Another spring, another season of USFL football begins, the 25th to be exact. Few believed the rival league could make it 5 years, much less 25. And maybe had things been different it would not have, but here we are, kicking off season 25 with franchises in 26 cities from New England to southern California.
It will certainly be an intriguing season, especially after the NFL all but declared war (again!) on the spring league, signing away major superstars like Deion Sanders, Antonio Freeman, Cade McNown and Tom Brady. The USFL made a move of its own, getting former MVP Brett Favre to return to the fold, but what will make or break this season is not the war of words and war of free agents with the NFL. It will be the play on the field, and so it is very good to see the league back in action and all 26 teams taking to the field to get back to what the league does best, put on a show each spring.
ARIZONA 27 ATLANTA 33 OVERTIME
An unexpected thriller between two teams meeting for the first time as the Wranglers and Fire head into overtime to settle this one. Arizona came in as a 5-point road favorite over the 2nd year Fire, who continue to be underestimated despite an outstanding 7-7 season in their inaugural year. Atlanta came in with unknown commodity David Garrard at QB, while Arizona brought in the 2006 League MVP, Jake Plummer. And while the Fire won a lot of games last year thanks to a league best scoring defense, in this one it came down to offensive production when it counted.
It looked like a major upset early, with the Fire racing out to a 17-0 lead before Arizona seemed to realize the game had started, not an uncommon tendency when West Coast teams head to the Eastern Time Zone. Atlanta got a 19-yard TD scamper from Rod Smart to open things up on their first drive, a 13-yard TD reception from new WR Marcus Robinson on the second, and a Scobee field goal early in the 2nd period to take the commanding lead.
But, Arizona is a veteran club, with a veteran leader at QB, and they would rebound. They got their first points in the 2nd quarter, a kick from rookie Nick Folk to get on the board. Arizona would add another 3, and go into the half with a 20-3 lead, but the halftime adjustments would produce a very different third quarter. Arizona would explode for 24 points in the quarter, taking advantage of 2 Fire turnovers to score quickly and take the lead 27-20. It began with Plummer hitting Larry Fitzgerald for 6, then, following a fumble by TE Jim Kliensasser, Plummer would hit Santana Moss from 44-yards out. Moss would end the day as the game’s leading receiver with 115 yards on 5 carries.
Atlanta tried to slow down the game, using newly acquired HB Terrell Davis as a battering ram. The former Mauler would carry the ball 29 times but would be held under 100 yards by Arizona’s run defense. When David Garrard went to the air on a 3rd and 7, his pass found a defender instead, as Wrangler Ray Crockett picked off the errant pass and returned it for Arzona’s 3rd TD of the quarter. The Wranglers would get the ball back one more time and add a 50-yard Nick Folk field goal to take a 27-20 lead into the final period.
Atlanta was on the ropes, but their defense came up big in the quarter, holding Arizona to only 38 total yards, while the Atlanta offense did what it needed to do, an 81-yard drive that ended with a Garrard to David Tyree touchdown just outside of the two minute warning. Arizona and rookie Nick Folk had a chance to avoid overtime and steal a win, but when Folk’s 48-yarder doinked off the right goalpoast, the game headed to overtime.
Arizona won the toss, but a sack (the 5th of the day by Atlanta) ended their opening drive. Atlanta took over on their own 33, and methodically chewed up yards on their way to scoring territory. The Fire eventually found themselves on the 15 yard line and Coach Gruden considered sending in Josh Scobee, but wanted to place the ball in the center of the field, so he called an inside run by Davis. The former MVP apparently did not get the message that his job was to center the ball and go down at the line of scrimmage. He headed behind the center and guard, but then juked right, bounced the play outside, and cruised for 15 yards into the endzone for a walk off TD. Welcome back to Georgia Mr. Davis, and a rowdy thank you from over 42,000 in the Georgia Dome who were very happy with his first game as a member of the reborn Fire.
JACKSONVILLE 20 NEW JERSEY 6
While the Wrangler-Fire game was the week’s best, the first of the season was the rematch of the Eastern Title Game, but without Bill Parcells, Tom Brady or Deion Sanders with the Generals. The result was an emphatic win by the Bulls, led by 105 yards form Antowain Smith. New General QB Kelly Holcombe had a fair outing, 14 of 28 for 138 with no picks and no TD’s, but the General offense simply was not a danger to the Bulls’ defense on this day.
MICHIGAN 13 PHILADELPHIA 23
The season opened on Saturday just a bit further down I-95, where the Stars had a strong outing in their season opener against Michigan. Despite a solid day from new Panther QB Brian Griese (12 of 19 fo r247 and 2 scores), the Stars outlasted the Panthers thanks to a solid defensive performance. Rookie Paul Posluszny led all Stars with 7 tackles and recorded his first USFL sack. On offense, Ahman Green had a dominant day, carrying the ball 30 times for 120 yards while Kurt Warner connected with TE Dallas Clark for the winning touchdown.
ORLANDO 3 WASHINGTON 19
Heading a bit further south, the Federals, under new Head Coach Sean Payton, gave Drew Brees a rude welcome to his new role as Orlando’s QB. Orlando would muster only 239 total yards against a very solid-looking Federal defense. Washington would have to settle for 4 field goals, but was able to add a Mike Williams TD catch to pull out and put away this low-scoring game.
SEATTLE 34 ST. LOUIS 7
Scoring was not an issue for the Dragons, as they visited St. Louis and put on a clinic. David Boston had 113 yards and 2 scores, while new Dragon receiver Darnerion McCants scored his first points for Byron Leftwich as well. St. Louis struggled, with only 272 total yards of offense as young Luke McNown was harassed constantly by Dragon defenders.
LOS ANGELES 21 TEXAS 17
A good game in the Alamo Dome, but the home fans went home unhappy as LA, led by Seneca Wallace in his first game as the Express’s starter, went 9 of 20 for 181, modest numbers, but also connected on 3 touchdown tosses. The game winner was a short 7-yard red zone toss to TE L. J. Smith, but Wallace also connected with Tory Holt twice on the day. Texas, itself with a new QB under center, saw Jeff George go 20 of 31 for 212, and scoring tosses to another new Outlaw, Muhsin Muhammad.
DENVER 7 LAS VEGAS 9
The Saturday Night Game was a mess for both teams. Fifteen combined penalties, 3 turnovers, and just a lot of bad play all around marred this one. Marshawn Lynch rushed for only 53 yards on 20 carries (2.6 YPC) in his debut, while Denver’s Cedric Benson did even worse (2.3 YPC on a 16 for 37 day). An ugly game all around, which may mean both teams might have some defensive capacity, or that both might need some more coaching to get ready for Week 2.
TAMPA BAY 23 MEMPHIS 17
Sunday’s early window saw the return to spring for QB Brett Favre, as he debuted in Memphis red for the first time. The former Stallion went 26 of 40 for 236 yards, but fell to Daunte Culpepper’s 360 yard, 3 TD day as Tampa Bay scored twice in the 4th to overcome a 17-10 deficit, both Culpepper tosses, a 16-yarder to Moss and a stunning 75-yarder to Karl Williams for the game winner.
BOSTON 20 BALTIMORE 17
The Blitz were game in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, but a late Jason Elam field goal gave the win to the favored Cannons. Drew Bledsoe threw for 377 yards and 2scores, but the Cannons could not put Baltimore away. Baltimore was led by their D, which limited Tiki Barber to only 25 yards on 16 carries, but in the end, Boston had just enough to walk out with a 3-point win.
CHICAGO 17 HOUSTON 27
Ike Hilliard made the most of his debut with his new team. After coming over from the rival Texas Outlaws, Hilliard had 114 yards and 2 scores to lead the Houston Gamblers to a win in the home opener. For Chicago the good news was that Brady Quinn looked poised in his first pro grame, going 22 of 33 for 238 and throwing for 2 scores.
PITTSBURGH 3 OHIO 17
The Maulers did a great job of disrupting Ohio’s offense, but could not mount an attack of their own in this one. Eddie George managed only 34 yards rushing and Kerry Collins was sacked 5 times (twice by Kyle Vanden Bosch), but Cody Pickett struggled to get Pittsburgh into scoring position as the Maulers reached the Ohio 30 yard line only twice all day.
BIRMINGHAM 30 OAKLAND 17
One of the more surprising scores of the day saw Birmingham cruise past the homestanding Invaders in Oakland. Jason Campbell looked very solid, going 19 of 25 and throwing 2 scoring tosses. Joey Harrington struggled, sacked 6 times by the aggressive Stallion defense, and despite 108 yards from Ricky Williams, the Invaders just could not keep pace with the surprising Birmingham offense.
NASHVILLE 16 NEW ORLEANS 3
A huge crowd in the Super Dome saw the Breakers return to New Orleans for the first time since Katrina devastated the city. Unfortunately, their home town team did not fare well at all against the visiting Knights. New Orleans mounted almost no run game at all, a total of only 29 yards, well below the 113 that Frank Gore alone was able to earn against the Breaker D. Gore also scored the game’s only TD, a 5-yard pass from new Knight QB Jay Cutler.
Quarterbacks Debut Across the USFL
If there was one theme to the past offseason it was at the quarterback position. From the NFL raids that sent Brady, McCown, Green and several other starters to the fall, the return of Brett Favre to the league, or the arrival of rookie Brady Quinn, the talk all over the league was of new starters at the QB position. Some teams brought in a new starter, others promoted their backup, others seemed to have no answer at all. Or did they? Let’s take a look at each of the new starters across the league in our QB Roundup.
STRONG FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Brian Griese (MGN)
it is not much of a surprise that a QB who had always produced decent stats and decent results as a starter would do the same in his first game as Michigan’s new starting QB. Brian Griese has been sitting behind Drew Brees for several seasons after coming over from a short stint in Philly and before that Seattle. This year he is expected to carry the water for the Panthers as they try to bring rookie Drew Stanton up to speed. This opening week, he pretty much did that, throwing for 247 yards and 2 scores. He sits as the 2nd rated QB in the entire league thanks to his 12 of 19 day, though the Panthers did fall short in Philly.
Seneca Wallace (LA)
Wallace impressed in his first start for the Express. Yes, Coach Jackson kept thing simple, but Wallace proved to be elusive, decisive, and to show some moxie as well as LA came back to win in Texas. His numbers are not huge, 9 of 20 for 181 yards, but his three TD passes were certainly key to the Express win. After the departure of Cade McCown, it was thought that LA would go for a big signing or a rookie phenom, but the Express felt that their 3-headed QB room of Wallace, Brodie Croyle, and veteran journeyman Jeff Lewis, could get the job done. It was imagined that Lewis would share time with Wallace this week, but the younger, more athletic QB was given his shot, and he got LA a win. Not too shabby.
David Garrard (ATL)
Garrard started a couple of games last year, but was something of a surprise to be the main man on the Fire roster when 2007 began. His opening weekend win over the Wranglers showed that Atlanta may have been right in trusting him to lead their club. Garrard was by far the busiest of the new starters, throwing the ball 41 times, completing 30, and racking up 298 yards and 2 scoring throws, including the game winner in overtime. A few more games like this and they may start selling #9 jerseys at the Georgia Dome.
Brady Quinn (CHI)
No, the Machine did not get the win vs. Houston, but we really didn’t expect them to. Quinn’s numbers were solid (22 of 33 for 238, 2 Tds and 1 pick, but what caught our eye was his poise. Houston is a team that absolutely can rattle opposing QBs. Between Pittman and Umenyiura coming off the edge and the constant threat of the blitz, they can make even seasoned vets look bad. Quinn was not able to rally the Machine, but he also did no look overwhelmed, which is better than most first-game rookies can say.
ABOUT WHAT WE ANTICIPATED
Jeff George (TEX)
A veteran QB moving to his 3rd USFL club, George pretty much has the hang of this by now. It is a new system, as Coach Norv Turner tries to create a more balanced, more “multiple” offense than George saw in Chicago, but the veteran’s 212 yard, 2TD-1 Int day is a pretty normal day for George. He missed on some key deep balls to Muhammad, but otherwise seems to have a rapport with his #1 receiver. It will take time, but Texas at least knows what it has in George.
Brett Favre (MEM)
Look, if you are a diehard Favre fan, or Showboat fan for that matter, you might have come into this game expecting 400 yards and 5 TDs, but that is just not realistic. Brett Favre went 26 of 40 for 236, connected with Robert Ferguson for a score, and threw one bad pass that got picked. Not a bad first day, not setting the world on fire, but we really should not expect that from the former MVP, not at first. Most importantly, the Showboats went toe to toe with a very good Tampa Bay team and nearly got the W.
Jay Cutler (NSH)
After a year training under Todd Collins, the Knights are now Jay Cutler's team, and the Vandy product started pretty strong, leading Nashville to an opening day road win in New Orleans, raining on the parade for the full house of Breaker fans. While the numbers were not great (15 of 34 for only 131 yards, 1 TD and 2 picks), Cutler got the W, and showed his arm strength on a few deep balls. It will take time for the speed of the pro game to slow down around the young QB, but a win on opening day is a good start.
ROOM TO GROW
Joey Harrington (OAK)
We probably should not put Harrington on the list, as he clearly took over in Oakland last June, but he is the clear #1 now, not understudy to Trent Green, so it is something of a new beginning. It could have gone better. Harrington looked a bit flustered at times, which Birmingham’s pass rush can do to a QB. He completed 18 o f33 throws, and did throw for a score, but he was too quick to give up on routes, too prone to see more pressure than there was. That is something Dennis Green is going to have to work on with him. He has been in the league long enough to have a better sense of pressure and a better plan to deal with it.
Drew Brees (ORL)
Similar to Favre in Memphis, expectations may have been set a bit too high for the new Renegade QB. Thatsaid, 190 yards, no TDs and a pick is really not what Orlando fans were hoping for. We have no doubt that Brees will have better days in Orlando. The Washington D came to play, and his WR corps is not exactly the Stallions of 1993, so there is room to grow all over this team. We are not too worried about Brees.
Kelly Holcombe (NJ)
We were not sure what we would get from Holcombe in his first USFL start. He played a few good games in the NFL with Cleveland, but the USFL is a bit of a different game, and it has been a couple of years. New Jersey’s starter went 14 of 28 for 138 yards, no scores or picks, so he protected the ball, but, while that is good, it may not be enough for a club that often depended on their former QB, Tom Brady, pulling games out late. Kevin Kolb is in the wings, but the Generals would really like to see Holcombe make it through the season as a viable “transitional” starter rather than jump to Kolb right away.
Cody Pickett (PIT)
Pickett made a name for himself subbing for Byron Leftwich in Seattle, and by not throwing any picks in his 7 appearances. That ended this week, with Pickett going 18 of 33 and throwing his first INT. There were hopes that Ohio’s defense would be one that could be a bit of a smooth start for the new Mauler QB, but Pickett struggled against the 2-deep zones of the Glory, and against a pass rush that may have only landed 3 sacks, but which put pressure on constantly, particularly up the middle with newly-arrived DT Sean Gilbert, proving he still is as dangerous as always.
Week two will provide each of these QB’s with a chance to build on what Week 1 started. A lot left to learn about each of these players, their supporting casts, and the schemes they hope to master.
Rookie Standouts
The other big debuts this week were, of course, the rookies. Every year one of the most exciting aspects of Opening Weekend is seeing if that highly touted rookie bursts out of the gate with a big day. It is rare that we see something stunning, but very often we can get a good sense of who is on the right track from just this first game. So, who impressed us this week?
We have already discussed Brady Quinn, the season’s only Week 1 starting QB, so let’s take a look at the HB position. We had two starters and several platoon players on the field this week. Marshawn Lynch in Las Vegas was clearly the biggest name on the HB list to debut this week. His 20 carry, 53 yard day was not the kind of dynamic start he, and Vegas fans, may have hoped for, but it was a solid start, and the Thunder did nab the win.
Other backs were not as noteworthy this week. In Arizona, Antonio Pittman got the start, but the Ohio State product finished the game with only 7 carries for 8 yards. Veteran backup Ahmaad Galloway ended up with more touches and yards (though 10 for 14 is also hardly impressive.) in Boston, Tony Hunt did what was expected, filling in for Tiki Barber, and gaining 20 yards on 7 carries. In New Orleans, the Breakers are struggling to figure out a HB rotation, but Auburn’s Kenny Irons was able to get in for 9 carries (but only 17 yards). Finally, St. Louis gave Michael Bush a lot of opportunities (16 carries), but he seemed to have trouble finding the appropriate path through the line, leading to only 14 rushing yards on the day.
What about receivers? Any standouts there? Well, Robert Meachem with the Knights had a pretty solid day, catching 6 of 9 targets for 49 yards. Orlando’s big TE, Greg Olsen, connected with Drew Brees 4 times for 29 yards. Oakland’s Jacoby Jones caught 3 of 5 for 69 yards in a good effort, and St. Louis TE Matt Spaeth saw a lot of action on the field, finishing with 3 catches on the day and spending a lot of time run blocking.
On defense, Paul Posluszny had a strong first outing with 7 tackles and his first pro sack. Chicago DE Victor Abiami also landed his first sack as a pro, along with 5 tackles in their game at Houston. Amobi Okoye for the Maulers was solid, landing 5 tackles in his debut, while LaRon Landry helped Nashville get a big divisional road win in New Orleans, contributing two tackles and 2 pass deflections.
And we should not forget our three drafted rookie kickers. Justin Medlock kicked 2 field goals and 2 PAT’s for the Bulls. Arizona’s Nick Folk hit on a 50 yarder, one of 2 on the day, but missed on a late 48-yard kick that would have given the win to Arizona. Finally, Mason Crosby got only 1 attempt, a PAT, in Denver’s 7-9 loss to Las Vegas. Finally, we cannot talk special teams without mentioning the strong game put in by Houston’s Mike Sims-Walker, who returned 4 punts for 111 yards (an impressive 27.8 average) including a 76-yarder that nearly went the distance. Not a bad start for the UCF product.
We always hate to report injuries just as the season starts. It is just heartbreaking to have players who have worked so hard all offseason go out in the very first action of the new year. But, football is a violent game and injuries are a part of the reality for players and teams alike. Sad to say we already had our first player put onto IR for the year. Washington TE Heath Miller is out with a ruptured Achilles. 6-12 months is the verdict on recovery and PT. Truly sad for this young man.
Others who will be out are all of the 1-2 week variety, which we celebrate as good news. They include Seattle WR Ashlie Lelie (elbow), Atlanta FB Ian Webster (finger), Jacksonville LB Mike Vrabel (neck), Oakland guard Logan Mankins (abdomen), and New Orleans center J.R. Conrad (shoulder). Listed as doubtful or questionable we see Baltimore HB Ron Dayne, who is dealing with a dislocated thumb, Pittsburgh T Zach Weigert (nerve), St. Louis DT Larry Triplett (ankle), New Jersey guard Tuten Reyes (wrist), Nashville DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (hand), and Skyhawks LB T. J. Slaughter (ankle)
Homecoming for the Breakers
While the result of the game was certainly not what Mike Nolan and the Breakers hoped for, the reception in New Orleans was more than they could have hoped to see. Despite the fact that the NFL Saints returned to the city months ago, the season opener for the Breakers was enormous. A sell-out crowd of 64,200 greeted their team (The Dome can hold over 72,000 but the Breakers have always cordoned off certain areas, and the USFL considered 64,000 a sell out based upon the seats available for sale).
The crowd was rowdy, happy, and grateful to see the Breakers return. Dixieland Jazz was everywhere, as were the familiar colors of teal, deep navy, and silver. The Breakers may not have returned to the Crescent City as league champions, but they were back as a New Orleans institution, back for a 20th season in the city (their first 4 seasons were in Boston, and their 5th season away was last year’s road show.). Fans may soon start expecting wins and playoffs once again, but for now, it is a feeling of gratitude and joy just to see the Breakers on the field in the Big Easy.
Ticket Issues a Concern for two USFL Clubs
When the USFL started 25 years ago, the ticket issue on everyone’s mind was whether the league could sell enough of them to avoid bankruptcy. This year, it is quite a different story. With Boston projected to be one of the league’s best teams, and with excitement in Las Vegas at an all-time high with the arrival of Marshawn Lynch, both clubs are dealing with what could be called a good problem to have, too few tickets to meet demand.
Both Boston and Las Vegas play in stadia that barely reach 40,000 total seats, and in the case of Las Vegas that includes some temporary bleachers installed each year after the UNLV season ends in Sam Boyd Stadium. That is clearly not enough seats in either city as both clubs are reporting issues with the secondary ticket market, in other words, scalping. Tickets are regularly being sold at double or triple the face value in both cities. We saw this already in Las Vegas, who opened the 2007 season at home against Denver. Counterfeit tickets were presented at the stadium and clashes with security ensued when many fans, who legitimately thought they had a seat were turned away. It is estimated that no fewer than 2,000 patrons had to be turned away due to falsified tickets.
Boston is concerned about exactly the same issue as they plan to open their home season this week against New Jersey. With the added security issues that always seem to be a concern when NY an Boston teams meet in any sport, the issue of counterfeit tickets and on-site scalping are a major concern for Cannon and league officials.
The answer seems obvious for both clubs, the only clubs with fields well below 50,000 seats, and, seemingly, well below demand. The answer is to find a better venue. The problem, of course, is that the ideal venue does not exist for either club. Las Vegas does not have a larger venue to offer, and while Boston, or the Boston vicinity has an obvious choice in Gillette Stadium, home to the NFL Patriots, the Patriots and the stadium are owned by Robert Kraft, one of the handful of NFL owners who maintain a very confrontational relationship with the USFL. There is little hope for Boston to relocate to Gillette Stadium, which means that their best option is where they already are. Could both teams propose expansion to their current home fields? Yes, of course, but that means dealing with the universities that call them home, and for whom the stadiums are certainly large enough. It also means raising funding, as no USFL owner wants to fully foot the bill for a major stadium renovation without city or state funds included in the deal.
So, what are the Cannons and Thunder to do? Both are spending money on local ads to help educate fans on the dangers of scalping and the telltale signs of counterfeit tickets, but that can only go so far. Both will need to dedicate resources to stadium security and both will need to work with local authorities to try to stamp out the counterfeit ticket market and producers of the fake tickets. No short term, easy answers here, and while many might say that these are good problems for these two teams to have, they are still problems. Letting them fester is not an option for either club.
As part of the 2007 celebration of the USFL’s 25th season, we are going to take time each week to look back at the events and people who helped build the USFL into what it is today. We will spend time each week looking at one pivotal moment, decision, game, or legacy from the past 25 years, as well as player, one from the hundreds who started out with this league in its first 3 seasons. We have chosen to look not at the Hall of Famers, but at players whose careers, while not among the legendary stars of the league, still had a role to play in the foundation of what the USFL is today, a major player in American sports culture. This week, to kick things off, we will look back to the opening week of USFL action, how it all began with the 12 teams that started a revolution in the world of Pro Football in 1983. We will then focus in on a 1983 rookie, a player who stayed in the league for 13 seasons, one of the earliest college signees of the league, and a symbol of the opportunities the league provided for many in the early years, quarterback Mike Hohensee.
(A note before we continue. These reports will focus on the reality of the USFL as it exists in this alternative reality. Only in the case of the player retrospectives will I make any reference to real life events. Otherwise the story will be told only from the perspective of the USFL as it occurred in this alternate universe.)
Genesis: Week One, Year One
It is hard to imagine that there was a time when an idea, a dream, a crazy plan was all the USFL was. While the league was announced in 1982, it was not until Sunday, March 6 when the USFL became a reality, with 12 teams taking the field in 6 games from coast to coast. The league had gained national attention with the signing of Herschel Walker, the underclassman who had won the Heisman as a freshman and was itching to turn pro. But it would not be until the games were played that the league would be seen as a real entity, not a circus sideshow.
The first game to kick off saw the Birmingham Stallions face off against the Washington Federals in RFK Stadium. The first score of the USFL’s existence was a Cornelius Quarles TD run in the first quarter of that game. Tampa Bay kicked off just 2 minutes later, hosting the Oakland Invaders. Later that afternoon, Chicago would host Denver, Boston would kick off at home against Michigan, and Arizona would face Philadelphia in Tempe, but the game everyone wanted to see was the clash of the two biggest market franchises, and the game where Herschel Walker would debut, New Jersey at Los Angeles. For all the hype the game received nationally, only 14,400 Los Angelinos showed up to watch in the cavernous LA Coliseum. New Jersey would win 22-12, and Herschel Walker would just miss 100 yards, gaining 94 yards on 26 carries, but the game was well-played, as were all the games that day, and the USFL had created a market for itself.
Over 44,000 had shown up in Tampa Bay to watch the Bandits beat the Invaders. They would, of course, go on to win the title that year, led by Coach Steve Spurrier and QB John Reaves. Birmingham would trounce the Federals, who would struggle through a rough first year before eventually becoming a 2-time league champion. Boston, playing in tiny Nickerson Field, would move to Harvard Stadium the next year, but on this day they lost a heartbreaker as Anthony Carter scored in the final seconds. Chicago would fall to Denver 20-9, a surprise in that Denver, a low budget team, was not expected to do much. They would make it all the way to the first USFL Championship Game, despite their tight budget, and would be the only team to turn a profit in their first year.
Several players who would go on to become stars and Hall of Famers, began their USFL careers on this date, among them Chuck Fusina and Kelvin Bryant of Philadelphia. Others would rise out of obscurity to gain the national consciousness, like Michigan QB Bobby Hebert, a little-known prospect out of Northwestern State in Louisiana. Still others would begin a journey that would take them to various stops along the way, like LB Putt Choate, who was playing for Denver on this day, and would also suit up for the Texas Outlaws and Portland Thunder.
For the league as a whole, it was a brilliant day, filled with good football, and a better vibe than they could have expected. Yes, the attendance was up and down, the talent level uneven, and the comparisons to the NFL not particularly flattering, but the league was now real. Keith Jackson and Lynn Swan were calling games, fans were tuning in on TV, and butts were in seats. The league had arrived. Where it would go from here was anyone’s guess, but for the first time in a decade there was a new pro football league, and for the first time ever, pro football was being played in the Spring.
The First Federal: Mike Hohensee
As we look back at players who helped shape the USFL, looking beyond the superstars the league has produced, to those whose contributions may not have led to a gold jacket in Canton, but who nonetheless are a big part of the rich history of the league, we need to remember that for many the USFL was their pro football life. Many were either rejected by the NFL, or never even stepped foot onto the field in an NFL uniform.
That was the case for quarterback Mike Hohensee. A product of the University of Minnesota, Hohensee would have likely been a mid- to later-round selection by the NFL, but as a talented young quarterback, he was wooed by the USFL, which from the beginning placed great emphasis on signing talent out of college. Hohensee was one of the first draft picks to sign with the USFL, becoming the first official Washington Federal, and one of its early “stars”. We use quotes there because Hohensee, as a record-setting Big 10 QB was viewed as a big commodity for the Federals. Other than HB Craig James, one of SMU’s Pony Express, he might have been the best college prospect on the club. But he was not the clearcut starter that year for the Federals. Washington trotted out three different starters in their inaugural season, with Hohensee sharing time with NFL veteran Kim McQuilken and former WFL QB Joe Gilliam.
Hohensee would start only 3 games in 1983, and would have no starts again until 1989, and yet he would play 13 seasons for the Federals, spending most of his time with a clipboard in his hand. It was not until 1994, when injury forced Hohensee into the lineup, when he started more than 3 games in any season. In that 1994 season he would replace an injured Don Majkowski and play in 10 games, with 7 starts. He threw for 2,020 yards and 12 touchdowns that year. Hohensee, who now serves as a QB coach with the Baltimore Blitz, after spending time in the CFL and with Jacksonville in the USFL, is still a Federal at heart, something his players often tease him about when the Blitz face the Feds.
He still proudly wears his 1990 USFL Championship ring, a season in which he threw only 62 passes, though one of them was in the Summer Bowl (the first to carry that name) while subbing for a temporarily sidelined Majkowski. Hohensee may not be the first name that rolls off the tongue when fans get nostalgic about those early years at RFK, but when you mention the former Golden Gopher, he is remembered fondly. He retired after the 1994 season, went on to coach quarterbacks, a career he is still pursuing today in Baltimore. The first Federal continues to be a USFL figure 25 seasons later.
(IRL: Hohensee played only 2 seasons with Washington. He would go on to play in the CFL and as a replacement player with the Chicago Bears in 1987. He also played Arena Football for 2 seasons before turning to coaching. He has been a coach since 1990, but exclusively for indoor or Arena Football teams, winning the Arena Bowl in 2006 with the Chicago Rush. His last coaching job was in 2015. All info on Mike Hohensee is from the Wikipedia article about him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Hohensee )
Week 2 and we are ready for more. How about some divisional rivalries to get the blood flowing? We highlight those big divisional matchups for you below.
FRIDAY
Oakland (0-1) @ Los Angeles (1-0): The California Derby kicks us off.
SATURDAY
Jacksonville (1-0) @ Orlando (01): A chance for the Renegades to make a statement
Chicago (0-1) @ Memphis
Baltimore (0-1) @ Arizona (0-1)
Atlanta (1-0 @ Las Vegas (1-0)
Michigan (0-1) @ Ohio (1-0): An early season bout between Central Contenders.
SUNDAY
Washington (1-0) @ Philadelphia (1-0): One of these two is headed to 2-0.
Houston (1-0) @ Denver (0-1): A Southwest duel a mile up.
Pittsburgh (0-1) @ Birmingham (1-0)
Tampa Bay (1-0) at Nashville (1-0)
St. Louis (0-1) @ Texas (0-1)
New Orleans (0-1) @ Seattle (1-0)
New Jersey (0-1) @ Boston (1-0): Can New Jersey show they still have it over Boston?
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