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| Dusty Heckman, Oklahoma Outlaws |
Heckman caught seven passes for 102 yards and a TD during his team's 42-28 victory over the Portland Storm in Week 12. Although his production has slowed down recently, Heckman is still on track to break the league's all-time single-season receiving yardage of 2,548 he set in 1976. He currently has 2,059 yards. In the NFL, the single-season record is 1,964, set by Detroit's Calvin Johnson in 2012.
Heckman is already the USFl/WFL all-time leader with 11,127 receiving yards and counting. John Sanders of the Portland Storm is No. 2, roughly 1,500 yards behind Heckman.
Heckman also leads all receivers with 80 career TD receptions. Santiago Smith of the Los Angeles Express has 79, but Smith is in his 10th season and contemplating retirement.
The Outlaws originally took Heckman with the 30th pick in the 19th round of the 1974 expansion draft—the 606th player taken overall. His overall rating was 55.76 (my weights) and his volatility 94, but, boy, did he boom. His overall passed 80 during the 1976 preseason and now sits at 87.45.
Heckman missed two games after sustaining a serious knee injury in 1974, but has not missed one since.
Some more notes from Dusty's trail:
- His 570 career receptions rank third all-time.
- He ranks both No. 1 and No. 2 in single-game receiving yardage (418 and 394).
- His 16 receptions in a single game rank second only to teammate James Rosenzweig, who caught 17 against Denver earlier this season.
- His six TDs in a single game rank second only to Thomas Canale of the New Orleans VooDoo (7).
- His 22 TDs in 1976 rank No. 6 all-time for a single season. He has 17 this season.
- His 111 receptions in 1977 rank 12th all-time for a single season. He has 98 this season.
In other Week 12 games:
- The Cleveland Thunderbolts are within four wins of achieving the second 16-0 season in USFL history. Chester Dougherty passed for 527 yards, including the 75-yard game-winner to Jimmy Brown, as Cleveland outlasted the Oakland Invaders, 37-31 in overtime. The 'Bolts had forced OT on Bert Eichelberger's 1-yard TD run with 20 seconds remaining in regulation time. Cleveland finishes its schedule against Orlando, Michigan, San Jose, and Detroit.
- Tampa Bay QB Luis Gero threw for 598 yards and six TDs in an 86-10 rout of the Boston Breakers. Bandits LDE William Lewis had 18 hurries
- Memphis QB James Perry passed for 649 yards and five TDs as the Showboats earned their 12th consecutive victory over the Houston Gamblers, 58-34.
- Michigan snapped its seven-game losing streak as Jerry Ruiz passed for four TDs and the Panthers ran out the final 2:31 of a 28-26 victory over the Chicago Blitz.
- Washington DT Richard Fleming sacked Charlotte QB Stanley Snyder in the end zone with 48 seconds remaining, giving the Federals a 39-37 win over the Hornets.
