Originally selected by the Chiefs in the 2nd round of the 1991 draft along with Harvey Williams (1st) and Tim Barnett (3rd) Joe Valerio was a small school product out of Pennsylvania that made waves at the combine with his 6-5, 292 frame. A two time NCAA I-AA All-American he’d be allocated by the Chiefs to the WLAF for the 1992 season.
The Chiefs -pleased with the progress of linebacker Tracy Simien, felt that Joe would be a good fit in the World League. He’d get valuable starting time with the Birmingham Fire, under head coach Chan Gailey, blocking for quarterback Mike Norseth and runningback Elroy Harris that season as the team made the playoffs with a 7-2-1 record. After the league was reorganized in 1992 he’d return to the Chiefs and start 3 games that season. Valerio would remain on the line of the Chiefs as a valuable back up through 1995, before signing with the St. Louis Rams in 1996, and retiring after that season. Throughout his career he’d play every position on the offensive line, including tight end. He’d also make 4 receptions for 7 yards and 4 touchdowns on tackle eligible plays for the Chiefs, (-all from Joe Montana which is the most that Montana threw to any lineman).
Since then Joe has gone into motivational speaking through Gridiron Concepts. He’s also a manager for Wells Fargo, coaches, and works avidly on his foundation. A popular member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Valerio also did radio and tv for a stint. I sent off for his autograph through his website at joe73.com last year, and gave up after about 6 months, so I was really pleased to open up an envelope and find these two cards autographed for me, in just a shade under a year.
Coach: Larry Little Stadium: Buckeye Stadium Record: (1992) 1-9
The Glory went with a straightforward approach choosing Red, White, and Blue as their colors.
BACKGROUND:
The Ohio Glory were a franchise in the WLAF based out of Columbus, Ohio during the 1992 season. After the 1991 season the league decided to mercifully euthanize the 0-10 Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks. To return the league to a ten team league they decided to place an ‘expansion’ franchise in one of their finalists cities from before their inaugural season.
Among the choices were, Mexico City, Milan, Washington DC, and Denver. In the end the league decided to bring the WLAF to Columbus, Ohio. As boring as the selection sounded, Columbus was actually a wise choice for a franchise which would play its games on the campus of Ohio State at Ohio Stadium.
Despite the perception that strong college football programs tended to blight other football franchise attendance, the Glory, had over 30,000 fans show up for games on 3 occasions, including a season high 41,853 to watch the Glory win their only game of the season, – a 20-17 victory over the Frankfurt Galaxy.
Unable to find an owner for the team, the league would run the franchise and appoint Peter Hadhazy to run the team. The Ohio Glory’s head coach was former Hall of Fame offensive lineman Larry Little. While other teams had minorities in many executive roles, Little was also the first minority head coach in the league. The WLAF would be his first pro head coaching gig, – which he admitted he had been dreaming of doing for years. With his big personality, Little was a very popular coach with the fans and media who swarmed him when he hit the field before games despite the team’s felonious record.
1992:
As part of the condition of the dispersal of the Skyhawks, – most of the talent from that team was returned to the draft pool, so the Glory in essence started from scratch. Ohio selected former Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Babe Laufenberg with the second overall pick. The Surge and Glory switched picks on defense so Sacramento gave them Center Curtis Wilson. Notable members of the Glory included: Future AFL Orlando Predator head coach Pat O’Hara, and future Packer and Super Bowl champion, George Koonce. Future CFL and Baltimore Stallions wide receiver, Walter Wilson also made his way courtesy of the NFL’s allocation program through San Diego.
Ohio had a few bright spots in their single season in the WLAF as Walter Wilson would dominate the receiving charts finishing first with 65 receptions, and Melvin Patterson made a 99 yard touchdown reception setting a new league record. At runningback Amir Rasul finished 2nd in the league in rushing with 572 yards. Over the course of the season the Glory went through 3 quarterback controversies with Babe Laufenberg, Pat O’Hara, and Greg Frey. Consistency proved to be a major problem for the team on offense, even though Ohio rolled up the statistics- they just couldn’t put it together solidly in one game.
Their low point was probably in their matchup against the San Antonio Riders. The game would be interrupted by a hailstorm and a tornado warning, but this would not stop the Riders from crushing the Glory 17-0. With Pat O’Hara under center, the Riders kept the pressure on the Glory all day long.
In the end, the Glory lost 4 games by a total of 16 points. Surprisingly the defense wasn’t bad, giving up more than 24 points in only 4 contests. Chad Rolen and Charles Jackson led the team in sacks and tackles respectively. Jason Wallace, CB, tied for 5th in the league with 3 interceptions, while Tom Rouen finished second in the league in punting yard and average, and also set a league record with an 85 yard punt.
After the season ended, Charles Jackson was named to the All-World Team along with Wilson and Rouen. The league reorganized after the 1992 season.
NOTES:
The Glory played their ‘preseason’ contest against the San Antonio Riders in San Marcos. The Riders trounced the Glory with Babe Laufenberg under center. The game would be used as a tie breaker for playoff purposes- but neither team needed it.
Since the Ohio Glory did not play in 1991, only Ultimate and Wild Card produced sets of the franchise.
LEGACY:
In 2004, the Arena league Buffalo Destroyers relocated to Columbus, where they’d remain until the AFL also reorganized after 2008. Although not among the retooled teams of the new AFL in 2010- Columbus returned to the Arena Football League stage in 2019 with the Destroyers name.
At times the city has been mentioned as a potential destination spot for the UFL and other fledgling leagues, however all of that has remained a rumor, as NFL and Spring football has escaped the beloved city of Columbus.
After transferring from JC to Iowa in 1989, Michael Titley would provide stability at the tight end position for the Hawkeyes with his size (6’3″, 235) and hands (tied for team lead with 29 receptions) in 1990, replacing Marv Cook at the position. He’d post at least a reception in each game his senior season. Don Shula‘s Miami Dolphins would pull the trigger on Titley drafting him in the 10th round of that year’s NFL draft.
In 1992, Michael would sign with the WLAF’s Orlando Thunder. As a speedy, pass catching tight end, Titley would fit in well with the Thunder’s hybrid spread offense, under Galen Hall’s direction. He’d post a respectable 22 receptions for 215 yards catching passes from quarterback Scott Mitchell. After the Thunder lost to the Surge in World Bowl II, Michael would have to put his football playing days on hold with the reorganization of the WLAF. In the meantime, he’d return to Iowa and complete out his degree.
With the reemergence of the WLAF as NFLE in 1995, Titley would return to play in the league, this time as a member of the London Monarchs. He’d post his best season as a pro, making 45 receptions for 457 yards and 3 touchdowns. Michael would play for the Monarchs an additional two seasons hauling in almost 30 receptions and just over 300 yards in both seasons. He’d retire after the 1997 season, but not before having experienced professional experience on the rosters of the Eagles, Colts, Vikings, Bills, and Broncos over his career.
He currently lives in Houston, Texas where I tracked him down via Spokeo. For some reason I was able to get a bunch of addresses via the paid social crawl tracking service for free and Michael was on my list. He responded in a brief 13 days and thanked me for writing him and told me that he’d be more than happy to keep in touch. At some point, I’ll probably write him at a later date to get feedback on his WLAF/NFLE experience.
Below are his WLAF/NFLE statistics.
Rec 124 Yds 1281 Avg 10.3 Td 8 Lg 45
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
