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Dining In The 80’s:
Booming Busts – Part I
by Chris Brophy
6/12/2008
The 80’s were a time of economic growth but along with the massive expansion in things like the service industry and the stock market – where governments sold off the family jewels of gas, electricity and oil – there were also times of struggle and recession early and late in the decade. For NFL teams, they meet up once ever April to try and boom whilst hoping to avoid the busts but the lottery of the draft system means they’ll always be some misses and drafting high after a recession hit previous season doesn’t always guarantee the results will be rewarding.
In this two part piece, we look at one bust from each year, examine where it went wrong for each of those selections and why they are remembered as a booming bust!
1980: Lam Jones, WR, Texas – #2 overall by the NY Jets
Late in the 1970’s, the Jets veteran offense had began to break up. Joe Namath had retired and John Riggins had being traded to the Redskins. The Jets required a young, game breaking talent to unlock opposing defenses and one of the great temptations of potential would see them take the first major bust of the 1980’s speed!
Johnny Lam Jones earned his nickname at college with Texas so as to avoid confusion with team mate Johnny Ham Jones. He was already known to the American public as part of the 1976 4x100m Olympic gold medal relay team and had also finished 6th in the individual event. At college he set or tied ten team records. The Jets traded two first rounders to move up to 2nd overall in the 1980 draft and select Jones, hoping he would be the first building block in a new, young, dynamic offense.
Unfortunately, it appears Jones was more athlete than football player. He certainly had the speed to beat any coverage but not the hands to finish the job. He was pushed straight into the starting line-up as a rookie but only managed 25 receptions although his average per catch was 19.3 yards, showing that he was certainly a deep threat. It would never get much better than that and 5 years later with only 138 career receptions Jones was done in the NFL.
Unlike a lot of busts, it was not for a lack of effort. Jones spent extra time working with new QB Ken O’Brien in 1983 in order to build up a chemistry (it would result in his best season, 43 catches and just less than 800 yards receiving) and he was a willing blocker in the run game. As a person, he seemed to have great character, donating his gold medal to the Special Olympics cause but sometimes character and speed don’t add up to enough in the NFL and Jones proved to be a world class sprinter playing football rather than vice versa.
To make it worst for the Jets, the selection after Jones was OT Anthony Munoz by the Bengals, one of the best offensive lineman of all time.
1981: Rich Campbell, QB, California – #6 overall by the Green Bay Packers
 The Packers were going through some lean times in the late 70’s/early 80’s and the drafting of a new QB for former Packers great and current head coach – Bart Starr – to develop appeared to be a good idea. Campbell would hardly ever see the field though and in four seasons attempted only 68 passes throwing nine interceptions to only three touchdown passes whilst completing less than 45% of his attempts.
He could never overhaul veteran Lynn Dickey and by the end of 1983 Dickey had responded with the best year of his career but it wouldn’t prove enough to save Starr’s coaching career and a year later Campbell was gone too.
Ironically, Campbell in college with California set a bunch of team records that stood until current Packers starter Aaron Rodgers broke them during his college career with the Bears. I bet it crossed a few Packers fans minds when they drafted a Cal QB that Campbell had also attended the same school but it appears lightening has not struck twice for the Packers.
The next QB taken in the 1981 draft wasn’t until a full round later when the Cardinals selected Neil Lomax who would have a very solid NFL career.
1982: Art Schlichter, QB, Ohio State – #4 overall by the Baltimore Colts
Arguably the most controversial bust of all time, Schlichter was taken by the Colts 4th overall in the 1982 draft. In college with Ohio State he had got national recognition when he nearly led the Buckeyes to the national championship in 1979 and upon leaving Ohio State did so as their career leader in total offense.
The warning signs might have already being there though. At college, he was a regular at the local horse racing track Scioto Downs but the NCAA had never had enough evidence to take the matter further.
Upon arriving at the Colts he failed to win the starting job from Mike Pagel but was regarded as the teams QB of the future. However, instead of learning the offense he was studying the form and his gambling was beginning to get out of control. The NFL doesn’t allow players to gamble in any form but Schlichter wasn’t a casual gambler – he was a gambling addict. By mid-season of his rookie year he’d blown his signing bonus and then finding himself with nothing to do during the 1982 players strike, he ran up a further $700,000 of gambling debts.
With bookies threatening to expose him, he had to go to the FBI and strike a deal but his NFL career would never recover. He was suspended from the league in 1983 and when reinstated in 1984 he again couldn’t win the starting job. By 1985 the Colts had heard he had being gambling again and released him. He attempted to catch on with the Buffalo Bills but they then signed Jim Kelly and he was released.
He was again in trouble with the law for gambling in 1987 and the Commissioner refused him permission to sign back with any NFL team. He was done as an NFL player and after a short stint in Canada he would eventually end up in Arena Football with the Detroit Drive where he actually found some success, winning them to a league title in 1990 and claiming the league’s MVP award.
Schlichter is the ultimate story of addiction replacing natural talent. He wasted his career gambling and it’s a battle he still can’t beat today. He stole from friends, family and team mates, has spent many periods in jail and even went as far as to have brain surgery to try and correct the problem but it never worked.
One pick after him in the 1982 draft was another controversial character, BYU’s Jim McMahon who was drafted by the Bears. By 1985 he was leading his team to an NFL Championship whilst Schlichter was just being run out of the league.
1983: Todd Blackledge, QB, Penn State – #7 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs
 Yet another QB makes our list but Blackledge has to be there purely because of what the 1983 draft was known for the year of the Quarterback. John Elway went first overall and two other future Hall Of Famers – Jim Kelly and Dan Marino – would follow later in the round. Add in the steady Ken O’Brien of the Jets and Tony Eason (not a great QB by any means but he played a part in getting the Patriots to a Super Bowl) and Blackledge stands out as the major disappointment of the class of ’83.
He came out of college with fine credentials having led the Nittany Lions to a National Championship as well as winning the Davey O’Brien award for the best QB in the nation and the Chiefs had no hesitation in making Blackledge their QB of the future with the 7th overall pick (and the 2nd QB taken after Elway). The future would never really come though as veteran Bill Kenney would respond to the challenge with a career season in 1983, throwing for over 4000 yards and 24 touchdowns.
When Blackledge did get his chance, he didn’t have a lot to work with as the Chiefs lacked great skill players or a good offensive line around him and it wouldn’t be long before Kenney was plugged back in. After five years of trying which had resulted in him never making the job his own Blackledge finished his career at the Steelers backing up Bubby Brister.
1984: Kenny Jackson, WR, Penn State – #4 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles
Another member of the Nittany Lions 1982 National Championship team to attract NFL teams was Blackledge’s favourite college target, wide receiver Kenny Jackson. A two time All-American, he held 27 school records by the end of his college career.
The Eagles were looking for a compliment to the explosive Mike Quick who was their real lone threat in the passing game since Harold Carmichael had retired. Jackson looked the obvious choice and there was great hope the Eagles had now formed one of the best receiving duos in the NFL.
He started off ok, earning the starting spot. He would hold that spot for the next four years but only in his second season – 1985 – did he deliver anything like reasonable production (40-692-1TD). When Buddy Ryan became head coach in 1987 one of his changes on offense was to demote the unproductive Jackson who would respond by retiring, citing he had lost his love for the game. He would attempt a comeback with the Oilers but never got anywhere and in 1990 the Eagles brought him back for two seasons where he played mainly on special teams, only ever catching another 5 passes.
The 1984 draft was not rewarding for many teams trying to improve their receiving corps. Of the seven receivers taken in the first two rounds only Louis Lipps can claim to have had a good NFL career.
Join us next time as we look back on the booming busts of 1985-1989.
Learn More about past NFL greats in our History Archive
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