Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
One might think that the 1987 Kelly Stouffer fiasco was Boone’s greatest QB error, but George was a man on a mission. His mission to get a QB started in 1977 with the selection of Steve Pisarkiewicz. Zark, as he was known, admitted he was surprised to be taken in round 1. Boone countered he would have been “crazy” not to take Zark.
This selection was one of 2 factors that drove Coryell out of STL. Coryell said, “If things stay on course we’ll win 4 games this year and in 1979 we’ll win 2. BTW the other factor was letting Terry Metcalf leave as a free agent. Coryell himself left after the 1977 season. I feel the sorriest for Bud Wilkinson, Coryell’s replacement, whose reputation was severely damaged by Boone’s personnel moves. In fact Wilkinson was fired with 3 games left in the 1979 season. Tom Danyluk’s book, The Super 70’s details the triggering conversation. Simply put Bidwill ordered Wilkinson to play Zark to “see what he could do.” Wilkinson was direct, “I know what he can do. He can’t play. I’m not putting him in there”. Bidwill replied, “You will if you want to keep your job.” So he became the 2nd Hall of Fame coach lost in a 3 year span.
Some of you may have noted there were some votes for Jim Hart on the Mount Rushmore thread. Zark was the man Boone saw as his replacement. Columnist Dave Roberts disagreed, “Zark was too small, too slow and couldn't read NFL defenses. He couldn't even win the backup job, which was not that surprising since he wasn't really that good in college, either.” Zark started 4 games for the Cards in two seasons completing only 44.9% of his passes.
He next went to Green Bay where he played in only 1 game. He moved to the CFL, but accomplished basically nothing. In the USFL next things actually went worse. He was charged with indecent exposure, plead guilty and was placed on probation.
You might think that ended his football career but in 1986 he resurfaced as the QB for the Cardiff Tigers in Europe. When the Cardiff team was dissolved he became GM of the Birmingham Bulls, but had to play QB for a game when their starter was unavailable.
The rest of the scenario leads him to the Dublin Celts as coach/GM and finally to the Barcelona Boxers, where he finished his playing career. If you want to know all the fun details I strongly recommend Michael Globetti’s fine book on American football in England, God Save The Quarterback. It’s cheap on Amazon and it’s a great read.
As for the 1977 draft as a whole. The Cards selected 11 players but were only able to sign 7. Incredibly 3 of those players lasted only 1 year with the Cards. Second round pick, George Franklin, was the strangest. He never played in a game for the Cards. Somehow (I can find no transaction) Franklin ended up with the Falcons in 1978. He returned 11 kickoffs with a long of 33 yards. He caught 1 pass for 19 yards. He rushed one time for -8. He biggest accomplishment was returning 2 punts for 50 yards. He did play a minor role in the playoffs. The 1977 draft would have to be labeled mostly a disaster.
In addition to the coaches mentioned above, there are stories about these and other coaches asking Boone for specific help, like Stallings & Hanifan, only to be ignored or threatened. Somehow in recent years Bill Bidwill has become some grandfatherly figure when the reality is you don’t get the nickname Dollar Bill because of your kindness. He was one tough dude who ran off good players & coaches with equal aplomb regardless of the impact on the team’s success. The Cards’ historical failures mostly resulted from his decisions.
This selection was one of 2 factors that drove Coryell out of STL. Coryell said, “If things stay on course we’ll win 4 games this year and in 1979 we’ll win 2. BTW the other factor was letting Terry Metcalf leave as a free agent. Coryell himself left after the 1977 season. I feel the sorriest for Bud Wilkinson, Coryell’s replacement, whose reputation was severely damaged by Boone’s personnel moves. In fact Wilkinson was fired with 3 games left in the 1979 season. Tom Danyluk’s book, The Super 70’s details the triggering conversation. Simply put Bidwill ordered Wilkinson to play Zark to “see what he could do.” Wilkinson was direct, “I know what he can do. He can’t play. I’m not putting him in there”. Bidwill replied, “You will if you want to keep your job.” So he became the 2nd Hall of Fame coach lost in a 3 year span.
Some of you may have noted there were some votes for Jim Hart on the Mount Rushmore thread. Zark was the man Boone saw as his replacement. Columnist Dave Roberts disagreed, “Zark was too small, too slow and couldn't read NFL defenses. He couldn't even win the backup job, which was not that surprising since he wasn't really that good in college, either.” Zark started 4 games for the Cards in two seasons completing only 44.9% of his passes.
He next went to Green Bay where he played in only 1 game. He moved to the CFL, but accomplished basically nothing. In the USFL next things actually went worse. He was charged with indecent exposure, plead guilty and was placed on probation.
You might think that ended his football career but in 1986 he resurfaced as the QB for the Cardiff Tigers in Europe. When the Cardiff team was dissolved he became GM of the Birmingham Bulls, but had to play QB for a game when their starter was unavailable.
The rest of the scenario leads him to the Dublin Celts as coach/GM and finally to the Barcelona Boxers, where he finished his playing career. If you want to know all the fun details I strongly recommend Michael Globetti’s fine book on American football in England, God Save The Quarterback. It’s cheap on Amazon and it’s a great read.
As for the 1977 draft as a whole. The Cards selected 11 players but were only able to sign 7. Incredibly 3 of those players lasted only 1 year with the Cards. Second round pick, George Franklin, was the strangest. He never played in a game for the Cards. Somehow (I can find no transaction) Franklin ended up with the Falcons in 1978. He returned 11 kickoffs with a long of 33 yards. He caught 1 pass for 19 yards. He rushed one time for -8. He biggest accomplishment was returning 2 punts for 50 yards. He did play a minor role in the playoffs. The 1977 draft would have to be labeled mostly a disaster.
In addition to the coaches mentioned above, there are stories about these and other coaches asking Boone for specific help, like Stallings & Hanifan, only to be ignored or threatened. Somehow in recent years Bill Bidwill has become some grandfatherly figure when the reality is you don’t get the nickname Dollar Bill because of your kindness. He was one tough dude who ran off good players & coaches with equal aplomb regardless of the impact on the team’s success. The Cards’ historical failures mostly resulted from his decisions.
