1975 Season Book - Week 8

Sports Daily

September 20, 1975

WFL Enters Week Eight

The World Football League moved into its eighth week. Down at Three mile bayou, Anthony Davis of the Southern California Sun rushed for 104 yards but the upstart Shreveport Steamer slammed the Sun in a major upset. The Sun loss coupled with the San Antonio Wings' win over the Hawaiians 30-11 moved the Wings further ahead of the Sun. In the East, both Memphis and Birmingham won keeping their race alive. The Vulcans handed a loss to the upstart Charlotte Hornets, and Memphis defeated Portland 16-3. The WFL continued to play entertaining football but the numbers at the gate remained a disappointment. Contests in Shreveport, Birmingham, Jacksonville, San Antonio and Portland drew a total of 73,258 fans for an average of 14,651 per game. The figures did reflect an increase of 1,700 fans a game.

On the field Sun quarterback Pat Haden continues to lead the WFL in passing. He played his final for the 1975 season. He left the team to begin his Rhodes Scholar studies. Haden completed 98 of 163 passes for 1404 yards. He also has 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Johnnie Walton of San Antonio and Shreveport's Edd Hargett were second and third in the league. Anthony Davis of the Sun led all WFL rushers with 792 yards on 159 carries for a 5.0 average. Davis also has nine touchdowns rushing and is tied with Memphis running back Jim Kiick. Alfred Haywood of Jacksonville trails Davis by 250 yards rushing for 522 this season and the Wings Billy Sadler has rushed for 510 yards. Terry Lindsey of the Sun leads the WFL with 30 receptions for 484 yards and 16.1 yards per catch. He is followed by San Antonio's Eddie Richardson with 33 receptions for 447 yards. Hawaiians receiver Tim Delaney, who led the World Football League in receptions in 1974, is currently third with 30 receptions and 424 yards with five touchdowns. The Southern California Sun has the WFL's leading offense and the Memphis Southmen the league's top defense.

The San Antonio Wings released quarterback David Jaynes. Jaynes was the number one draft pick in the 1974 WFL College Draft. Jaynes was drafted by Houston, but instead signed with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs last season. He was released by the Chiefs during the pre-season and was signed by San Antonio. After releasing Jaynes the Wings signed former Green Bay Packers quarterback Jerry Tagge to backup starter Johnnie Walton.

Steamer Upsets Sun In Haden's Final Game

Shreveport Steamer 38, Southern California Sun 29.

shreveport, la.; Quarterback Edd Hargett passed for 369 yards and three touchdowns as the Shreveport Steamer defeated the Southern California Sun 38-29 before 18,777 at State Fair Coliseum. Hargett, in danger of losing his starting role, completed 20 of 30 passes for 369 yards and led the Steamer to a 24-14 half time lead. Hargett opened the scoring with a seven-yard pass to Rory Best and then hit Rick Eber with a 11-yarder and John Odom with a 15-yarder. Eber finished the game with 7 receptions for 170 yards. Southern California Sun running back Anthony Davis rushed for 104 yards on 19 carries and scored three touchdowns in a losing cause. The game was the last for Sun quarterback Pat Haden, the WFL's leading passer, who left the team to travel to England to begin his Rhodes Scholarship studies. Sun veteran quarterback Daryle Lamonica missed the team plane and refused to return calls made to his home and apartment, further fueling rumors that Lamonica would not play for the Sun again this season. Lamonica was reportedly upset with Sun coach Tom Fears after being benched last week against Charlotte when the game was on the line. He was scheduled to play a half against the Steamer and then take over as the Sun starter next week when the team traveled to Charlotte to take on the Hornets. (Pictured above, Anthony Davis runs against the Steamer as Richmond Flowers moves in for the tackle).

Southern California Sun; Passing - P. Haden 10-19-156-1t-1i; Rushing - A. Davis 19-104-3t, B. Ferrell 5-29, G. Herd 1-7, P. Haden 3-5; Receiving - T. Lindsey 5-112-1t, K. Denson 2-40, C. Bradley 2-30, A. Davis 1-9, B. Ferrell 1-0.

Shreveport Steamer; Passing - E. Hargett 20-30-369-3t-0i; Rushing - J. Nance 29-64-2t, V. Robinson 15-29, R. Scales 1-8, E. Hargett 1-4; Receiving - R. Eber 5-170-1t, J. Odom 4-63-1t, V. Robinson 1-12, R. Best 1-3-1t.

Fowler Playing In Place Of Mira Leads Express To Win

Jacksonville Express 16, Philadelphia Bell 10.

jacksonville, fla.; The Jacksonville Express, playing without injured quarterback George Mira, rallied on Alfred Haywood's 17-yard scoring run in the final period and beat the Philadelphia Bell 16-10 in the driving rain in Florida. 10,296 fans at the Gator Bowl watched Haywood's decisive touchdown. The games only other touchdowns came when each team had the ball, Tommy Reamon running 18 yards and Bell quarterback Bob Davis passing a 35-yard touchdown to tight end Ted Kwalick. Backup quarterback David Fowler went all the way for Jacksonville in place of injured starter George Mira. Mira lost a quarter inch of his left index finger last weekend at Aloha Stadium when his finger got caught in a large zipper on the artificial turf. He also suffered a knee strain against the Hawaiians. (pictured above, running back Tommy Reamon sweeps around the Philadelphia defense).

Philadelphia Bell; Passing - B. Davis 6-17-128-1t-2i, J. Corcoran 4-7-27-0t-0i; Rushing - J. Land 18-68, J. Jennings 12-55, H. Strickland 10-52, C. Watts 1-7, T. Kwalick 1-3, R. Holliday 1-2, J. Corcoran 1-0, B. Davis 1-6; Receiving - T. Kwalick 3-73-1t, C. Watts 2-46, B. Hawkins 2-20, J. Land 2-13, R. Holliday - 1-3.

Jacksonville Express; Passing - D. Fowler 5-12-51-0t-0i; Rushing - T. Reamon 22-92-1t, A. Haywood 14-70-1t, D. Fowler 5-25, J. Poulos 2-0; Receiving - S. Barrios 1-13, W. Beckman 1-12, M Creaney 1-10, T. Reamon 1-8, B. Duncan 1-8.

Wings Walton And James Top Hawaiians

San Antonio Wings 30, Hawaiians 11.

san antonio, tx.; Johnnie Walton threw two touchdown passes and Dickey James ran for a pair of scores as the San Antonio Wings defeated the Hawaiians 30-11 at Alamo Stadium in front of 10,871 fans. The win moved the Wings (6-3) within one win of clinching the first-half championship in the Western Division. The Wings lead Southern California by 1 12 games. San Antonio took a 15-0 lead in the first quarter on Donnie Joe Morris' 56-yard touchdown catch from Walton and a Dickey James touchdown run. The Hawaiians managed to score when Hal Stringert intercepted Walton and returned the catch 48 yards for a touchdown for the only Hawaiian touchdown of the game. The Wings then earned tough yards on the ground out rushing the Hawaiians 141 to 76, and Johnnie Walton completed 13 of 28 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. The final score came on a 45-yard pass from Walton to Eddie Richardson. Mark Kellar who came over from the Chicago Winds played briefly for the Wings carrying the ball four times for ten yards. This game was played on Sunday, September 21. (pictured above, Wings running back Dickey James on a long Wings gain).

Hawaiians; Passing - S. Sixkiller 17-40-194-0t-3i, S. Bauer 1-1-17-0t-0i; Rushing - C. Heath 15-62, D. Thomas 6-18, V. Clements 5-7, S. Sixkiller 1-0, R. Cassata 1-11; Receiving - T. Delaney 4-78, C. Heath 4-37, D. Thomas 4-13, V. Clements 2-34, D. Atkinson 2-18, M. Donahue 2-4.

San Antonio Wings; Passing - J. Walton 13-28-250-2t-3i; Rushing - J. Strong 18-82, D. James 11-28-2t, J. Walton 3-13, M. Kellar 4-10, B. Gatti 1-8; Receiving - Ed. Richardson 4-100-1t, D. Morris 4-82-1t, J. Strong 2-28, W. Frazier 1-20, L. Palmer 1-10, D. Yaege 1-10.

Vulcans Win On Late Reed Touchdown Run

Birmingham Vulcans 22, Charlotte Hornets 16.

birmingham, al.; 18,523 fans at Legion Field on Sunday watched as quarterback Matthew Reed score on a wild 32-yard run with three minutes left in the game as the Birmingham Vulcans defeated the Charlotte Hornets 22-16. Reed's run capped a 15 point rally in the fourth quarter by the Vulcans. Trailing 16-7, Birmingham Bill Rudder plowed over from the one yard line to make it a 16-14 game. Birmingham, known for their late game heroics, drove down the field on the Hornets with a devastating running game and Reed's passing to set up the game winning score. (Charlotte Hornets Ike Thomas is tackled by Vulcans center Wimpy Winther).

Charlotte Hornets: Passing - T. Sherman 12-25-236-0t-0i; Rushing - L. Jolley 15-84, D. Highsmith 18-51-2t, T. Sherman 1-1; Receiving - A. Young 4-87, D. Highsmith 3-47, R. Parson 2-41, R. Rhino 1-36, J. Thompson 1-19, L. Jolley 1-6.

Birmingham Vulcans; Passing - M. Reed 9-25-133-1t-1i; Rushing - J. Musso 16-83, A. Cantrelle 15-71, M. Reed 7-66-1t, J. Profit 8-30, B. Rudder 2-6-1t; Receiving - R. Evans 4-56-1t, W. Wheeler 2-48, A. Cantrelle 2-15, N. Fergerson 1-14.

Southmen Win In Portland

Memphis Southmen 16, Portland Thunder 3.

portland, ore.; The Oregon debut of Csonka, Kiick and Warfield occurred on Sunday, September 21 at Portland's Civic Stadium before the Thunders' largest crowd of the WFL season 14,818. Memphis took advantage of three early Portland turnovers and kicker Ricky Townsend kicked three field goals to lead the Southmen. Jim Kiick plunged into the end zone from one yard out after a 57-yard run with a fumble recovery by teammate Tom Beckman for Memphis' only touchdown of the game. Paul Warfield caught five passes for 70 yards to lead Memphis receivers and quarterback Danny White completed 16 of 26 passes for 159 yards. The win lifted the Southmen to 6-1, and dropped the Thunder to 2-5. (pictured above, Portland fans sit on rooftops to get a look at Memphis' Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield during their game against the Thunder).

Memphis Southmen; Passing - D. White 16-26-159-0t-0i; Rushing - D. White 7-56, W. Spencer 9-47, J. Kiick 13-38-1t, L. Csonka 3-23, J. Harvey 3-8; Receiving - P. Warfield 5-70, R. Wallace 4-48, J. Kiick 4-30, W. Spencer 3-11.

Portland Thunder; Passing - D. Horn 17-29-159-0t-3i; Rushing - R. Ferguson 15-65, B. Wyatt 9-32, I. Hammon 11-31; Receiving - R. Ferguson 8-86, J. Wylie 2-26, J. Thorpe 2-20, B. Wyatt 2-13, B. Christiansen 1-8, J. Krieg 1-6.

WFL Week Eight MVP:

Edd Hargett, Shreveport Steamer

WFL Week Eight Top Performers:

Passing - Edd Hargett, Shreveport Steamer 20-30-369- 3 touchdowns

Rushing - Anthony Davis, Southern California Sun 19 carries, 104 yards, 3 touchdowns

Receiving - Rick Eber, Shreveport Steamer 7 receptions, 170 yards, 1 touchdown

WFL Standings:

*Suspended Operations

WFL Transactions:

NOTE: This page was researched and written by Jim Cusano and Richie Franklin. This page appeared on the former World Football League Hall of Fame Web site and is used with permission. The WFL transactions were researched and compiled by Mark Speck and Tod Maher. The Memphis Southmen photo is courtesy of Johnny Wofford.