time in the East-West Classic with a 30-6 drubbing of West Coast Athletic Association flag winner Portland Tech, marking the second year in a row the Magpies came up short in Santa Ana.
It was a down year for the WCAA as none of the eight schools in the conference finished ranked in the top 25 and none won more than seven games. Coastal California, led by the nation's passing leader in junior William Scott, went 5-2 to tie the Magpies for top spot in the WCAA but a 31-20 loss in Portland was the tie-breaking difference to send the Magpies back to the East-West Classic for what was the 51st edition of the oldest classic game in college football.
The Academia Alliance continues to surprise but this time it was Dickson College doing the leg work. The Maroons would cap a 9-1 season with a 31-17 victory over Chicago Poly in the Lone Star Classic, earning the school the fifth spot in the final polls and comes on the heels of two perfect 10-0 seasons from Academia Alliance foe Grafton in the past four seasons. A school from the AA had not won a national title since George Fox turned the trick in 1928, but Dickson and Grafton combined to make it three top five finishes in the past four years for the section. You have to go back to 1957 when Dickson ended up 6th for the last time an Academia Alliance school cracked the top ten.
In the South Atlantic Conference, the Maryland State Bengals put together their best season since their national champion 10-1 squad of 1961. The Bengals went 11-1 with a late turnover against Charleston Tech leading to the only loss as in a 29-27 defeat at the hands of Admirals, otherwise we may be celebrating a second Bengals national title. A 34-13 thumping of Deep South power Western Florida in the Cajun Classic was certainly an emphatic finish to Maryland State's season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES
- William Scott of Coastal California led the nation in passing yardage (1,332) and touchdown tosses (13) but he missed out on All-American status because Rob Winkowski, a sophomore quarterback at Petersburg, had a dominant season in his own way. Winkowski was less of a passer -he threw the ball just 60 times in 11 games- than he was a second halfback, finishing among the AIAA ball carrier leaders with 1,553 yards on the ground. He also called his own number for 14 touchdown runs.
- Continuing a longstanding trend of a terrific twosome in their backfield was the Rome State Centurions. The military academy has had some great rushing tandems and produced four Christian Trophy winners including current honoree Kermit Reynolds. The sophomore led the nation with 1,888 yards rushing and second place belonged to his teammate Melvin Garland, a senior who carried the ball for 1,778 yards. Each scored 12 touchdowns for the 7-4 Centurions.
- As a sophomore on the grid, Tom Bowens Jr. is starting to show the same prowess he did as a freshman on the basketball court. Bowens Jr., son of the current CC Los Angeles football coach and former AFA receiving star, made the WCAA all-freshmen team in basketball last season and will be heavily counted on by the Coyotes cagers again this season but spent most of his time in the fall watching from the bench. That changed his sophomore season as Bowens started all eleven games and made 21 catches after making just one as a freshman. His dad needs Junior to continue to progress as the Coyotes went 5-6, their third straight losing season and have not played on New Years since 1959.
- Eastern Oklahoma freshman Julius Thomas had quite an introduction to the college game. In the season opener, a 23-13 victory for the Pioneers of Central Carolina, Thomas set an AIAA record with a 99-yard punt return. Sadly, he did not score on the play as he was caught on the 1-yard line, but the Pioneers would get a touchdown two plays later. Later in the season Bryan Foley of Redwood would also have a 99-yard punt return. The previous record was 98 established by Brunswick's Steve Pier in 1962.
ROBINSON CONTINUES TO RULE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
The powerful Los Angeles born heavyweight Norm Robinson continues to rule over his division with an iron fist. The 31-year-old champion made four more successful title defenses in 1966 and, just like his three defenses a year ago, none of them required Robinson to go the full 15 rounds.
The last time Robinson was pushed the distance was in the fall of 1964 when he scored a clear decision over Steve Leivers to wrestle the American Boxing Federation world title away from the Brit. In 1965 he scored knockout or TKO wins over Walt Phillips, Bill Mayville and Jim Hatfield and added four more victims to his list this year beginning with an 8th round TKO over New Englander Harry Rankin in Las Vegas in mid-January. It marked Rankin's second title shot but the 27-year-old is now 0-2 with the belt on the line and 32-4 overall after being stopped by Robinson.
Next up for the champ was a bout in his hometown of Los Angeles in May against Elvin Caldwell. It should have been an easy night for the champ and he did end it when he floored Caldwell in the 10th round but Robinson got into trouble when he walked into a hard right hand from the Alabama fighter and was sent to the canvas himself in the eighth round. It was the first time Robinson had been knocked down in four and a half years but all that did was serve to get his attention and the champ ended things in the 10th, a round he completely dominated and one that ended with Caldwell out cold on the canvas.
He would beat former champ George Galleshaw, avenging the loss Robinson took to the Syracuse native with the title on the line back in 1960 when Robinson was young, cocky and a perfect 26-0 entering the fight, but clearly not yet ready for the likes of Galleshaw. There was no question of Robinson's readiness on this August night at New York's Bigsby Garden and fight fans were sent home early when Robinson knocked out the former champ in the fourth round.
Robinson finished off his year with a 7th round knockout of Jorge German in the Argentine's American debut in December. That title defense, Robinson's seventh, puts the current champ into select company as only three heavyweights have made more consecutive title defenses without a loss than Robinson. They would be the legendary Hector Sawyer (18), Joey Tierney (11) and Alvin Carbey (11).
*** Changes atop Middle and Welterweight Divisions ***
While Robinson gave some continuity to the heavyweight class the middleweights and welterweights each saw 1966 as a year of transition. Brandon Dart, the Welsh born by New York raised welterweight who had held his title just as long as Robinson ruled the heavyweights, saw his reign come to an end just last month when fighting in London, England the 27-year-old Dart was upset when Mark Nock scored an 11th round TKO victory.
The middleweight division tossed the title around like it was a hot potato. No one seemed to want it. George Quisenberry lasted just two rounds in his first defense of the year as, after being warned for low blows multiple times by referee Zeb Barley, he was disqualified, and challenger Charlie Kincaid awarded the title when another Quisenberry infraction sent Kincaid writhing in pain. Kincaid promptly lost a decision to Guy Williams in his first defense and Williams returned it to Lyman King when the Oakland born fighter scored a unanimous decision over Williams in December. King is no stranger to the title, having held it twice previously in his career. He has not yet announced when he will make his first title defense.
The Year That Was
Current events from 1966
- Jan 10 - The home of civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer in Mississippi is firebombed. Dahmer and his family escape but he dies the next day from severe burns. A KKK wizard would not be convicted of the murder until 1998.
- Jan 12- President Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.
- Jan 19- US troops in Vietnam now total 190,000
- Mar 7- French president Charles De Gaulle asks Johnson for negotiations about the state of NATO equipment in France.
- Mar 29- Leonid Brezhnev demands that American troops leave Vietnam
- Apr 29- US troops in Vietnam now total 250,000
- May 28 - Fidel Castro declares martial law in Cuba because of a possible US attack.
- Jun 8- 16 die, hundreds are injured and more than $100 million in damages as Topeka, Kansas is devasted by an F5 tornado.
- Jun 29 - In Vietnam, US planes begin bombing Hanoi
- Aug 5 - Martin Luther King leads a civil rights march in Chicago, during which he is struck by a rock thrown from an angry white mob.
- Aug 5 - Caesars Palace hotel and casino opens on the Las Vegas strip.
- Aug 10 - Lunar Orbit 1, the first US spacecraft to orbit another world, is launched
- Sep 1 - Ralph Baer writes a four-page document that lays out the basic principles of creating a video game for television, the beginnings of a multi-billion dollar industry.
- Nov 8- Screen actor Ronald Reagan is elected the Governor of California
- Nov 12- Gemini 8, with Buzz Aldrin aboard, splashes down safely in the Atlantic Ocean
- Dec 15- Walt Disney dies while producing The Jungle Book, the last animated feature under his personal supervision.