Joe Zagorski - The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Footballs Most Important Decade

Foreword by Rocky Bleier

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

e-ISBN: 978-1-4766-2534-8

2016 Joe Zagorski. All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Front cover: Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rocky Bleier carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X at the Miami Orange Bowl on January 18, 1976 (Associated Press/Vernon Biever)

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com

For my parents and for Frankie,
who were with me through it all

Many people have helped me with this book project, and I will undoubtedly leave some out in these acknowledgments; any oversights are unintentional. All of the following in one way or another were important to the completion of The NFL in the 1970s.

There are several people at NFL Films, both past and present, who must be recognized, starting with the late Ed Sabol. He founded NFL Films right around the time I was born, and with his son, the late Steve Sabol, gave me one of my earliest reasons for falling in love with pro football. Decades later, I still thank these two men who made my autumn Sundays so much fun and still do through their company. NFL Films historian Chris Willis was always willing to provide me with the information I needed to make it easier to get the key details this book required. He also gave me advice on publications, as he himself has written a few books on various people and teams in pro football history. Todd Schmidt, like the rest of the NFL Films family, carries the torch in the finest of traditions established by the Sabols.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, is much more than just a museum. It houses a spectacular research library, and the folks there are very accommodating. Research historian Jon Kendle helped me during my many visits to look up obscure newspaper files, gamebook files, and a plethora of play-by-play documents. This book would never have been written without him. When I began conducting research at the Hall of Fame in the mid1980s, I got a chance to meet and work with Beau Riffenburgh, who at the time worked for NFL Properties in both their Los Angeles and New York City offices. Beau treated me as one of his equals in pro football research (which I most certainly was not). A big thank you to Beau for all of his help and advice. The Hall of Fames vice president of media relations, Joe Horrigan, was also supportive. His first advice to me way back in the 1980s is still the best I ever received in the field of pro football research and writing: Carve your own niche. It is just as important to me today as it was then. People like Jon, Beau and Joe have been very inspirational, and I treasure their assistance and friendship.

I learned a lot about sportswriting at the Coatesville Daily Record and the Evening Phoenix newspapers. Fellow sportswriters and editors Tom DiCamillo, Ara Grigorian, Jim Knaub, Bob Orr, Barry Sankey, Randy Shantz and Todd Sherman are just some of the people who helped my writing efforts when I was younger. Thanks to some of the greatest pro football writers over the past half century and to some of the best public relations people in the NFL, including Kerry Byrne, Ray Didinger, Michael MacCambridge, Bob Swick, Cliff Christl of the Green Bay Packers, Rich Dalrymple of the Dallas Cowboys, and Bob Markowitz of the Cleveland Browns. Thanks to Vito Stellino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, whose memorable stories and pro football knowledge are a large part of Pennsylvania sports history. Thanks to my professors at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania: Dr. John Delaney, Dr. Patricia Derr, Dr. Michael Gabriel, Dr. Gordon Goldberg, the late Dr. Al Leonzi and Dr. John McAndrew, each of whom not only taught me a lot about history and education but also a lot about writing. Dr. Gabriel also helped to proofread this book, for which I am very thankful.

I would be remiss if I did not recognize the former pro football players, coaches, and team owners who gave me their time and answered my questions. I am very fortunate to have met and conversed with many of these men, including Herb Adderley, Rocky Bleier, John Bunting, Jim Carter, Ben Davidson, Joe DeLamielleure, Herman Edwards, Weeb Ewbank, Sid Gillman, Donnie Green, Jim Houston, Lamar Hunt, Bruce Jarvis, Ron Jaworski, Rich Kotite, Earl Morrall, Tom Nowatzke, Vince Papale, Dave Robinson, Johnny Robinson, Dick Schafrath, Bart Starr, and Dan Sullivan, among others. I hope Ive done them all justice.

I joined the Pro Football Researchers Association (PFRA) in the mid1980s, and it has grown tremendously over the years. The patriarch of the PFRA, the late Bob Carroll of western Pennsylvania, gave me a lot of advice and published my earliest articles. Thanks also to other PFRA members, board members, and officeholders, including George Bozeka, Denis M. Crawford, Ken Crippen, Lee Elder, Mark L. Ford, Bob Gill, John Grasso, John Hogrogian, Todd Maher, John Maxymuk, Rupert Patrick, Andy Piascik, Ivan Urena, and Chris Willis, among many others. Some have written outstanding books and articles, while others have contributed stellar research. Ive benefitted from their expert knowledge and advice, and I am very grateful for their friendship.

Last but certainly not least I would like to thank my late parents, Stephen and Natalie Zagorski, for the love and inspiration they gave me to follow my dreams all my life. I love and miss them both very much. Also gone but not forgotten is my childhood buddy Frank Sassaman, who loved football as much as I did, and who experienced the wonderful decade of the 1970s with me. Special thanks to him and to all fans of pro football in the 1970s.

Who knew the impact the 1970s would have in the evolution of the National Football League? Certainly not the players. We were just kids trying to fulfill a dream of playing professional football and getting a decent paycheck, along with bragging rights back home. In hindsight it was a decade of change, innovation and sometimes desperation, but it was also a decade of opportunities, miracles, and creating lifetime memories.

The Pittsburgh Steelers gave an undersized, banged-up Vietnam veteran an opportunity, and I am living proof miracles can happen. You make the most of it, and ultimately I became a member of four Super Bowl championship teams, in one of the greatest decades in NFL history.

Joe Zagorskis book on the 1970s in the NFL captures the memories that made the decade special, not just for me, but for millions of pro football fans across America. His book describes each year with sharp details, vivid descriptions of crucial plays, and fun personal anecdotes which make the book enjoyable to read.

The 1970s changed the NFL in many different ways. There were two player strikes. No freedom, no football, was the chant, and the decade was also the beginning of free agency. Competition from the World Football League only furthered the continuity of the brand in the NFL.