Week 2 - 1985 Houston Gamblers vs Tampa Bay Bandits

1985 Week 2 - Sunday, March 3, 1985

Attendance: 42,291

TV: ABC

In week two of the last USFL season the Houston Gamblers unleashed an offensive show as Jim Kelly passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns and Clarence Verdin and Gerald McNeil returned kicks for scores in a 50-28 victory over the Bandits. Verdin, who returned a kickoff 94 yards, and McNeil, who scored on a 79-yard punt return, also caught touchdown passes from Kelly, who has thrown for 835 yards and nine TDs in two games.

Kelly teamed with McNeil on a 58-yard bomb for a 38-21 lead 5:52 into the third quarter and fired a 20-yard strike to Verdin less than three minutes later. Kelly also tossed touchdown passes of 4 and 13 yards to Richard Johnson and Vince Courville, respectively.

The Houston defense, meanwhile, intercepted Tampa Bay quarterbacks John Reaves and Jimmy Jordan six times as the teams attempted a USFL record 103 passes.

Houston Gamblers:

Years of existence: 1984-1985

Owner: Jerry Argovitz

Stadium: Gastronome (50,495)

Colors: Black, Gambler red, gray, white and yellow gold

Overall Regular Season Record: 23-13 (.639)

Overall Playoff Record: 0-2

Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances:

1984: 13-5 (28,152)

1985: 10-8 (19,120)

Most football fans had not heard the term Run and Shoot before Jim Kelly and the Houston Gamblers took the field in 1984. Houston rolled up 1,162 points in two seasons, and Kelly was the trigger man. He threw for an unbelievable 5,219 yards and 44 touchdowns in his rookie season, and followed that up with 4,623 yards and 39 TD's in 1985 despite missing several games with an injury.

The announced move to the fall had a decidedly negative effect on the fans of Houston. The Gamblers' attendance dropped more than 9,000 per game, and Kelly's injury didn't help. Another one-point loss, 22-21, followed in the playoffs, as Jim Miller kicked five field goals for the Birmingham Stallions and Houston Birmingham Stallions missed a last-second chance.

Their finest hour: The Gamblers opened the 1985 season with high hopes to contend for the Western Conference crown, but the Steve Young-led Los Angeles Express had other ideas. L.A. jumped out to a commanding 33-13 lead with under ten minutes left in the game, but Kelly brought the Gamblers back on scoring tosses of 52, 40 and 39 yards. Kelly finished the game with a whopping 574 yards passing and five touchdowns. Few members of the intimate crowd at the Los Angeles Coliseum would ever forget Kelly's sterling performance.

Tampa Bay Bandits

Years of existence: 1983-1985

Owner: John Bassett

Stadium: Tampa Stadium (76,891)

Colors: Red, silver, black and white

Overall Regular Season Record: 35-19 (.648)

Overall Playoff Record: 0-2

Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances:

1983: 11-7 (39,896)

1984: 14-4 (46,158)

1985: 10-8 (45,220)

The Tampa Bay Bandits were one of the USFL's most entertaining teams, and the fans of Tampa embraced them. Always among the league leaders in attendance, the Bandits employed a daring, risky offense featuring trick plays and gimmickry. Bandit ball was a true reflection of coach Steve Spurrier and maverick owner John Bassett. Bassett was the biggest opponent of the league's announced move to the fall, and even threatened to pull Tampa Bay out of the league and start his own circuit. Unfortunately, Bassett died of cancer shortly after the 1985 season concluded.

Their Finest Hour: It was week three of the 1984 season, and new in-state rival Jacksonville was at Tampa Stadium for a visit. The Bandits knew they were in for a tough one because the Bulls had already whipped the Washington Federals and nearly knocked off the New Jersey Generals. Jacksonville jumped out on top, 12-0, on a Matt Robinson touchdown pass (kick failed) and Larry Mason scoring run (conversion failed). Gary Anderson's two-yard TD brought Tampa Bay within 12-7 before Alonzo Johnson blocked a Jacksonville put out of the end zone to make it 12-9. Robinson drove the Bulls down and snuck in from the one, but the Bandits scored the next 13 to take their first lead. First, Zenon Andrusyshyn kicked a field goal to close the first half. Then in the third period, Reaves hit Truvillion for a score and Greg Boone rambled nine yards to put Tampa Bay up, 25-18. The Bulls bounced back to tie the game, however, on a Willie McClendon TD scamper early in the fourth. Neither team could break through for the rest of the quarter until the Bandits mounted a late drive. Andrusyshyn nailed a 30-yard field kick with just two seconds left to give the home team a 28-25 victory.

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