1974 Season Book - Week 6

Sports Daily

August 14, 1974

Americans remain undefeated; WFL franchises in Detroit and Orlando to relocate?

The World Football League began the week of August 14th without the spotlight it had grown accustomed to in the weeks prior. The NFL strike had ended and the players were again back in camp. WFL Commissioner Gary Davidson wasn't in mourning but as the NFL veterans reported to their teams, several WFL clubs began to show signs of financial uncertainty. The WFL had lived through the "Papergate" incident, but in a scheduled press conference Jack Kelly Jr. resigned as President. Reports from Jacksonville, Florida had the Sharks admitting to over 40,000 free tickets to their first two home games. Sharks' owner Fran Monaco sounded back, "its my money in this venture, why shouldn't I be able to showcase my product for the youth of Jacksonville and the adults that accompany them." The financial picture in Detroit worsened with rumors that the Wheels would be driving down to Charlotte, North Carolina. Suspended Wheel running back Warren McVea was shipped off to Houston for $15,000 in cash. On the field, the Florida Blazers drew over 20,000 for their game against the Sharks in Orlando. Earlier in the week it was reported that General Manager Rommie Loudd was looking into shifting the Blazers home games to Atlanta due to poor attendance. The Blazers had averaged only 16,500 for their first two home games, compared to the needed 25,000-30,000 to meet expenses. The Birmingham Americans remained the WFL's only undefeated team, and at Randall's Island the New York Stars drew 16,000 to pathetic Downing Stadium which had just received a battery of 80 new lights at midfield to aid the ancient lights that once illuminated Ebbett's Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Philadelphia's King Corcoran moved into the led for the WFL passing title, completing 94 of 170 passes for 1,168 yards and 12 touchdowns. Hawaii's Tim Delaney, an ex-Charger led the league in receiving with 28 receptions for 398 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Jacksonville's Tommy Durrance reclaimed the rushing lead from Kermit Johnson with 443 yards and one touchdown. Chicago's Joe Womack led the WFL in interceptions with six, Charlie Reamon of Birmingham was the WFL's leading kickoff returner with a 28.8 average and 189 yards and Rod Foster of Florida led in punt returns with 168 yards on 6 attempts. The Houston Texans vaulted into the number one defensive position, led by veteran linebackers Jim Kanicki, Don Brumm, Jim Mooney and Garland Boyette.

Stars Rout Storm 38-16; For 4th Straight Triumph

New York Stars 38, Portland Storm 16.

new york, ny.; In the shadows of the Triborough Bridge, the New York Stars defeated the Portland Storm for their fourth straight win 38-16. A crowd of 16,222 saw a contest that was one-sided from the start. Tom Sherman and George Sauer provided big moments, when Sherman hit Sauer for touchdowns of 20 and 3 yards and then ran a touchdown in himself. The tone for the game was set when Portland kick returner Darrell Mitchell fumbled a punt on the Portland 5-yard line to set up the first New York score. Star running backs Bob Gladieux and Andy Huff ran all over the Storm defense. The crowd, made up mostly of late arrivals, was the second largest at Downing Stadium- which was still suffering from inadequate lighting despite workers adding over 36 new lamps at midfield. (pictured above, Matt Herkenhoff and the Stars offensive line threw up a brick wall against Portland allowing Tom Sherman to lead the Stars to the win).

New York Stars; Passing � Sherman 11-18-144-2t, Danielson 2-5-31-0; Rushing � A. Huff 9-31-1t, Gladieux 11-30, Sherman 4-27-1t, Danielson 2-19-1t, Richards 6-15, White 4-11 ; Receiving � Sauer 7-92-2t, Young 5-70, Parson 1-13.

Portland Storm; Passing � Barton 12-22-166-2t, 1i, K. Johnson 1-3-14-0-1i; Rushing � Kendricks 11-41, Ferguson 7-37, House 5-30, Mitchell 6-15, K. Johnson 4-7, Turner 2-4, Barton 1/-4; Receiving � Dickerson 4-65, Krieg 3-50-1t, Matthews 3-47-1t, Ferguson 2-11, Turner 1-7.

Blazers Down Sharks 33-26

Florida Blazers 33, Jacksonville Sharks 26.

orlando, fla.; A Tangerine Bowl crowd of 22,890 watched as state rivals Florida and Jacksonville fought a close game which ended in a 33-26 Blazer win. Florida running back Jim Strong scored on a goal-line plunge to lead the Blazers to the win. Despite being down 23-11 at half time, the Sharks fought back. Quarterback Reggie Oliver, a rookie, ran 12-yards for a touchdown and then hit Tom Whittier with a 7-yard scoring pass. The Blazers sealed the game when Blazer linebacker Louis Ross sacked Oliver for a late safety. As time expired, Oliver drove the Sharks deep into Florida territory, but a completion brought the Sharks only to the Florida 20 yard line. (Pictured above, Kay Stephenson looks downfield against the Blazer defense).

Florida Blazers; Passing- Davis 11-15-132-0-2i, Reamon 1-1-51-1t; Rushing � James 16-89, Whitfield 8-32, Reamon 6-22, Davis 3-16-1t, Gatti 3-15, Strong 7-12-2t; Receiving � Maslowski 4-108-1t, Strong 4-41, Whitfield 1-19, Latta 1-15, Trapp 1-7, Reamon 1-7.

Jacksonville Sharks; Passing � Oliver 4-11-55-1t-1i, Stephenson 2-8-19-0-2i, Stofa 2-5-24-0-0; Rushing � Durrance 17-53, Lake 6-32, Oliver 6-32-1t, Davis 3-16, Stofa 1-4, Thornton 1/-4; Receiving � Whittier 3-52-1t, Buie 1-13, Krepfle 1-11, Durrance 1-11, Hughes 1-8, Lake 1-3.

Americans Win Sixth in a Row, 39-0 Over Hawaii

Birmingham Americans 39, The Hawaiians 0.

birmingham, al.; Willie Smith dashed 81-yards on a punt return and Alfred Jenkins teamed with George Mira on a WFL record 95-yard scoring pass to lead the Americans to a 39-0 rout over Hawaii. The Americans scored 24 points in the second quarter and remained the only undefeated team in the WFL with a perfect 6-0 won-lost record. A crowd of 43,297 filled Legion Field- management claimed no free tickets were given away. (pictured above, George Mira fires downfield against Hawaii).

Birmingham Americans; Passing � Mira 3-9-137�2t, Reed 3-9-85-0, Duron 0-2-0-0-1i; Rushing � Edwards 8-130-1t, Cantrelle 10-58-1t, Robinson 9-28, Harraway 8-25, Stark 1-11, Jenkins 1-3, Duron 2/-2; Receiving � Homan 3-47-1t, Jenkins 2-156-1t, Bishop 1-19.

Hawaiians; Passing � Weese 17-35-188-0-2i, Fassel 5-12-68-0-2i; Rushing � O�Leary 19-100, Weese 4-19, Copeland 1-13, Taggares 1-9, Buchanan 1-6, Hutt 1-0; Receiving � Delaney 8-99, O�Leary 5-55, Hutt 5-51, Richardson 1-26, Kelsey 1-15, Taggares 1-11, Copeland 1-1.

Fire Rallies to Win on Carter to Dolbin Touchdown Pass, 32-29

Chicago Fire 32, Philadelphia Bell 29.

chicago, il.; Fire quarterback Virgil Carter hit wide receiver Jack Dolbin on a 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:34 remaining as Chicago defeated the Philadelphia Bell 32-29 before 27,607 fans at Soldier Field. Carter, a veteran of the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL, took the Fire 80 yards and completed five straight passes in the winning drive. Fire running back Cyril Pinder rushed for 151 yards on 18 carries and ran for two touchdowns. The Bell took the lead on a 45-yard pass from King Corcoran to Claude Watts, but watched their lead slip away under Carter's leadership. (Pictured above, Cyril Pinder runs through the Bell defense as Bob Grant closes in).

Chicago Fire; Passing � Carter 12-20-119-2t-1i, Daigneau 0-0-0; Rushing � Pinder 18-151-1t, Kellar 23-112-1t, Wyatt 3-9, Carter 3-3; Receiving � Dolbin 3-26-1t, Kellar 3-13, Burchfield 2-37, Pinder 2-13-1t, Wyatt 1-15.

Philadelphia Bell; Passing � Corcoran 17-34-256-2t-3i; Rushing � Thompson 16-49, Watts 5-20-1t, Shanklin 1-13, Joe � 1-7, Corcoran 1-1-1t; Receiving � Watts 5-144-1t, Thompson 5-29-1t, Carter 4-59, Cole 2-22, Dunn 1-2.

Southmen Wallop Wheels 37-7

Memphis Southmen 37, Detroit Wheels 7.

ypsilanti, mi.; Southmen running back Willie Spencer scored twice on 1-yard runs and JJ Jennings gained 113 yards to lead Memphis over Detroit 37-7. 14,424 at Rynearson Stadium watched as the Wheels lost their sixth straight game. Memphis quarterback John Huarte added two touchdown passes, one for 12 yards to Ed Marshall and another to Jerry Powell for 31 yards. (Pictured above, John Huarte hands off to JJ Jennings against the Wheels).

Detroit Wheels; Passing � Wyche 14-25-149-0-1i, Guthrie 4-9-51; Rushing � Sadler 9-37, Scarber 6-31, Wyche 5-22-1t, Guthrie 1-22, Rathje 4-20, Mims 2-2; Receiving � Henderson 4-55, Sadler 4-48, Bryant 4-35, McCarty 3-54, Phillips 2-27, Scarber 2-14.

Memphis Southmen; Passing � Huarte 5-13-78-1t, 1i, White 2-6-23-1t, 1i; Rushing � Jennings 24-113, Spencer 14-53-2t, Harvey 7-43, Marshall 1-40, Huarte 2-19, Miles 1-6, White 1-5; Receiving � Marshall 3-37-1t, Powell 1-31-1t, Wallace 1-13, Spencer 1-10, Beamer 1-10.

Late Spurt Helps Sun Top Texans

Southern California Sun 18, Houston Texans 7.

houston, tx.; Flemming Jensen's 19-yard field goal and Durwood Keeton's interception return for a touchdown in the closing minutes helped the Southern California Sun defeat the Houston Texans 18-7, in a battle for first place in the WFL's Western Division. With the score tied at 7-7, Jim Bowman intercepted a Don Trull pass and returned it to the Texan 38. After a 20-yard run by Sun James McAllister, Jensen kicked the tie-breaking field goal with 2:09 remaining. The Texans got within field goal range before Keeton intercepted Trull and ran 68 yards down the sidelines for the final score with: 24 remaining on the clock. The game was the nationally televised WFL Game of the Week on the TVS Sports Network on August 15, 1974. (Pictured above, John Odom hauls in a pass from Don Trull as Jack Conners defends.)

Houston Texans; Passing � Taliaferro 6-8-117-1t, Trull 8-14-69-0-2i, McVea 0-1-0; Rushing � Richardson 17-57, Nance 17-53, Robinson 14-35, Eber 1-3; Receiving � Eber 6-87, Odom 3-61-1t, Richardson 3-16, W. Frazier 2-23.

Southern California Sun; Passing � Adams 4-13-48-0-1i, Valbuena 4-11-103-0-1i; Rushing � McAlister 7-50, Nelson 10-38, K. Johnson 10-28, Adams 3-7, Herd 2-5; Receiving � Williams 2-59, Harris 2-46, K. Johnson 1-20, Moses 1-17, Lindsey 1-7, Nelson 1-2.

WFL Week Six MVP:

Cyril Pinder, Chicago Fire

WFL Week Six Top Performers:

Passing - Tom Sherman, New York Stars 11 of 18, 144 yards, 2 touchdowns

Rushing - Cyril Pinder, Chicago Fire 18 carries, 151 yards, 1 touchdown

Receiving - Claude Watts, Philadelphia Bell 5 receptions, 144 yards, 2 touchdowns

WFL Standings:

WFL Transactions:

NOTE: This page was researched and written by Jim Cusano. This page appeared on the former World Football League Hall of Fame Website and is used with permission. The WFL transactions were researched and compiled by Mark Speck.