Los Angeles and St. Louis play an epic battle in the dome, Houston explodes on offense, Portland gets their 2nd W in a row, and Denver finds a way as Week 5 proved hard to predict. Add to this a defensive slugfest between Baltimore and Washington, a really entertaining Keystone Clash between the Stars and Maulers, and a surprise hero helps New Jersey reach 4-1. It’s USFL football, which means you always need to hold on to your hat, you never know what is coming.
Nothing quite like a good game between two teams playing well to get your football juices flowing. That is exactly what we got inside the Trans World Dome in St. Louis this week when the 4-0 LA Express came calling on the 3-1 Knights. The Knights had a rowdy 41,200 in the dome, and they would use that boisterous support to their advantage, jumping out to an early lead, but while they would never trail in the game, they also would never pull far enough out of range for the Express as to feel comfortable in the win. In fact, until the final whistle was blown this game could have gone either way.
The star of the game was undoubtedly Knights wideout Bert Emmanuel, and he did not waste any time making a statement. At the 14:53 mark of the first quarter, the first play from scrimmage, he faked out CB Ray Crockett of LA with a double move, getting behind the coverage, where Todd Collins found him for what would be a 65-yard touchdown that electrified the already loud St. Louis crowd. On their next drive, St. Louis would add a fieldgoal, and then on their third drive, Emmanuel did it again, this time from much closer, nabbing a quick slant for a 2nd TD from the 2 yard line. 3 Drives, 17 points, and after 1 quarter it looked like the Knights were rolling, but Head Coach Jim Johnson knew it would not be that easy.
LA would put up the next 12 points, adjusting to St. Louis on defense and building offense slowly through a solid mix of run and pass. Cade McNown would struggle with the Knights pass rush, going down to a sack 6 times, but he would persevere and lead the Express to two field goal drives to end the first back in range. The Express would then open the 3rd quarter with the ball and they took advantage of the half to put in some plays that proved quite effective. It was a drive that ended with a swing pass to Michael Pittman out of the backfield, a 28-yard play that had Pittman drag a safety over the end line for 6. St. Louis proved stout on the 2-point PAT, but at 17-12, the Express were back within 1 score of victory.
Most of the 2nd half was a war of attrition as both clubs fought to get the upper hand. Ryan Longwell helped extend the Knights’ lead with a 48-yarder to close out the third, but the Express were still within 8 points. After a couple of failed drives, LA would put the scare into St. Louis, responding to a late Todd Collins pick that was actually more the fault of his receiver, who bobbled the ball, got hit and had it pop into the air for safety Tavares Tillman to snag. McNown led the Express down the field, hitting rookie TE Brandon Manumaleuna with a beautifully-designed seam route to pull within 2. Again the Express would go for 2, needing the 2-point conversion to tie the score at 20. McNown would look for Manumaleuna again, but this time the Knights were ready and safety Rodney Harrison stepped in front of the big Samoan TE to swat the ball down to the turf.
Down 2 with 3:20 to go, LA opted to kick the ball deep. They would need a stop and a quick drive to get into fieldgoal range. They had opted for 2 points twice after scores, and would now be tied had they trusted Doug Brien to build them back, but now they would have to call on the veteran. LA got the stop they needed, but it did cost them 2 of their 3 time outs. St. Louis punted and downed the ball on the LA 17 yard line.
McNown would get to work quickly, finding Tory Holt twice, Mike Pritchard once, and HB Micheal Pittman once on a drive that got the ball to the St. Louis 31 with the clock ticking down. The Express used their last time out and trotted out Brien for a 48-yard attempt. Fans in St. Louis were on the edges of their seats, some arms raised in petition to a higher power, others hands to mouth or covering their eyes as the kick went up. Well, some prayers were answered for the St. Louis faithful as the ball, which looked true at first, started to hook left, and just grazed the outside of the upright, no good. St. Louis would take the win, LA would fall from the ranks of the unbeaten, and USFL fans in St. Louis and watching the national broadcast, would get a game worthy of their time.
BAL 13 WSH 17
In RFK Stadium Federals fans also had to hang on all day to get the W they sought. Trailing 13-10 until the final minutes, Washington pulled out the win in the tough defensive battle thanks to a Stewart to TE Travis McNeal TD pass with only 1:09 left on the clock. In a game that saw 10 total sacks between the two top defenses, and both clubs top 100 yards rushing (with Ron Dayne leading all rushers with 129 whiel Droughns and McCallister split carries for 102), it would be Stewart who would provide the big play on the final drive.
PHI 34 PIT 28
Another really good rivalry game in the Atlantic as Philly jumped all over Pittsburgh to the tune of a 31-7 lead at the half only to watch momentum totally swing in the 2nd half. Call it a letdown, or an overabundance of swagger, but the Maulers put a true scare into their rivals from the eastern part of the state. Holding Stephen Davis to only 10 yards rushing (thanks in part to a gimpy ankle), Pittsburgh got a huge game from Andre Rison (139 yards and 2 scores) but also never gave up on the run as Terrell Davis rushed for 111 on 23 carries, adding 2 scores of his own. But, in the end, catching Philly was just too much to ask as the Stars held on for the win, but one that will give Coach Mora plenty to criticize in Tuesday’s team meetings.
NJ 28 OHI 13
Tom Brady took his lumps in this one, but got a huge assist from an unexpected source as backup HB Olandis Gary rushed for 149 on only 14 carries (Enis had 19), rushing for 142, including a monster 44-yard romp that set the tone for the Generals’ win. Terry Glenn also came up big, catching 5 for 123 and 2 scores for New Jersey as the undermanned Glory struggled to move the ball without Galloway or George on the field. Lamont Warren ended up as both the leading rusher (19 for 52) and receiver (4 for 101) for Ohio.
JAX 0 ORL 34
While LA fell from the unbeatens, Orlando moved to 5-0 with an exclamation point, blanking their in-state rivals in a totally dominant performance. Orlando’s D-line manhandled the Bulls offense all game, limiting Sedrick Irvin to only 30 yards rushing and terrorizing the less-than-nimble Chris Chandler every time he dropped back to pass. With the game in hand, Orlando turned to Terry Kirby to kill the clock and the veteran back would oblige, rushing for 110, 87 of it in the 2nd half as Orlando salted away an impressive win.
ATL 7 MEM 40
It was a week of statement games in the Southern Division as Memphis too stomped the life out of their opponent. The Showboats would score the first 40 points in the game, with WR Justin McCaerins getting his first major action and ending the game with 4 catches for 132 yards and 2 scores, a great haul for the rookie. IT was a game that immediately put the security of Atlanta Head Coach Bobby Petrino in danger, as we will outline later, an ultimatum has been laid before Petrino, one that may be hard for him to meet.
BIR 45 TBY 14
Birmingham made it 3-for-3 on the blowout front, utterly dismantling the defensive plans of the Bandits on their way to a huge road victory. Brett Favre would throw for 385 and connect on 5 TD passes in the game, with both Lawrence Dawsey and NFL import James Thrash catching 2 each. Add in 98 yards from criminally underused HB Stephen Alexander and you have a devastating victory over a Bandits team that has certainly fallen far from their 1999 title run.
DEN 27 NOR 14
In a matchups of teams missing key offensive weapons, Denver put together the formula to beat the Breakers inside the Super Dome. The Denver pass rush harassed backup QB Bobby Hoying, leading to 3 picks and 3 sacks, while the Denver offense kept running the ball with Rod Smart (27 carries) even though he would average only 2.8 yards per carry. This emphasis on the run gave Mark Brunell the option to use the play action pass, and that worked out for Denver, with Peerless Price catching 6 for101 and backup receiver Danny Farmer (in for the injured Dedric Smith) catching 7 for 88 as the Gold rolled to a win.
ARZ 49 MGN 11
Any thoughts of Drew Brees being a silver bullet that would cure the Michigan Panthers of all their woes were quickly erased as Arizona quickly dismantled the Panthers. Michigan could only muster 25 total yards rushing and Brees simply could not find open receivers. Meanwhile Jake Plummer would connect on 12 of 17 passes and toss 2 TDs, while the run game, split between Plummer, rookie Dominic Rhodes and fullback Richie Anderson would accumulate 103 yards rushing as the Wranglers took the road win easily.
OAK 19 TEX 29
Oakland would start out well, but fall completely apart by the game’s end in Texas. Ryan Leaf was already over 300 yards passing when a missed block led to a rough hit. He would spend the next few minutes berating not only his own O-line, but his OC as well. His hysteria would not sit well with Head Coach Dom Capers, who got in Leaf’s face and sat him down on the bench, putting in Jon Kitna to finish the game. This too sat badly with Leaf and he let the reporters know it after the game. That tantrum would lead to action on Monday, with the Invaders voluntarily suspending Leaf for the next game. In the meantime, Texas mounted a comeback thanks to TDs from Frank Wainright and Shawn Collins and would take the W.
POR 20 CHI 17
The Thunder have strung together back to back wins, and this time they got what looked like a more than competent game from Akili Smith, who went 28 of 34 for 329 against a pretty solid Chicago defense. Add in 93 combined yards from Correll Buckhalter and Napoleon McCallum and you have the makings of a win for the Thunder. Chicago struggled all day with the Thunder defense, usually known for its difficulty stopping the run. Deuce Staley would average only 2.7 yards per carry and finish with only 48 yards as Portland came out looking solid on the road.
SEA 6 HOU 33
A complete shocker in Houston as both the Gambler offense and defense outperformed expectations. The Gamblers got 3 picks of Brian Griese and limited Corey Dillon to only 49 yards, but it was the offense that truly stunned. Matt Hasselbeck tossed 4 TD passes, including 3 in the 1st quarter to force Seattle out of their usual slow-paced shell. Antonio Freeman would catch 2 of the 4, while rookie Koren Robinson also looked good, catching 5 balls for 80 yards and a score as Houston got a huge home win to move within 1 game of .500.
SURPRISE SUCCESSES
Every season we see it, players for whom the game begins to slow down, who put the pieces together and make a huge leap in their play. Sometimes it is about finding the right team with the right coach and the right schemes. Other times it is simply about maturation and growth as a player. This season may only be 5 weeks old, but we are seeing some signs that certain clubs, and particularly certain players are taking a big step up.
Let’s start in Houston, where the Gamblers may have just found their QB-WR connection for the future. Fans were concerned that the Gamblers did not sign a top flight QB in the offseason, as if they grow on trees, but Coach Philips saw something in Matt Hasselbeck, and his faith in the young QB seems to be paying off. Just compare the numbers from 2000 to 2001 and you will see what Coach Philips is seeing:
2000 Hasselbeck: 50.5% Completions 180 YPG 1.7 TD per Int 71.1 QBR
2001 Hasselbeck 62.5% Competions 243 YPG 6 TD per Int 100.9 QBR
Hasselbeck, admittedly with some new talent around him, namely rookie WR Koren Robinson and free agents David Patten and Tamarick Vanover, is more accurate, throwing deeper balls, completing more, and avoiding picks. All of those are great signs for the Gamblers, and also a great opportunity for wideout Antonio Freeman.
Freeman too is seeing a big leap in his numbers. After 5 games he ranks 11th in the league with 29 receptions, but 1st in yardage with 552, a solid 19 yards per catch. Add in 4 TDs and he is on pace for a career year in nearly every category. Compare his numbers with 2000 and we see the growth here as well. In 2001 his yards per catch has risen from 12.5 to 19.0. He is on pace for 110-130 catches, well over the 75 from last season, and his 4 TD receptions in on pace to eclipse 12-13 for the year, almost twice as many as in 2000. Houston has found something in the Hasselbeck-Freeman combo, something the whole fanbase can be excited about.
The Gamblers are not the only team that has seen their QB play improve this year. Portland, having won 2 in a row, may finally be seeing payoff for their investment of a 1999 first round pick in Akili Smith. Again, it is early, but again, the numbers show a QB who may finally be putting it all together. Smith too is seeing a rise in completion percentage from 2000 (58.5 up to 63.4), in yards per game (171 to 264) and in rating (70.7 up to 81.4). He still has an issue with forcing the ball, throwing 8 picks already, but he is challenging teams downfield with more regularity, and using his legs to extend plays. We are not ready to announce Portland as a playoff contender just yet, nor anoint Smith as an All-USFL QB, but at least Portland can have some hope that their young QB is finally making strides after 2 tough seasons.
One final player who is growing into his role resides in Chicago. Curtis Conway, the one-time Chicago Bear, who traded teams, traded leagues, but stayed put in the Windy City, is making the adjustment to the Spring after a rough first season. This is not new. We often see former NFL players struggle in their first season in the Spring, and most attribute this to the physical and mental wear and tear of playing an entire NFL season and then maybe getting 4-6 weeks off before doing it all again in the USFL. We often see dramatic improvement after these players have taken an entire fall and winter off to recover, and that is what we see with Conway with the Machine.
Last season the former Bear had 58 receptions for 863 yards and 2 TDs in the entire season. We are only 5 games into this season and Conway already has 33 receptions, 483 yards and 2 scores. His catches per game are up from 4.8 to 6.6 and his yards per game are nipping 100 at 96.6 after averaging 71.9 in 2000. He is on pace for over 100 receptions and over 1,200 yards, both numbers that would make the often jaded and dismissive Chicago fanbase begin to believe in him. A lot will depend on QB Jeff George and his growth with the Machine offense, but the signing of Conway looks more and more like a shrewd move.
LEAF GETS A TIME OUT
While we are seeing growth among several QBs across the league, including Hasselbeck and Smith, we continue to see what appears to be a downward spiral for the “Golden Boy” of the 1998 draft, Ryan Leaf. This week’s sideline tantrum, which led to a benching by Coach Dom Capers, and his post-game rants to the press, which extended the benching into a 1-game suspension, I guess we have to say that the QB has been put in a time out. Oakland will go with veteran Jon Kitna next week, and potentially we could see rookie Marques Tuiasosopo if Leaf’s attitude and demeaner do not show dramatic improvement.
It is not like Leaf has been playing All-league ball the past couple of years and can afford to be a diva. After a rookie season which saw him throw for over 5,000 yards and toss 42 touchdowns, his numbers have gotten progressively worse. An injury-plagued 1999 mean he threw only 11 touchdowns (with 11 picks) and his completion percentage went from 55.6% down to only 47.9%.
He got in a full season in 2000, but his numbers were nowhere close to 1998, throwing for only 3,220 yards and a paltry 16 touchdowns in 16 games. These are not the numbers of a high-cost #1 draft pick, much less the numbers of someone who can afford to spout off at coaches on the sideline or to the press in the locker room. Leaf seems to be headed the wrong way in his career, and If he continues, it would be easy to see the Invaders opt out of his contract even before his 4th year is complete (2002). The question is whether Leaf understands the stakes or if he is simply being petulant because he cannot help himself.
ATLANTA ULTIMATUM
Leaf is not the only one under pressure to shape up or ship out. In a rare move, William Shivers Morris, lead owner and CEO of the Fire has made a very public ultimatum. The Fire face the 2-3 Glory and the 1-4 Bulls in their next two games and Shivers Morris has all but guaranteed that unless the Fire win one of those two games, Coach Petrino will be out by the midseason break. It is rare to hear an owner call out a head coach in any pro league, much less to set a win requirement. It is often implied, but we so often hear owners give a dreaded “vote of confidence” in a losing coach rather than call them out. We knew Petrino would need to show improvement by season’s end, and that a 3-4 win season would not be tolerated, but with the club losing their first 5 games, and failing to score more than 14 points in 4 of those games, it seems the deadline is even sooner and the stakes even higher for Coach Petrino as he prepares for the Fire to face fellow 1995 expansion club Ohio this week.
DREW BREES INTO THE FIRE
The Michigan Panthers are not a very good team, and while Coach Martz may be hoping a change of QB is enough to change the club’s fortunes, it seems clear that Drew Brees will not be able to do it all on his own. Brees struggled this week, going 28 of 50 and throwing 2 picks, but it is not all on him. The rookie QB, who is not known as a dual threat QB, actually led the Panthers in rushing with a measley 10 yards. TEN YARDS!!! Siran Stacy managed only 9 yards against the Wranglers and he is the starting halfback.
The leading receiver for Brees was TE Butch Rolle, who more often than not was making 5-yard grabs when the club needed 10. Brees did connect with Muhsin Muhammad a couple of times, including a nice 40-yarder on play action, but there just was not working right all day for the Panther offense. Unfortunately Brees got to know Arizona LB Winfred Tubbs, DE Chiki Okeafor, and DT Jason Peters quite well this week with each frequenting the Michigan backfield. The defense also did Brees no favors, giving up 407 yards of offense, and largely on quick drives, meaning that Michigan lost badly while still winning the time of possession battle, an oddity in most games.
It will be a long season in Pontiac, and it may be one that is really a trial by fire for the Purdue grad who has been asked to step into the QB role. We can only hope that Michigan will surround Brees with talent, will build that O-line, and will find a way to maximize his talents. He is a good QB, but he is not in a good situation.
A bad week for tight ends this week as three are likely moving to the IR. Houston’s Terry Hardy is certainly headed that way after tearing his hamstring. Oakland’s Christian Fauria could find himself there with a hyper-extended knee, though there is still hope that he could be back in a few weeks if all works out and additional imaging does not reveal a tear. New Jersey’s Anthony Becht has been on and off the injury list all season, and now, with a spinal cord contusion, it is a question of how things develop over the next couple of weeks. He could be back in just 3-4 weeks, or he could need a lengthy recovery period.
Outside of the TE position, the biggest injury list questions are among two starting halfbacks. Dorsey Levins (Arizona), Deuce McCallister (Washington), and Ricky Williams (New Orleans) were all listed as questionable for this week’s games. Questionable can mean a lot of things, and unfortunately it is nearly impossible to get a gauge on whether or not any of these three will be playing when the games kickoff. Week to week and day to day seems to be all the update we can get from team officials with all three franchises.
Finally, with Williams potentially out, we look at New Orleans on offense and wonder if Trent Dilfer can return. He remains listed as doubtful on the injury report, but did engage in some practices this week. With Williams potentially out, the return of Dilfer could give the Breakers a much better chance against the Chicago Machine this week.
With the announcement last week of Portland’s impending sale as well as the potential for James Orthwein to be forced to sell off the St. Louis Knights either by the courts or the league, the question of league ownership has been on a lot of people’s minds the past month. The USFL had quite a bit of turmoil with owners during its first 4-5 years, but we have a seen a steady stabilization as the league has matured. Gone are the auto-dealership owners who had to fudge their finances (though the Orthwein trial seems to point that there is fraud even among billiionaires), and in its place are, in many cases, shared ownership, corporate presence, or potential partial public ownership through IPO and trading of shares. We thought it would make sense at this pivotal point in discussions about USFL ownership to take a look at where things stand, so, here we are.
SINGLE PRIVATE OWNERSHIP
This is the format seen in most franchises, where a single wealthy owner or family controls 60+ % of a franchise and acts as a private company with little power split with minority owners. This is the model that has always been most common in professional sports, though the last 20 years have seen more examples of ownership groups where power is shared, this old-school model remains very prevalent. Among teams we would classify as this format we have:
ATLANTA: William Shivers Morris has a small group of owners, but his share of both the team an the power within it is solidly in the 70-75% range.
CHICAGO: Bill Wirtz, owner of both the Machine and the Chicago Blackhawks, is known as a hockey guy, but invested in bringing the Machine to Chicago after the Blitz left for Baltimore. He remains the majority owner, but delegates most authority to his team’s CEO and President.
DENVER: After team founder Ron Blanding sold the team to the brother team of Charles and Richard Monfort in the mid-80’s the team has stayed under the steady control of the two, with Richard serving as the primary figure in the Gold. When the two applied and received approval to also bring Major League Baseball to Denver, an agreement with the USFL was made which allowed the brothers to retain ownership so long as neither brother would serve as CEO/President of both clubs. Richard has remained with the Gold while Charles has been the lead owner for the Colorado Rockies.
JACKSONVILLE: Fred “Bubba” Bullard, the man who put Jacksonville on the sports map, retains full control of the Bulls. Bullard, a land developer in the Sunshine State, has been slow to add secondary investors, and has been grooming his son Fred Jr. in various club leadership positions.
MEMPHIS: Cotton & Investing maven William Dunavant, a native Memphian brought the Showboats to his city in 1984 and has pretty much had sole ownership ever since, buying out his co-investors within 5 years of the franchise’s birth. With Birmingham pushing for the option to lead an IPO and build community ownership, many in Memphis are pushing for the same, but so far Dunavant does not seem interested.
MICHIGAN: Real estate investor Al Taubman helped bring the USFL to Michigan and while there have been some minority investors who came in after the league won its suit with the NFL in 1985, he has remained the primary investor. His son, Robert, has served as President of the club since 1998.
NEW ORLEANS: Co-owned by league founder David Dixon and real estate developer Joe Canizaro, the Breakers have been very stable since being sold and relocated from Boston. Dixon handles most of the football organization while Canizaro works primarily on the business side of the Breakers.
OAKLAND: Ted Taube, the original owner of the Invaders, sold off a minority share to William Millard, co-founder of Computerland, after only 3 seasons. Millard has continued to acquire greater shares of the company, but has never had a major role in running the club. Millard, who lives in semi-seclusion overseas, has relied on a leadership board to manage the club. While there have been occasional rumors that the club could come up for sale, that has not yet come to any serious movement.
OHIO: Ohio real estate magnate Daniel Galbreath and, surprisingly enough, Ann Arbor based Domino's Pizza President Thomas Monaghan, bought into the USFL with the Columbus-based Ohio Glory in 1995. While Galbreath leads the club as CEO, it is rumored that Monaghan actually has a larger share in the franchise.
PHILADELPHIA: Tax attorney and shopping mall developer Myles Tanenbaum has certainly done well with his 1983 investment. The Stars are now estimated to be worth anywhere between 30-35 times more than Tanenbaum invested to bring the team to Philly. He has been somewhat resistant to adding other owners to the private management company in charge of the stars, but rumors that rocker John Bon Jovi is interested may be too tempting to pass up.
PITTSBURGH: Ed DeBartolo Jr. was a bit of a controversial choice for an expansion club back in 1984, since his connections to the NFL were so obvious. It created friction from the start, and while it was largely worked out when ownership officially shifted to Pittsburgh Associates in 1991. The private/public consortium was meant to be a temporary hold, just as the same group had been with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but it was only in 1998 that the Maulers were again sold, this time to local ownership headed by Ronald Wayne Burkle, who is also an investor in the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey club.
TEXAS: When William Tatham proposed to sell off the Outlaws in order to be eligible to bid on a 1995 expansion franchise for his native California (the eventual LA Express rebirth), it did not take him long to find a willing buyer. Former San Antonio Spurs owner Red McCombs was an obvious choice and McCombs was immediately interested in the growing USFL and the very profitable San Antonio-based Texas Outlaws.
JOINT OWNERSHIP
Ownership groups, LLC's, or management companies really became the trend in the mid-1990's, so while many founding owners remain heavily involved in their clubs, many are also turning to the joint ownership model to reduce their personal investment, expand financial flexibility, bring in additional resources, and share the burden of club management.
ARIZONA: It is unusual to have an owner in professional sports who is trying to also maintain a full-time career outside of the law or finance, but that was the case for Dr. Ted Dietrich, a world-famous cardiovascular surgeon. Dietrich began his interest in the USFL with the Chicago Blitz, but wanting a club closer to his Phoenix home, he orchestrated the full "franchise swap" in 1984, becoming the owner of the "New" Arizona Wranglers. Since 1985, with the league and the franchise established and better-funded, Dietrich has continued to find investors and build his club managagement group, Wrangler Properties. Dietrich moved to a secondary "silent partner" position within the organization in 1998, and the new lead investor is Stewart Horejsi of Berkshire Hathoway fame.
HOUSTON: Founding owner Jerry Argovitz has always relied on an ownership group to manage the team. His original ownership group even featured singer Kenny Rogers, who helped inspire the team name. The group has expanded and gone “corporate”, now known as Gamblers Football Corporation. While Argovitz retains majority control, other owners have played a part in the franchise. The club even sold a 10% share to former team captain and All-USFL quarterback Jim Kelly in 1999.
LOS ANGELES: A bit unstable from the beginning, the second version of the LA Express arrived in 1995 and since then has had something of a rotating ownership and leadership team. William Tatham, who began with the USFL as the owner of the failed San Diego franchise that played one season in Tulsa, got special permission to essentially sell of his club, the Outlaws (relocated to San Antonio) when the 1995 expansion was finalized. Since then he has brought in several additional owners, including adverting executive Arte (Arturo) Moreno, billionaire Ed Roski (who is also an investor in both the LA Lakers and LA Kings), and actor James Caan, who not only played Brian Piccolo in the famous “Brian’s Song” film, but also played college ball at Michigan State.
NEW JERSEY: Owned first by J. Walter Duncan, the Generals saw their ownership upheaval early on, with Duncan selling the franchise to real estate developer Donald Trump. Trump spearheaded the efforts to move the league to the Fall. When those efforts failed, he would then sell the club to Malcom Borg, a media mogul from northern New Jersey. Borg remained the primary owner for 4 years before forming the New Jersey Generals Investment Group, which has grown to include 11 principal owners. The ownership elects a CEO for a 5-year term, currently held by Sanjay Kumar, the first Indian-American to lead a U.S. pro sports franchise. Kumar has 2 years left on his term as CEO.
ORLANDO: Hospital magnate Donald Dizney was never intended to be the primary owner of a USFL franchise, but when the Miami expansion club had immediate issues in 1987, Dizney stepped up. Since then he has slowly spread ownership to a group of 6-7 investors. At one point the group included NY Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, but after proving to be a disruptive force, Steinbrenner was bought out. The most recent addition to the Renegades ownership group is musician and producer Emilio Estefan (Yes, Gloria’s husband). The club is currently managed by a President chosen by the ownership group. Former U. of Miami Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger currently serves in that position, a rare “football guy” at the head of an entire franchise.
SEATTLE: The LLC, Seattle Football Group, headed by Microsoft executive Paul Allen and local real estate investor Barry Ackerly, has been remarkably stable over the first five years of the team’s existence. The team recently concluded talks which would allow the Dragons to share the downtown stadium currently under construction with the NFL Seahawks. This deal almost guarantees expanded revenue for the club and return on investment for the LLC.
TAMPA BAY: When John Bassett was diagnosed with cancer, he created a complex business organization to protect both his family’s role in the Bandits as well as its local support. The Bandit Football LLC has been a steady ownership group, at times led by members of the Bassett family, and at times by minority investors appointed in a form of “guardianship” of the franchise. Currently, Mr. Bassett’s daughter, former professional tennis player Carling Bassett serves as the league’s only female CEO. And yes, since you asked, Burt Reynolds does still own a minority share of the team and can often be seen at games.
POTENTIAL PUBLIC OPTIONS
This is a relatively new idea, but also one as old as the stock market. Go public. Sell off shares in the team to create a form of private/public partnership in which community members are offered a chance to be part owners in the franchise. At the top little changes, but with public ownership there is a greater chance of getting support for state or city funding when it comes time to build a new stadium. Birmingham has been approved for this, and now it appears the ownership in Baltimore is seriously looking at it as well.
BALTIMORE: Investment Brokerage Group CEO Louis Thalmeier remains the dominant force behind the Blitz, though some minority owners were brought in during the mid-90’s. The Blitz have recently approached the league with an interest in performing a partial IPO and taking the company public, but this has neither been approved by the league as of yet, and with the NFL Ravens and the Blitz sharing the cost of a new stadium, the types of needs which made USFL owners more open to the concerns raised by Birmingham ownership are simply not present in Baltimore.
BIRMINGHAM: Marvin Warner founded the Stallions in 1983, and for more than 15 years remaine the sole owner. Just last year he received permission to sell of a minority share as an IPO. A managed public sale, one which provides distinct advantage to investors within Jefferson County (Birmingham) and the state of Alabama, is expected to open in October. The stated goal is to both raise upwards of $100M in funds through the ownership shares, but also to build a local ownership base which will ensure the franchise remains in the market and potentially has some local clout to push for a new stadium.
OWNERSHIP IN TRANSITION
We started the article talking about Portland's announcement and St. Louis's concerns, and that is where we end it, with the three clubs that are either on the market or expected to go through a major shift in ownership in the next year.
PORTLAND: An investment group from the start, the Thunder came to Portland in 1988 when a group headed by NIKE Athletic founder Phil Knight bought the remnants of the Oklahoma Outlaws, along with elements of the San Antonio Gunslingers franchise after a tumultuous 1987 season that saw a complex ownership and location swap between the two franchises. Knight and his group brought the club to Portland, but over time Knight slowly sold off elements of his franchise, until his participation became purely symbolic. Thunder Management LLC is now the official owner, but they have announced that the franchise is for sale, throwing the future of the Thunder in Portland into question.
ST. LOUIS: James Oltwhein was the driving force in bringing the LA Express to St. Louis in 1992. Since that time he has retained the overwhelming majority interest in the club, but issues of potential tax and insurance fraud now cloud that picture, with many anticipating that if the courts do not require that Mr. Orthwein divest his interest in the Knights, that the league may just do so.
WASHINGTON: We place the Federals here because there is an ongoing transition in majority ownership for the Federals, but unlike the situations in both Portland and St. Louis, the Federals are not likely at all to be placed on the open market for sale. What is transpiring is that the founding owner, Berl Bernhard has been slowly selling off pieces of the ownership pie to other ownership investors. What is anticipated is that the majority share will soon officially transfer from Bernhard to Daniel D’Aniello, co-founder of the Carlyle Group investment brokerage. We could be wrong, but this seems to be an amiable transfer, with Bernhard looking to divest his duties and retire on the significant value of the sale.
The season is cruising right along, and as we enter Week 6 we are down to only 1 undefeated team and 2 winless clubs. Will those streaks continue this week? Well, Orlando has a tough game ahead, up the coast in Baltimore against a Blitz team that needs a win to keep pace in the Atlantic. Atlanta, at 0-5, is also on the road, against an Ohio Glory club that should be getting HB Eddie George back from the injury list, while Michigan is in divisional play, hosting the St. Louis Knights.
The other Central intra-divisional battles include Texas at Houston, with the winner moving to a respectable 3-3 for the year. New Orleans and Chicago, both a game behind the Knights at 3-2, clash in Soldier Field, the loser dropping to .500 and the winner hoping St. Louis stumbles in Pontiac.
The Pacific is also in divisional clashes this week, with a really intriguing game in Tempe as the 3-2 Wranglers host the 4-1 Express a week after their first loss of the year. In Denver both the Gold and, surprisingly, the Portland Thunder, are 1 game under .500, so a win by either brings them back up to even for the year. Seattle, another 2-3 team, is in Oakland, where the Invaders will start Jon Kitna over Ryan Leaf to try to shake things up.
Among the other non-division games, the best matchup has to be the battle of 4-1 clubs when Memphis heads up to DC to face the Washington Federals. Another good game will be had in Philly, where the homestanding Stars (4-1 as well) host the Birmingham Stallions (3-2). New Jersey is the final 4-1 club in the Atlantic and they are at home against a Tampa Bay Bandits team still trying to find its way at 1-4. Finally, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, both very disappointed to be sitting at 1-4, face off in Three Rivers, both hoping that they can quickly turn things around.
Well that f’ing sucked Dragons.