March 27, 1983
Oakland Invaders at Denver Gold
Box Score (from the 1984 Media Guide)
John Ralston Interview (from UPI Wire, March 28, 1983)
Game Summary (from the LA Times, March 29, 1983)
Oakland 0 0 0 12 - 12 Denver 8 7 0 7 - 22
Den - Niziolek 10 pass from Johnson (Canada 2 yd pass from Knapple) Den - James 5 pass from Johnson (Speelmen Kick) Den - Sydney 1 run (Speelmen Kick) Oak - Whittington 8 pass from Basena (pass failed) Oak - Chester 16 pass from Basena (pass failed) Att - 38,720
TEAM STATISTICS
OAK DEN First Downs 19 22 Total Net Yards 278 231 Net Yards Rushing 40 169 Net Yards Passing 238 63 Total Plays 52 64 Passes 39-23-0 15-8-1 Return Yards 127 69 Penalty Yards 107 100
Denver (UPI) - Tonight in Mile High Stadium, two former coaches of the Denver Broncos will meet for the first time as coaches of opposition teams in the USFL. The home team is the Denver Gold, coached by Red Miller, who was fired by the Broncos in 1980.
The opposition is the Oakland Invaders, led by John Ralston -- the man Miller replaced as Bronco coach in 1976.
''I've been thinking how it will be,'' Ralston said. ''I'm thinking that when I walk out there and look around I'll get a tremendous chill up and down my spine.''
Local observers have been saying that Red Miller went to the Super Bowl in 1977 with John Ralston's players, and indeed, Miller's teams never did quite as well as they did his first year. Ralston, however, responds that the key decisions leading to the AFL Championship were Miller's. For example, it was Miller who saw a resurrected quarterback in the aging Craig Morton. ''I was their biggest fan,'' Ralston said with a straight face. ''I'd jump up and down in front of my TV set every game. I would've liked to have been there but ...''
Since then, Ralston has held assistant coaching jobs in several other towns. First he went to Philadelphia. The Eagles went to the Super Bowl the year after he left. Then San Francisco. The 49ers went to the Super Bowl the season after he left. Then Toronto, with the CFL. Toronto won the Grey Cup the season -- you guessed it -- after he left.
''This time,'' he said, ''I plan on sticking around.'' Here are some other of Ralston's observations: On Mile High Stadium: ''I know one thing. There's no way you'd have 76,000 seats in that stadium if it weren't for me. I campaigned and worked like a dog trying to get that (bond issue) passed. I can remember saying up half the night waiting for ballot results when I should have been preparing for the Los Angeles Rams.'' On Lyle Alzado, late of the Broncos, now a defensive lineman for the L.A. Raiders (Alzado helped lead a players ''rebellion'' that was Raltons' death-knell as head coach in Denver): ''We're friends. I don't hold a grudge. If everybody condemned me for the mistakes I made when I was young and impetuous, well ...''
Denver Beats Oakland in USFL Game 22-12
Denver (AP) - Ken Johnson passed for two touchdowns and Harry
Sydney rushed 83 yards and scored a touchdown Monday night to help the Denver
Gold to a 22-12 victory over the Oakland Invaders before a crowd announced as
38,720. Denver, Oakland, the Express and Arizona, all 2-2, are tied for
the Pacific Division lead in the United States Football League.
The game was played in rain and light snow.
The Gold scored on its first two possessions. Sydney carrued 38
yards on the first four plays to set up Johnson's 10 yard pass to tight end Bob
Niziolek for the first score. Denver then moved 80 yards. Sydney's
18-yard gain with a pitchout hightlighted the drive, which was capped by
Johnson's five-yard pass to Vic James.
Sydney plunged over from the one for Denver's third touchdown.
It was cold. Real cold. My brother and I went to this game, since it was on Monday Night, and my father had to work late. We watched the Gold jump on the Invaders early, then froze the rest of the night. It rained and snowed on us.
But is was Denver vs. Oakland. Hated Oakland. Even though the Gold was not the Broncos, and the Invaders not the Raiders, the crowd still got into the game. Any team from Oakland would be hated.
It was John Ralston vs. Red Miller. The last two Bronco head coaches meeting in Denver with new teams.
The Gold won. Very exciting for several reasons. The first is it was hated Oakland getting beat. It might not be the Raiders, but it was Oakland. And it was the first Gold win I saw in person. The Gold had dropped their first two home games (to the Stars and the Breakers) but had won on the road in Chicago. Finally, I got to see a home win. Even if I had to freeze to see it.
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