Summer Bowl 1996: One Hot Summer Night!

The Summer Classic, the Hottest Ticket of the Summer, the Big Game of Summer, in just 14 short years the annual league championship has garnered a lot of attention, a lot of nicknames, and has quickly established itself as one of the season’s biggest events. The USFL Summer Bowl has become a late summer tradition, wrapping up a second season of football that begins each March and winds its way through the winds, rain, and occasional late blizzards of spring, into the sun and sweltering heat of summer, before concluding with a late July or early August classic.

This year’s Summer Bowl was played before over 63,000 fans in the greater New York, New Jersey metro area, the second time the Generals have played host to the game. On a warm, but not oppressive evening in late July, the Summer Bowl drew fans from across the country to watch two of the best teams in the spring league battle for the coveted league title.

On the one sideline you had the Houston Gamblers, who have been something of a dynasty in the 1990’s, making their 4th appearance in 5 years in the USFL’s Summer Bowl. They have 2 titles to their names and a roster that would make any club jealous. Boasting perhaps the top QB in all of football, and certainly in the USFL, in Jim Kelly, one of the best all-purpose backs in Thurman Thomas, and a receiving corps that has both speed and precision. Houston boasted the best offense in the league this season, a reflection of the gunslinger mentality of their star QB.

Across the field you have the Tampa Bay Bandits, hoping to win their second title in team history, having opened up the USFL in 1983 by winning it all in their first season. The trophy given the winner of this summer classic is named for their founding owner, John Bassett, and his brand of showmanship and gung ho resilience is what the Bandits are all about. They have an entirely different roster from the won that won it all 14 seasons ago, but the spirit of Bandit Ball lives in QB Troy Aikman, HB Errict Rhett, and a defense that lives and dies by the big play. They come in as a 4-point underdog, but they have won 9 in a row to get here and they feel like a team on a mission.

Two clubs ready to battle for all the glory and all the accolades that a league title brings. Two fanbases ready to cheer on their warriors, and a league ready to put on a spectacle. This was Summer Bowl 1996. Play Ball and pass the BBQ, this is gonna be a good one!!!

Houston won the toss, and unlike most teams, they almost always choose possession over deferral. They did that this game and the Gambler offense began with the ball on their own 25 after the touchback kick from Tampa’s Dean Biasucci. And in just one play, tragedy struck the Gamblers. On a short run from Thomas, young wideout Antonio Freeman got caught between two defenders trying to provide a lead block and fell to the ground in obvious pain. He would hobble off the field, assisted by two players from the bench, and would not return to the game. In one play Houston had lost one of their most dynamic playmakers.

The Gamblers did not dwell on it, and after a defensive pass interference on the next play they would mount a quick and decisive scoring drive, capped off with a beautifully run seam play that found TE Ron Heller open for a 23-yard TD. The play, reminiscent of one Tampa uses often with Ben Coates, left the safeties out of position and Heller was able to take advantage and burn the Tampa Defense. The Houston defense, as if taking inspiration from their offense came out for Tampa’s first play and Antonio London got a hold of Aikman as he struggled to escape a collapsing pocket. From 2nd and 16, the Bandits could not recover, and on a 4th and 12, Tampa punted the ball back to Houston.

The Gamblers would also be forced to punt after Perriman mishandled a 3rd and 12 catch, and Tampa got the ball again on their own 5, after a 59-yard punt. They would make modest gains, getting out of the shadow of their own endzone, but were forced to punt on the last play of the first quarter, Houston up 7-0.

4 more short drives and 4 more punts took up most of the 2nd quarter as both clubs found ways to get pressure on the opposing QBs. Kelly was sacked by Raul Brown on Houston’s first drive, then Aikman by Kavika Pittman, and Kelly by Bobby Houston. On Houston’s 3rd possession of the half, the Gamblers did a better job of protection and within 3 plays they were closing in on the red zone. Kelly hit Proehl for 15 on first down, then Proehl again, and Houston was at the Tampa 28. They then called a draw play that totally caught the Bandits off guard. By the time the linebackers realized that it was Thomas with the ball and not Kelly, they were in no position to make the tackle, and with the safeties occupied with slot receiver Proehl and TE Dilger, Thomas had a clear path to the TD and a 14-0 Houston lead.

The score clearly impacted Tampa’s level of anxiety, and on their next possession there was a palpable sense that a 3-and-out could spell the end of the game. Troy Aikman responded, finding Freddie Solomon, Ben Coates, and Robert Brooks on consecutive plays to get Tampa to the Houston side of the field. Rhett rushed for 10 on a 4th and 1 to keep the drive alive, and on the very next play Aikman found Robert Brooks for 21 to get the Bandits to the Houston 8. It took 3 downs to get the score, but on 3rd and goal from the 8, Tampa used a rub route to free up Freddie Solomon, and the slot receiver made a diving catch on a low pass from Aikman to put Tampa on the board with 1:13 left in the half.

Houston would let the half run down, and after 2 periods, we had a 14-7 game with a lot of exciting plays already in the books. The game would only get better in the second half. As the two clubs went to the locker room and the crowd at Giants Stadium was entertained by local legend Jon Bon Jovi, both coaches tried to formulate a plan that would offset the success of the two passing offenses in the first half.

When the second half began, Houston had some success. After an initial first down, Aikman failed on two attempts to find receivers and were forced to punt from their own 10. Having been backed up by a holding call, the 1st and 20 from the 10 was just too much to overcome. They punted to Houston and the Gamblers got a great return from Proehl, taking the ball all the way back to the Tampa 28. Backed up against the wall, Tampa’s defense came up big, with Bobby Houston tackling Perriman 2 yards short of a first down on 3rd and 10. Houston would settle for a John Kasay chipshot field goal to build a 10-point lead at 17-7.

Tampa responded quickly, with Tony Vinson setting them up well with a good return down the right sideline. Tampa began the drive a their own 41, the best starting field position of the day. They challenged the Houston D on first down with a perfectly executed seam route of their own, this time with Coates gaining 28 after the play action drew in the middle linebacker. 3 plays later, Aikman again hit Freddie Solomon, this time from 12 yards out, and Tampa was back within 3 points at 17-14.

Houston responded on their next drive, aided by a Tampa miscue at the worst possible time. Houston started fast, with Kelly hitting Antonio Freeman’s replacement, little used Willie Jackson, on consecutive plays. Thurman Thomas then took a pitch outside left, and found a huge crease, busting lose for 32 yards on the play before Kevin Mitchell was able to bring him down. After two plays yielded nothing, Tampa had Houston dead to rights on 3rd and 10, but were called for 12 men on the field due to a late-exiting lineman. Houston had new life and on the very next play, Kelly made use of his slot receiver, finding Proehl for a TD to build up the lead once more.

Tampa got the ball back with just over 2:40 left in the 3rd. They would mount a 12 play drive, combining runs from Rhett with passes to 5 different receivers, before Errict Rhett drove the ball in from the 3 yard line on a 3rd and 1. Tampa would not go away, and was back within 3, now with just over 13 minutes left in the game.

But each time Tampa drew the game within 1 score, Houston responded. It took Kelly and the Gamblers only 6 plays to stretch the lead back out to 10 again, this time with Perriman catching the Kelly pass and creating a 31-21 buffer. On Tampa’s next drive, it was Houston who kept them alive, first with a facemask penalty on Quentin Coryatt that gave Tampa 15 yards on a 3rd and 10, and then with Pat Swilling called for defensive holding, to put the ball at the Houston 44. From there Aikman guided the offense down the field, first hitting Brooks for 11, then a Stewart rush for 6, a Rhett rush for 7, and finally Aikman finding a streaking Shannon Baker on the sideline for 19 yards and a score. Here we were again, now 31-28 Houston.

The Gamblers got the ball back, once again up by only 3, and with 4:55 left in the game. While they certainly did not rush to get plays snapped, there was a purpose to the Gambler drive. A 10-point lead this late in the game might just be enough to end Tampa’s hopes. Kelly hit Dilger for 21, then 2 straight incompletions left them with a 3rd and 10 on their own 39. So, Kelly went back to his most trusted weapon, hitting Thomas on a screen play as Tampa blitzed from the outside LB position. The Blitz left the flat open and with blockers in front, Thomas was able to race 30 yards down to the Tampa Bay 30 before being driven out of bounds.

With first and 10 on the 30, Houston caught a break when a Thomas run for -3 yards was nullified by a tripping penalty on DT Gordon for the Bandits. Replay showed that he did kick his leg up at Thomas and that led to a clipping of the back’s ankle and a quick negative play. The ball was moved to the ball to the 20, and on the very next play, Thomas got his revenge. He again found a hole in the Tampa defense as they again overplayed the pass and blitzed, leaving a gap in their second level defense. The 20 yard run ended with Thomas diving and stretching the ball to the pylon. The play was reviewed and the ref ended with his hands in the air, signalling a touchdown for Houston.

The Bandits got the ball, now trailing 38-28 and with only 2:11 left to play. They would need a quick score and an onside kick to have any chance of a comeback. They got exactly that. Starting on their own 14 after an ill-conceived run out of the endzone on the kickoff, Aikman hit Solomon on 1st down for 8 yards and a clock-stopping sprint out of bounds. On 2nd and 2, Aikman went deep and Robert Brooks drew a defensive PI on Brazil, to move the ball to the 47. After a pass broken up led to 2nd and 10, Aikman escaped the pocket and found Baker behind the coverage. With the safety scrambling to get to the sideline, Aikman threw a perfect “in the basket” lob to Baker, who danced in the last 10 yards to draw Tampa once again within 3 points. 1:24 left in the game and the 60,000 + in the stadium were getting exactly the kind of show they paid to see.

Tampa would go for the onside kick, but it was recovered by Houston’s hands team at the Tampa 44. All it would take is one first down to end all hopes for the Bandits. But, just as if on cue, the defense found its way. Thomas rushed for 2 yards on first down, 0 yards on second, and Coach Willsey, rather than risk a pass to gain the first down, trusted his defense, and handed the ball to Keith Woodside. Tampa’s defense stuffed the run, calling their last time out to preserve 37 seconds on the clock. Houston would have to punt.

Tampa Bay would not get a return as the ball sailed into the endzone. First and 10 on their own 25, down by 3, and no time outs left. The Bandits would need some big plays to get this game to overtime. They got one on their very first play. Aikman hit Baker for 13 yards, but the speedy receiver was unable to get out of bounds. He was tackled by Leroy Butler, but there was a flag on the play. Michael Sinclair had hit Aikman late. The clock stopped as a result of the penalty, and Tampa was now on the Houston 47, needing only 15-20 yards to give Biasucci a shot to tie the game. 15 seconds left.

Aikman took the snap from the shotgun. Rather than blitz, Houston rushed only 3. Aikman danced in the pocket, then meandered to his left to buy time. No one was open, and Aikman, feeling the pressure of the ticking clock, tried to find TE Troy Drayton back across the middle. They tell QB’s never to throw back to the middle late, and that would have been good advice on this day. Fred Strickland, not known for his speed or his hands, was in the right place at the right time. Stretching upward to deflect the ball and then snagging it in his heavily taped hands. The big MLB rushed only a couple of yards before going down into a fetal position to protect the ball. Houston had dodged a bullet. They would trot out onto the field for 1 more play, a victory position, and then were doused in red, white, and blue confetti as the game was over.

The Gamblers had won their third title. The Bandits had proven to be a very worthy opponent. The fans in the stadium as well as those at home had gotten the gift of a great spectacle, a game for the ages and a fantastic finish. Jim Kelly would claim the game’s MVP for his 3 TD, 323 yard day, but this was absolutely a team effort. Thomas finished the day with 95 yards rushing, mostly on long gashing runs. His 2 TD’s were huge, as was his only reception, the 30 yard screen pass that broke Tampa’s back. Ricky Proehl would finish the day as Houston’s top receiver, with Tampa’s best defender moving from Freeman to Perriman. Proehl finished with 6 catches, 95 yards and a key score. On defense, Strickland made the big play, and also finished as the game’s leading tackler with 10 stops.

For Tampa it was a valiant effort, and a solid performance on many fronts. Aikman would finish the day with 260 yards and 4 TDs, but that one late throw is sure to haunt him this entire offseason. Errict Rhett was solid with 68 yards rushing, and the combo of Brooks, Baker, and Solomon, each with 4 catches, accounted for 186 yards of offense. CB Eric Allen blanketed Perriman all day and little-heralded DE Alonzo Mitz finished the day with 2 sacks of Kelly, 2 of the 6 that Tampa’s blitz-heavy defense would log.

In the post-game interviews, both teams were gracious towards their opponents, and while Thomas was telling anyone who would listen that he was headed to Disney World, Jim Kelly fielded several questions about his future. Would this be his last game as a pro? Would he step away at the mountaintop, or would he come back for another season and yet another attempt to do what no team had every done in the 14 years of the league, repeat as champions? No answers were forthcoming as a champagne-doused Kelly wouldn’t respond, just congratulating his teammates, his coaches, team ownership, and the fans of the Houston metro area who have embraced the Pittsburgh native as one of their own.

So Houston wins their third title, equaling the feat Philadelphia completed 2 years ago. The Bandits proved they are a talented team to be reckoned with for years to come, and the USFL once again got a championship worthy of a top tier, world class, football league. It was, as team owner Jerry Argovitz would declare “A beautiful day in America!”