Stories of the '87 Off-Season 2: Return of the Prodigal Sons

 After spectacular collapses in 1985 and 1986, GM Jim Schaaf faced the barrel; the Chiefs had deeply alienated its fanbase, city, and even state—the long moribund Cardinals resurgence in 1985 and 1986 hadn’t helped matters. There were no bbqs or yellow and red school buses in the lots, no butts in the seats. KC was a baseball and indoor soccer team now.

Back in the summer of 1983, Delaney saved three children from an Amusement Park Retention Pond despite not knowing how to swim himself; he got them out on luck, himself revived by a man named Marvin Dearman, who worked at the park. The Chiefs star was celebrated by the general public, mass media, Chiefs fans, even President Ronnie. His only critic was Grant “Grunt” Graff, a loudmouth and 3% stake holder in the Chiefs, who complained about why the injured star (he hurt his eye during the strike shortened ‘82 season) would put his life in danger for a couple of kids. The audio was leaked from tape conversations for Cushing Crude monthly, an energy industry publication (Birchers would claim this was leaked by the KGB as part of the wider conspiracy).

Delaney was deeply hurt and refused to report to training camp a month later; he initially decided to sit out the 1983 season, disappointing fans. Graff’s mealy mouthed explanations for his comments—“you have to understand my worry for stressed assets like Joe further stressing”—prompted Delaney to accept a 5 year, $4.5 million offer from the USFL in 1984. The signing of a national hero would go a long way for the league (it also should be noted that majority owner Lamar Hunt never opened his mouth or made any conciliatory gesture either—ed.).

Delaney initially wanted to play close to home for the New Orleans Breakers, but the presence of Buford Jordan and Marcus Dupree led the league to suggest nearby Houston; Delaney agreed to the move. His abilities fit in well with Jim Kelly’s run and shoot; he turned out to be a better receiver than runner in his two season with the Gamblers. His 2,000 yards in 1985 were primarily receiving (1,209) but he ran for more touchdowns than he caught due to his ability in the red zone. Despite being on an offense that also featured Ricky Sanders, Houston still failed to win a championship in either of his two seasons.

After Houston folded in ’85 and the USFL continued to innovate itself into a ”leaner” (second-tier—ed.) competition, the Chiefs made an offer that fall—return and receive your entire 1983 contract, barring injury or inability to make the roster. Delaney decided to sit the fall out and in 1986 signed with the Hamilton Tiger-cats of the CFL for $250,000 CAD, making him one of the highest paid players in the league. Delaney’s ability and unusual speed translated to the larger field and quicker pace of the Canadian game. He had another 2,000-yard season, including 115 yards receiving and 125 yards rushing in a Grey Cup victory.

Hamilton’s financial problems at the end of the ‘86 season—the team’s owner, while congratulating them for a dominating 47-17 performance against Edmonton still complained about the millions he was losing—led to Delaney’s release. While weighing a $400,000 offer from the Toronto Argonauts, Schaaf came calling with an (actually) unprecedented offer: if he would return to the NFL and the Chiefs, he would personally guarantee to honor the final three years of his USFL deal. Delaney agreed and the Chiefs cut the disappointing Herman Heard. Schaaf’s initial vision—pairing Delaney with the young Christian Okoye—would change after learning about Bill Walsh’s visit to Azusa Pacific. A major trade will come during a volatile and bizarre draft.

While less ballyhooed, David Overstreet returned to Miami after similar sojourns. The former Oklahoma star had jumped to Montreal in ’82, what would’ve been his rookie season, before coming to Miami in ’83. The promise of bigger paychecks from the USFL saw him join the Oklahoma Outlaws in ’84 (also the lack of playing time in ’83 might have been a factor—watching Nathan choke that Divisional playoff away against Seattle while he sat on the bench didn’t help matters—ed.). Overstreet was, along with Ernest Anderson, an attempt at drawing in local fans. It worked okay, but he found himself third on the depth chart—veteran Sydney Thornton got all the touched——hip and leg injuries saw him appear in only five games. It was a similar story in 1985, when the team moved to Arizona. Fall ’86 back with the Alouettes saw improvement—running for 786 and 4 touchdowns—but the club would fold at the end of the season.

He was back with a revived Outlaws for the ’87 USFL season when Miami called. Davenport hadn’t worked out and they’d like to see him. He returned, again, to the Dolphins, competing for a backup spot with rookie Troy Stratford.