Week 10 - 1984: Los Angeles Express vs Houston Gamblers [FULL GAME]

Week 10 - Monday, April 30, 1984
Attendance: 30,727,
TV: ESPN

The game was billed as a match between two of the United States Football League's best young quarterbacks, but a rookie place kicker stole the show.

Tony Zendejas, who had missed two earlier attempts, kicked a 42-yard field goal wilh 10:19 remaining in overtime to lift the Los Angeles Express to a 27-24 victory over the Houston Gamblers.

Zendejas sent the game into overtime with a 42-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Houston's Toni Fritsch had given the Gamblers a 24-21 edge with a 26-yard field goal midway through the final quarter.

Houston's Jim Kelly set team records with 380 yards and 37 completions and 50 attempts. Steve Young also was impressive for Los Angeles as he completed 17 of 28 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns.

Los Angeles Express:

Years of existence: 1983-1985
Owner: Bill Daniels, Alan Harmon (1983), J. William Oldenburg (1984)
Stadium: Los Angeles Coliseum (92,516)
Colors: Express blue, silver, white and burgundy (burgundy and white 1985)
Overall Regular Season Record: 21-33 (.389)
Overall Playoff Record: 1-1

Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances

1983: 8-10 (19,002)
1984: 10-8 (15,361)
1985: 3-15 (8,415)

Of all the teams in the USFL, this one probably caused more headaches for the league than any other. By the end of the 1985 season, the Express were playing in front of intimate gatherings at the huge Los Angeles Coliseum. It got so bad that the Express ended up playing their final home game at Pierce College in the San Fernando Valley. The game drew 8,200 spectators, about double what the Express had drawn the previous two home games.

Their Finest Hour: Perhaps this one should be called the team's finest hours. On June 30, 1984, the Express and the defending champion Michigan Panthers played the longest game in professional football history, a three-overtime, 93 minute and 33 second affair in exhausting heat.

Finally, in the third overtime, future kick-returner extraordinaire Mel Gray scampered 24 yards for the winning touchdown. On a day when nothing came easy, Gray broke his arm on the play that gave the Express a 27-21 victory.

Houston Gamblers:

Years of existence: 1984-1985
Owner: Jerry Argovitz
Stadium: Astrodome (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 triggerman. 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 TDs in 1985 despite missing several games with an injury.

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.

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