* Game does not count due to Tulsa folding.

Owner:		Roy Bilberry
Head coaches:		Red Parker (preseason) Lamar Dingler (games 1-3) Ernie Yarbrough (games 4-7) Preston Carpenter (games 8-11) Hershel Strickland (games 12-14) Bill Beall (games 15-??)
Stadiums:		War Memorial Stadium (55,000) (1) Estes Stadium at University of Central Arkansas

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	2,500	L	41-11
07/21/1979	Mississippi Stars (1)	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	San Antonio Charros (1)	???	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.

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	6,552	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	5,796	W	41-16
07/21/1979	at Jacksonville Firebirds	---	L	29-14
07/28/1979	Shreveport Steamer	4,286	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	7,335	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.

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	7,451	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	10,800	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	12,000	W	27-26
08/25/1979	at Kentucky Trackers	---	W	35-27
09/01/1979	San Antonio Charros	12,000	W	59-0
09/08/1979	Mississippi Stars	8,000	W	46-6
Regular Season Results: 11-3 (11-5 on the field)
First Round Playoffs
09/15/1979	Alabama Vulcans	11,000	W	28-21
American Bowl
09/29/1979	Carolina Chargers	22,000	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.

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	500	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.

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	3,100	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.

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	4,500	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	3,500	W	21-12
08/04/1979	Carolina Chargers	5,000	W	29-26
08/11/1979	Kentucky Trackers	6,000	W	56-20
08/18/1979	at 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

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	2,000	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.

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)   9 - 24 -2   17 - 28 -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), Ellsworth Turner (15)

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) Jacksonville: Charlie Hunt (55)

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)   10 - 22 - 1   9 - 20 - 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)

Jacksonville: Don Gaffney (1) Carolina: Tony Byrum (41)

Jacksonville: James Rackley (33)

Jacksonville: Nels Jensen (67), Mark Story (65), James Rackley (33)

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)

San Antonio Charros at Tulsa Mustangs June 16, 1979 - Skelly Stadium -

Mustangs corralled                   Dean Clark - Tulsa World                        Veteran quarterback Randy Johnson came off the bench in the second half to spark the San Antonio Charros to a 35-19 victory over the Tulsa Mustangs Saturday night in an American Football Association game at Skelly Stadium.      Attendance was estimated at 2,000.      San Antonio surprisingly started Sam Maxie at quarterback, and, aided by superior field position, he guided the Charros to touchdowns on their first two possessions.      But Maxie threw three interceptions, all to Tulsa free safety Ricky Brunner, in the second quarter and the revived Mustangs closed to 14-13 at intermission.      Tulsa took a 19-14 lead with a 49-yard touchdown drive on its second possession in the third quarter. A 12-yard pass from Larry Mayer to Freddie Carolina was the payoff.      But Johnson, a veteran of many years in the NFL, dominated the game from that point.      On the first play after Tulsa's touchdown, he broke a tackle and fired a 26-yard pass to tight end Tony Armstrong. That play launced a 75-yard drive which put the visitors in front for good.      The go-ahead touchdown came on a spectacular 29-yard pass from Johnson to Bruce Dickey who broke at least two tackles en route to the end zone.      Tulsa drove deep in to San Antonio territory on its next possession but stalled at the Charros' 18 and a 35-yard field goal attempt by Ed McCartney - which would have tied the score - was just wide to the right.      Johnson directed San Antonio on two long scoring drives in the fourth period to wrap up the Charros' third victory in four games.      Johnson hit three passes to split end Thomas Whittier on a 65-yard march which boosted the San Antonio lead to 28-19 with 12:26 to play. Whittier made a leaping catch in a crowd for a 30-yard gain to set up the score, a one-yard plunge by David Wehmeyer two plays later.      Tulsa threatened to keep the score close when Mayer and tight end James Thatcher hooked up on a 47-yard pass which took the Mustangs to the Charros' 15. But the San Antonio defense, headed by Clyde Jenkins and John Martinez, threw Tulsa for three losses on the next four plays to end the threat.      Johnson promptly led San Antonio on a 70-yard drive for the game's final score which came on a 42-yard bomb to Whittier who had gotten well behind the Tulsa secondary.      Maxie directed San Antonio on a 55-yard scoring drive on the game's final possession. Most of the yardage came on passes of 14 and 26 yards to Armstrong. The latter was the scoring play and came with the game just over three minutes old.      San Antonio scored again before another three minues had passed.      Ted Alexander was hit in the backfield on Tulsa's first running play, fumbled and Charro Leonard Brantley recovered at the Mustangs' 18.      A leaping catch by Whittier put San Antonio at the brink of the end zone. Wehmeyer got the touchdown with two cracks at the center of the Tulsa defensive line.      Tulsa got its first touchdown on a 69-yard drive late in the first quarter. The big plays were Mayer passes of 27 yards to Alexander and 19 to Thatcher. Alexander scored on a six-yard run with 58 seroncds left in the period.      The first of Brunner's three  interceptions followed by a 23-yard return to the San Antonio 15-yard line set up Tulsa's second score. The offense needed just two plays to convert, a 14-yard pass from Mayer to Jeff Bergeron and a sneak by the lanky Tulsa quarterback.      Despite the loss, Tulsa generated by fat its biggest offensive production of a 1-4 season. The Mustangs collected 325 yards in total offense, just 16 less than San Antonio. Mayer hit 17 of 40 passes (suffering just one interception) for 262 yards.      San Antonio hit just 13 of 33 passes but the statistic was deceiving. Johnson went eight-for-14 for 162 yards in the decisive second half.

Score by Quarters San Antonio       14     0     7     14     -     35 Tulsa   6   7   6   0   -   19                           Statistics         SA       TU First downs   19   22 Rushing (att - yards)   32 - 94   39 - 63 Passing yards   247   262 Passing (comp - att - int)   13 - 33 - 3   17 - 40 - 1 Punts - avg   6 - 36.5   6 - 40.0 Fumbles - lost   0 - 0   4 - 1 Penalties - yards   13 - 115   11 - 70                          Scoring Summary SA       Armstrong 26 pass from Maxie (Mellott kick) SA   Wehmeyer 1 run (Mellott kick) TU   Alexander 6 run (kick blocked) TU   Mayer 2 run (McCartney kick) TU   Carolina 12 pass from Mayer (kick failed) SA   Dickey 29 pass from Johnson (Mellott kick) SA   Wehmeyer 1 run (Mellott kick) SA   Whittier 42 pass from Johnson (Mellott kick)

San Antonio: Dudley Keller (20) Tulsa: Billie Daniels (31)

Shreveport Steamer at Carolina Chargers June 23, 1979 - Memorial Stadium -

Interceptions key victory by Chargers                   Les Bowen - Charlotte Observer                        Tony Byrum told the football to come back to him. It obeyed.      There were a lot of reasons why the Carolina Chargers defeated the Shreveport Steamer 24-13 Saturday at Memorial Stadium for their third consecutive American Football Association victory.      But if Carolina safety Byrum hadn't gotten immediate results on his fourth-quarter command, the victory might not have happened.      The Chargers led 17-13 midway through the final quarter when a fourth-and-1 run by Carolina's Johnny Walker came up short and Shreveport got the ball on its 36.      Five plays later Steamer quarterback Clyde Walker had moved his team to the Chargers' 37 and was looking for a receiver on first down.      Walker's pass over the middle was tipped by a receiver. Byrum whirled around and got a hand on the ball, enough to keep it in the air. He slapped at it again, then finally pulled it to him and turned upfield before being tackled at the Chargers' 37.      Carolina then mounted an 8-play, 3:30 drive ending on quarterback Ellsworth Turner's fourth-and-inches touchdown dive with 17 seconds remaing.      Byrum grinned as he slapped hands with teammates on the sidelines.      "I had to get that baby," he said. "It wouldn't come to me - I was tryin' to run before I caught it - then I said 'Come back here.'"      The ball came back.      And so did the Chargers, who saw a 10-0 first quarter lead become a 13-10 fourth quarter deficit before taking charge for good.      Carolina coach Perry Moss credited Byrum with saving the game.      "That had to be the big play," Moss said. "If we don't get a big play right there, we're going to get beat."      Moss's concern was founded on his defense's inability to contain Shreveport in the second half. Walker completed 20 of 35 passes for 203 yards. If the Carolina secondary hadn't come up with three interceptions, Shreveport might have scored more points.      "We couldn't get 'em out," Moss said. "It's kind of amazing we held 'em, to 13 pointes, they had the ball so much."      Moss said the Chargers played with more emotion than Shreveport, and were able to defeat what he considered a more talented team.      "Our players really try hard," he said. "I don't believe, man-for-man, we're as good a football team as that outfit."      The Chargers looked capable of playing with the Steamer early, moving for a 30-yard Mike  Cox field goal on their first possession.      The first of two interceptions by Carolina linebacker Joe Crosby set the Chargers' offense up again on their 45, and seven plays later, 5-5, 160-pound Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith slipped between two defensive backs and snared a 25-yard scoring pass from Turner. Cox's kick made it 10-0.      "Gnat" danced off the field to rousing cheers from the crowd of 6,552.      By the middle of the third quarter, though, Smith was sitting on a corner of the bench as Shreveport drove down field. His hands were clasped and his face was solemn. His gold stirrup hose with the blue No. 80 had grass stains on them.      He had just had a third-and-9 pass glance off his hands, ending the Charger's first possession after Shreveport took a 13-10 lead with 7:31 left in the quarter.      Nothing was working for the Chargers, offensively or defensively.      But Crosby's second interception fueled a 50-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 10-yard Turner to Bart Crawford pass.      The Chargers never trailed again - thanks to Byrum - and at the end, the Gnat was grinning again as he slapped hands with Turner.      "Who loves you, baby?" he asked.      "You do, my man," Turner answered.

Score by Quarters Shreveport       0     7     6     0     -     13 Carolina   10   0   0   14   -   24                           Statistics         SH       CA First downs   19   15 Rushing (att - yards)   33 - 89   34 - 137 Passing yards   203   139 Passing (comp - att - int)   20 - 35 - 3   10 - 24 - 1 Punts - avg   3 - 34.7   4 - 39.3 Fumbles - lost   2 - 1   1 - 0 Penalties - yards   6 - 40   6 - 39                          Scoring Summary CA       Cox 30 field goal CA   Smith 25 pass from Turner (Cox kick) SH   Foppe 40 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) SH   Foppe 3 pass from Walker (kick failed) CA   Crawford 10 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Turner 1 run (Cox kick)

Players unknown

Shreveport: Larry Hearon (??) Carolina: Charlie Hopkins (??)

Arkansas Champs at Mississippi Stars June 23, 1979 - Newell Field -

Stars' secondary turns Champs to chumps, 31-14                   Roscoe Nance - Jackson Clarion-Ledger                        During the first four weeks of the American Football Association season, the Mississippi Stars' defensive secondary might well have qualified as a disaster area the way opposing quarterbacks bombed it with passes.      But after giving up an average of 257 yards a game through the air in those contests, the secondary redeemed itself Saturday night with four pass interceptions in a 31-14 victory over the Arkansas Champs in front of 3,100 fans at Newell Field.      Former Ole Miss  cornerback Don Jacobs had two interceptions, and returned the last one 32 yards for a touchdown in the waning minutes to seal the victory.      "It was just a matter of time," said Jacobs. "The guys just got themselves together. I felt good. I knew if they threw, I was going to get close to it if I didn't get it."      The Stars, who improved their record to 2-3, gave up 155 yards through the air and didn't give up a touchdown pass for the first time this season.      "I don't know what the problem was," said Champs' coach Ernie Yarbrough, whose team fell to 2-3. "Our starting quarterback (Blane Miller) had a real bad night. He didn't read the defenses. He was throwing scared. He was throwing off his heels. I wasn't surprised at the way the Stars played. When you get thrown on each week, you get better. They have some good athletes."      Fittingly enough, it was a member of the Stars' secondary who figured in the play that proved to be the turning point in the game. On the Champs' first possession, they drove from their 30-yard line to the Stars' 17. Cleo House ripped off 12 yards to the five but fumbled the ball and cornerback Al Dotson recovered it.      That was as close as Arkansas came to scoring until the second half. By then, the Stars had a 24-0 lead.      "That was a terrible call," said Yarbrough. "The back was on the ground. What he did was leave the ball on the ground. It turned the tempo of the game around. Personally I think the officiating in this league isn't up to high school standards. They missed calls both ways."      Troy Hardin got the Stars' first points on a 44-yard field goal in the first period. Then the Stars did some bombing of their own in the second period.      William Wooley unloaded a 21-yard touchdown pass to running back Jay Boler and came back with a 28-yard toss to Alex Prince. Gus Lee sandwiched a 3-yard scoring run in between Wooley's TD passes.      House scored on a 1-yard run in the third period and an 11-yard run in the fourth period to get Arkansas back into the game at 24-14. But Jacobs stole a pass and scored to put the game out of reach.      "We're improving in all areas," said Stars coach Duncan McCauley. "But we're still a long ways from being a championship team. The entire coaching staff was disappointed with our second half play.      We're just a young team, and when you get 24 points ahead, you get lackadaisical. I was worried. I'm always worried until the final whistle blows."      The Stars have an open date this week before playing at Jacksonville July 4.

Score by Quarters Arkansas       0     0     7     7     -     14 Mississippi   3   21   0   7   -   31                           Statistics         AR       MS First downs   18   14 Rushing (att - yards)   39 - 148   31 -107 Passing yards   155   138 Passing (comp - att - int)   18 - 36 - 4   8 - 19 - ? Punts - avg   5 - 23   4 - 44 Fumbles - lost   2 -0   2 - 2 Penalties - yards   8 - 60   3 - 11                          Scoring Summary MS       Hardin 44 field goal MS   Boler 21 pass from Wooley (Hardin kick) MS   Lee 3 run (Hardin kick) MS   Prince 28 pass from Wooley (Hardin kick) AR   House 1 run (Scott kick) AR   House 11 run (Scott kick) MS   Jacobs 32 pass interception (Hardin kick)

Mississippi: Willie Miller (??) Arkansas: Hal Lewis (4)

Alabama Vulcans at Kentucky Trackers June 23, 1979 - Fairgrounds Stadium -

Madeya lifts Trackers past Vulcans 28-14                   Mike Sullivan - Louisville Courier-Journal                        If the mad idea of summertime football ever gains a foothold in Louisville, its genesis will date to June 23, 1979, when the Kentucky Trackers rose up and smote the Alabama Vulcans.      Driving 6,446 onlookers into hysterics even as they dove the Vulcans halway back to Birmingham, coach Buddy Pfaadt's Trackers laid a shocking 28-14 upset on Alabama.      To put the result in perspective, the Vulcans entered the game ruling the American Football Association with a 5-0 record and had yielded three touchdowns all season. The Trackers  were 0-4.      "In our other four games, we spent most of halftime wondering what the hell had happened to us," Pfaadt said. "At halftime tonight, I got a real feeling of everybody being together. We worked hard and never quit and it was our  turn."      Indeed, last night's first half was crucial for the Trackers because they staggered out of it trailing 14-7, when they could have been down 28-0 - or worse.      After giving away two touchdowns in the game's opening six minutes, the Trackers stopped a pair of deep Alabama penetrations, got a "immaculate reception" from Chris Hill for a touchdown, and lived to fight again.      "What happened to them (the Vulcans) was a carbon copy of our last two games," Pfaadt said. "You dominate two quarters, but something happens to destroy your momentum."      However, if Kentucky was lucky before intermission, it was plunky and inspired after that. The firewoks started on the last play of a scoreless third quarter when quarterback John Madeya dumped a screen pass over the middle to Billy Pritchett for a 49-yard gain to the Vulcans 19-yard line.      Still stuck at the 19 on fourth down, Madeya nailed Dave Trosper cutting across the middle in the end zone for a touchdown. Then, after a blocked conversion left Kentucky trailing 14-13, the most crucial sequence of the night unfolded.      Driving 62 yards in 12 plays, Alabama faced a third-and-goal one yard from Kentucky's end zone. But quarterback Chris Vacarella was smashed at the goal line by tackles Pat Donley and Marshall Kellem and linebacker Keith Tandy. The ball squirted back to the Tracker six, and a fourth-down pass was incomplete.      On first down from his own six, Madeya lofted a 46-yard bomb to Gil Foushee. On the very next play, he threaded a 10-yard beauty into the hands of Leo Crossfield, who squirted between two defenders and scampered upfield to complete a 48-yard scoring play. Madeya's two-point conversion pass to Pritchett made it 21-14 with 6:56 to go, and after cornerback Dallas Owens broke up two passes on Alabama's next possession, Pritchett added a late TD on a six-yard ramble.      "They were playing a zone on the pass to Foushee," Madeya said, "but he still got open. Hell, nobody expects you to throw from your own six. The pass to Crossfield was easy. Once you split the seams, it's all over."      There was some grumbling over officiating in the Alabama dressing room, but also an abundance of respect for Kentucky's surprising performance.      Two calls which hurt the visitors most came before halftime. A promising Kentucky drive was apparently dead when Alabama's Terry Rusin picked off a Madeya pass on his own 10 and returned it to near mid-field. But the Vulcans were called for roughing the passer before the interception was made, giving the Trackers a first down at the 19.      Two plays later, Hill - who ran for 94 yards in 32 punishing carries on the night - picked a desperation pass off the artificial turf near his shoetops, and scrambled his way into the end zone.      Then, after Charlie Johnson's kick had cut the Kentucky deficit to 14-7, the Vulcans drove 76 yards in the closing minutes of the half to a first down at Kentucky's 10. However, on the pass completion which gave them that first down, receiver John Hopkins was whistled for a "dead-ball personal foul." That meant the Vulcans still had their first down, but pushed them back to the 25-yard line.      "We let some calls upset us," said Alabama linebacker Ricky Gilliland. "But we also made the mistake of relaxing against them after we got a quick lead. The big thing, though, was the Kentucky got it together tonight."      Getting together after he seemed to be coming apart was Madeya, who was stung for Willie Smith's 42-yard interception return for a touchdown and who set up the other Vulcan score with a second interception just two plays later.      "After that, I thought we were going to be annihilated," Madeya said, smiling like a man who had not ony survived but done the unexpected.

Score by Quarters Alabama       14     0     0     0     -     14 Kentucky   0   7   0   21   -   28                           Statistics         AL       KY First downs   20   19 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 137   ? - 101 Passing yards   137   101 Passing (comp - att - int)   12 - 30 - 3   10 - 19 - 2 Punts - avg   3 - 44.0   4 - 32.5 Fumbles - lost   ? -0   ? - 0 Penalties - yards   ? - 76   ? - 47                          Scoring Summary AL       Smith 58 pass interception (Lander kick)  AL   Hopkins 39 pass from Vacarella (Lander kick) KY   Hill 21 pass from Madeya (Johnson kick) KY   Trosper 19 pass from Madeya (kick blocked) KY   Crossfields 48 pass from Madeya (Pritchett pass from Madeya) KY   Pritchett 6 run (Johnson kick)

Carolina Chargers at Kentucky Trackers June 30, 1979 - Fairgrounds Stadium -

Trackers heckled, humbled (45-14)                   Mike Sullivan - Louisville Courier-Journal                        Harry the Heckler was in rare form, and well he should have been.      Fairgrounds Stadium was emptying fast, the Kentucky Trackers were being ground into pumice, and even the home team's cheerleaders - dressed in very brief two-piece silver bikinis - had lapsed in somnambulistic silence.      "Losers buy the beer!" screeched Harry the Heckler, his voice booming directly at the back of the Trackers' helmets.      It was hard not to smile. Harry was just getting warmed up.      "Kill!" roared Harry the Heckler, with the final minutes winding down and Kentucky's exhausted defense trudging onto the field one more time.      "Go for it - go for the gusto!" Harry wailed as Tracker quarterback Doug Bartholomew dropped back to pass, or hide, or run for his life.      "This week seven thousand - next week seven hundred!" Harry thundered as the Trackers absorbed a final 45-14 American Football Association humiliation at the hands of the Carolina Chargers.      With that last remark, Harry proved that there is gullibility in his otherwise cynical soul. The crowd looked at least 1,000 smaller than the gathering for the previous week's game with Alabama, which was announced as 6,644. Yet, last night's attendance was announced as 7,022.      "It was over 5,000 paid - I'm sure of that much - and that's our best paid crowd yet," insisted Trackers owner John Waits. "Be nice, will you? Just give me a little time."      Time, though, is something Kentucky doesn't have. The AFA schedule calls for the Trackers to play revenge-minded Alabama in Birmingham's Legion Field on Wednesday. Three days after that, Saturday, they play the Chargers again, in Charlotte, N.C. Then a July 14 date at Arkansas awaits before their next home contest, July 21 against Texas.      By that time the Trackers could be 1-6 - or 1-8, if you reject the AFA's mysterious "revised standings" which made whole football games disappear.      "We're trying to relax, as an organization, and see which kids get cut from the NFL camps, so we know what help we'll be able to get," Waits said.      Head coach Buddy Pfaadt blamed himself for the 180-degree turnabout fromthe 28-14 upset of Alabama.      "I guess we've lived too high the past week," Pfaadt said. "I guess we, as a staff, were too high mentally to come down and coach. I didn't see a bad physical effort out there. That means the team wasn't mentally prepared - and that's got to be my fault, not theirs. When a team doesn't hit, you can blame the players. But if they hit peope - which they did - then I really believe  it's a coaching deficiency."      Whatever it was, the Trackers were destroyed by Carolina's 24-point second quarter, which left them trailing 38-6 at the half. More precisely, they were undone by Charger quarterback Ellsworth Turner, receivers Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith and Bart Crawford, and defensive back Tony Byrum.      Turner completed 19 of 28 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns for the night - all before intermission.      Crawford and Smith combined to catch 11 of Turner's passes for 140 yards and two TDs - all before intermission.      And Byrum intercepted three Kentucky passes - all in the second quarter.      "We took what they were giving us, and that was the pass," Turner said, managing not to giggle.      "We've got a quarterback who can do a lot of things other guys can't, and we used some plays they hadn't seen before," Carolina coach Perry Moss said. "We were awfully lucky to beat that team three weeks ago (22-14 at Charlotte)."      Carolina drove 56 yards in six plays to score on its second possession, the TD coming on a 19-yard rainbow of a pass which the 5-foot-5 Smith "ran under," beating Tracker cornerback Mike Siganos in a footrace.      "Nobody in this league can check me on-on-one," Smith said.      Midway through the first quarter, Tracker punter Charlie Johnson had to eat a two-bounce snap from center and Carolina took over on Kentucky's 17, scoring four plays later on Johnny Walker's three-yard run after a 13-yard pass from Turner to Crawford.      That was followed by Kentucy's best moment, a 77-yard kickoff return by Siganos. He was hauled down from behind by Byrum one yard from the end zone, but Billy Pritchett scored to pull the Trackers within 14-6.      Then came the second quarter.      A partially blocked punt led to a six-play, 36-yard Charger march capped by Walker's two-yard plunge (21-6). Byrum's 20-yard return after swiping a John Madeya pass led to a 26-yard field goal by Mike Cox (24-6). Johnson's 27-yard punt from his own eight led to a three-play, 35-yard thrust capped by Turner's 18-yard TD pass to Danny Whyte (31-6). Finally, Byrum intercepted Bartholomew at the Tracker 31 and returned to the Tracker five, and Turner filpped to Crawford in the end zone on the next play (38-6).      In between, Byrum also had stolen another pass from Madeya. The Chargers had six interceptions in all, victimizing Madeya and Bartholomew three times each.

Score by Quarters Carolina       14     24     7     0     -     45 Kentucky   6   0   0   8   -   14                           Statistics         CA       KY First downs   19   19 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 94   ? - (-4) Passing yards   247   212 Passing (comp - att - int)   22 - 32 - 0   17 - 40 -6 Punts - avg   2 - 36   4 - 29 Return yards    182   13 Fumbles - lost   ? - 0   ? - 1 Penalties - yards   ? - 192   ? - 45                          Scoring Summary CA       Smith 15 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Walker 3 run (Cox kick) KY   Pritchett 1 run (kick failed) CA   Walker 2 run (Cox kick) CA   Cox 26 field goal CA   Whyte 16 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Crawford 5 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Whyte 13 pass from Carter (Cox kick) KY   Trosper 8 pass from Bartholomew (Harris pass from Bartholomew)

Kentucky: Ron Wilson (50), Marshall Kellam (75) Carolina: Johnny Walker (24), Tony Penny (68)

Kentucky: John Madeya (14) Carolina: Scott Clendenin 51

Jacksonville Firebirds at Shreveport Steamer June 30, 1979 - State Fair Stadium -

Steamer wins, 31-20                   Edward Cassiere - Shreveport Times                        Clyde Walker apparently has no plans to capitalize on Muhammad Ali's recent retirement.      That's because the Shreveport Steamer quarterback was fairly quiet - even downright humble - after the Steamer's 31-20 American Football Associaion victory over the Jacksonville Firebirds Saturday night.      "I thought it was rough going the whole night," Walker said in the State Fair Stadium locker room after he completed 16-of-20 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns.      Walker had a few people fooled with the difficulty he faced, including the Firebirds.      The Florida State product completed his first eight passes and his final six was an astounding 11-of-11 on the steamer's four TD drives.      "We could throw when we wanted to," Walker said, "but they had some pretty good pressure most of the night."      The Steamer gained only 284 yards on offense but committted only one turnonver (ironically, on a Walker interception late in the first half) and was faced with only six third down situations through the first 55 minutes of the game.      Shrveport never trailed but Jacksonville rallied from a 14-3 deficit early in the second quarter for a 17-17 tie at intermission.      Alex Rankin ran two yards for the Steamer's first score then Walker passed 14 yards to Rod Foppe for the second after Jacksonville's John Williams kicked a 32-yard field goal.      "I always feel like I can go to Foppe on the quick out because he'll get open," said Walker.      Walker's first two completions were short strikes of 14 and 13 yards to Foppe that immediately preceded Rankin's TD run. Foppe finishied with seven receptions for 104 yards.      The Firebirds scored all their first-half points in a 12-minute span of the second period as quarterback Don Gaffney threw TD passes to Charlie Dorsey and Leon McQuay.      "At halftime we talked a lot about positioning of the linebackers on the play-action pass," said Steamer  head coach Jim Williams. "We didn't stunt as much in the scond half."      Walker passed 18 yards to tight end Greg Lazzaro at 12:37 of the third period to break the halftime tie.      "He was running good routes all night," said Walker of Lazzaro. "On the touchdown he gave his man a good move and got open."      Williams kicked a 39-yard field goal on the first play of the final period to make it 24-20 but the Firebirds got no closer.      The Steamer came back with its best sustained drive, an 11-play, 78-yard march that consumed 6:16. Walker snaeked over from one yard out for the TD.      Gaffney, who only ran the ball once but kept the Steamer defense off balance with his scrambling from the pocket, completed 10 of 18 passes for 200 yards but didn't return to the game after Shreveport's final score.      "I was certainly happy when Gaffney came out, " said Williams. "You can dig in and go after (Jacksonville quarterback Jim) Fisher but can't do that with Gaffney.      "They say that Fisher's a better dropback quarterback than Gaffney but after tonight I'm not too sure about that."      Fisher completed only 2-of-11 passes in the final nine minutes.      Jacksonville outgained Shreveport with 340 yards but stymied itself with 13 penalties for 147 yards.      Shreveport ended a two-game losing streak with its third home victory in a row. The Steamer is 4-2 while the Firebirds are 3-3 after their third straight setback.      "Of course we needed this one," said Williams. "We had never lost two in a row before last week and we sure didn't want to lose three in a row."      "It's good to get back on the winning track," said Walker. "That had something to do with the home field advantage."      Saturday's attendance was estimated at 3,800.

Score by Quarters Jacksonville       0     17     0     3     -     20 Shreveport   7   10   7   7   -   31                           Statistics         JA       SH First downs   18   19 Rushing (att - yards)   29 - 110   37 - 70 Passing yards   230   214 Passing (comp - att - int)   12 - 29 - 1   16 - 20 - 1 Punts - avg   2 - 28.5   2 - 33.5 Fumbles - lost   2 - 0   0 - 0 Penalties - yards   18 - 147   6 - 46                          Scoring Summary SH       Rankin 2 run (Skoruppa kick) JA   Williams 32 field goal SH   Foppe 5 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) JA   Dorsey 6 pass from Gaffney (kick failed) SH   Skoruppa 32 field goal JA   McQuay 9 pass from Gaffney (Dorsey pass from Gaffney) SH   Lozzaro 18 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) JA   Williams 39 field goal SH   Walker 1 run (Skoruppa kick)

Shreveport: Alex Rankin (??)

Mississippi Stars at Alabama Vulcans June 30, 1979 - Legion Field -

Vulcs bump Stars                   John Tishler - Birmingham News                        Like an old jalopy that is in dire need of a tuneup, Alabama's offense sputtered along while its defense played shutout ball until the fourth quarter as the Vulcans beat Mississippi 20-14 Staurday night at Legion Field before an estimated crowd of 4,000.      The victory was the sixth of the season for the local American Football Association team, which plays again Wednesday. Its Fouth of July opponent will be Kentucky, kickoff time is 8 p.m. at Legion Field.      "We didn't ever get comfortable," head coach Harry Lander said afterwards. "We sure lacked the killer instinct again.      "We dropped probably two touchdown passes that were wide open. I tihnk we played pretty well defensively and had a goalline stand that proved to be very critical."      Terry Rusin's 10-yard sack of Stars' fullback Otto Love with 23 seconds left in the first half and Mississippi on the Vulcans' one inch line, proved to be the turning point in the game as it protected the Vulcan's winning margin.      Alabama's offense, which has had trouble moving the ball and putting points on the scoreboard, continued that trend early in the game. The Vulcans experienced a similar problem in last week's 28-14 loss to Kentucky.      But a stingy Vulcan defense, which didn't allow a first down until there was 5:31 left in the first half, keyed a first half surge that carried Alabama to a 6-0 lead at halftime.      The first half wasn't without its anxious moments for Alabama. The excitement, though, was provided by the stingy Vulc defense, which staged a goal-line stand similar to the one it threw at the Stars three weeks ago in Jackson. The Vulcans won that contest 14-3.      After a 38-yard Rich Lander punt which Mississippi's Earnest Young returned 14 yards to the Vulcan 38, Stars quarterback William Wooley nailed running back Augustus Lee with a 20-yard pass, putting the ball on the Alabama 18.      An eight-yard run by Gary Blocker and an offsides call against the Vulcans gave the Stars a first and goal at the Alabama five.      But an Alabama defensive charge led by Rickey Gilliland, Tyrone King, and Clifton Brown held the Stars to four yards in three plays, bringing up a fourth and one at the one-inch line with 23 seconds remaining in the half.      Enter 5-11 safety Terry Rusin who came up with the biggest play of the ball game. Wooley spun backwards and handed the ball to 230-pound fullback Otto Love. Rusin, weighing in at 190 pounds, bulled down the Stars' runner at the 10 and the Vulcan offense took it from there to run out the clock.      The Stars ended the first half with a minus 10 yards rushing and gained only 36 yards through the air. The tenacious Vulcan defense allowed only three first downs in the first 30 minutes of play for Mississippi.      The first half wasn't an especially good one for the Vulcan offense. The Chris Vacarella-directed attack could generate only 122 yards and six first downs. Geting down deep into Stars territory three times in the first half, the Vulcans could only walk away with six points at halftime - thanks to a pair of Ron Slovensky field goals.      After Alabama had taken the opening kickoff from the Vulc 34 to the Stars' eight, kicking specialist Rich Lander missed a 23-yard field goal.      Following a Steve Blocker fumble at the Stars 49, the Vulcs drove the ball to the 23 where Slovensky, a little-used placekicker from Livingston, socked a 40-yard field goal to give Alabama a 3-0 lead.      In the second quarter, Alabama took advantage of poor Mississippi field position by taking over the ball at the Stars' 45 after a 42-yard punt and a 10-yard Willie Smith return. Slovensky turned field position into points when he hit a 46-yard field goal with 12:47 left in the half.      The Alabma  offense got untracked in the third quarter, putting two touchdowns on the board... but not without some help from the vaunted Iron Curtain defense.      After holding Mississippi on the Stars' first possession of the second half, the Vulcan offense drove 55 yards in six plays for the first touchdown of the game. New acquisition at fullback, 235-pound Pat Kohlman, who played for the San Jose Tigers, AFA champion, last season, scored for the 6-1 Vulcans from the one-yard line. The big play of the drive was a 40-yard rip through the heart of the Stars' defense by AFA leading rusher Myron Smith. Slovensky's point after upped the count to 13-0.      Two plays later, King, the league's leading interceptor, picked off his sixth pass of the year at the Stars' 42 and returned it to the eight.

Score by Quarters Mississippi       0     0     0     14     -     14 Alabama   3   3   14   0   -   20                           Statistics         MS       AL First downs   11   10 Rushing (att - yards)   29 - 89   43 - 169 Passing yards   155   126 Passing (comp - att - int)   15 - 36 - 4   6 - 19 - 0 Punts - avg   4 - 45   2 - 45 Fumbles - lost   3 - 1   5 - 4 Penalties - yards   5 - 55   4 - 30                          Scoring Summary AL       Slovensky 40 field goal AL   Slovensky 46 field goal AL   Kohlman 1 run (Slovensky kick) AL   Hopkins 5 pass from Vacarella (Slovensky kick) MS   Prince 28 pass from Lewis (Hardin kick) MS   Houston 6 pass from Lewis (Hardin kick)

Mississippi: Gary Blocker (34)

Alabama: Myron Smith (33)

Alabama: Ron Slovensky

San Antonio Charros at Arkansas Champs June 30, 1979 - War Memorial Stadium -

Johnson stars in Charros' win                   San Antonio Light                        Randy Johnson came on the field to the tune of "Instant Replay" Saturday night.      Just as he did two weeks ago against Oklahoma, Johnson came off the bench to provide the offensive punch San Antonio needed as the Charros rompted past Arkansas, 37-16.      With the Charros down at halftime, 16-10, Johnson ignited a second half comeback, tossing two touchdown passes and running for another. Meanwhile, the Charros defensive unit began to wear down the Champs, holding the Arkansas team scoreless in the second half.      Against Oklahoma two weeks ago, Johnson came off the bench to lead the Charros to a 35-19 victory after San Antonio trailed at the half, 14-13. Sam Maxie was San Antonio's starting quarterback in the first half both times.      The victory was the Charros' fourth straight, the league's longest winning streak, and improved their American Football Association record to 4-1. Arkansas dropped to 2-4.      San Antonio returns home at 7:30 p.m. this coming Saturday at Alamo Stadium against Jacksonville.      San Antonio trailed in total yardage, 348-298, but Arkansas quarterbacks were intercepted four times compared to one for San Antonio. Charros' safety Dudley Keller had three swipes leading to two touchdowns and a field goal.      Defensive end Bucky Lampe sacked Arkansas quarterbacks twice and recovered a fumble.       Arkansas jumped ahead, 14-0, before the Charros scored on a 47-yard scoring jaunt by Leonard Brantley, who rushed for 100 yards on only eight carries. David Mellott added the first of four extra points and picked up a 25-yard field goal late in the first half.      Johnson, who was a questionable starter because of an injury, then did his thing.     His one-yard keeper with 3:38 left in the third period put the Charros ahead for good, 17-16, and moments later, tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Tony Armstrong.      San Antonio, which scored its four second-half touchdowns within an eight-minute span, padded the lead when David Wehmeyer went over from four yards out. After a Keller interception, the Charros capped the scoring on a 22-yard pass from Johnson to Wehmeyer.      Wehmeyer added 67 yards on 14 carries. Johnson's numbers for the night were eight competions of 14 attempts for 96 yards and no interceptions.

Score by Quarters San Antonio       0     10     13     14     -     37 Arkansas   14   2   0   0   -   16                           Statistics         SA       AR First downs   16   17 Rushing (att - yards)   33 - 177   33 - 160 Passing yards   121   188 Passing (comp - att - int)   10 - 26 - 1   14 - 23 - 4 Punts - avg   3 - 42.0   4 - 34.7 Fumbles - lost   1 - 1   1 - 1 Penalties - yards   8 - 71   8 - 78                          Scoring Summary AR       Fairbanks 40 pass from Miller (Scott kick) AR   Miller 1 run (Scott kick) SA   Brantley 47 run (Mallott kick) AR    Safety Garmen tackled Maxie in end zone SA   Mallott 25 field goal SA   Johnson 1 run (Mallott kick) SA   Armstrong 13 pass from Johnson (kick failed) SA   Wehmeyer 4 run (Mallott kick) SA   Wehmeyer 22 pass from Johnson (Mallott kick)

Kentucky Trackers at Alabama Vulcans July 4, 1979 - Legion Field -

Vulcs avenge loss, Lander unhappy with attendance                   John Tishler - Birmingham News                        You know something? Harry Lander is a hard man to please.      His Alabama Vulcans, now 7-1 in their first American Football Association season, avenged their only loss of the year by smashing the Kentucky Trackers 27-0 Wednesday night.      But Harry is still unhappy.      "I must be doing something wrong," he said as the final seconds clicked off the Legion Field scoreboard. "We just aren't drawing people to our games. I'll be darn sure embarrassed if we only have this many (about 5,500) at Saturday's game against Shreveport.      "What makes this game so important is they're televising it back to Shreveport. I don't want Birmingham to look bad in front of all those people back in Louisiana, but if we don't draw better Saturday than we did tonight, I think it will be embarrassing."      For awhile, it looked like the crowd wasn't all that was going to shame Lander. The Vulcans continued to play inconsistent offensive football in the first quarter, and the defense again came up with the big plays that finally won the game.      The Vulcs drove the opening kickoff 45 yards and then something that has beocome almose common place for Alabama happened.      Mike Horton fumbled on the one.      And if that wasn't enough to make the Vulcans' coaching staff tear their hair out, Alabama took its next possession down to the Trackers' 22 before giving the ball up on downs.      "My greatest disappointment on the football field was the offense's inabilty to cash in early," Lander said. "It's becoming a disturbing habit of ours to make mistakes and not score early."      But as has been an Alabama trademark throughout the season, the defense got the first big play and set up the first touchdown.      Passing from his own end zone, John Madeya threw the ball right into the waiting arms of Alabama linebacker Carl Pennington and set up the Vulc offense on the Trackers' 12.      "I just read the quarterback's eyes the whole way, dropped back into that middle zone, and picked it off," Pennington said. "I was going to try to score, but didn't quite make it."      Two plays later, with half the second quarter gone, Chris Vacarella passed to Pat Kohlman from 11 yards out and Ron Slovensky tacked on the extra point to put the Vulcans out front 7-0.      On Alabama's next possession, Vacarella engineered a 91-yard, six-play drive that ended when Horton broke loose for a 43-yard run into the end zone.      On the run, it looked like the 5-11 speedster had been stacked up at the 38, but the former Leeds High star broke out of a pack of tacklers at that point and out-raced the rest of the Kentucky defense to score.      "I guess I just hate to go down," said Horton after ending the night with 104 yards in 10 carries. "Last Saturday night I had the worst game of my career, and then tonight I fumbled on the one-yard line. I thought my whole career would be over if I didn't make up for it. I just ran as hard as I could."      On the first play of Kentucky's next possession, Vulc linebacker Earl Monroe picked off another Madeya pass at the Kentucky 20 and returned it to the seven. Vacarella scored from the one three plays later and at hafltime, Alabama led 21-0.      In the fourth stanza, defensive back Steve Williams swiped another Trackers' pass and ran it 23 yards for a score. A mix-up on the PAT kick snuffed out the try for point, but the Vulcans held on to a 27-0 lead until the game ended.      Alabama's offense had one of its best nights of the year, 411 yards total offense. The Iron Curtain defense held Kentucky to 174 yards on offense and set up or scored three of the four Alabama touchdowns.      Lander admitted following the game that he has also made a mistake calculating what it will take for Alabama to secure a play-off berth.      "I thought we just had to win tonight to be assured of the spot in the playoffs," he said. "But I had it called my attention that the fist game of the year (the Vulcans' 28-0 win over Carolina) was a 'Bonus Game' which means the Cougars can drop that loss from their schedule.      "If we were to lose to Shreveport Saturday and Carolina was to win, then they would get the playoff spot. We have to win Saturday night."

Score by Quarters Kentucky       0     0     0     0     -     0 Alabama   0   21   0   6   -   27                           Statistics         KY       AL First downs   9   19 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 76   ? - 255 Passing yards   97   150 Passing (comp - att - int)   8 - 25  - 3   9 - 20 - 0 Punts - avg   5 - 40.4   2 - 41.0 Fumbles - lost   ? - 1   ? - 2 Penalties - yards   ?- 45   ? - 79                          Scoring Summary AL       Kohlman 11 pass from Vacarella (Slovensky kick) AL   Horton 43 run (Slovensky kick) AL   Vacarella 1 run (Slovensky kick) AL   Williams 23 interception return (pass failed)

Alabama: Chris Vacarella (2)

Alabama: Pat Kohlman (34)

Kentucky: Dallas Owens (1), Mike Siganos (34) Alabama: Terry Grammer

Arkansas Champs at Carolina Chargers July 4, 1979 - Memorial Stadium -

Chargers trample Arkansas                   Les Bowen - Charlotte Observer                        The Carolina Chargers were introduced as "The hottest team in the AFA (American Football Association)" prior to their 41-7 victory over the Arkansas Champs Wednesday at Memorial Stadium.      That was true in more ways than one.      Not only did Carolina put together a 17-points-in-just-over-2-minutes flurry in the first half, insuring its fifth consecutive victory, but the Chargers did it in 93-degree weather, the year's hottest to date.      Carolina, which played before a season-low announced crowd of 4,476, now is 4-0 in the AFA's restructured standings, but 5-2 counting all games. Arkansas is 2-3 and 2-5.      Players commented on the heat while they did exercises before the game. Sundown didn't bring much relief, several players said.      Running back Randy Bolton, an ex-North Mecklenburg High and Winston-Salem State player, summed it up as he rested before the second half kickoff.      "Hot? Man, what you talkin' 'bout? Shooo!" Defensive lineman Luther Allen's beard glistened with sweat as he gulped in air. "Yeah, it's hot," he said. But the hottest thing on the field was Carolina's defense.      The Champs got to the Chargers' 32 before fumbling the ball away midway through the first quarter. They didn't get back into Carolina territory until a fumbled punt set up their only touchdown with 6:02 left in the game.      "We're gettin' better pressure on the quarterback," Allen explained. The Chargers sacked Arkansas quarterback Larry Mayer 5 times.      One player who wasn't bothered by the heat was kicker Mike Cox, whose 53-yard field goal capped first half scoring. The kick hit the middle of the crossbar and bounced through.      "I must have had a hundred (kicks) hit that dang goalpost, and that's the first one I ever had go through, practice and everything."      The Chargers seemed to be mistake-prone early. After moving for a first down in 2 plays following the opening kickoff, Carolina running back Randy Bolton fumbled and Arkansas' Steve Hatcher recovered at the Chargers' 47.      The Carolina defense, aided by 2 fumbled snaps from center, stopped the Champs on third-and-inches and fourth-and-1, so Carolina got the ball back on its 40.      Quarterback Ellsworth Turner moved the Chargers to the Champs' 2 in 5 plays, but tight end Keith Richardson dropped a pass in the end zone, Bolton was dropped for a 5-yard loss trying to run around right end and Cox's 22-yard field goal attempt was wide.      The Champs took over on their 20 and moved to Carolina's 32 in 8 plays. But on third-and-6, quarterback Larry Mayer fumbled the snap from center, and Charger linebacker Joe Crosby recovered at his team's 36.      Carolina then got down to business, driving 42 yards in 9 plays before Cox's 41-yard field goal gave the Chargers a 3-0 lead with 14:50 left in the second quarter.      Arkansas punter Sam Coleman tried his third fake punt of the game with just more than 8 minutes left in the first half. Coleman had run for a first down on his initial fake kick, then had thrown an interception to ex-Duke defensive back Tom Knotts on his second try. On the third attempt, almost no one was fooled. Coleman's wobbly pass to a lineman was incomplete.      Carolina's first play after taking over on the Champs' 39 was a touchdown run by Bolton.      Bolton turned the right corner, broke a tackle at the line of scrimage and wasn't touched again as he scooted down the right sideline. Cox's extra point made it 10-0 with 7:29 left in the first half.      The Champs' Coleman tried to punt still later in the second quarter, but Carolina's Sam Cook blocked the kick, and 2 plays later, Turner hit Richardson over the middle for a touchdown with 2:03 left in the first half. Cox's kick gave the Chargers a 17-0 lead.      The rout was on. Carolina got the ball back after a successful Coleman punt with 1:04 lef in the first half, which took an hour and 35 minutes to play. The Chargers moved to the Champs' 9 in 5 plays, and Turner hit Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith for a touchdown with 9 seconds left.      Cox added the point, then squibbed a kick the Chargers covered with 2 seconds left. Cox called timeout, then kicked his 53-yard field goal as time expired with Carolina leading 27-0.      Carolina coach Perry Moss rested many starters the second half, including Turner, who was 12-for-19. Moss was looking ahead to Saturday, when his team is host to the Kentucky Trackers.

Score by Quarters Arkansas       0     0     0     7     -     7 Carolina   0   27   7   7   -   41                           Statistics         AR       CA First downs   11   16 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 105   ? - 174 Passing yards   88   143 Passing (comp - att - int)   9 - 32 - 2   13 - 26 - 2 Punts - avg   8 - 20.6   5 - 36.4 Fumbles - lost   8 - 3   3 - 2 Penalties - yards   3 - 20   11 - 75                          Scoring Summary CA       Cox 41 field goal CA   Bolton 39 run (Cox kick) CA   Richardson 7 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Smith 9 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Cox 53 field goal CA   Williamson 15 run (Cox kick) AR   Hawkins 1 run (Scott kick) CA   Duke 3 run (Cox kick)

Players unknown

Carolina: Ellsworth Turner (15), Warren Ratchford (25)

Carolina: Terry Jackson (65), Luther Carter (14)

Mississippi Stars at Jacksonville Firebirds July 4, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

Firebirds outshine Stars, snap losing streak 37-20                   Andy Cohen - Florida Times-Union                        Jacksonville Firebirds' coach Bob Williams looked toward the Gator Bowl scoreboard Wednesday night and breathed a long sigh of relief.      "It's nice to have that winning feeling again," he said moments after the Firebirds recorded a 37-20 victory over the Mississippi Stars.      And he says it's nice, even if it was his team's second game in five days and even if it was played on a Wednesday of all nights, and even if an estimated crowd of 7,500  decided to come see it.      "When you win, everything else really doesn't seem that improtant," Williams added.      And when you win impressively - as the Firebirds did on this hot, muggy evening - it also maskes this Saturday's game at San Antonio (Jacksonville's third in eight days) a little easier to swallow.       "Other than San Antonio, Jacksonville is the best offensive team in the league," commented Stars coach Duncan McCauley. "They have a great team, there's just no doubt about it."      Despite what McCauley says, the jury is still out on this Firebird team since the Stars (2-3) are one of the weaker teams in the American Football Association.      "We've still got a long way to go," said Firebird running back Leon McQuay. "But we are getting a whole lot better."      Don Gaffney, who wears a three-piece suit as an intern with a state attorney's office during the day, won a big verdict in his football gear Wednesday night by completing 11 of 18 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.      "It's hard for me to say how well I played," Gaffney said afterward. "This game did show our team has character. I think we proved ourselves tonight."      Gaffney did seem a bit upset that he had to share playing time with Jimmy Fisher (2 for 11 for only four yards) but would only say, "I just do what I'm told."      The win gives Jacksonville a 3-1 record and, according to Williams, "a lot more confidence. We finally played opportunistic football. We're improving."      The Firebirds had lost three straight games, but when Tulsa folded and the league threw out two games, the Firebirds were able to throw out two of the three losses. For a brief while, it looked like a fourth straight loss might be in the works.      The Stars were impressive on their first possession, driving the ball 53 yards for a touchdown. Two fourth-down conversions were needed - one on a fake kick - before Star quarterback William Wooley hit speedy Alex Prince on a 12-yard scoring pass.      But the Firebirds struck back. Led by Gaffney, Jacksonville slowly marched the ball 70 yards downfield. And by the time Gaffney faked a handoff and strolled into the end zone for the tying score, the second quarter was five seconds old.      But the fun was just starting.      Three plays after the ensuing kickoff, Wooley found Prince once again, this time for 75 yards and another touchdown. Troy Harden missed the extra point.      Gaffney's hand was still loaded though.      On the first play after the kickoff, Gaffney rifled the ball to Charlie Hummings at midfield. Hummings outran the Star defensive backfield for the score. John Williams' extra point gave the Firebirds a 14-13 lead. The Hummings reception made it three touchdowns in 1:10.      Mississippi player Steve Blocker then graciously fumbled the ensuing kickoff, the Firebirds recovered and Jacksonville had the ball 14 yards from the goal line.      Then, after some considerable scrambling, Gaffney found Charlie Dorsey on the 3. Three plays later, Lonne Battle scored from the 1 to give the Firebirds a 21-13 lead.      Defense dominated the game for a while after  that, especially on the Firebird part after a pass interference call gave Mississippi the ball on Jacksonville's 6. The Stars were stopped cold, gaining 3 yards on four plays.

Score by Quarters Mississippi       7     6     0     7     -     20 Jacksonville   0   24   7   6   -   37                           Statistics         MS       JA First downs   10   19 Rushing (att - yards)   23 - 59   50 - 157 Passing yards   192   230 Passing (comp - att - int)   10 - 20 - 4   15 - 34 - 1 Punts - avg   2 - 33.5   2 - 31.5 Fumbles - lost   5 - 4   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   3 - 45   7 - 80                          Scoring Summary MS       Prince 12 pass from Wooley (Hardin kick) JA   Gaffney 7 run (Williams kick) MS   Prince 75 pass from Wooley (kick failed) JA   Humming 74 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   Battle 1 run (Williams kick) JA   Williams 45 field goal JA   Dorsey 22 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   Williams 47 field goal JA   Williams 43 field goal MS   Genkins 33 pass from Lewis (Hardin kick)

Jacksonville: Don Gaffney (1) Mississippi: Alvin Young (??)

Jacksonville: Leon McQuay (30) Mississippi: Bob Hughes (75)

Mississippi: Alex Prince (88)

Shreveport Steamer at Alabama Vulcans July 7, 1979 - Legion Field -

It's hairy as Vulcs go to 8-1                   John Tishler - Birmingham News                        A revived Alabama Vulcans offense came to life in the second half and erased a 17-7 halftime deficit to sink the Shreveport Steamer 20-17 Saturday night before an estimated 3,500 fans at Legion Field.      The win assured the Vulcans a spot in the Sept. 15 American Football Association (AFA) playoffs.      The Vulcans clawed their way back via a one-yard quarterback sneak by Chris Vacarella in the third quarter, a one-yard plunge by fullback Myron Smith with less than three minutes to go in the game and a desperation prevent defense.      Alabama put together a four-minute eight-play 69-yard drive midway of the third period to close the gap to 17-14. It was a drive of the typical grind-them-out kind that has become the trademark of Harry Lander's Vulcans this summer. Vacarella got his touchdown on a fourth-one-one plunge with 9:02 to go. Ron Slovensky hit the PAT.      The league's leading interceptor, Tyrone King, snuffed out a serious Steamer threat when he picked off a Clyde Walker pass at the Vulcan five and returned it 27 yards.      But running back Mike Horton fumbled on the next play and Shreveport was set up on the Vulcan 21.      Three plays netted four yards and a 42-yard Tom Skoruppa field goal attempt was no good. The Steamer was not to threaten again until the last two mintues of the game.      The Vulcans' defense was tough all night. For instance, on a fourth-and-one call at the Steamer 44, former University of Alabama linebacker Ricky Gilliland singlehandedly stopped the visitors. He did it by slamming into Shreveport's Alex Rankin, stopping him and turning the ball over to his teammates.      Going to the fullback six of the 10 plays, Vacarella then directed Alabama to a fourth and one at the one-yard line with 2:26 remaining. Pat Kohlman crashed over from the one and Vulcs were looking like a sure bet for the AFA playoffs.      The victory pushed Alabama's won-lost record to 8-1. The Steamer is now 4-3.      It was also the Vulcs' third game in eight days.      "I think a big factor in the game," said Lander afterward, "was that we were tired. Three games in eight days does take its toll. But you've got to be proud of the way we came back."      Lander faced perhaps his toughest coaching decision of the season with just over two minutes to go in the game. With his Vulcans looking at fourth-and-goal at the Steamer one and trailing 17-14, Lander elected to go for the six points instead of the field goal and a tie ball game.      "Oh, I looked at the scoreboard and thought about it," noted Lander, "but I've never liked going for the tie. Besides, we had confidence in our people up front."      Thus, Smith plunged into the end zone for the six and victory.      In the first half, the Steamer ripped through the celebrated Vulcan Iron Curtain defense for 150 yards through the air.      Shreveport's Walker propelled the visitors 88 yards on the first possession of the game, 84 of those through the air.      A four-yard run by Rankin and Skoruppa's kick after touchdown put Shreveport up front 7-0 with 1:45 left in the first quarter.      Keith Alexander recovered an Alabama fumble two plays later after a mixup on a handoff exchange between Vacarella and fullback Kohlman. Four plays later, the Steamer had picked up only two yards. But Skoruppa increased the Shreveport bulge to 10-0 on a 29-yad field goal.      Alabama struck back in typical fashion in the second quarter. Beginning on their 35, Vacarella guided the Vulcs 65 yards in 10 plays for their first score. It came on a seven-yard option run by Earnest Williams. Williams ended the drive - which required 6:43 - when he took the pitch from Vacarella and juggled the ball a couple of times, side-stepped one defender, and waltzed into the end zone.      Slovensky tacke on the PAT and the Steamer lead was down to 10-7.      But 4:21 was left in the first half, and Shreveport used almost all of it to pad its lead. Again going to the air against a suspect Vulc secondary, Walker teamed up with AFA-leading receiver Rod Foppe once for 36 yards and Florida State product Greg Lazzero for 27 yards. Then Walker took it over for the touchdown from one-yard out.      Skoruppa's PAT made it 17-7 at intermission.      The Vulcans travel to Jacksonville next weekend for a rematch with the Firebirds (4-3). It will be the first of three straight road games for Alabama.

Score by Quarters Shreveport       10     7     0     0     -     17 Alabama   0   7   7   6   -   20                           Statistics         SH       AL First downs   14   12 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 51   ? - 170 Passing yards   196   46 Passing (comp - att - int)   12 - 26 - 2   6 - 9 - 0 Punts - avg   3 - 29   4 - 38 Fumbles - lost   ? - 1   ? - 3 Penalties - yards   ?- 35   ? - 44                          Scoring Summary SH       Rankin 4 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Skoruppa 29 field goal AL   Williams 7 run (Slovensky kick) SH   Walker 1 run (Skoruppa kick) AL   Vacarella 1 run (Slovensky kick) AL   Kohlman 1 run (kick failed)

Alabama: Earnest Williams (??)

Arkansas Champs at Mississippi Stars July 7, 1979 - Newell Field -

Stars win in closing moments on Hardin field goal                   Lee Baker - Jackson Clarion-Ledger                        There was 7:53 left when the Mississippi Stars took over the football on their own 22, trailing 7-6. With great deliberation they drove to the Arkansas Champs' 10. At that point, a decision had to be made.      Nearly seven of the mintues had been used up, and the situation was fourth down, a yard to go.      Should the normal field goal be called, or, seeing as how kicker Troy Hardin had missed his conversion try back in the early stages of the fourth quarter, should the nod go to running back Augusta Lee who twice made crucial first downs in this final drive?      Following a Mississippi timeout, the choice was to go with Hardin. So Arkansas took time and adjusted its defense for that ploy - not to mention give Hardin extra worrying time. Finally, after a long delay, came the kick... high and true for a 9-7 Stars' victory.      That left 55 seconds of anticlimax as Champs' quarterback Larry Mayer sought to deliver a bomb, but hardly got off the runway. So for the second time this summer season, the Stars had whilped Arkansas, and thereby lifted their American Football Association record to 3-3 while the Champs sank to 2-4.      Previously, Mississippi rompted, 31-14, when the Arkansas club was still in transition with half-a-dozen new players.      This time around, Stars' coach Duncan McCauley assessed, "Our defense played an outstanding game and the offense was adequate to win."      Statistically, it was no contest, Mississippi piling up 152 yards on 35 carries and 147 on William Wooley's 11 of 24 passing to the Champs' 166 rushing and 45  passing. But four interceptions, three in the second quarter, off Wooley made all that passing yardage mean nothing until Gus Lee began jamming the ball through the Arkansas defense.      The Champs drove 80 yards on 10 plays and a 15-yard penalty to their only score. Larry Mayer looping a 19 yard pass to a wide open Greg Jacobs in the end zone to open the second quarter. James Scott popped the point after.      Then the interceptions began piling up, the most telling by Jodie Carter in the end zone after the Stars moved to third and three at the Champs' five. A fourth pickoff on the first Star possession in the second half brought the decision... run the ball!      And that they did, especially Lee, who careied seven times in a nine-play stamped from the 50 that ended with Lee slamming through right gurard from a yard out to draw Mississippi within a poitn. But when Hardin was wide left, that's where the Stars remained.      "We couldn't convert our passing, so we had to revert to running," said McCauley, "and Gus Lee played a hell of a game. Wooley had a good play selection, too, on our two scoring drives.      "Those interceptions? Aw, the ball was slick and hard to grip, especially trying to go long like we were doing there for awhile.      "The main thing I was pleased about was our cool when we had to score on that last drive."

Score by Quarters Arkansas       0     7     0     0     -     7 Mississippi   0   0   0   9   -   9                           Statistics         AR       MS First downs   10   19 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 166   ? - 152 Passing yards   45   147 Passing (comp - att - int)   5 - 17 - 1   11 - 25 - 3 Punts - avg   8 - 45   3 - 49 Fumbles - lost   0 - 0   3 - 1 Penalties - yards   10 - 110   3 - 35                          Scoring Summary AR       Jacobs 19 pass from Mayer (kick failed) MS   Lee 1 run (kick failed) MS   Hardin 27 field goal

Arkansas: Steve Halpin (45), Jodie Carter (??) Mississippi: Billy Houston (82)

Mississippi: William Wooley (12) Arkansas: Swazy Pruitt (75)

Kentucky Trackers at Carolina Chargers July 7, 1979 - Memorial Stadium -

Cox kicks himself to Buffalo                   Les Bowen - Charlotte Observer                        Carolina Chargers' kicker Mike Cox saw Buffalo through Memorial Stadium goal posts Saturday.      That's the New York town - not the big, furry animal.      Cox, whose 43-yard field goal on the game's last play gave the Carolina Chargers a 30-27 American Football Association victory over the Kentucky Trackers, said afterward he's flying Monday to Buffalo for a tryout with the NFL Bills.      "Coach (Perry) Moss has officially released me from my contract, and they'll (Bills) tell me before I leave there Monday whether they want me to come back or not," Cox said.      Earlier, Cox connected on field goals of 46 and 48 yards, booted 3 extra points, and was forced into making 2 tackles when the Chargers' kickoff coverage broke down.      Afterward Cox said he could have lived without the tackles - kickers generally shy awya from such injury-provoking endeavors - but was glad to help out.      "Hell, we played too hard to lose that gme," he explained.      Cox said he never doubted his ability to win it. He just didn't know if he'd get the chance.      Carolina had blown a 20-0 halftime lead and was leaving fingernail marks on the Memorial Stadium turf as it tried desperately to hold on.      Kentucky wide receiver Gil Foushee had a too-high Alvin White pass bounce through his hands near the Carolina goal line with 17 seconds left, leaving the Trackers with fourth- and-20 from the Chargers' 26, trailing 27-24.      Tight end David Thomas, whom Kentucky coach Buddy Pfaadt said afterward  had kicked field goals in practice but never in a Trackers' game, knocked home a 43-yarder with 12 seconds left, tying the score.      Carolina's John Graham recovered the ensuing onside kick on the Chargers' 47. Quarterback Ellsworth Turner scrambled, then fired over the middle to Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith, who cut to the left sideline and got out of bounds on the 26 with 1 second left.      Cox then bounced the game winner high off the screen covering the scoreboard.        "I just wanted Gnat to get out of bounds before that clock ran out," Cox said.      Smith said he wasn't watching the clock.      "I didn't know how much time was left. I knew it was 11 seconds when we started, but I was just trying to  get as close as I could, so Cox could kick the field goal. I didn't notice how much time was left until the play was over."      Kentucky, which lost to Carolina 22-14 June 9 and 45-14 last Saturday, seemed in the process of being routed until White took over for starting quarterback John Madeya at the second half's outset.      White, who joined the Trackers on Tuesday after being released by Toronto of the Canadian Football League, completed 10 of 15 passes for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns.      "I'm just now learning the offense, learning the other player's names," he said.      The Chargers and Pfaadt agreed White turned the game around. Several Chargers said White read Carolina blitzes and audibled draw plays and screen passes as if he had been the team's quarterback all season.      Carolina's offense, denied the ball much of the second half, out-gained Kentucky for the game but couldn't keep the Trackers' final period pass rush out of Turner's lap.      Earlier, Turner hit tight end Keith Richardson and Smith with first-half touchdown passes, then hit Smith with another scoring pass with 9:04 left in the game.      That touchdown put Carolina up 27-18, and seemed to regain momentum for the Chargers. But a pass interference penalty moved Kentucky to the Chargers' 37, and White hit Leo Crossfield for a touchdown on the next play.      Kentucky tried for 2-point conversions after each touchdown - a move that may have cost the Trackers the game, considering the closeness of the final score and Thomas's apparent kicking ability.      Pfaadt said his team didn't kick the points because it was so far behind early and needed to make up points. He also admitted he didn't have much confidence in regular kicker Charlie Johnson, or in the untested Thomas.      Carolina is 5-0 officially, 6-2 overall; Kentucky is 1-5 and 1-7. Official attendance figures were not available, but the crowed appeared to be the season's smallest, about 3,000.

Score by Quarters Kentucky       0     0     12     15     -     27 Carolina   7   13   0   10   -   30                           Statistics         KY       CA First downs   19   22 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 147   ? - 111 Passing yards   186   304 Passing (comp - att - int)   16 - 27 - 0   20 - 31 - 1 Punts - avg   4 - 38.3   4 - 29.0 Fumbles - lost   2 - 1   2 - 0 Penalties - yards   3 - 20   7 - 86                          Scoring Summary CA       Richardson 6 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Cox 46 field goal CA   Smith 16 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Cox 48 field goal KY   Pritchett 3 run (pass failed) KY   Foushee 7 pass from White (pass failed) KY   Hill 4 run (pass failed) CA   Smith 14 pass from Turner (Cox kick) KY   Thomas 43 field goal CA   Cox 43 field goal

Carolina: Keith Richardson (85)

Kentucky: Anthony Miller (40) Carolina: Mike Cox (10)

Kentucky: Mike Siganos (??) Carolina: Reggie Smith (80)

Jacksonville Firebirds at San Antonio Charros July 7, 1979 - Alamo Stadium -

Charros lose; still champs                   Johnny Campos - San Antonio Light                        The San Antonio Charros took a step backwards at Alamo Stadium Saturday night, but they still wound up on top of the first half standings of the Western Division in the American Football Association.      San Antonio dropped a 21-17 decision to the Jacksonville Firebirds to fall to 4-2 on the season, but a come-from-behind 20-17 win by Alabama over the Shreveport Steamer in Birmingham Saturday night allowed the Charros to back in to the throne room.      Had control been the key to victory against Jacksonville, the Charros would have won hands down. But a pair of long-distance scoring bombs by the Firebirds and a clutch 80-yard drive in the closing minutes gave the visitors the win.      It appeared San Antonio had pulled out the decision when kicker David Mellot converted a 36-yard field goal into a 17-14 Charro lead with just 9:36 left in the game.      But quarterback Don Gaffney, who had touchdown tosses of 74 yards to Charlie Dorsey and 69 yards to Charles Hummings, and runningback Leon McQuay sparked the team in the winning drive.      Gaffney, who passed for 238 yards on just seven completions, hit Dorsey with a 20-yard pass and rushed for 14 yards on a keeper in the drive, while McQuay, a standout in the Canadian Football League for two seasons, carried three times for 29 yards, including the final two for the score.      McQuay netted only 51 yards on the night, but ran for most of those in the second half.      After each team's quarterback had thrown an interception in the first two possessions of the contest, Gaffney hit Dorsey at the Jacksonville 38, and the receiver simply outran the Charros' secondary for the score.      Charro runningback David Wehmeyer fumbled the ball into the end zone on the ensuing drive after Randy Johnson had guided the team down to the Jacksonville 5.      Johnson, who passed for 260 yards in the losing effort, evened the count at 7-7 with a big play of his own. He tried to hit tight end Tony Armstrong over the middle, but Armstrong only managed to tip the ball. An alert Bruce Dickey, who caught six passes for 135  yards, ran under the ball, caught it in full stride and raced to the end zone.      The score stayed at 7-7 at the half.      The Charros took the second half kickoff and held the ball until 6:59 in the period when Johnson scored from the 1. San Antonio used 14 plays on the drive to kill the clock.      The 69-yard bomb to Hummings, who dropped an almost sure six points earlier in the game on a similar play, knotted the score with just 21 seconds left in the third period to set up the finish.      Johnson wound up with 18 completions in 28 attempts and went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.      San Antonio runningback Leonard Brantley was the game's leading rusher with 102 yards on 15 carries.      The Charros will host the Steamer at Alamo Stadium next Saturday to open second-half action in the AFA.

Score by Quarters Jacksonville       7     0     7     7     -     21 San Antonio   0   7   7   3   -   17                           Statistics         JA       SA First downs   12   20 Rushing (att - yards)   29 - 162   38 - 155 Passing yards   224   262 Passing (comp - att - int)   7 - 15 - 2   20 - 30 - 2 Punts - avg   1 - 36   1 - 48 Fumbles - lost   2 - 1   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   7 - 75   5 - 44                          Scoring Summary JA       Dorsey 73 pass  from Gaffney (Williams kick) SA   Dickey 91 pass from Johnson (Mellot kick) SA   Johnson 1 run (Mellot kick) JA   Humming 57 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) SA   Mellot 37 field goal JA   McQuay 2 run (Williams kick)

courtesy of Jeff Creamer

San Antonio: Tony Armstrong (80) Jacksonville: Malachi Beyah (51), Ernie Knox (54)

Jacksonville: Steve Robinson (72) San Antonio: David Wehmeyer (35)

Jacksonville: Charlie Dorsey (87)

Shreveport Steamer at San Antonio Charros July 14, 1979 - Alamo Stadium -

Charros triumph                   Harry Page - San Antonio Express-News                        Charro offensive tackle Rhiny Williams pointed to scoreboard as more than 5,000 fans roared with approval. It told the whole story.      Home: 25 -Visitors: 17.      San Antonio had finally harnessed its worst nemesis, the Shreveport Steamer, Saturday night at Alamo Stadium.      Quarterback Randy Johnson rifled four touchdowns - two to tight end Tony Armstrong and one each to wide receiver Bruce Dickey and Thomas "Tank" Whittier - to lead the Charros to their fifth win in seven outings.      The win was the first for San Antonio over the Louisiana bunch in five tries over the past two years.      The Steamer, handicapped by the absence of their leading rusher Alex Rankin who was sidelined with a bad ankle, got a pair of touchdowns from running back Arry Moody and a field goal from Skoruppa.      The real heroes in San Antonio's win were the Charro defense. Defensive end Robert Rickman picked off two passes, and back Keith Nelms and Dudley Keller one each.      Meanwhile, linebackers David Munden and Robert Valdez, end Clyde Jenkins, tackle Keith White and end Johnny Younger led a S.A. defense that wouldn't give quarterbacks Clyde Walker and James Mosely any air to breathe.      And, Nelms, Keller, veteran J.V. Stokes, Ricky Williams, Frank Oakes and Buddy Tomasi put a blanket on Shreveport's hightly-touted receivers.      San Antonio jumed off to a 19-0 lead before Shreveport could score.      Johnson, who hit 11 of 16 passes for 177 yards, hit Armstrong with a 50-yard touchdown pass with 5:23 left in the first quarter. A razzle-dazzle attempt for the two-point conversion failed.      In the second quarter at the 13:56 mark, Dickey made a sensational, leaping grab in the end zone of a Johnson pass to complete a 39-yard scoring play. Again, the pass for points failed.      Buoyed by a 22-yard punt return by Mike Washington, the Charros drove 52 yards in five plays to score again in the second period. The payoff came on Johnson's nine-yard pass to Armstrong, in a crowd, with 7:33 showing. David Mellot kicked the extra point.      Shreveport, denied a touchdown when Tomasi recovered a Moody fumble in midair in the end zone as the latter was running from the Charro 12, finally broke the ice. The score came on Moody's two-yard plunge with 54 seconds left in the first half. Skoruppa kicked the first of two successful conversions.      In the third period, the Steamer, now 4-4, closed the gap to 19-17 on Moody's three-yard run at the 7:20 mark and Skoruppa's 33-yard field goal with 3:06 remaining. Moody finished with 74 yards in 14 carries.      However, San Antonio, which had blown a 20-7 advantage in losing to the Steamer 37-20 at the season's outset, was not to be denied this time. Following the field goal, the Charros, spirited by a 25-yard kickoff return by Dwite Rover, motored 60 yards in nine plays to virtually settle matters.      Johnson hit a jubilant Whittier from five yards out with 12:55 remaining in the game to give the Charros a 25-17 lead, and that score stood.

Score by Quarters Shreveport       0     7     10     0     -     17 San Antonio   6   13   0   6   -   25                           Statistics         SH       SA First downs   15   18 Rushing (att - yards)   31 - 106   38 - 72 Passing yards   157   177 Passing (comp - att - int)   10 - 27 - 4   11 - 16 - 1 Punts - avg   5 - 32.0   4 - 26.5 Return yards   20   50 Fumbles - lost   2 - 1   3 - 2 Penalties - yards   13 - 126   4 - 31                          Scoring Summary SA       Armstrong 50 pass from Johnson (pass failed) SA   Dickey 39 pass from Johnson (pass failed) SA   Armstrong 9 pass from Johnson (Mellot kick) SH   Moody 2 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Moody 3 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Skoruppa 33 field goal SA   Whittier 5 pass from Johnson (kick failed)

San Antonio: Randy Johnson (12), John Martinez (65)

San Antonio: Bruce Dickey (??)

San Antonio: David Wehmeyer (35)

Kentucky Trackers at Arkansas Champs July 14, 1979 - War Memorial Stadium -

Trackers ride White's passes, defensive thefts to 41-11 win                   Louisville Corier-Journal                        Al White joined the Kentucky Trackers football team on July 3. Last night he started his first game for them and it was an impressive debut.      With White at the controls, the Trackers thumped the Arkansas Champs 41-11 in War Memorial Stadium in an American Football Association game.      White, who played with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League last season, hit 12 of 24 passes last night. In the first half the former Oregon standout hit Dave Trosper and Gil Foushee with touchdown passes. In the first half, he hit 7 of 17 passes for 105 yards. Only one of his passes was intercepted.      Therein lies a clue to the Trackers' turnabout (they now have only a 2-5 record).      Where turnovers had been plaguing the Kentucky squad, they had only one last night. Arkansas wasn't quite so fortunate. It lost all four of its fumbles and three of its passes were picked off.      Former University of Kentucky star Ray Carr recovered two of the Champs' fumbles and ex-Eastern Kentucky player Smokey Miller intercepted two passes for the Trackers.      Carr's recoveries set up two of the Trackers' first three touchdowns. He recovered a ball jarred loose by a Dallas Owens tackle at the Arkansas 36 and later wrestled a ball loose on the Arkansas 10 after a pass completion.      An interception by David Wirley on the Arkansas 23 set up the winners' fifth touchdown.      The loss dropped the Champs' record to 2-5.      Kentucky returns to Fairgrounds Stadium next week to play San Antonio. It will be the first of three consecutive home games for the Trackers.

Score by Quarters Kentucky       14     0     14     13     -     41 Arkansas   0   11   0   0   -   11                           Statistics         KY       AR First downs   17   19 Rushing (att - yards)   34 - 144   27 - 114 Passing yards   224   220 Passing (comp - att - int)   15 - 27 - 1   19 - 39 - 3 Punts - avg   5 - 38.8   3 - 32.3 Return yards   66   4 Fumbles - lost   1 - 0   4 - 4 Penalties - yards   10 - 126   9 - 108                          Scoring Summary KY       Trosper 15 pass from White (kick failed) KY   Foushee 36 pass from White (Hill run) AR   Louis 5 run (House pass from Swinton) AR   Biddle 28 field goal KY   Hill 1 run (kick failed) KY   Pritchett 3 run (Hill run) KY   Jackson 1 run (run failed) KY   Washington 5 run (Thomas kick)

Alabama Vulcans at Jacksonville Firebirds July 14, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

It's no overtime, but 'Birds pay                   Andy Cohen - Florida Times-Union                        Moments before an angry Jacksonville Firebird football team had dropped a 17-14 decision to Alabama Saturday, Firebird coach Bob Williams was on the proverbial football hotseat.      With his team needing 3 yards for a touchdown and the down marker reading "4", Williams had a tough decision to make.      A field goal - in this case a 20-yarder - would have tied the game and under American Football Association rules send it into overtime.      But to the disbelief of a very vocal Gator Bowl crowd, estimated at 20,000, Williams went for the touchdown. And as the story goes, the play turned into a lemon. Firebird quarterback Don Gaffney dodged one defender and, while throwing off balance, was intercepted by Alabama's Rodney Bizens.      The game, for all intents and purposes, was over. But the question still remained: Why no field goal?      When questioned immediately after the game, Williams responded, "I didn't want a tie ballgame."      Huh? Could Bob Williams not have known that there was overtime in the AFA?      "Yeah, I guess there is," answered a somewhat startled Williams.      He paused for a long moment and gazed down toward the Gator Bowl's turf.      "I just wanted to go for a win," he said. "The field goal wasn't an automatic. If we were much farther away from the goal line, I might have gone for the kick. I thought the percentages were in our favor.      "We just didn't execute well on the play. Looking back, I would have done the same thing again."      The fourth-and-three came on the tail end of a drive which began at the Firebird 20. A 56-yard Gaffney to Charlie Brown pass moved the ball to the 33.      One play later, Leon McQuay gained 15 yards and then Gaffney scrambled for 6 more, giving Jacksonville a first down on the 7.     James Rackley ran it to the 3. McQuay gained nothing on second down and then Gaffney tossed an incompletion to set up the fourth down call.      After the interception, many Firebird players stomped up and down the sidelines questioning the call.      "We should have ran the ball in," yelled offensive lineman Mike Stanfield. "I can't believe this team."      "Only the coach knows why we didn't kick it," yelled one player.      But Williams didn't call for a kick and the Firebirds went home losers.      "If we would have executed on fourth down, we would have won," moaned Gaffney.      Vulcan coach Harry Lander was sympathetic with Williams' decision, but against his defense, he would have gone for the tie.      "Sure I would have gone for the tie against our defense," Lander said. "Going for overtime, I think, has a lot of merit."      After a rather conservative first three quarters that left the Vulcans on top 10-7, things got interesting in the fourth quarter.      On the third play of the quarter, Firebird defensive back Mike Ulmer picked up a fumble and sprinted 67 yards for the score to give Jacksonville a 14-10 lead.      But then Alabama's offensive line took over, pushing the Firebird defenders back en route to a 70-yard, 12-play scoring drive, culminated by a 1-yard Chris Vacarella TD dive.      "I've always said Alabama had the best offensive line in the league and they proved it tonight," Williams said. "We didn't play with much discipline, though. It was a tough game."      Jacksonville's offense had difficulty moving the ball most of the hot, humid evening.      The Firebirds' gained only 229 yards woth of offense while Alabama didn't do much better, only gaining 275 yards. While his defenders were trying - with only limited success - to hold off Alabama's hard-charging offensive line, Gafney was having difficulties of his own.      The former University of Florida quarterback completed only six of 17 passes and had two passes intercepted.      "It was a very physical ballgame," added Williams, who criticized his team for committing so many (3) personal foul penalties. "Alabama may be the best team in this league."      The win raises Alabama's recordto 6-0 or 9-1 depending on what the league owners decide in a meeting Monday in Atlanta. The Firebirds are either 4-2 or 4-4.      Jacksonville plays host to Carolina Saturday night in the Gator Bowl.

Score by Quarters Alabama       7     3     0     7     -     17 Jacksonville   0   7   0   7   -   14                           Statistics         AL       JA First downs   21   10 Rushing (att - yards)   47 - 190   33 - 93 Passing yards   85   136 Passing (comp - att - int)   11 - 16 - 0   7 - 17 - 2 Punts - avg   3 - 36.7   3 - 38.7 Fumbles - lost   2 - 2   1 - 0 Penalties - yards   4 - 37   7 - 67                          Scoring Summary AL       Coleman9 pass from Vacarella (Slovensky kick) AL   Slovensky 29 field goal JA   Rackley 7 run (Williams kick) JA   Ulmer 67 fumble return (Williams kick) AL   Vacarella 1 run (Slovensky kick)

Jacksonville: James Rackley (33) Alabama: Carl Pennington (??)

Mississippi Stars at Carolina Chargers July 14, 1979 - Memorial Stadium -

Charger victory called 'sloppy' Boss gets harder to please                   Mark Wolf - Charlotte Observer                        It is a measure of how much progress the Carolina Chargers have made that coach Perry Moss was able to be disappointed in his team's 41-16 victory Saturday over the Mississippi Stars.      Not long ago, the Chargers would have taken any victory, by any means. Skylab might have fallen on the opposition, and Carolina would have offered no apologies. But nearly halfway into their first American Football Association season, the Chargers' aspirations are such that little things bother them.      "Sloppy," was Moss's reaction to the play of his team, which did not put away Mississippi securely until the final period.      Still, there was much to like, especially the way former East Carolina linebacker Harold Randolph made 18 tackles in his first game for the Chargers, and the 6 catches for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns by Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith.      It's just that Moss is getting harder to please.      "We jumped offsides three times in the first three possessions," said Moss, whose team boosted its AFA record to 6-0. "That shows we're not having good concentration. And we had some bad snaps. You're talking about  six major mistakes in the first half. I dont' think we were really ready to play."      The first half bore out Moss's statement. Almost before the crowd of 5,796 had settled into its seats, the Chargers' first possession ended when punter Nolan Jones watched a high snap from center sail over his head and out of the end zone for a safety.      Carolina got the lead back late in the first quarter when Smith gathered in an Ellsworth Turner pass and slithered away from three tracklers inside the 10-yard line to compete a 23-yard scoring play.      Warren Ratchford, ex-Clemson running back, yielded a touchdown on a fumble, then got it back a play later in bizarre back-to-back plays.      From the Charger 32, Ratchford carried on a sweep to the left side and fumbled the ball to Mississippi's Don Jacobs, who scooped it up and ran 33 yards down the sidelines for a touchdown.      However, Ratchford redeemed himself on the kickoff, dashing 84 yards for a touchdown that gave the Chargers a 14-9 lead they never lost.       A Carolina defensive stand late in the first half did as much as anything to turn the game for the Chargers. After Mississippi moved from its own 27 to a second down at the Carolina 5 with 2:25 left in the second quarter, Randolph stacked up one play at the line of scrimmage, then smothered Mississippi quarterback William Wooley for a 4-yard loss. A subsequent Mississippi field goal attempt was wide.      Turner faked a reverse, bootlegged left, reversed his field and cut inside a tackler to score from a yard out for a 21-9 Charger lead early in the third quarter, but a Wooley pass to diving Rick Kimbrough in the end zone kept Mississippi within 5 points (21-16).      Carolina finally began opening its margin when Smith spotted Turner scrambling, cut upfield to knife through three Mississippi defenders and snatch away a pass, then dart into the end zone to complete a 31-yard touchdown play.      Player-coach Danny Whyte grabbed a pass as it bounced off a Mississippi defender's hands for a 45-yard touchdown, then Randy Bolton plunged a yard for the final Charger score.      Carolina is at Jacksonville next Saturday.

Score by Quarters Mississippi       2     7     7     0     -     16 Carolina   7   7   7   20   -   41                           Statistics         MS       CA First downs   14   17 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 95   ? - 138 Passing yards   165   207 Passing (comp - att - int)   10 - 33 - 1   14 - 26 - 0 Punts - avg   5 - 29.2   3 - 36.0 Fumbles - lost   1 - 1   2 - 2 Penalties - yards   8 - 57   9 - 85                          Scoring Summary MS       Safety ball snapped out of end zone CA   Smith 23 pass from Turner (Strickland kick) MS   Jacobs 33 run (Hardin kick) CA   Ratchford 84 kickoff return (Strickland kick) CA   Turner 1 run (Strickland kick) MS   Kimbrough 25 pass from Wooley (Mart kick) CA   Smith 31 pass from Turner (Strickland kick) CA   Whyte 45 pass from Turner (Strickland kick) CA   Bolton 1 run (Strickland kick)

Mississippi: Willie Miller (51) Carolina: Ellsworth Turner (15)

Carolina: Joe Crosby (52), Chico Dunlap (24)

Mississippi: Gus Lee (??)

Carolina Chargers at Jacksonville Firebirds July 21, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

Rejuvenated McQuay sparkles as Firebirds thump Chargers                   Andy Cohen - Florida Times-Union                        Leon McQuay says he's back.      And by the time the Gator Bowl lights were turned off Saturday night, the formerly undefeated Carolina Chargers were not in a position to argue the fact.      All McQuay did was return the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, scamper 62 yards for another score and set up a third touchdown with a 26-yard reception as the Jacksonville Firebirds recorded a 29-14 victory over the Chargers.      "It was one of those nights where everything seemed to go right for Leon McQuay," admitted a very happy Leon McQuay.      McQuay has been suffering from a pulled hamstring muscle for the past six weeks. Before Saturday night's game, he had totaled only 250 yards on the ground.      But a crowd estimated by Firebird General Manger Danny Bridges as being "10,800" saw McQuay return to the form which once made him Most Valuable Player in the Canadian Football League.      And he did it only playing about half the game due to heat exhaustion.      "He's the best running back in this league," said Carolina coach Perry Moss, whose team is now 6-1.      "You saw the real Leon McQuay tonight," added Firebird quarterback Don Gaffney, who didn't have a bad night himself, completing 12 of 23 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns.      The Firebirds are now 5-2 and in sole possession of third place in the AFA thanks to Saturday night losses by Shreveport (4-3) and San Antonio (5-3).      As the clock ran down, McQuay leaning on one knee, accepted congratulations from his teammates.      McQuay's output gave the Firebrids an additional 212 yards worth of offense.      "It's just something I get paid to do," he said. "It's just instinctive. I read the block and blast through the hole. I've been doing it all my life."      But Saturday night it couldn't have come at a better time for the Firebirds.      "It was a win we had to have," said Firebird coach Bob Williams. "Our defense played well in spurts and Leon, well, you saw what he can do out there."      While McQuay was drawing raves, Carolina's elusive Reggie (Super Gnat) Smith suffered through one of his poorest performances of the season.      And to make matters worse, he separated his shoulder in the fourth quarter and wil be out of action for six weeks.      "I couldn't do anything tonight," Smith said. "I just couldn't get into the game mentally."      Smith returned five kickoffs for only 114 yards.      "We really worked on stopping him this week," added Williams. "I think we bottled him up."      Just one month ago Smith scored three touchdowns and had two others called back when the Chargers toppled Jacksonville 27-21.      The Firebirds blasted out to a 23-6 first quarter lead.      McQuay's 95-yard kickoff return set the tone.      "I guess I got things started," smiled McQuay, who changed fields twice and broke three tackles on his way to the touchdown.      The Firebirds missed the extra point.      Carolina came right back to tie the game, driving 55 yards in five plays, scoring on a 19-yard pass from Ellsworth Turner to Danny Whyte. The Charges also missed the extra point.      Three plays later - and with 10:24 still left in the first quarter - McQuay woke up the crowd again, running 62 yards for the score. This time the extra point was good and the Firebirds led for good, 13-6.      Placekicker John Williams added a 20-yard field goal to make it 16-6 and on Jacksonville's next possession Gaffney led his team on a 97-yard, seven-play touchdown drive which he culminated by tossing a 10-yard strike to James Rackley.      Gaffney also completed a 44-yard pass to Charlie Brown and a 27-yard pass to Charlie Dorsey in that drive. The first quarter ended and the Firebirds had 215 yards worth of offense and a 23-6 lead.      The Chargers, who Moss said, "played their worst game of the year. We didn't practice this week and we looked like it," then put together an impressive 73-yard, 15-play drive.      Turner concluded the 8:59 drive by tossing a 5-yard pass to Keith Richardson. The two-point conversion attempt was good and, with that, Carolina's offense retired for the evening.      Jacksonville's offense didn't do much better in the late going, though it did add a fourth quarter TD when Gaffney hit E. B. Blake with a 6-yard pass. McQuay set up that score with a 26-yard catch and run.      "I outguessed them a lot," Gaffney added. "But when you've got Leon McQuay playing well, it makes things a lot easier."

Score by Quarters Carolina       6     8     0     0     -     14 Jacksonville   23   0   0   6   -   29                           Statistics         CA       JA First downs   15   11 Rushing (att - yards)   39 - 106   31 - 165 Passing yards   214   213 Passing (comp - att - int)   19 - 28 - 3   12 - 25 - 1 Punts - avg   3 - 28.3   2 - 31.0 Fumbles - lost   1 - 1   3 - 0 Penalties - yards   7 - 52   6 - 35                          Scoring Summary JA       McQuay 95 kickoff return (kick failed) CA   Whyte 19 pass from Turner (kick failed) JA   McQuay 62 run (Williams kick) JA   Williams 20 field goal JA   Rackley 10 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) CA   Richardson 5 pass from Turner (Richardson pass from Turner) JA   Blake 6 pass from Gaffney (kick failed)

Jacksonville: Charley Dorsey (87)

Alabama Vulcans at Shreveport Steamer July 21, 1979 - State Fair Stadium -

Shreveport vulcanized                   Edward Cassiere - Shreveport Times                        The Shreveport Steamer brought its much talked about road show to State Fair Stadium Saturday night.      Unfortunately for the Steamer, somebody forgot to improvise a new ending.      Alabama's Vulcans defeated Shreveport 13-7 to hand the Steamer its first American Football Association loss at home, its third in a row and fifth in the last six  games.      The loss gave an estimated 7,000 fans a taste of what they've been missing on the road, where the Steamer is 1-4  and has lost four straight.      But since the AFA voted Monday to alter the won-loss recods of the eight league teams, that makes the Steamer only 4-3, and still in contention for a playoff berth.      And maybe even an Oscar for best performance in a continuing role.      The Steamer offense had trouble remembering its lines, gaining a seaon-low 208 yards in the game, 99 in the second half.      Meanwhile, the defense spent more than 38 minutes on the field, limiting the Vulcans to 244 yards.      "We never gave up," said Steamer linebacker Don Henry, who played every defensive play and had eight tackles, the team's second best total. "We thought the offense would score some points."      It did, but only on the first possession of the game. Shreveport drove 72 yards in 12 plays, the last a 27-yard pass from Clyde Walker to tight end Greg Lazzaro with 8:52 left in the first quarter.      Alabama tied the game on its first series, driving 72 yards on 13 plays with the help of two Steamer penalties. The Vulcans used up the rest of the quarter on that possession before Pat Kohlman scored from 1 yard out on the second play of the second quarter.      Ron Slovensky booted two field goals - a 42-yarder with 2:21 left in the first half and a 22-yarder with 12:22 left in the game - to complete the scoring for Alabama.      The Steamer had a chance to take the lead at intermission when it drove to the Alabama 4 in the final 30 seconds of the first half. But Alex Rankin's run from there was ruled short of the goal line and Clyde Walker's sneak on the last play of the half came up short too.      "I'm not knocking anybody," said Steamer head coach Jim Williams, "but I thought my guys scored twice."      "When you score all you have to do is break the plane of the goal," Henry said. "The game was decided on the officials... this was the worst game they gave us."      The Steamer nearly avoided that excuse when it drove to the Alabama 28 in the final two minutes of the game. But Walker's 4th-and-2 pass to the end zone in the general vicinity of Lazzaro and Vernon Wells was broken up by Vulcan safety Curtis Walls.      "We still turned in a hell of an effort," Williams said. "We just came up short.      "We had a couple of situations - very critical - where a call that should be there - that has been there - gets taken away from us."      Walker completed just 7 of 14 passes for 89 yards and had two interceptions.      Arry Moody led the Shreveport running attack with 57 yards on 13 carries. Rankin had 37 on 14 carries while wide receiver Edwin Scott gained 30 yards on a pair of reverses.      Mike Horton paced Alabama with 60 yards on 10 rushes. Kohlman added 48 and former Steamer Earnest Williams had 47.      "They were doing a lot more running up the middle," Henry said. "They ran the option but it didn't hurt us."      What might hurt the Steamer next week is that it's back on the road for the first of three away games in a row. Shreveport will play at Carolina, Jacksonville and Mississippi on the next three Saturdays before returning to State Fair Stadium for its final four AFA games.      By that time, maybe someone will have written a different ending to what's getting to be a monotonous performance.

Score by Quarters Alabama       0     10     0     3     -     13 Shreveport   7   0   0   0   -   1                           Statistics         AL       SH First downs   14   13 Rushing (att - yards)   49 - 191   31 - 119 Passing yards   53   89 Passing (comp - att - int)   4 - 7 - 0   7 - 14 - 2 Punts - avg   3 - 32   1 - 15 Return yards    18   4 Fumbles - lost   3 - 0   1 - 1 Penalties - yards   11 - 116   9 - 72                          Scoring Summary SH       Lazzaro 27 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick)  AL   Kohlman 1 run (Slovensky kick) AL   Slovensky 42 field goal AL   Slovensky 22 field goal

Shreveport: A.T. Banks (??)

Shreveport: J.D. Holmes (66) Alabama: Chris Vacarella (2)

San Antonio Charros at Kentucky Trackers July 21, 1979 - Fairgrounds Stadium -

Wild and very crazy Kentucky Trackers throttle Charros 50-33 in zany scoring spree                   Dan Barreiro - Louisville Courier-Journal                        If you have ever played a pickup football game in your backyard - the kind that features last-second laterals, tipped touchdown passes, only occasional tackles and a final score of maybe 68-63 - you have some idea of the manner of craziness that conquered all last night at Fairgrounds Stadium.      To be honest, the Kentucky Trackers and San Antonio Charros totaled only 83 points (five touchdowns in one 11-minute stretch), in a struggle won by the Trackers 50-33.      To be sure, neither team's defense was mistaken for the Steel Curtain or the Purple Gang.      The statistics stagger the mind - 66 passes attempted, 28 completed for a total of 563 yards. The game lasted well over three hours, so much of a marathon that the first thing standout Tracker receiver Gil Foushee had to say had nothing to do with the fact that his team had won its second straight game.      "That game was long." he sald. "Really long. I started getting cramps in my legs."      "Don't ask me to tell you who scored the points," said Trackers coach Buddy Pfaadt.      If either team feared that such a defensive no-show would hurt the credibility of the league, few players showed it. Said losing coach George Pasterchick, "This was probably the biggest offensive show in the league this year."      "Hey," sald Tracker quarterback Alvin White, "we had people on the edge of their seats. That's important."      Indeed, you did not have to worry about being lulled to sleep by a dearth of touchdowns.      Neither team scored in the first 10 minutes. Through the next 20, however, the teams scored 42 points, as the Trackers, led by White's impressive arm, built a 29-13 lead.      First, White hit Foushee on a 23-yard touchdown pass, set up by by a 32-yard punt return by Clarence Jackson. After a 30-yard field goal by David Thomas made it 9-0, the Trackers (3-5) followed with two more touchdowns to take a 22-0 lead. White first found David Trosper on a 26-yarder as the quarterback was about to be tackled. Then White scored on a one-yard sneak.      By this time, Roger Gill, owner of the Charros, was nearly ready to jump out of the pressbox. "I'd be happy," he sald, "to walk away at 22-0, but that's not gonna be the case."      Gill, of course, was right. It became 29-6 Trackers late in the first half on a peculiar play. Charros quarterback Sam Maxie was trying to pass from his own end zone. As he cocked his arm, a Tracker defender hit him. Tracker lineman Russ Compton blocked the ball, juggled it, then took a few steps back and finally grabbed it at the three. One play later, another score.      Thirty-four points were added in the positively looney third period. First, the Trackers scored, as John Madeya, who replaced the injured White, jumped in from the one. Less than a minute later, the Charros scored.      Less than two minutes later, the Charros scored again, moving within 36-27. Undaunted, the Trackers needed only two more minutes to score again. Ma- deya thew deep to Foushee at the Charros' three, where defender J.V. Stokes had it, didn't have it, then had it taken away by Foushee for a touchdown. Foushee, who caught five passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, got up slowly.       "That's when I got the cramps," he said, smiling.      The Charros (5-3), knowing that being in the American Football Association means never having to say you're playing defense, waited six minutes, then decided to score again.      That made it 43-33 Trackers, but Kentucky was in control the rest of the way.      White made sure of that by returning in the fourth quarter, despite a knee injury, and controlling the ball with more of his splendid passing. For the night, he completed 13 of 26 for 197 yards. In fact, White may have performed too splendidly for the Trackers to keep him much longer. "They've got a whale of a passing game," said Pasterchick.      "I do some scouting for Denver, At- lanta and LA (of the National Football League), and Alvin White can play in the NFL right now. He has a real knowledge of the game. He finds not only secondary receivers, but third receivers. He's as fine a quarterback as you can find in the league."      White said his decision to return to action in the fourth period was his own. "My knee hurt, but I didn't want the players to think I didn't care enough about the team to go out there and play."      The Trackers added one final touchdown to put a merciful end to the offensive melee. Expiained Pfaadt, "That's how it is in this league. You can't stop teams from scoring. Fundamentally, teams are so sound they score so quick."      That, of course, is open to question. One thing is sure. Fundamentally, the American Football Association is wild and crazy.

Score by Quarters San Antonio       0     13     20     0     -     33 Kentucky   9   20   14   7   -   50                           Statistics         SA       KY First downs   12   19 Rushing (att - yards)   24 - 41   52 - 154 Passing yards   250   303 Passing (comp - att - int)   13 - 33 - 4   15 - 33 - 2 Punts - avg   9 - 45.2   5 - 30.4 Fumbles - lost   ? - 2   ? - 2 Penalties - yards   4 - 44   4 - 54                          Scoring Summary KY       Foushee 23 pass from White (kick failed) KY   Thomas 30 field goal KY   Trosper 26 pass from White (kick failed) KY   White 1 run (Thomas kick) SA   Maxie 4 run (kick failed) KY   Hill 2 run (Thomas kick) SA   Armstrong 19 pass from Maxie (Mellott kick) KY   Madeya 1 run (Thomas kick) SA   Dickey 44 pass from Maxie (Mellott kick) SA   Brantley 4 run (Mellott kick) KY   Foushee 51 pass from Madeya (Thomas kick) SA   Maxie 1 run (pass failed) KY   Hill 2 run (Thomas kick)

Mississippi Stars at Arkansas Champs July 21, 1979 - Estes Stadium at University of Central Arkansas -

Stars slip past Champs, 10-7                   Wally Hall - Jackson Clarion-Ledger                        The Mississippi Stars lost the battle but won the war Saturday night in their American Football Association game against the Arkansas Champs.      The Stars managed only 180 yards total offense and eight first downs and had two passes intercepted while the Champs were amassing 233 yards total offense and 16 first downs. But when the game was over, the Stars had claimed a 10-7 win at Estes Field - their first victory on the road - before slightly more than 1,000 paying customers.      The victory was the Stars third in as many games against the Champs and evened their record at 4-4. The Champs dropped to 2-6.      The Stars took advantage of a misplayed fake punt by Sam Coleman in the first quarter to score the game's first touchdown. Faced with a fourth-and-eight from his own 22, Coleman dropped back to punt. Instead of kicking the ball, he threw a 1-yard pass to Cleo House.      The Stars took over on the Champs' 29. Seven plays later, quarterback William Wooley passed 16 yards to Frank Jenkins for a TD.      Mississippi opened the second half by driving 52 yards in 12 plays, only to stall at Arkansas' 8-yard line. Troy Hardin then kicked a 25-yard field goal to give the Stars a 10-0 lead with 6:57 remaining in the third period.      The Champs played their most consistent offensive series following the Stars' field goal. Quarterback Larry Mayer, who was sacked six times and intercepted twice, put it all together for the one drive. Mayer moved Arkansas 67 yards in 10 plays for its lone score.       The touchdown came on a 20-yard pass from Mayer to Greg Jacobs.      Three times in the second half the Champs mounted serious drives, only to have Mayer sacked or intercepted.      The 6-foot-4 quarterback could not seem to maintain his footing on the grass on the University of Central Arkansas Field. At other times, he simply did not use his head and threw passes needlessly.      Such was the case late in the fourth quarter after Steve Hatcher, Jodie Carter and Mike Painter stopped the Stars on three successive plays and forced them to punt.      The defense gave the offensive unit excellent field position on the Mississippi 37, but it was in vain as four plays later House fumbled.      On the Champs' final drive, they moved the ball consistently behind the running of House, only to have Mayer start throwing into the Stars' prevent defense.

Score by Quarters Mississippi       7     0     3     0     -     10 Arkansas   0   0   7   0   -   7                           Statistics         MS       AR First downs   8   16 Rushing (att - yards)   30 - 103   28 - 115 Passing yards   73   118 Passing (comp - att - int)   7 - 17 - 2   10 - 21 - 2 Punts - avg   5 - 33.0   4 - 28.5 Fumbles - lost   1 - 0   2 - 2 Penalties - yards   8 - 65   5 - 37                          Scoring Summary MS       Jenkins 16 pass from Wooley (Hardin kick) MS   Hardin 25 field goal AR   Jacobs 20 pass from Mayer (Biddle kick)

Arkansas Champs at Jacksonville Firebirds July 28, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

Firebirds cruise to 51-6 victory                   Jeff Rude - Florida Times-Union                        Maybe the Arkansas Champs should have hired a mortician instead of a Carpenter, who does indeed have a rebuilding project ahead. Preston Carpenter, who prefers to be called advisor rather than coach, learned quickly Saturday night that his team was full of holes en route to an embarrassing thrashing given by the Jacksonville Firebirds.      Jacksonville won the American Football Association game at the Gator Bowl 51-6 by running through an Arkansas defense comparable to the cheese made in Switzerland. By halftime the score was 24-0 - the Firebirds having scored on their second, third, fifth and sixth possessions and moving nearly at will - and Jacksonville running backs had averaged 8.9 yards a carry (19 for 170 yards).      "We just didn't get our guys together," said Carpenter, a 13-year veteran of the National Football League who took over interim coaching duties this week, thus becoming the unstable Champs' fourth coach of the season. "We just broke down. Confusion? I don't even know everybody's name."      His players, meanwhile, were having difficulties knowing how to stop the Firebird offense, which cruised to 444 total yards, 278 of those rushing. Arkansas, on the other hand, managed only 185 yards, and just 83 on 40 running attempts.      Former NFL back Leon McQuay, finally nearing his potential after shaking off a series of nagging injuries, led the Firebird rushers with 101 yards and one touchdown on just seven carries. He had 69 yards on three attempts at halftime.      McQuay said the passing attack - led by Donald Gaffney's 11-of-15 performance that led to 92 yards and one TD - set up the effective running game.      "This is the first game we've had a real balanced attack," McQuay said. "That had a lot to do with the running game doing so well. We've never exploited the running game as much, and if the passing sets it up, we can get eight yards a run like tonight."      The Firebirds, on their second series, took only 16 seconds to find the end zone. Their two-play, 67-yard drive consisted of McQuay running 31 yards to the Arkansas 36, from which Gaffney hit wide-open Charlie Brown, a former teammate of his at Florida, with a perfect pass.      After John Williams kicked a 40-yard field goal, Jacksonville registered another quick-hitting TD, this drive taking just 20 seconds and 29 yards on three plays. Gaffney passed 9 yards to McQuay, ran for 12, then handed off to former Lee High and Florida A&M standout James Rackley, the AFA's leading scorer who bolted 8 yards into the end zone with 9:10 left in the half to make the score 17-0.      Rackley, who gained 75 yards rushing on nine carries, said running off-tackle was the game plan.      "And it worked," the clean-shaven Rackley said. "The holes on the off-tackle plays were just there. There were places to run."      The lopsided victory lifted the Firebirds' record to 6-2, while Arkansas dropped to 2-7. Jacksonville will host Shreveport, which won the first meeting between the two teams in Shreveport, Saturday night at the Gator Bowl. "This game," McQuay said, "was just a warmup for Shreveport."      Firebird Coach Bob Williams was especially pleased that his team scored 51 points during a week dominated by off-the-field news about financial woes.      "The team showed a lot of character by doing this because there's been a lot of talk about financial problems (the team is $65,000 or $90,000 in debt, according to two different team officials)."      Williams' team had seven different players score touchdowns. Three of the scores were of the academic variety coming in the fourth quarter.      According to Williams, the Firebirds had better "drive" blocking than in any previous game.      "They were small up front and we thought sticking the ball straight at them was the best way," said Williams. "They pursued well, but we controlled the line of scrimmage. People say we pass block well but don't drive block well.      "I think our offensive line (playing without former University of Georgia and New York Jet Buck Baker, who Williams said has quit the team) wanted to show them that they could."      They also showed that Arkansas may need an undertaker instead of a Carpenter.

Score by Quarters Arkansas       0     0     0     6     -     6 Jacksonville   10   14   7   20   -   51                           Statistics         AR       JA First downs   14   17 Rushing (att - yards)   40 - 83   37 - 278 Passing yards   102   166 Passing (comp - att - int)   7 - 25 - 4   16 - 21 - 3 Punts - avg   2 - 32   1 - 43 Fumbles - lost   1 - 1   3 - 1 Penalties - yards   6 - 56   6 - 76                          Scoring Summary JA       Brown 36 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   Williams 40 field goal JA   Rackley 8 run (Williams kick) JA   Moseley 6 run (Williams kick) JA   Dorsey 9 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   McQuay 2 run (kick failed) AR   Cowans 9 fumble return (kick failed) JA   King 11 pass from Padgett (Williams kick) JA    Padgett 1 run (Williams kick)

Jacksonville: Don Gaffney (1)

Mississippi Stars at Kentucky Trackers July 28, 1979 - Fairgrounds Stadium -

Scoreboard fails, and so do Trackers                   Jeff Rude - Florida Times-Union                        For some reason, the scoreboard at Fairgrounds Stadium refused to work last night. Maybe it was still wheezing from the previous week, when the Kentucky Trackers and Texas Charros ran up 83 points. Maybe, as field announcer John Tong suggested, the rain had given the contraption water on the brain.      The Trackers, however, didn't ask questions. They just said thanks. The dormant scoreboard kept them from having to dwell on the fact they lost to the Mississippi Stars 39-14 in an American Football Association contest.      According to head coach Buddy Pfaadt, everyone knew the score.      "We played miserable," Pfaadt said, trying to forgive but mostly to forget. "I think the players realize how they played. I think the fans do, too. All I can do is apologize for our efforts."      Apologies certainly were in order. The Trackers, who surprised Texas last week with their explosiveness, surprised a crowd of 3,500 last night with their ineptitude. Losing two fumbles and throwing three interceptions in the first half alone, they were in a 32-0 bind at intermission. Mississippi's first touchdown drive was aided by two Tracker penalties, and the next four scores resulted from Tracker turnovers.      "We weren't ready to play when we went out there - for what reason, I don't know," Pfaadt said. "I'm real disappointed in how we played. You can take losing if you know you've played, but tonight we didn't play."      What the Trackers mostly did was watch... watch Mississippi quarterback William Wooley complete 9 of 19 passes for 126 yards and four touchdowns... watch injured Kentucky quarterback Alvin White try to breathe some life into his teammates... watch White throw three interceptions and starter John Madeya one... watch their record fall to 3-6.      Pfaadt couldn't get over what he saw. "These are the same people who played an excellent football team last week and won," he said of his drooping troops. "We either play super exciting or super bad... we're either explosive or we're zero."      Mississippi coach Duncan McCauley is aware of that now. "When you beat a team like San Antonio (Texas) 50-33 and then face a team that's 4-4, maybe it's kind of hard to get up for it," he said. "It seemed like one of those night where Kentucky couldn't do anything right. I know about those things, because we've had some ourselves.      "But I will say this: Kentucky's got to be the most improved team in the league."      The reason for Kentucky's improvement had been Alvin White, and McCauley had nightmares about what White might do to Mississippi. There was no sense, it turned out, in losing sleep.      "We were ready for White, to be truthful," McCauley said. "When he didn't play any more than he did, it made the job a lot easier."      White, the hero of Kentucky's win over Texas, had suffered strained ligaments in his left knee during the stampede. "I didn't practice all week," he said. "It (the knee) was too sore for me to do much of anything."      But with Mississippi ahead 25-0, White was asked to lead the Trackers back from the dead. It was a mission he found impossible.      "They expect me to do miracles," he said. "Sure, I've done some things, but usually when things happened to be going our way.      "Going in there behind 25-0, their linemen were rushing harder than normally. And their linebackers were having a field day. It's little things like that. And, of course, I made some mistakes, too."      The Trackers didn't need the score- board to remind them that they hadn't scored in the first half. Pfaadt was doing a fine job of that. Finally, early in the second half, Pfaadt told his players to go for a first down on fourth-and-nine from the Mississippi 44-yard line.      "It probably wasn't the soundest call in the world," he said later, "but we needed something to get us going."      White accomplished that, hitting David Thomas for a 15-yard gain. Five plays later, he threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hill. The two-point conversion attempt failed.      "If anything was going to change the momentum, I figured that was," Pfaadt said of the touchdown. "But all we did was go out there and kick off, and that was it. We were on a lull, and we couldn't get off it."      Never mind that Joe Washington would score on a four-yard run late in the final quarter and that Lachlan Clark would run for two points. The Trackers had succeeded in lulling the spectators to sleep, sleep, sleep.      "I don't blame the fans if they're up- set," said White. "We had a good turn- out, and they were expecting to see of lot of good from what we did last week. Then we messed it up.      "It seems like it's an endless struggle. David Thomas and I spent a lot of time this week on promotions and things like that. Then this happens. It seems like everything time we do something good, something happens to mess it up."

Score by Quarters Mississippi       19     13     7     0     -     39 Kentucky   0   0   6   8   -   14                           Statistics         MS       KY First downs   15   13 Rushing (att - yards)   43 - 78   32 - 76 Passing yards   168   123 Passing (comp - att - int)   12 - 26 - 0   14 - 36 - 4 Punts - avg   7 - 39.6   6 - 35.8 Fumbles - lost   0 - 0   3 - 3 Penalties - yards   6 - 67   6 - 46                          Scoring Summary MS       Prince 17 pass from Wooley (Hardin kick) MS   Prince 8 pass from Wooley (kick failed) MS   Wroten 42 fumble return (pass failed) MS   Lee 17 pass from Wooley (kick failed) MS   Connors 22 pass from Wooley (Hardin kick) KY   Hill 3 pass from White (run failed) MS   Young 27 fumble return (Hardin kick) KY   Washington 4 run (Clark kick)

Mississippi: Lee Augusta (??) Kentucky: Pat Donley (??)

Shreveport Steamer at Carolina Chargers July 28, 1979 - Memorial Stadium -

'Mad Bomber' turns dud; Chargers stop Steamer easily                   Les Bowen - Charlotte Observer                        Ellsworth Turner was enjoying himself.      Turner, the Carolina Chargers' starting quarterback, wasn't drafted by the NFL after his senior season at N.C. A&T in 1977. He never even had as much as a tryout.      And on Saturday, he had a chance to release some pent-up bitterness over what he considered to be an injustice.      The Chargers, who won 35-9, had a 35-3 lead over the Shreveport Steamer with about 9 minutes left in their American Football Association game played before 4,286 fans at Memorial Stadium.      The Steamer had the ball, but that didn't mean much, and both teams knew it.      Turner wasn't huddling with coaches, talking over what to do about Shreveport's zone pass defense. He wasn't talking with his wide receivers about pass route adjustments. He wasn't talking to his linemen about blocking assignments or to his running backs about screens or draws.      Turner was sitting on his helmet at the sideline, yelling at Steamer quarterback Clint Longley.      "Kill that NFL quarterback." Turner urged.      "Hey, boy, you don't look like an NFL player."      Longley completed 2 short screen passes, then missed short under pressure.      Chargers' linebacker Harold Randolph re-entered the game after a brief rest, and Turner, unable to get Longley's attention de- spite his yelling "Hey, Clint," several times, asked Randolph to deliver a message.      "Hey, Harold, tell that boy who's No. 1. Yeh, Baby!"      Longley, ex-Dallas Cowboys' and San Diego Chargers' quarterback, signed with the Steamer last week. Saturday, he saw his first action since he was cut by the St. Louis Cardinals a year ago. His inactivity showed.      In Longley's first play after replacing starter Clyde Walker with 2:41 left in the third quarter, with Shreveport trailing 21-3. wide receiver Rod Foppe ran a curl pat- tern and was open as he turned toward Longley. The pass sailed several feet over Foppe's head and was intercepted by Chargers' cornerback Sonny Anderson.      Longley quarterbacked 3 series, completing 3 of 8 passes for 14 yards.      Third-stringer James Moseley replaced Longley late in the game and moved the Steamer for its only touchdown on a 26-yard pass to tight end Greg Lazzaro with 2:07 left.      Afterward, Longley leaned against the hood of a Dodge pickup truck in a darkened stadium parking lot. His cleats scratched against the asphalt as he shifted his weight. He crushed an empty beer can and placed it on the truck's hood.      "It was 21 points behind (actually 18) when I came in. They can do what they want. I'm not making any excuses, but I had two days work (after signing)."      Would things have been different if "the Mad Bomber" - nick-named after his last-minute touchdown pass beat the Washington Redskins for Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, 1974 - had entered the game earlier?      "It's hard to say, you know," he said. "If I was gonna see it (action), I thought I was gonna see it before that. They got a good team, though. They beat us soundly. In every aspect they beat us."      The Carolina defense, spearheaded by cornerback Dennis Matthews, who was named the game's most valuable defensive player, shut down the Steamer's offense convincingly.      Chargers' linebacker Walter Odom, a key figure in the rout, said the scoreless first quarter was a "feeling process," after which the Chargers outmuscled the fading Steamer.      Carolina's offense, without injured kick-returner/wide receiver Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith for the first time this season. used different but just as effective means to achieve the desired result.      The Chargers, normally a pass-oriented team, rushed for a season-high 267 yards, paced by fullback Johnny Walker's 117 yards on 25 carries. They controlled the ball much of the second half, when Shreveport needed it most.      Without Smith, Turner didn't throw deep as often as usual, but he completed 11 of 19 passes for 125 yards and 3 touchdowns.      Ex-Clemson player Warren Ratchford moved from halfback to wide receiver as Smith's replacement and was named most valuable offensive player, after catching a 19-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and a 16-yarder later.      "I know I'm not no Gnat," he said afterward. "And I'm not gonna try to be no Gnat. But I feel like I'm a big-play man myself."      Chargers' kicker Mike Cox, who returned Friday from a tryout with the Buffalo Bills, missed a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter but made all 5 extra point attempts.

Score by Quarters Shreveport       0     3     0     6     -     9 Carolina   0   14   14   7   -   35                           Statistics         SH       CA First downs   19   24 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 53   ? - 267 Passing yards   137   135 Passing (comp - att - int)   14 - 29 - 2   12 - 20 - 1 Punts - avg   5- 29.8   2 - 49.5 Fumbles - lost   0 - 0   1 - 1 Penalties - yards   4 - 30   5 - 73                          Scoring Summary SH       Skoruppa 27 field goal CA   Richardson 4 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Ratchford 19 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Walker 10 run (Cox kick) CA   Whyte 27 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Antley 3 run (Cox kick) SH   Lazzaro 26 pass from Moseley (pass failed)

Carolina: Dwight Smith (77), Chico Dunlap (24)

Alabama Vulcans at San Antonio Charros July 29, 1979 - Alamo Stadium -

Charros rap 'Bama, 21-12                   Johnny Campos - San Antonio Light                        San Antonio Charros coach George Pasterchick didn't go about playing the Alabama Vulcans in a very logical manner Sunday night at Alamo Stadium.      The previously unbeaten Vulcans boasted the best pass defense in the American Football Association, having limited foes to 800 air yards and intercepting opposing quarterbacks 28 times.      Pasterchick surprised most of the 3,500 in attendance by starting injured signal-caller Randy Johnson, and the gamble paid off with a 21-12 win over the Vulcans.      "We just felt that with Randy in there we could control the football." explained Pasterchick, whose team upped its mark to 6-3. "We could have taken Randy out of there if we thought he was injured more than he was. But we wanted to keep the continuity of the players on the field."      Johnson, who has a cracked rib, baffled the Alabama secondary most of the night, completing 16 of 26 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. He also had one picked off, but that can be overlooked since he said he hadn't thrown a football for two weeks prior to Sunday night.      "We decided I was going to start after the warmups," he said after the game. "The more I threw (in warmups). the looser my arm got. But on that last touchdown pass I really kind of forced it as hard as I could.      "After that I tried to throw it one more time, and it was kind of futile," Johnson recalled. "I just threw it out of bounds."      Johnson hit tight end Tony Armstrong with a 19-yard scoring toss at 5:10 in the third period, giving the Charros a 21-0 edge at the time.      Fullback David Wehmeyer had put the Charros ahead with touchdown runs of one and four yards in the first half.      Alabama, which came into the game as the leading rushing team in the AFA, also faltered in its running game.      San Antonio held the Vulcans, now 7-1 and tied with Carolina in the AFA lead, to just 56 yards on the ground, 33 of them by running back Earnest William. Myron Smith, the league's leading rusher, did not make the trip.      Pasterchick, however, said the Charros simply had challenged the Vulcans on both sides of the line and won. "I feel there are three basic parts to football - offense, defense and kicking. You got to win two of them to win a game. Tonight we won all three." he said.       Quarterback Chris Vacarella rallied the Vulcans to 12 fourth quarter points, culminating a pair of 90-yard drives with touchdown passes of 15 yards to Mike Horton and 17 yards to Pat Kohlman.      The only things that kept the Alabama drives alive were Charro penalties. San Antonio picked up 10 yellow flags, all in the second half, for 138 yards.      San Antonio's running game was headed by Leonard Brantley, who picked up 42 yards on 13 carries.      Johnson, who engineered scoring drives of 54, 94 and 53 yards, said he tried to take the Vulcan secondary by surprise as much as he could. "I just thought I had to throw on first down most of the time." he said. "I think I did it about three-fourths of the time.      "And I felt it was necessary. because of my rib, to throw when we had the wind (in the first and third periods)," Johnson continued.      He had the breath knocked out of him just before he threw his touchdown to Armstrong, but that gave him incentive to finish the drive.      "I only threw two or three more times after that," he pointed out. "And I kind of forced that last touchdown. I was kind of mad because they (the Vulcans) were yelling at me from the sidelines."

Score by Quarters Alabama       0     0     0     12     -     12 San Antonio   7   7   7   0   -   21                           Statistics         AL       SA First downs   16   18 Rushing (att - yards)   32 - 56   29 - 72 Passing yards   180   187 Passing (comp - att - int)   14 - 34 - 1   16 - 27 - 1 Punts - avg   6 - 32.6   4 - 37.5 Fumbles - lost   0 - 0   1 - 1 Penalties - yards   12 - 100   10 - 138                          Scoring Summary SA       Wehmeyer 1 run (Mellott kick) SA   Wehmeyer 4 run (Mellott kick) SA   Armstrong 19 pass from Johnson (Mellott kick) AL   Horton 15 pass from Vacarella (kick failed) AL   Kolhman 17 pass from Vacarella (pass failed)

San Antonio: Keith Nelms (27)

San Antonio: Tony Armstrong (80) Alabama: Mark Brown (??), Curtis Walls (??)

Mississippi Stars at Alabama Vulcans August 4, 1979 - Legion Field -

Few see Vulcans win again                   Rubin Grant - Birmingham Post-Herald                        Alabama Vulcan owner and head coach Harry Lander is disappointed.      It's not because his team defeated the Mississippi Stars 17-0 Saturday night at Legion Field, but because attendance was somewhat less than 3,000 fans.      "I continue to be very disappointed in the support we're getting," Lander said. "I've had so many people telling me that they're ready to support the Vulcans now that we have proven ourselves. But I still fail to see the results of those promises. I'm getting lip service instead of support."      There was a downpour shortly before the opening kickoff of the Vulcans-Stars' game, but Lander said it did not hurt attendance.      "The rain was so late that I didn't see it having anything to do with it," he said. "The crowd should have already been there.      "I don't know what we have to do to get the people to come out. We had an award-winning band performing at halftime, the Vulcan dancers and cheerleaders were there, we had, a chicken (performer) and it was two-for-one beer night.      "I guess we have to keep the faith until the people start coming out. But I think it's high time for the people of Birmingham to support the fine team they have here."      For the fans who did attend Saturday night's game, they saw the Vulcans grab a 3-0 lead at halftime on Ron Slovensky's 31-yard field goal in the second quarter as Mississippi squandered several first half scoring opportunities.      Early in the first quarter, the Stars' Jesse Griffin recovered a Chris Vacarella fumble at the Vulcan 17. But Mississippi did little with the scoring opportunity and a 28-yard Troy Hardin field goal was wide of the mark.      Then, midway through the second period, Mississippi quarterback William Wooley fired a per- fect 32-yard strike to fullback Steve Blocker in the Vulcan end zone, only to see Blocker drop the pass.      Wooley had numerous passes dropped as he completed only six of 30 attempts for 102 yards and one interception.      A third Star scoring threat also went by the boards shortly before intermission.      Griffin picked off a Vacarella pass at the Vulcan 22 with 1:04 remaining in the half. But the Stars were unable to move the ball, and Hardin's second field goal try, this time a 38-yarder, was again wide.      The Vulcans also missed an excellent scoring chance in the initial half.      After driving 79 yards to the Mississippi one, Alabama fullback Pat Kohlman bulled over for an apparent touchdown. But it was nullified because of a holding penalty.      Slovensky was then called upon to attempt a three-pointer, but his kick was no good.      Both teams failed to score in the third stanza, but on the first play of the fourth quarter Vacarella found tight end James Coleman on a crossing pat- tern for a 50-yard pass-run touchdown. Slovensky's PAT was good and the Vulcans led 10-0.      The Vulcans put away their eighth triumph against one defeat when the Vacarella-Coleman combination clicked again on a seven-yard scoring toss with 4:32 to play. Slovensky again added the PAT.      The win enabled Alabama to regain sole possession of first place in the American Football Association as the Carolina Chargers, who went into Saturday night's play tied with the Vulcans with a 7-1 record, lost to the San Antonio Charros 29-26 in San Antonio.      A week earlier San Antonio handed Alabama its only defeat.      In other AFA action Saturday night, the Florida Firebirds routed the Shreveport Steamer 35-0, while the Kentucky Trackers plastered the Arkansas Champs 35-14.      The Champs are Alabama's opponent next Saturday and the game will be played at Legion Field after originally being scheduled for Little Rock, Ark.      The reason the game was moved to Birmingham is the Champs have averaged drawing only 300 people to their home games.

Score by Quarters Mississippi       0     0     0     0     -     0 Alabama   0   3   0   14   -   17                           Statistics         MS       AL First downs   10   12 Rushing (att - yards)   29 - 75   41 - 191 Passing yards   102   150 Passing (comp - att - int)   6 - 30 - 1   8 - 13 - 1 Punts - avg   6 - 37.0   3 - 42.3 Fumbles - lost   ? - 0   ? - 2 Penalties - yards   ? - 25   ? - 40                          Scoring Summary AL       Slovensky 31 field goal AL   Coleman 50 pass from Vacarella (Slovensky kick) AL   Coleman 7 pass from Vacarella (Slovensky kick)

Arkansas Champs at Kentucky Trackers August 4, 1979 - Fairgrounds Stadium -

Trackers whip Champs 35-14                   Louisville Courier-Journal                        The Kentucky Trackers cruised to a 35-14 victory over Arkansas last night in an American Football Association rout at Fairgrounds Stadium.      Kentucky (4-6) scored on its first possession, the touchdown coming on a 43-yard pass from Alvin White to Leo Crossfield with David Thomas converting, and led 35-6 at intermission.      With more than eight minutes remaining in the first period, White completed screen pass to Chris Hill for 37 yards to the Arkansas 44. One play later, White found Dave Trosper for a pay-off pitch and Thomas again converted.      The Champs (2-8) broke into the scoring column early in the second quarter when Wilbur Fields picked off a screen pass by Kentucky quarterback Doug Bartholomew and took it back 47 yards for the touchdown. On its next possession, Kentucky went 73 yards in eight plays to make it 21-6. The big gainer was a 30-yard run by Western product Clarence Jackson, but Bartholomew scored on a keeper.      The Trackers got the ball right back when tackle Pat Donley recovered a fumble. They went 25 yards in three plays, Jackson scoring on that occasion by running the last 13 yards.

Score by Quarters Arkansas       0     6     0     8     -     14 Kentucky   14   21   0   0   -   35                           Statistics         AR       KY First downs   14   11 Rushing (att - yards)   48 - 220    43 - 165 Passing yards   51   404 Passing (comp - att - int)   5 - 22 - 4   22 - 38 - 3 Punts - avg   4 - 43.3   0 - 0 Fumbles - lost   3 - 3   2 - 0 Penalties - yards   10 - 51   3 - 55                          Scoring Summary KY       Crossfield 43 pass from White (Thomas kick) KY   Trosper 40 pass from White (Thomas kick) AR   Fields 47 interception return (pass failed) KY   Bartholomew 1 run (Thomas kick) KY   Jackson 13 run (Thomas kick) KY   Crossfield 51 pass from Bartholomew (Thomas kick) AR   House 2 run (Casey pass from Perry)

Carolina Chargers at San Antonio Charros August 4, 1979 - Alamo Stadium -

Charros soar, 29-26                   Harry Page - San Antonio Express-News                        It took an old linebacker to settle a little scoring dispute.      Bon Dunn, who rejoined the Charros just this after unsuccessful tryout with the Kansas City Chiefs, scored what proved to be the winning marker as San Antonio outscored Carolina, 29-26, Saturday night in Alamo Stadium.      More than 5,000 fans watched Dunn, usually a linebacker, bounce off several would-be tacklers to score from the five to give the Charros a 29-18 with 13:20 remaining in the game.      The victory hiked San Antonio's Football Association record to 7-3, while the Chargers dropped to 7-2. Carolina dropped out of a first-place tie with Alabama and fell into a second-place tie with Jacksonville.      Quarterback Johnson out-dueled his Carolina counterpart Ellsworth Turner by hitting 19 of 29 passes, with two intercepted, for 263 yards and three touchdowns.      Defensive end Bucky Lampe and tackle Ken Mills got the scoring parade started by sacking Turner for a safety with 9:12 left in the first quarter.      However, Carolina took the lead with 6:25 remaining in the first half on running back Randy Bolton's two-yard reception from Turner. Mike Cox added the kick to make it 7-2.      But, before the first half ended, Johnson hit Thomas "Tank" Whittier with a 20-yard scoring pass and fullback David Wehmeyer tallied from the one. Coupled with David Mellott's first of three successful conversions, S.A. led, 15-7.      The Charros hiked their advantage to 22-7 on Johnson's eight-yard TD pass to a dancing Whittier the third period. Carolina, however, closed it to 22-18 on safety Dennis Matthews' 65-yard interception return for a touchdown, a Turner-to-Danny Wythe conversion pass and Cox's 26-yard field goal.      An interception by Ricky Williams at the Carolina 20 set up Dunn's score. The former Trinity star, pressed into service after back Leonard Brantley injured his shoulder in the first half, responded in yeoman's style.      Carolina closed the scoring when Turner hit end Bart Crawford with an 11-yard touchdown pass and running back Bruce Duke on a two-point conversion with 9:03 left on the stadium clock.

Score by Quarters Carolina       0     7     11     8     -     26 San Antonio   2   13   7   7   -   29                           Statistics         CA       SA First downs   15   18 Rushing (att - yards)   31 - 160   39 - 58 Passing yards   58   262 Passing (comp - att - int)   7 - 23 - 2   20 - 29 - 2 Punts - avg   4 - 39.2   0 - 0 Fumbles - lost   ? - 2   ? - 0 Penalties - yards   15 - 75   6 - 52                          Scoring Summary SA       Safety tackle in end zone CA   Bolton 2 pass from Turner (Cox kick) SA   Whittier 20 pass from Johnson (kick failed) SA   Wehmeyer 1 run (Mellott kick) SA   Whittier 8 pass from Johnson (Mellott kick) CA   Matthews 65 interception return (White pass from Turner) CA   Cox 26 field goal SA   Dunn 5 run (Mellott kick) CA   Crawford 11 pass from Turner (Duke run)

Players unknown

Shreveport Steamer at Jacksonville Firebirds August 4, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

Firebirds rip Steamer 35-0                   Jeff Rude - Florida Times-Union                        The Jacksonville Firebirds, for the second consecutive week demonstrating that their efforts on the field are "much superior to that of the former front office management, struck quickly to take the steam out of a Steamer.      Jacksonville, now 7-2 in the American Football Association and heading for a crucial road game at Charlotte Saturday, ripped the Shreveport Steamer 35-0 Saturday night before an estimated 5,000 persons at the Gator Bowl to avenge a previous 31-20 loss June 30 in Shreveport.      The Firebird formula was simple: score twice on one-play touchdown drives, add three insurance TDs in the fourth quarter a la last week in a 51-6 victory over hapless Arkansas, and play defense in a bending, not breaking, manner.      "We just played together," said a smiling, clean-shaven Charlie Hunt, a defensive mainstay at linebacker who was making his return after sitting out a week because of a sore shoulder. "The defense inspired the offense and the offense inspired the defense."      A most inspiring play for Jacksonville - winner now of three straight came with two minutes left in the first quarter. On the first play after gaining possession via a Steamer punt, Firebird quarterback Don Gaffney lofted a 49-yard touchdown pass to former University of Florida team- mate Charlie Brown, who ran a fly pattern and beat the one-on-one coverage of Shreveport cornerback Eddie Bishop by catching the ball in stride in the end zone.      The cat-like Gaffney, who completed 12 of 20 passes for 226 yards (with one interception) to lead the Firebird offense, praised Brown's move on the TD play. "Charlie "gave an inside move and went outside and I just laid it up for him," the former Florida Gator said. "We've got some "people who can go the distance, several who can, not just one. You just have to get the ball to them."      That's precisely what Gaffney did when the Firebirds received the ball at the Shreveport 5-yard line early in the third quarter still with a 7-0 lead. Jacksonville gained possession when Arlie Jarrell smashed Edwin Scott on a reverse play, knocked the ball loose and pounced on it.      One play later, Leon McQuay ran into the end zone after getting trapped at the 12 and side-stepping defenders along the left sideline. "That was a super individual effort by Leon," said Gaffney of McQuay, who gained 36 yards on 10 carries. "He's one of few people who could do what he did on that play."      The fumble which set up the play was the most obvious turning point of the game.      "They played pretty tight until they fumbled and we scored our second touchdown," said Jacksonville Coach and General Manager Bob Williams. "That took the zip out of them."       Shreveport Quarterback Clyde Walker, whose passing directed the Steamer over the Firebirds in the previous meeting, was able to move his team, but not into the end zone. Walker completed 8 of 18 passes for 100 yards, and backup and former National Football League QB Clint Longley hit 8 of 16 for 85 yards (with two interceptions) in a second-half reserve role, but the Firebird defense did not break.      "The most appropriate term for the defense," said Gaffney, "is superb."      The third Firebird TD, a James Rackley 1-yard run that capped a nine-play, 60-yard drive at 13:51 of the fourth quarter, followed an interception and 25-yard return by Jacksonville defensive back Malachi Henry.      Gaffney, sparkling all evening, scampered 26 yards on third-and-7 for a touchdown with 8:41 left in the game. A planned pass play, the quarterback capped the six-play, 77-yard drive by weaving in and out of the pursuit.      The Firebirds' offensive star admitted he was thinking touchdown when he took off. "I always do," he said. "I realize there's always a possibility to go all the way."      Reserve quarterback Pat Padgett, who completed 4 of 5 passes for 112 yards, passed 13 yards to Charles Hummings for the game's final touchdown. Hummings led the Firebird receivers with four catches worth 103 yards.

Score by Quarters Shreveport       0     0     0     0     -     0 Jacksonville   7   7   7   14   -   35                           Statistics         SH       JA First downs   19   16 Rushing (att - yards)   33 - 92   35 - 99 Passing yards   202   338 Passing (comp - att - int)   18 - 40 - 3   16 - 25 - 2 Punts - avg   8 - 31.3   5 - 37.0 Fumbles - lost   2 - 2   2 - 2 Penalties - yards   10 - 68   2 - 28                          Scoring Summary JA       Brown 49 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   McQuay 5 run (Williams kick) JA   Rackley 1 run (Williams kick) JA   Gaffney 26 run (Williams kick) JA   Hummings 13 pass from Padgett (Williams kick)

Jacksonville: Arlie Jarrell (40)

Jacksonville Firebirds at Carolina Chargers August 11, 1979 - Memorial Stadium -

Charger defense gets added teeth                   Les Bowen - Charlotte Observer                        Benny Johnson's gold tooth with the star design imprinted on it was shining brightly Saturday night in the Carolina Chargers' Memorial Stadium locker room.      Johnson's wide smile showed off his creative dentistry after Carolina's 24-21 American Football Association victory over the Jacksonville Firebirds in front of 6,105 fans.      A 30-year-old ex-Johnson C. Smith player who spent four years at cornerback with the NFL's Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints, Johnson played that position for the first time in three years Saturday, and he played it well.      He even figured in the game's key play.      Jacksonville had fourth and 8 on the Chargers' 38, a little more than three minutes left in the game. Quarterback Don Gaffney dropped back and zinged a short pass to Charles Brown, covered by Johnson. The throw was low and Brown couldn't scoop it up. Carolina took over and ran out the clock, quarterback Ellsworth Turner falling on the ball at the Firebirds' 38 on the final play.      Afterward. some of Johnson's team- mates said they thought Brown was open on the play, and Gaffney just underthrew him. Johnson insisted he "went under his arm and deflected the ball." Whatever. the pass was incomplete, the Chargers won, and everyone agreed Johnson turned in a fine performance - especially for a guy who came to the stadium thinking he would play wide receiver.      Johnson has been practicing with the Chargers since shortly after being cut by Jacksonville in late June. He played wide receiver - his favorite position - for the Firebirds, despite his NFL experience at cornerback, and he's been practicing as a pass-catcher for Carolina.      But Saturday, starting cornerback Sonny Anderson couldn't play because of asthma, and when Johnson arrived at Memorial Stadium, he got the news.      "It wasn't anywhere close to my best, but I was holdin' on 'cause the guys were pullin' for me," Johnson said.      Johnson and his defensive backfield partners were kept busy Saturday. Gaffney completed 21 of 40 passes for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran 4 times for 30 yards.      But before that, Carolina jumped to leads of 10-0 and 17-7 in the first half, the last touchdown of the period on a 62-yard pass completion from Turner to wide receiver Dexter Feaster.      Turner threw to Feaster when both played for N.C. A&T, and they've worked out together since, but Saturday's game was Feaster's first with the Chargers after being cut by the NFL Washington Redskins earlier this week.      Gaffney then engineered 2 consecutive touchdown drives, giving Jacksonville a 21-17 lead with 7:35 left in the third quarter. Carolina's pass rush was picked up most of the time, and when it wasn't, Gaffney scrambled.      "He gets out of that pocket, ain't no tellin' where in hell he's goin'" complained ex-Duke safety Tom Knotts.      But as head coach Perry Moss noted afterward, Carolina's offense responded when it had to. After Jacksonville took the lead in the third quarter. Turner moved the Chargers 70 yards in 17 plays, diving over from inside the 1 for the winning touchdown. Jacksonville was penalized 4 times during that drive: for the game, the Firebirds (7-3) had 13 penalties for 96 yards to Carolina's 4 penalties for 30 yards.      The Chargers are 8-2.

Score by Quarters Jacksonville       7     0     14     0     -     21 Carolina   10   7   7   0   -   24                           Statistics         JA       CA First downs   19   17 Rushing (att - yards)   29 - 87   38 - 155 Passing yards   250   118 Passing (comp - att - int)   21 - 40 - 0   10 - 19 - 1 Punts - avg   5 - 31.8   5 - 47.0 Penalties - yards   13 - 96   4 - 30                          Scoring Summary CA       Cox 37 field goal CA   Walker 12 run (Cox kick) JA   Ulmer 99 kickoff return (Williams kick) CA   Feaster 62 pass from Turner (Cox kick) JA   Rackley 31 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   McQuay 2 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) CA   Turner 1 run (Cox kick)

Carolina: Joe Crosby (52), Willie Moore (75), Charlie Hopkins (55)

Kentucky Trackers at San Antonio Charros August 11, 1979 - Alamo Stadium -

Randy Johnson out for season Charros stop Kentucky, 56-20, gain revenge                   Johnny Campos - San Antonio Light                        There was some good news and some bad news for some 6,000 San Antonio Charro fans Saturday night at Alamo Stadium.      The good news is that the Charros avenged an embarrassing loss to the Kentucky Trackers with a 56-20 victory. The bad news is that the victory cost them their No. 1 quarterback, Randy Johnson.      The big gun on the ground for San Antonio was fullback David Wehmeyer, who pounded out 112 yards on 22 carries and scored four touchdowns, which shouldn't hurt his chances of becoming the leading scorer in the American Football Conference.      But some of the glitter was taken out of the win when Johnson left the game with about 12 minutes left in the first half. He called his own number on a keeper to the left and was downed hard by two Tracker defenders. He stayed in for one more play, but left the field after that.      Johnson reportedly suffered a separated right shoulder and will miss the remainder of the Charro season, including the playoffs.      The Charros all but clinched a berth in the playoffs with the win, upping their season mark to 8-3 and needing just one more win to reach the post-season AFA schedule.      San Antonio opened the game in grand fashion, marching 76 yards on 11 plays. Johnson hit on four of five aerials for 42 yards on the drive and Wehmeyer, who scored on two one-yard plunges and a pair of five-yarders, covered the final step.      Bucky Lampe recovered a Kentucky fumble on the ensuing kick- off. but a Tracker interception nullified the turnover.      Wehmeyer scored on his second one-yard plunge of the first period to culminate a 45-yard Charro drive. but Kentucky signal caller Alvin White, who completed just seven of 17 for 51 yards and had a pair picked off by Dudley Keller, brought his team back with a six-yard scoring strike to Clarence Jackson as time ran out in the first period.      San Antonio racked up three six-pointers in the second quarter to take a 35-6 advantage at intermission. Reserve quarterback Samuel Maxie scored on a one-yard keeper two plays after replacing Johnson. Wehmeyer tallied on one of his five-yarders and Bonn Dunn added a five-yard score of his own.      Keller, who was honored as the team's best defender at halftime, set up Dunn's score by intercepting his ninth pass of the season with one minute left in the half. He added his 10th steal later in the game.      Also honored at the half were Johnson as the Most Valuable offensive Player. Tony Armstrong as Rookie of the Year and Johnny Moore for his contribution to the team over the years.      The 50-33 loss at the hands of the Trackers three weeks ago must have given the Charros extra incentive in the second half, because they didn't pull any punches.      Maxie tossed a 34-yard aerial into the end zone with 7:38 left in the third stanza, and it appeared to be picked off by Mike Siganos. But Armstrong stole the ball cleanly for the score.      Kentucky reserve quarterback John Madeya scored on a two-yard keeper on Kentucky's next drive to cut the deficit to 42-12, but Wehmeyer added his fourth touchdown of the night from five yards out to up the count to 49-12 with 14:48 left to play.      The icing on the win was provided by running back Leonard Brantley, who tossed a 27-yard halfback-option pass to Thomas Whittier for San Antonio's final score of the night.      Kentucky dropped to 3-8 with the loss.

Score by Quarters Kentucky       6     0     6     8     -     20 San Antonio   14   21   7   14   -   56                           Statistics         KY       SA First downs   13   23 Rushing (att - yards)   19 - 62   42 - 182 Passing yards   197   287 Passing (comp - att - int)   13 - 29 - 2   20 - 32 - 2 Punts - avg   6 - 31.0   2 - 33.5 Fumbles - lost   2 - 1   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   9 - 88   12 - 128                          Scoring Summary SA       Wehmeyer 1 run (Mellott kick) SA   Wehmeyer 1 run (Mellott kick) KY   Jackson 6 pass from White (kick failed) SA   Maxie 1 run (Mellott kick) SA   Wehmeyer 5 run (Mellott kick) SA   Dunn 5 run (Mellott kick) SA   Armstrong 33 pass from Maxie (Mellott kick) KY   Madeya 2 run (pass failed) SA   Wehmeyer 5 run (Mellott kick) SA   Whittier 27 pass from Brantley (Mellott kick) KY   Pritchett 54 pass from Madeya (McLeod pass from Madeya)

San Antonio: David Wehmeyer (35), Steve Ferrell (60)

Shreveport Steamer at Mississippi Stars August 11, 1979 - Newell Field -

Stars' offense sputters in 13-7 loss to Shreveport                   Roscoe Nance - Jackson Clarion-Ledger                        The Mississippi Stars added new meaning to the word frustration Saturday night in their 13-7 American Football Association loss to the Shreveport Steamer at rain-soaked Newell Field.      The Stars, who fell to 5-6 with the loss and were virtually eliminated from the playoffs, have been plagued by an inconsistent offense all season long. But they've never suffered through anything comparable to what happened against Shreveport.      With the Steamer leading 13-7 early in the fourth period, Shreveport's John Kelly intercepted a pass at the Stars' 20. The Steamer drove to the 6 and sent Tom Skoruppa in to try a field goal. Skoruppa, who had field goals of 41 and 26 yards in the first period to send the Steamer ahead 6-0, had a 23-yard effort sail just outside the uprights, and the Stars got the ball on their 20.      That's when things got interesting.      Skoruppa protested the official's call and was slapped with a 15-yard penalty. Tight end Greg Lazarro tried to impose his views on the issue on the officials also. But all he got for his trouble was two 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and early shower after being ejected from the game. Steamer Coach Norm Hodgins made it a grand slam when he too got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.      When the officials had gathered up all their penalty flags, the Stars had the ball on the Steamer's 20 with a first down. Overwhelmed by their good fortune, the Stars still couldn't score.      "I don't know which way the field goal went," said Hodgins, whose team had lost five games in a row. "You always think it's in your favor. I don't like to criticize officials. But at some point they have to get the game in control.      "You don't do that by calling penalty after penalty. All 1 did was ask one of the officials for an explanation. Another said he didn't have to explain anything. I said, 'We're going to beat them anyway.' He must have thought I said we're going to beat your --. "      The Stars moved the ball to the 11 where they were faced with a fourth-and-one call. Gus Lee was dropped for a five-yard loss. But Ron Johnson was called a facemask penalty on the tackle, giving the Stars a second life. However, the Stars weren't able to take advantage of their gift and turned the ball over on downs at the two.      "It was just a lack of execution," said Stars quarterback William Wooley. "The tackle just missed his block. The weather was too bad to try and pass. I could throw the ball, but I couldn't get anything on it.      While the Stars weren't able to take advantage of that bit of generosity, the Steamer was more than happy to convert a couple of gifts into scores. The Stars fumbled on each of their first two possessions, and Skoruppa promptly produced two field goals.      The Stars rebounded to go ahead 7-6 when Wooley and Alex Prince hooked up on a 43-yard touchdown pass with 1:53 left in the first period.      The Steamer, 5-5, scored the winning points on its first possession of the second half, moving 70 yards in five plays. The drive was highlighted by 50-yard pass play from third- string quarterback James Mosely to Clarence Odum.      Mosely played the entire game at quarterback for the Steamer. Clint Longley, the former Dallas Cowboy and San Diego Charger, didn't make the trip because of business commitments in Dallas.      "It was disappointing," said Stars coach Duncan McCauley. "We didn't block anybody. It's the same problem we've had all year. When we get in short-yardage situations, we're not big enough to move the ball."

Score by Quarters Shreveport       6     0     7     0     -     13 Mississippi   7   0   0   0   -   7                           Statistics         SH       MS First downs   13   7 Rushing (att - yards)   35 - 93   28 - 95 Passing yards   117   153 Passing (comp - att - int)   11 - 24 - ?   9 - 23 - ? Punts - avg   4 - 41   2 - 40 Fumbles - lost   1 - 0   3 - 2 Penalties - yards   14 - 133   5 - 64                          Scoring Summary SH       Skoruppa 41 field goal SH   Skoruppa 20 field goal MS   Prince 43 pass from Wooley (Hardin kick) SH   Rankin 3 run (Skoruppa kick)

Arkansas Champs at Alabama Vulcans August 12, 1979 - Legion Field -

Gilliam's missing, but Vulcans win anyway                   Rubin Grant - Birmingham Post-Herald                        For the second successive week, the Alabama Vulcans' "Iron Curtain" defense recorded a shutout, this time a 38-0 whitewashing of the Arkansas Champs last night at Legion Field.      The Arkansas game was originally scheduled for Saturday night but was canceled because of rain.      But the big news surrounding the Vulcans was neither the game nor the rain. It was the whereabouts of Joe Gilliam.      Gilliam borrowed Vulcan head coach Harry Lander's 1978 green Cadillac to go to Atlanta for an overnight trip Friday, but he has not been seen since.      "I haven't seen him," Lander said yesterday before last night's game. "But I better hear from him. I need to get my car, or he's got problems. I will report it missing.      "It's an unfortunate situation. I felt like the guy would react better to a new opportunity. As far as I'm concerned, he has blown his opportunity."      Lander and the Vulcans were threatened with a lawsuit by the Baltimore Eagles of the Mid-Atlantic Conference for breach of contract if Gilliam had played against Arkansas. Gilliam played for Baltimore before coming to Birmingham.      Lander said yesterday, however, "they can have him. He can't help me. You can't place responsibility in the hands of someone like that. He 100 percent can't play ball for me. He's not dependable."      While Lander has not been able to contact Gilliam, Baltimore public relations director Jack Wetherson said Eagle owner Jim Sears had gotten a phone call from Gilliam saying he would be back in Baltimore.      "We expected him back last (Saturday) night," Wetherson said yesterday, "but I haven't heard from him. Mr. Sears expects him to be back to work on Monday (today)."      Gilliam was employed in the Baltimore-based Royal Oil Company's public relations department. Sears is the chairman of the board of that firm.      Meanwhile, around 8,000 spectators saw the Vulcans score 24 second quarter points to grab a commanding 24-0 lead at halftime and go on to defeat Arkansas.      After a scoreless first period, Pat Kohlman plowed over for a 2-yard touchdown culminating an 88-yard drive in less than three minutes.      The drive was characterized by two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against the Champs after an apparent recovery of a Paul Rice fumble.      With the ball at the Arkansas 41, Rice took a vicious lick and the ball popped loose. An Arkansas player fell on the loose ball for an apparent recovery. But after he was hit by one of the Vulcans, the ball went out of bounds at the Alabama 40.      The officials ruled that the Vulcans maintained possession and then called the two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties when Arkansas vehemently protested the call.      The penalties gave Alabama a first down at the Arkansas 28 and from there they moved in for the score.      Moments later Ron Slovensky added a 31-yard field goal after a botched punt by the Champs' Sam Coleman. Coleman dropped the snap from center and was tackled at his own 17 setting up Slovensky's three-pointer. Another Arkansas punt miscue resulted in the Vulcans second touchdown. This time Coleman fumbled the snap from center into the hands of Vulcans Terry Rusin who raced 20-yards for the TD.      Slovensky kicked the PAT to give Alabama a 17-0 lead.      The Vulcans scored again with 54 seconds remaining in the half on a 6-yard run by Mike Horton. The TD scamper concluded a 55-yard drive which was setup by a Willie Smith interception.      In the second half the Vulcans added two more touchdowns, one on a 41-yard Chris Vacarella to John Tuttle pass in the third quarter and the other on a 16-yard Vacarella to Horton pass with 27 seconds left in the game.      The Vulcan defense limited the Champs to 193 yards in total offense and twice halted Arkansas scoring threats inside their 20.      In the first quarter, the Champs drove to the Vulcans 16, but on a fourth-and-five, Arkansas' Cleo House was stopped at the 12, one yard short of a first down. From there the Vulcans drove for their first score.      In the final quarter, the Champs marched to the Vulcans' six. But on a fourth-and-goal, Rusin intercepted Larry Mayer's pass in the end zone to snuff out the threat.      Such play left Vulcans defensive end James Black smiling.      "We haven't given up but maybe seven points on the goal-line," Black said. "When we get our backs up against the wall we pull together."      The Vulcans pulled together yesterday for their ninth win in 10 games.      Alabama travels to Jacksonville Saturday for a game against the Florida Firebirds.

Score by Quarters Arkansas       0     0     0     0     -     0 Alabama   0   24   7   7   -   38                           Statistics         AR       AL First downs   10   13 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 167   ? - 235 Passing yards   55   99 Passing (comp - att - int)   4 - 20 - 2   5 - 13 - 0 Punts - avg   3 - 18   2 - 42 Fumbles - lost   ? - 2   ? - 1 Penalties - yards   ? - 55   ? - 20                          Scoring Summary AL       Kohlman 2 run (Slovensky kick) AL   Slovensky 31 field goal AL   Rusin 20 fumble recovery (Slovensky kick) AL   Horton 6 run (Slovensky kick) AL   Tuttle 41 pass from Vacarella (Slovensky kick) AL   Horton 16 pass from Vacarella (Slovensky kick)

Alabama: Mike Horton (22)

Kentucky Trackers at Shreveport Steamer August 18, 1979 - State Fair Stadium -

Steamer: 71-14                   Bill McIntyre - Shreveport Times                        The American Football Association will perhaps survive the tableau spread out before a sparse audience of less than 3,000 Steamer Maniacs on this Saturday night in August at State Fair Stadium.      But it was a dreadful evening that shouldn't be forgotten soon in either Shreveport or Louisville.      The telling was in the final score: 71-14.      Favor of the local Steamer over the outmanned, outgunned and outclassed Kentucky Trackers.      How bad was it? you ask. Well, the Steamer piled up 33 first downs and 721 yards and scored 10 TDs.      Three Steamer running backs gained 72 yards or better, the passing game alone piled up 427 yards. James Johnson Mosley quarterbacked the first half and completed 13 of 20 passes for 242 yards, including a couple of scoring shots to wide receivers Vernon Wells and Edwin Scott.      Clyde Walker, erstwhile backup quarterback, came out in the second half and - would you believe it? - threw the ball even more successfully. Clyde was a spotless 10-for-10 for 185 yards, including a pair of touchdown tosses to tight end Greg Lazzaro and the high-jumping Scott.      Lazzaro hauled in seven passes over the middle for 168 yards, Scott was five catches for 93 yards, Wells 5-for-78. Who needed a limping Rod Foppe?      Running back Arry Moody, an 11-for-90 rusher, scored three touch- downs from inside the 10. Other TDs were punched over by Odell Smith, Alex Rankin and Ricky Herrin.      Okay, so who were those guys dressed out in white with blue numbers and supposedly from Louisville? Tracker coach Buddy Pfaadt was able to round up only 25 players for this game, and only one quarterback made the journey, courageous 220-pound Alvin White.      When White was jolted for a single play early in the third period - spare quarterbacks John Madeya and Doug Bartholomew were no-shows - Pfaadt wisely spent the rest of the night using an improvised shotgun if only to protect big Al from the clutches of the Steamer.      After the holocaust had subsided -- yes, it was 71-14 in case you missed it - Pfaadt stood off in a corner of the Fair Grounds lawn and chewed ice out of a Dixie cup. "We had only two running backs and two wide backs in the secondary," sighed Buddy.      His best running back, Chris Hill, also played cornerback (eight Trackers went both ways). Chris had never played defense before. But this wasn't what annoyed Buddy Pfaadt.      With a 27-0 lead midway through the second period, Steamer Clarence Tolliver ran for a two-point conversion. Twice in the second half, as the score mounted with much monotony, the Steamer threw the ball for two-point PATs.      "I wasn't expecting anything," grumbled Pfaadt. "But two-point conversions? We paid them enough courtesy by coming on the field with what we had and he (Steamer coach Norm Hodgins) asked me after the game if I was bitter. Hell yes, I'm bitter about two-point conversions..."      Hodgins, on his side of the field, was saying that he didn't make the two-point calls. His players made those decisions, and they maybe had that right because they had lost five of six games and victory was now a bittersweet experience. They're also striving in desperation for the fourth playoff berth in the AFA.      Shreveport is now 6-5 in the standings, Kentucky dropped to 4-8.      The Trackers' two scores, both in the third period, were planted in the end zone by wide receiver Leo Crossfield. Leo hauled in a 16-yard payoff from the beleaguered White and eight minutes later scooped up a loose ball that had been fumbled by punt returner A.T. Banks.      Defensively, Leroy Hunt's two fourth-period interceptions inside his own 10-yard line set up the Steamer's final two scoring marches of 97 and 90 yards. Free safety John Kelly also picked off one of four interceptions pegged by 157-yard passer White, a fifth theft in three games for John.      The Steamer has now won four of five home games heading into Saturday's home date with the Mississippi Stars.

Score by Quarters Kentucky       0     0     14     0     -     14 Shreveport   21   14   14   22   -   71                           Statistics         KY       SH First downs   10   33 Rushing (att - yards)   11 - 4   43 - 294 Passing yards   157   427 Passing (comp - att - int)   15 - 30 - 4   23 - 30 - 0 Punts - avg   4 - 41   0 - 0 Fumbles - lost   3 - 1   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   3 - 25   11 - 110                          Scoring Summary SH       Moody 2 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Moody 1 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Well 5 pass from Mosley (Skoruppa kick) SH   Scott 39 pass from Mosley (Toliver run) SH   Smith 1 run (kick failed) KY   Crossfield 16 pass from White (Thomas kick) SH   Rankin 8 run (Odum pass from Toliver) SH   Lazzaro 25 pass from Walker (kick failed) KY   Crossfield fumble recovery in end zone (Thomas kick) SH   Moody 9 run (Johnson pass from Toliver) SH   Scott 20 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) SH   Herren 3 run (Skoruppa kick)

Shreveport: Alex Rankin (??)

San Antonio Charros at Arkansas Champs August 18, 1979 - Estes Stadium at University of Central Arkansas -

Charros rout Arkansas                   San Antonio Light                        Playing with half of their regular starting backfield out, the San Antonio Charros exploded past the Arkansas Champs, 44-0, Saturday night in one of their best offensive performances of the season.      Running back Leonard Brantley netted 161 yards on 18 totes and scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of one and 22 yards, while backup signal caller Samuel Maxie, subbing for the injured Randy Johnson, completed six of 17 aerials for 146 yards. Regular starting fullback David Wehmeyer did not make the trip because of personal business in San Antonio.      The Charros racked up 483 yards in total offense compared to 216 for the Champs. Cleo House was the offensive star for Arkansas, rushing for 90 yards on 24 carries. But San Antonio did shut him down somewhat.      Against Kentucky earlier this season, House set an American Football Association rushing mark by compiling 218 yards on 35 carries.      Defensively for the Charros, Dudley Keller again was the standout, as he picked off a pair of Arkansas passes to run his American Football Association lead to an even dozen.      The Champs, 2-10 on the season after their third loss of the year to the Charros, started of strong, taking the opening kickoff and driving to the San Antonio 23. But a Keller interception at the Charro 2 halted the drive and apparently sparked the Alamo City squad.      The Charros took the ball and drove 98 yards for the eventual winning score, with Brantley crossing the goal line from one yard out.      Keith White put San Antonio on the boards again in the second stanza by returning a punt 26 yards for a score.      Kicker David Mellott, who con- verted five of six extra points. added a 39-yard field goal after the intermission, Brantley escaped for a 22-yard scamper for his second tally of the night and Bon Dunn made it into paydirt from the 2 to up the count to 31-0.

Score by Quarters San Antonio       7     7     17     13     -     44 Arkansas   0   0   0   0   -   0                           Statistics         SA       AR First downs   21   13 Rushing (att - yards)   33 - 267   44 - 185 Passing yards   216   31 Passing (comp - att - int)   10 - 23 - 2   4 - 16 - 2 Punts - avg   0 - 0   3 - 2 Fumbles - lost   3 - 2   3 - 2 Penalties - yards   12 - 90   7 - 65                          Scoring Summary SA       Brantley 1 run (Mellott kick) SA   White 26 punt return (Mellott kick) SA   Mellott 39 field goal SA   Brantley 22 run (Mellott kick) SA   Dunn 2 run (Mellott kick) SA   Dunn 3 run (kick failed) SA   Whittier 34 pass from Pena (Mellott kick)

Carolina Chargers at Mississippi Stars August 18, 1979 - Newell Field -

Mississippi Stars: Same old story                   Rick Cleveland - Jackson Clarion-Ledger                        Mississippi Stars' Coach Duncan McCauley was calling Saturday night's 22-10 loss to the Carolina Chargers "the same old story." That being the case, the couple hundred or so fans who watched at Newell Field would have preferred a few new chapters.      The same old ones weren't very pretty, as the Stars dropped to 5-7 and the American Football Association playoff-bound Chargers bettered their mark to 9-2.      "The offense played poorly especially when we got behind," McCauley lamented. "It's been the same all year. When we get behind we start gambling and we get in trouble."      Trouble, statistically, means minus eight yards rushing, three fumbles lost, three pass interceptions and only 12 of 36 passes completed for 168 yards. Jay Swindle, formerly of Millsaps, started at quarterback for the Stars but played only briefly before regular starter William Wooley of Alcorn took over.      "I thought we played pretty creditably defensively, considering how strong Carolina is offensively," McCauley added.      Carolina, with former North Carolina A & T star Ellsworth Turner at quarterback, managed but 199 yards total offense and completed just 10 of 32 passes.      Actually the only people busier than the ever-flinging quarterbacks were the referees who penalized the two teams a combined 19 times for 170 yards.      Carolina parlayed a touchdown, two field goals and a safety to go ahead 15-0 midway through the second quarter. Turner hit Mike Cox for a 15-yard first quarter touchdown and Mike Cox added the PAT.      After a Mississippi fumble, Cox added a 33-yard field goal to make it 10-0 and then hit on a 37-yarder early in the second quarter to make it 13-0. Moments later, Wooley was trapped in his own end zone.      The Stars finally got on the scoreboard on what was at least the most interesting play of the game. Carolina was trying to punt from its own 45, when the snap went far over Cox's head. Cox retrieved the ball, broke about four tackles and dropped the ball to kick it just as he was hit solidly. The ball bounded loose and the Stars' Jerome Jennings batted it on into the end zone and recovered it for the touchdown.      So, the Stars trailed 15-7 with two minutes left in the first half, but dug itself a deeper hole shortly thereafter when Wooley threw an interception to Carolina's Dennis Mathews, setting up a four-yard touchdown run by Bruce Duke.      The Stars went into intermission trailing 22-7.

Score by Quarters Carolina       10     12     0     0     -     22 Mississippi   0   7   3   0   -   10                           Statistics         CA       MS First downs   8   5 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 126   ? - 168 Passing yards   73   168 Passing (comp - att - int)   10 - 32 - 0   12 - 36 - 3 Punts - avg   7 - 48   4 - 48 Fumbles - lost   2 - 1   3 - 3 Penalties - yards   11 - 110   8 - 60                          Scoring Summary CA       Young 15 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Cox 33 field goal CA   Cox 37 field goal CA   Safety Wooley tackled in end zone MS   Jennings recovered blocked punt in end zone (Hardin kick) CA   Duke 4 run (Cox kick) MS   Hardin 20 field goal

Players unknown

Mississippi: Carl Houston (68), Sam Small (??) Carolina: Isaac Applewhite (??)

Alabama Vulcans at Jacksonville Firebirds August 18, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

'Birds beat Bama                   Andy Cohen - Florida Times-Union                        Colt Fever took a backseat to Firebird Fever Saturday night in the Gator Bowl.      With only four seconds remaining, Jacksonville quarterback Don Gaffney completed "the most exciting game of my life" by tossing a perfect 10-yard scoring strike to a wide open Charlie Dorsey, giving the Firebirds a stunning 27-26 victory over the Alabama Vulcans.      The winning play which sent a crowd estimated at 10,000 into a state of frenzy, culminated a fourth quarter which saw 33 points scored and the lead change hands an amazing five times.      "I've never made a bigger catch," said Dorsey of the winning play. "I knew it was going to me. I just ran down the field put a move on the guy covering me and waited for the ball. It was perfect. I squeezed it and then went wild."      The Vulcans, now 9-2, took a 26-21 lead by driving 66 yards on eight plays, getting the final 4 yards when fullback Pat Kohlman bulled through the Firebird defensive line.      When the Firebirds received the ensuing kickoff they were 67 yards away from a touchdown and had only 35 seconds to cover the territory.      "When we got the ball," said Gaffney, "I looked into the huddle and said, 'if there's anybody here who doesn't think we can win the game, go to the sidelines.' Nobody moved. I knew then we could do it."      Gaffney - who completed 16 of 26 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns - then fired a 20-yard strike to Charlie Brown. With the clock running and Alabama playing a sagging defense, Gaffney then found Dorsey for 27 yards to the 20 yard line.      The poised former University of Florida star then hit Leon McQuay for 4 yards to the 16.      Eleven seconds were now left. Firebird coach Bob Williams anxiously paced the sidelines.      "For a moment, I had my doubts," he would say later. "But Don Gaffney is one cool customer."      Gaffney then surprised Alabama's defense by calling a draw play. Gerald Mosely took the handoff and ran to the 10.      Time out Jacksonville. Four seconds were left.      "The play is called a "slot-left 72" and it was to Dorsey all the way," Williams said. "It was just a matter of executing it. As soon as Don threw the ball, I knew it was our ballgame."      The win gives the Firebirds an 8-3 record with three games left and almost assures them of a spot in the playoffs.      "It was a helluva football game, wasn't it?" said Vulcan coach Harry Lander, who saw his league-leading defense crack under Gaffney's aerial attack. "I knew it would be a dogfight and it was."      With that, Lander turned around and quietly walked off the field.      The first three quarters turned into a defensive contest with the Vulcans holding a 13-7 lead as the fourth quarter began.      With 13:11 left on a warm, overcast evening, Gaffney started the scoring parade by hitting Dorsey with an 18-yard touchdown strike. John Williams' extra point gave the Firebirds a 14-13 lead.      But not for long. Three plays later, Vulcan quarterback Chris Vacarella found John Tuttle wide open for a 60-yard scoring play with 11:25 left. Tuttle faked Firebird defensive back David Wright totally out of his silver and red uniform, scoring with nobody within 30 yards of him. The two-point conversion failed and Alabama led 19-14.      But not for long again. Firebird defensive back Marty Hammock intercepted a Vacarella pass (the only turnover of the night) and returned it to the Vulcan 15. Three plays later, McQuay weaved in from the 2 to give Jacksonville a 21-19 lead with 5:16 left.      That set up what Alabama thought was its winning drive, but Gaffney, Dorsey and company had one miracle left in their pockets and it was enough to pull off the upset.      "This was the biggest win this franchise has seen," Williams said. "I still can't believe it happened."

Score by Quarters Alabama       0     10     3     13     -     26 Jacksonville   7   0   0   20   -   27                           Statistics         AL       JA First downs   19   10 Rushing (att - yards)   46 - 185   23 - 105 Passing yards   208   224 Passing (comp - att - int)   13 - 24 - 1   16 - 26 - 0 Punts - avg   3 - 36.7   5 - 32.6 Penalties - yards   4 - 57   3 - 25                          Scoring Summary JA       Gaffney 17 run (Williams kick) AL   Kohlman 2 run (Slovensky kick) AL   Slovensky 25 field goal AL   Slovensky 44 field goal JA   Dorsey 18 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) AL   Tuttle 60 pass from Vacarella (pass failed) JA   McQuay 2 run (Williams kick) AL   Kohlman 4 run (Slovensky kick) JA   Dorsey 10 pass from Gaffney (kick failed)

Alabama: James Black (94) Jacksonvlle: Don Gaffney (1)

Jacksonville: Don Gaffney (1) Alabama: James Black (94)

Mississippi Stars at Shreveport Steamer August 25, 1979 - State Fair Stadium -

Paying for the past San Antonio eliminates Steamer despite 49-5 rout of Stars                   Bob Forrest - Jackson Clarion-Ledger                        Football is fun again for Shreveport Steamer quarterback James Mosley. But the enjoyment came a little late for Mosley and his teammates.      Starting for the fourth straight week, Mosley passed for four touchdowns to make up for an almost non-existent ground game as the Steamer rolled to its third consecutive victory, a 49-5 rout of the Mississippi Stars Saturday night in State Fair Stadium.      Despite the win, which came on the heels of a 71-14 laugher against Kentucky the previous week, the Steam- er was eliminated from its second straight trip to the American Football Association Playoffs when San Antonio downed Alabama, 17-10, Saturday. Shreveport, 7-5, trails San Antonio by two games, and the Charros have only one game left on their schedule.      "Last week was a fun game," recalled Mosley in the Steamer locker room after Saturday's con- test. "This week wasn't as much fun because of those big linemen Mississippi has."      Mosley, a former Byrd High School quarterback and currently on the coaching staff at Green Oaks High School, was at his best Saturday when he could scramble out of the pocket and away from those big linemen, who limited the Steamer rushing attack to 58 yards on 28 carries.      Rolling out away from the rush most of the time, Mosley completed nine of 20 passes for 176 yards, and helped Shreveport build a 35-3 lead before giving way to back-up Clyde Walker early in the third quarter. Walker, who was sacked for a safety on his first series after the Steamer defense stopped the Stars inches short of a touchdown on fourth down, threw two scoring strikes in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.      "I'm better when I can get outside the pocket," Mosley noted. "I'm only 5-11, and it's a lot easier to see out there."      Vernon Wells caught a pair of touchdown passes, hauling in a 13-yard toss from Mosley in the second period to give Shreveport an 18-0 lead and catching a 15-yarder from Walker for the final Steamer touchdown, and Clarance Odum, Ron Johnson, Alex Rankin and Edwin Scott also caught scoring passes.      Johnson was also one of the strong men in the Steamer defense which, although allowing 299 yards, forced eight turnovers and kept the Stars bottled up most of the night. Mississippi couldn't start a drive in better field position than their own 35 on any possession, and managed only a 42-yard field goal by Troy Hardin late in the second period to go with the safety in the third quarter.      Stars quarterback William Wooley completed 17 of 32 passes on the night for 189 yards, but he threw four interceptions, including two by John Kelly (his sixth and seventh in the Steamer's last four games) and was constantly harassed by a vicious rush.      "We had a good film report this week," said Johnson, who tackled Wooley for a safety in the first quarter, recovered two fumbles to set up touchdowns and caught a six-yard TD pass from Mosley in the third period. "We planned to keep a linebacker in his (Wooley's) face all night."      But despite all the execution on both offense and defense over the past three weeks, the Steamer will end its season here in two weeks against Arkansas after meeting Carolina at State Fair Stadium this Saturday. And Johnson was philosophical about the turn of events.      "We'll just have to play 'em one at a time," he said.

Score by Quarters Mississippi       0     3     2     0     -     5 Shreveport   8   13   14   14   -   49                           Statistics         MS       SH First downs   18   15 Rushing (att - yards)   43 - 110   24 - 58 Passing yards   189   244 Passing (comp - att - int)   17 - 34 - 4   15 - 31 - 2 Punts - avg   3 - 39   2 - 41 Fumbles - lost   6 - 4   3 - 0 Penalties - yards   10 - 72   8 - 60                          Scoring Summary SH       Scott 14 pass from Mosley (kick failed) SH   Safety Johnson tackled Wooley in end zone SH   Skoruppa 27 field goal SH   Wells 13 pass from Mosley (Skoruppa kick) SH   Skoruppa 33 field goal MS   Hardin 42 field goal SH   Rankin 15 pass from Mosley (Skoruppa kick) SH   Johnson 6 pass from Mosley (Skoruppa kick) MS   Safety Hardy tackled Walker in end zone SH   Scott 7 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) SH   Wells 15 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick)

Mississippi: Otto Love (??)

Shreveport: Clarance Toliver (6)

Shreveport: Jerry Davis (??)

San Antonio Charros at Alabama Vulcans August 25, 1979 - Legion Field -

Charros whip Vulcans, lead AFA standings now after big 17-10 victory                   Ronald Weathers - Birmingham News                        Fleet Mike Washington, with a 94-yard touchdown punt return in the first quarter, and defensive back Keith Nelms, wrecking deep drives with two of his three pass interceptions, keyed the San Antonio Charros past the Alabama Vulcans at Legion Field 17-10 at Legion Field.      Two things, both bad, happened to the Vulcs as a result. They lost their first game on home turf after eight victories and they surrendered first place in the American Football Association for the first time since the season opened May 18.      Alabama, now 9-3, tumbled into a third place tie with Florida, which beat Kentucky. Carolina, beating Arkansas, leaped to the top with its 10-2 record. with San Antonio going to second with its 103.      The Charros scored all of their points before the Vulcs got theirs in the final quarter. Washington fielded a Ron Slovensky punt and hauled it back up the left sidelines for his score. And that's the way it stood at the half.      Dave Mellot kicked a 35-yard Charro field goal at the end of a 42-yard drive in the third quarter. Then after Slovensky chased back a low punt snap to his 24, the Charros got a TD seven plays from there on Samuel Maxie's lateral to guard John Martinez on a two-yard play.      Mark Cahill, coming in for Chris Vacarella in the last quarter then got Vulc points on 21 and 54-yard drives. The first push was set up by Vic Cunningham covering a Charro fumble at the San Antone 21. Eight plays later, Jim Patton dove for a four-yard Cahill pass for a TD. Cahill passes to James Coleman, Patton and Terry Grammer got 60 yards before Slovensky kicked a 26-yard goal.      The Vulcans couldn't get their offense untracked until late in the first half when they drove 40 yards to the Charros' 27 and 58 yards to the San Antone 22.      On the first push, which included a Chris Vacarella run for nine yards and two passes by him for 17 more, Ron Slovensky tried a 45-yard field goal which was long enough, but to the right.      On the second surge, Mike Horton had 19 and 13-yard runs and Vacarella a 26-yard pass to John Tuttle. But then Charro back Keith Nelms made his second interception of the half at the 22 and San Antone ran out the first-half clock.      San Antonio threatened offensively with 34, 20 and 63-yard pushes, which included a missed 45-yard field goal try by Dave Mellot. But the Charros got points, of course, on Mike Washington's 94-yard run up the left sidelines with a 37-yard Slovensky punt.

Score by Quarters San Antonio       ?     ?     ?     ?     -     17 Alabama   ?   ?   ?   ?   -   10                           Statistics         SA       AL First downs   ?   ? Rushing (att - yards)   ? - ?   ? - ? Passing yards   ?   ? Passing (comp - att - int)   ? - ? - ?   ? - ? - ? Punts - avg   ? - ?   ? - ? Fumbles - lost   ? - ?   ? - ? Penalties - yards   ? - ?   ? - ?                          Scoring Summary         Not available

Jacksonville Firebirds at Kentucky Trackers August 25, 1979 - Fairgrounds Stadium -

Firebirds 'pass' test, top Kentucky 35-27                   Florida Times-Untion                        It wasn't what you'd call a night for running.      By the time the Jacksonville Firebirds left the field Saturday night, a 35-27 winner over Kentucky, an amazing 98 passes had been thrown for an equally amazing 892 yards. And you got the feeling, they could have passed all night.      The victory gave the Firebirds a 9-3 record and assures them of at least a tie for a spot in the American Football Association playoffs.      Jacksonville is two games ahead of Shreveport (7-5) with only two games remaining. The Firebirds can clinch a play- off spot outright next week with a win against San Antonio in the Gator Bowl.      The lowly Kentucky Trackers, a 71-14 loser to Shreveport last Saturday night, are now 4-9. Due to a lack of personnel, the Trackers used several players both on offense and defense.      Jacksonville quarterback Don Gaffney had his finest evening of the season, completing 20 of 35 passes for 376 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted twice.      Reserve Pat Padgett then came in and completed another two of three passes for an additional 27 yards.      Gaffney, taking advantage of an injury-riddled Tracker secondary, fired scoring passes of 12 yards to Gerald Mosely, 20 yards to Manzy King, 37 yards to Charlie Brown and finally 12 yards to Charlie Dorsey with 4:44 remaining, giving the Firebirds a comfortable 35-14 lead.      The Trackers, playing in front of an estimated 500 people, managed to score two late touchdowns, making the final score respectable.      Kentucky quarterback Alvin White, suffering from a knee injury, was forced to operate from the shotgun offense which Firebird assistant Don Jarrett later admitted, "caught us totally by surprise."      White, a former Toronto Argonaut, completed 34 of 60 passes for 489 yards, but failed to throw a touchdown pass and was intercepted six times.      Jacksonville held a 21-7 halftime advantage, saw Kentucky close it to 21-14 when Clarence Jackson returned a third quarter punt 70 yards for a touchdown and then pulled away when Gaffney fired his two second half scoring passes.

Score by Quarters Jacksonville       7     14     7     7     -     35 Kentucky   7   0   7   13   -   27                           Statistics         JA       KY First downs   24   25 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 111   ? - 30 Passing yards   434   477 Passing (comp - att - int)   22 - 39 - 2   30 - 60 - 6 Punts - avg   5 - 33.6   1 - 19.0 Fumbles - lost   ? - 0   ? - 1 Penalties - yards   ? - 101   ? - 5                          Scoring Summary JA       McQuay 6 run (Williams kick) KY   Miller 35 interception (Thomas kick) JA   Mosley 12 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   King 19 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) KY   Jackson 65 punt return (Thomas kick) JA   Brown 37 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   Dorsey 12 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) KY   Jackson 3 run (Thomas kick) KY   Washington 1 run (run failed) SH   Scott 7 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick) SH   Wells 15 pass from Walker (Skoruppa kick)

Arkansas Champs at Carolina Chargers August 25, 1979 - Memorial Stadium -

Chargers roast Arkansas 37-0                   Les Bowen - Charlotte Observer                        The final strains of "The Star Spangled Banner" barely had faded into the Memorial Stadium's stuffy air Saturday when Carolina Chargers' quarterback Ellsworth Turner hit Dexter Feaster for a 50-yard pass completion, moving the ball from Carolina's 25 to Arkansas's 25.      It was the first play from scrimmage in a 37-0 American Football Association rout the Chargers administered to the Arkansas Champs. Carolina scored 6 plays after the opening play when Turner passed to running back Randy Bolton from 8 yards out, but the rout wasn't on just yet. The Chargers' next 3 possessions resulted in turnovers inside the Champs' 5, so Arkansas was able to greet the second quarter trailing only 7-0.      But Carolina safety Tom Knotts intercepted a Larry Mayer pass at the Chargers' 30 with about 5 minutes left in the first half, and he returned it to Arkansas' 45. Chargers' halfback Bruce Duke tried to sweep right end on the next play, but cut back against the grain and ended up on the left sideline as he crossed into the end zone. Mike Cox's extra point made it 14-0. Carolina led 16-0 by halftime, after a high snap from center sailed through punter Arkansas Butch Abbott's hands and into the end zone, where Abbott fell on it for a safety.      Carolina didn't bother going into the locker room at halftime. In- stead, coach Perry Moss spoke briefly to the team as it sat along the fence at the back of the end zone, then everyone watched a halftime rugby exhibition.      "We just relaxed," cornerback Dennis Matthews said. "He told us about our mistakes... We're trying to get some more points on the board so he can play some of the other guys."      A bored crowd of 7,729 - the Chargers' largest, although all tickets were sold for $3.00 instead of the usual $4.50 and $6.50 - perked up during the rugby match.      As the unpadded rugby players piled into each other, several Chargers' shook their heads.      "They have got to be fools," lineman Ralph Collette observed. "You wouldn't get me out there."      Chargers' backup quarterback Luther Carter started the second half, and in Carolina's first series he dove over the goal line from the 1, capping a 60-yard drive.      Soon afterward Chargers' assistant coach George Sauer called his starting defensive unit together on the sidelines. His orders dismayed the Carolina defenders.      "He told us not to hurt their quarterback (Mayer) 'cause he's the only guy they got," linebacker Joe Crosby explained. "He said we could tackle him, but we shouldn't hurt him."      As Carter moved the Chargers for 2 more second-half touchdowns, the Carolina starters took it easy on the sidelines. Typical was a conversation midway through the third quarter between offensive lineman Curtis Phifer and defensive tackle Willie Moore.      "A lot of good looking girls up there tonight," Phifer observed, pointing to the stands.      "Yep," Moore replied, "As Richard Pryor said, 'A whole slew of 'em.'"      Matthews said it hadn't been easy for the Chargers to prepare for Arkansas.      "You know it's hard," "You play teams 2-3 times, then you're not sure these guys are going to show up..."      Last Wednesday, Arkansas coach and general manager Herschel Strickland was fired by AFA commissioner John Waits after Strickland threatened to keep the Champs in Arkansas unless money he claimed was owed the Champs by other AFA teams was paid. However, Alabama Vulcans' assistant coach Charlie Sides took over management of the Champs, rounded up the dispirited players, and somehow got them to Charlotte.

Score by Quarters Arkansas       0     0     0     0     -     0 Carolina   7   9   7   14   -   37                           Statistics         AR       CA First downs   9   21 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 52   ? - 204 Passing yards   150   170 Passing (comp - att - int)   9 - 21 - 1   14 - 21 - 2 Punts - avg   4 - 33.0   2 - 44.5 Fumbles - lost   5 - 4   2 - 2 Penalties - yards   8 - 61   10 - 60                          Scoring Summary CA       Bolton 8 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Duke 45 run (Cox kick) CA   Safety abbott tackled in end zone CA   Carter 1 run (Cox kick) CA   Antly 3 run (Cox kick) CA   Duke 2 run (Cox kick)

Players unknown

Carolina: Randy Bolton (22)

Arkansas: David Hudspeth (??) Carolina: Harold Randolph (38)

Kentucky Trackers at Alabama Vulcans September 1, 1979 - Legion Field -

Vulcans storm by Kentucky at soggy Legion Field, 41-6                   Melody Simmons - Birmingham News                        It wasn't exactly disco football, but the victory dance the Alabama Vulcans performed in Legion Field Saturday night was enough to show their joy in defeating the Kentucky Trackers, 41-6.      The victory threw the 10-3 Vulcans into a three-way tie in the American Football Association (AFA) standings with the Florida Firebirds and the Carolina Chargers. The Vulcans travel to Carolina next week for their final game of 1979.      The field became a soggy dance floor after a torrential rains drenched it from both sides - sending inches of water spilling onto the sidelines.      But the game continued, and after the final second disappeared, Alabama and Kentucky players began to slip and slide all over the field, taking running starts that ended in 10-yard slides that were met undefended.      The game was the final regular season home match for the Vulcans. Alabama is scheduled to face Carolina next week to close out the 1979 season.      Vulcan quarterback Chris Vacarella, voted the season's most valuable player, had a spotless first quarter, connecting on seven of seven pass attempts for 115 yards.      The Vulcans, who will compete in the Sept. 15 AFA playoffs, brought a 9-3 record into the game. Kentucky, 3-11 after tonight's loss, handed the Vulcs their first defeat of the season June 23, downing Alabama 28-14.      The AFA playoff site for the four involved teams, Carolina, Florida, San Antonio and Alabama, will be determined by the attendance figures of the remaining regular season games. About 2,500 spectators attended Saturday night's final home game of the year for the Vulcs.      "At this stage of the game," said Alabama head coach Harry Lander, "I know Kentucky's glad to get through. In a lot of ways, I wish it was our last game. We're banged up and just trying to exist almost. But our youngsters got together before the game and dedicated themselves. They played an outstanding game."      Prior to Saturday night's kickoff, at least three members of the Alabama offensive line, according to a Vulcan official, decided against playing.      Lander confirmed that following the game.      "The offensive line tonight decided it would be real smart if they'd strike," he said, "so we just let them strike. Nobody's indispensable. We had a defensive front in there playing offensive line. We were fortunate to win under those circumstances. I have to take my hat off to the people who were here."      The Vulcans scored on their first series of downs - a drive that originated at their own 30 and was capped when running back Pat Kohlman drove over the middle from four yards and the score.      Alabama wide receiver Jim Patton hauled in a Vacarella 48-yard bomb for the Vulcs' second score with six minutes remaining in the first quarter.      The Vulcans scored again in the second quarter when Michael Horton leaped over a goal line stand to tack on six more points.      Kicker Ron Slovensky, who hit all three points after, booted a 45-yard field goal with 10:28 remaining in the first half.      Kentucky, led by hurling quarterback Alvin White, was unable to mount any kind of drive in the first half and was thwarted offensively by two crucial interceptions.      The Trackers, however, came alive with seconds remaining in the first half as White, throwing out of the shotgun because of a knee injury, connected with tight end David Thomas. Thomas fought a Vulcan defender for four yards to reach paydirt as the last second ticked off the scoreboard clock. The PAT was blocked by Curtis Walls, and the Vulcans took a 24-6 lead into the dressing room.      Playing in a steady drizzle throughout the game, both teams opened up the second half sliding around on the turf and exchanging punts.      The Vulcans scored with three minutes remaining when tight end James Coleman grabbed a short Vacarella pass with one hand and sprinted 36 yards to the goal line. Slovensky added the PAT.      Middle linebacker Carl Pennington picked off a 30-yard pass late in the period and Vacarella marched the Vulcans to the Kentucky 35-yard line. Unable to score six, Slovensky came in and kicked a 27-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining, and the Vulcs were on top 34-6.

Score by Quarters Kentucky       0     6     0     0     -     6 Alabama   14   10   10   7   -   41                           Statistics         KY       AL First downs   9   11 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 23   ? - 180 Passing yards   180   169 Passing (comp - att - int)   24 - 51 - 6   12 - 25 - 2 Punts - avg   5 - 38   4 - 38 Fumbles - lost   ? - 2   ? - 1 Penalties - yards   ? - 39   ? - 45                          Scoring Summary AL       Kohlman 4 run (Slovensky kick) AL   Patton 48 pass from Vacarella (Slovensky kick) AL   Horton 1 run (Slovensky kick) AL   Slovensky 45 field goal KY   Thomas 8 pass from White (kick failed) AL   Kohlman 36 pass from Vacarella (Slovensky kick) AL   Slovensky 27 field goal AL   Horton 1 run (Slovensky kick)

Alabama: Mark Cahill (8) Kentucky: Marshall Kellam (75)

Carolina Chargers at Shreveport Steamer September 1, 1979 - State Fair Stadium -

Defense leads Steamer to win                   Bill Rutkin - Shreveport Times                        The fight never went out of Shreveport's defense Saturday night after it led the Steamer to a 14-6 victory over American Football Association East leader Carolina at State Fair Stadium.      It was still fighting with just eight seconds to play when it sacked Charger quarterback Elsworth Turner for a nine-yard loss near his own goal line. Both benches emptied and the Steamer received a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, but mark the entire evening off as a lesson in frustration for the visitors.      By every right, Carolina would have won this game were it not for:      - A second quarter fumble recovery by linebacker Jerry Davis that stopped a long Carolina drive that finally proved that the Chargers were human too.      - Another fumble recovery, this one by noseguard Walter Chapman, who fell on quarterback Luther Carter's fumbled snap to set up the first Steamer touchdown on a drive of only one play and six yards, a diving lunge at the end zone by Arry Moody. It gave the Steamer a lead, and what proved to be the victory, after two long field goals by Mike Cox in the first quarter gave Carolina a 6-0 edge.      - Safety John Kelly, who has had 10 interceptions and one fumble recovery in the Steamer's last five games, recovered a fumble to stop a Carolina drive at the Shreveport 28 in the second period and intercepted a pass at his own 37 later in the half. Kelly continued to harass the Charger receivers, blocking another pass in the second half and intercepting yet another pass to snuff the enemy's final threat in the final two minutes.      - An interception by Larry Hearon at the Steamer 6 that ended a 20-play drive in the third and fourth quarters in which the Chargers used up almost their entire playbook in a 20-play maneuver.      "Everybody just played super, that's all you can say," said Steamer head coach Norm Hodgins. "The defense played its best game against the No. 1 team in the league.      "People ask me were you disappointed that the offense didn't do as well as the defense," continued Hodgins, basking in the elation of the moment. "Well, when you win a game like this, everybody played super."      It was a super effort all the way around that accounted for the Steamer's fourth straight victory.      The offense sputtered, but came to life when necessary. The defense gave up some yards, but came up with the big play when necessary.      The upset, the first time Shreveport has beaten Carolina in three meetings, began sloppily when A. T. Banks fumbled a punt that was recovered by Carolina's Johnnie Walker and set up Cox's first field goal of 42 yards.      The Steamer defense showed what kind of a game it was going to play, despite giving up the three-pointer. Carolina got the ball on the Shreveport 24 and eight plays later it was back on the Shreveport 25 lining up for a field goal. The crowd of only 2,800 had become so upset after the fumble that Carter had to ask for silence twice before getting off one of the plays.      After stopping Shreveport for 18 yards in losses on the ensuing series, Carolina took a short punt and tried to move in from the Steamer 40. It got no further than the 27 before calling on Cox for a 45-yard field goal.      The 6-0 lead was in no jeopardy against the Steamer offense which never got past midfield in the first half.      Steamer Quarterback James Mosley was intercepted once, it lost a fumble and had only 30 yards total offense in the first half.      Clyde Walker came in during the final quarter to lead the Steamer out of jeopardy, hitting passes of eight yards to Edwin Scott for a crucial first down and finding Greg Lazarro perfectly between two defenders for a 26-yard gain.      The final touchdown followed Kelly's second interception and lasted only four plays and 28 yards, capped by a 12-yard run by Alex Rankin.

Score by Quarters Carolina       6     0     0     0     -     6 Shreveport   0   7   0   7   -   14                           Statistics         CA       SH First downs   17   10 Rushing (att - yards)   40 - 90   33 - 80 Passing yards   156   60 Passing (comp - att - int)   17 - 29 - 3   7 - 15 - 1 Punts - avg   4 - 29   8 - 38 Fumbles - lost   5 - 3   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   13 - 95   11 - 92                          Scoring Summary CA       Cox 42 field goal CA   Cox 45 field goal SH   Moody 6 run (Skoruppa kick) SH   Rankin 12 run (Skoruppa kick)

Carolina: Ralph Collett (64) Shreveport: A.T. Banks (??)

San Antonio Charros at Jacksonville Firebirds September 1, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

'Birds bomb Charros 59-zip                   Bill Kastelz - Florida Times-Union                        "Our best game, by far, of the season."      That's how Coach Bob Williams sized up his Firebirds' 59-0 slaughter over an excellent San Antonio team Saturday night.      The meeting between two teams headed for the American Football Association playoffs was never in doubt.      Jacksonville scored on its first possession, was on the San Antonio goal line 30 seconds before the end of the game - and in between treated an estimated 12,000 spectators to some of the most entertaining football of the entire season.      Shreveport provided and added bonus for the Firebirds by beating Carolina 14-6, putting Jacksonville into a first-place tie with the Chargers with one week to go.      The Firebirds sliced up the Charros and left them for the dead despite San Antonio coming in with such credentials as:      . being the first 10-victory team in the league, and,      . coasting on the momentum of a five-game winning streak.      Actually the Charros had not been beaten since the Birds last did it 21-17 in Texas back on July 7.      Williams, accepting congratulations from all sides after the game called it "our best defensive game by far and our top all-around game of the year."      "We got all of the early breaks in the game. San Antonio is a much better football team than the score of the game would indicate.      "But, I am delighted with the way we played tonight since the playoffs are going to be coming up very: shortly and we appear to be gathering momentum," Williams said.      The Firebirds accumulated 620 total yards, 381 of them coming on 22 completed passes in 32 attempts. Conversely, San Antonio managed 94 total yards, completing one of 18 passes against the heads-up Firebird secondary.      Quarterback Don Gaffney completed his first six passes as the Birds quickly established who was boss.      Jacksonville took the opening kickoff and as Gaffney riddled the Charro defenses, moved to the San Antonio 6, where Leon McQuay later scored.      McQuay then promptly scored twice more in the first quarter to give the Birds a 20-0 lead. The second TD came on a 33-yard pass from Gaffney after Gerald Mosley ran 53 yards to set it up, and the third was a dazzling 51-yard sprint through a broken field.      The Birds added two more touchdowns in the second quarter. Charlie Dorsey got the first on a 1-yard burst, and Pat Padgett passed 23 yards to James Rackley for the other.      San Antonio put together a late drive which carried to the Birds' 30 before the Charros ran out of steam. They got three of their five first-half first downs in the process. San Antonio fumbled away the ball on its first possession of the second half and the Firebirds promptly socked it to them again.      Rackley scored on a 3-yard scramble with only 90 seconds gone and after John Williams' extra point it was 40-0.      A 7-yard pass from Padgett to Dorsey made it 46-0 with 10:01 left in the third quarter, and before the period was out, Padgett scored on an 8-yard keeper.      Padgett threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Brown at 10:58 of the fourth quarter to close out the scoring, although Jacksonville went to within inches of the San Antonio goal in the closing seconds.      The Firebirds, now 10-3, close out the regular season here Saturday night against Mississippi.

Score by Quarters San Antonio       0     0     0     0     -     0 Jacksonville   20   13   20   6   -   59                           Statistics         SA       JA First downs   6   24 Rushing (att - yards)   32 - 75   43 - 239 Passing yards   19   381 Passing (comp - att - int)   1 - 14 - 3   22 - 32 - 2 Punts - avg   7 - 43.5   1 - 41.0 Fumbles - lost   3 - 2   0 - 0 Penalties - yards   5 - 37   5 - 48                          Scoring Summary JA       McQuay 6 run (kick failed) JA   McQuay 33 pass from Gaffney (Gaffney run) JA   McQuay 51 run (kick failed) JA   Dorsey 1 run (pass failed) JA   Rackley 21 pass from Padgett (Williams kick) JA   Rackley 4 run (Williams kick) JA   Dorsey 7 pass from Padgett (kick failed) JA   Padgett 6 run (Williams kick) JA   Brown 5 pass from Padgett (kick failed)

Alabama Vulcans at Carolina Chargers September 8, 1979 - Memorial Stadium -

Carolina routs Alabama 52-14 Chargers ruin showdown                   Les Bowen - Charlotte Observer                        Some first-place showdown.      Prior to Saturday's 52-14 annihilation of the Alabama Vulcans by the Carolina Chargers in front of 7,- 335 fans at Charlotte's Memorial Stadium, the Chargers were tied with the Vulcans and the Jacksonville Firebirds for first place in the American Football Association.      Each team was 10-3 entering Saturday's action, but Carolina defeated Jacksonville in 2 of 3 meetings this year, so the way the Chargers figured it, the Vulcans were the only thing standing between them and a rousing chorus of "We're No. 1."      Alabama beat Carolina 28-0 May 19 at Birmingham in the AFA opener for both teams, and the Chargers have been looking forward to a rematch. But the rematch was a mismatch; Carolina set a team record for scoring points.      For a long time, it didn't look like Mike Cox would even punt, and when the Chargers finally kicked the ball away, with less than 2:00 left in the game, he was so out of practice he shanked a 28-yarder.      Cox, who would much rather kick field goals and extra points anyway, didn't mind missing the punting.      "I love it," he said midway through the fourth quarter, when Carolina led 52-7. "Let's score another one."      The Chargers scored the first three times they had the ball - on a 1-yard dive by quarterback Ellsworth Turner, a 42-yard pass from Turner to Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith, and a 47-yard field goal by Cox.      Just like that, Alabama was down 17-0, and when the Vulcans got the ball after Cox's field goal, owner/head coach Harry Lander replaced starting quarter- back Chris Vacarella with backup Mark Cahill.      The Chargers had prepared all week for Alabama's strong option-based rushing attack, but when Vacarella was lifted the Vulcans became a drop-back passing team - though not very successful.      At halftime Alabama had 7 yards rushing. By game's end, after Cahill had been sacked countless times, the Vulcan ground attack totaled 3 yards. That's right - 3 yards, on 23 carries. Their longest run was 9 yards.      Carolina's defensive line was a happy unit as the game wound down. Earlier in the season, when the Chargers used a 3-man front, the line was maligned for not putting pressure on enemy quarter- backs. But the opener in Birmingham was the only time an opponent had success running against the Chargers, and since assistant coach George Sauer switched the defense to a 4-man front about a month ago, complaints have diminished.      On Saturday, the starting front of Willie Moore, Larence Faulkner, Walt Sullivan and Grover Covington was awesome.      Even Moore, who broke his right hand in practice Thursday and admitted to being in pain throughout the game. was smiling at the end.      Moore said the Vulcans knew about his broken hand and tried to take advantage.      "That's the first time all year anybody's tried to run at our left side," Moore said. "But everybody did a great job. All I had to do was turn it in."      Perhaps even happier than the defensive linemen were Turner and Smith, both bothered recently by shoulder injuries. Each had a strong outing.      Turner, who completed 21 of 29 passes for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns despite sitting out the fourth quarter, turned to Smith late in the game and made a request.      "Tell 'em how you're back," he said, slapping Smith's palm. "I'm 100 percent plus 10." Smith said, slapping Turner's palm in reply. "I am the bionic man."      Smith caught 9 passes for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Score by Quarters Alabama       0     7     0     7     -     14 Carolina   14   3   21   14   -   52                           Statistics         AL       CA First downs   16   23 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 3   ? - 290 Passing yards   257   281 Passing (comp - att - int)   22 - 32 - 1   21 - 30 - 0 Punts - avg   7 - 37.1   1 - 28.0 Fumbles - lost   2 - 2   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   7 - 45   10 - 87                          Scoring Summary CA       Turner 1 run (Cox kick) CA   Smith 41 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Cox 47 field goal AL   Rice 2 run (Slovensky kick) CA   Walker 3 run (Cox kick) CA   Walker 1 run (Cox kick) CA   Smith 34 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Ratchford 77 run (Cox kick) CA   Duke 1 run (Cox kick) AL   Patton 4 pass from Cahill (Slovensky kick)

Carolina: Reggie Smith (80) Alabama: Rodney Bivens (43)

Carolina: Willie Moore (75) Alabama: Pat Kohlman (??)

Carolina: Johnny Walker (24)

Arkansas Champs at Shreveport Steamer September 8, 1979 - State Fair Stadium -

4th period keys Steamer win                   Harvey Laing - Shreveport Journal                        The Arkansas Champs were supposed to be a pushover for Shreveport's Steamer as the two teams closed the 1979 football season Saturday night at State Fair Stadium.      Not so.      The Steamer struggled to a 13-7 lead after three quarters and it was not until the fourth period that they blew the game open enroute to a 34-7 victory.      Some superb defensive play kept the Steamer in the contest until the offense could crank up in the final period.      After Alex Rankin had scored a Steamer touchdown from the 8 and Vernon Wells booted the extra point with 9:14 left in the first quarter, it took a fumble recovery by Marty Smith of a bad pitch by Arkansas quarterback Larry Mayer at the 8 to stop a Champ drive which would have tied the score or sent Arkansas into the lead. The Champs had driven to the 3 at the time.      Later, Don Henry blocked an attempted 48-yard field goal by Buzz Sawyer of the Champs and Lee Evans recovered for the Steamer and Henry intercepted a Meyer pass at the 3 to stymie drives.      It was a nervous, fingernail biting, time for the Steamer.      Norm Hodgins; who got his fifth win in six games as the Steamer head coach, admitted that his team might have been down for the game. "When you are meeting the last place team in the league (American Football Association), I guess it is natural to be down. We just didn't play with any emotion until we realized that we might get beat," he said afterward.      "Arkansas had picked up several players and I didn't think they had time to get organized, but they did," Hodgins said.      Henry, who played college ball at Florida State, said he expected to play well. He stated that no one blocked him when he roared in to block the field goal attempt. On the pass interception, he said "Marty Smith tipped it and I was able to catch it."      Rankin scored the first of three fourth-quarter touchdowns on a four-yard run, while the others came on a 70-yard pass play from reserve quarterback Clyde Walker to wide receiver Monroe Ford of Louisiana Tech and a one-yard plunge by Ricky Herrin, another Techster. The second Steamer touchdown came on an eight-yard pass from starting quarterback James Mosley to wide receiver Edwin Scott in the second quarter.      The lone Arkansas TD came in the second period on a three-yard run by Cleo House.      Yellow flags went flying all during the game, with each team penalized 15 times, the Steamer drawing 160 yards and the Champs 124. Asked about the penalties after the game, Hodgins said, "What penalties?" as a big smile came across his face... which is the way it is when you win.      As usual, Rankin and Arry Moody handled most of the rushing chores for the Steamer, with Rankin racking up 84 yards in 19 trips and Moody 60 yards in 11 carries. For the Champs, House posted 79 yards in 17 tries.

Score by Quarters Arkansas       0     0     7     0     -     7 Shreveport   0   7   6   21   -   34                           Statistics         AR       SH First downs   16   15 Rushing (att - yards)   34 - 148   36 - 145 Passing yards   128   231 Passing (comp - att - int)   10 - 24 - ?   12 - 20 - ? Punts - avg   4 - 29.5   3 - 32.7 Return yards   3   102 Fumbles - lost   5 - 1   2 - 1 Penalties - yards   15 - 124   15 - 160                          Scoring Summary SH       Rankin 8 run (Wells kick) SH   Scott 8 pass from Mosley (pass failed) AR   House 3 run (Scott kick) SH   Rankin 4 run (Wells kick) SH   Ford 70 pass from Walker (run failed) SH   Herren 1 run (Lazzaro pass from Toliver)

Shreveport: Arry Moody (48) Arkansas: Gary Gamen (51)

Mississippi Stars at Jacksonville Firebirds September 8, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

Gaffney, Firebirds rip Mississippi 46-6                   Bill Kastelz - Florida Times-Union                        Don Gaffney threw five touchdown passes as the playoff-bound Firebirds bombed Mississippi 46-6 in the Gator Bowl Saturday night.      The game, the final one of the regular American Football Association regular season, saw the Birds finish with an 11-3 record - good for a first-place tie with Carolina which routed Alabama.      Jacksonville's first-round opponent in the playoffs will be Alabama, which finished fourth in the league. The Firebirds were deemed regular-season champions although they finished tied for first with Carolina. The difference though is the Firebirds outscored the Chargers in their two meetings. Also, San Antonio and Alabama finished tied for third, but the Charros get a home berth in the playoffs because they beat the Vulcans twice during the regular season.      The Firebirds' finale was a sharp tune-up for the postseason round-of-four. They started slowly, then rattled off 40 points before Mississippi got on the scoreboard.      "It was exactly the sort of performance I had hoped for," said Fire- bird coach Bob Williams after the pass-filled game which required three hours and 25 minutes to complete.      "I thought it was one of our better performances of the year and it should give us a big lift going into the playoffs."      The Birds, paced by players such as Malachi Beyah, offensive tackle Mark Storey and tight end Charlie Dorsey - all three of whom were singled out for "most valuable performances" - kept the heat on Mississippi from start to finish. They passed and blocked and tackled like crazy and it didn't take long to determine the Stars were in for their ninth loss against five wins. It was the Birds' second win over the Stars, a 35-21 verdict coming on the Fourth of July.      Gaffney may not have received one of the "MVP" awards, but his five touchdown passes were certainly valuable.      All told Gaffney completed 19-of-26 passes for 317 yards and was intercepted three times. Saturday night's game was marred by an abundance of penalties and by a brief free- for-all involving the players after the try for point on the Birds' next-to-last touchdown.      But those of the estimated 8,000 spectators who stuck it out to the bitter end despite a game-long rain, got an extra thrill when a final desperation pass saw Jacksonville's Mike Ulmer pick it off and return it 94 yards to a touchdown as time ran out.      Unlike the previous week when the Birds ran up a 59-0 win over San Antonio, they had a little trouble getting untracked in the first quarter against Mississippi.      But, once they did, they rolled it up.      A fumble recovery at the Jacksonville 43 by linebacker Ken Lambert set up the first touchdown. On first down, Gaffney threw a 47-yard slant-in pass to wide receiver Mansey King to the Star 10. Four plays later, Leon McQuay dived over from a yard out and after John Williams converted it was 7-0 with 4:36 left in the first period.      The Birds then crammed three TD's into the last seven minutes of the second quarter.      The first was triggered by Ulmer's 45-yard return of an interception to the Mississippi 29. From the Stars 9, Gaffney drilled a scoring pass up the middle to Dorsey. Williams converted and it was 14-0 at 6:47.      Gaffney's 22-yard pass to wide receiver Charles Hummings put the Birds in business shortly afterward and they got TD No. 3 on a 33-yard toss from Gaffney to Dorsey again. After Williams missed the kick it was 20-0.      Twenty-seven seconds before the end of the half the Birds made it 27-0 on an li-yard pass from Gaffney to Willie Jackson plus Williams conversion.      One minute and 12 seconds into the third quarter the score climbed to 34-0 when the Firebirds took the kickoff and went 51 yards in four plays, scoring on a 17-yard toss from Gaffney to McQuay.      Next, they moved 72 yards in 11 plays to score once more - this time on a four yard pass from Gaffney to Jackson again. After the extra point was botched up, it touched off a brief but lively fight on the field as both benches cleared.      The score was now 40-0.      Mississippi finally got on the board with 11:09 left in the drawn-out contest. The Stars aided by two pass interference calls against Jacksonville, drove 76 yards in 13 plays to score. The touchdown came on a 5-yard pass from quarterback William Wooley to running back Gus Lee. Troy Harden missed the kick and it was 40-6.      Then came Ulmer's spectacular closing run for the Birds' final touchdown.

Score by Quarters Mississippi       0     0     0     6     -     6 Jacksonville   7   20   13   6   -   46                           Statistics         MS       JA First downs   16   15 Rushing (att - yards)   36 - 69   28 - 63 Passing yards   89   313 Passing (comp - att - int)   12 - 38 - 4   19 - 30 - 5 Punts - avg   5 - 37   0 - 0 Fumbles - lost   4 - 2   4 - 2 Penalties - yards   8 - 97   14 - 164                          Scoring Summary JA       McQuay 1 run (Williams kick) JA   Dorsey 8 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   Dorsey 33 pass from Gaffney (Williams  kick) JA   Jackson 11 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   McQuay 17 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   McQuay 17 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   Jackson 4 pass from Gaffney (kick failed) MS   Lee 5 pass from Wooley (kick failed) JA   Ulmer 94 interception return (pass failed)

Mississippi: Earnest Young (??) Jacksonville: James Rackley (33)

Playoffs

Alabama Vulcans at Jacksonville Firebirds September 15, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

Firebirds reach AFA championship                   Bill Kastelz - Florida Times-Union                        Not even an hours-long heavy rain could dampen the Firebirds' victory party Saturday.      Jacksonville roared into the championship game of the American Football Association by leading from start to finish and whipping the Alabama Vulcans 28-21 before an estimated 11,000 soggy but happy fans in the Gator Bowl.      As a result, the Birds will face the winner of tonight's Carolina-San Antonio game on Sept. 29 in the American Bowl game here.      "I was very pleased with the way we went after Alabama right from the start," said an elated Firebird coach Bob Williams.      "Alabama has given us a rough time all season long and this makes the win tonight doubly satisfying."      The Birds, led by such performers as offensive guard Terry Knowles, defensive back Marty Hammock and running back Leon McQuay, who scored three spectacular touchdowns - never let up on the Vulcans. For their efforts they were named most valuable offensive, defensive and overall players of the evening.      In four meetings this season each team won twice. But, this one was the one the Firebirds wanted most.      Firebird quarterback Don Gaffney completed only 9-of-28 passes with three interceptions for 185 yards, but the ball was slippery. Leading rusher for the Birds was running back James Rackley who had 73 yards on 18 carries.      The victory was the Firebirds' 12th against three setbacks this season, while Alabama, now out of contention after a spectacular early start, absorbed its fifth loss in 15 games.      Alabama, stubborn to the end, was not out of it for good until Mike Ulmer intercepted a Vulcan pass and returned it to midfield with only 23 seconds remaining.      Harry Lander, Alabama coach, was tagged with two consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct penalties over a questionable call late in the game.      Any chance the game might have had of drawing 20,000 or more spectators was promptly wiped out by a late-afternoon rain which turned into an early-evening downpour.      Latecomers missed three touchdowns in less than four minutes.      It took the Firebirds exactly 35 seconds to get on the scoreboard. After Ulmer returned the kickoff 36 yards, Gaffney threw two incomplete passes. Then he hit McQuay at the Firebird 45 and with the aid of a key block by Charlie Brown, McQuay turned it into a 65-yard touchdown. John Williams converted.      On Alabama's first play from scrimmage, an Alabama fumble was picked off in mid-air by Ulmer, who ran it 26 yards down to the Vulcan 2. On the second play. McQuay circled right end for a touchdown. Williams' kick made it 14-0 only 83 seconds into the game.      Then it was Alabama's turn. Mike Horton returned the kickoff 85 yards to the Firebird 10. Four plays later, Chris Vacarella drilled a 7-yard scoring pass to James Coleman and, after Ron Slovensky converted, the Birds held a 14-7 lead and the game was not yet into its fourth minute.      Jacksonville scored again in the second quarter when Vacarella fumbled the slick ball and Firebird Charles Pickett fell on it at the Vulcan 19. Shortly afterwards, Gaffney bootlegged 2 yards to the score.      And, the rain finally stopped falling.      Jacksonville temporarily shelved its passing game in the early part of the third quarter and before the Birds knew it, Alabama had closed to 21-14. Rackley's fumble was recovered at the Birds' 41 by Alabama tackle Alfonso Cain - and Vacarella took them the distance in seven plays, the touchdown coming on a 1-yard keeper.      The fans started to squirm, but not for long.      Early in the final period, an Alabama punt died at the Birds' 18 and Jacksonville struck again. Gaffney shot a pass to Charles Hummings, who ran all the way to the Alabama 29, a 53-yard gain. On the next play, Gaffney found McQuay, who sent the crowd into a frenzy with a dazzling cross-field run accompanied by scythe-like downfield blocking - touchdown. Williams' kick hiked it to 28-14.      Alabama turned an intercepted pass into the game's final touchdown, but with only 1:57 remaining all the scoring that was to be done had been done.

Score by Quarters Alabama       7     0     7     7     -     21 Jacksonville   14   7   0   7   -   28                           Statistics         AL       JA First downs   17   13 Rushing (att - yards)   38 - 123   34 - 85 Passing yards   105   185 Passing (comp - att - int)   12 - 26 - 3   9 - 28 - 3 Punts - avg   2 - 37   7 - 32 Fumbles - lost   10 - 5   2 - 2 Penalties - yards   8 - 62   9 - 65                          Scoring Summary JA       McQuay 62 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) JA   McQuay 1 run (Williams kick) AL   Coleman 6 pass from Vacarella (Slovensky kick) JA   Gaffney 1 run (Williams kick) AL   Vacarella 1 run (Slovensky kick) JA   McQuay 29 pass from Gaffney (Williams kick) AL   Ligon 13 pass from Cahill (Slovensky kick)

Jacksonville: Leon McQuay (30)

San Antonio Charros at Carolina Chargers September 16, 1979 - Memorial Stadium -

Chargers win after stand at goal line                   Les Bowen - Charlotte Observer                        Bon Dunn took the handoff from San Antonio Charros' quarterback Tommy Duniven and leaned forward, toward the Carolina Chargers' end zone that must have looked so wide open and inviting, less than a yard from where the football had been sitting before it was snapped.      But leaning forward was the best Dunn could do.      He was bearhugged by Carolina linebacker Sam Cook, and then the whole right side of the Chargers' defense was resting on Dunn's chest, he was downed for a 2-yard loss, and the game was decided.      The Carolina Chargers had defeated the Charros 28-21 in a first-round American Football Association game. Carolina plays Jacksonville, a 28-21 victor Saturday over Alabama, in the American Football Association championship game Sept. 29 in Jacksonville, Fla.      The Chargers started celebrating immediately after stopping Dunn on fourth-and-goal from their 1, though three seconds remained on the Memorial Stadium clock and the field had to be cleared for the Carolina offense to run a token play before the result became official.      That formality taken care of, Chargers' coach Perry Moss was hoisted onto players' shoulders while the heavily taped, beefy forearms of Carolina's defensive linemen waved about in the air.      The crowd of 7,725 stayed around for awhile, whooping it up.      Looking more relieved than happy was kicker-punter Mike Cox, whose shanked 11-yard punt with 1:43 left in the game helped make the final goal line stand necessary.      "That (goal line stand) sure took the heat off me," Cox said.      The Charros got the ball on Carolina's 46 after Cox's blooped punt, and on second down, Duniven passed to wide receiver Hal Louis at Carolina's 6, where Louis made a leaping catch over cornerback Benny Johnson.      With first-and-goal on Carolina's 6 and 1:23 left, it looked like the Charros' next big decision would be whether to try for a 2-point conversion after they scored. Fullback David Wehmeyer powered up the middle and was brought down inside the 1. But a sneak by Duniven moved the ball only a few inches, and then Wehmeyer tried the middle again. This time he was slammed down for a loss of about a foot.      Suddenly, it was fourth down, the clock was ticking down from 16 seconds, and the Charros had used all their timeouts.      The crowd was screaming; the Chargers' defense, which had seemed on the verge of panic when beaten on Louis's pass, somehow had the upper hand again in the battle of emotions as it dug in for a final effort. Then Dunn had the ball and the Chargers had Dunn, and that was it.      "It was war," safety John Die- - PORTION OF ARTICLE IS MISSING - for 212 yards. 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, but the Charros' running game accounted for only 50 yards on 23 attempts.      After Louis's catch at Carolina's 6, though, the Charros stayed on the ground. And the Chargers won.      "We were just going to go to our fullback," Charros' coach George Pasterchick said afterward. "We thought it would work - especially after Wehmeyer gained 5 on that first play."      Carolina's offense was bogged down by penalties late in the game - the Chargers were flagged a total of 13 times for 147 yards - but earlier quarterback Ellsworth Turner passed to wide receiver Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith for a pair of touchdowns and Bart Crawford for another score. Randy Bolton's 22-yard run with 10:01 left in the game capped Carolina's scoring.

Score by Quarters San Antonio       7     0     6     8     -     21 Carolina   7   14   0   7   -   28                           Statistics         SA       CA First downs   15   21 Rushing (att - yards)   23 - 17   47 - 139 Passing yards   212   142 Passing (comp - att - int)   15 - 32 - 2   17 - 26 - 0 Punts - avg   5 - 40.0   6 - 29.8 Fumbles - lost   1 - 1   3 - 1 Penalties - yards   8 - 59   13 - 147                          Scoring Summary CA       Crawford 6 pass from Turner (Cox kick) SA       Armstrong 23 pass from Duniven (Mellott kick) CA   Smith 18 pass from Turner (Cox kick) CA   Smith 15 pass from Turner (Cox kick) SA   Hopkins 9 pass from Duniven (kick failed) CA   Bolton 25 run (Cox kick) SA   Wehmeyer 2 run (Armstrong pass from Duniven)

Carolina: Johnny Walker (24) San Antonio: J. V. Stokes (45)

American Bowl I

Carolina Chargers at Jacksonville Firebirds September 29, 1979 - Gator Bowl -

Firebirds whip Carolina for title                   Bill Kastelz - Florida Times-Union                        Jacksonville and Carolina could play a hundred American Football Association games - and each probably would win 50.      But, Saturday night when it was for all the marbles in the American Bowl, it was the Firebirds, all the way.      They whipped the Chargers 21-7 before a wildly excited crowd estimated at 22,000 in the Gator Bowl, and became the league's champions in their first try.      Reggie "Super Gnat" Smith, Carolina's all-league wide receiver who was bottled up by a raging Firebird defense, probably spoke for all concerned after the game when he said, "Jacksonville proved itself to be the best team in the AFA. The Chargers and Jacksonville are the class of the league. We were flat, but that was not the difference."      His coach, Perry Moss, echoed Smith's sentiments.      "The score was 21-7. That ought to say it all. It was a hell of a ball game," Moss said. "They executed and we didn't. Their defense was outstanding.      "This league is here to stay," he added after looking at the crowd and considering the weather.      "I'm looking forward to next year. A great, great ball game was played here tonight."      The Firebirds never trailed in the game which was the fourth meeting of the two teams this season, each winning two.      Birds' quarterback Don Gaffney, who went all the way and called a masterful game, said, "Carolina was a tough and well-coached ball club. Their defense was great. They kept coming, but on the pass patterns, we found some openings and they worked."      But, happiest of all probably, was Firebirds coach Bob Williams, voted the AFA's Coach of the Year. Williams confessed, "I didn't think we were prepared, but our defensive coverage was great, the team effort was great and our offense took advantage of every opportunity and executed.      "I'm very proud of this team. Despite all the adversity, we maintained our poise and showed the true character of this bunch. It's a great team."      The championship trophy was presented to the Firebirds after the game by AFA Commissioner John Waits and the Birds also will receive championship rings. Singled out for honors in the game were Mike Ulmer, most valuable player overall; Tony Perry, defensive MVP; Leon McQuay, offensive MVP, and Charles Pickett, defensive line MVP. The sportsmanship award went to center Cleveland Williams.      A two-hour rain and tornado warnings in the late afternoon cut into the expected turnout although the crowd was boosted by six busloads of fans from Charlotte.      Carolina made the only serious offensive threat of the first quarter when Turner drove the Chargers 82 yards up field to within a yard of the end zone on the club's second possession.      But, after a Turner pass to Smith went for 22 yards to the Birds' 1, Jacksonville linebacker Ernie Knox sacked Turner at the 3. On the next play, Turner fumbled and Knox was right there again to recover at the 4, and the threat was choked off.      After the Firebirds stopped Carolina's Randy Bolton on a fourth-and-1 at the Birds' 26, the quarter ended scoreless.      The second period rocked along in much the same predominantly defensive manner until there was 6:03 left on the clock.      At that point, Carolina's Mike Cox, the league's No. 1 punter, had one blocked for the first time this season. Jacksonville's Clarence Dennard earned the honor and as the ball rolled around deep in Carolina territory, Pickett fell on it for the Birds at the Charger 7.      On the first play, Gaffney threw to McQuay, who scored. John Williams' extra-point try was blocked by Carolina defensive back John Diefenback and the Firebirds led 6-0 with 5:58 to play.      The last three minutes of the first half were crammed with action.      After Cox was wide right with a Carolina field goal try at 2:41, the Firebirds lashed back and scored in four plays. The fourth play was a 55-yard pass from Gaffney to Charlie Hummings, who had nobody within 10 yards of him when he caught the ball. The Birds went for two on the conversion, but failed and it was 12-0 with 1:34 remaining.      The two clubs traded interceptions in the waning seconds and Carolina scored with no time left on the clock when Turner passed nine yards to Danny Whyte in the end zone. Cox kicked the point and it was 12-7.      Jacksonville upped it to 18-7 the second time it had the ball in the third quarter.      After Gerald Mosley returned a punt to the Chargers' 45, the Birds scored in four plays. James Rackley got five yards and McQuay 12 more. Gaffney then found Charlie Dorsey with a 26-yarder on the Carolina 2 before passing for a touchdown to Mosley. Again they went for two and again they failed, and with 4:54 left in the third quarter, it was 18-7.      Williams closed out the scoring with a 24-yard field goal as only 3:19 remained on the clock - and the Firebirds had themselves the championship.

Score by Quarters Carolina       0     7     0     0     -     7 Jacksonville   0   12   6   3   -   21                           Statistics         CA       JA First downs   18   12 Rushing (att - yards)   ? - 23   ? - 165 Passing yards   256   200 Passing (comp - att - int)   13 - 33 - 3   12 - 26 - 1 Punts - avg   6 - 33   9 - 38 Fumbles - lost   2 - 2   2 - 2 Penalties - yards   5 - 55   11 - 105                          Scoring Summary JA       McQuay 7 pass from Gaffney (kick blocked) JA   Hummings 55 pass from Gaffney (pass failed) CA   Whyte 9 pass from Turner (Cox kick) JA   Mosley 2 pass from Gaffney (pass failed) JA   Williams 24 field goal

Carolina: Warren Ratchford (25), Terry Jackson (65), Dwight Smith (77), Tony Penny (68), Curtis Phifer (67) Jacksonville: Ernie Knox (54)

Jacksonville: Malachi Beyah (51), Ken Lambert (14) Carolina: Reid Squires (66)

Jacksonville: Manzy King (86) Carolina: Joe Crosby (52)

Artwork appearing in Florida Times-Union

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American Bowl I

Schedules

Arkansas Champs Kentucky Trackers       Tulsa Mustangs

Tickets

08/04/1979 Mississippi Stars at Alabama Vulcans

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

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

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

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