1982 World Bowl IX Summary: Gamblers Roll 7s

Mario Valencia, QB, Houston

In the second half of Monday's World Bowl IX, the Houston Gamblers finally unveiled the unstoppable offense that had averaged nearly 40 points per game during the team's nine-game win streak that led up to the USFL/WFL's championship game.

The Gamblers scored 27 points after intermission, including 20 unanswered points over the final 17:20, to pull away from the New Jersey Generals, 37-20, and claim their first World Bowl title.

Houston RB/WR/KR James Connelly was named unofficial MVP. He rushed for 94 yards, including a 58-yard TD, and caught seven passes for 131 yards, including TD receptions of 75 and 2 yards from QB Mario Valencia.

The Gamblers trailed, 20-17, late in the third quarter. A fumble and an interception by New Jersey gave Houston some help with short fields that led to a TD and a field goal.

Daniel McCormack kicked field goals of 56 and 57 yards for Houston, which finished the regular season with the league's best record (15-1), but struggled to score during playoff victories over Memphis (13-10) and Michigan (16-13, OT).

Stephen LaBelle threw a pair of first-quarter TD passes for New Jersey, which was attempting to duplicate its World Bowl VIII victory.

Houston was 11-for-19 on third-down conversions, while the Generals were 3-for-12.

The USFL/WFL tips its collective hats to Gamblers coach setherick, who took over a team on life support three seasons ago and built a championship club while staying $56 million under the salary cap.

1982 USFL/WFL All-Pro Team

To say this was a big year for the Houston Gamblers would be an understatement.

The Gamblers were 15-1 during the regular season and will take on the New Jersey Generals in World Bowl IX on Monday. Houston also can stick out its chest a big while talking about the five players and three major award winners it placed on the 1982 USFL/WFL All-Pro Team.

Mario Valencia, QB, Houston

Gamblers QB Mario Valencia claimed his second offensive MVP award, a distinction shared only by former Birmingham Stallions legend Agustin Crook. Valencia was also MVP in 1976 while with the Detroit Wheels. His stat line for the season: 4,777 yards, 55 TD, 17 INT, 107.92 QBR.

Houston linebacker Roderick Carver (138 tackles, 8 INT) was voted defensive MVP by league coaches and WR Gabriel Ahrens was voted Offensive Rookie of the Year. Ahrens led the league in receiving yards (1,776) and TD receptions (25) while being nominated for Rookie of the Week 12 times.

Honolulu Hawaiians DB Thomas Franks (73 tackles, 2 INT, 31.6 catch allowed) was named Defensive Rookie of the Year. Michigan Panthers coach Hellbringer was voted Coach of the Year after he led his team to a franchise-record 11 victories, its first division title, first playoff appearance, and first playoff victory.

Three players were named All-Pro for a fourth time—Portland DL Norman Paulk, Washington DL John Broussard, and Cleveland P Dan Carr. The five-member All-Pro offensive line included three current Portland Storm players and one former Portland star (Tampa Bay OL Adam Bolding). Charlotte linebacker Thomas Allums became the first Hornets player to be voted All-Pro. DB Kelly Acosta, a Draft Day bust for Houston in 1980, intercepted 10 passes for Birmingham this season and was voted All-Pro for the first time. Arizona WR/RB Quincy White was voted All-Pro at WR in 1981 and at RB in 1982.

1982 USFL/WFL All-Pro Team

(Previous selections in parentheses)
Offense: Mario Valencia, QB, Houston ('76); James Connelly, RB/WR, Houston ('78 KR); Quincy White, RB/WR, Arizona ('81 WR); Gabriel Ahrens, WR, Houston; Allan Boyer, WR, Washington; Mario Burton, TE, Birmingham; Thomas Bellanger, OL, Portland ('81); Adam Bolding, OL, Tampa Bay ('76, '80); Daniel Fears, OL, Portland; Randy Squires, OL, Portland; Michael Warren, OL, San Jose ('81).

Special Teams: Matthew Eno, K, Chicago; Dan Carr, P, Cleveland ('76, '79, '81); Kenneth Marks, KR, Detroit.

Defense: Norman Paulk, DL, Portland ('75, '76, '77); Jeffrey Lovelace, DT, Houston; John Broussard, DL, Washington ('79, '80, '81); Chris Smith, DL, Baltimore; Roderick Carver, LB, Houston; Thomas Allums, LB, Charlotte; Douglas Oneal, LB, Honolulu ('81); Mark Owens, LB, Oakland; Harold Lindsay, DB, Georgia; Kerry Justin, DB, New Jersey ('78, '81); Kelly Acosta, DB, Birmingham; Dennis Canning, DB, Chicago.

Offensive MVP: Mario Valencia, QB, Houston
Defensive MVP: Roderick Carver, LB, Houston
Coach of the Year: Hellbringer, Michigan
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Gabriel Ahrens, WR, Houston
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Thomas Franks, DB, Honolulu

Honorable Mention (in order of number of votes received):

QB: Jerry Ruiz, Michigan; Dustin Nichols, Denver.
RB: Cory Martin, Washington; Michael Leonard, Portland; Max Howard, Chicago; Kenneth Anderson, San Jose; Patrick Hiebert, Oklahoma.
WR: Mark Moody, Honolulu; Quincy White, Arizona; Jerome Betancourt, Memphis; Damon Rosato, Memphis.
TE: Herbert Schuler, San Jose; Leroy Selmon, New Jersey; Chris Squire, San Antonio; Richard Glasscock, Portland.
OL: Elvis Presley, New Jersey; Frank Eddins, Oakland; Richard Mosley, San Jose; Leonard Putnam, Los Angeles; Jimmy Hoffa, New Jersey; Carl Lawlor, Houston; David Fowler, Jacksonville.
KR: Hector Morris, Baltimore; Allan Howard, New York.
DL: Douglas Couey, Michigan; Albert Cruz, Oklahoma; Jeffrey Alfaro, New Orleans.
LB: Timothy Hall, Oklahoma; Robert Tate, Chicago; Frederick Brown, Oakland; Curtis Bernard, Philadelphia; Phillip Williamson, Jacksonville.
DB: Rodney Preston, New York; Thomas Franks, Honolulu; Jim Morrison, San Antonio; Theodore McQueen, Jacksonville; Charles Bowles, Boston; Brent Sylvain, Houston; Ezra Baumgardner, San Jose; Francis Vanhoose, Washington; Gordon Wong, Jacksonville; Shelby Kemp, Florida.
Offensive MVP: James Connelly, RB/WR, Houston; Thomas Bellanger, OL, Portland; Gabriel Ahrens, WR, Houston; Jerry Ruiz, QB, Michigan.
Defensive MVP: Dennis Canning, DB, Chicago; John Broussard, DL, Washington; Harold Lindsay, DB, Georgia; Rodney Preston, DB, New York; Douglas Oneal, LB, Honolulu; Kerry Justin, DB, New Jersey; Douglas Couey, DL, Michigan; Phillip Williamson, LB, Jacksonville.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Magic Johnson, RB, New Jersey; Mario Burton, TE, Birmingham; Charles Ahumada, WR/RB, Michigan.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: William Wallace, LB, Oklahoma; Ezra Baumgardner, DB, San Jose; Edward Harvey, DB, Philadelphia.

1982 World Bowl IX Preview

Can the New Jersey Generals repeat? If it's true that you win with defense, New Jersey would certainly be favored to do just that.

The World Bowl VIII champions will try to duplicate that feat against the Houston Gamblers on Monday in the USFL/WFL's ninth championship game.

The Generals will attempt to equal the accomplishments of the Detroit Wheels (III and IV) and Memphis Showboats (VI and VII), the only other back-to-back champions in league history.

Bon Scott, MLB, New Jersey

New Jersey will carry a seven-game win streak into the World Bowl, a string in which they have allowed only one TD. That's one TD in 28 quarters, folks. But the Generals haven't seen many offenses like that of the Gamblers. Houston has won nine in a row, averaging 38 points per game in that span.

Both teams survived the conference championship games by the skin (skins?) of their teeth.

The Gamblers were trailing the Michigan Panthers, 13-10, and were out of time outs with 49 seconds to play. Michigan could have run down the clock and punted with only a few seconds remaining, but instead decided to throw a pass—a decision that will live forever in coaching infamy.

Jerry Ruiz's throw was intercepted by Houston WLB James Beasley and returned 44 yards to the Michigan 4. Daniel McCormack kicked a 22-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to force OT. McCormack was good from 42 yards away in OT to give Houston a 16-13 lead, then Houston LDE Irvin Balzer stuffed Michigan RB/WR Charles Ahumada on fourth-and-1 to end the game.

The Generals' defense has come up big all season, but especially big during New Jersey's 10-7 win over the New Orleans VooDoo in the National Conference title game. New Orleans had a first down on its 40 with a game-tying field goal not too far in the distance. The VooDoo ran eight plays after that and ended up on their own 27, a net loss of 13 yards, thanks in part to MLB/lead singer Bon Scott.

New Orleans got the ball to its own 38 in the closing seconds, but Dustin Diamond's pickoff with 5 seconds to play snuffed out that final drive.

The regular-season series between the Generals and Gamblers is tied 1-1. Houston won the most recent meeting, 30-22, in 1979. MFN has New Jersey as a 1-point favorite.

1982 Conference Championships: Worst to First?

The chances are 50 percent in favor of someone in the USFL/WFL going worst-to-first this season.

Of the four teams remaining in the playoffs, three finished last in their division within recent memory:

• Michigan Panthers: Finished last in the Midwest Division in 1981
• New Orleans VooDoo: Finished last in the South Division in 1981
• Houston Gamblers: Finished last in the Southwest Division in 1979

What does this mean? It means somebody has really been coaching 'em up. All three coaches (Hellbringer, setherick, greyghost1225) have already gotten at least one vote for Coach of the Year in the ongoing 1982 All-Pro Team balloting.

The New Jersey Generals have actually never finished last in the East Division. They did miss the playoffs in 1974 and 1976, but have qualified for the postseason in each of the last six seasons.

A capsule look at Friday's conference championship games follows.

American Conference

Michigan Panthers (11-5) at Houston Gamblers (15-1)

Both teams are looking for their first-ever World Bowl appearance.

Daniel McCormack

Houston's only loss came to the Oklahoma Outlaws in Week 9, so the Gamblers have won eight in a row, averaging 41 points per game in that span. The Memphis Showboats were able to shut down Houston's attack in the divisional round, but the Gamblers escaped with a 13-10 victory on Daniel McCormack's 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. After Memphis turned the ball over on downs, Houston ran out the final 2:51 (thanks in part to a third-down pass interference penalty on the Showboats).

The Panthers survived the Midwest Division meatgrinder by ending the season on a four-game win streak, then followed up with a wild-card win over Denver and a divisional round win over Honolulu that snapped the Hawaiians' 10-game win streak. During its current six-game string, Michigan has given up only one TD and 28 total points. The Hawaiians threw 72 passes, and six were intercepted, including three by CB Robert Kimball one returned 48 yards for a TD by CB Timothy Hunziker.

Michigan leads the regular-season series with Houston, 4-3, but the Gamblers won, 43-14, in their last meeting (1981). MFN has labeled Houston a 9-point favorite.

National Conference

New Orleans VooDoo (13-3) at New Jersey Generals (14-2)

Jim LeClair

These teams are no strangers to big games. New Jersey is the defending World Bowl champions after falling in the title game two seasons earlier. New Orleans qualified for both World Bowl III and World Bowl VII.

New Jersey's defense has not allowed a TD in its last six games, including a 34-6 pummeling of the Birmingham Stallions in the divisional round. The Generals surrendered only 189 net yards and veteran SLB Jim LeClair returned an interception 31 yards for his team's final score. New Jersey is 6-2 in its last eight playoff games.

New Orleans won six in a row before losing its Week 16 game to Birmingham, then bounced back to edge the Jacksonville Bulls, 7-3, in the divisional round. The VooDoo punted 10 times and were intercepted three times, yet won because Jacksonville drives that began at the New Orleans 35- and 17-yard lines netted the Bulls only one field goal. Bruno Wilson's 5-yard pass to Joseph Baker accounted for the game's only TD.

New Jersey leads the regular-season series, 3-1, including a 14-0 shutout to end the 1981 season. MFN has the Generals as a 7-point favorite.

1982 Wild Card Preview/Season Wrapup

Laverne Ashlick, LDE, Philadelphia

The USFL/WFL's ninth regular season has concluded, the four-way tie for the final American Conference wild-card spot has been broken, and now it's time for the playoffs. The wild-card round begins Monday.

Memphis Showboats (10-6) at Portland Storm (11-5): The Showboats will seek to become the only franchise with three league titles, having won World Bowl VI and World Bowl VII. Portland will try to shake off a three-game losing streak to end the regular season. Portland leads the regular-season series, 3-2, including a 27-24 decision in Week 9 this season. The teams have never met in the playoffs. Memphis will be without starting TE Ernest McNeill (knee). Portland has sustained quite a run of concussions, with three players out or probable, and two other players questionable with regular injuries.

Denver Gold (9-7) at Michigan Panthers (11-5): Michigan has had quite a season already, setting a franchise record for victories while winning its first-ever division title and clinching its first-ever playoff spot. Now the Panthers will face Denver, which emerged from a four-way tie for the final wild-card spot. The Gold made their first-ever playoff appearance last season, falling to Detroit in their first game. Michigan leads the regular-season series, 3-1, and won, 10-6, in Week 4 of the 1981 season. The Gold and Panthers are both are pretty healthy.

Birmingham Stallions (9-7) at Washington Federals (12-4): The Stallions spent three seasons rebuilding under coach Wolveraider and are now in the playoffs for the first time since 1978. The Federals have won two Atlantic Division championships in the last three seasons. Birmingham leads the regular-season series, 3-2, but the Federals beat the Stallions, 20-12, in Week 7 this season. Washington has five players out, doubtful, or questionable, including 91-rated LT Wesley Griffin. The Stallions have three significant injuries to projected starters.

Philadelphia Bell (11-5) at Jacksonville Bulls (10-5-1): Philadelphia will be looking to avenge last season's 13-7 loss to Jacksonville in the wild-card round. The Bell are 1-4 in the regular season against the Bulls, but that victory came this season—a 20-10 Philadelphia win in Week 10. Jacksonville, which earned its second consecutive Southeast Division championship, will try for its first postseason victory since 1975. The Bulls have two significant injuries on the offensive line, while the Bell have three injuries on defense, including star LDE Laverne Ashlock (ankle).

Record Book

• Houston Gamblers QB Mario Valencia threw 55 TD passes this season, tied for second all-time behind Portland's William Hill (63 in 1980). Valencia also threw 55 TD passes with Detroit in 1976, as did Michigan's Jerry Ruiz in 1980.
• Houston's James Connelly ran for 1,507 yards this season, which ranks No. 12 all-time and is the most by any USFL/WFL back since 1978. His 11 TDs are tied for No. 9 for a single season.
• Houston MLB Roderick Carver made 138 tackles, tied for second all-time with Oklahoma Hall of Fame CB Allen Herrera (1974). Washington MLB Travis Curcio set the league record with 140 in 1978.
• Georgia Force FS Harold Lindsay made 130 tackles, tied for fifth all-time.
• Florida Blazers CB Shelby Kemp returned two interceptions for TDs this season, tying the league record set by Cleveland's Monte Cherry in 1978.
• Oakland Invaders K Lester Reed averaged 73.9 yards per kickoff this season, tied for third all-time. Reed (1981) and Boston's Timothy Riley (1974) both averaged 74.1.
• Cleveland Thunderbolts P Dan Carr averaged 48.5 yards per boot this season, ranking No. 3 all-time under himself (1979) and Baltimore's Wesley Bradley (1975).
• Baltimore WR Randy Christmas still holds the record for highest average per catch (29.8) for any receiver with 32 or more receptions in a season. He set that record during the league's first season, 1974.

Coach's Profile

eyeballll, Detroit Wheels

eyeballll

Playing MFN Since: April 2015
Hometown (town, state): Vancouver, BC, Canada
Current residence (town, state): Vancouver
Day job: Taper (taping, mudding, and sanding drywall)
Favorite teams (all sports): Philadelphia Eagles!
A real-life sports experience: I had both of my front teeth knocked out playing hockey when I was 16 … a very Canadian thing to do.
A fantasy sports experience: I've been playing fantasy football for years, so I've had my share of wins. Two years ago I managed to win the Toilet Bowl in BOTH of the leagues I was in. The two teams didn't have any players in common, so to lose that effectively in both leagues was quite an accomplishment (one my friends celebrate on a regular basis).
Coach's Corner: (tip for a new MFN coach): Play selection is the most important aspect that is overlooked by many owners. If a play gets you a 1.2 yd average after running it 35 times, take it out of your playbook and try a new play! There are lots of plays that work and lots that don't. Your job is to find the ones that work.

1982 Week 15: 18 Teams, One Week, Two Spots

One more week to go—and 18 teams in the USFL/WFL still have at least a mathematical chance of making the playoffs. Talk about parity.

MFN says the Birmingham Stallions (8-7) have clinched the final National Conference playoff spot. However, we know from experience that MFN can be wrong. It is possible that four teams—Birmingham, Tampa Bay (7-8), Pittsburgh (7-8), and the New York Stars (7-8) could all finish 8-8. Then we go to the NFL tiebreaker procedures.

There are many potential scenarios. I did go through the tiebreakers for a four-way tie and (after first eliminating the Stars and Maulers due to conference records) had Birmingham coming out on top with a better record than Tampa Bay against common opponents.

The American Conference isn't much easier to figure. It is possible for Michigan, Denver, Memphis, and Cleveland to all finish 10-6. One of them would be out. But, what if they all lose in Week 16?

Suddenly, Memphis is in at 10-6 and the other wild card would go to a team that finishes 9-7—which could be Michigan, Denver, Cleveland, Los Angeles, or Chicago.

All we can tell you for sure is, don't believe everything you read, and be ready.

Week 15 Roundup

• The Michigan Panthers clinched their first-ever Midwest Division title with a 20-3 shutdown of Cleveland that completed a season sweep of the Thunderbolts. Michigan limited Cleveland to 117 yards passing and the offense scored when the Panthers recovered their own fumble in the end zone.
• Houston QB Mario Valencia passed for 481 yards and seven TDs as the Gamblers (14-1) clinched the No. 1 seed in the American Conference by outscoring the Jacksonville Bulls, 59-35. Rookie WR Gabriel Ahrens caught six passes for 255 yards (42.5 per catch) and TDs of 14, 69, 69, and 75 yards.
• Four pass interceptions by the Pittsburgh Maulers helped lead to a 17-0 win over the Baltimore Stars. Eric Reed recorded two sacks, Thomas Chau six tackles and a pickoff.
• Oklahoma stopped San Antonio's 2-point conversion attempt with 17 seconds to play to walk away with a 19-17 victory over the Gunslingers.

Week 16 Preview

Pretty much every game in the league has some potential playoff implications for at least one of the teams. One that doesn't will take place in Washington, where the Honolulu Hawaiians (12-3), champions of the Pacific Division, meet the Federals (12-3), champions of the Atlantic Division. Honolulu will try to end the season on a 10-game win streak. Memphis (10-5) and Houston (14-1) could meet again in the playoffs.

Coach's Profile

Private Snowflake, Memphis Showboats

Playing MFN Since: 10/23/17
Hometown (town, state): Cincinnati, OH
Current residence (town, state): Milan, IN
Day job: Construction estimator
Favorite teams (all sports): Reds, Bengals, Bearcats
A real-life sports experience: Homering in my first AB of the first game my newborn was in attendance.
A fantasy sports experience: The Good: Being lucky enough to have selected a then-unknown Chris Johnson and him leading me to a league championship. The Bad: Dumping Adrian Peterson after his injury, only for him to come back with 2k yards.
Coach's Corner: (tip for a new MFN coach): Success in MFN does take time, so take the time to be successful by reading the Help Forum. Your enjoyment will increase ten-fold.

1982 Week 14: Panthers Eye Finish Line

The Michigan Panthers are down to one more historical hurdle to clear.

Michigan shut out the Los Angeles Express, 20-0, to earn its ninth victory of the season, a franchise record. The Panthers also have the first playoff spot in franchise history in their crosshairs.

John Brown, DT

Michigan (9-5) and the Cleveland Thunderbolts (9-5) control their own destiny in the American Conference. The Chicago Blitz (8-6) and Denver Gold (8-6) are lurking one game back.

Michigan hosts Cleveland on Wednesday in sort of a pre-playoff playoff game. The Panthers wrap up their season at Oakland (6-8).

The Panthers offense managed only four first downs against Los Angeles, but the defense came through in a big way.

LAX quarterbacks Robert Burns and Kenneth Hernandez were a combined 24-for-55 passing for 153 net yards. The Express punted 16 times, fumbled the ball away once, and missed a field goal attempt. Only one LAX drive lasted longer than six plays. Michigan DT John Brown had a pair of sacks.

Michigan QB Jerry Ruiz threw TD passes of 74 yards to William Bartels and 53 yards to Charles Ahumada.

National Conference Playoff Picture

The National Conference playoff race couldn't get any tighter—six teams within one game of the final wild-card berth. The Birmingham Stallions (7-7) and Tampa Bay Bandits (7-7) hold a half-game lead over Baltimore (6-7-1) and a one-game lead over the New York Stars (6-8), Pittsburgh (6-8) and Shreveport (6-8).

Tampa Bay has a tough row to hoe, finishing with New Jersey (12-2) and Philadelphia (9-5). New York is also up against it, finishing with Portland (11-3) and Denver (8-6). Shreveport isn't much better off, wrapping up against Washington (11-3) and New Jersey (12-2).

We said all that to say this—Pittsburgh's game at Baltimore on Wednesday is going to be crucial for both of those teams as well as others. Both teams will be heavy favorite in Week 16.

Week 14 Highlights

• Birmingham moved closer to a playoff berth by throttling the Georgia Force, 51-21. Stallions QB Nolan Loos passed for 460 yards and five TDs.
• The Honolulu Hawaiians extended their winning streak to eight games with a 38-16 rout of the Baltimore Stars. Eugene Holland and Jeffrey Bonner both returned interceptions for TDs.
• Memphis CB Bradley Mondragon intercepted three passes in the Showboats' 16-6 win over the Arizona Wranglers.
• Oakland SS Corey Norwood made seven tackles, intercepted two passes, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble during a 16-9 victory over the San Jose SaberCats.

Week 15 Preview

A huge game in the American Conference, with the Cleveland Thunderbolts (9-5) traveling to Michigan (9-5) to break the tie atop the Midwest Division. A huge game in the National Conference, with the Baltimore Stars (6-7-1) hosting Pittsburgh (6-8) as both teams try to stave off elimination. The Denver Gold (8-6), also fighting for their playoff lives, are at Memphis (10-4).

Coach's Profile

ToroTex, San Antonio Gunslingers

ToroTex

Playing MFN Since: 4/17

Hometown (town, state): McKinney, TX
Current residence (town, state): San Diego, CA
Day job: Human resources technician (PeopleSoft monkey)
Favorite teams (all sports): Houston Texans, Texas Longhorns, New York Yankees/Houston Astros, San Antonio Spurs
A real-life sports experience: Mostly intramural sports but was my junior college free throw champion one year.
A fantasy sports experience: Have been a fantasy football commish since 1990, pre-internet sites, all pencil and paper ... felt like a part-time job back then!
Coach's Corner: (tip for a new MFN coach): Don't be afraid to experiment with your team and play calling. Scout. Don't miss too many draft picks!