United States Football League
Encyclopedia
The United States Football League (USFL) was an American football
league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring
/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn
/winter
schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.
The USFL was conceived in 1965 by New Orleans
, Louisiana
, businessman David Dixon, who saw a market for a football
league which would play while the established National Football League
was in its off-season. Dixon had been a key player in the expansion of the NFL into New Orleans; the New Orleans Saints
began play in 1967.
The USFL had notable successes, including three consecutive Heisman Award winners: Georgia
running back
Herschel Walker
and Boston College
quarterback
Doug Flutie
signed with the New Jersey Generals
, and Nebraska running back Mike Rozier
signed with the Pittsburgh Maulers
out of college. Additionally, future Pro Football Hall of Fame
members defensive end
Reggie White
of the University of Tennessee
and quarterbacks Jim Kelly
of the University of Miami
and Steve Young of Brigham Young University
, began their professional careers with the USFL's Memphis Showboats
, Houston Gamblers
, and Los Angeles Express, respectively. Some veterans, such as quarterbacks Chuck Fusina
and Cliff Stoudt
, who had extremely limited success in the NFL, had successful careers in the USFL. Former Cincinnati Bengals
offensive lineman Dave Lapham
notably signed an unusual personal services contract (rather than a traditional players' contract) with billionaire New Jersey Generals
owner Donald Trump
.
However, after its inaugural season, the United States Football League was plagued with franchise instability. A number of franchises either relocated or merged with others. However, there were franchises in several cities without NFL teams which would later receive them, such as Jacksonville
, Florida
.
The Michigan Panthers
were the first USFL champions. The Philadelphia Stars won the second USFL championship and, after relocating to Baltimore, Maryland
, won the final USFL championship as the Baltimore Stars.
In 1986, the USFL (having recently decided to compete directly with the NFL) filed an anti-trust
lawsuit against the National Football League. The NFL was found to have violated anti-monopoly laws. However, in a Pyrrhic victory
, the USFL was awarded a judgment of just $1 which, under anti-trust laws, was tripled to $3.
When it folded the USFL had lost over $
163 million.
The USFL was the brainchild of David Dixon, a New Orleans antiques dealer, who had been instrumental in bringing the New Orleans Saints
to town. In 1965, he envisioned football
as a possible spring and summer sport.
Over the next 15 years, he studied the last two challengers to the NFL's dominance of pro football—the AFL and the World Football League
. In 1980, he commissioned a study by Frank Magid Associates that found promising results for a spring and summer football league. He'd also formed a blueprint for the prospective league's operations, which included early television exposure, heavy promotion in home markets, and owners willing to absorb years of losses—which he felt would be inevitable until the league found its feet. He also assembled a list of prospective franchises located in markets attractive to a potential television partner.
With respected college and NFL coach John Ralston as the first employee, Dixon signed up 12 cities—nine where there already were NFL teams and three where there were not. They quickly reached an over-the-air television deal with ABC Sports and a cable TV deal with then-fledgling ESPN
. The deals yielded roughly $13 million in 1983 and $16 million in 1984, including $9 million per year from ABC. ABC had options for the 1985 season at $14 million and 1986 at $18 million.
After almost two years of preparation, Dixon formally announced the USFL's formation at the 21 Club
in New York City
on May 11, 1982, to begin play in 1983. ESPN president Chet Simmons
was named the league's first commissioner.
Like almost all startup pro football leagues, the USFL had some off-the-field factors that prevented the league from starting out with their preferred membership. The problems started when the original owner of the Los Angeles
franchise, Alex Spanos
, pulled out and instead became a minority owner of the NFL's San Diego Chargers
.
Jim Joseph, a real estate developer who had lost out to friend Tad Taube for the USFL's San Francisco Bay area
franchise, had thought he would be content to be a part-owner of the Oakland Invaders
. When the potentially more lucrative Los Angeles franchise became available, Joseph snapped up the rights to the area. The owners of the USFL's San Diego franchise, cable television moguls Bill Daniels
and Alan Harmon, were denied a lease for Jack Murphy Stadium—in part due to pressure from the Chargers (Major League Baseball
's Padres
held the lease to the stadium at the time). Los Angeles was seen as critical to the league's success, and Dixon and Simmons felt that two cable moguls would be better suited to head the league's efforts there. Joseph was forced to move his operation to Phoenix, Arizona
, where it became the Arizona Wranglers
. Daniels and Harmon's team became the Los Angeles Express.
The League's Boston
franchise, the Breakers
also had stadium problems. The Boston ownership group wanted to play in Harvard Stadium
, but were unable to close a deal with the university. Next, they tried to organize a lease with Sullivan Stadium
, the home of the New England Patriots
. They were again unsuccessful. Finally they were able to negotiate a lease to play at Nickerson Field
on the campus of Boston University
, a tiny facility that seated only 21,000 people.
Once play actually started, the league experienced the same kind of franchise instability, relocation, and closure that most leagues competing with the NFL have seen.
Division Playoffs: Philadelphia 44, Chicago 38 (OT) | Michigan 37, Oakland 21
Championship game: Michigan 24, Philadelphia 22
Some franchises folded before or after a season's play, and others moved and/or merged. However, unlike the WFL
and other leagues that have competed against the NFL, no USFL team actually folded during a season's play. This was because, with the notable exception of San Antonio, all of the league's teams were fairly well capitalized from the start, as Dixon had anticipated the league would have to absorb years of red ink before coming into its own. By comparison, most of the WFL's teams appeared to be severely undercapitalized. Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Antonio did come close to folding in midseason, but league intervention helped these teams make it through the season.
by following the Dixon plan and trying not to compete directly with it, primarily by playing its games on a March–June schedule but also having slightly different rules, most notably:
Although the Dixon plan called for a $1.8 million salary cap in anticipation of slow growth, several teams exceeded it in the pursuit of stars.
Ironically, the league's biggest splash—the signing of Walker—has been considered in hindsight to have foreshadowed the league's demise. Like the NFL, the USFL barred underclassmen from signing. However, league officials were certain that this rule would never stand up in court, so they allowed Walker to sign with the New Jersey Generals
. More importantly, Walker signed a three-year contract valued at $4.2 million with a $1 million signing bonus. Due to the USFL's salary cap rules, this was a personal-services contract with Generals owner J. Walter Duncan, and not a standard player contract. Nonetheless, the other owners did not raise any objections, knowing how important Walker was to the league.
In fact, much of the league's credibility with fans as being a serious challenger to the establishment NFL arose from its willingness to sign a few marquee talent such as high profile college stars like Walker, Craig James, Anthony Carter and Kelvin Bryant
as well as some familiar NFL vets like Chuck Fusina
and members of the NFL vet laden Chicago Blitz
, like Greg Landry
. The league also made a serious run at some other stars, such as Eric Dickerson
. No one can dispute that in particular, the signing of Walker and several other Heisman Trophy
winners gave the league much-needed credibility, but the Dixon plan did not call for as much spending on talent as the league did in 1983.
This desire to win and be seen as NFL caliber eventually led to almost all of the teams jettisoning Dixon's plan, with many of them spending large amounts of money to put competitive teams on the field. For instance, the Michigan Panthers reportedly lost $6 million—three times what Dixon suggested a team could afford to lose in the first season—even as they became the league's first champions.
Dixon urged the members of the league to reduce spending. Rather than backing off spending and dispersing some of the larger contracts to alleviate the problem, the league sought other options to take on revenue to cover increased costs, magnifying the problem. The league added six more teams in 1984 rather than the four initially envisioned by Dixon, to pocket two more expansion fees. The league was so desperate for capital that it accepted an application from San Antonio, despite a study that advised in no uncertain terms that San Antonio could not support a USFL team. A frustrated Dixon sold his stake and got out.
With the new wave of teams, college stars like Marcus Dupree
, Mike Rozier
, Reggie White
, Jim Kelly
, Steve Young and other young stars of the day signed high dollar contracts to play for USFL teams in 1984, as did high profile NFL stars like Doug Williams, Brian Sipe
, Joe Cribbs
, and Gary Barbaro
.
Dan Marino
was the first player drafted by a USFL team, but never signed. The Los Angeles Express picked him with the 1st overall pick. Jerry Rice
was also selected first overall pick in the 1985 Draft, by the Birmingham Stallions
, but never played a game for them.
In addition to producing many NFL players, the USFL also produced at least three future World Champion professional wrestlers
: Lex Luger
& Ron Simmons
.
and Generals owner Donald Trump
and others would eventually prevail. Trump and Einhorn argued that if the USFL moved to the fall, it would eventually force a merger with the NFL in which the older league would have to admit at least some USFL teams. They sold a majority of the other owners on the gamble that if a merger did occur, their original investment would more than double.
A consulting firm recommended sticking with a spring season. Nevertheless, On October 18, 1984, the league's owners voted to go along with Einhorn and Trump's idea and begin playing a fall season in 1986. The spring advocates had lost and the fall advocates now set their sights on forcing a merger with the NFL, or at the very least winning a sizable settlement and securing a TV network for fall broadcasts. Spring football had been replaced with an incredibly risky gamble for a huge return.
As a direct result of this decision, the Pittsburgh Maulers folded rather than compete with the Steelers, the sale of the struggling Washington Federals to Weiser's ownership group collapsed, the well supported Philadelphia Stars and the New Orleans Breakers had to relocate, and the 1983 champion Michigan Panthers surprised the commissioner with an announcement that they would not be playing in Michigan for the 1985 season. (The Panthers management informed the league at the meeting that they had negotiated a conditional merger with Tad Taube's Oakland Invaders depending on the outcome of the vote.) With an expectation of fall play in 1986, Einhorn decided not to field a team for the final lame duck
spring 1985 season. Within a few weeks of the decision, the USFL had been forced to abandon four lucrative markets, abort a move to a fifth and suspend operations in a sixth. In hindsight, this destroyed the USFL's viability.
ABC offered the USFL a 4 year, $175 million TV deal to play in the spring in 1986. ESPN offered $70M over 3 years. Following all the mergers and shutdowns, there just were not enough spring football advocates left in the league to accept those contracts. The owners in the league walked away from what averaged out to $67 million per year starting in 1986 to pursue victory over the NFL.
After the 1985 season, more plans were announced to accommodate the fall schedule, pool financial resources and avoid costly head-to-head competition with NFL teams. Two mergers were announced. The Denver Gold merged with the Jacksonville Bulls, with the Bulls as the surviving team. Trump bought the assets of the Houston Gamblers for an undisclosed amount and merged them with the New Jersey Generals. While the Generals were the surviving team, Gamblers coach Jack Pardee
was named as the merged team's new coach. Both the Gold and Gamblers had seen their attendance plummet to unsustainable levels, as their fanbases were not willing to abandon the Denver Broncos
and Houston Oilers, respectively. In spite of all of these changes, the USFL would never play a fall game.
, the USFL filed an antitrust
lawsuit
against the older league, claiming it had established a monopoly
with respect to television broadcasting rights, and in some cases, to access of stadium venues.
The case was first heard by judge Peter K. Leisure. The USFL claimed that the NFL had bullied ABC, CBS
and NBC
into not televising USFL games in the fall. It also claimed that the NFL had a specific plan to eliminate the USFL, the "Porter Presentation." In particular, the USFL claimed the NFL conspired to ruin the Invaders and Generals. The USFL sought damages
of $567 million, which would have been tripled
to $1.7 billion under antitrust law. It hoped to void the NFL's contracts with the three major networks. The USFL proposed two remedies: either force the NFL to negotiate new television contracts with only two networks, or force the NFL to split into two competing 14-team leagues, each limited to a contract with one major network.
The lawyer for the USFL, Harvey Myerson, had what he felt were three "smoking guns".
1. a memo from March 1973 to NFL broadcasting director Robert Cochran, from attorney Jay Moyer stating that an "open network" might be open to the "invitation to formation of a new league"
2. A memo from August 1983 from Jack Donlan, NFL management council executive director, to his staff. The memo laid out plans for NFL teams to "increase salary offers to USFL to exsisting players or run the risk of losing them."
3. A memo from a Harvard professor named Michael Porter
, which included a plan to "Conquer" the United States Football League.
Each NFL franchise was named as a co-defendant, with the exception of the then-Los Angeles Raiders
; Raiders owner Al Davis
was a major witness for the USFL. Howard Cosell
was also a key witness for the USFL. Davis had excluded from the lawsuit in exchange for his testimony on behalf of the USFL.
The case went to trial in the spring of 1986 and lasted 42 days. On July 29, a six-person jury
handed down a verdict
that, while technically a victory for the USFL, in fact devastated the league. The jury declared the NFL a "duly adjudicated illegal monopoly
," and found that the NFL had willfully acquired and maintained monopoly status through predatory tactics.
However, it rejected the USFL's other claims. The jury found that the USFL had changed its strategy to a more risky goal of merger with the NFL. Furthermore, the switch to a fall schedule caused the loss of several major markets (Philadelphia, Denver, Detroit, Miami, the San Francisco Bay area
). It has been established that Donald Trump
, owner of the Generals, specifically wanted to force a merger knowing that the majority of teams would be eliminated.
Most importantly, the jury found that the NFL did not attempt to force the USFL off television. In essence, the jury felt that while the USFL was harmed by the NFL's de facto
monopolization
of pro football in the United States, most of its problems were due to its own mismanagement. It awarded the USFL only one dollar in nominal damages, which was tripled under antitrust law to three dollars. It later emerged that the jury incorrectly assumed that the judge could increase the award.
The verdict was a classic Pyrrhic victory
. The USFL had essentially staked its future on the outcome of the suit, and considered the television-related claims to be the heart of its case. Almost immediately upon announcement of the verdict, it announced it was suspending operations for the 1986 season, with the intent of returning in 1987. Players signed to contracts were free to sign with NFL (or other professional teams) immediately. Indeed, the NFL had held a draft in 1984 for teams to acquire the rights to USFL players, in the event of the league (or teams in the league) folding. However, it is unlikely the USFL would have been able to put together a viable product in any case. Many of its players had signed contracts with NFL teams after the 1985 season, and the league was some $160 million in debt. With nearly all of its players under contract to the NFL and Canadian Football League
, Usher announced the league would stay shuttered in 1987 as well.
The USFL appealed the award, but it was rejected by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
in 1988. This decision ended any chance of the USFL returning to the field, and the league formally dissolved shortly afterward. However, due to a provision of antitrust law which allows an "injured" party in an antitrust action to recover its attorney fees and costs of litigation, the USFL was awarded over $5.5 million in attorney fees and over $62,000 in court costs. That award was appealed by the NFL; it was affirmed on appeal and ultimately allowed to stand by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1990, long after the USFL had ceased operations.
The USFL finally received a check for $3.76 in damages in 1990, the additional 76¢ representing interest earned while litigation had continued. Notably, that check has not yet been cashed.
both on the field and off. Almost all of the USFL's on-field innovations were eventually adopted by the older league, and a multitude of star players in the USFL would go on to very successful careers in the NFL.
The NFL would also eventually have franchises in some of the markets which the USFL had proved fertile for pro football or had renewed interest in the game, including Arizona (the St. Louis Cardinals
moving there in 1988
), Jacksonville (the Jaguars
being awarded as an expansion franchise for the 1995
season), Tennessee
(the Houston Oilers
, while waiting for their Nashville
stadium
to be completed, commuted to Memphis for home games), and Baltimore (the Ravens
establishing themselves in 1996, effectively taking the entire Cleveland Browns
organization except the name and history).
It was no coincidence that most of these markets were in the Sun Belt—a region where the USFL was particularly a hit. Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Birmingham and Memphis, none of whom had Major League Baseball
teams at the time to compete against for the spring sports dollar (Tampa Bay would not get the Devil Rays
until 1998), were among the league's leaders in attendance. Along with Philadelphia/Baltimore (the league's most successful team) and New Jersey (with its biggest star, Walker), these teams at least had the potential to be viable ventures had the USFL been better run.
The last player of the USFL on an NFL roster was Philadelphia Stars punter Sean Landeta
, who was signed in late 1986
by the New York Giants
. He officially announced his retirement on March 6, 2008, the 25th anniversary of the first USFL game. (He last played in 2006
but he did not officially retire during the 2007 season
.) The last non-kicker to retire was quarterback
Doug Flutie
, who played until 2005
.
In the SpongeBob SquarePants
episode "Band Geeks," there is footage of the a USFL game (Memphis Showboats vs. Tampa Bay Bandits, played at the Liberty Bowl
), used for the "Bubble Bowl" background in some scenes of the band's version of "Sweet Victory."
USFL footage is used in a Scientology.com commercial where there is a short clip of Anthony Carter scoring a touchdown for the Michigan Panthers
.
On the penultimate episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
, as part of O'Brien's "Ridiculously Expensive Sketches" routine, O'Brien used USFL footage as a fake stand-in for the much more expensive "restricted Super Bowl footage" that would cost NBC millions of dollars to air.
As part of the ESPN
film project 30 for 30
, filmmaker Mike Tollin
produced a documentary called "Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL?" It aired October 20, 2009. As part of the project, sister station ESPN Classic
aired the 1984 and 1985 USFL championship games in their entirety on the same day, leading up to the movie.
A controversial 2010 campaign commercial for US Senator Russ Feingold
, aired during his unsuccessful re-election bid against Ron Johnson in the Wisconsin Senatorial race, featured footage of the Houston Gamblers' Clarence Verdin
and Gerald McNeil
celebrating a touchdown during a montage of unsportsmanlike football celebrations. The ad stirred protest from the National Football League
for its unlicensed use of NFL footage depicting Randy Moss
.
:
Tampa Bay owner John Bassett
had initially declared that they would not participate in the Fall in 1986, but the franchise was sold by an ailing Bassett to Lee Scarfone, on July 30, 1985, and the Bandits then agreed to participate in the Fall 1986 schedule.
Due to the legal aftermath pertaining to the USFL, this divisional format, and the whole 1986 season for that matter, would never come to fruition.
= Division Champion, = Wild Card
Conference Championships
USFL Championship Game (at Tampa, Florida)
Home team in capitals
The country music group, Alabama
, performed the national anthem
prior to the 1984 Championship Game. One of the members wore a jacket of the Birmingham Stallions
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
/winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.
The USFL was conceived in 1965 by New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, businessman David Dixon, who saw a market for a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
league which would play while the established National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
was in its off-season. Dixon had been a key player in the expansion of the NFL into New Orleans; the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
began play in 1967.
The USFL had notable successes, including three consecutive Heisman Award winners: Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
and Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
signed with the New Jersey Generals
New Jersey Generals
The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...
, and Nebraska running back Mike Rozier
Mike Rozier
Michael Rozier is a former American collegiate and professional football running back who won the Heisman Trophy in 1983. He was born in Camden, New Jersey. Mike and his wife, Rochelle, an attorney, reside in South Jersey and together they have one son. Mike has two other children who reside in...
signed with the Pittsburgh Maulers
Pittsburgh Maulers
The Pittsburgh Maulers competed in the 1984 season of the United States Football League. Their most prominent player was first pick overall in the 1984 USFL draft, running back Mike Rozier of Nebraska, who won the Heisman Trophy, collegiate football's most prestigious individual award.They were...
out of college. Additionally, future Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
members defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Reggie White
Reggie White
Reginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player. He played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
of the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
and quarterbacks Jim Kelly
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
of the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
and Steve Young of Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, began their professional careers with the USFL's Memphis Showboats
Memphis Showboats
The Memphis Showboats were a franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders...
, Houston Gamblers
Houston Gamblers
The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons...
, and Los Angeles Express, respectively. Some veterans, such as quarterbacks Chuck Fusina
Chuck Fusina
Charles Anthony Fusina is a former professional American football quarterback. He played in both the National Football League and United States Football League and was an All-American and Maxwell Award winner at Penn State University in 1978.-Professional football:At 6'1" 195-lb., Fusina was a...
and Cliff Stoudt
Cliff Stoudt
Clifford Lewis Stoudt is a former American football quarterback for Youngstown State University and the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers...
, who had extremely limited success in the NFL, had successful careers in the USFL. Former Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
offensive lineman Dave Lapham
Dave Lapham
Dave Lapham , is a former professional football offensive lineman for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League's New Jersey Generals...
notably signed an unusual personal services contract (rather than a traditional players' contract) with billionaire New Jersey Generals
New Jersey Generals
The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...
owner Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
.
However, after its inaugural season, the United States Football League was plagued with franchise instability. A number of franchises either relocated or merged with others. However, there were franchises in several cities without NFL teams which would later receive them, such as Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
The Michigan Panthers
Michigan Panthers
The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-Team history:The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982....
were the first USFL champions. The Philadelphia Stars won the second USFL championship and, after relocating to Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, won the final USFL championship as the Baltimore Stars.
In 1986, the USFL (having recently decided to compete directly with the NFL) filed an anti-trust
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
lawsuit against the National Football League. The NFL was found to have violated anti-monopoly laws. However, in a Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
, the USFL was awarded a judgment of just $1 which, under anti-trust laws, was tripled to $3.
When it folded the USFL had lost over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
163 million.
Organization
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
to town. In 1965, he envisioned football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
as a possible spring and summer sport.
Over the next 15 years, he studied the last two challengers to the NFL's dominance of pro football—the AFL and the World Football League
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
. In 1980, he commissioned a study by Frank Magid Associates that found promising results for a spring and summer football league. He'd also formed a blueprint for the prospective league's operations, which included early television exposure, heavy promotion in home markets, and owners willing to absorb years of losses—which he felt would be inevitable until the league found its feet. He also assembled a list of prospective franchises located in markets attractive to a potential television partner.
With respected college and NFL coach John Ralston as the first employee, Dixon signed up 12 cities—nine where there already were NFL teams and three where there were not. They quickly reached an over-the-air television deal with ABC Sports and a cable TV deal with then-fledgling ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. The deals yielded roughly $13 million in 1983 and $16 million in 1984, including $9 million per year from ABC. ABC had options for the 1985 season at $14 million and 1986 at $18 million.
After almost two years of preparation, Dixon formally announced the USFL's formation at the 21 Club
21 Club
The 21 Club, often simply 21, is a restaurant and former prohibition-era speakeasy, located at 21 West 52nd Street in New York City.-Environment:...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on May 11, 1982, to begin play in 1983. ESPN president Chet Simmons
Chet Simmons
Chester Robert "Chet" Simmons was an American sports executive, working at three different television networks sports divisions before becoming the first Commissioner of the United States Football League in 1982.Born in New York City on July 11, 1928, Simmons...
was named the league's first commissioner.
Play begins
If the league was going to be a success, it needed television exposure. In 1983, the league signed a contract with both ABC and ESPN to televise games. Each week, there would be a nationally televised game, as well as the USFL's own version on Monday Night football.Like almost all startup pro football leagues, the USFL had some off-the-field factors that prevented the league from starting out with their preferred membership. The problems started when the original owner of the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
franchise, Alex Spanos
Alex Spanos
Alexander Gus Spanos is an American real estate developer and self-made billionaire of Greek origin who founded the A. G. Spanos Companies and owns the San Diego Chargers.-Early life:...
, pulled out and instead became a minority owner of the NFL's San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Jim Joseph, a real estate developer who had lost out to friend Tad Taube for the USFL's San Francisco Bay area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
franchise, had thought he would be content to be a part-owner of the Oakland Invaders
Oakland Invaders
Oakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:...
. When the potentially more lucrative Los Angeles franchise became available, Joseph snapped up the rights to the area. The owners of the USFL's San Diego franchise, cable television moguls Bill Daniels
Bill Daniels
Robert W. "Bill" Daniels was a pioneer in the cable television industry, commonly known as the "Father of Cable Television". He was an owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and a founder of the United States Football League ....
and Alan Harmon, were denied a lease for Jack Murphy Stadium—in part due to pressure from the Chargers (Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
held the lease to the stadium at the time). Los Angeles was seen as critical to the league's success, and Dixon and Simmons felt that two cable moguls would be better suited to head the league's efforts there. Joseph was forced to move his operation to Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, where it became the Arizona Wranglers
Arizona Wranglers
The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix.-Founding:...
. Daniels and Harmon's team became the Los Angeles Express.
The League's Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
franchise, the Breakers
Boston Breakers
Boston Breakers are an American professional soccer club based in Boston, Massachusetts which participate in Women's Professional Soccer. They replace the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's United Soccer Association, as the Boston area's professional women's soccer team...
also had stadium problems. The Boston ownership group wanted to play in Harvard Stadium
Harvard Stadium
Harvard Stadium is a horseshoe-shaped football stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Built in 1903, the stadium seats 30,323. The stadium seated up to 57,166 in the past, as permanent steel stands were installed in the north end of the stadium in 1929...
, but were unable to close a deal with the university. Next, they tried to organize a lease with Sullivan Stadium
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
, the home of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. They were again unsuccessful. Finally they were able to negotiate a lease to play at Nickerson Field
Nickerson Field
Nickerson Field is a stadium on the site of Braves Field, in Boston, Massachusetts, the former home of the National League Boston Braves baseball team which is now located in Atlanta...
on the campus of Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, a tiny facility that seated only 21,000 people.
Once play actually started, the league experienced the same kind of franchise instability, relocation, and closure that most leagues competing with the NFL have seen.
The 1983 season
- The Washington Federals finished tied with the Arizona WranglersArizona WranglersThe Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix.-Founding:...
as the league's worst team with 4-14 records. The Federals were a snake bitten team coached by the Canadian Football LeagueCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's fourth winningest coach at the time, Ray JauchRay JauchRay Jauch was a coach in the Canadian Football League, USFL, and the Arena Football League.A star high school athlete, Jauch played running back for the 1958 National Champion University of Iowa Hawkeyes, leading the nation in yards per carry. He played in the 1959 Rose Bowl against California...
. The team was injury prone and mistake prone, on and off the field. Prior to the 1983 season, the team traded away the rights to the league's leading sacker, linebacker John CorkerJohn CorkerJohn Corker is a former American football linebacker who played four seasons in the National Football League, mainly for the Houston Oilers....
to Michigan for a 5th round pick. In spite of a rotating door at QB, the Federals lost 8 games by a TD or less, a fact that gave team owner Berl Bernhard hope for the 1984 season. The 1983 team finished second to last in attendance drawing 13,850 per game. - New Jersey GeneralsNew Jersey GeneralsThe New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...
' running back Herschel WalkerHerschel WalkerHerschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
emerged as the league's first superstar running for 1812 yards and 17 TDs. However, the team only won 6 games. - The Denver GoldDenver GoldThe Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985...
only went 7-11 in their first year, but finished first in the league in attendance drawing an average of 41,736 fans to see a team that featured a number of former Broncos. Team owner Ron Blanding stuck to his budget, and took great pride in seeing his team defeat the big budget Chicago Blitz in Chicago 16-13 in week three on a TD run with 22 seconds to go. Blanding fired very popular former Broncos Coach Red MillerRed MillerRobert "Red" Miller is a former professional football coach with the Denver Broncos.- Early life and career :Miller was born and raised in Macomb, Illinois and attended Macomb Public Schools and Western Illinois University, where he was later a star player and coach for the Leathernecks football...
after a 4-7 start, but was still able to finish the season with strong attendance. Due to low attendance numbers and over budget spending on players on all the other teams in the league, Blanding's Gold was the only USFL team to turn a profit in 1983. - The Oakland InvadersOakland InvadersOakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:...
finished 9-9 and won the Pacific conference behind the play of 29 year old quarterback Fred BesanaFred BesanaFred Besana is a former American football quarterback for the Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League as well as the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 1977 NFL Draft...
and former Oakland Raiders tight end Raymond ChesterRaymond ChesterRaymond Tucker Chester was an American football tight end.Chester was drafted in the first round of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He played twelve years in the NFL for the Raiders and Colts, and made four Pro Bowl squads...
and halfback Art Whittington. Besana had played for the Twin City Cougars of the California Football League from 1980 to 1982, but played like a proven veteran, finishing the season as the league's second rated passer. - In spite of a strong team led by 36-year-old former WFLWorld Football LeagueThe World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
quarterback Johnnie WaltonJohnnie WaltonJohn B. Walton is a former professional American football quarterback. Walton played college football at Elizabeth City State University. From there, he joined the Indianapolis Capitols of the Continental Football League for the 1969 season...
and CFL veteran halfback Richard CrumpRichard CrumpRichard Crump is a former Canadian Football League running back who played for three different teams from 1975 through 1981. For his career, Crump finished with 3,854 yards rushing and 200 pass receptions. Crump played in the USFL from 1983 through 1985 with the Boston Breakers, New Orleans...
, the Boston BreakersPortland BreakersThe Portland Breakers were a professional American Football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans...
were unable to draw the regular sellouts they needed to survive at Nickerson. (Even when they sold out Nickerson, they still lost money due to its small capacity.) Boston finished the season 11-7, narrowly missing the playoffs. Walton, who had retired from pro football years earlier, and had spent the previous 3 years coaching college football, was the league's 7th ranked passer. Boston and Washington were the only USFL teams to draw less than 14,000 per game in 1983. The other 10 teams drew over 18,000 per game. - The George Allen-led, Chicago BlitzChicago BlitzThe Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :...
had been described as an "NFL caliber" team and were heavily favored to win the title and dominate the rest of the league. The team was stacked with quality players, led by NFL veteran quarterback Greg LandryGreg LandryGregory Paul Landry is a former American football player and coach who played quarterback in the National Football League from 1968 to 1981 and again in 1984...
, rookie HB Tim Spencer of Ohio State, and rookie wide receiver Trumaine JohnsonTrumaine JohnsonTrumaine Johnson is a retired American football player who played in the National Football League and the United States Football League.-Career:...
of Grambling. In week two, Jim Joseph's Arizona WranglersArizona WranglersThe Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix.-Founding:...
led by rookie quarterback Alan Risher of LSU came from a fourth quarter 29-12 deficit to defeat the Blitz 30-29 in a game considered by many to be the biggest upset in USFL history. The Blitz would go on to lose 5 more games in the regular season and be edged out by Michigan for the Central Division title. In the first round of the playoffs, the Blitz would carry a 38-17 lead into the fourth quarter vs. the host Philadelphia Stars before losing to the Stars 44-38 in OT. - The Philadelphia Stars finished a league best 15-3. Led by Coach Jim MoraJim E. MoraJames Earnest Mora is the former head coach of the USFL's Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars and the NFL's New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. He played football at Occidental College where he was also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His son Jim L...
, NFL veteran quarterback Chuck FusinaChuck FusinaCharles Anthony Fusina is a former professional American football quarterback. He played in both the National Football League and United States Football League and was an All-American and Maxwell Award winner at Penn State University in 1978.-Professional football:At 6'1" 195-lb., Fusina was a...
, rookie halfback Kelvin BryantKelvin BryantKelvin LeRoy Bryant is a former American football running back in the National Football League and the United States Football League.-College career:...
of North Carolina and a very good defense led by linebacker Sam MillsSam MillsSamuel Davis "Sam" Mills, Jr. was an American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.-Early life:...
, the Stars made it to the title game where they almost came back from a 17-3 third quarter deficit before falling 24-22 to the Michigan Panthers in the title game. - Michigan PanthersMichigan PanthersThe Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-Team history:The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982....
owner A. Alfred TaubmanA. Alfred TaubmanAdolph Alfred Taubman is an American real estate developer and philanthropist from Michigan. He pioneered the modern shopping mall concept and was described by CBS News as a "legend in retailing" who became wealthy developing upscale shopping malls. He built shopping mall developer Taubman Centers...
quickly decided he was willing to pay to fill the holes on his team with NFL caliber talent. Early in the season, the Panthers signed NFL vets guard Thom DornbrookThom DornbrookThomas Dornbrook is a former professional American football player who played Center and Guard for two seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1979, Dornbrook earned a ring for Super Bowl XIV. He played for the Miami Dolphins in 1980. He later played in the USFL and won the 1983 USFL Championship...
, tackle Ray PinneyRay PinneyRaymond Earl Pinney is a former NFL offensive tackle and guard who played seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 1976 NFL Draft. Was the Steelers Starting Right Tackle in Super Bowl XIII. He played in the USFL. Won the 1983 USFL...
, fullback Cleo MillerCleo MillerCleophus Miller is a former professional American football running back who played nine seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns.-NFL Career:...
and defensive end John Banaszak. Consequently, after a 1-4 start, the team jelled and finished the regular season 11-2, edging out Chicago for the Central Division title. They dispatched Oakland in the playoffs 37-21 and weathered a frantic comeback by the Stars to become the first league champions.
1983 season statistics
| Atlantic Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | PCT. |
| Philadelphia Stars | 15 | 3 | 0 | .833 |
| Boston Breakers | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 |
| New Jersey Generals | 6 | 12 | 0 | .333 |
| Washington Federals | 4 | 14 | 0 | .222 |
| Central Division | ||||
| Michigan Panthers | 12 | 6 | 0 | .667 |
| Chicago Blitz | 12 | 6 | 0 | .667 |
| Tampa Bay Bandits | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 |
| Birmingham Stallions | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 |
| Pacific Division | ||||
| Oakland Invaders | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 |
| Los Angeles Express | 8 | 10 | 0 | .444 |
| Denver Gold | 7 | 11 | 0 | .389 |
| Arizona Wranglers | 4 | 14 | 0 | .222 |
Division Playoffs: Philadelphia 44, Chicago 38 (OT) | Michigan 37, Oakland 21
Championship game: Michigan 24, Philadelphia 22
The 1983-1984 off-season
- The Boston BreakersPortland BreakersThe Portland Breakers were a professional American Football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans...
were unable to find a more suitable venue in the Boston area, so the Breakers were sold to New Orleans businessman Joseph Canizaro, who moved the team to New Orleans. - Seeing the out of control spending worsening, Blanding sold his Denver Gold to Doug Spedding for $10 million. Blanding is widely thought to be the only owner to make a profit on the USFL.
- Needing fresh capital, the league chose to expand league membership from 12 to 18 teams, adding the Pittsburgh MaulersPittsburgh MaulersThe Pittsburgh Maulers competed in the 1984 season of the United States Football League. Their most prominent player was first pick overall in the 1984 USFL draft, running back Mike Rozier of Nebraska, who won the Heisman Trophy, collegiate football's most prestigious individual award.They were...
, Houston GamblersHouston GamblersThe Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons...
, San Antonio GunslingersSan Antonio GunslingersThe San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas that played in the USFL in 1984 and 1985. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback and only recognizable name. The team played in Alamo Stadium...
, Memphis ShowboatsMemphis ShowboatsThe Memphis Showboats were a franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders...
, Oklahoma Outlaws and Jacksonville BullsJacksonville BullsThe Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985...
. The Dixon plan called for expansion to 16 in the league's second year. The Outlaws were originally slated to play in San Diego, but as was the case with what became the Express, could not get a lease for Jack Murphy Stadium. The Outlaws opened play in Tulsa at Skelly StadiumSkelly StadiumSkelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is primarily the home of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team. The stadium currently seats 30,000.-History:Skelly Field was built in 1930 as a 14,500-seat stadium...
. The Gamblers were technically not an expansion team. Founder David Dixon had reserved a franchise for himself in founding the league. He had chosen not to field a team in 1983 to help guide the league. By 1984, Dixon was disgusted with the path the league was on and the league owners were sick of Dixon's constant complaints about them overspending. With their blessing he sold his franchise for slightly less than the $6 million expansion fee. Dixon's franchise became the Houston Gamblers. - After seeing the Wranglers lose 10 in a row to finish with 4-14 (tied with Washington for the league's worst record) and perhaps more importantly seeing attendance wilt in summer heat at Sun Devil StadiumSun Devil StadiumSun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...
, Joseph decided to sell the Wranglers. Meanwhile, in spite of having the league's highest profile coach, George AllenGeorge Allen (football)George Herbert Allen was an American football coach in the National Football League and the United States Football League. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.-Early life:...
, and being at worst the third best team in the league, the Chicago BlitzChicago BlitzThe Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :...
had drawn an anemic 18,133 per game, unable to contend with Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, the latter on its way to the postseason for the first time in 24 years. Blitz owner Dr. Ted Diethrich, a Phoenix resident, felt the losses did not justify an investment so far from his home in Phoenix. Diethrich sold the Blitz to Milwaukee heart surgeon James Hoffman, and then bought the Wranglers from Joseph. Almost immediately after Diethrich closed on his purchase of the Wranglers, he and Hoffman swapped their team assets—coaching staff, most of the players, and all. To Blitz fans, it seemed that Hoffman had jettisoned one of the league's elite teams in favor of a team that tied for the league's worst record. In truth it was worse than that. In a league starved for competent QB play, Wrangler triggerman Alan Risher stayed in Arizona. The new Blitz would feature inaccurate, longtime Bear backup QB Vince EvansVince EvansVincent Tobias Evans is a former professional American football quarterback who was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 1977 NFL Draft...
(signed in November 1983 to a four-year, $5 million deal). In January, The Blitz tendered an offer that would have been the largest contract in football -- $2 million a year for three years -- to Bears running back Walter PaytonWalter PaytonWalter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
. Payton advised he would consider the offer, but would not be rushed by the Blitz. The Blitz 1984 season was scheduled to start on February 27, 1984, and they had little success selling season tickets. The Blitz needed Payton to sign quickly to help season ticket sales, so they had put a deadline on the offer of February 9, 1984. Before he made up his mind, the Blitz withdrew the offer realizing they simply did not have the finances. With a less talented team and no big names to excite the fans, Chicago's season ticket sales predictably flatlined, in spite of Hoffman sinking a lot of money into advertising. Just prior to the start of the season, a frustrated Hoffman walked away from the Blitz, leaving the team to the minority owners. - The Los Angeles Express were sold to J. William Oldenburg and the New Jersey Generals were sold to Donald TrumpDonald TrumpDonald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
. The league believed that the teams based in the nation's two largest markets were owned by the owners with the deepest pockets. Trump and Oldenburg both went on signing sprees. Trump poached several NFL starters, including Cleveland's QB Brian SipeBrian SipeBrian Winfield Sipe is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League from 1984 to 1985....
. Oldenburg's Express went after a number of highly regarded collegiate players. This combined with a general lack of quality QBs (only 9 QBs in the 12-team league finished the 1983 season with QB ratings above 70) and HBs (even in an 18 game season only 6 rushers broke the 1000 yard mark) tipped off another explosion in league spending as USFL teams raided the NFL and college ranks to keep up.
The 1984 season
- After a game 1 blowout 53-14 road loss to the expansion Jacksonville BullsJacksonville BullsThe Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985...
, Washington Federals Head Coach Ray JauchRay JauchRay Jauch was a coach in the Canadian Football League, USFL, and the Arena Football League.A star high school athlete, Jauch played running back for the 1958 National Champion University of Iowa Hawkeyes, leading the nation in yards per carry. He played in the 1959 Rose Bowl against California...
was fired. In week 2, star RB Craig James was injured. The team collapsed. Despite solid play from 2nd year QB Mike HohenseeMike HohenseeMichael Louis Hohensee is an American Arena Football League coach who is regarded as one of the best coaches in the history of the AFL. He was hired to guide the Soul's resumption of play after a two-year hiatus starting in 2011. He resigned on July 27, 2011...
, WR Joey WaltersJoey WaltersJoey Walters is a former slotback and wide receiver who played eleven seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He later played for the Washington Federals and the Orlando Renegades of the USFL...
, and HB Curtis BledsoeCurtis BledsoeCurtis Kemp Bledsoe is a former professional American football player who played fullback, halfback, and running back. He played in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1981 and 1982. He later played for the Arizona Wranglers, Washington Federals and Orlando Renegades of the...
, the team would finish 3-15, losing twice to the 3-15 expansion Pittsburgh Maulers and going 0-7 vs. the expansion teams. With seven games to go in the season, a press conference was held to announce the Federals had been sold to Sherwood "Woody" Weiser who intended to move the team to Miami. The team would be coached by Miami HurricanesMiami HurricanesThe Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
' coach Howard SchnellenbergerHoward SchnellenbergerHoward Schnellenberger is an American football coach at both the professional and college level. He is currently in his final season as head coach of Florida Atlantic University, having announced his retirement on August 11, 2011, effective at the end of the 2011 season...
. - After 2 games, William Tatham Jr., son of Oklahoma Outlaws owner William Tatham, announced Skelly StadiumSkelly StadiumSkelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is primarily the home of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team. The stadium currently seats 30,000.-History:Skelly Field was built in 1930 as a 14,500-seat stadium...
was insufficient to support a pro team and that the Outlaws would be moving the following year. In spite of this lame duck status, awful spring weather, and a season ending 10 game losing streak, the team drew an average of 21,038 fans per game. - A few games into the season, with the Chicago Blitz struggling and the fans staying away in droves, the team was near financial collapse. The league was forced to take over the Blitz for the remainder of the 1984 season in order to protect the league's TV deals which called for teams in the New York, Los Angeles and Chicago markets. With 4 games to go, a press conference was held announcing that Eddie Einhorn would become the new owner of the USFL's Chicago franchise. At the press conference, it was stated that although the new team would not be the Blitz, Einhorn's franchise would retain the rights to all Blitz players and coaching staff—strongly implying the team would play in the 1985 season.
- The "expansion" Houston GamblersHouston GamblersThe Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons...
Rookie QB Jim KellyJim KellyJames Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
of the University of Miami emerged as the league's second superstar carrying his team to win the central conference with a 13-5 record. Kelly threw 44 TDs and piled up over 5000 yards. The Gamblers would fall to the eventual league runner up Arizona Wranglers in the playoffs, 17-16. - The Los Angeles Express' signings of high profile collegiate players culminated with the signing of BYU QB Steve Young to a $40 million guaranteed contract—at the time, far and away the largest contract in pro football history. The young talent was slow to adapt to the pro game and the Express continued to hover around .500. With one of the leagues' highest payrolls and poor attendance, financial losses mounted. It is estimated that the Express lost as much as $15 million in 1984. The Express did manage to make the playoffs and defeated the defending league champion Panthers 27-21 in triple overtime, before falling to the eventual league runner-ups, Allen's Arizona WranglersArizona WranglersThe Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix.-Founding:...
, 35-23. - In spite of seeing his Wranglers team make it to the title game, Ted Diethrich had seen enough. He had lost millions for the second year in a row. Despite fielding a dramatically improved team, he had only had seen a negligible increase in attendance in Arizona over the previous year's numbers.
- The Philadelphia Stars again finished with the league's best record and made it to the title game, this time defeating Dietrich's Wranglers, 23-3.
The 1984-1985 off-season
- The owner of the Los Angeles Express, J. William Oldenburg, went bankrupt, turning his franchise over to the league. News of his financial troubles sent a collective shiver through the league in the middle of the 1984 season. With Chicago already gone, the potential loss of the Express might have put the league's contract with ABC in jeopardy. With that in mind, the league took control of the team and decided to run it on a shoestring until a new owner could be found.
- Seeking a larger market, a larger stadium, and to share expenses, the Outlaws sought to merge with the Oakland InvadersOakland InvadersOakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:...
, but Oakland Invaders owner Tad Taube walked away from the deal rather than give control of the team to Outlaws part-owner and general manager William Tatham Jr. - After the league officially announced plans to move to the fall in 1986 (see below), a number of teams moved elsewhere after their owners decided they could not directly compete with the NFL. The BreakersPortland BreakersThe Portland Breakers were a professional American Football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans...
moved a second time, this time to Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The defending champion Philadelphia Stars moved to BaltimoreBaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, capitalizing on the departureBaltimore Colts relocation controversyThe Baltimore Colts relocation controversy was the decision by then-Colts owner Robert Irsay to move the National Football League team from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana completely unannounced and in the wee hours of March 29, 1984 after years of fighting over a new stadium to...
of the NFL's ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
to Indiana. The Michigan PanthersMichigan PanthersThe Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-Team history:The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982....
merged with the Oakland InvadersOakland InvadersOakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:...
, while the Pittsburgh MaulersPittsburgh MaulersThe Pittsburgh Maulers competed in the 1984 season of the United States Football League. Their most prominent player was first pick overall in the 1984 USFL draft, running back Mike Rozier of Nebraska, who won the Heisman Trophy, collegiate football's most prestigious individual award.They were...
folded after losing a reported $10 million in their only season. - Around the same time, Weiser pulled the plug on his deal to buy the Federals and move them to Miami. Bandits minority owner Donald Disney stepped in 5 days later and bought the Federals. Under his ownership, the team was moved to OrlandoOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, where they became the Orlando RenegadesOrlando RenegadesThe Orlando Renegades were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-In Washington:-1983 season:...
. - Einhorn, one of the principal advocates of fall play, decided to sit out the 1985 season. ABC cleared this move due to the league's anemic ratings in Chicago, allowing the league to shut down the Blitz, who had lost nearly $6 million in 1984.
- The assets of Dietrich's Arizona Wranglers (see Chicago Blitz of 1983) would be acquired by the Tathams in a deal often referred to as a "merger", as the rosters were merged. The resulting Arizona OutlawsArizona OutlawsThe Arizona Outlaws were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They were owned by Fresno banker and real estate agent William Tatham, Sr., who had briefly owned the Portland Thunder of the World Football League.- 1984 Oklahoma...
featured players from both teams but was run by the Tathams.
The 1985 season
- The league financed and ran the Express all season, but could not find an owner. With a huge salary burden and dreadful attendance, the Express barely survived the season.
- San Antonio GunslingersSan Antonio GunslingersThe San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas that played in the USFL in 1984 and 1985. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback and only recognizable name. The team played in Alamo Stadium...
owner Clinton MangesClinton MangesClinton Manges was a controversial oil tycoon in Texas in the 1970s and 1980s.Manges was born in Cement, Oklahoma, but began amassing his fortune in South Texas in the early 1970s when he befriended political boss George Parr, the "Duke of Duval." In 1971 he bought a ranch in the county...
stopped paying the team's bills with about a month to go in the season. Players and coaches had seen their paychecks bounce on numerous occasions throughout the season. The situation was so dire that some players were forced to trade tickets for goods and others were forced to move in with sympathetic fans. Manges was already notorious throughout the league for running the Gunslingers as a low-budget operation. Up to this point, rumors had abounded that he'd simply paid expenses out of pocket as they arose. - The Denver GoldDenver GoldThe Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985...
's attendance flatlined due to the planned move to the fall, as fans were not willing to choose between the Gold and the NFL's BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The Gold would have hosted a playoff game against the Memphis ShowboatsMemphis ShowboatsThe Memphis Showboats were a franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders...
, but ABC forced the league to move the game to Memphis rather than endure the embarrassment of playing in a near-empty Mile High StadiumMile High StadiumMile High Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that stood in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 until 2001.It hosted the Denver Broncos, of the AFL and the NFL, from 1960-2000, the Colorado Rockies, of the National League, of the MLB, from 1993-1994, the Colorado Rapids, of MLS, from 1996-2001, the...
.
After the 1985 season
- The San Antonio Gunslingers had their franchise revoked when Manges ignored a league-imposed deadline to make restitution for the team's debts.
- The Breakers were disbanded after owner Joe Canizaro suffered two-year losses in the realm of $17 million.
- Los Angeles and Oakland announced that they would suspend operations, and Einhorn announced that his Chicago team would also not take the field in 1986.
- Denver merged with Jacksonville, to play the 1986 season in Jacksonville, while Houston merged with New Jersey, to play in New Jersey.
Some franchises folded before or after a season's play, and others moved and/or merged. However, unlike the WFL
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
and other leagues that have competed against the NFL, no USFL team actually folded during a season's play. This was because, with the notable exception of San Antonio, all of the league's teams were fairly well capitalized from the start, as Dixon had anticipated the league would have to absorb years of red ink before coming into its own. By comparison, most of the WFL's teams appeared to be severely undercapitalized. Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Antonio did come close to folding in midseason, but league intervention helped these teams make it through the season.
The Dixon Plan vs. building a league of stars
At first the USFL competed with the older, more established National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
by following the Dixon plan and trying not to compete directly with it, primarily by playing its games on a March–June schedule but also having slightly different rules, most notably:
- The two-point conversionTwo-point conversionIn American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
(since adopted by the NFL, in 19941994 NFL seasonThe 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
). - The college rule of stopping the clock after first downs was used only for the final two minutes of each half.
- For the 1985 season, a method of challenging officials' rulings on the field via instant replay (using a system that is almost identical to that used by the NFL today).
- A salary cap of $United States dollarThe United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.8 million to reduce inevitable losses and spread talent throughout the league. The NFL introduced a salary cap in 1994. - A territorial draft, in hopes of stocking teams with local stars to help the gate. (Similar to the proposed All-American Football League)
Although the Dixon plan called for a $1.8 million salary cap in anticipation of slow growth, several teams exceeded it in the pursuit of stars.
Ironically, the league's biggest splash—the signing of Walker—has been considered in hindsight to have foreshadowed the league's demise. Like the NFL, the USFL barred underclassmen from signing. However, league officials were certain that this rule would never stand up in court, so they allowed Walker to sign with the New Jersey Generals
New Jersey Generals
The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...
. More importantly, Walker signed a three-year contract valued at $4.2 million with a $1 million signing bonus. Due to the USFL's salary cap rules, this was a personal-services contract with Generals owner J. Walter Duncan, and not a standard player contract. Nonetheless, the other owners did not raise any objections, knowing how important Walker was to the league.
In fact, much of the league's credibility with fans as being a serious challenger to the establishment NFL arose from its willingness to sign a few marquee talent such as high profile college stars like Walker, Craig James, Anthony Carter and Kelvin Bryant
Kelvin Bryant
Kelvin LeRoy Bryant is a former American football running back in the National Football League and the United States Football League.-College career:...
as well as some familiar NFL vets like Chuck Fusina
Chuck Fusina
Charles Anthony Fusina is a former professional American football quarterback. He played in both the National Football League and United States Football League and was an All-American and Maxwell Award winner at Penn State University in 1978.-Professional football:At 6'1" 195-lb., Fusina was a...
and members of the NFL vet laden Chicago Blitz
Chicago Blitz
The Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :...
, like Greg Landry
Greg Landry
Gregory Paul Landry is a former American football player and coach who played quarterback in the National Football League from 1968 to 1981 and again in 1984...
. The league also made a serious run at some other stars, such as Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson
Eric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:...
. No one can dispute that in particular, the signing of Walker and several other Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winners gave the league much-needed credibility, but the Dixon plan did not call for as much spending on talent as the league did in 1983.
This desire to win and be seen as NFL caliber eventually led to almost all of the teams jettisoning Dixon's plan, with many of them spending large amounts of money to put competitive teams on the field. For instance, the Michigan Panthers reportedly lost $6 million—three times what Dixon suggested a team could afford to lose in the first season—even as they became the league's first champions.
Dixon urged the members of the league to reduce spending. Rather than backing off spending and dispersing some of the larger contracts to alleviate the problem, the league sought other options to take on revenue to cover increased costs, magnifying the problem. The league added six more teams in 1984 rather than the four initially envisioned by Dixon, to pocket two more expansion fees. The league was so desperate for capital that it accepted an application from San Antonio, despite a study that advised in no uncertain terms that San Antonio could not support a USFL team. A frustrated Dixon sold his stake and got out.
With the new wave of teams, college stars like Marcus Dupree
Marcus Dupree
Marcus L. Dupree is a former American football player. He was one of the most highly recruited high school football players ever. He graduated with the first class in Philadelphia that was desegregated for the entire 12 years he went to school...
, Mike Rozier
Mike Rozier
Michael Rozier is a former American collegiate and professional football running back who won the Heisman Trophy in 1983. He was born in Camden, New Jersey. Mike and his wife, Rochelle, an attorney, reside in South Jersey and together they have one son. Mike has two other children who reside in...
, Reggie White
Reggie White
Reginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player. He played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
, Jim Kelly
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
, Steve Young and other young stars of the day signed high dollar contracts to play for USFL teams in 1984, as did high profile NFL stars like Doug Williams, Brian Sipe
Brian Sipe
Brian Winfield Sipe is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League from 1984 to 1985....
, Joe Cribbs
Joe Cribbs
Joe Stanier Cribbs is a retired National Football League and United States Football League football running back. He played collegiately at Auburn University along with future NFL backs William Andrews and James Brooks...
, and Gary Barbaro
Gary Barbaro
Gary Wayne Barbaro is a former defensive back in the National Football League and United States Football League....
.
Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
was the first player drafted by a USFL team, but never signed. The Los Angeles Express picked him with the 1st overall pick. Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
was also selected first overall pick in the 1985 Draft, by the Birmingham Stallions
Birmingham Stallions
The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their home games at Birmingham, Alabama's Legion Field...
, but never played a game for them.
In addition to producing many NFL players, the USFL also produced at least three future World Champion professional wrestlers
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
: Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
& Ron Simmons
Ron Simmons
Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,...
.
Spring schedule vs. fall schedule
In 1984, the league began discussing the possibility of competing head-to-head with the NFL by playing its games in the fall beginning in 1986. Despite the protests of many of the league's "old guard," who wanted to stay with the original plan of playing football in the spring months, the voices of Chicago owner Eddie EinhornEddie Einhorn
Eddie Einhorn is minority owner and Vice Chairman of the Chicago White Sox.Einhorn produced the nationally syndicated radio broadcast of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1958...
and Generals owner Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
and others would eventually prevail. Trump and Einhorn argued that if the USFL moved to the fall, it would eventually force a merger with the NFL in which the older league would have to admit at least some USFL teams. They sold a majority of the other owners on the gamble that if a merger did occur, their original investment would more than double.
A consulting firm recommended sticking with a spring season. Nevertheless, On October 18, 1984, the league's owners voted to go along with Einhorn and Trump's idea and begin playing a fall season in 1986. The spring advocates had lost and the fall advocates now set their sights on forcing a merger with the NFL, or at the very least winning a sizable settlement and securing a TV network for fall broadcasts. Spring football had been replaced with an incredibly risky gamble for a huge return.
As a direct result of this decision, the Pittsburgh Maulers folded rather than compete with the Steelers, the sale of the struggling Washington Federals to Weiser's ownership group collapsed, the well supported Philadelphia Stars and the New Orleans Breakers had to relocate, and the 1983 champion Michigan Panthers surprised the commissioner with an announcement that they would not be playing in Michigan for the 1985 season. (The Panthers management informed the league at the meeting that they had negotiated a conditional merger with Tad Taube's Oakland Invaders depending on the outcome of the vote.) With an expectation of fall play in 1986, Einhorn decided not to field a team for the final lame duck
Lame duck
Lame duck can refer to:*Lame duck , an elected official who is approaching the end of his or her tenure, and especially an official whose successor has already been elected....
spring 1985 season. Within a few weeks of the decision, the USFL had been forced to abandon four lucrative markets, abort a move to a fifth and suspend operations in a sixth. In hindsight, this destroyed the USFL's viability.
ABC offered the USFL a 4 year, $175 million TV deal to play in the spring in 1986. ESPN offered $70M over 3 years. Following all the mergers and shutdowns, there just were not enough spring football advocates left in the league to accept those contracts. The owners in the league walked away from what averaged out to $67 million per year starting in 1986 to pursue victory over the NFL.
After the 1985 season, more plans were announced to accommodate the fall schedule, pool financial resources and avoid costly head-to-head competition with NFL teams. Two mergers were announced. The Denver Gold merged with the Jacksonville Bulls, with the Bulls as the surviving team. Trump bought the assets of the Houston Gamblers for an undisclosed amount and merged them with the New Jersey Generals. While the Generals were the surviving team, Gamblers coach Jack Pardee
Jack Pardee
-NFL:-External links:...
was named as the merged team's new coach. Both the Gold and Gamblers had seen their attendance plummet to unsustainable levels, as their fanbases were not willing to abandon the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Houston Oilers, respectively. In spite of all of these changes, the USFL would never play a fall game.
USFL v. NFL lawsuit
In another effort to keep themselves afloat while at the same time attacking the more established National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, the USFL filed an antitrust
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against the older league, claiming it had established a monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
with respect to television broadcasting rights, and in some cases, to access of stadium venues.
The case was first heard by judge Peter K. Leisure. The USFL claimed that the NFL had bullied ABC, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
into not televising USFL games in the fall. It also claimed that the NFL had a specific plan to eliminate the USFL, the "Porter Presentation." In particular, the USFL claimed the NFL conspired to ruin the Invaders and Generals. The USFL sought damages
Damages
In law, damages is an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury; grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.- Compensatory damages :...
of $567 million, which would have been tripled
Treble damages
Treble damages, in law, is a term that indicates that a statute permits a court to triple the amount of the actual/compensatory damages to be awarded to a prevailing plaintiff, generally in order to punish the losing party for willful conduct. Treble damages are a multiple of, and not an addition...
to $1.7 billion under antitrust law. It hoped to void the NFL's contracts with the three major networks. The USFL proposed two remedies: either force the NFL to negotiate new television contracts with only two networks, or force the NFL to split into two competing 14-team leagues, each limited to a contract with one major network.
The lawyer for the USFL, Harvey Myerson, had what he felt were three "smoking guns".
1. a memo from March 1973 to NFL broadcasting director Robert Cochran, from attorney Jay Moyer stating that an "open network" might be open to the "invitation to formation of a new league"
2. A memo from August 1983 from Jack Donlan, NFL management council executive director, to his staff. The memo laid out plans for NFL teams to "increase salary offers to USFL to exsisting players or run the risk of losing them."
3. A memo from a Harvard professor named Michael Porter
Michael Porter
Michael Eugene Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School. He is a leading authority on company strategy and the competitiveness of nations and regions. Michael Porter’s work is recognized in many governments, corporations and academic circles globally...
, which included a plan to "Conquer" the United States Football League.
Each NFL franchise was named as a co-defendant, with the exception of the then-Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
; Raiders owner Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
was a major witness for the USFL. Howard Cosell
Howard Cosell
Howard William Cosell was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these...
was also a key witness for the USFL. Davis had excluded from the lawsuit in exchange for his testimony on behalf of the USFL.
The case went to trial in the spring of 1986 and lasted 42 days. On July 29, a six-person jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
handed down a verdict
Verdict
In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. The term, from the Latin veredictum, literally means "to say the truth" and is derived from Middle English verdit, from Anglo-Norman: a compound of ver and dit In law, a verdict...
that, while technically a victory for the USFL, in fact devastated the league. The jury declared the NFL a "duly adjudicated illegal monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
," and found that the NFL had willfully acquired and maintained monopoly status through predatory tactics.
However, it rejected the USFL's other claims. The jury found that the USFL had changed its strategy to a more risky goal of merger with the NFL. Furthermore, the switch to a fall schedule caused the loss of several major markets (Philadelphia, Denver, Detroit, Miami, the San Francisco Bay area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
). It has been established that Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
, owner of the Generals, specifically wanted to force a merger knowing that the majority of teams would be eliminated.
Most importantly, the jury found that the NFL did not attempt to force the USFL off television. In essence, the jury felt that while the USFL was harmed by the NFL's de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
monopolization
Monopolization
The term monopolization refers to an offense under Section 2 of the American Sherman Antitrust Act, passed in 1890. Section 2 states that any person "who shall monopolize . ....
of pro football in the United States, most of its problems were due to its own mismanagement. It awarded the USFL only one dollar in nominal damages, which was tripled under antitrust law to three dollars. It later emerged that the jury incorrectly assumed that the judge could increase the award.
The verdict was a classic Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
. The USFL had essentially staked its future on the outcome of the suit, and considered the television-related claims to be the heart of its case. Almost immediately upon announcement of the verdict, it announced it was suspending operations for the 1986 season, with the intent of returning in 1987. Players signed to contracts were free to sign with NFL (or other professional teams) immediately. Indeed, the NFL had held a draft in 1984 for teams to acquire the rights to USFL players, in the event of the league (or teams in the league) folding. However, it is unlikely the USFL would have been able to put together a viable product in any case. Many of its players had signed contracts with NFL teams after the 1985 season, and the league was some $160 million in debt. With nearly all of its players under contract to the NFL and Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, Usher announced the league would stay shuttered in 1987 as well.
The USFL appealed the award, but it was rejected by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
in 1988. This decision ended any chance of the USFL returning to the field, and the league formally dissolved shortly afterward. However, due to a provision of antitrust law which allows an "injured" party in an antitrust action to recover its attorney fees and costs of litigation, the USFL was awarded over $5.5 million in attorney fees and over $62,000 in court costs. That award was appealed by the NFL; it was affirmed on appeal and ultimately allowed to stand by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1990, long after the USFL had ceased operations.
The USFL finally received a check for $3.76 in damages in 1990, the additional 76¢ representing interest earned while litigation had continued. Notably, that check has not yet been cashed.
Aftermath
It is widely acknowledged that the USFL had a dramatic impact on the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
both on the field and off. Almost all of the USFL's on-field innovations were eventually adopted by the older league, and a multitude of star players in the USFL would go on to very successful careers in the NFL.
The NFL would also eventually have franchises in some of the markets which the USFL had proved fertile for pro football or had renewed interest in the game, including Arizona (the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
moving there in 1988
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
), Jacksonville (the Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
being awarded as an expansion franchise for the 1995
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
season), Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
(the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
, while waiting for their Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
stadium
LP Field
LP Field is a football stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County....
to be completed, commuted to Memphis for home games), and Baltimore (the Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
establishing themselves in 1996, effectively taking the entire Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
organization except the name and history).
It was no coincidence that most of these markets were in the Sun Belt—a region where the USFL was particularly a hit. Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Birmingham and Memphis, none of whom had Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
teams at the time to compete against for the spring sports dollar (Tampa Bay would not get the Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
until 1998), were among the league's leaders in attendance. Along with Philadelphia/Baltimore (the league's most successful team) and New Jersey (with its biggest star, Walker), these teams at least had the potential to be viable ventures had the USFL been better run.
The last player of the USFL on an NFL roster was Philadelphia Stars punter Sean Landeta
Sean Landeta
Sean Edward Landeta is a former American football punter who played in both the United States Football League and the National Football League...
, who was signed in late 1986
1986 NFL season
The 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:...
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He officially announced his retirement on March 6, 2008, the 25th anniversary of the first USFL game. (He last played in 2006
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
but he did not officially retire during the 2007 season
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
.) The last non-kicker to retire was quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
, who played until 2005
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
.
In popular culture
Bits of USFL games can be found in TV shows, commercials and movies even today; using stock USFL footage is much cheaper than using that of the NFL. (Gary Cohen of Triple Threat TV is the exclusive proprietor of all USFL stock footage.)In the SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
episode "Band Geeks," there is footage of the a USFL game (Memphis Showboats vs. Tampa Bay Bandits, played at the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
), used for the "Bubble Bowl" background in some scenes of the band's version of "Sweet Victory."
USFL footage is used in a Scientology.com commercial where there is a short clip of Anthony Carter scoring a touchdown for the Michigan Panthers
Michigan Panthers
The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-Team history:The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982....
.
On the penultimate episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
, as part of O'Brien's "Ridiculously Expensive Sketches" routine, O'Brien used USFL footage as a fake stand-in for the much more expensive "restricted Super Bowl footage" that would cost NBC millions of dollars to air.
As part of the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
film project 30 for 30
30 for 30
30 for 30 is the umbrella title for a series of documentaries airing on ESPN and its sister networks. The series, which premiered in October 2009 and concluded in December 2010, chronicles 30 stories from the "ESPN era," each of which detail the issues, trends, people, teams, or events that...
, filmmaker Mike Tollin
Mike Tollin
Michael "Mike" Tollin is an American film director and film/television producer. His career highlights included Radio, Coach Carter, and Varsity Blues. He frequently collaborates with Brian Robbins in which they own a production company together called Tollin/Robbins Productions...
produced a documentary called "Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL?" It aired October 20, 2009. As part of the project, sister station ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic is a sports channel that features reruns of famous sporting events, sports documentaries, and sports themed movies. Such programs includes biographies of famous sports figures or a rerun of a famous World Series or Super Bowl, often with added commentary on the event...
aired the 1984 and 1985 USFL championship games in their entirety on the same day, leading up to the movie.
A controversial 2010 campaign commercial for US Senator Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
Russell Dana "Russ" Feingold is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served as a Democratic party member of the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2011. From 1983 to 1993, Feingold was a Wisconsin State Senator representing the 27th District.He is a recipient of the John F...
, aired during his unsuccessful re-election bid against Ron Johnson in the Wisconsin Senatorial race, featured footage of the Houston Gamblers' Clarence Verdin
Clarence Verdin
Clarence Verdin is a former American football wide receiver who played for nine seasons in the National Football League from 1986 to 1994, six of those with the Indianapolis Colts. During his time with the Colts, he was famous for his end-zone celebration known as "The Verdance". He was selected...
and Gerald McNeil
Gerald McNeil
Gerald McNeil is a former professional American football player. He was a wide receiver who often returned punts and kickoffs...
celebrating a touchdown during a montage of unsportsmanlike football celebrations. The ad stirred protest from the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for its unlicensed use of NFL footage depicting Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
.
USFL alumni in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
As of August 2010, there are six USFL alumni who are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
:
- Marv LevyMarv LevyMarvin Daniel Levy is a former American and Canadian football coach, front office executive and author.He is a former professional football coach, in the CFL as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes , and in the NFL as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills , coaching the Bills...
(coach) - Chicago Blitz 1984 - HOF Class 2001 - George Allen (coach) - Chicago Blitz 1983 & Arizona Wranglers 1984 - HOF Class 2002
- Jim KellyJim KellyJames Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
- Houston Gamblers 1984-1985 - HOF Class 2002 - Steve Young - LA Express 1984-1985 - HOF Class 2005
- Reggie WhiteReggie WhiteReginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player. He played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
- Memphis Showboats 1984-85 - HOF Class 2006 - Gary ZimmermanGary ZimmermanGary Wayne Zimmerman is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. Zimmerman played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1986-1992 and for the Denver Broncos from 1993-1997. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 7 times and was an All-Pro selection 8 times...
- LA Express 1984-1985 - HOF Class 2008
MVP awards
- 1983: Kelvin BryantKelvin BryantKelvin LeRoy Bryant is a former American football running back in the National Football League and the United States Football League.-College career:...
, RB, Philadelphia Stars
- 1984: Jim KellyJim KellyJames Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
, QB, Houston GamblersHouston GamblersThe Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons...
- 1985: Herschel WalkerHerschel WalkerHerschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
, RB, New Jersey GeneralsNew Jersey GeneralsThe New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...
Commissioners
- Chet SimmonsChet SimmonsChester Robert "Chet" Simmons was an American sports executive, working at three different television networks sports divisions before becoming the first Commissioner of the United States Football League in 1982.Born in New York City on July 11, 1928, Simmons...
(1982–1984; resigned under pressure from owners) - Harry UsherHarry UsherHarry Lester Usher was an American attorney who was the second and last commissioner of the United States Football League . He was also the executive vice president and general manager of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee , which oversaw the business operations of the 1984 Summer Olympics...
(1984–1987; league ceased operations)
All-time leaders
- Rushing attempts: 1,143 Herschel WalkerHerschel WalkerHerschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
- Rushing yards: 5,562 Herschel WalkerHerschel WalkerHerschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
- Rushing touchdowns: 54 Herschel WalkerHerschel WalkerHerschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
- Receiving catches: 234 Jim Smith
- Receiving yards: 3,685 Jim Smith
- Receiving touchdowns: 31 Jim Smith
- Passing attempts: 1,352 John ReavesJohn ReavesThomas Johnson "John" Reaves is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback for eleven seasons in the National Football League and three seasons in the United States Football League...
- Passing completions: 766 John ReavesJohn ReavesThomas Johnson "John" Reaves is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback for eleven seasons in the National Football League and three seasons in the United States Football League...
- Passing yards: 10,039 Bobby HebertBobby HebertBobby Joseph Hebert Jr., is an American sportscaster who is best known as a retired Pro bowl American football quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. He played professionally in the USFL and NFL from 1983 to 1996 for the Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons...
- Passing touchdowns: 83 Jim KellyJim KellyJames Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
- Passing interceptions: 57 Bobby HebertBobby HebertBobby Joseph Hebert Jr., is an American sportscaster who is best known as a retired Pro bowl American football quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. He played professionally in the USFL and NFL from 1983 to 1996 for the Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons...
Teams
- Arizona OutlawsArizona OutlawsThe Arizona Outlaws were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They were owned by Fresno banker and real estate agent William Tatham, Sr., who had briefly owned the Portland Thunder of the World Football League.- 1984 Oklahoma...
(1985; result of Arizona/Oklahoma merger) - Arizona WranglersArizona WranglersThe Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix.-Founding:...
(1983, 1984; Arizona and Chicago owners traded franchises) - Birmingham StallionsBirmingham StallionsThe Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their home games at Birmingham, Alabama's Legion Field...
(1983–1985) - Boston BreakersPortland BreakersThe Portland Breakers were a professional American Football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans...
(1983)- New Orleans BreakersPortland BreakersThe Portland Breakers were a professional American Football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans...
(1984; moved from Boston)- Portland BreakersPortland BreakersThe Portland Breakers were a professional American Football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans...
(1985; moved from New Orleans)
- Portland Breakers
- New Orleans Breakers
- Chicago BlitzChicago BlitzThe Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :...
(1983, 1984; Arizona and Chicago owners traded franchises) - Denver GoldDenver GoldThe Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985...
(1983–1985) - Houston GamblersHouston GamblersThe Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons...
(1984–1985) - Jacksonville BullsJacksonville BullsThe Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985...
(1984–1985) - Los Angeles Express (1983–1985)
- Memphis ShowboatsMemphis ShowboatsThe Memphis Showboats were a franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders...
(1984–1985) - Michigan PanthersMichigan PanthersThe Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-Team history:The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982....
(1983–1984; merged with Oakland for 1985 season) - New Jersey GeneralsNew Jersey GeneralsThe New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...
(1983–1985) - Oakland InvadersOakland InvadersOakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:...
(1983–1985; merged with Michigan for 1985 season) - Oklahoma Outlaws (1984)
- Philadelphia Stars (1983–1984)
- Baltimore Stars (1985; moved from Philadelphia)
- Pittsburgh MaulersPittsburgh MaulersThe Pittsburgh Maulers competed in the 1984 season of the United States Football League. Their most prominent player was first pick overall in the 1984 USFL draft, running back Mike Rozier of Nebraska, who won the Heisman Trophy, collegiate football's most prestigious individual award.They were...
(1984) - San Antonio GunslingersSan Antonio GunslingersThe San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas that played in the USFL in 1984 and 1985. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback and only recognizable name. The team played in Alamo Stadium...
(1984–1985) - Tampa Bay BanditsTampa Bay BanditsThe Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League . They were a charter member of the USFL and folded along with the league after the 1985 season....
(1983–1985) - Washington Federals (1983–1984)
- Orlando RenegadesOrlando RenegadesThe Orlando Renegades were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-In Washington:-1983 season:...
(1985; moved from Washington)
- Orlando Renegades
In 1986
Prior to the jury award in USFL v. NFL, the league had planned to go forward with a 1986 season comprising eight teams, divided into an "Independence Division" and a "Liberty Division":- Independence Division
- Arizona OutlawsArizona OutlawsThe Arizona Outlaws were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They were owned by Fresno banker and real estate agent William Tatham, Sr., who had briefly owned the Portland Thunder of the World Football League.- 1984 Oklahoma...
- Jacksonville BullsJacksonville BullsThe Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985...
(merged with Denver GoldDenver GoldThe Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985...
) - Orlando RenegadesOrlando RenegadesThe Orlando Renegades were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-In Washington:-1983 season:...
- Tampa Bay BanditsTampa Bay BanditsThe Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League . They were a charter member of the USFL and folded along with the league after the 1985 season....
- Arizona Outlaws
- Liberty Division
- Baltimore Stars
- Birmingham StallionsBirmingham StallionsThe Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their home games at Birmingham, Alabama's Legion Field...
- Memphis ShowboatsMemphis ShowboatsThe Memphis Showboats were a franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders...
- New Jersey GeneralsNew Jersey GeneralsThe New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...
(merged with Houston GamblersHouston GamblersThe Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons...
)
Tampa Bay owner John Bassett
John Bassett (USFL)
John F. Bassett was a Canadian professional American football club owner and notable tennis player.-Sports teams ownership:Bassett owned the WFL's Toronto Northmen/Memphis Southmen and the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits team....
had initially declared that they would not participate in the Fall in 1986, but the franchise was sold by an ailing Bassett to Lee Scarfone, on July 30, 1985, and the Bandits then agreed to participate in the Fall 1986 schedule.
Due to the legal aftermath pertaining to the USFL, this divisional format, and the whole 1986 season for that matter, would never come to fruition.
Season by season
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against= Division Champion, = Wild Card
1983
Conference Semifinals- PHILADELPHIA 28, New Jersey 7
- LOS ANGELES 27, Michigan 21 (3 OT)
- BIRMINGHAM 36, Tampa Bay 17
- Arizona 17, HOUSTON 16
Conference Championships
- ARIZONA 35, Los Angeles 23
- PHILADELPHIA 20, Birmingham 10
USFL Championship Game (at Tampa, Florida)
- Philadelphia 23, Arizona 3
1985
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | 1985 Capacity | Avg. Att. | Avg. % Filled | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Birmingham Stallions Birmingham Stallions The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their home games at Birmingham, Alabama's Legion Field... |
13 | 5 | 0 | .722 | 436 | 299 | Legion Field Legion Field Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U.S. organization of military veterans. At its peak... |
77,000 | 32,065 | 42% | Rollie Dotsch Rollie Dotsch Rollie Dotsch was a football coach who served primarily in an assistant capacity before becoming the first coach of the United States Football League's Birmingham Stallions on September 2, 1982.... |
| x-New Jersey Generals New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition... |
11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 418 | 378 | Meadowlands Giants Stadium Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to... |
76,891 | 41,268 | 54% | Walt Michaels Walt Michaels Walt Michaels was a former professional football player and coach who is best remembered for his six-year tenure as head coach of the NFL's New York Jets from 1977-1982.-Collegiate and early NFL career:... |
| x-Memphis Showboats Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were a franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders... |
11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 429 | 337 | Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003... |
50,180 | 30,948 | 62% | Pepper Rodgers Pepper Rodgers Franklin C. "Pepper" Rodgers is a former American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head coach at the University of Kansas , University of California, Los Angeles , and the Georgia Institute of Technology , compiling a career college football record of... |
| x-Baltimore Stars | 10 | 7 | 1 | .583 | 368 | 260 | Byrd Byrd Stadium Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium , is an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. It is the home of the Maryland Terrapins football and lacrosse teams, which compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
51,500 | 14,275 | 28% | Jim Mora Jim E. Mora James Earnest Mora is the former head coach of the USFL's Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars and the NFL's New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. He played football at Occidental College where he was also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His son Jim L... |
| x-Tampa Bay Bandits Tampa Bay Bandits The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League . They were a charter member of the USFL and folded along with the league after the 1985 season.... |
10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 405 | 422 | Tampa | 72,812 | 45,220 | 62% | Steve Spurrier Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach... |
| Jacksonville Bulls Jacksonville Bulls The Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985... |
9 | 9 | 0 | .500 | 407 | 402 | Gator Bowl Gator Bowl Stadium Gator Bowl was an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, it was radically reconstructed in 1994 in preparation for the Jacksonville Jaguars inaugural season and became Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, now EverBank Field. It is most notable for hosting the Gator... |
80,100 | 44,325 | 55% | Lindy Infante Lindy Infante Gelindo "Lindy" Infante is a former American college football player and assistant coach, who became an offensive coordinator and head coach in both the National Football League and the United States Football League... |
| Orlando Renegades Orlando Renegades The Orlando Renegades were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-In Washington:-1983 season:... |
5 | 13 | 0 | .278 | 308 | 481 | Citrus Bowl Citrus Bowl The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people.... |
52,000 | 24,136 | 46% | Lee Corso Lee Corso Leland "Lee" Corso is a sports broadcaster and football analyst for ESPN. He has been featured on ESPN's College GameDay program since its inception and he appeared annually as a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football through NCAA Football 11... |
| Western Conference | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | 1985 Capacity | Avg. Att. | Avg. % Filled | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Oakland Invaders Oakland Invaders Oakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:... |
13 | 4 | 1 | .750 | 473 | 359 | Oakland Coliseum | 54,615 | 17,509 | 32% | Charlie Sumner Charlie Sumner Charles "Charlie" Sumner is a former American football player who was selected by the Chicago Bears in the twenty second round of the 1954 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 194 lbs. safety from the College of William & Mary, Sumner played in 8 NFL seasons from 1955-1962... |
| x-Denver Gold Denver Gold The Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985... |
11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 433 | 389 | Mile High Mile High Stadium Mile High Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that stood in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 until 2001.It hosted the Denver Broncos, of the AFL and the NFL, from 1960-2000, the Colorado Rockies, of the National League, of the MLB, from 1993-1994, the Colorado Rapids, of MLS, from 1996-2001, the... |
75,123 | 14,446 | 19% | Darrell "Mouse" Davis Mouse Davis Darrel "Mouse" Davis is an American football coach and former player. A veteran coach at the high school, college, and professional levels, he is currently the wide receivers coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Davis served as the head football coach at Portland State University from... |
| x-Houston Gamblers Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons... |
10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 544 | 388 | Astrodome | 47,695 | 19,120 | 40% | Jack Pardee Jack Pardee -NFL:-External links:... |
| Arizona Outlaws Arizona Outlaws The Arizona Outlaws were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They were owned by Fresno banker and real estate agent William Tatham, Sr., who had briefly owned the Portland Thunder of the World Football League.- 1984 Oklahoma... |
8 | 10 | 0 | .444 | 376 | 405 | Sun Devil Sun Devil Stadium Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass... |
70,030 | 17,881 | 26% | Frank Kush Frank Kush Frank Joseph Kush is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Arizona State University from 1958 to 1979, compiling a record of 176–54–1... |
| Portland Breakers Portland Breakers The Portland Breakers were a professional American Football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans... |
6 | 12 | 0 | .333 | 275 | 422 | Civic PGE Park Jeld-Wen Field is an outdoor sports stadium located in Portland, Oregon, United States that is used primarily for soccer and American football... |
32,500 | 19,919 | 61% | Dick Coury Dick Coury Dick Coury is a former American football coach who served as head coach of the Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers of the United States Football League from 1983 to 1985. He was named as the USFL coach of the year in 1983.... |
| San Antonio Gunslingers San Antonio Gunslingers The San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas that played in the USFL in 1984 and 1985. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback and only recognizable name. The team played in Alamo Stadium... |
5 | 13 | 0 | .278 | 296 | 436 | Alamo Alamo Stadium Alamo Stadium is a horseshoe-shaped football stadium in San Antonio, Texas. Nicknamed "the rock pile" due to its primarily limestone construction it was completed in September 1940 as a Works Progress Administration project. The stadium is currently owned and operated by the San Antonio Independent... |
32,000 | 11,721 | 37% | Jim Bates/Gil Steinke Gil Steinke Gilbert Erwin Steinke was a head coach of the Texas A&I University football team after having played at Texas A&I then professionally in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles.-Playing and coaching career:... |
| Los Angeles Express | 3 | 15 | 0 | .167 | 266 | 456 | LA Coliseum Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team... |
94,000 | 8,415 | 9% | John Hadl John Hadl John Willard Hadl is a former collegiate and professional football player.Hadl was born in Lawrence, Kansas. After playing halfback on both offense and defense at the University of Kansas as a sophomore, Hadl played quarterback for his last two years at Kansas, and was selected as the school's... |
Home team in capitals
- Quarterfinals
- Birmingham 22, Houston 20
- MEMPHIS 48, Denver 7
- OAKLAND 30, Tampa Bay 27
- Baltimore 20, NEW JERSEY 17
- Semifinals
- Baltimore 28, Birmingham 14
- Oakland 28, MEMPHIS 19
- USFL Championship game (at East Rutherford, New Jersey)
- Baltimore 28, Oakland 24
Championship games
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 17, 1983 | Michigan Panthers Michigan Panthers The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-Team history:The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982.... |
24 | Philadelphia Stars | 22 | Mile High Stadium Mile High Stadium Mile High Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that stood in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 until 2001.It hosted the Denver Broncos, of the AFL and the NFL, from 1960-2000, the Colorado Rockies, of the National League, of the MLB, from 1993-1994, the Colorado Rapids, of MLS, from 1996-2001, the... |
Denver, Colorado Denver, Colorado The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains... |
| July 15, 1984 | Philadelphia Stars | 23 | Arizona Wranglers Arizona Wranglers The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix.-Founding:... |
3 | Tampa Stadium Houlihan's Stadium Tampa Stadium was a sports venue located at 4201 North Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, Florida, USA... |
Tampa, Florida Tampa, Florida Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709.... |
| July 14, 1985 | Baltimore Stars | 28 | Oakland Invaders Oakland Invaders Oakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:... |
24 | Giants Stadium Giants Stadium Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to... |
East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan.... |
The country music group, Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
, performed the national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
prior to the 1984 Championship Game. One of the members wore a jacket of the Birmingham Stallions
Birmingham Stallions
The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their home games at Birmingham, Alabama's Legion Field...
.