Moxie: Stan Humphries' Journey Through the NFL

(Photo by Wikipedia)

They say in the NFL, you need an elite quarterback to succeed. I say it's really not needed, but you can succeed a quarterback that isn't mobile or isn't laser focus or can throw a ball 70 yards. A quarterback can also succeed if they are a good leader and has the intangibles to drive his team. You need to have moxie. Look up the word in a dictionary or Google and see the definition. Google if you will....

For Stan Humphries, he had to exhibit all of these traits to survive in his NFL career. In his beginning, he also had to exhibit it to start his football playing days.

Born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Stan Humphries starred at Southwood High School before going to Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe). Despite only starting two seasons there, Humphries showed his knack of toughness and escaping adversity by leading the Indians to the NCAA I-AA Championship. Stan really didn't get any feelers in the 1988 NFL draft until the Washington Redskins selected him in the sixth round. He was short and stocky (6'1" 223 lbs.), slow as molasses (ran a 4.93 40-yard dash) and didn't have the greatest arm in the world, but Washington thought enough of him to be the backup to Mark Rypien. His first two seasons were not something great to write home to (1106 yards, 4 touchdowns, 11 interceptions). In the 1991 season, he did not play at all since Mark Rypien was well protected and led the Redskins to greater heights and a Super Bowl title. Stan Humphries is in rarified air as a player who won a college National Championship and a Super Bowl championship.

The San Diego Chargers were in a flux. Bobby Ross entered his first season as head coach and wanted to make a good impression. However, fate wouldn't be on his side as starting quarterback John Friesz suffered a preseason injury and was out. They needed depth at the position and executed a trade to send Humphries to the 619. Again, he was there for depth and not to be a world beater. Bob Gagliano was the starter for Week 1 against the hated Kansas City Chiefs. It was safe to say that Gagliano wasn't the guy and Ross dubbed Humphries the starter. In the next three games, the Chargers were destroyed with Houston beating them 27-0. The Chargers stood at 0-4 and probably thinking about what next year could bring them. Despite the rough start, Ross believed in Humphries because he had moxie. What happened next is unexplainable and unthinkable......

The Chargers won four straight games to climb back into a comfortable position. They played a hard-fought game against KC in Arrowhead, unfortunately, they were defeated by a Nick Lowery field goal, and the loss sent them to 4-5. However, that wouldn't defer the momentum as they conquered the snowball throwing in Cleveland and the desert heat in Arizona to win five straight games. They would have a pivotal contest against the Los Angeles Raiders at Memorial Coliseum. The Chargers went to the Mosalieum (Chris Berman's saying) and destroyed the Raiders to do what no team did or has done since, become the first team to start the season 0-4 and make the playoffs. They would finish off the Seahawks in the final week of the season to clinch the division title. (Side note: While researching this, I forgot to mention that Humphries was injured in the division title clinching game and Gagliano had to finish.) In one season, Stan Humphries and the Chargers went from nobodies to a force to be reckoned with.

The Chargers started the Wild Card at home against a familiar foe, the Chiefs, a team that swept the season series against San Diego. There is one thing that Kansas City probably forgot about the Chargers is that they have a dominating defense led by Junior Seau, Leslie O'Neal and Gill Byrd. That defense would flex their muscles and shoutout Kansas City 17-0 as Humphries was efficient enough to keep them afloat. Unfortunately, the magic ended as the Dolphins destroyed them in the divisional round 31-0.

The 1993 season was sort of a setback. They went 8-8 and Humphries suffered injuries to where John Friesz started a few games until Stan came back and engineered a four-game winning streak to end the season. This should have momentum going into the 1994 season. oh, but it did.....

The San Diego Chargers, despite losing some key members of the 1992 team, was determined to get back to that 1992 form. They started off with a Sunday Night game against the Denver Broncos at Mile High. Thanks to a Stanley Richard pick-six and a Junior Seau fumble recovery, San Diego pulls away and used that momentum to start the season 6-0 before the Broncos got revenge at the Murph. In one game during that six-game winning streak against the Las Vegas, nope, the Oakland, try again, the Los Angeles Raiders, Humphries threw a pick-six to Lionel Washington to give the Raiders a 24-23 lead. On the play, Humphries was on the ground, grasping his knee after a hit.

So, there are times when my memory is bad or my memory is scary accurate. This would be the time when a memory is scary accurate. Backup Gale Gilbert was supposed to enter. However, Humphries returned to the game, and I recall announcer Bob Trumpy say that it was not a good idea. (Also, RIP) Stan showed that signature moxie by throwing a block on Nolan Harrison during a reverse. Humphries led the Chargers to a game-winning field goal by John Carney. This win would propel San Diego into the conversation as a playoff contender. With two games remaining, Humphries and the Chargers had the chance to repeat the narrative of 1992. They went to New York and thanks to a pair of Tony Martin TD's, the San Diego Chargers beat the Jets and clinched the AFC West for the second time in three years. After a hard-fought win over Pittsburgh (remember this), San Diego had the #2 seed in the AFC, which meant a first-round bye.

In the divisional playoff against the Miami Dolphins, things were looking grim for the Bolts. Down 21-6 at halftime, Stan Humphries had to show that moxie, but he had some backup with him, yet he's had that backup, and they showed unity. Backed by a rumbling cat named Natrone Means and a ferocious defense, Stan Humphries and his Chargers stormed back to score 16 unanswered points including a Humphries to Mark Seay go-aheader. After a Pete Stoyanovich miss, the San Diego Chargers advance to the AFC Championship against a familiar foe, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Entering the game, the Steelers were the heavy favorites going in as they had their starters rested in the previous matchup. Starting out, Pittsburgh took care of business and had the Chargers on the ropes with a 13-3 lead. But what has this article been about? Stan Humphries and his moxie. Stan led a touchdown drive to tight end Alfred Pupunu to cut the lead to three. Then, after both team's defenses decided to put the clamps on, San Diego was driving to the Pittsburgh 43 deep in the fourth quarter.....

So, before I continue with this drive, let's flashback. Remember earlier in this article when I said Stan Humphries didn't have the greatest arm in the world? Well, during this three-year run, Stan has shown the ability to launch a deep ball. Take the game against the Seahawks in Husky Stadium earlier this season, Humphries and the Chargers were pinned at their 1-yard line as Stan delivered a bomb to Tony Martin as he streaked down the sideline for a 99-yard touchdown. That's right, the quarterback who couldn't throw is in the NFL record books for longest touchdown pass. In the Jets game, Stan threw two long passes to Martin to clinch the game for San Diego. Do you see a recurring theme?

At the 43, Humphries dropped back and launched a pass downfield to who else? Tony Martin snatches it and shakes a defender for a 43-yard score to put San Diego up 17-13. After a Dennis Gibson stop on fourth down near the goal line, that was it. The quarterback who couldn't run a lick, couldn't throw a lick and had a body that didn't resemble a football player just led his team to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. In three years, both Stan Humphries and the San Diego Chargers were growing to be a team who can ruffle feathers on top of the AFC.

Unfortunately, the Chargers were obliterated by the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 29.

In the ensuing years after, Stan Humphries' body absorbed punishment to where the injuries stacked up.

The cherry on top was a hit in 1997 by Bengals linebacker Reinard Wilson that concussed Humphries so bad that he had to leave in a stretcher. This was the writing on the wall for him as he would retire after that season.

After his playing days were over, Stan Humphries was honored by the Chargers as he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2002 and also the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He is also an avid and experienced golfer.

Before there was Tom Brady or Brock Purdy, there was a quarterback who defied odds and gave "experts" headaches that led his team to unforgettable heights.

All of that moxie can come a long way.

(References: Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Wikipedia, NFL.com, ESPN, YouTube, Pro Football Reference)

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