Voting was held in West Germany for the 496-seat Bundestag (which had 22 additional, non-voting delegates representing West Berlin). Although Chancellor Helmut Schmidt’s Social Democratic Party (SDP) lost 16 seats and its coalition partner, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) lost two, the coalition retained a 253 to 243 majority over Helmut Kohl’s CDU/CSU (Christian Democrats and Christian Socialists). Helmut Kohl, whose Christian Democrats were Mr. Schmidt’s main opposition, said his party had won a “moral victory” in the election against the Socialists.
Rolf Pohle, a member of West Germany’s Baader-Meinhof anarchist terrorist group, was extradited and flown from Athens to Munich to complete a 62-year prison term. His departure ended a 2-month legal battle that focused on the question of what constitutes terrorism. A lower court had ruled that Pohle, 34, an arms merchant for the terrorist group, was not covered by the 1907 Greek-German extradition pact. That court ruled that he was a genuine revolutionary and that his acts were political rather than criminal. Ultimately the Greek supreme court reversed that decision and Pohle was returned to West Germany where he was convicted in 1974 of conspiracy, forgery and fraud. He was freed in 1975 as part of a ransom deal in the kidnaping of a West Berlin political figure.
Firemen in Northern Ireland’s two largest cities, Londonderry and Belfast. announced a boycott of bomb emergencies and fires caused by bombs on business premises in order to back up a demand for “danger money” of $8.50 a day for battling such blazes. Before the boycott, firemen went to a downtown Belfast commercial building to put out a fire set by five bombs that went off inside 12 minutes. There were no casualties in that incident.
Balance of payment deficits must be eliminated by both rich and poor nations, the head of the International Monetary Fund said. At the opening session of the fund’s annual meeting, the chief, Johannes Witteveen, said that the countries must stop borrowing to cover the deficits. At the same meeting, Robert McNamara, the president of the World Bank, said the wealthier nations must help solve the world’s poverty problems.
Long dormant interest in limiting the world’s growing commercial arms traffic is cropping up in unexpected and promising new guise before the 31st General Assembly. A shift in third‐world attitudes toward this neglected aspect of disarmament policy may be occurring, judging from speeches and reactions in the first week of the Assembly’s general debate. Sensing the new mood, the Foreign Minister of Belgium, Renaat Van Elslande, announced that his Government was preparing a possible new initiative for the Assembly’s consideration. Foreign Ministers of Japan, Ireland, the Netherlands and Singapore promptly endorsed efforts to confront the problems of conventional arms transfers, and similar interest is also being expressed by Soviet and United States diplomats. In the past, most of the third‐world majority has regarded efforts to limit trade in conventional armaments as a plot by the industrialized world to keep the developing countries defenseless and vulnerable to big‐power pressures.
Pressure on UNESCO to reverse its 1974 decision barring Israel from taking part in the work of the organization was intensified last night when an international conference here of scientists and intellectuals set up a permanent action committee to press the case.
Arab youths and Israeli security forces engaged in violent clashes in the town of Hebron on the occupied West Bank of the Jordan River. The fighting broke out after Moslems and Jews accused each other of desecrating artifacts at a shrine sacred to both faiths. Fifty-five Arabs were reported injured in rioting in Hebron that sparked protests in other occupied towns. The clashes erupted in Hebron today between Arab youths and Israeli security forces after Muslims and Jews accused one another of desecrating Muslim and Jewish artifacts at a shrine sacred to both faiths. The charges and countercharges of vandalism in the Tomb of the Patriarchs here also triggered rock‐throwing protests in a number of other Arab West Bank towns occupied by Israel, including Nablus, Tulkarm, Jenin and Ramallah. About 60 arrests were made during a melee at the shrine here and up to 55 Arabs were reported to have been injured in fights with Israeli security forces. Six Arab youths and an Arab girl of 14, all of them from the nearby village of Halhoul, were shot. Two of them were reported to be in critical condition in a hospital in the town of Beit Jala. One of the injured youths said he had been shot by a civilian.
Saudi Arabian troops who have been stationed on the Golan Heights since the 1973 Middle East war are to be withdrawn, the Syrian government said. The decision comes at a time when the Syrian army is already extended on other fronts because of its incursion into Lebanon. The move by Saudi Arabia is seen as an effort to put pressure on Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
The battlefronts in the Lebanese war were relatively quiet today, with sporadic ground action and artillery duels in the area of Aleih, on a mountain ridge east of the capital, and clashes along the dividing line between east and west Beirut.
No one will starve in Bangladesh this year because of good harvests, and the inflation that was running at about 60 percent last year has been brought under control. One principal reason for the improvement in Bangladesh is the weather. Another, according to knowledgeable people in Dacca, is General Ziaur Rahman, who took over the government last year. The general now faces an important decision: whether to turn the country back to civilian rule or extend his own rule, as many people are encouraging him to do.
The Soviet Union seized two more Japanese fishing vessels bringing to eight the number it has detained since a defecting Soviet pilot flew his MIG-25 interceptor to Japan. The seizure of the two boats and their 11 crew members was apparently another in a series of anti-Japanese moves by the Soviet Union, angered by the Japanese decision to ignore Soviet protests and make a complete examination of the MIG-25 with U.S. help.
Nuns, priests and seminarians were among 3.000 demonstrators marching through downtown Manila demanding an end to the 4-year-old martial law regime of President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Marcos had proclaimed that free debate would be allowed on the referendum October 16 on martial law and on proposed amendments to the Philippines constitution. However, police Col. N. M. Cabrera said street marches are illegal and ordered them stopped.
Australia should set up a garbage dump for the world’s nuclear waste, according to Dr. T. Sabine, head of the school of physics at New South Wales Institute of Technology. It should be in the desolate regions of the continent’s interior and be offered as part of a marketing package that would involve the mining, enrichment and sale of Australia’s rich uranium resources, he said. Dr. Sabine told a nuclear energy seminar in Perth that a dump 1,000 miles west of Alice Springs would present no problems geologically and that it was unlikely that it would affect the nation’s food supply.
The killing of harp seals is increasing despite imposition of quotas by the Canadian government. a researcher charged in San Francisco. David M. Lavigne of the University of Guelph in Ontario told a conference of the Animal Protection Institute of America that the 1976 seal kill was considerably above what the Canadian government had expected.
Dutch Honorary Consul Eric Leupin, kidnaped by leftist guerrillas 20 months ago. has been freed, Bogota police confirmed. Sources close to Leupin’s family reported earlier that the 42-year-old Canadian-born businessman was released in Cali. Colombia. and was apparently in good health. His captors first demanded a ransom of $600,000, but later lowered the amount to $40.000. No details were given on his release or possible payment of a ransom. Leupin is owner and operator of a timber farm in southwest Colombia.
A military review running ahead of schedule is credited with saving the life of Argentine President Jorge Videla as a powerful bomb destroyed the reviewing stand shortly after the president left it. The blast occurred just five or six minutes after Videla finished a speech at the Campo de Mayo army base. Two military men were slightly wounded by flying splinters, reports said. A signal corps parade had ended 15 minutes ahead of schedule, military sources said.
Sudan announced it had taken urgent measures to fight a mystery disease that has broken out in the south of the country, claiming a number of lives. Major General Khalid Hassan Abbas, health minister, said a team of doctors had been sent to the area and specimens flown to Britain for laboratory analysis.
Bishop Abel Muzorewa, an important leader of the fractionalized black nationalist movement, returned today from 14 months of elf-imposed exile to an enthusiastic welcome here and accused the United States attempting to make his rival, Joshua Nkomo, head of an interim government.
Criticism continued to grow over the racial remarks made by Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz, but neither he nor the White House would say whether he would resign or be dismissed. William Scranton, the chief delegate to the United Nations, joined in the criticism, terming Mr. Butz’s remarks “revolting” and saying they could damage American relations with African countries. Mr. Scranton’s comments were made on “Meet the Press,” the NBC television program. An aide to Mr. Scranton said that the chief delegate had not discussed the situation with the President. Senator James L. Buckley, Conservative‐Republican, of New York, declared: “If Secretary Butz in fact made the remarks attributed to him, then he should resign or be relieved of office. An apology will not undo the damage caused by remarks that can be widely interpreted as reflecting personal racial prejudice.” Ron Nessen, Mr. Ford’s press secretary, refused today to answer directly questions about whether Mr. Ford gave Mr. Butz a “severe reprimand” Friday, and Mr. Butz apologized for his remarks. Yesterday, well‐placed White House officials said that President Ford was prepared to accept Mr. Butz’s resignation if the public controversy widened.
Doubts about Jimmy Carter abound in the solidly working‐class South Side of Milwaukee: doubts about his character, his religion and his views. But all of these seem less detrimental to his candidacy, finally, than an underlying doubt as to whether strong Presidential leadership is even possible anymore. The Democratic Presidential nominee’s promises to deal with unemployment, plug tax loopholes for the rich and eliminate the bureaucratic “mess” that he contends exists in Washington, run up against a wall of skepticism here. Often, it is as if the voters are saving that the problems are worse than the candidate says they are—and therefore insoluble by him or anyone else. “If he gets in, he’ll only be President,” said William Tomkiewicz, who tends machines in an aluminum casting factory. Until the first debate between the candidates, Mr. Tomkiewicz was inclined to support the Democrats. Now he is leaning to Mr. Ford, the Republican candidate, not because he expects more from him but because he thinks Mr. Carter was “making promises I don’t think he can carry out.” He takes it as a matter of proved fact — as many of his neighbors do in the first election after the forced resignation of a President — that any occupant of the White House will be rendered impotent by Congress.
The presidential campaigns this year are the first to be fully financed with federal money, and while this frees the managers from the task of soliciting cash, it has imposed strict limits on how much they can spend. Each of the major party campaigns is limited to expenditures of $21.8 million. This has forced the candidates to cut down on nitty-gritty organizing efforts and on the traditional paraphernalia of campaigns, such as buttons and bumper stickers.
The Senate race in New York, a state long regarded as one of the nation’s most liberal, has taken on a national significance. The candidacies of Senator James Buckley and Daniel Patrick Moynihan offer voters a clear choice between conservative and liberal philosophies and political analysts are watching the race to see if the state has shifted to the right. Extensive interviews with both candidates revealed that they, too, agreed with the proposition.
The nation’s economic recovery will stay sluggish for the remainder of the year, according to many of the bankers gathering in Washington for the convention of the American Bankers Association. This belief comes amid other signs that the pace of recovery is slowing, including the recently reported declines in construction contracts and the index of leading economic indicators. The bankers also reported that businesses were borrowing less and that little improvement was seen before the middle of 1977.
Stiffer penalties should be imposed on criminal violators of the antitrust laws, according to Donald Baker, the new head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division. He said that he had given high priority to developing standards for sentencing violators under the terms of a relatively new law that provides for jail sentences of up to three years for such criminal offenses as price fixing. Stiffer penalties, Mr. Baker believes, would act as a deterrent to others contemplating the same type of criminal action.
Negotiators for the United Auto Workers and Ford Motor Co. gathered for more meetings amid indications they were getting closer to settling the nationwide strike that began when 170,000 Ford hourly workers walked off the job Sept. 15. UAW President Leonard Woodcock commented. “Things are coming together. There’s still work to be done.” Sources close to the bargaining said Ford and the UAW had resolved several thorny issues on Friday and Saturday. including an agreement in principle on the union demand for more time off for workers with no loss in pay, to create jobs. But earlier optimism that a new contract agreement would be reached in the 19th day of the United Automobile Workers’ strike against the Ford Motor Company faded today as bargainers headed into a late, evening session.
It was the third consecutive day that negotiations stretched into the evening, but one source indicated the session today would not turn into a marathon meeting that would signal an upcoming agreement in the nationwide strike by 170,000 workers. Sources continued to indicate, however, that no new major stumbling blocks to agreement were raised during the day. But they said a few of the issues were proving tougher than had been expected. While bargaining continued under a virtual news blackout, spokesmen did say shortly before 9 P.M. that the bargainers had broken into two committees, one dealing with economic issues and the other with noneconomic matters. Asked to characterize the late Sunday session, a U.A.W. spokesman said, “I don’t know if this is the final push.”
Some of the nation’s Roman Catholics signed cards expressing individual opposition to abortion, but there were complaints from other parishioners that the cards were injecting the church into politics. The U.S. Bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities had urged the card-signing as part of a 1976 “Respect Life” program. Committee Chairman Terence Cardinal Cooke, archbishop of New York, called the pledges a “forceful indication of the growing public opposition to permissive abortion.” Diocesan officials were to count the cards and forward the results to the bishops’ national administrative committee in Washington.
A new book by a reputed former Chicago underworld assassin will assert that ex-Teamster President James R. Hoffa was slain on orders from the CIA by the same person who killed underworld overlord Sam Giancana in 1975, the Miami Herald reported. The newspaper said the forthcoming book by Charles (Chuckie) Crimaldi would claim that Hoffa’s body had been placed in a car at an auto junkyard and that the car had then been compressed into a block of scrap metal and dumped into a steel smelter. The book contends Hoffa was the liaison between the CIA and the Mafia in unsuccessful plots to assassinate Cuban Premier Fidel Castro.
A 50-vote margin boosted freshman Louisiana state Rep. Rick Tonry to victory in the Democratic runoff for the 1st Congressional District seat being relinquished after 35 years by F. Edward Hebert. But Tonry’s opponent said the results would be overturned in a recount. “I will guarantee you right now Tonry will not be in the general election on November 2.” New Orleans Councilman James Moreau said after the results had been posted. The Democratic winner will face Republican Bob Livingston and Independent John Rarick.
An intensive drive to wipe out marijuana smuggling in the Southeast has cut down on the availability of high-grade weed from South America and the Caribbean, but domestic marijuana seems to be more widespread, a survey shows. Federal and state agencies began the crackdown a year ago. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration said 115 planes carrying marijuana crashed last year, killing 17 persons. The DEA said its records showed an almost continuous increase in the amount of the drug seized since 1974.
Ocean dumping of dredged materials and sewage sludge has increased despite passage of regulatory legislation four years ago, according to the Council on Environmental Quality. In its seventh annual assessment of the ecological state of the nation, the council said an area of special concern is the “New York Bight,” a triangular area covering about 10 square miles of ocean off Sandy Hook. New Jersey, where millions of tons of sewage from New York and New Jersey are dumped each year.
San Joaquin Valley farmers will lose about $32 million in crops this year due to smog, according to state Air Resources Board Chairman Tom Quinn. Quinn said cities in the valley may be responsible or the smog may be blowing in from the San Francisco area. Damage from automobile-caused oxidants and sulfur dioxide has been found on at least 43 crops in the valley, which lost $26.5 million in cotton, grapes and alfalfa last year.
The small community of Canaan, New Hampshire is getting back to normal today after a rock concert that attracted tens of thousands of people over the weekend. Crowd estimates at the concert yesterday varied. But the police put the figure at about 60,000 people with some estimates ranging as high as 70,000. The festival was held at the Canaan Fairgrounds and ended last night. The police said that almost all of the visitors and promoters had left the community of about 2,500 by this morning. Jack Fox, one of the promoters, said that he had expected no more than 15,000 or 20,000 people. A Canaan police official said that 40 or 50 people had been arrested on misdemeanor charges, usually related to alcohol or drugs, but that generally the crowd had been peaceful. More than 80 police officers directed traffic in the area Friday night and through yesterday. Another 200 private guards patrolled inside the fairgrounds.
The state of Connecticut is fighting the approach of winter, trying to prevent further deterioration of dinosaur tracks in the Hartford suburb of Rocky Hill. The tracks, estimated at 200 million years old, were discovered 10 years ago by a bulldozer operator. In 1968 the area was dedicated as a state park. But exposure has damaged the approximately 2.000 footprints and the state Department of Public Works hopes to get about 1,500 of the prints under a layer of urethane, foam and sand before the snow falls.
Major League Baseball:
Butch Hobson saved the Boston Red Sox from defeat on the last day of the season with the tying single in the 11th inning and then scored in the 15th to beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3–2. The rookie third baseman led off with a single and, after a sacrifice by Cecil Cooper, scored with two out on a single by Rick Burleson.
In a blazing finish, Bill Madlock collected four hits in four trips and won his second straight batting championship as the Cubs defeated the Expos, 8–2. Madlock entered the game trailing Ken Griffey of the Reds by .005, but the closing spree raised his average to .339. Griffey struck out twice in the Reds’ game with the Braves, dropping his mark to .336. Madlock was slated to bat for a fifth time in the eighth inning but left the game for pinch-hitter Rob Sperring. Rick Reuschel (14–12) got the victory
The Reds ended their season with an 11–1 victory over the Braves, but Jack Billingham had to leave the game after the first with a muscle strain in his right bicep and Ken Griffey lost in his bid for the batting championship. Griffey did not enter the lineup until the Reds learned that Bill Madlock was having a hot day with the Cubs. Put into the game, Griffey struck out in two appearances and finished with an average of .336, while Madlock had four hits in four trips and won the title with .339.
With all three contenders in action, George Brett won the A. L. batting championship with a mark of .333 on his 29th three-hit game of the season, but the Royals lost to the Twins, 5–3. Hal McRae, Brett’s teammate, had two hits and finished with a .332 mark, while Rod Carew of the Twins, who also collected two hits, was third in the race with .331.
The Dodgers not only lost to the Padres, 3–2, but losing pitcher Doug Rau (16–12) deprived himself of a chance to win the N. L.’s ERA title. Relieving at the start of the eighth inning, Rau walked Merv Rettenmund with the bases loaded, forcing in the Padres’ winning run. As a result, his ERA went to 2.57 as compared to 2.52 for John Denny of the Cardinals.
Baseball’s career home run champion at the time, Hank Aaron, appeared in his 3,298th and final major league baseball game, finishing with a hit that drove in one run for the Milwaukee Brewers in a 5–2 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The game took place at Milwaukee County Stadium where Aaron had spent most of his career for the Milwaukee Braves. Pedro Garcia led the Tigers to their victory, batting in three runs with a pair of singles and sacrifice fly.
Nolan Ryan (17–18) struck out 14 to increase his league-leading total to 327 and allowed only two hits while pitching the Angels to a 1–0 victory over the Athletics. The run that beat Mike Torrez scored in the seventh inning. Tony Solaita singled and was forced by Ron Jackson. After Rusty Torres grounded out, Terry Humphrey singled to drive in Jackson.
Tuning up for his opening-game assignment in the championship series, Steve Carlton posted his 20th victory of the season with the Phillies, pitching a three-hitter and beating the Mets, 2–1. Carlton struck out 12, including six in a row in the sixth and seventh innings. Tim McCarver, Carlton’s favorite batterymate, batted in the deciding run in the fifth, hitting a single to score Dick Allen, who walked and stole second.
Two great pitching duels saw the Pirates post a pair of 1–0 victories to sweep a closing doubleheader with the Cardinals. Jim Rooker (15–8) triumphed over John Denny in the opener when the Pirates scored in the sixth inning on a double by Omar Moreno, infield out by Richie Zisk and grounder by Dave Parker to Keith Hernandez, whose throw home was wild. In the nightcap, Zisk walked in the ninth and gave way on the paths to Miguel Dilone, who stole second and scored on a single by Tony Armas to enable Jerry Reuss (14–9) to gain the decision over Pete Falcone.
Posting his first major league victory, rookie righthander Len Barker of the Rangers pitched a three-hitter and shut out the White Sox, 3–0. The Rangers’ scoring included a homer by Roy Howell.
The scheduled game between the Cleveland Indians and the Yankees at New York was cancelled due to rain.
Baltimore Orioles 2, Boston Red Sox 3
Montreal Expos 2, Chicago Cubs 8
Atlanta Braves 1, Cincinnati Reds 11
Minnesota Twins 5, Kansas City Royals 3
San Diego Padres 3, Los Angeles Dodgers 2
Detroit Tigers 5, Milwaukee Brewers 2
California Angels 1, Oakland Athletics 0
New York Mets 1, Philadelphia Phillies 2
St. Louis Cardinals 0, Pittsburgh Pirates 1
St. Louis Cardinals 0, Pittsburgh Pirates 1
Chicago White Sox 0, Texas Rangers 3
NFL Football:
The St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Giants, 27–21. Steve Jones, subbing the second half for injured Terry Metcalf, scored touchdowns on a three-yard pass from Jim Hart and ran over from the 3 to help keep the Cardinals just one game behind Dallas in the NFC East. Mike Sensibaugh got his first NFL touchdown on the second play of the game after intercepting Craig Morton at the Giants’ 35 and taking it for a score. Giants’ halfback Doug Kotar caught 11 passes in the game to tie Washington’s Frank Grant for the best receiving performance in 1976 in the NFC.
The San Francisco 49ers downed the New York Jets, 17–6. Steve Mike-Mayer’s fifth consecutive field goal and Cleveland Elam’s 31-yard return of a Joe Namath fumble for a TD broke open a scoreless game and kept the 49ers just a half-game behind the Rams in the NFC West. Cedrick Hardman set up Elam’s score when he sacked Joe Namath, one of seven sacks of Jets’ quarterbacks, and popped the ball loose. Ed Marinaro averted the Jets’ second shutout with a one-yard run and his 111-yard performance was the first 100-yard plus game in his NFL career.
The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 28–13. Jim Zorn led the Seahawks on 72 and 71-yard scoring drives for a 13–0 lead before Roger Staubach and Robert Newhouse rallied the Cowboys to maintain the NFL’s only perfect record and NFC East lead. Staubach, who passed for 200 yards on 14 of 20 attempts, connected with Drew Pearson and Charley Young in the second quarter, putting Dallas on top 14-13. Newhouse picked up 24 of his 120 yards on a third quarter TD run. Zorn’s touchdown passes to Don Testerman and Steve Largent gave Seattle its first lead ever in the NFL.
The Baltimore Colts rolled over the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 42–17. Bert Jones threw two touchdown passes and Roosevelt Leaks ran for two scores as the Colts scored 42 consecutive points. Leaks rushed for 72 yards on 13 carries and scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter after Dave Green had put Tampa Bay ahead 3–0 on a 40-yard field goal. Tampa Bay got its first touchdowns ever on 44-yard fumble return by cornerback Danny Reece and a one-yard run by Charlie Davis, both in the closing minutes of the game.
The Denver Broncos shut out the San Diego Chargers, 26–0. Rick Upchurch got his third punt return touchdown in the last two games and Jim Turner booted four of five field goal attempts as the Broncos recorded their first shutout since 1971. Upchurch’s 92-yard run for a TD was the longest in Denver history and the longest in the NFL in 1976. Denver’s win coupled with Oakland’s loss to New England threw the AFC West into a three way tie with the Broncos, Chargers, and Raiders all with 3–1 records.
The Chicago Bears whipped the Washington Redskins, 33–7. Walter Payton rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown, his third 100-yard game and a league-leading total 408 yards, as the Bears dealt the Redskins their worst defeat under George Allen and held Washington to its fewest yards total offense, 119, since 1961. Bob Avellini scored the first Chicago touchdown on a four-yard run and passed six yards to James Scott for another. Joe Theismann led the Redskins in the second half and hit Jackie Smith with a one-yard touchdown pass with one second left, avoiding a shutout.
The New England Patriots crushed the Oakland Raiders, 48–17. Steve Grogan directed a 468-yard offensive attack in which he threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more as the Patriots scored more points against the Raiders than any team since 1961. Following Andy Johnson’s opening touchdown, Grogan completed touchdown passes to Darryl Stingley of 21 and 15 yards and a 16-yarder to Marlin Briscoe. The second-year quarterback then picked up 12 of his 56 yards rushing on third and fourth-quarter touchdown runs. Ken Stabler hit on 20 of 35 for 225 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Fred Biletnikoff. Sam Cunningham barely missed a 200-yard offensive performance with 101 yards rushing and 94 yards receiving. Dave Casper caught 12 passes to tie with Lydell Mitchell for the NFL’s best receiving performance in 1976.
The Cincinnati Bengals routed the Cleveland Browns, 45–24. Ken Anderson tied a club record with four touchdown passes, two each to Lenvil Elliott and Isaac Curtis, and Willie Shelby established a club mark with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the NFL’s longest in 1976, as the Bengals defeated their in-state rivals. Brian Sipe completed a record 26 passes for Cleveland and had the Browns within seven, 31–24, after three quarters. Anderson’s second TD pass to Elliott and Boobie Clark’s one-yard run for a score clinched the game.
The Philadelphia Eagles edged the Atlanta Falcons, 14–13. Mike Boryla threw second half touchdown passes to Harold Carmichael and Charlie Smith after the Falcons took a 13–0 halftime lead, limiting Philadelphia to 34 net yards in the first two periods. Steve Bartkowski got Atlanta on the scoreboard with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Alfred Jenkins and went on to complete 18 of 32 passes for 212 yards, but suffered two interceptions. Boryla’s fourth down pass with 4:21 left in the game found Smith in the end zone to lead the Eagles to their first win over the Falcons since 1967.
The Los Angeles Rams beat the Miami Dolphins, 31–28. Tom Dempsey’s 19-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining gave the Rams a 31-28 edge over the Dolphins following a second half comeback from a 14–0 deficit. James Harris, 17 of 29 for 436, threw third quarter touchdown passes of 58 and 43 yards to Ron Jessie and then ran over from the one in the fourth period to tie Miami 21–21. Lawrence McCutcheon’s nine-yard run gave Los Angeles the lead 28–21 before Bob Griese tied it up again on a seven-yard scoring pass to Nat Moore. Miami had two possessions between the tying TD and Dempsey’s field goal, but both ended with Rams interceptions. Harris’s 426 net yards passing and Los Angeles’ total offensive yardage of 593 both set records for Dolphin opponents.
The Houston Oilers defeated the New Orleans Saints, 31–26. C. L. Whittington’s 96-yard fumble return for a touchdown capped a 21-point Houston third quarter that broke open a 10–9 game. On the previous series Whittington intercepted a Bobby Scott pass at the Saints’ 47, leading to Ronnie Coleman’s 22-yard TD run. New Orleans came back in the fourth quarter, shutting out the Oilers and scoring 17 points initiated by a 60-yard Scott-to-Tinker Owens touchdown, but Houston hung on for the win.
The Green Bay Packers triumphed over the Detroit Lions, 24–14. Steve Odom returned the opening kickoff 88 yards, setting up the Packers’ initial score, and caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from running back Willard Harrell as Green Bay defeated the Lions for its first win. Following a 10-point Packers first quarter, Greg Landry, 12 of 17 for 122 yards, fired touchdown passes to Dexter Bussey and Ray Jarvis for a 14–10 Detroit lead at the half. Lynn Dickey clinched the victory with a two-yard touchdown pass to reserve tight end Bert Askson early in the fourth quarter. Harrell finished with 111 yards rushing in addition to his TD pass.
The Buffalo Bills demolished the Kansas City Chiefs, 50–17. O.J. Simpson became the Bills’ all-time leading scorer with his 50th and 51st career touchdowns as Buffalo ran up the most points ever against Kansas City. Simpson, with 130 yards, and ex-Chief Jeff Kinney, with 114, became the sixth pair of Bills backs to rush for over 100 yards in a game. Joe Ferguson passed for 184 yards and threw three touchdown passes to Bob Chandler. Tony Adams replaced starting quarterback Mike Livingston (dislocated finger) and completed 17 of 32 for 319 yards and touchdown passes to Henry Marshall and Tommy Reamon. Tony Greene’s 101-yard interception return for a touchdown on the last play of the game tied for the second longest in NFL history and was the longest in the NFL in 1976.
New York Giants 21, St. Louis Cardinals 27
New York Jets 6, San Francisco 49ers 17
Dallas Cowboys 28, Seattle Seahawks 13
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17, Baltimore Colts 42
San Diego Chargers 0, Denver Broncos 26
Washington Redskins 7, Chicago Bears 33
Oakland Raiders 17, New England Patriots 48
Cincinnati Bengals 45, Cleveland Browns 24
Philadelphia Eagles 14, Atlanta Falcons 13
Los Angeles Rams 31, Miami Dolphins 28
Houston Oilers 31, New Orleans Saints 26
Detroit Lions 14, Green Bay Packers 24
Kansas City Chiefs 17, Buffalo Bills 50
Born:
Kirsi Haenninen, Finnish National Team ice hockey defenseman and pesäpallo player (Olympics, bronze medal, 1998), in Joensuu, Finland.
Tony Scott, NFL cornerback (New York Jets), in Lawndale, North Carolina.
Seann William Scott, American actor (“Role Models”), in Cottage Grove, Minnesota.
