UNITED STATES FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1983-1985)
ARIZONA WRANGLERS / ARIZONA OUTLAWS
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| 1983-1984 | 1985 |
| ARIZONA WRANGLERS | ARIZONA OUTLAWS |
The Wranglers played their home games in Phoenix, AZ. The team went through several changes in its three years in the league. In 1984, owner Jim Joseph sold his franchise to Ted Dietrich, owner of the Chicago Blitz, who brought most of his best players and personnel to Phoenix. Thus the 1984 Wranglers were actually the 1983 Blitz and vice versa. The "new" Wranglers made it to the Championship game, losing to the Philadelphia Stars 3-23.
The following season, in 1985, the team merged with the Oklahoma Outlaws and became the Arizona Outlaws.
BALTIMORE STARS / PHILADELPHIA STARS
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| 1983 | 1984 | 1985 |
| PHILADELPHIA STARS | PHILADELPHIA STARS | BALTIMORE STARS |
The Stars played in Philadelphia for two seasons before moving to Baltimore in 1985. They left Philadelphia in part because the switch to a fall schedule in 1986 would leave them without a home.
The Stars were arguably the most successful USFL team. After losing to the Michigan Panthers in the first championship game, they won the next two. Head Coach Jim Mora went on to a successful coaching career in the NFL, marred only by his ironic inability to win in the playoffs.
BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS
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| 1983 - 1985 |
The Stallions were the last in a long line of successful professional football teams in Birmingham, AL.
BOSTON / NEW ORLEANS / PORTLAND BREAKERS
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| 1983 - 1985 |
The Breakers moved every year they played. They started out in Boston, MA, in 1983. They moved to New Orleans, LA, in 1984, and ended up in Portland, OR, for the 1985 season. Unlike many teams, the Breakers never changed their uniforms when they moved.
CHICAGO BLITZ
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| 1983 | 1984 |
The Blitz were the favorites going into the 1983 season, but they barely made the playoffs. The following year, owner Ted Dietrich bought the Arizona Wranglers and sold the Blitz to fellow surgeon James Hoffman. Unfortunately Dietrich took most of the team with him, and the 1984 Blitz were actually the 1983 Wranglers and vice versa. Ironically, the "old" Blitz, fulfilled expectation as the Wranglers, making it to the championship game, while the "new" Blitz suffered through a dismal season and folded at the end of the year.
More than one visitor has made a point of telling me the "thickness" of the stripes in both helmets above is incorrect. In 1983, the center blue stripe should be thicker, and in 1984, the red outer stripes should be thicker. I realize the helmets above are inconsistent, and I will fix them once I've found or created a template for "thicker" stripes.
DENVER GOLD
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| 1983 - 1984 | 1985 |
The Denver Gold were popular, despite having to compete for fans with the Denver Broncos of the NFL. Interestingly, the team was one of the first to use the run-and-shoot offensive scheme.
HOUSTON GAMBLERS
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| 1984 - 1985 |
The Gamblers were another team that pioneered the run-and-shoot offense. In 1984, rookie Jim Kelly set professional football records, passing for 5219 yards and 44 touchdowns.
JACKSONVILLE BULLS
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| 1984 - 1985 |
Despite a mediocre record, the Bulls set league attendance records. The team's popularity was not forgotten 10 years later when Jacksonville was awarded an NFL franchise, the Jaguars.
LOS ANGELES EXPRESS
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| 1983 - 1985 |
The Express were an average team in their 3 years of existence, more notable for signing QB Steve Young to a $100 million lifetime contract in 1984, than anything they did on the field. Perhaps as a result of such misguided personnel decisions, the team struggled financially, and was taken over by the league during the 1984 season. The league kept the team afloat because it feared losing its TV contract without a team in L.A.
Supposedly, the team also wore a helmet without the red stripe. I haven't been able to confirm this, but I may add a version anyway.
MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS
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| 1984 - 1985 |
Another popular team, despite a so-so record, the Showboats helped prove that Memphis was a viable market for professional football, paving the way for the Tennessee Oilers/Titans several years later. The Showboats are also noteworthy for being Reggie White's first pro team.
MICHIGAN PANTHERS
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| 1983 | 1984 |
The Panthers played their home games in Pontiac, MI, near Detroit. The team won the first league Championship, defeating the Philadelphia Stars 24-22. Two years later, the team merged with the Oakland Invaders. The team feared the USFL's impending move to a fall schedule would leave them without a home, as the Detroit Lions had rights to the Silverdome in the autumn.
I have conflicting reports about exactly when the Panthers switched from gray facemasks to "plum". I've heard that they switched sometime during the 1983 season. I've seen a photo of the 1983 championship game however, which would indicate the gray facemasks were still being used, implying that the switch wasn't made until the 1984 season. I have also heard that the team also originally wore helmets with a silver shell before switching to the "champagne" one seen above.
NEW JERSEY GENERALS
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| 1983 - 1985 |
The Generals are noteworthy for signing high profile rookies like Herschel Walker and Doug Flutie, Heisman Trophy winners both, before the NFL could. They could hire all this talent because they were owned by Donald Trump. As if pushing salaries too high for other teams to compete wasn't bad enough, Trump also pressured the league to move to a fall schedule, which hastened its demise.
Ironically, all the money and all the talent didn't help the team much. Despite Walker rushing for a professional football record 2411 yards in 1985, the Generals never made it out of the first round of the playoffs.
OAKLAND INVADERS
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| 1983 - 1985 |
The Invaders bucked the trend of other USFL teams. Instead of courting high priced free-agents, the team won with Semi-Pro second chance players like QB Fred Besana.
In 1985, the team merged with the Michigan Panthers and made it all the way to the championship, before losing to the Baltimore Stars 24-28.
OKLAHOMA OUTLAWS
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| 1984 |
The Outlaws played their home games in Tulsa, OK. In 1985, the team merged with the Arizona Wranglers to form the Arizona Outlaws.
PITTSBURGH MAULERS
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| 1984 | 1984 |
The Maulers only played a single year. Unlike other teams that moved in 1985 because they would lose their stadium access in 1986, the Maulers just decided to pack it in.
Both helmets were worn in 1984. At some point during the season (I'm not sure when) the team switched to the second design because the logo appeared better on television and in the stands.
SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS
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| 1984 - 1985 |
The Gunslingers played two iffy seasons, beginning as an expansion team in 1984. Among their famous alumni is Rick Neuheisel, who quarterbacked the club for both years.
TAMPA BAY BANDITS
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| 1983 - 1985 |
The Bandits were a respectable team all three years of the USFL's existence. The team was owned in part by actor Burt Reynolds and gave Steve Spurrier his first shot at coaching professional football.
WASHINGTON FEDERALS / ORLANDO RENEGADES
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| 1983 | 1984 | 1985 |
| WASHINGTON FEDERALS | WASHINGTON FEDERALS | ORLANDO RENEGADES |
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 actually coached the team in its only season in Florida.
COMMENTS
The USFL began in 1983 as a spring-summer alternative to the NFL. The league began play March 6. 1983, teams in twelve cities -- Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, Washington, Michigan (Pontiac), Chicago, Tampa Bay, Birmingham, Oakland, Los Angles, Denver & Arizona (Phoenix). The league rules included such innovations as an 18 game schedule with no pre-season, the two-point conversion, and "territorial" college drafts. The Michigan Panthers defeated the Philadelphia Stars in the inaugural championship game July 17, 1983.
Despite original plans to keep salaries down, many owners recruited top college talent anyway and several teams were in financial trouble by the end of the season. This did not stop the league from expanding in 1984, adding six teams -- Pittsburgh, Memphis, Jacksonville, Houston, San Antonio & Oklahoma (Tulsa). The Stars defeated the Wranglers in the Championship, avenging their loss from the prior year. The 1985 season saw several teams merge or fold and the league was reduced to 14 teams. The Stars, who moved to Baltimore, defeated the Invaders, who had merged with the Panthers, in what would be the final championship game.
The league lost even more money in 1985, and with a dubious plan to begin a fall schedule the following year, decided not only to complete with the NFL on the field, but in the court room. The league, which at one time hoped to force a merger with the NFL, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the established league in hopes the money would insure its survival. The USFL miraculous won shortly before the planned 1986 season, but was awarded only $3, when courts agreed that while the NFL was a monopoly, it became one through sound business practice rather than dirty tactics. The "victory" proved the death of the upstart USFL, which spent what little money it had left in court.
The USFL had quite a legacy however, as many players carved out solid, sometimes Hall of Fame caliber, careers in the NFL. Jim Kelly, Reggie White, Steve Young, Herschel Walker & Doug Flutie among others, all received their start in the USFL, as did coaches Jim Mora, Jim Fassel, Dom Capers, Steve Mariucci, and Steve Spurrier. The Showboats and Bulls proved that Tennessee and Jacksonville were viable markets and paved the way for the NFL's Titans and Jaguars. Recently, the league celebrated its 20th anniversary.
There may have been some other helmet variations for these teams. Any information is greatly appreciated.