1952 Bowman football card of a former NFL running back who played 5 seasons for the Los Angeles Rams from 1949 until 1953, Vitamin Smith. Like vitamins do for your body, he provided extra energy to the Rams’ attack as a kick return specialist, and in 1950 returned 3 kicks for touchdowns, a league record that would stand until 1967. Smith served in the U.S. Army during World War II and took part in the battle of Normandy. A track star in college, he passed away in 2000 at the age of 76.
The game we’re highlighting today on Rayonsports for the Throwback Thursday feature is an old American Football League game that took place on October 16, 1966 between the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins, who meet on this week’s NFL schedule. 1966 was Miami’s inaugural season in the AFL, and this contest, which was played in week 6 of that year, was significant even though both clubs were league doormats. The Broncos, who never enjoyed a winning season in the 10 year history of the AFL, entered the game at 1-4 while the expansion Dolphins were winless in their first 5 games. Denver’s inept franchise represented Miami’s first real chance of breaking through into the win column, and they were ready for the challenge.
A pair of former Broncos exacted a bit of revenge in the opening quarter for the young Fish. Fullback Billy Joe, a Denver rookie in 1964, took a George Wilson Jr. pass 67 yards to paydirt, followed by a 35 yard field goal from another former Denver standout, Gene Mingo. The Broncos cut the lead to 10-7 on a 5 yard touchdown run by one of the AFL’s early and underrated stars, Abner Haynes. That lead held for the rest of the first half and Miami’s defense took charge in the second. They held Bronco quarterback John McCormick to 90 yards passing on 9 completions in 25 attempts, and intercepted him 4 times. Veteran Tobin Rote replaced McCormick and had no success either as the Dolphins sacked him 4 times.
The Dolphins’ offense, led by the head coach’s son, George Wilson Jr., wasn’t that impressive either, but did manage a short scoring run by halfback Joe Auer in each of the last 2 quarters. The final result was a 24-7 Miami victory, the first in franchise history. The Dolphins would go on to win the following week also, defeating the Houston Oilers, and would manage one more win to finish 3-11 for the year, tied for the basement of the Eastern Division with the Oilers. Denver went 4-10 and finished in their usual spot at the bottom of the Western Division.
Joe Auer takes the handoff from George Wilson Jr.
Logo of a long departed independent college football team, the Xavier University Musketeers. They began play in 1901 as the St. Xavier Saints and kept the program alive until 1973, with a brief hiatus in the 1940s. The school compiled an impressive .573 winning percentage over the years, and won the only bowl game they appeared in, a 35-21 conquest of Arizona State in the 1950 Salad Bowl. Former Musketeers who went on to play pro football include Danny Abramowicz, George Wilson Jr., Art Hauser, John Shinners, Chet Mutryn, Jack Hoffman, Steve Junker and John Martinkovic.
1967 Topps football card of former pro quarterback George Wilson Jr., who had a brief career, basically only a single season, in the American Football League with the Miami Dolphins. He was drafted by Buffalo in 1965 but never played for them, then was traded to Miami in ’66, where he linked up with the Dolphins’ head coach, his father George Wilson Jr. He played in all 14 games that year, the Dolphins inaugural season as a franchise, and his claim to fame was that he quarterbacked the first victory in team history that year. He was then traded to Denver but didn’t make the squad, so his short-lived pro career was finished. Wilson Jr. died of throat cancer in 2011.
The Buffalo Bills host the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday as week 2 of the NFL season gets underway, and we’ll feature these 2 clubs for Throwback Thursday this week. Let’s travel back to January 20, 1991, to then Rich Stadium, for the AFC Championship game. Buffalo was attempting to reach the Super Bowl for the first time, while the Raiders, based in Los Angeles then, were looking to spoil that party.
It was never even close to being a contest. Jim Kelly led a drive that ended with a 13 yard touchdown pass to James Lofton to open the scoring, and after a Raider field goal the Bills drove downfield again and scored, this time on a 12 yard run by Thurman Thomas. The defense then got in on the action as linebacker Darryl Talley intercepted a Jay Schroeder pass and returned it 27 yards to the end zone to give his team a 21-3 lead after a quarter. The Bills didn’t let up in the second quarter either. Kenny Davis spelled Thomas at running back and scored twice on short runs, followed by another short Kelly to Lofton TD throw of 8 yards. At some point the beleaguered Raiders called what amounted to a basketball timeout to catch their breath as the vaunted no-huddle K-Gun attack of the Bills overwhelmed them. When the dust settled Buffalo held a commanding 41-3 lead at halftime.
I was in the stadium at that game, and across the field from me some fans were spelling out “Hello Tampa” in the stands. (Where the Super Bowl was to be played the next week) I saw that and immediately thought “Holy s**t, the Bills are going to the Super Bowl!” Later that day at home after the game, they showed earlier clips of workers at Tampa Stadium painting the Bills’ logo in the end zone, at halftime of the game! It was just an incredible experience.
Happy Bills’ fans with a message
Coach Marv Levy called off the dogs somewhat in the second half. The Bills scored only 10 points, on another short Davis run and a Scott Norwood field goal, to account for the final score of 51-3, launching the team to the big game. Kelly wound up throwing for 300 yards and the 2 TDs, while Thomas, although leaving the touchdown runs to Davis, racked up 199 yards of total offense. Lofton’s 2 TDs were among his 5 catches for 133 yards. The beleaguered Shroeder was intercepted 5 times by the Buffalo defense before being replaced by Vince Evans, who threw another pick. Little did the Bills and their fans know that what came next was the ultimate heartbreak of “Wide Right” by Norwood in Super Bowl XXV.
Darryl Talley scores on a pick six
Logo of a college football team that plays in the Southern Conference, The Citadel Bulldogs. The school first fielded a team in 1905 and has won 4 conference titles. Former Bulldogs who have enjoyed pro grid careers include Paul Maguire, Cortez Allen, Greg Davis, Andre Roberts, Stump Mitchell, Travis Jervey and Angelo Coia.
1990 Fleer football card of former pro football quarterback Jim Kelly, who played 13 years, 11 of them in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills. He joined the Bills after spending 2 years with the USFL’s Houston Gamblers leading the “run and shoot” offense there. He enjoyed tremendous success in Buffalo, guiding the Bills to 4 consecutive Super Bowl appearances running the fast-paced “K Gun” offense. Kelly was a five-time Pro Bowler as well as a member of the Bills’ Wall of Fame, and his jersey number 12 is retired by the franchise. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. He still lives in the Buffalo area, and has raised millions through his Hunter’s Hope (named after his late son) and Kelly For Kids Foundations.
It was a long wait, but the 2023 NFL season is finally upon us, and that also marks the return of our weekly Throwback Thursday feature, in which we travel back in time to highlight a game from the past played between teams who are matched against each other that week on the league slate. For opening week, we chose a matchup of 2 historic franchises, played on October 20, 1957. It pitted the Chicago Cardinals against the Washington Redskins at old Griffith Stadium in Washington. Those teams go head to head on opening day this season, although the Cardinals are based in Arizona and Washington’s club is now known as the Commanders.
Neither of these teams was very good that season, as they finished fourth and last respectively in the Eastern Division standings. The lowly Cardinals, who would only win 3 games all year, did boast one of the league’s most dynamic stars – halfback Ollie Matson. On this day, they rode a dominating performance from their future Hall of Fame back to a rousing 44-14 victory. He wasted no time as he broke off a 56 yard scamper to the end zone to open the scoring. The Cards’ other 2 star offensive weapons on this day, quarterback Lamar McHan and end Woodley Lewis, provided the next points, hooking up on a 39 yard touchdown pass, followed by an 18 yard McHan run to paydirt to put Chicago ahead 21-0. Washington regrouped somewhat and cut the lead to 21-7 when Eddie LeBaron tossed a short TD pass to Ed Podoley, but McHan and Lewis regained the momentum by hooking up for another score. Kicker Pat Summerall, who we all know would go on to become one of the most beloved football broadcasters of all time, added a field goal, and the Cardinals now owned a commanding 31-7 lead at halftime over the future Commanders.
Showing no mercy, McHan struck for the big play again to start the second half scoring when he found Matson open for a 50 yard touchdown. Matson had now showcased his talents as both a runner and receiver. LeBaron engineered another scoring drive for the Redskins before the third quarter ended, but the game was pretty much over by then. In fact, Washington only added to their ineptness when they fumbled on their own goal line in the final quarter. Leo Sugar accepted the gift, recovering the loose ball and traveling the 1 yard into the end zone to finalize the scoring. On a historic note, despite the one-sided nature of the contest, Washington did have a play made from a future Hall of Famer of their own, as McHan’s otherwise perfect game of 8 completions on 13 passes for 182 yards and 3 TDs was spoiled when he threw an interception into the waiting arms of Redskin defensive back Don Shula.
Matson, although today a mostly overlooked star from the NFL’s past, was a much coveted player in his era. In fact, the Cardinals, in 1959, traded him to the Los Angeles Rams for what amounted to 9 players (7 players and 2 top draft picks). That deal was orchestrated by the Rams’ general manager at the time, future NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle.
Ollie Matson (second from left) with his HOF classmates of 1972
Logo of a long-defunct college football team that competed as a Division II Independent school, the University of San Francisco Dons. Their program existed from it’s inception in 1917 until 1982. In 1951, despite finishing undefeated at 9-0, they were not invited to a bowl game. Although they were only a small college program, USF boasts 5 of their alumni who are Pro Football Hall of Famers – Ollie Matson, Gino Marchetti, Bob St. Clair, Dick Stanfel and former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle.
A custom-designed 1954 Bowman football card of former NFL player and coach Don Shula. The card never actually existed in the ’54 Bowman set, but is the artwork of that master of producing fake football cards, Bob Lemke. Shula was a 7 year journeyman defensive back as a player in the 1950s, but went on to become the winningest head coach in NFL history with 347 combined regular season and playoff wins. He coached teams to the Super Bowl 6 times, winning a pair with the Miami Dolphins that included the undefeated 1972 club. Shula was voted to the 1970s All Decade team and the 100th Anniversary team as a coach. He was a four-time NFL Coach of The Year, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.