11:34 PM CDT on Monday, July 4, 2005
This story appeared in the September 11, 1960 editions of The
Dallas Morning News
Los Angeles, Calif. – Cunning Jack Kemp played the executioner Saturday
night as Los Angeles changed Dallas' first-half dream to a second-half
nightmare and pulled out a tingling 21-20 victory.
A Coliseum crowd of 17,724 roared its appreciation as the classy Charger
quarterback fired touchdown drives of 68 and 90 yards in the fourth
quarter to overtake the Texans in a frantic opener of the American
Football League. It was a classy comeback after a discouraging first
half which saw Dallas race to a 20-7 lead.
This was the first loss for Hank Stram's Texans after six exhibition
victories.
Hank Stram (1923-2005)
Hall of Fame coach Stram dead at 82 From the archives: From Pro Football Hall of Fame official site:
The unbeaten Chargers finally fought in front with 2:15 left in the game
when Howie Ferguson raced the last four yards with Kemp's swing pass to
the left. Ben Agajanian's perfect kick provided the difference.
The Texans, who never could get untracked in the last half, saw their
last hopes killed with 1:30 left when Jim Sears intercepted Cotton
Davidson's long pass and returned to the Dallas 22.
Kemp thus edged Davidson in a fine pitching duel which saw Cotton win
the first half and Kemp rule the second. Kemp hit 24 of 41 passes for
275 yards and two touchdowns and Davidson connected on 22 of 40 for 230
and two touchdowns.
The difference in the two halves is illustrated by the first downs. The
Texans made 17 in the first half, only four in the second. The Chargers
managed only five in the first, 17 in the second.
The Texans' best second-half threat came early in the third quarter when
they struck to the Los Angeles 24. But there a field goal attempt was
ruined by a bad pass from center.
Kemp really got the Chargers moving in the fourth when he fired them 68
yards to score in 10 plays. His 24-yarder to Ralph Anderson was the big
gainer as he pecked away at the Dallas defense. He rolled around left
end for the touchdown from the 7.
Kemp endured some strong pressure by ends Paul Miller and Mel Branch and
tackle Walter (Buff) Napier to produce that final 90-yard scoring drive.
Once Miller and Napier knocked him loose from the ball and Branch
recovered at the Charger 15 but the Texans were guilty of holding in the
secondary and the penalty gave Los Angeles new life.
Later a holding penalty against Don Flynn also gave the Chargers another
chance when a fourth-and-6 pass failed at the Texan 30. That gave the
Chargers a first down at the moment they needed to roll into the end
zone.
Except for Jack Kemp's spectacular 46-yard touchdown pass to Ralph
Anderson late in the second quarter, the first half was strictly a Texan
show. Davidson directed Dallas smoothly on scoring drives of 60, 93 and
80 yards to dominate the action.
The Texans controlled the ball impressively, running 49 offensive plays
to Los Angeles' 21 as Davidson clicked along with a good collection of
pass patterns and the defense handled most of the Charger plays easily.
Dallas needed eight plays to reach the end zone late in the first
quarter. Davidson's throws to Chris Burford for nine and to Max Boydston
for 17 got them rolling and Jack Spikes set up the pay-off with a
12-yard burst over the left side to the Charger 12.
There, Davidson fired quickly to Burford at the 5 and Chris dragged
defender Jim Sears into the end zone for the touchdown with 11:40 gone.
Spikes, who had missed badly on a field goal try from the earlier,
kicked low and Dallas had a 6-0 lead. The Texans soon were coming back
for more, however.
Kemp managed to pass the Chargers to the Dallas 47 before linebackers
Smokey Stover and Sherrill Headrick broke up the act. So Paul McGuire
punted dead at the Dallas 7.
Spikes, Johnny Robinson and Abner Haynes offered some strong running and
Davidson continued his barrage. The big throws went to Spikes, who swung
neatly down the left sideline for 21 yards to the Charger 23 and to
Haynes, who slanted across the middle for 14 to the 9.
Then interference was called on Dick Harris when Davidson threw for
Burford in the end zone and the Texans were in business at the 1. Spikes
promptly blasted through the right side to score and his kick made it
13-0 with 8:30 gone in the second.
Los Angeles saw Dallas' side of the 50 for the only other time in the
first half when Harris returned Davidson's kick to the Texan 46 and the
Chargers made the most of it.
Kemp threw long down the left side on the first play and the ball sailed
over Texan Caroll Zaruba to Anderson, who grabbed it at the 2 and fell
across the flag. Ben Agajanian's kick made it 13-7 with 2:30 left.
But the Texans beat the clock with a 12-play TD drive as Davidson threw
sharply to Haynes and Boydston for most of the yardage. Cotton pitched
to Haynes, racing open behind Bob Zeman in the end zone, for the last 17
with 20 seconds left.
• Hired in Dallas (12/21/59)
•
Texans' debut (9/11/60)
•
AFL champs (12/24/62)
•
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