1974 Schedule
1974 Results
Week 1 - July 10, 1974 - @ Memphis Southmen 34, Detroit 15 (0-1)
The Southmen, exiled from Toronto by the Canadian parliament, defeated theWheels 34-15. Southmen RB JJ Jennings ran for 107 yards, scoring the first-ever Memphis touchdown, and the Memphis defense limited Larry Radcliff and the Wheels running backs to only 56 yards rushing in front of 30,122 fans. Elvis Presley was even seen in the stands.
Week 2 - July 17, 1974- Florida Blazers 18, @ Detroit 14 (0-2)
Blazers RB Tommy Reamon, scored on a 5-yard run with 1:37 remaining in the game, and then the Florida defense stopped Detroit on the one-yard line to post a 18-14 win in front of an opening night crowd of 10,631. Reamon's touchdown capped an 18-play, 82 yard drive that gave Florida its second straight win. In a losing effort, Wheels QB Bubba Wyche completed 14 of 29 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown.
Week 3 - July 21, 1974 - @ Hawaii Hawaiians - 36, Detroit 16 (0-3)
Norris Weese passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Hawaiians to a 36-16 win over the Wheels before 10,080 fans in Hawaii. Weese hit Jerry Powell on a 21-yard scoring strike in the third quarter to put the Hawaiians ahead for good. The Wheels, had leads of 8-7 and 16-14 but couldn't hold off the Hawaiians. Wheels' QB Bubba Wyche hit Hubie Bryant on a 27-yard scoring play in the first quarter and then sneaked over from the one for another score but it wasn't enough for the win as Hawaiians DB John Moseley returned a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth-quarter.
Week 4 - July 31, 1974 - @ Birmingham Americans 21, Detroit 18 (0-4)
Matthew Reed, playing for injured QB George Mira, scored on a 9-yard sweep with 2 minutes and 12 seconds remaining to play to pull the Americans to a 21-18 win over the Wheels. 14,614 fans at Rynearson Stadium watched as Reed's touchdown capped a 67-yard, five-play drive after the Wheels had overcome a 14-7 deficit with a touchdown run by Jesse Mims and a 29-yard Rick Guthrie field goal.
Week 5 - August 7, 1974 - @ Birmingham Americans 28, Detroit 22 (0-5)
Matthew Reed threw two 4th quarter touchdown passes to Alfred Jenkins, and then scored on a quarterback keeper with :26 seconds remaining to give the Americans a 28-22 win over Detroit. The Wheels took a 22-20 lead when QB Bubba Wyche threw a 18-yard touchdown pass to Jon Henderson. 40,367 American fans at Legion Field watched as Reed brought the Americans back for their fifth straight win.
Week 6 - August 14, 1974 - Memphis Southmen 37, @ Detroit 7 (0-6)
Southmen RBk Willie Spencer scored twice on 1-yard runs and JJ Jennings gained 113 yards to lead Memphis over Detroit 37-7. 14,424 at Rynearson Stadium watched as the Wheels lost their sixth straight game. Memphis QB John Huarte added two touchdown passes, one for 12 yards to Ed Marshall and another to Jerry Powell for 31 yards.
Week 7 - August 22, 1974 - Chicago Fire 35, @ Detroit 23 (0-7)
Walter Rhone's 90-yard kickoff return highlighted a four-touchdown burst in the second quarter that carried the Chicago Fire to a 35-23 win over the Detroit Wheels in Thursday's WFL TVS Game of the Week. 10,300 watched at Rynearson Stadium watched the Wheels lose their seventh consecutive game, while Chicago raised their record to 6-1. Chicago's attack featured the running of Mark Kellar and Cyril Pinder and the passing of Virgil Carter who threw two touchdown passes to wide receiver Jim Seymour and tight end Don Burchfield. Chicago led 35-8 before Detroit added two late scores.
Week 1 - July 10, 1974 - @ Memphis Southmen 34, Detroit 15 (0-1)
The Southmen, exiled from Toronto by the Canadian parliament, defeated theWheels 34-15. Southmen RB JJ Jennings ran for 107 yards, scoring the first-ever Memphis touchdown, and the Memphis defense limited Larry Radcliff and the Wheels running backs to only 56 yards rushing in front of 30,122 fans. Elvis Presley was even seen in the stands.
Week 2 - July 17, 1974- Florida Blazers 18, @ Detroit 14 (0-2)
Blazers RB Tommy Reamon, scored on a 5-yard run with 1:37 remaining in the game, and then the Florida defense stopped Detroit on the one-yard line to post a 18-14 win in front of an opening night crowd of 10,631. Reamon's touchdown capped an 18-play, 82 yard drive that gave Florida its second straight win. In a losing effort, Wheels QB Bubba Wyche completed 14 of 29 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown.
Week 3 - July 21, 1974 - @ Hawaii Hawaiians - 36, Detroit 16 (0-3)
Norris Weese passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Hawaiians to a 36-16 win over the Wheels before 10,080 fans in Hawaii. Weese hit Jerry Powell on a 21-yard scoring strike in the third quarter to put the Hawaiians ahead for good. The Wheels, had leads of 8-7 and 16-14 but couldn't hold off the Hawaiians. Wheels' QB Bubba Wyche hit Hubie Bryant on a 27-yard scoring play in the first quarter and then sneaked over from the one for another score but it wasn't enough for the win as Hawaiians DB John Moseley returned a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth-quarter.
Week 4 - July 31, 1974 - @ Birmingham Americans 21, Detroit 18 (0-4)
Matthew Reed, playing for injured QB George Mira, scored on a 9-yard sweep with 2 minutes and 12 seconds remaining to play to pull the Americans to a 21-18 win over the Wheels. 14,614 fans at Rynearson Stadium watched as Reed's touchdown capped a 67-yard, five-play drive after the Wheels had overcome a 14-7 deficit with a touchdown run by Jesse Mims and a 29-yard Rick Guthrie field goal.
Week 5 - August 7, 1974 - @ Birmingham Americans 28, Detroit 22 (0-5)
Matthew Reed threw two 4th quarter touchdown passes to Alfred Jenkins, and then scored on a quarterback keeper with :26 seconds remaining to give the Americans a 28-22 win over Detroit. The Wheels took a 22-20 lead when QB Bubba Wyche threw a 18-yard touchdown pass to Jon Henderson. 40,367 American fans at Legion Field watched as Reed brought the Americans back for their fifth straight win.
Week 6 - August 14, 1974 - Memphis Southmen 37, @ Detroit 7 (0-6)
Southmen RBk Willie Spencer scored twice on 1-yard runs and JJ Jennings gained 113 yards to lead Memphis over Detroit 37-7. 14,424 at Rynearson Stadium watched as the Wheels lost their sixth straight game. Memphis QB John Huarte added two touchdown passes, one for 12 yards to Ed Marshall and another to Jerry Powell for 31 yards.
Week 7 - August 22, 1974 - Chicago Fire 35, @ Detroit 23 (0-7)
Walter Rhone's 90-yard kickoff return highlighted a four-touchdown burst in the second quarter that carried the Chicago Fire to a 35-23 win over the Detroit Wheels in Thursday's WFL TVS Game of the Week. 10,300 watched at Rynearson Stadium watched the Wheels lose their seventh consecutive game, while Chicago raised their record to 6-1. Chicago's attack featured the running of Mark Kellar and Cyril Pinder and the passing of Virgil Carter who threw two touchdown passes to wide receiver Jim Seymour and tight end Don Burchfield. Chicago led 35-8 before Detroit added two late scores.
Week 8 - August 28, 1974 - @ Philadelphia 27, Detroit 23 (0-8)
The Philadelphia Bell defeated Detroit, losers of eight in a row, 27-23 before 15,100 fans at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. Claude Watts ran for two first quarter touchdowns and Jerry Warren kicked a pair of field goals to lead Philadelphia. The Bell opened the game scoring when QB Jim "King" Corcoran hit Watts on a 17-yard touchdown pass. In the third quarter, with Detroit leading 16-14, Bell kicker Jerry Warren split the uprights from 23-yards out to give Philadelphia the lead 17-16. Corcoran then hit Donnie Shanklin with a 24-yard touchdown pass as Philadelphia took a commanding 24-16 lead, and the win.
Week 9 - September 2, 1974- Portland Storm 18, @ Detroit Wheels 7 (0-9) game played in London, Ontario
The Wheels, financially strapped, and winless in their first eight games, peddled their game with the Storm to the small town of London, Ontario. The Wheels and the Storm played at London's Little Stadium before 5,101 fans (although reports had the crowd at 2,500) for $30,000 in survival cash from Storm owner Bob Harris. Despite the change in location, the result for the Wheels was the same a loss. Portland K Booth Lusteg kicked a 30-yard field goal and Jim Krieg scored on a 13-yard reverse in the fourth quarter to lead the Storm to a 18-7 win.
Week 10 - September 6, 1974 - Southern California Sun 10, @ Detroit 7 (0-10)
Detroit continued their losing ways dropping a close game to Southern California 10-7. The Sun, in a lackluster effort, came from behind to beat the Wheels (who played without QB Bubba Wyche) when QB Tony Adams led a drive that decided the game. Adams passed to Ike Harris for 39 yards and a first down and then connected with Dave Williams deep in Detroit territory. Adams then hit James McAllister the goal line with a pass, and McAllister easily ran into the end zone for the win. The Sun defense had a rough time containing rugged Sam Scarber of the Wheels who rushed for 86 yards on 19 carries. An empty house at Rynearson Stadium had only 6,351 in attendance.
Week 11 - September 11, 1974 - Detroit 15, @ Florida Blazers 14 - 1 (1-10)
The Wheels won their first game of the season over the Eastern Division leading Florida Blazers 15-14. Detroit RB Billy Sadler ran 6-yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter to led the winless Wheels. The Blazers opened the scoring with Jim Strong catching a Bob Davis pass for a touchdown giving Florida a 7-0 lead. Detroit WR Jon Henderson then tied the game when he hauled in a 49-yard bomb from QB Bubba Wyche. Florida roared back to within 15-14 but their action point attempt failed giving Detroit their first win.
Week 12 - September 18, 1974 - @ South California Sun 29, Detroit 24 (1-11)
Southern California struck again in the final minutes defeating the Wheels 29-24 before 22,143 at Anaheim Stadium. Backup QB Gary Valbuena led a three-play, 64-yard drive with 1:49 remaining to beat the Wheels. Valbuena, from Tennessee, threw a 26-yard touchdown strike to WR Dick Witcher for the game winning score. Detroit fought back from a 22-3 deficit as QB Bubba Wyche threw two touchdown passes to Terry Phillips and ran for another. Before time expired the Wheels had driven to the Sun 35 when CB Jim Bright intercepted a Wyche pass to kill the Detroit rally.
Week 13 - September 24, 1974 - @ New York Stars 37, Detroit 7 (1-12)
A sparse crowd of 4,220 watched as the New York Stars trounced the Wheels 37-7. The Stars improved to 8-5 and announced that they would be moving to Charlotte, North Carolina after the game. The crowd was the second smallest of the WFL season for the Stars, who had been averaging 11,000 a game. Star RB Don Highsmith ran for 122 yards in 19 carries and scored two touchdowns against a Detroit team that was helpless to stop him. Detroit QB Bubba Wyche had five passes intercepted and completed only 7 of 23 passes for 42 yards.
Week 14 - October 2, 1974 - @ Shreveport Steamer 14, Detroit 11 (1-13)
A Shreveport crowd of 22,012 came out to State Fair Coliseum as the Steamer defeated the Wheels 14-11. Steamer QB D.C.Nobles completed 11 of 19 for 149 yards and opened the scoring with a 63-yard touchdown pass to WR Rick Eber. Despite the performance of Nobles, it was backup QB David Mays that lifted the hometown Steamer to the win. Mays hit TE Willie Frazier with an 8-yard scoring pass late in the game to defeat Detroit. Shreveport out rushed the Wheels 180 to 85, with RB Jim Nance gaining 137 yards on 25 carries. After the game, Detroit suspended operations and the team folded. Remaining scheduled games included...
October 9 : Detroit at Chicago (cancelled)
October 16: Hawaii at Detroit (cancelled)
October 23: Detroit at Houston (cancelled)
October 30: Detroit at Jacksonville (cancelled)
November 6: New York at Detroit (cancelled)
November 13: Philadelphia at Detroit (cancelled)
Thanks to the outstanding work at the Charlotte Hornets WFL page for their extensive work on game summaries and WFL history.