After Facing Two Super Teams, Steelers’ Malone Picks Miami

Like most red-blooded Americans, I am capable of experiencing totally lost weekends once the National Football League playoffs begin.

And so it is that I dutifully watched coverboy quarterbacks risk their limbs in the pursuit of the almighty Super Bowl championship.

But an imposter, of sorts, closed the book on one of the contenders, John Elway of Denver, in the AFC divisional playoffs.

Mark Malone was the perfect quarterback for the blue-collar Pittsburgh Steelers and their blue-collar fans. He became a quarterback the old-fashioned way. He did his time on the bench, and even played a little wide receiver just to work up an occasional sweat. He served an apprenticeship just like the guys who sit around the saloons of Etna and drink a shot and a beer while watching him on a black-and-white portable.

With Malone at quarterback, the Steelers barged into Pete Rozelle’s postseason party like uninvited guests at a debutante ball. They were as out of place as a tract house in Rancho Santa Fe.

“Come on in,” they were told, “but use the back door--and don’t stay long.”

But Malone and Co. sent Elway packing. Pittsburgh 24, Denver 17.

When it came time for the AFC championship game, there was Malone matched against Dan Marino. Everyone knew Marino, but I bet they even wondered about Mark Malone in El Cajon. Could he be the same guy who was the star over at El Cajon Valley High a few years back?

Naw. That guy disappeared years ago. Went out of state to school and never reappeared. Probably tending bar somewhere.

Not exactly. Pittsburgh’s Mark Malone is El Cajon’s Mark Malone.

Chatting on the telephone this week, he laughed about how he had gone from El Cajon to Arizona to Pittsburgh to. . . .

“Almost total obscurity,” he said. “Obviously, you’re not going to get much recognition unless (a) you’re playing and (b) your team’s doing well.”

Malone came out of Arizona State with a reasonably high profile. The year was 1980, and he was drafted in the first round by the Steelers. It had been 10 years since they drafted a quarterback in the first round, and that fellow’s name was Terry Bradshaw.

However, there was to be no quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh. The fact Bradshaw was still quite active diffused such talk.

Also, Malone had to adjust to the pro style. He was more of a roll-out quarterback in high school and college, more likely to throw a pass sidearm while scrambling than overhand while entrenched in a pocket. Simply stated, he was an athlete whose skills had to be channeled.

An athlete? At El Cajon Valley High School, he was a track and field star who threw the shot, triple-jumped, long-jumped, high-jumped, ran the 100, ran a relay leg--and led the nation in the discus. He did it all.

“Several people wanted to see me in the decathlon,” he said, “and I got about the same number of scholarship offers for football and track. But I didn’t notice anyone making a ton of money in pro track.”

Malone’s athletic skills made the adjustment easier, but first he would have to overcome major knee surgery, which took him out of the 1982 season and required 20 months to rehabilitate. He could handle the obscurity, but inactivity was frustrating.

And Malone would do just about anything to be active. He was a reserve wide receiver in 1981, and caught a 90-yard scoring pass from Bradshaw. It is still a Steeler record.

“Any time we’re backed up inside our 10,” he mused, “I tell the guys I’d like to wipe the record off the books and be on the other end.”

Malone was finally on what he might call “the right end” of passes in 1984. Bradshaw retired and backup quarterback Cliff Stoudt went to the United States Football League. He still did not get a start until David Woodley, who was acquired in an off-season trade with Miami, was injured.

Pittsburgh was a 20-17 winner in Malone’s first start. The losers were the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana, another of the coverboy quarterbacks. No one else has beaten the 49ers this season.

Malone suggests Sunday’s Super Bowl game is a mere formality. Miami beat Pittsburgh twice, 31-7 during the regular season and 45-28 in the playoffs. After that AFC championship game, Malone came away feeling like a fighter who’d knocked his opponent all over the ring--and lost a unanimous decision.

“We ate up the clock and scored 28 points,” he said. “You’d figure we’d be in the ballgame, but it wasn’t the case. We’d spend forever moving the ball and they’d score in four plays. It was like watching a track meet.”

San Francisco, he was reminded, is supposed to have the defensive edge.

“I give San Francisco a very, very big edge in the defensive area,” he said, “but it doesn’t matter the way Miami’s playing. Our defense had played darn well, but I can’t tell you how many times Miami’s receivers caught the ball without a defender within 10 or 15 yards. It was amazing.”