* Game does not count due to Tulsa folding.

ARKANSAS CHAMPS
Owner:		Roy Bilberry
Head coaches:		Lamar Dingler (games 1-3) Ernie Yarbrough (games 4-7) Preston Carpenter (games 8-11) Hershel Strickland (games 12-??)
Stadiums:		War Memorial Stadium (55,000) ** University of Central Arkansas Stadium

Date	Opponent	Attendance	Result	Score
Regular Season
05/19/1979	at Tulsa Mustangs	---	W	16-6
05/26/1979	at San Antonio Charros	---	L *	30-7
06/02/1979	Carolina Chargers	400	W	12-10
06/16/1979	at Alabama Vulcans	---	L *	49-14
06/23/1979	at Mississippi Stars	---	L	31-14
06/30/1979	San Antonio Charros	???	L	37-16
07/04/1979	at Carolina Chargers	---	L	41-7
07/07/1979	at Mississippi Stars	---	L	9-7
07/14/1979	Kentucky Trackers	???	L	41-11
07/21/1979	Mississippi Stars **	1,000	L	10-7
07/28/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	L	51-6
08/04/1979	at Kentucky Trackers	---	L	35-14
08/12/1979	at Alabama Vulcans	---	L	38-0
08/18/1979	at San Antonio Charros	---	L	44-0
08/25/1979	at Carolina Chargers	---	L	37-0
09/08/1979	at Shreveport Steamer	---	L	34-7
Final Season Results: 2-12 (2-14 on the field)

* Game does not count due to Tulsa folding.

CAROLINA CHARGERS
Owners:		L. R. Pearson and Perry Moss
Head coach:		Perry Moss
Stadium:		Memorial Stadium (25,000)

Date	Opponent	Attendance	Result	Score
Regular Season
05/19/1979	at Alabama Vulcans	---	L *	28-0
06/02/1979	at Arkansas Champs	---	L *	12-10
06/09/1979	Kentucky Trackers	10,000	W *	22-14
06/16/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	W	27-21
06/23/1979	Shreveport Steamer	???	W	24-13
06/30/1979	at Kentucky Trackers	---	W	45-14
07/04/1979	Arkansas Champs	4,476	W	41-7
07/07/1979	Kentucky Trackers	2,500	W	30-27
07/14/1979	Mississippi Stars	???	W	41-16
07/21/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	L	29-14
07/28/1979	Shreveport Steamer	4,236	W	35-9
08/04/1979	at San Antonio Charros	---	L	29-26
08/11/1979	Jacksonville Firebirds	6,105	W	24-21
08/18/1979	at Mississippi Stars	---	W	22-10
08/25/1979	Arkansas Champs	7,729	W	37-0
09/01/1979	at Shreveport Steamer	---	L	14-6
09/08/1979	Alabama Vulcans	???	W	52-14
Regular Season Results: 11-3 (12-5 on the field)
First Round Playoffs
09/16/1979	San Antonio Charros	7,725	W	28-21
American Bowl
09/29/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	L	21-7
Post Season Results: 1-1
Final Season Results: 12-4 (13-6 on the field)

* Game does not count due to Tulsa folding.

JACKSONVILLE FIREBIRDS
Owner:		Firebirds Management, Inc.
Head coach:		Bob Williams
Stadium:		Gator Bowl (71,000)

Date	Opponent	Attendance	Result	Score
Regular Season
05/26/1979	Kentucky Trackers	15,102	W	48-14
06/02/1979	Tulsa Mustangs	18,681	W	34-0
06/09/1979	at Alabama Vulcans	---	L *	48-0
06/16/1979	Carolina Chargers	14,359	L *	27-21
06/30/1979	at Shreveport Steamer	---	L	31-20
07/04/1979	Mississippi Stars	???	W	37-20
07/07/1979	at San Antonio Charros	---	W	21-17
07/14/1979	Alabama Vulcans	22,000	L	17-14
07/21/1979	Carolina Chargers	???	W	29-14
07/28/1979	Arkansas Champs	6,900	W	51-6
08/04/1979	Shreveport Steamer	5,000	W	35-0
08/11/1979	at Carolina Chargers	---	L	24-21
08/18/1979	Alabama Vulcans	???	W	27-26
08/25/1979	at Kentucky Trackers	---	W	35-27
09/01/1979	San Antonio Charros	???	W	59-0
09/08/1979	Mississippi Stars	???	W	46-6
Regular Season Results: 11-3 (11-5 on the field)
First Round Playoffs
09/15/1979	Alabama Vulcans	???	W	28-21
American Bowl
09/29/1979	Carolina Chargers	25,000	W	21-7
Post Season Results: 2-0
Final Season Results: 13-3 (13-5 on the field)
1979 American Football Association champions

* Game does not count due to Tulsa folding.

KENTUCKY TRACKERS
Owner:		John Waits
Head coach:		Buddy Pfaadt
Stadium:		Fairgrounds Stadium (38,000)

Date	Opponent	Attendance	Result	Score
Regular Season
05/26/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	L *	48-14
06/02/1979	Shreveport Steamer	5,132	L *	31-17
06/09/1979	at Carolina Chargers	---	L	22-14
06/16/1979	at Mississippi Stars	---	L	28-21
06/23/1979	Alabama Vulcans	6,446	W	28-14
06/30/1979	Carolina Chargers	7,022	L	45-14
07/04/1979	at Alabama Vulcans	---	L	27-0
07/07/1979	at Carolina Chargers	---	L	30-27
07/14/1979	at Arkansas Champs	---	W	41-11
07/21/1979	San Antonio Charros	2,500	W	50-33
07/28/1979	Mississippi Stars	3,500	L	39-14
08/04/1979	Arkansas Champs	800	W	35-14
08/11/1979	at San Antonio Charros	---	L	56-20
08/18/1979	at Shreveport Steamer	---	L	71-14
08/25/1979	Jacksonville Firebirds	???	L	35-27
09/01/1979	at Alabama Vulcans	---	L	41-6
Final Season Results: 4-10 (4-12 on the field)

* Game does not count due to Tulsa folding.

MISSISSIPPI STARS
Owner:		Dwane Collins
Head coach:		Duncan McCauley
Stadium:		Newell Field (11,500)

Date	Opponent	Attendance	Result	Score
Regular Season
05/26/1979	at Shreveport Steamer	---	L *	35-8
06/02/1979	Alabama Vulcans	500	L *	14-3
06/09/1979	at San Antonio Charros	---	L	42-14
06/16/1979	Kentucky Trackers	2,000	W	28-21
06/23/1979	Arkansas Champs	5,100	W	31-14
06/30/1979	at Alabama Vulcans	---	L	20-14
07/04/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	L	37-20
07/07/1979	Arkansas Champs	???	W	9-7
07/14/1979	at Carolina Chargers	---	L	41-16
07/21/1979	at Arkansas Champs	---	W	10-7
07/28/1979	at Kentucky Trackers	---	W	39-14
08/04/1979	at Alabama Vulcans	---	L	17-0
08/11/1979	Shreveport Steamer	???	L	13-7
08/18/1979	Carolina Chargers	200	L	22-10
08/25/1979	at Shreveport Steamer	---	L	49-5
09/08/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	L	46-6
Final Season Results: 5-9 (5-11 on the field)

* Game does not count due to Tulsa folding.

SAN ANTONIO CHARROS
Owner:		B. J. "Red" McCombs
Head coach:		George Pasterchick
Stadium:		Alamo Stadium (22,000)

Date	Opponent	Attendance	Result	Score
Regular Season
05/19/1979	at Shreveport Steamer	---	L	37-20
05/26/1979	Arkansas Champs	3,000	W	30-7
06/09/1979	Mississippi Stars	3,000	W	42-14
06/16/1979	at Tulsa Mustangs	---	W	35-19
06/30/1979	at Arkansas Champs	---	W	37-16
07/07/1979	Jacksonville Firebirds	???	L	21-17
07/14/1979	Shreveport Steamer	4,500	W	25-17
07/21/1979	at Kentucky Trackers	---	L	50-33
07/29/1979	Alabama Vulcans	???	W	21-12
08/04/1979	Carolina Chargers	???	W	29-26
08/11/1979	Kentucky Trackers	???	W	56-20
08/18/1979	Arkansas Champs	???	W	44-0
08/25/1979	at Alabama Vulcans	---	W	17-10
09/01/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	L	59-0
Regular Season Results: 10-4
First Round Playoffs
09/16/1979	at Carolina Chargers	---	L	28-21
Post Season Results: 0-1
Final Season Results: 10-5

SHREVEPORT STEAMER
Owner:		Ed Powell
Head coaches:		Jim Williams (games 1-10) Norm Hodgins (games 11-14)
Stadium:		State Fair Stadium (52,000)

Date	Opponent	Attendance	Result	Score
Regular Season
05/19/1979	San Antonio Charros	5,296	W	37-20
05/26/1979	Mississippi Stars	7,906	W	35-8
06/02/1979	at Kentucky Trackers	---	W	31-17
06/09/1979	at Tulsa Mustangs	---	L *	19-17
06/23/1979	at Carolina Chargers	---	L *	24-13
06/30/1979	Jacksonville Firebirds	3,800	W	31-20
07/07/1979	at Alabama Vulcans	---	L	20-17
07/14/1979	at San Antonio Charros	---	L	25-17
07/21/1979	Alabama Vulcans	7,000	L	13-7
07/28/1979	at Carolina Chargers	---	L	35-9
08/04/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	L	35-0
08/11/1979	at Mississippi Stars	---	W	13-7
08/18/1979	Kentucky Trackers	3,000	W	71-14
08/25/1979	Mississippi Stars	2,000	W	49-5
09/01/1979	Carolina Chargers	2,800	W	14-6
09/08/1979	Arkansas Champs	2,275	W	34-7
Final Season Results: 9-5 (9-7 on the field)

* Game does not count due to Tulsa folding.

TULSA MUSTANGS
Owner:		Glenn Dobbs
Head coach:		Glenn Dobbs
Stadium:		Skelly Stadium (51,000)

Date	Opponent	Attendance	Result	Score
Regular Season
05/19/1979	Arkansas Champs	7,500	L	16-6
05/27/1979	Alabama Vulcans	3,300	L	18-0
06/02/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	L	34-0
06/09/1979	Shreveport Steamer	578	W	19-17
06/16/1979	San Antonio Charros	2,000	L	35-19
The Tulsa Mustangs fold

Game Articles, Statistics, and Photographs

Preseason

Regular Season

Carolina Chargers at Alabama Vulcans May 19, 1979 - Legion Field -

New Vulcs slam past Chargers                   Wayne Martin - Birmingham News                        Birmingham was to have gotten its first look at the Alabama Vulcans Saturday night at Legion Field, but most of Birmingham missed it.      A crowd estimated at about 4,000 watched as the Vulcans scored on their first series ever, added a trio of fourth quarter touchdowns and took a 28-0 win over the Carolina Chargers.      And most of those who came missed what was probably the most crowd pleasing play of the evening.      Carolina punted late in the game, and as Chargers and Vulcans watched the ball roll toward a stop, Willie Smith scooped it up.      Then the veteran of the WFL wars scooted around end for 42 yards and points. There were only 16 seconds left in the game.      Chris Vacarella, the former Ramsay High quarterback and Auburn wide receiver, went most of the way for the Vulcans and turned in a creditable performance. He hit 21 and 13-yard touchdown passes to highlight his return to Legion Field.      But the tempo was set by the defense. Six Charger passes were intercepted, including one to revive fond memories for old WFL fans.      The third Vulcans touchdown was set up   when Steve Williams intercepted an Elsworth Turner pass midway the fourth quarter. And for those Birmingham Americans fans who were at Legion Field for the first Birmingham Americans game ever, it must have reminded them of Williams' interception against the Southern California Sun.      This new breed of Vulcans played it cautious most of the way, using the running of Kenny Burks, Ernest Williams and Mike Horton for their yardage.      At the half, the Vulcans had rushed for 106 yards on 26 carries, and passed for only 39. The Chargers had only 91 yards total offense at the half, 39 rushing and 52 passing.      The Vulcans started slowly, taking 11 minutes and 15 seconds to drive 80 yards for their first touchdown.      Vacarella's 21-yard pass to James Coleman ended the drive and Rich Lander kicked the point.      That was all the scoring until the fourth period.      Carolina came close in the second quarter when Reg Smith returned a punt 60 yards to the end zone, but a clipping penalty at the 15   forced it to be returned.      The Vulcans finally got on the board again on the second play of the fourth quarter.      Burks got the points on a fourth and one from the two, climaxing an 80-yard drive. Lander's kick made it 14-0.      Williams' interception set the Vulcans up at the 35 with 8:40 to go. Six plays later, Vacarella passed to Coleman from the 13, Lander kicked, and it was 21-0.      The final touchdown came when everyone but Smith seemed satisfied to let the clock run out. But Willie picked up a Mike Cox punt and scored the final touchdown with 16 seconds left. Lander kicked.      "I thought our kids were in better shape," said Birmingham head coach Harry Lander. "And this early in the season, that's a factor."      The coach was high in his praise for the play of Vacarella and the entire offensive line.      "All in all," Lander continued, "it was a pretty excellent game for just three weeks' work."      The Vulcans next home game will be June 9 against Jacksonville. In between will be games next Sunday at Tulsa and June 2 at Jackson, Miss.

Score by Quarters Carolina       0     0     0     0     -     0 Alabama   7   0   0   21   -   28                           Statistics         CA       AL First downs   ?   ? Rushing (att - yards)   ? - ?   ? - ? Passing yards   ?   ? Passing (comp - att - int)   ? - ? - ?   ? - ? - ? Punts - avg   ? - ?   ? - ? Fumbles - lost   ? - ?   ? - ? Penalties - yards   ? - ?   ? - ?                          Scoring Summary AL       Coleman 21 pass from Vacarella (Lander kick) AL   Burks 2 run (Lander kick) AL   Coleman 15 pass from Vacarella (Lander kick) AL   Smith 58 punt return (Lander kick)

Players unknown

Players unknown

Alabama: Alfonso Cain (91) Carolina: Johnnie Walker (24)

San Antonio Charros at Shreveport Steamer May 19, 1979 - State Fair Stadium -

Shreveport rallies to pound Charros, 37-20                   San Antonio Light                        Instead of saving a little face with a last-second (actually no-second) score, the San Antonio Charros were beaten even worse, if that's possible, as the result of their last gasp effort, dropping their season opener, 37-20, to the Shreveport Steamer at State Fair Stadium Saturday night.      The situation was this: trailing, 31-20, Charros quarterback Randy Johnson hit wide receiver Tom Whittier at the Steamer 1 with no time left on the clock. But instead of ending, the game continued because of a penalty against the Steamer.      The game was still going on two plays later because of another Shreveport penalty, and Johnson, who competed 25 of 35 passes for 271 yards in his first game as a Charro, tried for a play-action pass, but the ball was picked off by Derrick Battle and returned 99 yards for a score.      The Charros, who dropped their fourth straight meeting against the Steamer over the past two seasons, had things going their way   early in the game. A Johnson-to-Tony Armstrong touchdown pass with 6:50 left in the opening stanza put San Antonio ahead 7-0. After a 30-yard field goal by Shreveport's Tom Skoruppa, San Antonio was on the board again when Johson kept from one yard out for a 13-3 advantage.      Rudy Thomas, who led the American Football Association in scoring last year, put Shreveport within three with :32 left in the half, going in from the 1.      Things still looked pretty good for San Antonio in the third period when Johnson hit runningback David Wehmeyer from four yards out to put the Charros ahead, 20-10, with 7:58 left in the stanza. But that was the last hurrah for the San Antonians.      The Charros never were able to mount a serious running threat throughout the game to back up Johnson's air game, and the result was lack of ball control. Shreveport took full advantage of this, mounting time-consuming   drives to overcome their deficit in the third and fourth periods.      Alex Rankin, who led all ground gainers with 92 yards on 16 totes, scored from the 1 with 2:11 to go in the third to put the Steamer within three again, 20-17, and Thomas added his second one-yard plunge of the game with 6:20 left, and the Steamer poured it on after that.      Shreveport quarterback Clyde Walker came up with the most surprising play of the game besides the finale that probably put the lid on any hopes the visitors might have had about a comeback.      Walker, who connected on 18 of 27 aerials for 205 yards, had his team on the San Antonio 48 with just over a minute to play when he threw a "Hail Mary" pass, which went through the arms of a Charro defender and landed in the arms of Greg Lazzaro for a touchdown and a 31-20 advantage, which set up the strange finish.

Score by Quarters San Antonio       7     6     7     0     -     20 Shreveport   3   7  7   20   -   37                           Statistics         SA       SH First downs   18   24 Rushing (att - yards)   19 - 19   42 - 165 Passing yards   271   205 Passing (comp - att - int)   25 - 35 - 1   18 - 27 - 0 Punts - avg   3 - 35.6   2 - 29.5 Fumbles - lost   ? - 1   ? - 2 Penalties - yards   13 - 131   10 - 49                          Scoring Summary SA       Armstrong 28 pass from Johnson (Mellott kick) SH   Skoruppa 30 field goal SA   Johnson 1 run (kick failed) SH   Thomas 1 run (Skoruppa kick) SA   Wehmeyer 4 pass from Johnson (Mellott kick) SH   Rankin 1 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Thomas 1 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Lazzaro 48 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) SH   Battle 99 interception (game end)

Players unknown

Players unknown

Shreveport: Clyde Walker (8), Alex Rankin (??)

Shreveport: Clyde Walker (8)

Arkansas Champs at Tulsa Mustangs May 19, 1979 - Skelly Stadium -

Mustangs beaten in first roundup                   Dean Clark - Tulsa World                        Arkansas recovered from a shaky start to impressively throttle the Tulsa Mustangs, 16-6, Saturday night at Skelly Stadium in the American Football Association season opener for both teams.      The Champs lost three fumbles in their own territory in the first period, one off the opening kickoff and anouther on their third scrimmage play of the game. But the punchless Mustangs were unable to convert any of those opportuniteis into points despite the benefit of a strong south wind.      Tulsa's offense was almost non-existent until well after the visitors had built a 16-0 lead midway through the third period. The Mustangs would make only one first down in nine possessions in that span.      The Mustangs' best chance to take an early lead came in the final minute of the first quarter when defensive tackle Ernie Harris recovered an Arkansas fumble at the Champs' 14-yard line.      But a busted play on first down led to a penalty for an illegal receiver downfield, spoiling Tulsa's field position edge. The Mustangs nearly scored on second down but   Arkansas cornerback Greg Bankston, who was outstanding throughout the game in the secondary and returning punts, batted away a pass intedned for Mustang tight end Ed McCartney with a last-second effort.      A third-down pass was well off the mark and a fourth-down bomb attempt was intercepted.      Arkansas got its first touchdown with a 52-yard drive midway through the second quarter, a march which required only four running plays.      The big gainer was a bullish 30-yard run by Don Hawkins, easily the game's most impressive runner, which carried the Champs to the Tulsa five-yard line. Hawkins went over right tackle on the next play for the touchdown.      Arkansas picked up a field goal on its next possession after recovering a fumble at the Tulsa 27 for a 10-0 lead.      The visitors also threatened in the final minues of the first half but Vince Rojas' 25-yard field goal attempt was wide.      Bankston's 13-yard punt return ignited the final Arkansas score, a 48-yard drive in the third period.      The drive actually covered more than 60 yards because of penalties and almost all of   that came on a 49-yard bomb from Allen Perry to Larry Thompson. The touchdown came on a tackle breaking six-yard run by Roy McLemore.      Tulsa's touchdown came in the final quarter at the end of a 41-yard drive. Much of the yardage resulted from Arkansas penalties. The Mustangs had only two plays longer than four yards in the march and none longer than six.      Ted Alexander went around right end from two yards out for the touchdown but Alexander was stacked up on an attempted two-point conversion which would have given Tulsa ouside hopes for a tie.      Arkansas had a vastedge in statistics with 269 yards in total offense to just 163 for Tulsa.      Tulsa coach Glenn Dobbs used three quarterbacks in an attempt to generate some offense but none was successful. Tulsa completed only four of 29 passes (not counting a pair caught by Arkansas defenders) for only 44 yards, 32 of which came on one play.      Attendance was announced as 7,500 but most press box observers felt it was, at best, only half that figure.

Score by Quarters Arkansas       0     10     6     0     -     16 Tulsa   0   0 0   6   -   6                           Statistics         AR       TU First downs   ?   ? Rushing (att - yards)   ? - ?   ? - ? Passing yards   ?   ? Passing (comp - att - int)   ? - ? - ?   ? - ? - ? Punts - avg   ? - ?   ? - ? Fumbles - lost   ? - ?   ? - ? Penalties - yards   ? - ?   ? - ?                          Scoring Summary AR       Hawkins 5 run (Rojas kick) AR   Rojas 27 field goal AR   McLemore 6 run (kick failed) TU   Alexander 2 run (run failed)

Tulsa: Earnie Yarborough (??) Arkansas: Greg Bankston (??)

Arkansas Champs at San Antonio Charros May 26, 1979 - Alamo Stadium -

Charros beat Champs                   Log Cabin Democrat                        The Arkansas Champs discovered the true meaning of professional football here Saturday night at Alamo Stadium, as the San Antonio Charros gave them a rude awakening by the score of 30-7 in an American Football Association league game.      Arkansas contributed greatly to the San Antonio win, losing three of eight fumbles and suffering four poor snaps to punter Allen Perry. This, coupled with former National Football League quarterback Randy Johnson hitting 20 of 36 passes for 237 yards, was the difference in the game.      Arkansas was behind 16-0 before half of the opening quarter had gone by, and never recovered. Former Texas Tech Red Raider Dave Mellot opened the scoring for the winners with a 47-yard field  goal at 11:25 of the first   quarter. Less than three minutes later, Johnson hit Charles Washington for a 13-yard touchdown, and Mellot kicked it to 10-0.      David Wehmeyer scored the second Charro touchdown 55 seconds later on a five-yard run. Mellot's attempt was wide to the right, leaving San Antonio in front 16-0.      Arkansas began to regroup, but the Charros were able to stretch the lead to 23-0 at halftime when Thomas Whittier caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Johnson with only 16 seconds left in the second period.      The second half was an entirely differenct story, as the Champs finally began to resemble the team that defeated Tulsa 16-6 last week in the season opener.      After San Antonio had extended the score to 30-0 late in the third period, Arkansas reserve   quarterback Blaine Miller hit Larry Thompson on a 70-yard scoring pass. Thompson caught the ball at the San Antonio 20, and outran the secondary for the score. Miller played last season for the Charros.      Former University of Central Arkansas athletes Sammy Brown, Leatrice Briscoe, Mike Painter and Ronnie Schreder did play well on defense for Arkansas, despite the one-sided score. Jodie Carter and Charles Cleaver each had an interception for the Champs.      The win by San Antonio left its record at 1-1 in the Western Conference, the same as Arkansas. The Champs will meet Carolina at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

Score by Quarters Arkansas       ?     ?     ?     ?     -     30 San Antonio   ?   ? ?   ?   -   7                           Statistics         AR       SA First downs   ?   ? Rushing (att - yards)   ? - ?   ? - ? Passing yards   ?   ? Passing (comp - att - int)   ? - ? - ?   ? - ? - ? Punts - avg   ? - ?   ? - ? Fumbles - lost   ? - ?   ? - ? Penalties - yards   ? - ?   ? - ?                          Scoring Summary         Not available

San Antonio: David Wehmeyer (??)

Kentucky Trackers at Jacksonville Firebirds May 26, 1979 - Fairgrounds Stadium -

Firebird flying circus proves a potent weapon                   Jeff Rude - Floria Time-Union                        The Jacksonville Firebirds made their American Football Association debut in a passable fashion Saturday night at the Gator Bowl... the forward pass was the team's most impressive weapon.      "I looked for more running," said Kentucky Trackers coach Buddy Phaadt, whose team allowed five TD passes en route to a 48-14 loss. "We didn't put any pressure on their quarterbacks and they just hurt us. I was surprised, especially since I thought our defensive backfield was the best part of our team.      "We played terrible."      Former University of Florida quarterbacks Jimmy Fisher and Donald Gaffney threw the five scoring passes, Fisher two and Gaffney three.      They each threw two in the first half, enabling Jacksonville to take a 28-0 intermission lead. Fisher opened the scoring with a 49-yard bomb to a wide-open Charlie Brown, who played at Florida as a second-string receiver in 1973 before transferring to Furrun Junior College in Virginia because of poor grades.      Brown grabbed the ball after waiting for a few seconds, turned and ran the final 15 yards   to the end zone.      "The offensive line was super," said Fisher. "I wasn't touched last week during the scrimmage and it was the same tonight. They not only gave us protection, they gave us a cushion, which gives a quarterback visibility so he can stay back and look out."      Fisher's second TD toss was a 7-yarder to Lake City's Tim Hartley and made the score 12-0 with 10:25 left in the first half.      "The quarterbacks really had their eyes open," said Hartley, who was one of only two players on the team with no college football experience. "This is just a great feeling for me. It was the first pro game I've ever seen, much less played in or scored in, so you can imagine how it feels."      Gaffney, after entering the game with 8:30 to go in the second period, promptly threw TD passes of 27 yards to Brown - the older brother of Gainesville High star quarterback and Gator signee Johnell Brown - and 30 yards to former Florida A&M player James Rackley.      The latter toss capped a two-play 54-yard scoring march with 19 seconds left in the half.      "The offensive line is the key to this team,"   said Gaffney. "That's it in a nutshell. They gave us all night to throw."      Gaffney's final touchdown pass was a 22-yarder with 7:00 to play, to former Gator Willie Jackson.      "I'm not overly concerned about how many touchdowns I threw," added Gaffney. "In fact, I didn't even know. The important thing is that we won."      The top receiver of the night, Brown, played behind Lee McGriff as a freshman at Florida.      "I played a couple of games there, but I really don't remember how many, since it's been so long, he said. "Tonight, I just went out to do my job, but I found out there wasn't much out there to beat."      The Firebirds threw for a total of 239 yards, completing 13 of 20. Gaffney completed six of eight for 127 yards, while Fisher hit on five of eight for 86.      "We felt we had to throw the ball to win the game and entertain the crowd," said Firebirds coach Bob Williams. "We'll gamble and play wide-open football all year long, because we feel we can do that and still play percentages and win."

Score by Quarters Kentucky       0     0     0     14     -     14 Jacksonville   6   22 0   20   -   48                           Statistics         KY       JA First downs   12   17 Rushing (att - yards)   28 - 17   45 - 172 Passing yards   127   248 Passing (comp - att - int)   18 - 47 - 3   13 - 21 - 2 Punts - avg   6 - 35.6   1 - 32.0 Fumbles - lost   3 - 1   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   7 - 116   9 - 77                          Scoring Summary JA       Brown 49 pass from Fisher (pass failed) JA   Hartley 7 pass from Fisher (pass failed) JA   Brown 27 pass from Gaffney (Gaffney run) JA   Rackley 30 pass from Gaffney (Dorsey pass from Gaffney) KY   Bartholomew 1 run (pass failed) KY   Campassi 1 run (Trosper pass from bartholomew) JA   Jackson 22 pass from Gaffney (pass failed) JA   Morgan 2 run (Dorsey pass from Gaffney)

Jacksonville: Gerald Mosley (32) Kentucky: Lenny Pitters (74), Keith Tandy (84)

Mississippi Stars at Shreveport Steamer May 26, 1979 - State Fair Stadium -

Steamer by 35-8                   Jim McLain - Shreveport Times                        Mississippi might regret having chosen Stars as a nickname for its new American Football Association team.      There were few of them on display here Saturday night as Shreveport breezed to a 35-8 win over the Jackson, Miss. club.      Quarterback Clyde Walker sparked the Steamer's second straight victory with three touchdown passes and Shreveport doubled the visitors in total offense.      Walker capped a 63-yard, eight-play second quarter drive with an eight-yard touchdown toss to Vernon Wells and later in the quarter Rod Foppe turned a short slant pattern into a 48-yard touchdown with some fancy running.      The former Florida State quarterback found Foppe again in the third quarter all alone on the left sidelines and the ex-Louisiana Tech receiver strolled in from 28 yards out.      Altogether Walker completed 14 of 20 for 168 yards and no interceptions.      The Steamer started the scoring late in the first quarter on a two-yard smash by Arry Moody to climax a 29-yard drive set up when linebacker Ron Johnson intercepted a pass by Jim Lewis, the second of three Mississippi quarterbacks.      Johnson later dropped a pair of interceptions that had touchdown written all over them. "I   was more concerned with making the touchdowns than with catching the ball," said Ron, whose 66-yard interception beat Austin last year.      Mississippi's lone touchdown came on an 80-yard drive that had pass interfearence penalties of 15 and 30 yards as its biggest plays. Lewis hit Alex Prince with a four-yard pass after the 30-yard walkoff that had given the Stars a first and goal at the Shreveport four.      Larry Warren, a 6-foot-3, 260-pounder out of Alcorn State, who was the Stars' star on defense with 14 tackles, three of them for losses, got the other two points when he dropped sub quarterback James Johnson Mosley in the end zone for a safety later in the final quarter.      Mississippi held the Steamer on the first couple of possessions.      "They started off good and looked sound, but we wore them down," said Walker. "I really thought we could do anything we wanted to out there."      Steamer coach Jim Williams said, "The performance was less than last week (a 37-21 win over San Antonio). Jackson is a new football team and it will take time for them to get organized. We played a lot of people and I was pleased to get a look at some new players."      Mississippi mentor Duncan McCauley said,   "I thought we played a pretty poor ball game altogether. I was a little disappointed in our defensive play. We've got the markings of a football team, but we made a lot of mental mistakes early in the ball game and after we got down, it seemed like we couldn't get a break."      Rudy Thomas led the Steamer in rushing with 43 of the team's 85 yards while ex-Alcorn ace Augusta Lee had 36 of his team's 48 yards.      Wells nabbed seven passes for 112 yards while Foppe caught five for 101.      Ex-Ole Miss star Rick Kimbrought led Jackson with three catches for 34 yards.      Linebackers Marty Smith and Curley White led the Steamer defense with 11 and 10 tackles respectively while big nose guard Sam Coaxum helped out with seven tackles, including two for losses.      In other AFA games Saturday, Randy Johnson threw two touchdown passes, competing 20 of 36 throws for 217 yards in San Antonio's 30-7 win over the Arkansas Champs and former University of Florida quarterback Don Gaffney hit three TD strikes, two to Charley Brown, in Jacksonville's 48-14 rout of the Kentucky Trackers before 15,000 fans in the Gator Bowl. Alabama plays Tulsa today and Carolina observes an open date this weekend.

Score by Quarters Mississippi       0     0     8     0     -     8 Shreveport   7   14 7   7   -   35                           Statistics         MS       SH First downs   11   15 Rushing (att - yards)   32 - 48   32 - 85 Passing yards   105   275 Passing (comp - att - int)   24 - 9 -2   28 - 17 -2 Punts - avg   8 - 36   4 - 29 Fumbles - lost   1 - 1   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   15 - 110   12 - 148                          Scoring Summary SH       Moody 2 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Wells 8 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) SH   Foppe 43 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) SH   Foppe 28 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) MS   Prince 4 pass from Lewis (kick failed) MS   Safety SH   Odum 61 pass from Mosley (Skoruppa kick)

Mississippi: Oho Love (39) Shreveport: Walter Chapman (65)

Shreveport: Clarance Toliver (6)

Mississippi: Robert Felton (32)

Alabama Vulcans at Tulsa Mustangs May 27, 1979 - Skelly Stadium -

Alabama defense ropes off Mustangs, 18-0                   Tom Lobaugh - Tulsa World                        The Alabama Vulcans scored a touchdown in each of the first three periods at Skelly Stadium Sunday night and kept the Tulsa Mustangs from mounting any kind of an offensive threat.      Only the Vulcans' own mistakes kept them from piling up a much larger margin than the 18-0 score, achieved before an estimated 3,300 fans.      It was the second straight victory for the Vulcans and the second straight setback for the Mustangs in the young American Football Association season.      For the second straight week, the Mustang offense failed to control the ball long enough to take any burden off the overworked defense.      Halfback Myron Smith scored on short smashes up the middle in the first and third periods, four yards on his first burst and three on his second. Alabama's second quarter TD came on a three yard pass from Chris Vacarella to James Coleman, with only 26 seconds left in the half.      The Mustangs' farthest point of possession was the Alabama 38, where they took the ball after a short punt. But three plays later they surrended the ball on one of three Vulcan interceptions. Twice they moved the ball across midfield, but barely, having to punt once from the Alabama 41, and suffering an interception after reaching the 49.      The Vulcan's domination was proved by the   , as they netted 331 yards to Tulsa's 73. In the first half the Mustangs accumulated only eight yards of total offense.      Alabama fumbled away its first scoring chance after driving to the Tulsa 17. But in the last six minutes of the first quarter the visitors drove 44 yards to score in nine plays, all on the gournd. The biggest gain was Ken Burks' 14-yard jaunt on a draw play over right guard. After Smith's four-yard scoring smash, Rich Lander's conversion kick was good, but the Vulcans drew an illegal procedure flag. His next attempt was wide.      The Mustangs were apparently headed for the dressing room with only a six-point deficit, as they blunted an 87-yard Vulcan march.      After Tyrone King intercepted a pass from Tulsa's Larry Mayer at the Alabama four, the visitors drove to the Tulsa nine, as Vacarella effectively mixed his passes with running gains. A 27-yard toss to Coleman keyed the drive.      But a personal foul penalty put the ball back to the 24, and then Mustangs Steve Hatcher and Michael Beasley threw Vacarella for an 11-yard loss. Tulsa took over the ball with 1:33 left in the half.      But two plays later on the Mustang 40, Mayer fumbled the center snap. By the time four or five players had touched the elusive pigskin, it was covered by Alabama's Earl Monroe on the Tulsa 26.        Four short passes by Vacarella, one of which Tulsa was penalized for pass interference at the three, resulted in a Vulcan TD. Vacarella tried for a two-point conversion, but was smothered by Hatcher before he could get off the pass.      An interception by Bobby Moore spoiled an Alabama threat in the third period, but the Vulcans covered 40 yards in six plays for their third touchdown. The biggest gainer was a 19-yard draw play on which Smith carried. After his second touchdown run, Vacarella threw incomplete on the conversion attempt, with Hatcher breaking it up.      Ray Hansen was Tulsa's starting quarterback, but left in favor of Mayer early in the second quarter. Mayer had to eat the ball more often than he threw it, but completed five of 12 for 31 yards before he was hurt with three minutes left in the game. Ennis Lowe became the third Mustang quarterback of the nigtht, and their sixth in two games.      Smith was the game's leading rusher, with 87 yards on 18 rushes, while Billy Daniels topped the Mustangs with 23 on four carries. Vacarella completed nine of 17 passes for 102 yards, with one interception.      The Mustangs will play their first road game Saturday, when they travel to Jacksonville to meet the Firebirds.

Score by Quarters Alabama       6     6     6     0     -     18 Tulsa   0   0 0   0   -   0                           Statistics         AL       TU First downs   20   7 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 229   ? - 25 Passing yards   102   48 Passing (comp - att - int)   9 - 19 - 1   7 - 19 - 3 Punts - avg   6 - 34.0   9 - 33.8 Fumbles - lost   ? - 1   ? - 1 Penalties - yards   ? - 85   ? - 86                          Scoring Summary AL       Smith 3 run (kick failed) AL   Coleman 3 pass from Vacarella (run failed) AL   Smith 3 run (pass failed)

Carolina Chargers at Arkansas Champs June 2, 1979 - War Memorial Stadium -

Late FG lits Arkansas 12-10                   Kim Brazzel - Charlotte Observer                        There was nothing wrong with the Carolina Chargers' offense that a couple less fumbles and one less penalty wouldn't cure.      But despite an improved offensive showing, the Chargers will come into next Saturday's home opener 0-2. Vince Rojas kicked a 36-yard field goal with 5:29 left to play, lifting the Arkansas Champs to a 12-10 win Saturday over the Carolina Chargers.      There was an estimated crowd of 400.      The Chargers led 7-3 at the half and had one drive stopped by a fumble and another touchdown called back by a penalty. Arkansas, now 2-1 in the American Football Association season, took the lead when Hal Louis returned the second-half kickoff for 87 yards for a touchdown. Charlotte linebacker Scott Clendenin blocked the extra point attempt to leave it 9-7.      Mike Cox kicked a 34-yard field goal with 9:40 left in the third quarter to cap a 62-yard drive, giving the Chargers a 10-9 lead.        The Chargers seemed on the verge of padding their lead on their next possession, driving to the Arkansas 8 where quarterback Ellsworth Turner fumbled attemting to pass with 2:10 left in the third quarter.      Carolina had one other chance, taking over at its 40 early in the fourth quarter. A pass interference with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty tacked on moved the Chargers to the Arkansas 23. Randy Bolton picked up 5 yards to the Arkansas 18, setting up a fourth-and-8 situation. Cox missed on a 43-yard attempt with 12:09 left to play.      The Champs then drove 75 yards for the winning field goal.      The Chargers controlled most of the first half with the running of Johnny Walker and Bolton, but had to rely on their defense for their first-half points.      Walker fumbled on the Arkansas 3 with the Champs' Joey Zinamon recovering at the 6.      Three plays later Bill Eberie attempted to   punt from about 6 yards deep in the Arkansas end zone. Linebacker Charlie Hopkins broke through the right side to block the punt and recover in the end zone for the touchdown with 3:30 left in the first quarter. Cox added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.      The Champs cut the margin to 7-3 with a 28-yard field goal with 1:15 left in the half. Only 42 seconds later, Carolina's Reggie Smith popped loose for 30 yards and an apparent touchdown on an end around, but a clipping penalty nullified the play.      Turner, throwing under heavy pressure most of the second half, completed 17-of-26 passes for 149 yards. Walker, successful early inside, gainted 101 yards on 25 carries to lead all rushers.      The Chargers, who lost to Birmingham two weeks ago, play their home opener at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday at Charlotte's Memorial Stadium against the Kentucky Trackers.

Score by Quarters Carolina       7     0     3     0     -     10 Arkansas   0   3 6   3   -   12                           Statistics         CA       AR First downs   17   13 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 97   ? - 200 Passing yards   149   73 Passing (comp - att - int)   17 - 26 - 0   7 - 18 - 1 Punts - avg   3 - 29.4   6 - 23.5 Fumbles - lost   3 - 2   1 - 0 Penalties - yards   10 - 83   12 - 115                          Scoring Summary CA       Hopkins recovered blocked pun in end zone (Cox kick) AR   Rojas 28 field goal AR   Louis 87 kickoff return (kick failed) CA   Cox 34 field goal AR   Rojas 36 field goal

Shreveport Steamer at Kentucky Trackers June 2, 1979 - Fairgrounds Stadium -

Trackers get answers, make some progress in loss to Shreveport                   George Rorrer - Louisville Courier-Journal                        The Kentucky Trackers started getting some answers last night on the viability of summer American Football Association competition in Lousiville.      They played the defending AFA champion, the Shreveport Steamer, in their home opener at Fairgrounds Stadium.      The scores, in order of significance: Crowd 5,132, Steamer 31, Trackers 17.      It started out to be a happening. There was a rock concert on the parking lot. The Tracker Backers' lounge was full of dazzling cheerleader hostesses. An ushering service had men posted at all entrances of the 38,000-seats-plus stadium. The Shreveport television station which beamed the game live back to Louisiana had put up "fan" banners ("Thanks KTAL-TV Steamer Maniacs" and "Steamer Fans Are Watching").      But the rock music got little more than passing interest, the hostesses kept looking in vain for Tracker Backers, the crowd control men had little to do but watch an entertaining football game, and the TV camermen had to be careful not to show acres of empty seats.      Trackers general manager P. D. Kuhn was disappointed in the crowd and his hometown, but he was happy with his team.      "I can rationalize all of the other things that were happenign tonight," he said, "but with the caliber of athletes we have and the way they have worked, it's a shame more people didn't turn out.      "I'm not knocking softball or auto racing, but it's time Louisville got off its butt and supported affordable Saturday night entertainment."      Although the Trackers are 0-2 and have been outscored 79-31, Kuhn predicted they're about   turn the corner.      "I'm proud of these guys," he said. "They played a helluva game tonight for having been together just five weeks. We're going on the road for two weeks now (to Charlotte, N. C. and Jackson, Miss.) and we're going to play two teams which have been together the same length of time we have.      "We're going to come home with two wins. What I saw tonight was that Lousville can have the best team in this league, and it's just a matter of time until we do it. I'd just like to see Lousiveille get behind it."      Last night's crowd wasn't overwhelmingly far off the 8,000 who showed up for Shreveport's home opener last week. But it was far below the 15,102 who paid to see Jacksonville trip the Trackers last week at Jacksonville.      Crowd talk is especially pertinent in the AFA. Players and coaches are paid small percentages of the gate.      The Trackers scored first last night, settling for a 23-yard field goal by Charlie Johnson on their first offensive series. But by the second quarter, Tracker quarterback John Madeya's blockers were apologizing to him frequently for the blocks they were missing, and the Steamer had a 21-3 halftime lead.      After Shreveport moved ahead 24-3, the Trackers' Dallas Owens set up his team's first home touchdown with a 29-yard return of an interception of a James Mosley pass. Tight end Ray Graham scored on a four-yard fourth down pass from reserve quarterback Doug Bartholomew.      After a wild fourth quarter, the Trackers were reasonably even with the Steamer statistically. Kentucky led in first downs 24-21,   but the Steamer led in total offense, 427 yards to 358.      The Trackers got brilliant individual performances from University of Kentucky product Dave Trosper, who caught 14 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown, and from University of Louisville product Madeya, who completed 18 of 40 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown.      Those things were enough to give the Trackers hope.      "We've played the best team and now we know what we have to do," said Trosper. "We'll work out the kinks and we won't be half bad. Give us two or three more games and we'll start jelling."      Said Madeya: "Those first two teams we played have been around. The next two started off the same time we did."      Said linebacker Waldo Waters, who covered a Shreveport fumble: "If they're the champs, we'll be all right considering the way we're improving. I think what we got tonight was a little confidence in ourselves, which we didn't really have after last week."      Added coach Buddy Pfaadt: "That team didn't totally embarrass us. It was just like last week in Florida. We'd get inside the 20 and we wouldn't score. Maybe we're trying too hard.      "I hope the fans see the potential in this football team. We've got some good athletes and we're going to get some more. We've played the two best teams in the league. We've set July 1 as a date to have an established team."      Nex home game for the Trackers will be June 23 against Alabama.

Score by Quarters Shreveport       7     14     3     7     -     31 Kentucky   3   0 6   8   -   17                           Statistics         SH       KY First downs   17   13 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 97   ? - 200 Passing yards   149   73 Passing (comp - att - int)   17 - 26 - 0   7 - 18 - 1 Punts - avg   3 - 29.4   6 - 23.5 Fumbles - lost   3 - 2   1 - 0 Penalties - yards   10 - 83   12 - 115                          Scoring Summary KY       Johnson 23 field goal SH   Thomas 3 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Rankin 36 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Foppe 55 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) SH   Skoruppa 36 field goal KY   Graham 4 pass from Bartholomew (pass failed) SH   Odum 61 pass from Mosley (Skoruppa kick) KY   Trosper 9 pass from Madeya (Fourshee pass from Bartholomew)

Shreveport: Alex Rankin (??) Kentucky: Ron Wilson (??)

Kentucky: Clarence Jackson (28)

Alabama Vulcans at Mississippi Stars June 2, 1979 - Newell Field -

Offensive Stars fail to move football, lose 14-3                   Roscoe Nance - Jackson Clarion-Ledger                        No matter what the league, football coaches all agree on two things - it's difficult to win games without scoring, and in order to score the team has to move the ball.      The Mississippi Stars ran into those problems Saturday in their American Football Association home opener at Newell Field, suffering a 14-3 loss to the Alabama Vulcans before approximately 500 fans.      The Stars, 0-2, managed only 135 yards total offense against Alabama on a rain soaked field. That came on the heels of 153 yards total offense in the 35-8 season opening loss to the Shreveport Steamer.      "We just couldn't get our offense going," said Stars' coach Duncan McCauley. "The field being wet had a lot to do with it. It was just one of those games. I don't know how much the weather affected Alabama. I don't know how they would have played on a dry field. I feel better this week than I did last week. I feel we have made some improvement. But you never feel good after a loss."      While the Stars were having trouble getting untracked offensively, the Vulcans, unbeaten in three games, were revving up their three-yards-and-a-puddle-of-water attack. Led by former Morris Brown fullback Myron Smith, the Vulcans sloshed their way to 199 yards. Smith accounted for 112 of those yards on 29 carries. Mike Horton, his backfield mate out of Alabama A&M, chipped in with 73 yards on 16 carries.      The Vulcans' ball-control offense and defense combined to limit the Stars to just 21 plays from scrimmage in the first half and six first downs for the game. However, the Stars did manage to take a 3-0 lead with 1:47 remaining in the first half on Troy Hardin's 22-yard field goal. Those were the first points scored against the Vulcans this season. The score was set up when Larry Jamison, a linebacker out of Jackson State, recovered a fumble by former Auburn quarterback Chris Vacarella at the Vulcans' seven.      Those were the only points of the first half. In the first period, the Vulcans drove from their 20 to the Stars' 16, but Rich Lander missed a field goal attempt. Later, the Vulcans drove to the Stars' 32 before punting the ball away. The only time the Stars crossed midfield, aside from Jamison's fumble recovery, was on Ernest Young's pass interception at the Stars' 40 that he returned to the Vulcans' 47.      Alabama began the second half by marching 85 yards for the go-ahead score. The TD came on a 22-yard pass from Vacarella to John Hopkins, who eluded Dan Darby at the Stars' five and stepped into the end zone. The Vulcans added their final score on Smith's 2-yard plunge with 7:27 remaining in the game.      "They have a good solid football team," said McCauley. "They just play and wait for you to make a mistake. We're still about two or three weeks away. We had hoped to get off to a better start. I hope the fans across Mississippi understand. If we can generate some offense to the point where we score three touchdowns a game, we'll be all right.      "I thought both quarterbacks (Jimmy Lewis and William Wooley) played well under duress."      The Stars generated some offense in the final five minutes. William Wooley replaced Jimmy Lewis at quarterback and moved the team from its 27 to Alabama's 18 on two completions to Alex Prince and a pass interference call against Tyrone King. However, Wooley was shaken up on the interference play and had to leave the game. Lewis returned to complete a pass to Rick Kimbrough at the five. Another pass interference call against the Vulcans, this one in the end zone, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, gave the Stars a first-and-goal at the one. But they weren't able to score.      "This was our first time playing on grass," said Vulcans coach Harry Lander, "and we got off to a slow start. We even practice on an artificial field. We just pulled ourselves together at the half. We've got a fine offense line. That allows us to control the ball."

Score by Quarters Alabama       0     0     7     7     -     14 Mississippi   0   3 0   0   -   3                           Statistics         AL       MS First downs   18   5 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 208   ? - 85 Passing yards   84   50 Passing (comp - att - int)   7 - 16 - 1   5 - 17 - 0 Punts - avg   6 - 34.5   7 - 32.0 Fumbles - lost   ? - 1   ? - 1 Penalties - yards   ? - 85   ? - 60                          Scoring Summary MS       Harden 22 field goal AL   Hopkins 22 pass from Vacarella (Lander kick) AL   Smith 3 run (Lander kick)

Mississippi: Phillip Elmore (54), James Blake (74) Alabama: Myron Smith (33)

Mississippi: Jim Lewis (??) Alabama: Ricky Gilliland (54)

Tulsa Mustangs at Jacksonville Firebirds June 2, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

'Birds bomb Tulsa                   Bill Kastelz - Florida Times-Union                        Not even a torrential rain which began at halftime and lasted the rest of the game could cool off the red-hot Firebirds Saturday night.      Jacksonville's entry in the American Football Association bombed punchless Tulsa 32-0 in the Gator Bowl for its second straight victory of the young season - but possibly at quite a price.      Onto the injury list went speedy running back Leon McQuay with a shoulder separation and running back-flanker Charlie Dorsey with a neck injury of still undetermined severity. McQuay is expected to be out about three weeks.      But, while the rain held off, an announced turnout of 18,681 whooped it up as the Firebirds crammed 24 points into the first half, then played close-to-the-vest football the rest of the way.      "I thought Tulsa stayed with us physically," said Firebirds coach Bob Williams after the game. "But the rain which came down so hard at halftime made both teams play conservatively in the scond half."      James Rackley, who scored two Firebird touchdowns, echoed his coach.      "Tulsa was a lot more organized and ready to play this week," he said. "They hit hard but our offenseive line was pumping."      Linebacker Charlie Hunt was considerably more cryptic.      "We kicked their butts," he observed.      Jimmy Fisher started at quarterback and got the Firebirds off to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. He competed six of 10 passes for 84 yards, but he wasn't very happy with his performance.      "I made some mistakes up there," he said. "But, it's too bad it rained so hard and kept the fans from seeing two halves of good football."      The loss drops Tulsa to 0-3. The Mustangs have scored only two touchdowns this season. Jacksonville (2-0) travels to Birmingham next Saturday to face the Alabama Vulcans, who are also unbeated this season.      Against Tulsa, the Firebirds scored on their first possession, driving from their 25 to the Tulsa 7, before stalling and sending John Williams to kick a 24-yard field goal.      A Tulsa fumble gave the Firebirds the ball at their 41 midway in the first quarter and, as the clock showed an even five minutes left in the period, Rackley cracked 3 yards for a touchdown. Williams added the point and it was 10-0.      Don Gaffney replaced Fisher at quarterback in the second quarter with the Firebirds in possession at their 3. Four plays later - one being a 63-yard pass to Willie Jackson - the Firebirds scored again. Rackley got the touchdown on a 28-yard scamper and after Williams added the extra point it was 17-0 with 9:27 left in the half.      Tim Morgan added a 1-yard touchdown with 1:51 remaining in the half and it was 27-0.      After a scoreless third quarter, Tulsa quarterback Larry Mayer was caught in the end zone for a safety by Firebird linebacker Danny Jackson with 4:16 remaining in the game. The scoring was closed out 32 seconds later when Gaffney passed 16 yards to Charlie Brown.      The rout caused Firebird general manager Danny Bridges to joke out loud.      "Bring on the Tampa By Bucs," he said after the game. "The winner would take 50 percent and the other 50 percent would go to charity."

Score by Quarters Tulsa       0     0     0     0     -     0 Jacksonville   10   14 0   8   -   32                           Statistics         TU       JA First downs   9   16 Rushing (att - yards)   42 - 66   41 - 133 Passing yards   2   214 Passing (comp - att - int)   2 - 14 - 1   10 - 19 - 3 Punts - avg   10 - 29.6   4 - 36.2 Fumbles - lost   6 - 2   1 - 1 Penalties - yards   7 - 45   9 - 89                          Scoring Summary JA       Williams 24 field goal JA   Rackley 3 run (Williams kick) JA   Rackley 28 run (Williams kick) JA   Morgan 1 run (Williams kick) JA   Safety Mayer tackled in end zone JA   Brown 16 pass from Gaffney (kick failed)

Tulsa: Clarence Dennard (76) Jacksonville: Don Gaffney (1)

Jacksonville: James Rackley (33) Tulsa: Ernest Knox (57)

Mississippi Stars at San Antonio Charros June 9, 1979 - Alamo Stadium -

Charros roll by Stars, 42-14                   Clifford Broyles - San Antonio Express-News                        The only thing more anemic than the Charros' running game Saturday night was the Mississippi offense.      The Stars, who will have to wait until another night to shine, managed just 115 yards total offense, 112 of it through the air, as San Antonio blisted its American Football Association rival, 42-14, at Alamo Stadium.      The Charros, now 2-1 in the AFA, rolled up their highest point total of the season before an estimated crowd of 3,000 fans in spite of a running attack which accounted for only 42 yards on 30 snaps. However, the Charros accounted for 304 yards through the air.      Charro running backs Mike Washington and David Wehmeyer and wide receiver Bruce Dickey, integral parts of Texas Lutheran College's championship era, scored five of the six San Antonio touchdowns.      Washington started it with a 67-yard punt return, then was on the receiving end of a 38-yard touchdown pass from the league's leading passer, Randy Johnson. He wrapped up the night's scoring with a four-yard sweep with 2:06 left in the game after being inserted at quarterback.      Wehmeyer added a one-yard touchdown run and Dickey snagged a 70-yard bomb from reserve quarterback Sam Maxie after San Antonio established a 21-0 lead at the half.      Mississippi's scores resulted from a 76-yard fumble return by Al Dotson and a 38-yard punt return by versatile Ernest Young.      Dotson's touchdown game after Charro wide receiver Tom Whittier had apparently caught a 13-yard pass. Whittier tossed the ball in the air as if the play was over after hitting the ground. But Dotson picked the ball off in midair and ran all the way.      The Star offense penetrated San Antonio territory only twice and three Mississippi quarterbacks completed only 12 of 40 passes and had three intercepted.      Johnson completed 12 of 25 passes for 144 yards and Maxie played most of the second half at quarterback. Maxie added two touchdown passes, including a 19-yarder to Whittier on the final play of the third period.      The Charros made the most of only 103 yards total offense and Mississippi mistakes to open up a 21-0 lead at the half.      San Antonio got two long-distance touchdowns from Washington and one short drive by Wehmeyer for its touchdowns.      Kicker David Mellot missed two of three extra points but San Antonio made up the differnce with a safety. Star punter Troy Hardin bobbled the snap from center while punting from the end zone and the ball rolled out of the nd zone for the safety.      The Stars, who suffered two interceptions and a lost fumble in the first half, had only four yards total offense before the final possession of the half.      A 24-yard pass from William Wooley to Sam Conner with 33 seconds remaining in the half moved the Stars to the Charro 39, the first time they crossed midfield in the game.      The drive died at the San Antonio 25 with four straight incompletions and one second left in the half.      Linebacker Robert Rickman gave the Charros their first break when he intercepted Wooley on the first play of the game. That set up San Antonio at the Mississippi 33 just 19 seconds deep into the game.      But the Charros failed to take advantage of the situation.      It was one of three times in the first half San Antonio failed to cash in when deep in Star territory.      The Charros did not mark the scoreboard until Washington raced 67 yards with his punt return with 8:31 left in the first quarter.      Johnson found Washington behind the Star secondary for a 38-yard TD bomb on the first play of the second quarter.      Former Trinity baseballer Frank Oakes' interception at the Star 39 set up the final Charro TD of the half, Wehmeyer doing the honors.

Score by Quarters Mississippi       0     0     7     7     -     14 San Antonio   7   14 7   14   -   42                           Statistics         MS       SA First downs   10   17 Rushing (att - yards)   22 - 2   31 -43 Passing yards   117   304 Passing (comp - att - int)   12 - 40 - 3   19 - 40 - 2 Punts - avg   4 - 34.0   3 - 34.3 Fumbles - lost   5 - 1   1 - 1 Penalties - yards   7 - 63   8 - 99                          Scoring Summary SA       Washington 67 punt return (Mellott kick) SA   Washington 38 pass from Johnson (kick failed) SA   Wehmeyer 1 run (kick failed) SA   Safety Hardin fumbled ball out of endzone MS   Dotson 76 fumble return (Hardin kick) SA   Whittier 19 pass from Maxie (Mellott kick) MS   Young 49 punt return (Hardin kick) SA   Dickey 70 pass from Maxie (Mellott kick) SA   Washington 4 run (Mellott kick)

Mississippi: Oakley Dalton (??) San Antonio: David Wehmeyer (35)

San Antonio: Glen Kaiser (57) Mississippi: William Wooley (12)

Mississippi: Larry Warren (3) San Antonio: David Wehmeyer (35)

San Antonio: Glen Kaiser (57) Mississippi: William Wooley (12)

Kentucky Trackers at Carolina Chargers June 9, 1979 - Memorial Stadium -

Chargers get 1st triumph                   Les Bowen - Charlotte Observer                        The last few seconds of the Carolina Chargers' 22-14 American Football Association victory over the Kentucky Trackers were ticking away slowly.      Chargers' starting offensive lineman Reid Squires was watching from the bench and explaining how he knew at halftime the Chargers would win Saturday - even though they trailed 14-3 at the time, had given up 221 yards passing, and had managed to score only on the last play of the second quarter - on a wobbly 30-yard  field goal by Mike Cox.      Squires should have let the spectators in on the secret. At halftime, the estimated crowd of about 10,000 at Carolina's home opener at Memorial Stadium had no idea the Chargers were going to get their first victory ever. In fact, when an electrical problem that had stopped the scoreboard clock with 55 seconds left also preempted the halftime show, there were mutters and a few outright hoots.      But Squires said the Chargers had already turned the tide, halftime show or not.      "Momentum really shifted with that field goal," he explained.      "That was the first time all season our offense has driven down the field and scored. People have been talking about how we move the ball from the 20 to the 20 but can't score. It was a matter of mental mistakes - holding and offsides penalties - and we worked all week long on perfecting our snap count, not making mental errors."      Squires said coach Perry Moss's halftime talk was also a factor.      "Coach Moss told us if we didn't beat this team, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves, and he was right."      The Chargers started on their own 19 after receiving the second half kickoff, and moved to Kentucky's 21 in 7 plays. But quarterback Ellsworth Turner's pass was intercepted by Dallas Owens at the goal line, and Owens returned the ball to the 16.      It looked like the first half pattern of mental errors and missed opportunites, a haunting, recurring problem for the Chargers all season, was back.      But Carolina's defense held, and a 38-yard Charlie Johnson punt along with a 12-yard Bruce Duke return gave the Chargers the ball on Kentucky's 36.      Six plays later, Johnny Walker turned the corner on the left side and scored from the 4. Turner was sacked trying to pass for a 2-point conversion, so Carolina trailed 14-9. Only the officials knew how much time was left in the third quarter, because the scoreboard never recovered from its second quarter breakdown.      Cox then squibbed a kick to Kentucky tight end Ray Graham, who returned it 6 yards before being squashed by Scott Clendinin and Carl Broom. Graham relinquished the football to Clendinin, who explained afterward: "(He) had the ball loose and I grabbed it from him."      Carolina took possession on the Trackers' 46 and scored 7 plays later, Turner firing a line-drive pass over the middle to Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith from 22 yards out. Turner's 2-point conversion sneak failed, and the Chargers led 15-14.      Kentucky still enjoyed some passing success - Trackers' quarterback John Madeya hit 18 of 43 for 329 yards - but an improved Charger pass rush and better reaction by the Carolina defensive backs kept the Trackers away from the end zone.      The Chargers drove 65 yards on 9 plays midway through the fourth quarter for their final touchdown, Turner rolling to his right from Kentucky's 5 and throwing to Bart Crawford in the end zone. Cox's extra point kick made it 22-14.      Turner's teammates gave him much credit for the victory. Turner started last Saturday's 12-10 loss to Arkansas, but when the Chargers' offense failed to score a touchdown, Moss decided to start Rick Sadecki against Kentucy.      However, Sadecki misfired on all three passes he threw, including a bady underthrown interception, before being replaced midway through the second quarter. Turner completed 14 of 18 for 145 yards.      The Chargers (1-2) travel to Jacksonville (2-1) next Saturday.

Score by Quarters Kentucky       0     14     0     0     -     14 Carolina   0   3 12   7   -   22                           Statistics         KY       CA First downs   19   21 Rushing (att - yards)   26 - (-16)   44 - 145 Passing yards   329   145 Passing (comp - att - int)   18 - 43 - 2   14 -21 - 2 Punts - avg   5 - 37.2   5 - 38.4 Fumbles - lost   1 - 1   1 - 0 Penalties - yards   9 - 54   5 - 25                          Scoring Summary KY       Foushee 3 pass from Madeya (kick failed) KY   Foushee 21 pass from Madeya (Pritchett pass from Madeya) CA   Cox 30 field goal CA   Weber 4 run (run failed) CA   Smith 22 pass from Turner (run failed) CA   Crawford 5 pass from Turner (Cox kick)

Carolina: Johnny Walker (24)

Carolina: Rick Sadecki (??)

Carolina: Randy Bolton (22)

Jacksonville Firebirds at Alabama Vulcans June 9, 1979 - Legion Field -

Jacksoville killed, 48-0 Vulcans overpowering                   Charles Hollis - Birmingham News                        The night was made for beer vendors at Legion Field. There was the temperature, right at 84 degrees.      And then there were those customers, right at 22,000.      They were here for a game of American Football Association (AFA) unbeatens, the Alabama Vulcans (3-0) and the Jacksonville Firebirds (2-0).      "Business is as good as it ever was for professional football in Birmingham, even when we had the old Americans and Vulcans," is how Ralph Burgin put it. Burgin was part of the Shrine Club's crew selling beer at the stadium. "We've sold at least nine big kegs and there's about seven cases of beer in each key.      "So we've done pretty well so far selling beer to the fans."      Back on the field, the Vulcans weren't doing a bad job of selling AFA football to their fans.      They certainly convinced the Firebirds.      And how!      Alabama rolled 'em, 48-zip. The estimated 22,000 is the largest crowd to see an AFA game his season.      The win pushes the Ironmen to 4-0 and into sole possession of first place in the league's Eastern Division. The Firebirds are now 2-1.      For the fourth straight week, the Vulcan defense did not allow a touchdown. Jacksonville entered the game with an offense that had yet to be stopped, averaging 40 points for the first two contests.      "We humiliated them, especially in the first half," shouted Alabama middle linebacker Carl Pennington. "We physically outmanned them on defense and the offense held the ball, which kept us fresh throughout the game.      "That's what we wanted to do. Getting this shutout, especially with how explosive they're supposed to be, made the win even better."      The Vulcan defense was something to behold in the first 30 minutes, shutting down the Firebirds for one first down and minus four yards total offense.      "We obviously were well-prepared with our game plan," beamed head coach Harry Lander. "It was just like we had chalked it up on the board. I was very proud of the crowd. It was a total team effort."      Now, about this offense of the Vulcans. This offense that exploded for 28 first half points.      "It went like I hoped it would," said quarterback Chris Vacarella. "The offensive line did an incredible job on their defense. Today's my birthday and I coudn't get a better present."      For the game, Vacarella hit on seven of eight passes for 96 yards and one touchdown and one interception.      Alabama didn't waste time establishing the tempo for the game, taking the opening kickoff to the Jacksonville 15 before a 30-yard field goal was off to the left by kick specialist Rich Lander.      The Vulcans didn't have long to wait before their next possession - thanks to the defense and one Earl Monroe, who blocked a Firebird punt less than two minutes later at the Jax three.      It took running back Mike Horton one play to get the six points. Lander hit the PAT and it was 7-0 with 4:18 to go in the first period.      Horton, a 5-10, 195-pounder from Alabama A&M, also got the second Vulcan touchdown, which came with 12:40 to go before intermission.      This TD run covered 23 yards and capped a 76-yard drive in 11 plays. He finished the game with 92 yards on 13 carries.      "Their defense wasn't as tough as I thought," noted Horton. "We ran right at them all night without much trouble."      The Vulcans got on the scoreboard again with 5:08 left in the first half, this touchdown coming on a one-yard plunge by Myron Smith to cap a 63-yard, 11-play march. Lander made it 21-0.      James Ligon, Vacarella's backup, wound up first half scoring whth a dynamite of a touchdown pass play. It covered 43 yards to wideout Terry Grammer. When Lander made it 28-0, no time was left in the half. Ligon tossed the pass on a fourth-and-22 and five seconds left on the clock.      The Firebirds, behind quarterbacks Don Gaffney and Jimmy Fisher, couldn't muster any offensvie threat in the second half, either.      The Vulcs, though, could do no wrong.      Alabama popped more points on the scoreboard with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter when running back Ernest Williams rambled 12 yards and cap a 60-yard, seven-play drive. Lander's kick failed, leving it 34-0.      The next TD came just over a minute later. Fullback Kenny Burks got this one on a three-yard dive over right tackle. Lander connected on the PAT to make it 41-0, 2:56 left in the third.      The final points of the night came on a 25-yard Ligon scramble at right end. Lander kicked it to a stunning 48-0.     Smith followed Horton in the rushing department with 90 yards on 20 carries, while Williams picked up 71 on 11.      The  Firebirds wound up with a total of 17 rushing yards and 62 passing for a total of 79 against the Alabama Iron Curtin defense. The Vulcs, meanwile, generated 313 yards on the ground to go with 126 yards in the air.

Score by Quarters Jacksonville       0     0     0     0     -     0 Alabama   7   21 20   0   -   48                           Statistics         JA       AL First downs   6   18 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 17   ? - 313 Passing yards   62   126 Passing (comp - att - int)   10 - 27 - 3   10 - 13 - 1 Punts - avg   6 - 24.3   1 - 41.0 Fumbles - lost   ? - ?   ? - ? Penalties - yards   ? - 45   ? - 45                          Scoring Summary AL       Horton 3 run (Lander kick) AL   Horton 22 run (Lander kick) AL   Smith 1 run (Lander kick) AL   Grammer 43 pass from Ligon (Lander kick) AL   Williams 12 run (kick failed) AL   Burks 3 run (Lander kick) AL   Ligon 25 run (Lander kick)

Players unknown

Alabama: Chris Vacarella (2)

Players unknown

Shreveport Steamer at Tulsa Mustangs June 9, 1979 - Skelly Stadium -

Mustangs win, 19-17                   Bruce Morton - Tulsa World                        The Tulsa Mustangs stunned defending American Football Association champion Shreveport, 19-17, on a crisp and rainy Saturday night at Skelly Stadium before a gathering of 578 fans.      The Mustang defense continually stifled the potent Steamer attack which had rung up at least 31 points in its three previous victories.      Shreveport opened the scoring when Tom Skoruppa connected on a 40-yard field goal after running back Alex Rankin had gone 31 yards on a draw play.      Tulsa took the lead on an electrifying 83-yard punt return by Jeff Bergeron with 1:39 left in the first half. Ed McCartney's extra point attempt was blocked.      Bergeron's cross-country jaunt was only the second touchdown for Tulsa this season. It also set a league record for longest punt return.      Shreveport was not down long as quarterback Clyde Walker hit wide receiver Rod Foppe on a 15-yard pass. Foppe was struck hard, but bounced free and romped untouched to complete a 71-yard scoring play. Skoruppa's conversion gave the Steamers a 10-6 lead at intermission.      Tulsa cornerback Tony Perry picked off a Walker aerial and returned 35 yards to the Shreveport 42 early in the second half. Tulsa put together two first downs to set up a first-and-goal from the four but Shreveport held on four straight plays.      Shreveport was forced to punt but the snap sailed past the punter and through the end zone for a safety at 6:51 to make it 10-8.      The Mustangs then drove to the Shreveport 22 before an interception at the one-yard line halted their drive. But on first down, Steamer Alex Rankin was caught on an end sweep by linebackers Ernie Knox and OSU's Bobby Douglas for another safety, tying the score at 10-10, with 2:01 left in the thrid quarter.      The Tulsa defense shut down the powerful Steamer attack in the fourth quarter. Following a 26-yard Shreveport punt, McCartney drilled a 32-yard field goal for a 13-10 Mustang lead with 9:20 left in the game.      The ensuing kickoff rolled out of the end zone. On the first play from scrimmage, Shreveport's Rudy Thomas fumbled and the ball was kicked into the end zone, where Knox recovered for a Tulsa touchdown. The extra point attempt failed.      Shreveport scored with 4:28 left in the game when McCartney mishandled a punt snap and Cornell Morris recovered for the Steamers in the end zone. Tulsa was able to run out the clock to preserve their first victory in its short history. The loss drops Shreveport to 3-1, while Tulsa is 1-3.

Score by Quarters Shreveport       3     7     0     7     -     17 Tulsa   0   6 4   9   -   19                           Statistics         SH       TU First downs   11   11 Rushing (att - yards)   29 - 70   57 - 194 Passing yards   203   93 Passing (comp - att - int)   22 - 10 - 1   20 - 9 - 1 Punts - avg   3 - 27.7   2 - 43.0 Return yards   7   134 Fumbles - lost   4 - 3   3 - 2 Penalties - yards   6 - 44   11 - 61                Scoring Summary SH       Skoruppa 40 field goal TU   Bergeron 83 punt return (kick failed) SH   Foppe 71 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) TU   Safety punt snap through end zone TU   Safety Douglas tackled Thomas in end zone TU   McCartney 32 field goal TU   Dennard recovered fumble in end zone (kick failed) SH   Morris recovered fumble in end zone (Skoruppa kick)

Carolina Chargers at Jacksonville Firebirds June 16, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

Carolina topples Firebirds                   Bill Kastelz - Florida Times-Union                        Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith, Carolina's 5-foot-5 wide receiver, scored three touchdowns - one on a 91-yard return of the second half kickoff - as the Chargers stunned the Firebirds 27-21 in the Gator Bowl Saturday night.      But the North Carolina Central graduate still wasn't satisfied with his performance. Happy yes, satisfied no.      "Don't forget, I had two touchdowns called back," he reminded one and all after the Chargers' second victory (against two losses) in American Football Association play this year.      And, he did. Coach Perry Moss' ballclub came to play, and for the second straight week, the Firebirds' defense buckled.      "It was the same old story. We couldn't take the ball away from them," said a disappointed Firebird coach Bob Williams.      "And, we committeed some uncalled-for fouls. We couldn't stop anybody."      Of the Firebirds' open date next Saturday, Williams added:      "It should help us. We're going to have to make some changes and get better-organized."      Moss, naturally, saw things in a different light. The former Florida State University head coach's comment:      "We're improving. We're playing good, solid football.      "The defense wasn't quite as good after (Don) Gaffney went in because he is so fast.      "The breaks went our way, but the best team won.      "I thought it was a great game. A great game."      In spots it was. But, the Chargers scored the first time they got their hands on the ball, scored again 27 seconds before the end of the first half, and walked off the field at intermission with a 14-0 lead against the Firebirds, who at that point had not scored in six quarters - after getting 80 points in their first two games, both victories.      The announced crowd of 14,159 got another jolt on the second half kickoff when Smith gathered it in on his 9-yard line and sped thorugh the entire Firebird specialty squad 91 yards to the end zone. After Mike Cox converted, it was 21-0 and the natives started getting restless.      But, back game the Firebirds and after a 64-yard sprint by Leon McQuay on the first play after the next kickoff carried the ball to the Carolina 3, James Rackley hurtled across from a yard out for the touchdown. John Williams converted and it was 21-7.      Next time the 'Birds gained possession it was at their 6. Still, Gaffney moved them all the way - 94 yards in 15 plays. Rackley scoring again, this time from the 2. Williams' conversion cut Carolina's margin to 21-14 as the crowd came to life.      But, the Chargers got an insurance touchdown, set up by a pass completion, fumble and run, which carried to the Firebirds' 5, where quarterback Ellsworth Turner threw to wide receiver Bart Crawford for the score. Turner, who has a fantastic season completion percentage, wound up the evening with 17 successful tosses in 25 tries, with one interception - three of this throws going for TDs.      Gaffney had 11 for 23 and one interception, for 164 yards and one touchdown.

Score by Quarters Carolina       7     7     7     6     -     27 Jacksonville   0   0 14   7   -   21                           Statistics         CA       JA First downs   14   22 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 135   ? - 227 Passing yards   199   221 Passing (comp - att - int)   17 - 25 - 1   16 - 32 - 2 Punts - avg   4 - 29.2   3 - 28.0 Fumbles - lost   2 - 0   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   7 - 65   5 - 53                          Scoring Summary CA       Smith 18 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Smith 3 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Smith 91 kickoff return (Cox kick) JA   Rackley 1 run (Williams kick) JA   Rackley 2 run (Williams kick) CA   Crawford 6 pass from Turner (run failed) JA   Dorsey 10 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick)

Unknown players

Jacksonville: James Rackley (33)

Jacksonville players on bench

Kentucky Trackers at Mississippi Stars June 16, 1979 - Newell Field -

Untracked Stars get TDs, first win                   Roscoe Nance - Jackson Clarion-Ledger                        Mississippi Stars coach Duncan McCauley is persistent if nothing else. In each of his team's first three American Football Association games, McCauley has insisted the Stars needed to score three touchdowns to win. In each of the three games, the Stars failed to do so and they lost.      Saturday night, McCauley finally got his wish.      The Stars scored three touchdowns, and one for good measure before an estimated crowd of 2,000 at Newell Field. The result was more points than the team had scored in its first three games combined and a 28-21 victory over the winless Kentucky Trackers.      In their first three games, the Stars were plagued by a shaky defensive secondary and an even shakier offense, and early on, it appeared that those two traitors would conspire to send them to their fourth straight defeat. Kentucky quarterback John Madeya, the league's No. 2 passer going into Saturday night's game, bombed the Stars for 138 first half yards, and the Trackers took a 15-8 halftime lead.      In the second half, the Stars pounced on three Kentucky fumbles and intercepted a pass in the shadows of their goal line to turn the game around.      "We made a few adjustments at halftime," said Stars defensive tackle Oakley Dalton. "We just needed to get our heads together. We had a feeling we could beat this team."      Despite Madeya's success in the first half and the Stars' demonstated vulnerability to the pass, the Trackers disdained their air game and went to the run in the third period, going directly at Mississippi's strength. On the third play of the half, Frank Pilate recovered a Chris Hill fumble at the Kentucky 34. Six plays later, William Wooley tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Robert Felton to tie the score at 15-all.      After Madeya returned, he fumbled the ball away to Dalton, and Otto Love converted the turnover into a 21-yard touchdown to give the Stars a 21-15 lead.      Madeya then drove Kentucky to the Stars' 14 before Halvin Young intercepted a pass at the goal line. That set up Gus Lee's 1-yard touchdown run for the Stars' final score. Billy Pritchett scored Kentucky's final TD on an 18-yard pass from Doug Bartholomew with 2:14 left in the game.      "The difference was we got together," said Lee, the game's leading rusher with 94 yards on 20 carries. "We really stuck with our running game and that opened up our passing game. This victory will help motivate us. We know what we can do. We're going to win from here on out."      After a scoreless first quarter, Madeya unloaded a 52-yard touchdown pass to David Trosper, the league's leading receiver who had sneaked in behind Ernest and Halvin Young. Holder Gil Foushee converted a bad snap on the extra point into two points for an 8-0 Kentucky lead.      The Stars offense, which had mustered only two first downs to that point, then came to life. Wooley drove his team 68 yards in eight plays, consuming less than two mintues, to tie the score.      But Madeya came right back to take Kentucky 78 yards to regain the lead. He scored on a quarterback sneak from the one after completing an 18-yard pass to tight end David Thomas.

Score by Quarters Kentucky       8     7     0     6     -     21 Mississippi   0   8 7   13   -   28                           Statistics         KY       MS First downs   14   22 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 135   ? - 227 Passing yards   199   221 Passing (comp - att - int)   17 - 25 - 1   16 - 32 - 2 Punts - avg   4 - 29.2   3 - 28.0 Fumbles - lost   2 - 0   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   7 - 65   5 - 53                          Scoring Summary KY       Trosper 52 pass from Madeya (Foushee run) MS   Felton 32 pass from Wooley (Wooley pass) KY   Medalia 1 run (Johnson kick) MS   Felton 8 pass from Wooley (Hardin kick) MS   Love 21 run (kick failed) KY   Lee 2 run (Hardin kick) KY   Pritchard 18 pass from Bartholomew (kick failed)

Kentucky: Dallas Owens (??)

Mississippi: Augusta Lee (45)

Arkansas Champs at Alabama Vulcans June 16, 1979 - Legion Field -

Team now 5-0 Vulcs slap Champs, 49-14                   Ronald Weathers - Birmingham News                        The Alabama Vulcans allowed their first touchdowns of the season in a 49-14 conquest of the Arkansas Champs before an estimated "eight to 10,000" fans at Legion Field Saturday night.      But the name of the game continues to be "defensive" for the 5-0 East Division leaders in the American Football Association. That was clearly evident as the Vulcs of Harry Lander used two pass interceptiosn by Tyrone King, a blocked kick by Earl Monroe and a fumble recovery by Carl Pennington to set up four of their seven touchdowns.      These big plays set up TD drives deep in Champ territory. The Vulc offense, featuring a three-halfback attack by Myron Smith, Kenny Burks and Ernest Williams, got three additional score on 50-, 65- and 74-yard surges. For the night, Burks scored TDs on 1-, 3- and 4-yard runs, WIlliams on 4- and 17-yard plays and quarterback James Ligon on a one-yard plunge.      Arkansas scored after Alabama ran up a 19-0 lead by early in the second period, the Champs driving 65 yards in 16 plays, with a four-yard pass from Blane Miller to running back Greg Jacobs getting the points. Thus the Vulcs were scored on for the first time in some 254 minutes of the season.      The second Champ score came in the final period on a 23-yard pass from Miller to player-coach Ernie Yarborough.      Victory No. 5 produced the most points of the season for the Vulcs. They scored 48 in shutting off Jacksonvile last week.      The crowd estimate was by Birmingham Park and Recreation Board superintendent Frank Wagner. The Vulcan defense, though allowing its first touchdown points of the season, nontheless set up three of Alabama's four first-half touchdowns.      Linebacker Earl Monroe barged in to block a Sam Coleman kick on the fourth play of the game and defensvie back Demetrius Jackson covered the ball at the Champ 25. Six plays later, Ernest Williams scored from the four at right end and Rich Lander kicked the game to 7-0 with 10:07 left in the first period.      Myron Smith, on four-five-five-yard charges, got the ball in close for Williams' TD burst.      Late in the first period, Vulc linebacker Carl Pennington covered a Lloyd Barnam fumble at the Champ 21. Alabama tight end James Coleman, going for a Chris Vacarella pass in the end zone, was tackled before the ball arrived. Thus set up at the one on the pass interference call against Akransas, Kenny Burkes scored on the second play from there. Lander's PAT kick was wide with 2:47 left in the quarter.      After a 50-yard drive ended in Burks' scoring from the three early in the second quarter, cornerback Tyrone King intercepted a Miller pass at the Champ 25 and retunred it to the 13 to set up the Vulcs' last TD of the first half. Williams contributed an eight yard run in this three-play movement; and Burks got his third TD of the half on a four-yard burst up the middle. Lander's kick made it 27-6  35 seconds before the half.      A determined 22-yard run by Burks, who netted 48 yards in seven first-half carries, was the key in the Vulcs' 50-yard push for points for TD No. 3.      Arkansas used a 16-play, 65-yard push in the second period for the first TD against Alabama after 17 quarters, 9 minutes and 53 seconds.      Miller had 15-, 17- and 12-yard passes to wide receiver Hal Louis and a 22-yard shot to running back Roy McLemore for the bulk of the yardage. A pass interference call against the Vulcs put the ball at the one. After Miller was sacked by Pennington for a loss of three, he passed to running back Greg Jacobs for the TD.      Alabama drove 65 yards at the outset of the third period, with Myron Smith making his fifth TD of the season on a one-yard plunge at the end of the 11 play movement. Vacarella compltered two passes to John Hopkins and Coleman for 21 yards on the way and Smith, who totaled 58 yards in seven first half carries, tacked on 24 yards in five tries on this drive. Lander's boot made it 34-6 with 9:05 left in the third.      The Vulcans pressed 52 yards late in the thrid and early in the fourth to the Champ 12 before Arkansas held. A nine-yard James Ligon pass to Hopkins and a 15-yard face-mask call against the Champs put the ball in close, but two incomplete passes from the 12 ended the push.      Moments later, King intercepted his second pass of the game and returned it 24 yards to the Champ nine. An unsportsmanlike penalty against Arkansas put it at the four, and Ligon scored from the one two plays later. Lander's extra point made it 41-6, but Arkansas was penalized 15 for roughing and 15 for unsportsmanlike behavior on the point, allowing the Vulcs to kick off from the Champ 35.      The Champs came right back 76 yards in seven plays for their second score. Miller passes for 30 (with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike call against the Vulcs) and 23 yards got the big yardage. The grabs were by player-coach Ernie Yarborough - the second for the TD, Cleo House's run made it 41-14.      Burks running and a 20-yard pass to Terry Grammer got the Vulcas close on a follow-up 74-yard push for points. From the  17, Williams swung wide to score his second TD of the game. Vacarella's pass to Jim Patton on a fake-kick situation ran the count to 49-14.

Score by Quarters Arkansas       ?     ?     ?     ?     -     14 Alabama   ?   ?   ?   ?   -   49                           Statistics         AR       AL First downs   ?   ? Rushing (att - yards)   ? - ?   ? - ? Passing yards   ?   ? Passing (comp - att - int)   ? - ? - ?   ? - ? - ? Punts - avg   ? - ?   ? - ? Fumbles - lost   ? - ?   ? - ? Penalties - yards   ? - ?   ? - ?                          Scoring Summary         Not available

Players unknown

Players unknown

Alabama: Chris Vacarella (2)

06/16/1979 San Antonio Charros at Tulsa Mustangs San Antonio: Dudley Keller (20) Tulsa: Billie Daniels (31)

06/16/1979 San Antonio Charros at Tulsa Mustangs

© The Tulsa World

06/23/1979 Shreveport Steamer at Carolina Chargers

06/23/1979 Shreveport Steamer at Carolina Chargers

© The Charlotte Observer

06/23/1979 Arkansas Champs at Mississippi Stars Mississippi: Willie Miller (??) Arkansas: Hal Lewis (4)

06/23/1979 Arkansas Champs at Mississippi Stars

© The Jackson Clarion-Ledger

06/23/1979 Alabama Vulcans at Kentucky Trackers

© The Louisville Courier-Journal

06/23/1979 Shreveport Steamer at Carolina Chargers Shreveport: Larry Hearon (??) Carolina: Charlie Hopkins (??)

06/23/1979 Shreveport Steamer at Carolina Chargers

© The Charlotte Observer

© The Jackson Clarion-Ledger

06/30/1979 Carolina Chargers at Kentucky Trackers Kentucky: John Madeya (14) Carolina: Scott Clendenin (??)

06/30/1979 Carolina Chargers at Kentucky Trackers

© The Louisville Courier-Journal

06/30/1979 Jacksonville Firebirds at Shreveport Steamer Shreveport: Alex Rankin (??)

06/30/1979 Jacksonville Firebirds at Shreveport Steamer

© The Shreveport Times

06/30/1979 Mississippi Stars at Alabama Vulcans

© The Jackson Clarion-Ledger

© The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise

07/04/1979 Kentucky Trackers at Alabama Vulcans Alabama: Chris Vacarella (2)

© The Louisville Courier-Journal

07/04/1979 Arkansas Champs at Carolina Chargers Arkansas: Defense Carolina: Offense

07/04/1979 Arkansas Champs at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Ellsworth Turner (15)

07/04/1979 Arkansas Champs at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Terry Jackson (65), Luther Carter (14)

© The Charlotte Observer

07/07/1979 Shreveport Steamer at Alabama Vulcans

© The Shreveport Times

07/07/1979 Arkansas Champs at Mississippi Stars Arkansas: Steve Halpin (45), Jodie Carter (??) Mississippi: Billy Houston (82)

07/07/1979 Arkansas Champs at Mississippi Stars Mississippi: William Wooley (??) Arkansas: Swazy Pruitt (75)

© The Jackson Clarion-Ledger

07/07/1979 Kentucky Trackers at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Keith Richardson (??)

07/07/1979 Kentucky Trackers at Carolina Chargers Kentucky: Anthony Miller (40) Carolina: Mike Cox (??)

© The Louisville Courier-Journal

courtesy of Jeff Creamer

07/07/1979 Jacksonville Firebirds at San Antonio Charros San Antonio: Tony Armstrong (80) Jacksonville: Ernie Knox (54)

07/07/1979 Jacksonville Firebirds at San Antonio Charros

© The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise

07/14/1979 Shreveport Steamer at San Antonio Charros San Antonio: Bruce Dickey (??)

07/14/1979 Shreveport Steamer at San Antonio Charros San Antonio: David Wehmeyer (35)

© The Shreveport Times

© The Louisville Courier-Journal

© The Alabama Journal

07/14/1979 Mississippi Stars at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Joe Crosby (52), Chico Dunlap (??)

07/21/1979 Mississippi Stars at Arkansas Champs Mississippi: Gus Lee (??)

© The Jackson Clarion-Ledger

© The Charlotte Observer

07/21/1979 Alabama Vulcans at Shreveport Steamer Shreveport: J.D. Holmes (66) Alabama: Chris Vacarella (2)

07/21/1979 Alabama Vulcans at Shreveport Steamer Shreveport: A.T. Banks (??)

© The Shreveport Times

© The Louisville Courier-Journal

07/28/1979 Arkansas Champs at Jacksonville Firebirds

07/28/1979 Mississippi Stars at Kentucky Trackers Mississippi: Lee Augusta (??) Kentucky: Pat Donley (??)

© The Louisville Courier-Journal

© The Charlotte Observer

07/28/1979 Shreveport Steamer at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Chico Dunlap (24)

07/29/1979 Alabama Vulcans at San Antonio Charros San Antonio: Keith Nelms (27)

© The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise

© The Jackson Clarion-Ledger

© The Shreveport Times

© The Louisville Courier-Journal

08/04/1979 Carolina Chargers at San Antonio Charros

08/11/1979 Jacksonville Firebirds at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Joe Crosby (52), Willie Moore (75), Charlie Hopkins (55)

© The Charlotte Observer

© The Jackson Clarion-Ledger

© The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise

08/18/1979 Carolina Chargers at Mississippi Stars

© The Jackson Clarion-Ledger

08/18/1979 Kentucky Trackers at Shreveport Steamer Shreveport: Alex Rankin (??)

© The Shreveport Times

© The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise

© The Louisville Courier-Journal

08/25/1979 Mississippi Stars at Shreveport Steamer Mississippi: Otto Love (??)

08/25/1979 Mississippi Stars at Shreveport Steamer Shreveport: Clarance Toliver (6)

08/25/1979 Mississippi Stars at Shreveport Steamer Shreveport: Jerry Davis (??)

© The Shreveport Times

08/25/1979 Arkansas Champs at Carolina Chargers

08/25/1979 Arkansas Champs at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Randy Bolton (22)

08/25/1979 Arkansas Champs at Carolina Chargers Arkansas: David Hudspeth (??) Carolina: Harold Randolph (??)

© The Charlotte Observer

© The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise

09/01/1979 Carolina Chargers at Shreveport Steamer Shreveport: A.T. Banks (??)

© The Shreveport Times

09/08/1979 Alabama Vulcans at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Reggie Smith (80) Alabama: Rodney Bivens (43)

09/08/1979 Alabama Vulcans at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Willie Moore (??) Alabama: Pat Kohlman (??)

09/08/1979 Alabama Vulcans at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Johnny Walker (??)

© The Charlotte Observer

09/08/1979 Arkansas Champs at Shreveport Steamer Shreveport: Arry Moody (48) Arkansas: Gary Gamen (51)

© The Shreveport Times

Playoffs

© The Charlotte Observer

09/16/1979 San Antonio Charros at Carolina Chargers Carolina: Johnny Walker (??) San Antonio: J. V. Stokes (45)

© The Charlotte Observer

American Bowl

09/29/1979 - AMERICAN BOWL Carolina Chargers at Jacksonville Firebirds

09/29/1979 - AMERICAN BOWL Carolina Chargers at Jacksonville Firebirds

© The Charlotte Observer

Advertising       Shreveport Steamer

Schedules

Arkansas Champs Kentucky Trackers       Tulsa Mustangs

Tickets

08/04/1979 Mississippi Stars at Alabama Vulcans

09/29/1979 AMERICAN BOWL I Carolina Chargers at Jacksonville Firebirds

Programs

05/19/1979 Carolina Chargers at Alabama Vulcans  05/19/1979 Arkansas Champs at Tulsa Mustangs       05/26/1979 Kentucky Trackers at Jacksonville Firebirds        05/27/1979 Alabama Vulcans at Tulsa Mustangs 06/02/1979 Shreveport Steamer at Kentucky Trackers     06/02/1979 Tulsa Mustangs at Jacksonville Firebirds 06/09/1979 Jacksonville Firebirds at Alabama Vulcans     06/09/1979 Kentucky Trackers at Carolina Chargers 06/09/1979 Mississippi Stars at San Antonio Charros     06/16/1979 Carolina Chargers at Jacksonville Firebirds 06/16/1979 Arkansas Champs at Alabama Vulcans     06/16/1979 San Antonio Charros at Tulsa Mustangs 06/23/1979 Arkansas Champs at Mississippi Stars     06/30/1979 San Antonio Charros at Arkansas Champs 06/30/1979 Carolina Chargers at Kentucky Trackers     06/30/1979 Mississippi Stars at Alabama Vulcans 07/04/1979 Kentucky Trackers at Alabama Vulcans     07/04/1979 Mississippi Stars at Jacksonville Firebirds 07/07/1979 Shreveport Steamer at Alabama Vulcans     07/14/1979 Kentucky Trackers at Arkansas Champs 07/21/1979 Mississippi Stars at Arkansas Champs     07/28/1979 Arkansas Champs at Jacksonville Firebirds 07/28/1979 Mississippi Stars at Kentucky Trackers     07/29/1979 Alabama Vulcans at San Antonio Charros 08/04/1979 Shreveport Steamer at Jacksonville Firebirds     08/04/1979 Mississippi Stars at Alabama Vulcans 08/11/1979 Arkansas Champs at Alabama Vulcans     08/18/1979 Alabama Vulcans at Jacksonville Firebirds 08/18/1979 Carolina Chargers at Mississippi Stars       08/18/1979 San Antonio Charros at Arkansas Champs       08/25/1979 Mississippi Stars at Shreveport Steamer 09/08/1979 Mississippi Stars at Jacksonville Firebirds       09/08/1979 Arkansas Champs at Shreveport Steamer       09/15/1979 PLAYOFF GAME Alabama Vulcans at Jacksonville Firebirds courtesy of Richard Paulk 09/29/1979 AMERICAN BOWL I Carolina Chargers at Jacksonville Firebirds

Miscellaneous

1979 AFA All-STAR TEAM   Position   Player Team   Offense QB   Randy Johnson   San Antonio Charros QB   Don Gaffney   Jacksonville Firebirds   RB   Leon McQuay   Jacksonville Firebirds RB   Johnny Walker   Carolina Chargers WR   Reggie Smith   Carolina Chargers WR   Charlie Brown   Jacksonville Firebirds TE   Tony Armstrong   San Antonio Charros OT   Dave Ostrowski   Alabama Vulcans OT   Tony Penny   Carolina Chargers OG   Bernard White   Shreveport Steamer OG   Johnny Martinez   San Antonio Charros C   Bill Sawyer   Shreveport Steamer   Defense DL   Larry Warren   Mississippi Stars DL   Ken Mills   San Antonio Charros DL   Walter Chapman     Shreveport Steamer DL   Willie Moore   Carolina Chargers LB   Carl Pennington   Alabama Vulcans LB   Marty Smith   Shreveport Steamer LB   Charlie Hunt   Jacksonville Firebirds DB   Tyrone King   Alabama Vulcans DB   Dudley Keller   San Antonio Charros DB   Marty Hammock   Jacksonville Firebirds DB   Ron Perry   Jacksonville Firebirds P   Frank Oaks   San Antonio Charros K   Mike Cox   Carolina Chargers

Jacksonville Firebirds pennant

Jacksonville Firebirds cap

Jacksonville Firebirds shirt

Business card Kentucky Trackers

Jacksonville Firebirds ashtray

1979 American Bowl Championship ring

Alabama Vulcans dancers

Alabama Vulcans cheerleaders

Carolina Chargers Chargettes cheerleaders

Jacksonville Firebirds

Jacksonville Firebirds cheerleaders

San Antonio Charros cheerleaders