LJWorld.com / Maddox leads Xtreme to XFL championship, Los Angeles 38, San Francisco 6

Archive for Sunday, April 22, 2001

The Associated Press

April 22, 2001

Los Angeles — Former NFL backup Tommy Maddox threw for two touchdown passes, and Jose Cortez, a roofer from Oregon, kicked four field goals as the Los Angeles Xtreme beat the San Francisco Demons 38-6 on Saturday in the first XFL championship game.

The "Million Dollar Game" drew a crowd of 24,153 to the 90,000-seat Los Angeles Coliseum. Attendance was some 10,000 fewer than the Xtreme's inaugural game at home, but almost double the gate of 13,081 for Los Angeles' semifinal victory over Chicago a week earlier.

The Xtreme's defense, led by Ron Carpenter's two interceptions, shut out the Demons until the final 25 seconds after earlier blanking San Francisco in the regular-season finale.

Reggie Durden scored on a 71-yard punt return as Los Angeles took control of the title game by building a 21-0 halftime lead.

The Xtreme, who finished 9-3, will split the $1 million bonus 45 ways because the 38 players on the regular roster voted to include the seven players on their practice squad. That works out to $22,222 per man, about half what each earned for the 10-game regular season.

The losing Demons earned $7,000 each for making it to the title game.

Maddox, a former UCLA star who was out of football and running an insurance agency two years ago, completed 16 of 28 for 210 yards and was intercepted once.

Cortez, who finished the inaugural XFL season by making 24 of his last 26 field-goal attempts, connected from 37, 34 and 50 yards, the 50-yarder as time expired in the first half. He added a 22-yarder in the third quarter.

Saladin McCullough rushed for 109 yards on 20 carries for Los Angeles.