USFL - The Rebel League the NFL Feared but didn't Respect

USFL – The Trial

2011-07-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

USFL – The Trial

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2010-12-24T14:03:00.001-08:00

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2010-04-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

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THE TRIAL & THE FALL MOVE

2010-02-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

USFL - The Rebel League the NFL Feared but didn't Respect: THE TRIAL & THE FALL MOVE

The Trial

The USFL developed a loyal following in its three- year existence. The league had TV deals in place with ABC and ESPN and leases with stadiums that housed NFL teams. But if the league decided to move from the spring to the fall, stadiums like the Vet in Philadelphia would pullout of their lease agreements with their USFL tenants in favor of the NFL teams.

More importantly, a fall move created a conflict with ABC -- which carried the crowning jewel of NFL programming -- Monday Night Football. With the NFL controlling the networks, the USFL never had a chance to survive in the fall without a TV contract in place.

League expansion and overspending on college talent put a drain on the stability of the league as the USFL grew into 18 cities by 1985. Many teams were still losing money and the league strayed from the initial stance of staying patient and remaining fiscally conservative in signing big-name players. Generals’ owner Donald Trump was the biggest culprit – on his 1985 roster he had two Heisman Trophy winners and at least six well-established former NFL veterans on the team.

“The original premise of the USFL was to start slowly with a pro

league in the spring,” says Carl Peterson, general manager of the Stars in

June 2006. “Crawl before we walk; walk before we run; lets get through

five years and see where we are.”

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Jim Kelly

2010-01-31T17:42:00.001-08:00

Jim Kelly: Houston Gamblers

As the USFL’s future was in doubt in the summer of 1986, Jim Kelly’s professional football career was at a crossroads: He was the property of the New Jersey Generals after the merger with the Houston Gamblers, but the league's existence hinged on the $1.7 million anti-trust suit against the NFL; the Bills owned his NFL rights.

However, Kelly wasn’t eager to shuffle-off to Buffalo.

In a 1986 with Sports Illustrated’s Rick Telander, Kelly said, “I’d love to play for the Raiders. I’d love to live in California.” While the Raiders toiled with several different NFL retreads at quarterback over the next decade, Kelly would help bring a franchise (Bills) back from obscurity.

Kelly was disillusioned about playing for the Bills in 1983, so the USFL was an enticing option for the young University of Miami quarterback. The USFL, who broke all the traditional NFL rules in its three years of existence, made Kelly an offer he couldn’t resist.

Former NFL coaching legend George Allen, who coached the Chicago Blitz in ’83 and the Arizona Wranglers in ’84, was also a “recruiter” for players coming out of college. “George Allen and the USFL said I had the choice of any team I wanted to play for,” says Kelly, whochose the Astrodome in Houston and played for the Gamblers. “ I didn’t have to worry about wind, rain or climate.”

Kelly lit-up USFL opponents for 83 touchdowns and passed for more than 9,800 yards during his two years as quarterback of the Gamblers. “I was blessed to be coached with a guy like Jack Pardee, who I admired when he played, when I was a kid growing up,” says Kelly. “He brought along offensive coordinator Mouse Davis and June Jones; we ran the Run-and-Shoot offense that was all passing -- everything I loved to do.”

Kelly, who grew up in Pennsylvania, loved the toughness of the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers teams he watched in the 1970s. Despite being drafted by the Bills in 1983 out of the University of Miami, Kelly bolted to the USFL where he brought his confident attitude and rifle-arm to the Houston Gamblers.

After two successful seasons of orchestrating the Run- and-Shoot offense under head coach Jack Pardee, Kelly was looking to ditch the Bills for a second time after the USFL lost its anti-trust case against the the NFL in 1986.

The future seemed bleak as a quarterback with the Buffalo Bills in the tough AFC East, where the Dolphins, Jets and Patriots all made the playoffs in the ’85 season; the Patriots went to the Super Bowl after beating Miami in the AFC Championship.

“We tried to work out a deal with the Raiders or Steelers,” says Kelly from his Buffalo office where he runs children’s charities in honor of his son Hunter in February 2006. “I would have loved to play for either team.”

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Steve Spurrier

2010-01-31T08:47:00.001-08:00

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder paid Steve Spurrier $5 million a season to coach his team in 2002. Twenty years earlier, Spurrier was offered only $50,000 to coach the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL by owner John Bassett.

Bassett got a better bang-for-his-buck, as Spurrier won 35 games in three years as coach of the Bandits.

Spurrier was the offensive coordinator for Duke, when the Bandits came calling. Bassett came down to North Carolina to talk to Spurrier about this new venture called the United States Football League.

Over a few martinis and a meaty T-bone steak, Bassett and the other minority owners agreed to offer Steve the job as the first head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits.

Spurrier never negotiated his salary when he agreed to coach the Bandits, so he was a bit surprised at what ownership thought was a "fair" figure to be a head coach in the USFL.

Bugsy Eaglehart, who was the general manager of the team, low-balled the “Ball Coach” -- hard to imagine but true according to Spurrier. “Bugsy called everybody ‘Bubba,’ and he said, ‘Bubba, we’re going start you low and let you work you’re way up,’” says Spurrier, who had a 122-27-1 record as coach of the Florida Gators from 1990 through 2001. “I said, ‘isn’t it embarrassing to the rest of the league to pay me so little? Don’t you think $75,000 is more reasonable?’ I got them up to $60,000, then they bumped me up to $125,000 for the second and third years.”

While the excitement was building with the Bandits in Tampa Bay, a dark cloud was looming over the Buccaneers. By 1983, the Bucs were floundering; the franchise quarterback Doug Williams left football for personal reasons and the Bucs didn’t make the playoffs again for another 15 years.

The Bucs were becoming a running joke in the media as the rest of the NFL beat on them. ESPN studio host Chris Berman would mock the Bucs-Packers games calling it the “Bay of Pigs,” because both teams were so dreadful.

Spurrier’s “Bandit Ball” was riding high, as football became fun again in the city of Tampa Bay. “We gave the fans a no-huddle offense and double reverses; we gave them something they hadn’t seen before,” says Spurrier from his University of South Carolina office in April of 2006.

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Michigan Panthers

2007-08-25T10:15:00.001-07:00

Years of existence: 1983-1984
Owner: A. Alfred TaubmanStadium:
Silverdome (80,638)Colors: Royal plum, champagne silver, light blue and whiteOverall Regular Season Record: 22-14Overall Playoff Record: 2-1
1983: 12-6 (22,250)
1984: 10-8 (32,457)

The Panthers were one of the league’s most popular teams with QB Bobby Hebert and WR Anthony Carter out of the University Michigan. More than 60,000 fans showed up to watch the Panthers win a playoff game in 1983 and stormed the field after Michigan beat Oakland to earn a birth in the first USFL championship game.

Hebert remembers coach Jim Stanley would always try inspire the team with sayings like: “I don’t want no dogs that won’t hunt,” meaning he wanted his players to attack. Stanley had a great mix of young talent that would make the NFL once the USFL folded, and a bunch of seasoned NFL veterans on his ’83 championship team.

Ray Bentley, a linebacker out of Central Michigan, remembers there were so many players in camp that first year, he really didn’t have any idea of who the other players were. After practice, the Panthers would run two buses back to the hotel from camp, and Bentley always liked to get on the first bus so he could relax at his hotel, but this one afternoon he had to take the second bus. While the players waited for more than 20 minutes in the sweltering yellow school bus, Bentley got up and asked, “Who are we waiting for? One of the players said, 'Bobby Hebert!' I said, 'Who the hell is Bobby Hebert?'"

Bentley knew nothing about Hebert, but he knew plenty about the wide receiver Anthony Carter. Although Bentley’s dad played for Michigan State, the Michigan receiver was his favorite football player. “You look at him and he’s about 160 lbs soaking-wet, and he sounds like a bird when he talked,” says Bentley. “But he was the ‘best football player’ that I’ve ever played with. He worked harder than anybody; when the ball was in the air, he went and got it. When he got going, everyone caught that fire.”

The Panthers, like the Denver Gold and Tampa Bay Bandits, were the darlings of the USFL with their tremendous fan support. After winning their first game against the Stallions, the Panthers lost their next four games. Head coach Jim Stanley realized the season was slipping away and urged management to get some NFL veterans on the field to protect his young quarterback and open some holes for his backs. Tackle Ray Pinney, along with guards Tyrone McGriff and Thom Dornbrook, joined Michigan to help the Panthers win 11 of their final 13 regular-season games. “All of a sudden we had an NFL caliber line,” says Bentley. “That’s what made the difference for us. We now had a football team and realized this is starting to turn around.”

Michigan’s 12 wins earned them a home-playoff game against the Oakland Invaders in the semi-finals. Owner Alfred Taubman lowered ticket prices, as more than 60,000 adoring fans rushed through the gates to watch the Panthers beat Invaders 37-21, and earn the right to play in the first USFL Championship. The exuberant fans stormed the field after the playoff victory. “I’ll never forget the semi-final against Oakland,” says Bentley, with a reminiscent, yet excited voice. “I stayed out there just to feel it and to mingle with the fans. It was one of the most emotional and chaotic scenes I was ever a part of.”

By the end of the first season, Bentley says the fans recognized the players on the streets of Detroit. After Michigan’s 24-22 win over the Stars, a few thousand fans showed their love for the team at the airport. “We got off that plane and it was hero’s welcome that’s etched in my mind,” says Bentley. “They had a make-shift stage and some players thanked the fans – that was our parade.”

It was Hebert and Carter hooking-up for the game wining score on a 48-yard pass with 3:01 remaining, to seal the win over the Philadelphia Stars in the first United States Football League Championship game.

After starting the 1984 season with a roar –winning their first six games --the Panthers limped into the playoffs with 10 wins. Injuries to Hebert and Carter, along with G.M. Jim Spavital’s departure and player’s demanding more money because of the team’s success, the Panthers lost eight of the team’s final 12 games.

Despite the team’s problems, the Panthers averaged more than 32,000 fans at the gate, and earned their second-consecutive playoff berth. This time they wouldn’t have their tremendous fan support for home-field advantage. Hebert and company had to haul it out to Los Angeles to play the Express and their young running-quarterback— Steve Young.

In what turned out to be the longest game in pro football history, the Express beat the Panthers 27-21 in triple-overtime. RB Mel Gray broke the 21-21 tie with a 24-yard touchdown run that put an end to the Panthers’ season on the sun-soaked Coliseum field.

That year owners voted to move to a fall schedule in 1986 and go head-to-head against the NFL. Michigan owner Alfred Taubman was friendly with the Ford family, which owned the Lions. Taubman didn’t want an inner-city battle with his friends, so the franchise merged with the Invaders for the 1985 season.
“Taubman was buddy-buddy with Lions owner William Clay Ford and didn’t want to go-head-to-head against his friends,” says Hebert.”

This move didn’t sit well with players like Bentley, who embraced the fan support in his hometown. “It was disappointing because we had such a great thing going on there,” says Bentley. “We didn’t understand the logic to move; if we were going to merge, then let’s stay in Detroit and merge with us. It was a whole different world out in Oakland.”

After getting off to a 4-3-1 start, the Invaders won nine of the remaining 10 regular-season games. “It took awhile for those two teams to get together,” says Bentley. “ On the upside, we had a ton of talent and we were really well coached. That’s was a classy organization – coach Charlie Sumner ran it like the Raiders: ‘Just Win.’”

The Invaders finished with a league-best 13-4-1 record. Hebert threw for 30 touchdowns and more than 3,800 yards; Carter, Derek Holloway and Gordon Banks combined for 179 receptions and 26 touchdowns in 1985. The Invaders scored 473 points – second only to Jim Kelly’s Houston Gamblers, who lit up the scoreboard with 544 points

In the quarter-finals, the Invaders beat Steve Spurrier’s Tampa Bay Bandits 30-27; then beat Pepper Rodgers’ Memphis Showboats 28-19 in the semi-finals.

Bentley, Hebert Carter and the rest of the former Panthers, now had a second showdown with Mora’s Stars in the last USFL Championship. Unfortunately for the Invaders, a personal foul penalty on FB Tom Newton, thwarted the winning drive for Oakland, as the Stars won, 28-24, at a rain-soaked Meadowlands.
“The guys were yelling at him in the shower because he cost us the game,” says Hebert, now 20 years later.

Bentley still hasn’t recovered from losing that last championship game. “That was a heart-breaker,” says Bentley in a dejected voice. “It was one of the toughest losses I was ever a part of. I was disappointed in my performance in that game. I felt like I didn’t hold up to my part of the bargain – a lot of guys felt that way. We had several guys that didn’t get it, and I was one of them. To this day, it’s still one of my biggest disappointments in pro football.”

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Denver Gold

2007-08-25T10:12:00.001-07:00

The Gold were the only team that made money in its inaugural season – averaging more than 41,000 fans a game.

Real estate tycoon Ron Blanding brought spring football to the Mile High City. He turned to former Broncos’ head coach “Red” Miller. Miller was an idol in Denver because he brought the Broncos to the Super Bowl in 1978. The 1983 Gold also featured former Denver Broncos Jeff Knapple and “Lumpy” Hyde.

Right from the start, the Gold were a frugal franchise that didn’t
want to spend money on its draft picks. The Gold were one of the
franchises that ran a tight financial ship – which kept the talent level
low. Blanding had done his best too keep costs down, but he knew
the fans would not support a loser for long. He demanded a better
showing, and when Miller was unable to produce, he was fired - the
first USFL coach to get the axe. The Gold were off to a 4-7 start
and attendance dropped to 33,000 following Miller’s firing.
Blanding looked to another Denver legend, former Bronco QB
Craig Morton to coach the team. Morton won all three home
games, but lost the three road games as Denver finished 7-11.
Despite the franchises poor performance, Denver led the league in
attendance with 41,736 fans per game.

The Gold finished the ’84 campaign by going 9-9, but attendance dropped to 33,953. Mouse Davis took over for Morton in ’85, and QB Bob Gagliano started using the Run-n-Shoot offense, which would enter the NFL in a few years.

The Gold drew a disappointing 14,000 fans per game in ’85, after leading the league in attendance in 1983. The announcement of the move to a fall schedule really hurt the Gold because they would go head-to-head against the beloved Broncos -- not a smart move. So they merged with the Jacksonville for the ’86 season – the year that never was.

The Gold finished with a 27-27 record in its three years of existence, making the playoffs once.

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Memphis Showboats

2007-08-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

Years of existence: 1984-1985Owner: William Dunavant, Logan Young, Jr.

Stadium: Liberty Bowl (50,180)

Colors: Scarlet, silver and white

Overall Regular Season Record: 18-18 (.500)

Overall Playoff Record: 1-1
Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances
1984: 7-11 (27,599)

1985: 11-7 (30,948)

The Memphis Showboats, like the Panthers, Bandits, Generals, Stallions and the Gold (first year), were among the teams that drew more than 30,000 fans to their games.

The Liberty Bowl was their home and Reggie White was their star player. Known as the “Minister of Defense,” White was an All-Pro player the moment he stepped onto a USFL field. White made 13 Pro Bowl appearances in 15 seasons in the NFL after the USFL folded. White went to the post-season 10 times as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. The culmination came in January of 1997 when the Packers beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XXI – White set a Super Bowl record with three sacks.

The Showboats featured other future NFL players like RB Tim Spencer, DB’s Mossy Cade and Barney Bussey under the guidance of Pepper Rodgers. Rodgers was a “zany” coach that had a flair for the screen. Carl Peterson, the general manager of the USFL’s Stars and the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, says that when Pepper was a coach at UCLA, he loved to be involved with the Hollywood scene -- something that angered UCLA alumni.

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Philadelphia Stars

2007-08-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

Years of existence: 1983-1985Owner: Myles Tanenbaum

Stadium: Veterans Stadium (72,204) 1983-84, Byrd Stadium (45,000) 1985

Colors: Crimson, old gold and whiteOverall Regular Season Record: 41-12-1 (.769)Overall Playoff Record: 7-1

Yearly Standings and Average Attendances
1983: 15-3 (18,650) Philadelphia

1984: 16-2 (28,668) Philadelphia

1985: 10-7-1 (14, 275) Baltimore

The Stars were the most successful USFL franchise, winning 47 games and two USFL championships.

George Perles was the first official coach of the franchise, but a few months before the inaugural season was to kick-off, Perles phoned GM Carl Peterson that he needed to talkto him. “He [Perles] said, ‘Carl I would never do this to you, but the one other job I wanted my whole life, at my alma mater, Michigan State, has called me,’” says Peterson, in aMay 2006 interview from his Kansas City, Mo., home. The Spartans flew Perles in the night before and offered him the
job at Michigan State."He felt awful that he was leaving us in the lurch," says Peterson. "I told him to take the position and I would find another coach. We’ve been dear friends ever since."

Peterson was now in the hunt for a new coach just three months before the season started. Tannebaum wanted Peterson to hire Sid Gillman, the former Rams and Chargers coach that introduced the West Coast offense to football. But Carl pointed out that Sid was 70-years-old and he really wanted someone that was younger and a teacher.

In late December of 1982, Peterson targeted Penn State’s Joe Paterno. After Penn State won the national championship, Peterson and ownership met with Paterno. But Joe Pa told the Stars, “I’ve given this a lot of thought, but this is where I need to be.”

Years earlier, Paterno turned down the heading coaching job with the Eagles before Vermeil accepted the position.

After Paterno pulled his name from the mix, the Philadelphia ownership began to panic a bit says Peterson. But Carl remained cool, as he had a short list of coaches and Jim Mora was on it.

Peterson knew Mora from his days as a coach at UCLA. “I needed a teacher,” says Peterson, who was facing the team’s first crisis five months into the job. “I needed someone that could teach young and new players the game.”

Mora was the defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, who were in the middle of the playoffs. Mora didn’t want his attention taken away at the task at hand, so he was hesitant to meet with Peterson until after the playoffs.

Peterson interviewed Jerry Glanville and a few other guys, but Mora was his man. As Mora was getting ready to board his flight from Philadelphia, Peterson told Mora he had 24 hours to make his decision. Mora called back the next day and told him he’d take the job. “I told Tannebaum and the other owners who we hired. They said, ‘Who the hell is Jim Mora?’” says Peterson with a laugh in his voice.

The list of players and coaches from the Stars reads like an All Star cast: C Bart Oates, T Irv Eatman, RB Kelvin Bryant, LB Sam Mills, Mike Johnson and DE William Fuller. But before they made their mark in the USFL and NFL, this group was relatively unknown.

From the coaching ranks came: Dom Capers, Vic Fangio, Joe Marciano, Vince Tobin and Carl Smith. It’s safe to say those rooms in Mobile, Ala., must have been blessed by the football gods.

The Stars marched through the first two seasons like rhinos on a daisy field. They pounded opponents with the run, as the offensive line made gaps for Bryant, and a knockout defense led by Mills, Fuller, Johnson and anchored by former NFL NT Pete Kugler, punished opposing quarterbacks.

Oates, who won a total of five championships in the USFL and NFL combined, agrees with Peterson about the talent on the Stars. “We could have beaten the Eagles by 1985 because
we were deep enough in talent by then,” he says.

In 1985, the Stars played their home games at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, because in 1984, the owners voted in favor of a fall schedule and go head-to-head
against the NFL.

The Philadelphia ownership, which was building a sound fan-base with attendance rising to close to 30,000 in ’84, voted against the fall move. But two owners in particular, led the charge for the fall schedule.

Also, the Stars had lease issues with the Vet if they moved to a fall schedule. Things got so tense in Philadelphia, that the Vet kicked the Stars out of their offices and the coaching staff was forced to take up space at the University of Penn.. “About half-way through the season [1985], the Vet kicked us out of our offices, and we had to move to the ROTC building at the University of Pennsylvania,” says Mora with a note of disdained in his voice. “All the coaches were in one classroom, in separate corners, coming up with the game plans.”

After posting a 31-5 regular-season record in the first two

seasons, the Stars dropped to 10-7-1 in the ’85 campaign.

“The moving really had an effect on us that year,” says Mora.

“We were 7-6-1,” says Peterson, “ but Mora got the team together and said, ‘It’s time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. We're the champions, we should start playing like champions. I expect we’re going to get back there and we’re going to start winning. It’s a road game every week, but we’ve got to deal with it and I’m not going to expect anything less.’”

The Stars won the last three regular season games and all three playoff games – including a 28-24 win over the Invaders in the USFL Championship.

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NJ Generals

2007-08-25T10:02:00.001-07:00

Years of existence: 1983-1985Owner: J. Walter Duncan, Chuck Fairbanks (1983), Donald Trump (1984-)

Stadium: Giants Stadium (76,891)

Colors: Scarlet, white, royal blue and metallic goldOverall Regular Season Record: 31-23 (.574)Overall Playoff Record: 0-2

Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances
1983: 6-12 (35,004)1984: 14-4 (37,716)1985: 11-7 (41,268)

The New Jersey Generals had the biggest stars in Heisman Tophy winners Herschel Walker and Doug Flutie. But the stars never aligned for Donald Trump’s troops as the Generals didn't win a playoff game in their three-year existence.

New Jersey won 14 games in '84 and 11 games in '85, but lost both
years to Jim Mora's Stars. Despite Trump spending millions on
college’s best best players and enticing NFL veterans to the spring
league.

In 1984, Trump hired former New York Jets coach Walt
Michaels and lured QB Brian Sipe away from the Browns for
a big payday with the Generals. The 14 wins wasn’t enough to win
the division, as the Stars won 16 games and had home-field
advantage against New Jersey in the playoffs. Philadelphia’s
running back Kelvin Bryant rushed for 117 yards, as the Stars
pounded the Generals 28-7 on their way to a USFL Championship.

Sipe was shipped to Jacksonville the following year, as the Generals signed Heisman Trophy winner Flutie before the start of the '85 season. Flutie's numbers weren't great, but like college, he found a way to win. Michaels wanted to draft Boomer Esiasion out of Maryland, but Trump wanted the star-appeal of Flutie.

Unfortunately for New Jersey, a shoulder injury kept Flutie out of the final three games of the season and the playoffs. A move that coach Michaels was widely criticized for, but to this day, Michaels sticks by his decision not to play Flutie. "I was told by doctors that he shouldn't even be practicing, never mind playing," says Michaels in June 2006. The Generals lost to the Stars 20-17 in the quarterfinals at the Meadowlands, as replacement QB Ron Reeves and company couldn't pullout the win.

"The USFL was going to be the next big thing; they signed a big contract with ABC and ESPN; the Generals were going to be the headline team in the league," says Charlie Steiner, who was the play-by-play broadcaster for the Generals, as he reminisced fondly of the spring league.

The Generals were drawing well at the gate, and always seemed to be on the prime-time game on ABC or ESPN – thanks to Trump calling up and demanding that his team be on the air since it was his money that was keeping the league alive.

Steiner, whose career includes play-by-play for the New York Jets, ESPN radio, Yankees, and now the Los Angeles Dodgers, says the USFL wasn't afraid to try anything new. "We were one of the first to use on-field radio reporters, something the NFL didn't allow," he says. Princeton head coach Bob Casciola along with former Jet Sam DeLuca teamed with Charlie for the radio play-by-play broadcasts. Ironically, after the USFL folded, Steiner and DeLuca went on to be the radio pair for the Jets in 1986.

The Generals averaged more than 40,000 in 1985, which put them behind only the Tampa Bay Bandits and the Jacksonville Jaguars at the top of the league. “The market place has something to do with that, not everyone could get Jets and Giants tickets,” says offensive lineman Dave Lapham, who left the penny-pinching Bengals to bask in Donald Trump’s world of extravagance. “Donald Trump was a flamboyant guy, a great marketer and collected Hesiman Trophy guys. When we went down south to play the Bulls and Jaguars, they had a ‘let’s knock-off the rich team mentality.’”

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Breakers

2007-08-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Years of existence: 1983-1985Owner: George Matthews, Randy Vataha (1983), Joseph Canizaro (1984-84)

Stadium: Nickerson Field (20,535) 1983, Superdome (69,658) 1984, Civic Stadium (32,500) 1985

Colors: Ocean blue, Breaker blue, silver and whiteOverall Regular Season Record: 25-29 (.463)Overall Playoff Record: 0-0

Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances
1983: 11-7 (12,817)
1984: 8-10 (30,557)
1985: 6-12 (19,919)

The Breakers moved every year they played. They started out in Boston, then moved to New Orleans 1984, and ended up in Portland, Ore., for the 1985 season.

Unlike many teams, the Breakers never changed their uniforms when they moved – it saved on the overhead.

The Breakers made a splash when they signed 19-year-old Marcus Dupree out of Oklahoma in 1984. Unfortunately, Dupree injured his knee in 1985 and only carried the ball 17 times. Despite comeback attempts with the Rams in 1990 and ’91, Dupree never returned to his college form.

TE Dan Ross joined the Breakers in 1984 after a great career in Cincinnati. Ross, like Dave Lapham and Jim LeClaire, bolted the Bengals for greener pastures in the USFL. Ross caught 106 balls for 1,355 yards in two USFL seasons and was named to the USFL Sporting News All-Star team.

Veteran QB Jerome Walton led the Breakers the first two seasons, throwing 37 touchdown passes and winning 19 games. In 1985, the Breakers turned to Matt Robinson to lead the team under center in their new home in Portland, Ore., but the team only won six games in its final season with little fan support.

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Tampa Bay Bandits

2007-08-25T09:58:00.001-07:00

Years of existence: 1983-1985Owner: John BassettStadium: Tampa Stadium (76,891)Colors: Red, silver, black and whiteOverall Regular Season Record: 35-19 (.648)Overall Playoff Record: 0-2

Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances
1983: 11-7 (39,896)1984: 14-4 (46,158)1985: 10-8 (45,220)

The Tampa Bay Bandits, owned by John Bassett and actor Burt Reynolds as a partner, were on of the league's most exciting teams.

Led by coach Steve Spurrier, the Bandits were a perennial winner and outdrew the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. Bandit Ball averaged 43,758 fans per-game in their three-year existence.

Spurrier had an exciting team with QB John Reeves throwing for 28 Touchdowns and HB Gary Anderson rushing for 19 in 1984 as the Bandits won 14 games. Tampa Bay went on to win 35 games and scored 1,266 points over the course of three USFL seasons.
The NFL Buccaneers won only 10games from during that time. Bandit Ball was a much hotter draw in Tampa than the Buccaneers were back then,” says Steve Erhart, a former USFL executive. “In the local market place, with Steve Spurrier as the coach, the Bandits were more popular and exciting in a lot of ways than the NFL team.”

Dave Lapham, who was a teammate of Reaves in Cincinnati, “Reaves and Steve Spurrier were a match made in Heaven. A couple of Florida Gators that believed in slinging it – they just clicked. It was like Spurrier was living through Reaves with that offense.”

The Bucs were becoming a running joke in the media as the rest of the NFL beat on them. ESPN studio host Chris Berman would mock the Bucs-Packers games, calling it the “Bay of Pigs,” because both teams were so dreadful.

Spurrier’s Bandit Ball was riding high, as football became fun again in the city of Tampa Bay. “We gave the fans a no-huddle offense, double reverses; we gave them something they hadn’t seen before,” says Spurrier from his University of South Carolina office in April of 2006.

The Tampa fans caught on to Bandit Ball, as Spurrier’s crew racked up points and wins -- something the inept NFL franchise couldn’t do. Attendance was 39,896 in ’83, then jumped to 46,158 in ’84 and they led the USFL in attendance in 1985, averaging 45,220 per game.

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Federals/Renegades

2007-08-25T09:56:00.001-07:00

Years of existence: 1983-1984Owner: Berl BernhardStadium: RFK Stadium (54,794)Colors: Kelly green, black, silver and white (silver, black and white 1984)Overall Regular Season Record: 7-29Overall Playoff Record: 0-0
Federals Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances
1983: 4-14 (13,850)1984: 3-15 (7,694)

After the 1984 season, with teams facing strong financial dilemmas, many teams moved to new cities or merged with existing teams.

The Federals limped through two lackluster seasons in Washington, D.C., before being sold and moved to Orlando to become the Renegades in 1985.

ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso coached the team in its only season in Orlando, Fla., finishing the year with a 5-7 record (5-13 overall).

ABC’s college analyst Craig James made a name for himself in his time in the USFL before signing with the New England Patriots in 1985.

Orlando Renegades
Years of existence: 1985Owner: Donald DizneyStadium: Citrus Bowl (50,050)Colors: Blue, gray, white, red and blackOverall Regular Season Record: 5-13Overall Playoff Record: 0-0
Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances
1985: 5-13 (24,136)

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Chicago Blitz

2007-08-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Years of existence: 1983-1984Owner: Dr. Ted Diethrich (1983), Dr. James Hoffman (1984)Stadium: Soldier Field (65,077)Colors: Red, silver, blue and white

Overall Regular Season Record: 17-19 (.472)Overall Playoff Record: 0-1
Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances
1983: 12-6 (18,133)1984: 5-13 (7,455)
The Chicago Blitz & Arizna Wranglers were a strange pair of teams that swapped franchises before reality television was the in thing. The Blitz were the favorites going into the 1983 season because they had seasoned NFL veterans on the roster. Veteran NFL players like Dan Jiggetts, Doug Plank, Stan White, Perry Hartnett, Virgil Livers, Wally Pesuit, Bobby Scott, and Joe Federspiel led the Blitz to a 12-6 record under the legendary coach of George Allen.

Rookies like WR Trumaine Johnson and RB Tim Spencer helped the aging quarterback Greg Landry put up 451 points in 18 games.

In the playoffs, the Blitz had a huge fourth-quarter lead over the Stars, but Philadelphia came back to beat Chicago 44-38 in OT, and go on to the USFL Championship against the Michigan Panthers.

In 1984, the owners of the Blitz and Wranglers swapped franchises: Chicago’s owner Ted Dietrich, who lived in Phoenix, bought the Arizona Wranglers and sold the Blitz to James Hoffman, the Wranglers’ owner. In essence, the 1984 Blitz were actually the 1983 Wranglers and vice versa. This was a disaster for the Chicago franchise because the Wranglers won only four games in 1983.

Ironically, the "old" Blitz fulfilled expectation as the Wranglers, making it to the USFL Championship, while the "new" Blitz suffered through a dismal season and folded at the end of the year.

Things were so bad in Chicago, that sometimes the chartered bus wouldn’t pickup the players after the game because the bill wasn’t paid.

Marv Levy, who was called on to coach the Blitz in 1984 was unaware that the players were swapped as well. “After I was at work I realized the entire roster was swapped,” says Levy. “I inherited a team that was 4-14, instead of the playoff team that went to Arizona.” Levy’s bunch went 5-13 in the 1984, averaging a little more than 7,400 fans per game – down from the 18,133 the year before.

In that bizarre year, the team owner Dr. Jim Hoffman left the team.” He just walked away in training camp,” says Levy. “We had to run things on a shoe-string after he left.”

The league was forced to run the franchise during that lame-duck year. “Things were so bad the players had to bring their own toilet paper,” Levy says. “At Christmas time I gift-wrapped a role of toilet paper for everyone in the organization.”

Former Chicago Bear Dan Jiggetts worked in the front office as well as playing on the offensive line, watched things turn dark after the first good year in Chicago. New owner Dr. Hoffman decided to pull anchor before the season started. “It was after we lost a game to the Panthers and I saw Doc and asked him where he was going? He said, ‘I’m done, I’m out-of-here,’” says Jiggetts wryly. “That’s the last time I spoke to him, before he could legally leave the team midway through the season.”

The league took over the team after that as the franchise seeped into a slow and agonizing demise. Images of an empty Soldier Field on a rain-soaked March afternoon, still linger with several Blitz players and coaches.

Having a say with player-personnel, Jiggetts turned to his old friend Vince Evans to join the Blitz in the disastrous ’84 season. “I convinced Vince it was a great opportunity for him," says Jiggetts, now a sportscaster for Comcast Sports in Chicago. "Vince played his tail-off for us that year.”

Evans returned to the NFL and played until 1995. At the age of 40, he led the Oakland Raiders to a 17-point come-from-behind win over the Jets in 1993.

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Los Angeles Express

2007-08-25T09:53:00.001-07:00

Despite having a future NFL Hall of Famer at quarterback in Steve Young, the Los Angeles Express were unable to lure the fans into the LA Coliseum in 1984 and 1985.

In the three years the Express played in Los Angeles, the team averaged a mere 14,259 fans a game. The Coliseum holds more than 90,000, so you can imagine Young barking the calls in the barren stadium.

The big move that led to the continual demise of the team in the Southern California market was the change of ownership from cable mogul Bill Daniels in 1983 to S & L "scam artist" William Oldenburg in ’84.

In the inaugural season, Express ownership looked to the CFL to hire their first coach – his name was Hugh Campbell.

Campbell just led the Edmonton Eskimos to their fifth-consecutive Grey Cup Championship in the CFL when the USFL came calling. Three USFL teams were in the market for Campbell’s services, including the Express of Los Angeles. “I liked the ideal of coaching in the off-season, this way I could scout players in the fall,” says Campbell more than 23 later. “It looked like it would be good for football at the time.”

The Express were initially set to play in San Diego, but ownership had to scrap that idea and were forced to move the franchise up the freeway to Los Angeles, because their request to use Jack Murphy Stadium was rejected.

This was a sign of things to come for the franchise. Los Angeles already had two NFL franchises with the Rams and Raiders, not to mention the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins. So, a fifth football team in L.A. seemed a bit sketchy.

But Campbell faced adversity before in the CFL and wasn’t afraid of the challenge. He looked at it as a way to get some experience in the U.S. and re-establish himself in his native California. “Some of the NFL guys like Paul Brown told me that I was young enough to do this, but I was going to face several challenges,” says Campbell in a soft and reflective voice from his Edmonton, Alberta office. Brown was referring to the empty stadiums and financial hurdles he faced as head coach and general manager of the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), which was established in 1946. The Cleveland Browns became part of the NFL in 1950.

Los Angeles didn’t draw well at the Coliseum and the team was losing money for owner Bill Daniels, as the franchise struggled at the gate, averaging only 19,000 a game in Los Angeles.

The Express courted players like QB Dan Marino and RB Eric Dickerson out of college, but both players waited for the NFL draft in April. Campbell recalls the meeting with Marino was very positive. “He gave us a good-look, but we went with Tom Ramsey, after Dan decided to wait for the NFL draft,” says Campbell, 22 years later. “Dan was very mature and handled things gracefully. Even if Dan knew he was going to the NFL, he never let on.”

“Owner Bill Daniels sent his private jet to pick Dan up,” says Campbell. “I went to the airport along with actor Lee Majors [Lee had a small share of the franchise], to pick him up, and we spent the weekend with Dan.” Daniels, Majors, Marino and Campbell showed the star quarterback out of Pittsburgh what Los Angeles was all about, attending Hollywood events and some fine dinners.

Campbell doesn’t remember what figures were offered back then, but says laughingly: “I’m sure it was more than most NFL quarterbacks.”

Campbell turned to UCLA quarterback Tom Ramsey to lead the Express offense. Ramsey was from Southern California, and was coming off a 24-14 win in over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. While Ramsey didn’t expect to be a No. 1 pick in the ’83 draft, which was quarterback-rich in talent that year, he looked to the USFL as an option, at the urging of his agent, Marv Demoff. “Marv told me the NFL was no sacred cow,” recalls Ramsey from his Littleton, Colo., office.

Demoff, also represented John Elway and Dan Marino, who were courted by the USFL as well. Elway by the Invaders, and Marino by the Express. With the advice from his agent, and the fact that the USFL had a TV contract in place, Ramsey felt the Express would be a good fit for him. Ramsey’s ultimate decision to sign with the Express was because of head coach Hugh Campbell. Campbell just led the Edmonton Eskimos to five-straight CFL championships and was instrumental in the success of quarterback Warren Moon, who threw for more than 20,000 yards and 139 touchdowns in his last five seasons in Edmonton. “ I met with Hugh several times, and he was one of the best people in pro football I ever met,” says Ramsey. “He was honest, forthright, a true players’ coach.” Ramsey recalls things being a bit “rough” in terms of organization when he arrived at camp. “It was like the movie North Dallas 40,” says Ramsey of his training camp in Los Angeles. “It was almost comical at times. I asked myself, ‘what the hell I got myself into?’”

While there was a high level of quality players, there were guys that were true NFL rejects. Ramsey wondered who was letting these people on the field. “There were some real ‘bozos’ out there,” says Ramsey with an amusing tone in his voice. “There must have been guys that never played in college.” While most USC and UCLA players were talented for pro football, Ramsey, with a pause in his voice, says some of the players were so bad that he called the talent “shocking.”

After the first year, the Express were in financial trouble, and owner Bill Daniels was looking to sell the team. “The reason I went to the team was because of Hugh and Bill,” says Ramsey. Once it was clear Daniels was selling the team, coach Campbell looked to the Oilers, who offered him a job, which initially was turned down by Campbell. Ramsey, like Campbell, wasn’t thrilled with the new owner William Oldenburg.

Ramsey remembers Oldenburg telling the team “he was going to buy the best team in pro football. “We had a guy that was throwing money around like it was monopoly money, which it was,” says Ramsey wryly. “He was an ego-maniacal, self-proclaimed billionaire. I knew when Hugh left things were not going to change for the good.” Ramsey put his head in his heads and thought, “here we go.” “We had a owner with a lot of money and nothing else,” says Ramsey, who currently works for CSTV. While Ramsey wasn’t impressed with the new owner in town, he was less than enamored with Campbell’s replacement, John Hadl.

Hadl was a star from the old AFL days with the San Diego Chargers. Hadl played pro football from 1962 through 1977, with the Rams, Packers and Oilers as well. Hadl threw for more than 33,000 yards and 240 touchdowns, but was a disaster as coach of the Express. “John Hadl was just miserable as a coach, and was a complete flop as a leader,” says Ramsey, who was traded to the Invaders 10 games into the season. “I remember getting a game plan on a Thursday for a Sunday game (quarterbacks usually pick up game plans on a Tuesday), with 50 errors on the 100 offensive plays. I told him about the mistakes, and he said, ‘hell Rams, you get paid money, just fix it on the field.’”

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Jacksonville Bulls

2007-08-25T09:50:00.001-07:00

Years of existence: 1984-1985Owner: Fred BullardStadium: Gator Bowl (80,200)Colors: Garnet (or burgundy), burnt orange, silver, black and whiteOverall Regular Season Record: 15-21 (.417)Overall Playoff Record: 0-0

In 1984, a record-crowd of 73,227 fans showed up in Jacksonville to see the Bulls lose a heartbreaker to the Generals 28-26.

The Jacksonville Bulls averaged more than 45,000 fans a game in their two-year existence but never made the playoffs under head coach Lindy Infante.

The Bulls did produce future NFL All Pro’s like WR Gary Clark, DE Keith Millard and Heisman Trophy winning running back Mike Rozier played for Jacksonville.

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Played in a Super Bowl

2007-08-25T09:43:00.000-07:00
49ers: Gary Plummer, Steve Young (MVP), Pete Kugler, Harry Sydney

Bears: Tom Thayer, Ken Taylor Tim Wrightman

Bengals: Barney Bussey

Bills: Jim Kelly, Kent Hull, Ray Bentley, Scott Norwood

Broncos: Tony Boddie, Freddie Gilbert, Tim Lucas, Gary Zimmerman

Cowboys: Nate Newton

Giants: Bart Oates, Maurice Carthon, Sean Landeta, Chris Godfrey

Packers: Reggie White

Redskins: Doug Williams (MVP), Gary Clark,
Kelvin Bryant, Ricky Sanders, Dennis Woodberry, Mark Adickes,

Spring Kickoff

2007-08-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

In 1983, the USFL kicked-off a spring-summer alternative to NFL football.

The league was the brainchild of Louisiana antique and art dealer David Dixon. Dixon, remembers when 25,000 people would come out to watch Tulane have a scrimmage back in the 1930s. Now in his 80’s, Dixon said in an interview with Greg Garber from ESPN.com, “My God, why can't we play games in the spring? I mean, LSU still draws numbers like that to this day. If Princeton and Rutgers had played that first [intercollegiate football] game in the spring instead of the fall [Nov. 6, 1869], that's when we'd be playing football today.

“Football is such a powerful, powerful piece of entertainment," he said. "To me, it made a lot of sense to start a new league.”

Dixon is also known as the “Father of the New Orleans Saints.” He was instrumental in getting the Saints as an expansion franchise in 1967 and was instrumental in building the Louisiana Superdome.

Teams were placed in 12 locations: Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, Washington, Michigan (Pontiac), Chicago, Tampa Bay, Birmingham, Oakland, Los Angles, Denver and Phoenix. True to Dixon’s words, some 45,000 fans turned out in Arizona and Denver. Washington drew 38,000 spectators, while Los Angeles and Birmingham drew more than 30,000.

The total attendance was more than 230,000; an average of 39,170 per game. The national TV ratings for all games played was 14.2, with a 33 share. The USFL kicked-off to a great start.

Originally, owners settled on a $1.8 million dollar salary cap per team, using a 38-plus 2 roster maximum. $1.3 million dollars was allotted to sign 38 players and a 10-player developmental squad; $500,000 was allotted to sign two "star" players that did not count against the cap. This last figure was not "set in stone."

Ed Garvey, who was head of the NFLPA back in 1982, was contacted by Dixon to sit in on the owner’s meetings, says, “I thought the league would succeed because I had such trust in David and the owners trusted him. This wasn’t like the World Football League which was an agent-created nightmare.”

Many experts mocked the spring league saying it would never make it. But could a spring football league work? According to a CBS Sports/New York Times survey in 1984, 53 percent of the nation's sports fans said they most enjoyed watching football, compared to 18 percent for baseball. This survey re-enforced the USFL’s chance of survival on the American sporting landscape.

Steve Erhart, who was the general manager and part owner of the Memphis Showboats in 1985, says, “The league was a product of the NFL’s scarcity of servicing teams, players, coaches and cities that could support pro football. There were cities that needed and wanted football. It was ironic we had great success in certain cities that already had NFL teams."

To support Erhart’s statements, the Tampa Bay Bandits, Denver Gold and New Jersey Generals drew more than 35,000 a game in their inaugural seasons in 1983.

The Michigan Panthers averaged a little more than 22,000 in ’83, but attendance jumped to more than 32,000 in ’84, after winning the USFL Championship. What really rattled the NFL was the fact that more than 60,000 fans showed their support at the Silverdome, when the Panthers beat the Oakland Invaders 37-21 in the divisional playoffs in 1983. The fans stormed the field after the victory.

A week later, more than 50,000 enthusiastic USFL fans attended the first championship, as Michigan went on to stun Jim Mora’s Philadelphia Stars, 24-22, at Denver's Mile High Stadium.

“At the end of the first year, the Detroit media ran a position-by-position comparison of the Panthers verse the Lions," says Erhart. "Anthony Carter was a better receiver than what the Lions had; QB Bobby Hebert was better than Eric Hipple."

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TV Deals

2007-08-24T19:20:00.001-07:00
The deals with ABC and ESPN were in place before the USFL actually had a league office established. The USFL knew television was the key to its success, so they hired ESPN president Chet Simmons to be the league’s first commissioner.

ESPN was a mere infant in the sports broadcasting industry and was anxious to be named the league’s network when it commenced play in March of 1983.

Stu Evey, the founder of ESPN and author of Creating AN Empire: ESPN, wrote, “securing the rights to their games would be a major coup for ESPN.”

Before Simmons jumped from ESPN to the USFL, there was some “spirited negotiation going on,” says Steve Erhart, a former USFL executive with the league and later a general manager with the Memphis franchise.

ESPN at the time was a fledgling network compared to the powerhouse it is today. The USFL was ESPN’s foray into producing live sporting events like football. Ironically, there was competition for the rights to the league by Ted Turner’s TBS.

Evey was awakened one early morning in February of 1982 by Simmons, who was not yet named commissioner of the league, saying that Turner has come in with a higher bid on the USFL deal.

Evey was aware of the cross-promotional appeal the new league would give to ESPN, even though the network wouldn’t make money on it. “The publicity alone would be worth the price,” writes Evey. “The new league wasn’t announcing its formation until May, but the sports pages were already talking about it.”

Evey gave Simmons the okay to give the USFL the extra million without actually having the authority from the Getty Oil board of directors (ESPN was a subsidiary of the Getty Oil Company). Evey turned to Jerry Salomon -- the president of the D’Arcy McManus Agency, which represented ESPN’s largest advertiser, Anheuser-Busch. Evey asked Salomon to coax Anheuser-Busch to put up some more money into the venture of spring football. “Your announcers better mention Budweiser every five minutes during those football games,” Salomon told Evey after getting the beer company to fork over another $500,000.

Evey thought the extra million ESPN had to spend was well worth the investment in the spring league. “ There was no way I was going to let Ted Turner get the rights ahead of us,” he writes. “TBS was still the biggest cable network in terms of viewership, but we were catching up fast. Getting the USFL would get us there faster.”

The Getty Oil Company was losing money with ESPN, so when Evey approached Getty president Harold Berg – it wasn’t a slam dunk he’d approve the extra money. Evey writes: “Operating an unproven business, with steady losses at a time, when fortunes were at a low ebb did not make me the most popular man at the company."

Evey was able to get the extra money for the USFL deal as the league entered a four-year contract with ABC and a two-year contract with ESPN. The ABC agreement provided for ABC to pay the USFL $18 million for the 1983 and 1984 seasons; options exercisable by ABC at $14 million for 1985; $18 million for 1986.

ESPN would televise USFL games for two years at rights fees of $4 million for 1983 and $7 million for 1984.

The USFL began with eight of its twelve teams in the nation's top- ten television markets. The ABC contract required the USFL to field teams in the three largest television markets (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago) and in at least four of the five other top-ten television markets in which teams were originally located in Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, San Francisco/Oakland and Washington.

ABC would televise a Sunday afternoon game-of-the-week; one prime-time evening game; plus coverage of the USFL divisional playoffs and championship game. Total package calls for 21 telecasts of USFL action.

ABC felt so confident in the venture, that on December 9, 1982, ABC Radio Networks jointly announce that ABC will do 39 national broadcasts of USFL games, including two playoff games and the league's championship game. ABC agreed to cover two games per week during regular season venture.

The ratings were better than baseball at the time. When the league made its debut in March of 1983, the average attendance for the six home openers was 39,170. The national television ratings for those six games was 14.2, with a 33 share, meaning that 14.2 percent of all TV households and 33 percent of all people watching television tuned in to the USFL debut. The average television ratings for the year were 6.23 on ABC and 3.28 on ESPN.

“The USFL went on to fulfill our greatest expectations,” writes Evey. "It generated huge fan interest before the first season by signing the likes of Hesiman Trophy winner Herschel Walker. The initial season was our highest-rated series ever.”

ESPN had a great opportunity on its doorstep to show the other sports leagues that it could handle pro sports. “There’s no doubt we wanted to step-it-up,” says ESPN sportscaster Bob Ley. “We showed we could embrace, promote, report and telecast a football product.”

Although the ratings dipped a bit more in 1984 ( 5.7 on ABC and 2.8 on ESPN), ABC exercised its option to carry the USFL in the spring of 1985 at $14 million and offered a new contract of $175 million for four years in the spring beginning in 1986
ESPN was offering $ 70 million over three years. The USFL left close to $250 million on the table.

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Show Me the Money

2007-08-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

The USFL used the old AFL strategy of going after the big name quarterbacks like Steve Young, Jim Kelly and Bobby Hebert. “We borrowed the strategy from Al Davis to sign the quarterbacks,” says Steve Erhart, the former GM of the Memphis Showboats. “In our three years of existence, we swept the Heisman Trophy winners [Herschel Walker, Mike Rozier, Doug Flutie]. We tried to get the best young players into the league.”

True to Erhart's words, quarterbacks Kelly, Young, Hebert, Flutie, Walter Lewis, Tom Ramsey and Rick Neuheisel were signed out of college. The USFL also turned to veteran NFL quarterbacks like Cliff Stoudt, Brian Sipe, Doug Williams, Greg Landry and Vince Evans for instant respectability.

No quarterback was beyond approach -- not even Dan Marino and John Elway. The Invaders made a 64-year, $6.4 million offer to Elway. According to Ralph Wiley in the March 24, 1983 issue of Sports Illustrated, the $6.4 million was the base pay, at $100,000 a year through 2046, being the least Elway could make.

Elway turned down Oakland's generous offer.

While 26 NFL teams passed on Marino in the 1983 draft, the Los Angeles Express chose Dan as the league's first-ever selection.

While Marino never signed with the Express, the USFL showed they were looking to make an "impact" by going after the big-name quarterbacks out of college.

“Owner Bill Daniels sent his private jet to pick Dan up,” says Hugh Campbell, head coach of the Express in the '83 inaugural season. “I went to the airport along with actor Lee Majors [Lee had a small share of the franchise], to pick him up, and we spent the weekend with Dan.”

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Sean Landeta

2007-08-24T19:10:00.001-07:00
Sean signed a three-year contract with the Philadelphia Stars after being drafted out of Towson University in Maryland. “I thought if I got a chance to go there, it might help my chances to get to the NFL,” says Landeta. “I came from a small school and I wasn’t sure I’d be drafted by an NFL team.”

The first camp was hectic and nerve-racking for Landeta because football teams carried only one punter on the 41-man roster. “It was a very competitive training camp,” he says. “There were good college players, NFL veterans and guys with limited NFL experience.”

The Stars won a league-best 15 games in ’83, but lost the USFL Championship to the Panthers 24-22. The Stars had NFL veterans like John Bunting, Brad Oates (older brother of rookie Bart Oates), Pete Kugler, Jon Sutton, Bill Hardee, Booker Russell, Scott Fitzkee and Ron Coder.

Though stocked with veterans, Philadelphia would be the breeding ground for future NFL Pro Bowlers and mainstays like Sam Mills, George Jamison, Mike Johnson, Bart Oates, Irv Eatman, William Fuller, Kelvin Bryant and Landeta himself. All seven players went on to NFL careers that lasted at least 10 seasons.

The Stars also made a huge impact on the coaching scene in the NFL to this day: Coordinator like Vic Fangio, Bill Tobin and Joe Marciano all served under Mora in the early days of the USFL.

The Stars offensive coordinator, Dom Capers, led the Panthers to the NFC Championship in '96 as the head coach.Capers also too over the coaching reigns for a second expansion franchise in 2002 with the Texans. Capers currently is the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins.

But it was Mora who had the biggest impact in the NFL as a head coach. Mora led the Stars to a USFL-best 41 regular-season wins in his three years in Philadelphia. So, when he was offered the job with the Saints in ’86, it didn’t surprise Landeta that Mora was successful in turning the beleaguered franchise around. “You knew he was an outstanding coach because we went to three title games in a row [in the USFL], and won two of them,” says Landeta. “When the league ended, he went to a team that didn’t have a lot of success and had them in the playoffs a year later. His record shows he was an outstanding coach.”

Although the Stars lost the first USFL Championship, Landeta remembers the feeling of 50,000 exuberant USFL fans that attended the game at Mile High in Denver, Colo. “It was exciting, there was a huge crowd, it was well-played, it had the feeling of a title game,” says Landeta. “It would have been perfect if we beat the Panthers.”

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Resources

2007-08-24T19:07:00.001-07:00

RESOURCES:

ESPN.COM: GREG GARBER MARCH 2003

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Aug. 18,1986: JILL LIEBER

SI: JULY 21,1986: RICK TELANDER

SI: FEB. 25, 1985: RICK WEILEY

THISISTHEUSFL.COM

REMEMBERTHEUSFL.COM

OURSPORTSCENTRAL.COM

BUILDING AN EMPIRE: STUART EVEY

NEXT MAN UP: JON FEINSTEN

LEXIS-NEXIS(USFL V. NFL)

Gary Clark

2007-08-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

WR Gary Clark joined the Washington Redskins in 1985 after spending two years with the USFL’s most popular team, the Jacksonville Bulls.

Clark, out of James Madison in Virginia, joined a Redskins team that needed a wide receiver to step up and be a second to Art Monk. Clark didn’t disappoint, while Monk recorded 92 catches for 1,26 yards in ‘85, Clark hauled in 72 receptions for 926 yards and five touchdowns.

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Herschel Walker

2007-08-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

After winning the Heisman Trophy award in 1983, Herschel Walker came out of the University of Georgia as a junior to sign with the USFL's New Jersey Generals.

This created a stir in pro and college football because the NFL had a policy not to draft underclassman. But the USFL was looking to beat the NFL to punch by signing college's best players as soon as they could. The USFL also held their draft in January -- three months before the NFL.

This pro-active approach allowed the spring league to sign three consecutive Heisman Trophy winners -- Walker in '83, Mike Rozier in '84 and Doug Flutie in '85.

Walker rushed for more than 5,500 yards and 54 touchdowns in his three years playing for the Generals. “Herschel Walker was the rarest combination of strength and speed I’ve ever seen in my life,” says Dave Lapham, who blocked for Walker on the offensive line in the 1984 and 1985 seasons. “He had world-class speed on a 225-pound body. A genetic phenom -- he was a freak of nature.”

Walker led the Generals to the playoffs two times, but New Jersey was stone-walled on both occasions by Jim Mora’s Philadelphia Stars.

The Stars were the USFL’s most dominate team – winning 47 games and two championships in three years; they were loaded with future NFL All Pro players like LB’s Sam Mills, Mike Johnson, DE William Fuller and C Bart Oates.

While Walker was making the weekly highlight reel in the USFL, the NFL was surveying the landscape of the spring league in preparation of its demise in 1986. Several NFL GM’s like Mike Brown, Jim Schaaf and Gary Vainisi were “iffy” towards the talent they would find from the USFL refugees. Cowboys’ president Tex Schramm, like many of his NFL contemporaries, was lukewarm towards the USFL 20 years ago, but saw a future Pro Bowl player in Walker.

Schramm selected the former Heisman Trophy winner in the fifth-round of the 1985 draft (more than a year before the USFL folded). Unique player selection wasn’t something new to Schramm, who also drafted QB Roger Staubach in the tenth-round of the 1964 draft. But Staubach didn’t play for the Cowboys until 1969 due to his military commitment. Schramm sensed the Cowboys were slipping: Dallas missed the playoffs in 1984 and were shutout by the Rams 23-0 in the divisional playoffs in 1985. Schramm felt he needed to pump new life into his aging team. The NFC East rival Redskins were building a dynasty and the surging New York Giants had a ferocious defense led by Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Schramm saw the shine of the Dallas dimming before his eyes – it was time to make a bold move – and his name was Herschel Walker.

In addition to Walker, Schramm brought in offensive lineman Nate Newton from the Tampa Bay Bandits. Newton won three Super Bowls, went to six Pro Bowls and played with the Cowboys until 1998 before running into trouble with the law after his playing days.

The Cowboys had a future Hall of Fame running back in Tony Dorsett. But by 1986, Dorsett was a 10-year veteran, who played in 17 post-season games and missed only two games during his NFL career. The former University of Pittsburgh back wasn’t too happy with the Cowboys’ decision to sign Walker.

According to Rick Telander’s Sports Illustrated article from Nov. 17, 1986, “Dorsett went nuts when Walker signed with the Cowboys in August. Walker's contract -- $5 million for five years -- was more than Dorsett's estimated five-year, $4.5 million deal, and Tony couldn't handle that, even though his long-range contract actually is worth a reported $9.65 million. He ripped the Cowboys for pulling ‘a publicity stunt’; he said he would walk out; he demanded to be traded. ‘Tony Dorsett is second to no back on this team,’ he roared.”

Dorsett pulled back on his harsh criticism the following day according to Telander’s article. “I regret only that I might have hurt Herschel when I blew up,” Dorsett said. “But I wasn't mad at him. It's just that when you've been brought up in the Cowboys’ system, brainwashed, trained or whatever you want to call it, you realize you're never going to make what other top backs make. There is no doubt in my mind that if I ever miss a beat on the field, they would love to get rid of me.”

“The drafting of him [Walker] was much less impactful than the day in training camp when he arrived in 1986,” says Brad Sham, who has been broadcasting Cowboys games since 1978. “The Cowboys had that reputation of bringing the next guy in, and being dispassionate about cutting loose a veteran like Dorsett. He didn’t want his role diminished by the younger Walker. It put Dorsett in a difficult position.”

Ironically, Dorsett was injured in the Cowboys season opener against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The USFL’s most prominent player was now center-stage for all of America to see.

Walker impressed the Giants by rushing for 64 yards on 10 carries, but the eye-catching play happened when Walker knocked Giants’ MLB Harry Carson on his back. Carson, an imposing figure, wasn’t accustomed to such hits from running backs. Maurice Carthon, who was in the same backfield with Walker in New Jersey, was now a member of the rival New York Giants, remembers that play like it was yesterday. “Harry came over to me and said, ‘How come you didn’t tell me he was like that.’ I said, ‘You all were taking him for granted. When he wants to bring it, he can,’" Carthon says with a snickering voice. “He’s the only person I ever saw do Harry like that.”

Walker finished the season with more than 1500 yards rushing and receiving, along with 14 touchdowns. But the Cowboys finished the year with a 7-9 record as injuries to key players like quarterback Danny White gave Dallas their first losing season since 1964.

Despite Walker’s success in his first year in Dallas, his 700 yards rushing were a far cry of the 2,400 yards with the Generals in 1985. “Herschel was a little different: He talked about himself in the third-person; he’d talk about going to the FBI; he’d dance with the local ballet,” recalls Sham, in a voice that was still trying to figure Walker out. “He was a much better athlete than a football player. He was one of the greatest athletes to play in the league, but being a great athlete doesn’t make you a good, instinctive football player.”

Unfortunately for Walker, things wouldn’t get better with “America’s Team” over the next few seasons. The Cowboys were spiraling – winning only seven games in ’87 and three in ’88. Schramm was frustrated with Landry because the coach said he wanted to coach into the 1990s after stating that he was ready to retire before the end of the decade (1980s). “Schramm would never publicly criticize Tom,” says Sham. “Tom had a problem letting go of the older guys, which was ironic to his policy of letting go of guys early in his career. The league caught up to their advanced scouting and drafting systems. After being light-years ahead of the league, the Cowboys now suffered from poor drafting, age and the 1987 strike really divided the team.” Dorsett, Randy White and Ed “To Tall” Jones crossed the picket-line, because these veterans had long-term annuities that the Cowboys could revoke if they didn’t play.

After the a 3-13 record in 1988, Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys and made the football trade of the century that helped build the Cowboys into the team of the 1990s.

“They could get way more football players than Walker’s talents could provide on the field,” says Sham. “It was a terrible team in 1988, worse than the 1-15 team in 1989 because it was old.”

The Cowboys talent pool was so low that they had to do something drastic – and the Vikings brought a “kings ransom” to Jones’ door.

The Vikings had a ferocious defense, a talented quarterback in Wade Wilson and game-breaking wide receivers in Anthony and Cris Carter. But the one thing they needed to get to the Super Bowl was a star-studded running back – they thought Walker was the answer.

Minnesota general manager Mike Lynn pulled-the-trigger on deal that eventually cost him his job: the Vikings gave up five players, six conditional draft choices and a 1992 first-round pick for Walker. Two of those draft choices turned out to be Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson.

The Vikings made the playoffs in ’89, but were quickly eliminated by the 49ers. Minnesota missed the post-season in 1990 and 1991as Walker never became the dominant runner Lynn dreamed he’d be. “That trade made the Cowboys,” says Joe Morris, who was rushed for more than 1,000 yards three times while playing for the Giants in the 1980s. “I think the Vikings really got fleeced in that deal; the franchise never recovered from that move.”

“This didn’t seem to be a disaster at the time,” says Sham. “It seemed like a calculated risk. They had all the pieces, but you had to be around Herschel to realize he was a better athlete than football player.”

Walker was sent packing after the 1991 season and landed in Philadelphia, where he had some good years before retiring as a Cowboy in 1997.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, the Cowboys won the Super Bowl three times after his trade; winning the NFC East six times through 1998. Smith became the NFL’s all-time rushing leader with 18,355 yards. Walker never played in a Super Bowl and became was just another player in the NFL.

Sham wasn’t that surprised things didn’t work out in Minnesota. “One of the things you need to succeed in football, is to bring a desire to the game,” he says. “If you only do it because you can, you won’t do it very long. His priorities were a little different. We were a little surprised, but not shocked that things didn’t work out.”

Despite his college and USFL records, Walker rushed for more than a 1,000 yards only twice in his 13-year NFL career. “He wasn’t a change of direction guy,” says Lapham, when talking about Walker’s one weakness. “He didn’t have the ability to cutback, like a Barry Sanders.”

While Walker rushing figures were down in the NFL, offenses found him very effective as a receiver and a kick returner. In addition to his 8,225 career rushing yards, Walker amassed 4,859 yards receiving. In 1987, he led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,606.

In 1988, Walker had more than 2,000 rushing and receiving for the Dallas Cowboys. “If he hit a crease, it was an experience to see him running; the power he would generate was astounding,” says Lapham, who played in the ’81 Super Bowl with the Bengals. “He was a ‘smoke-the-hole’ guy -- defenders would take angles but would come up short because of his speed.”

Bart Oates, the former All-Pro center for the Stars, Giants and 49ers, thinks the criticism of Walker is unfair. “Walker the football player reinvented himself later in the NFL,” says Oates. “He became a different player, returning kicks, receiving and rushing. His total yards are pretty impressive.”

Walker totaled 18,168 net yards in the NFL and amassed more than 25,000 all-purpose yards in pro football.

Carthon, a former teammate and roommate of Walker with the Generals, agrees with Oates that the critics are way too harsh on Walker. “Here’s a guy that was a superstar; a Heisman Trophy winner; carried the USFL on his back and at the end of his career; he was playing on special teams,” says Carthon emphatically. “He was one of the best athletes I was ever around. I think he had plenty of success in the NFL.”

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Anthony Carter

2007-08-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

Anthony Carter was nothing less than sensational in his three years in the USFL and was spectacular in his 11 seasons in the NFL.

The man nicknamed “AC,” finished in the top-10 of Heisman voting three times in his NCAA career with Michigan. Thus, it should have come as no surprise that he played in a total of 14 post-season games in his pro football career between the Panthers, Invaders and Vikings.

Carter played in 140 regular-season games during his NFL career -- catching 486 passes for 7,733 yards and 55 touchdowns. Carter caught 37 passes for 644 yards in eight playoff games. His best playoff performance came in a stunning Vikings 36-24 win over the 49ers in 1988, when he had 10 receptions for 227 yards.

Before displaying his athletic talents in the NFL, Carter dazzled USFL defenses with 160 receptions and 27 touchdowns in his tenure with the Michigan Panthers and Oakland Invaders. Carter went to two USFL Championships; winning the inaugural Championship Game, 24-22 over the Philadelphia Stars. It was Carter’s 48-yard TD reception with 3:01 remaining that put the Panthers up by 10 points to seal-the-deal for the Panthers.

"I knew it was over after I scored," said Carter in an interview after the game. "Even if they scored again, I knew we would get the ball back with a lead."

"We tried to do some different things to defend Carter," said Stars coach Jim Mora following the loss. "But they didn't work. On the last touchdown, we went with a blitz because at that time I felt we had to gamble.”

"The Stars came on a blitz," says Panthers QB Bobby Hebert, who completed 20-of-39 passes for 314 yards and three touchdwons. "I knew it would be hard to cover AC one-on-one."

In 1985, after the Invaders and Panthers merged, Hebert and Carter brought their winning ways to Oakland as the Invaders had a league-best 13-4-1 record. The merger bolstered a passing attack that even rivaled Jim Kelly’s Run and Shoot offense in Houston. Oakland receiver Gordon Banks teamed with Panther receivers Carter and Derek Holloway to put up ridiculous numbers: The trio accounted for 36 touchdowns and 3,269 yards of offense in ‘85. The Invaders put 473 points on the board as Oakland had a .750 winning percentage.

In the playoffs, Oakland went on to crush the Tampa Bay Bandits 48-27 in the quarterfinals, and battled past the Memphis Showboats 28-19 in the semifinals.

Hebert and Carter looked to shock Mora’s Stars for a second time in three years in the USFL Championship, but a personal foul penalty on FB Tom Newton, thwarted the winning drive for Oakland, as the Stars won 28-24 on a rain-soaked Giants Stadium turf.

After the USFL folded, Carter, like many USFlers, went immediately to NFL training camps after playing 18 games with the Invaders. Carter made a huge impact with the Vikings in 1985: 43 receptions, 821 yards, eight touchdowns and a 19.1 yards-per-reception average.

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Tom Thayer

2007-08-24T15:51:00.001-07:00

Tom Thayer: Blitz, Wranglers, Outlaws

In a strange twist of fate, Tom Thayer was driving his former Notre Dame roommate, Larry Moriarity, to the Chicago Blitz facility to meet the team’s legendary head coach George Allen. Moriarity didn’t sign with the club, but Thayer did as the territorial pick of the Chicago Blitz. "The next thing I knew, they made a guaranteed offer before the Bears did," Thayer says. "As a young offensive lineman, who was unsure of my future in the NFL, this might be a great opportunity right in front of my face."

The Blitz made a guaranteed personal services contract with Thayer – meaning: if the league folded Thayer was guaranteed his money. "This was a great opportunity to gain some experience and play with one of the all-time great coaches, George Allen," says Thayer.
"George convinced me everything was going to be run in a first-class manner, from the players to the facilities," says Thayer, who currently is a color-analyst for the Bears Radio Network on WBBM radio in Chicago.

When the Blitz and Wrangles swapped franchises, Thayer wanted to remain with the legendary coach Allen. "The reason I signed with the Blitz was to stay close to home, but after playing for George that one year, I wanted to be part of his team," says Thayer, the former Super Bowl winner for the ’85 Bears. "It was great lesson in life, I learned football and matured as an adult."
Thayer’s decision worked out well for the young offensive lineman from Chicago, as the Wranglers went to the USFL Championship, while the Blitz lost 13 games in 1984.
By 1985, the Blitz faded from the Chicago sports scene, and the Arizona Wranglers merged with the Oklahoma Outlaws – the Arizona Outlaws were born. Thayer played under Frank Kush for the ’85 season, where QB Doug Williams passed for more than 3,600 yards, but the team finished 8-10.

After the season’s finale in Arizona, Thayer cleaned-out his locker and headed home – to Chicago where history awaited him. "I went from a game in Saturday night in Arizona, went to my locker, got my things and drove all-night to full-pad rookie camp with the Bears on that Monday morning," he says.

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Maurice Carthon

2007-08-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

Maurice Carthon came to the USFL out of Arkansas State, where they ran the wishbone. “The USFL gave me the opportunity to work on the skills that I didn’t have as a pass receiver and blocker,” says Carthon, who had interest from the Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys, before he decided to join Herschel Walker in the backfield in New Jersey.

Despite New Jersey's failures on the field with a 6-12 record in '83, there was plenty of attention given to the Heisman Trophy winner Walker. “He was the first big-name guy that gave the league credibility,’ says Carthon. “I remember when the helicopter came and whisked him away to press conferences.”
For a city as big as New York, Carthon wasn't overwhelmed by the media. “It wasn’t too bad,” says Carthon. “We were second-class citizens in New York – behind the Giants and Jets, even though they were struggling at the time.”

After the 1983 season, real estate tycoon Donald Trump bought the Generals and “Don” became a national figure. Trump, in all his decadence, opened up the vault and signed NFL veterans like QB Brian Sipe and G Dave Lapham on offense – two playoff-tested veterans from the AFC Central.

Both Walker and Carthon rushed for over 1,000 yards in ’84, as the Generals marched to the playoffs with a 14-4 record. “Brian helped me a lot,” recalls Carthon. “We ran slant-14, slant-15, the same plays Greg Pruitt would run in Cleveland.”

Trump also raided the NFL coaching ranks as well: He hired former New York Jets head coach Walt Michaels. Michaels, brought the Jets to the AFC Championship in January of ’83 in Miami, but quit after the 14-0 loss in which QB Richard Todd tossed five interceptions against the Dolphins. “He really brought credibility to the team, guys respected him and played hard for him,” says Carthon, “That’s when the team really turned around. Walt did a tremendous job of coaching.”

In addition to Sipe and Lapham, Michaels insisted on improving the defense with NFL veterans. Linebackers Bob Leopold and Jim LeClaire joined New Jersey and All Pro DB’s Gary Barbero and Kerry Justin solidified the Generals as one of the premiere defenses in the USFL. Unfortunately for the Generals, Sipe didn’t have the magical arm like the old “Cardiac Kids” days back in Cleveland. New Jersey lost to the Stars, 28-7, in the first-round of the playoffs.

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Sam Mills

2007-08-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

If there was one person who was symbolic of what the USFL stood for, it was Sam Mills.

Mills, at 5’9, was considered too short for the NFL. Teams didn’t have room on their roster for a linebacker that was a few books shy of six-feet tall.

Dave Lapham, who blocked against the Steel Curtain twice a year as a member of the Bengals, says, “Sam Mills, like Flutie was short, but he was 225 lbs, with a size 14 shoe, and you couldn’t knock him off his feet. You couldn’t get under his shoulders pads. You had to come off the line of scrimmage on your knee-caps to try and get leverage; football is all about leverage. Sam proved he could separate from blocks and make big plays.”

Mills went to five Pro Bowls as a member of the Saints, leading the organization to the playoffs four times in his nine years in New Orleans, and once with the Panthers.

Teammates Pat Swilling and another former USFLer Vaughn Johnson became known as the “Dome Patrol” of the Saints defense. The trio knocked around opposing running backs from 1986 through 1992, when Pat Swilling signed with Detroit. In ’93 Johnson bolted to the Eagles and Mills finally moved to the expansion Carolina Panthers in after the ’94 season.

Mills’ leadership, along with several veterans, led the Panthers to seven wins in their inaugural season. In ’96, the Panthers made it all the way to the NFC Championship, before losing to the Packers 30-13.

Mills played 12 years in the NFL after the USFL, but even his coach in the USFL, Jim Mora had some initial doubts if Sam could make it in the NFL. Mora, who coached Mills for three years with the Stars, remembers questioning himself when he brought Mills to training camp with the Saints. “I saw Sam in the defensive huddle around these huge linemen and he looked short,” Mora reflects. “These guys (the Saints) must think I’m an idiot for bringing him in here.”

Mills didn’t embarrass his former USFL coach, as the 5’9 linebacker stuffed the offensive lineman on three consecutive plays. “The team knew they had a player after that,” says Mora.

“The USFL gave him an opportunity to see what he could do,” says former teammate Bobby Hebert. “Now he’s considered one of the best line backers in NFL history. He was tough on the field but a perfect gentleman off it.”

Hebert, who played against Mills in two USFL Championship games, remembers one game when Mills put a lick on Rams’ running back Eric Dickerson. “ Dickerson used to run high and Sam could hide behind lineman,” says Hebert, the former Panther and Invader quarterback. “Sam just laid a lick on him and knocked him out.” Dickerson was shocked, that he came to the Saints practice the next day to see who it him that hard. “He couldn’t believe that this little guy hit him that ferociously," says Hebert with a laugh in his Cajan voice.

Dickerson shouldn’t be embarrassed, as Mills put a punishing on many NFL backs; Mills went to five Pro Bowls in his NFL career.

Lapham, who faced the toughest of linebackers in the ‘70s, says emphatically, “Sam was all-man, was he vertically challenged, but he was all-man! He proved his height wasn’t a shortcoming.”

When the Browns cut Mills in 1982, coach Sam Rutigliano thought it was a mistake on Marty Schottenheimer’s part. Schottenheimer was the defensive coordinator for the Browns and the cut on Mills was his decision.

Rutigliano's loss was Carl Peterson again. Peterson, the G.M. of the Philadelphia Stars, got a call from the Rutigliano after the pre-season ended. “He said, 'I know you’re starting that new league and looking for players. I think we’re making a mistake cutting this guy. The only reason we’re cutting him is because he’s short; He’s not even 5’10, but don’t cut him until you see him hit,'” says Peterson.

Sam came down to the Stars’ mini-camps and Peterson signed him to a two-year contract at $20,000 and $22,000, plus a $500 signing bonus.

But Perles, who hadn’t jumped ship to the Spartans yet, said, “We’ve got to cut that kid Mills. It’s an embarrassment; he’s too short.” I told George we weren’t doing anything until we see him hit.” The players weren’t in full pads yet, only shorts and T-shirts, so Peterson didn't budge on Mills.

Months later as the Stars were gearing up for the season in another mini-camp, Mora, now the coach, told Peterson the same thing about Mills. “We’ve got to cut that kid. It’s an embarrassment, he’s too short, this is pro football.” Again, Peterson had to stand his ground and take the advice of Rutigliano to wait until he sees him hit in full pads.

Once the training camp started in DeLand, Fla., Peterson said the coaches would rate players at the end of each day to determine who was the best. “ At the end of each day, Sam Mills was the best defensive player on the field,” says Peterson.

The proof came in the Stars first game against the Generals when Mills hit Herschel Walker so hard it looked like the Heisman Trophy winner “hit a fire hydrant,” recalls Peterson. “I asked Jim if you think Herschel asked Sam how tall he was?”

Mills earned the nickname of the “Field Mouse” because he could destroy elephants. “ He could light up like you wouldn’t believe,” says Peterson.

When Peterson hired Marty Schottenheimer in 1989, he never let Marty hear the end of it for cutting the future five-time Pro Bowler Mills.

After the USFL folded, there was a big battle between Mora, who was coach of the Saints, and Tobin, who was with the Bears for Mills’ services. Bears G.M. Jerry Vainisi, thought Mills would fit perfectly alongside Mike Singletary as one of the Monsters of the Midway.

Generals FB Maurice Carthon got a rude introduction to Mills in 1983. “I remember he broke my ribs my first year in the USFL,” says Carthon, who later won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants . “Because of his size and stature, people didn’t think he could be the type of player he was. The USFL gave him a chance to show off his skills. I remember seeing him in the airport years later with his family, I told him we owed a lot to the USFL.”

Mills retired in ’97 and joined the Panthers as a linebacker’s coach, where he could influence and inspire future players that maybe didn't have the size of most NFL players.

In 2003, Mills revealed he was suffering from stomach cancer. Despite his treatments, Mills continued his coaching duties as the Panthers went all the way to the Super Bowl in 2003. Players wore Mills’ No. 51 under their jerseys, as well Mark Fields’ No. 58, who was also battling cancer.

During the Panthers’ run through the NFC playoffs, Mills addressed the team: "You have your good days and your bad days. I am just glad I am having days, you know?"

Words are inadequate to express what Sam meant to the Panthers organization," Carolina owner Jerry Richardson said. "We were privileged to have him as a member of our family, and we are devastated over this loss."

Bart Oates, who played with Mills for three seasons as a member of the Stars, sums it up best: “Sam Mills epitomizes what hard work and dedication can accomplish. We were close over the years, but whatever I say now, won’t do justice to what a great person he was.”

Tim Spencer

2007-08-24T13:20:00.001-07:00

Tim Spencer: Blitz, Wranglers, Showboats

Ohio State is a football factory for players headed to the NFL, but RB Tim Spencer went to the USFL because George Allen and the Chicago Blitz made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. “I felt comfortable with coach Allen, I knew a little about his history,” says Spencer from Halas Hall in Chicago, where he is the running backs coach for the 2005 NFC North champion Chicago Bears. “I knew where I would go in the NFL, and the money I was going to get from the USFL was better and guaranteed. It was a no-brainer.”
While Pittsburgh quarterback Dan Marino was the first player selected in the USFL, Spencer became the first player to sign with the new league. “They [USFL] were trying to get something started, so they had to make it more enticing for players like me out of college,” says Spencer, as he reflects back almost in February 2006.

Allen sent a scout to talk to Spencer at his bowl game in San Diego before the 1983 USFL January college draft. “Coach Allen wanted me in Chicago the next day,” recalls Spencer with a laugh in his voice. “I told the scout I had to talk things over with my dad first.” Spencer flew to Chicago three days later to meet with the legend himself – George Allen.

Coach Allen was more than just the coach of the new league, he was the USFL’s diplomat, ambassador and cheerleader. Spencer joined Allen’s team that was filled with former NFL players: Doug Plank, Dan Jiggetts, Kevin Long, Greg Landry, Joe Ehrmann, Stan White, Bobby Scott and more. Although Allen implemented his “Future is Now” mentality on the Blitz, he looked to the rookie out of Ohio State to be the No. 1 back. “Coach Allen is tops – a man of integrity,” says Spencer, in a reflective voice. “He took care of his players. He knew what to say, and how to motivate players. He handpicked all the people on the team. Everybody on the Blitz had something in common that coach Allen saw in each of one us.”

Spencer didn’t disappoint Allen, rushing for 1,157 yards and six touchdowns in 1983. Allen's penchant for bringing in veteran players worked to perfection as former New York Jet, Kevin Long, rushed for 1,022 yards as well in ’83. It was only the fourth time in pro football history that two backs each rushed for 1,000 yards in a season. “Kevin was my buddy and our wives were friends,” says Spencer. “I had my thousand, he was inching up to his thousand. But something weird would always happen as he was getting closer to that 1,000-yardmark. He would trip on the turf or fall down when no one touched him.”

During his 10 years at Ohio State, two prominent backs came under Spencer tutelage: Eddie George and Maurice Clarett. George won the Heisman Trophy in 1995 and was a model NFL player for the Titans for eight seasons – on and off the field. George rushed for more than 10,000 yards in his nine NFL seasons, and led the Titans to the Super Bowl in the ’99 season. Clarett’s story has gone in the opposite direction of George’s career. Clarett’s life has gone from ridiculous to pathetic in the matter of two years. Since leading Ohio State to a national championship Fiesta Bowl win over Miami, 31-24 in 2002, Clarett has been spurned by Ohio State, cut by the Denver Broncos and arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in August 2006. “I’d say it’s doubtful he’ll get a shot in the NFL after the last incident,” says Spencer regretfully. “It’s a shame because he’s a talented young man that needs some direction. I just wish he would have trusted the right people that could have helped him. My goal was to help all my players be better football players, and foremost -- better people. When you grow up in situations when you don’t trust people, and don’t have that male figure, it is definitely an issue. You have to watch the company you keep as well.”

Spencer admits that people did ask him why he didn’t do more to help Clarett through these tumultuous times. “Trust me,” Spencer says emphatically. “I did everything that I should have done, because I knew it was my responsibility to help the young man, but it's got to go both ways.”

Spencer says he hasn’t spoke with Clarett since the NFL combine in 2005.

Spencer is currently the running backs coach for the 2007 NFC Champion Chicago Bears. Although Spencer looks to being a head coach some day, he says, “I’m feeling good about my position with the Bears for right now.”

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Doug Flutie

2007-08-24T13:18:00.001-07:00

When Donald Trump signed Doug Flutie to a six-year, $8.3 million contract in 1985, it was the richest contract ever signed by a rookie. The USFL just swept its third-consecutive Hesiman Trophy winner in Flutie; Trump’s Generals had two of them (Walker the other).

Head Coach Walt Michaels wanted Trump to sign Boomer Esiason out of the University of Maryland because of his size and was a pocket-passer, not a improvisor like Flutie.

Flutie was on the cover of the Feb. 25, 1985 Sports Illustrated’s issue -- the headline read: “CAN THIS MAN SAVE THE USFL?” The USFL was facing a fork in the road by the time Flutie put on a New Jersey General uniform. The decision was made by the USFL owners – really Donald Trump -- that the league would go head-to-head against the NFL in the fall of ’86.

Most of the teams were losing money, but Trump’s Generals were averaging around 37,000 a game in '83 and '84. Flutie’s signing raised the Generals home attendance close to 42,000 in 1985 and his appeal help bolster attendance on the road as well.

While many USFL teams were tightning their belt, Trump was on a spending spree -- signing NFL veterans like QB Brian Sipe, LB Jim LeClaire and DB's Kerry Justin and Gary Barbero. "We were the New York Yankees of the USFL," says Charlie Steiner, the play-by-play voice of the Generals.

The Generals won 11 games in 1985 as they earned a home-playoff game against Jim Mora’s Stars. But for a second-consecutive year, the Stars beat the Generals in the playoffs. "Trump never understand how we would be his team," says Stars G.M. Carl Peterson. "He would say, 'I spend millions on players and you [Stars] have a bunch of no-names and you still beat me.'"

Flutie was injured in a Week 15 game against the Memphis Showboats, missing the last three games of the season and the playoffs.

Michaels was getting pressure from above, and Flutie as well, to allow the Heisman Trophy winner to start the game against the Stars, but the veteran coach didn’t want to jeopardize Flutie’s future as a quarterback.

The Generals lost to the Stars 20-17 in the quarterfinals at the Meadowlands, as replacement QB Ron Reeves and company couldn't pullout the win.

To this day, Michaels doesn't regret holding Flutie back. "I was told by doctors that he shouldn't even be practicing, never mind playing," says Michaels in June 2006.

Flutie’s numbers in his only season as a General were unimpressive: 15 games, 13 TD’s, 14 INTs, and a 47.7 completion-percentage. Despite the modest numbers, Flutie’s teammates believed something magical could happen when he had the ball.

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Bart Oates

2007-08-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

Bart Oates joined the USFL out of BYU to play for the Philadelphia Stars in 1983. Oates wasn’t aware of what the league was about or that they would play in the spring.

Fortunately for Bart, his brother Brad, left the NFL after six seasons and joined up with the new spring league as well. The USFL was a haven for veterans like Brad to play a more years in football. Bart says that Brad’s signing with the USFL was a factor in his decision to give the spring league a shot.

Oates signed lucrative three-year deal worth over $300,000, plus bonuses. At this time in the NFL, only elite offensive lineman made over $100,000 a year, with the average NFL salary just over $150,000.

The Stars were the best USFL team – period. Philadelphia, led by coach Jim Mora, were 41-12-1 in their three-year existence; 7-1 in the postseason, including two USFL Championships.

While other USFL teams like the Express, Generals and Gamblers had flashier names, former Stars players made the biggest impact on the NFL once the USFL folded. “The facts speaks for themselves,” says Oates with a proud tone in his voice. “The number of Pro Bowl appearances by former USFL players proves the effect the USFL players had on the NFL."

On the Stars alone -- Oates, LB’s Sam Mills and Mike Johnson, DE William Fuller and P Sean Landeta played in a total of 18 Pro Bowls during their NFL careers. From the Stars coaching came head coach Jim Mora, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and Dom Capers - the former head coach of the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers.

Oates, who won a total of five championships in the USFL and NFL combined, played in a city (Philadelphia) like Detroit, where the NFL team was lousy at the time. “We could have beaten the Eagles by 1985, because we were deep enough in talent by then,” he says.

After playing two years in Philadelphia and a growing fan base, the Stars moved their home games to University of Maryland for the 1985 season. “We were living in South Jersey, practicing in Philadelphia, and playing off the Beltway in Maryland,” reflects Oates. “We were the unwanted foster children in 1985. The whole thing was ludicrous, but in spite of that, we won the championship.”

Unfortunately for the franchise, attendance dropped from 28,000 in ’84 while playing in Philadelphia, to under 19,000 in ’85 at College Park.

Oates' years in the USFL acted as a minor-league situation to prepare him for the NFL. But the former center admits he would have stayed in the USFL if the league would’ve maintained a spring schedule. “If they [the owners] stayed the course, the league would have been very viable, “ says Oates. “The benefits would be better for the players in terms of salary and for the teams because the players could work on their skills.”

But the reality was that the league was moving to the fall and many players began to think about their future in the NFL. “I resolved myself to leaving the USFL to go the NFL,” says Oates. “You could see during the 1985 season that the league was going nowhere.”

Teams like the Gunslingers and Express couldn't pay their players. There were plans to merge and fold teams for the 1986 season. The league would have gone from 18 teams in '84, to 12 franchises in '85, then eight for the '86 campaign.

“I would have stayed in the USFL if the league stayed in business in the spring,” says Oates emphatically, since last playing for the Stars 20 years ago. “But once the league announced it was going to play in the fall; it was a ploy; it was never going to happen.”

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Ray Bentley

2007-08-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

by Mike Damergis

Ray Bentley came out of Central Michigan and chose to play with the Panthers to be close to his ailing father, Rahn. Most collegiate players signed with USFL teams because the money was better, but Bentley wanted to remain in his native Michigan – a choice he never regretted.

Bentley remembers when 150 guys tried out for the Panthers in Daytona Beach, Fla., during February of 1983. “It was probably the toughest week of my life,” he says. “We hit every play; it was Old School; coach Jim Stanley was one of those tough country-boys. The last man standing at the end of the week made the team.”

Bentley, who suffered through seven NFL training camps, felt the most difficult camps were his first two years with the Panthers. “The toughest camp was the first one with the Panthers,” he says, as 15 linebackers were vying for starting spots. “It was a real trying experience, but very rewarding.”

With so many players in camp, Bentley really didn’t have any idea of who the other players were. After practice, the Panthers would run two buses back to the hotel from camp, and Bentley always liked to get on the first bus so he could relax at his hotel, but this one afternoon he had to take the second bus. While the players waited for more than 20 minutes in the sweltering yellow school bus, Bentley got up and asked, “Who are we waiting for? One of the players said, 'Bobby Hebert!' I said, 'Who the hell is Bobby Hebert?'"

Bentley went into the training room to haul Hebert out, and said to the Cajan quarterback, “You better get your butt on the bus or there’s going to be a problem!” Hebert jawed back at Bentley in his Cajan drawl, grabbed his ice-pack and went on the bus.

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Bobby Hebert

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Bobby Hebert was known as the “Cajun Cannon” when he came to the USFL’s Michigan Panthers in 1983. “I remember there were 13 quarterbacks when I came to training camp in Daytona Beach, Fla.,” he says. “They would bring in bus loads of people to tryout for the team. They didn’t have enough helmets to accommodate all the players in training camp. Some players put on a helmet without a facemask.”

The Panthers were one of the league’s most popular teams -- they even rivaled the Lions for fan support, drawing more than 60,000 in a playoff game against the Oakland Invaders in 1983. Attendance jumped to 32,000 for the ’84 season as the team challenged the Lions for headlines in the Detroit papers.

Hebert remembers when the Panthers were the “Talk-of-the-Town” in the city of Detroit. “We were a lot more popular than the Lions were,” he says. “We won the USFL Championship after Detroit not having a champion since the Bobby Layne days in the 1950s.”

Hebert threw 81 touchdowns in his three-year USFL career, and his favorite target was WR Anthony Carter. Carter caught 160 passes and 27 TD’s in his tenure in the USFL before displaying his elusive and acrobatic talents with the Vikings in the NFL. His most productive USFL season was in Oakland in 1985 with 70 receptions for more than 1,320 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Hebert, with a confident tone in his voice, says, “I think we would have been in the top 14 of the NFL if we [Panthers] played them. We didn't have the depth as the NFL, but we had a good chance to win because the guys that started on the Panthers also started in the NFL later on.”

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Introduction

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On the cover of Sports Illustrated's July 21, 1986 issue is quarterback Jim Kelly in a New Jersey General uniform. The Houston Gamblers just merged with the Generals as the USFL prepared to move to a fall schedule in 1986. The merger teamed Kelly with the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and the USFL's all-time rushing leader -- Herschel Walker.

Long before Kelly led the Buffalo Bills to four Super Bowls, he threw 83 touchdowns and passed for more than 9,800 yards during his two years as the quarterback of the Houston Gamblers.

Twenty years later, Kelly still feels like he missed a great opportunity to bring the Gamblers’ Run-and-Shoot offense to New York and play alongside a back like Walker. “Without a doubt, talk about a dream team -- what do you think?” says Kelly, when asked if he would have liked to play for the Generals.

But the USFL never kicked off the 1986 season. A pass was never thrown, a quarterback was never sacked, a point was never scored in another USFL game.

Yet, the USFL is still alive and thriving within the modern day NFL. The controversial use of instant replay and the two-point conversion were used long before the NFL adopted such drastic rule changes. The USFL was a test-market for pro football in cities like Phoenix, Ariz., Memphis, Tenn., and Jacksonville, Fla.

Players such as Steve Young, Reggie White, Kelly and Walker had a tremendous impact on the NFL landscape for years to come.

In addition to instant replay and the two-point conversion, the league was a breath of fresh air with innovations like the 18 game schedule, drafting underclassmen and “territorial” college drafts – meaning the Arizona Wranglers would have leverage in signing players from Arizona State and the University of Arizona.

Unlike the NFL, the USFL wanted to promote and spotlight its players. The NFL wanted the team’s logo to be the only identifiable source for its fans, but the USFL wanted college stars like Walker, Young, Kelly and White to be the face of the new spring league.

In the 2005 draft, more than 30 college players were underclassmen. This is just another prime example of the lasting effects the USFL continues to have on the NFL landscape.

More than 9 million fans passed through the turnstiles to watch USFL games. But when the Baltimore Stars beat the Oakland Invaders 28-24 in the USFL Championship on July 14, 1985 -- it was the last game ever for the spring league.

It was also the end of a dream for many players like Stars QB Chuck Fusina and the start of a brave new world for players like Sam Mills, Bobby Hebert, Bart Oates, Maurice Carthon and more.

At the annual meeting on Aug. 22, 1984 in Chicago, Ill., the USFL voted unanimously to switch from a spring to a fall schedule beginning in 1986. Many owners felt the pressure from Donald Trump, owner of the N.J. Generals, to move to the fall and go head-to-head with the mighty NFL.

In the spring of 1986, the USFL filed a $1.7 billion antitrust suit against the NFL in a Manhattan District Court. The highly publicized trial had Raiders’ owner Al Davis testify against the NFL as well as legendary ABC sportscaster Howard Cosell.

Steve Ehrhart, a former USFL executive and general manager of the Memphis Showboats, still holds the check the NFL had to pay the USFL for violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. According to legal documents retrieved from the case, USFL v. NFL, “the NFL was found guilty of unlawful monopolization of professional football that injured the USFL, and the jury found the NFL had willfully acquired or maintained a monopoly power in a market consisting of major-league pro football in the United States.”

However, the victory didn't mean a landfall of money was on the way for the USFL. The jury awarded the USFL $1, which was trebled according to antitrust law to $3. The total, including interest, came to $3.76.

The USFL did collect more than $6 million in court costs a few years later, but by then “the spirit of the league had evaporated,” says Ehrhart.

The $3.76 check remains in Ehrhart’s desk at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn.

Was that all the league was worth?