A DECADE OF SPRING FOOTBALL

USA Today, March 6, 1993

As the USFL prepares to initiate it’s 11th season this week, we take a moment to look back on an improbable dream made reality. In 1983 12 owners and 12 franchises looked to do something that had never been done, to not only create a spring football league, but to take on the NFL, sign top name talent and develop a brand that was viewed not as developmental football, or minor-league football, but a major league, a spring league of professional football.

THE LEAGUE

Ten years in, the dream of David Dixon, John Bassett, and the 11 owners who took a leap of faith that football could be a year-rounds sport has been realized. The league, which began with high hopes, but some clear obstacles, has navigated the treacherous waters of any start up and come out stronger for their tribulations.

There were initial signs that the league would be taking this endeavor seriously, the signing of Heisman Winner Herschel Walker prior to the first season was a shot across the bow of the NFL. Hiring quality coaches such as George Allen, Steve Spurrier, Dick Coury, Rollie Dotsch, and Jim Stanley to lead the founding franchises, and the quality of play in an inaugural season that saw new stars emerge, helped to set the foundation for what was to come.

The league dealt with two challenges in its second season, first the logistical complications of adding 4 new franchises, and second a significant effort by some owners to push for a shift to a fall season, to directly compete, and perhaps merge, with the NFL. That effort was squelched, and with their commitment to spring football the USFL found willing partners in corporate America and among fans, some of whom wanted year-round football in places like Tampa, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Houston, others who knew that the USFL was their ticket to top tier pro sports, cities like Memphis, Birmingham, Phoenix, San Antonio and Portland.

There would be issues along the way, contract squabbles, franchise underfunding and mismanagement, relocations, stadium conflicts, but the USFL stayed the course, building fanbases across the league and proving that they could be financially viable, while also offering a top tier football experience. As the league grew stronger, more expansion became possible, and by 1988 the spring league was at 20 teams and saw average attendance creeping towards 40,000 per team. As we enter a second decade of spring football it hardly seems possible that there was a time when football fans had to sit and wait from February through August for their favorite sport. Today there are barely gaps between the NFL’s Super Bowl and the start of the USFL regular season or between the USFL Summer Bowl and the beginning of NFL play.

And along the way stars were born in the USFL. Some, like Walker or Houston’s Jim Kelly, were expected, top college talent that proved their quality in the spring league, others like Tampa Bay legend John Reaves or 2-time champion Bobby Hebert from NE Louisiana U, made a name for themselves in the USFL. Proving they could play the pro game at the top level. Whether you love the slashing running style of Mike Rozier or Joe Cribbs, the power of Kelvin Bryant, or the lightning speed of receivers like Trumaine Johnson, Jackie Flowers, Anthony Carter or Henry Ellard, the USFL had offensive fireworks to entertain the most fickle of football fans. There were also defensive standouts to root for, whether it was sack artists like Junior Ah-You, Reggie White or Ronnie Plaggett, bonecrushing backers like Brian Bosworth, Kiki DeAyala, or John Corker, or gifted pick-off artists like Raphel Cherry or David Martin, the USFL had talent at every level and it shone week in and week out.

With recent agreements between the USFL and NFL there is a hard-won peace between the two leagues, both benefitting from the year-round football model, both developing talent and providing opportunities for players to emerge from college and play the game they love for a living. Those who have played or coached in both leagues attest to the level of quality the USFL has brought to their game, and the praise for the professionalism of the USFL and the quality of ownership, staff, and players is a great sign that this league is only just beginning what will be a glorious future.

THE TEAMS

What began with 12 franchises is now up to 20, and while we saw some initial instability, with Chicago moving to Baltimore, Boston to New Orleans, or Oklahoma to San Antonio, the past few years have been defined by consolidation and the building of a strong fan base in the league’s 20 cities. With expected expansion in 1995, the league hopes to grow to as many as 24 clubs, adding more options for fans around the country.

As one would expect of any league, there have been teams that immediately rose to the top, there are those that have struggled, and there are teams that seem to always be in the mix. Tampa Bay was the league’s first champion, winning the title in the summer of 1983. They retain the same head coach after 10 seasons and Coach Spurrier has them looking like contenders again.

Philadelphia’s Stars and the Michigan Panthers were two of the early powerhouses, each winning 2 titles within the league’s first 5 seasons. Since then, the title has moved to others, in Houston, Oakland, Washington, and New Jersey. The Houston Gamblers have proven to be the cream of the 1984 expansion crop, appearing in 3 championships, and winning their second title this year. Memphis has also done well, regularly challenging in the playoffs. Two early sad sacks have found a path to success, with both Washington and Pittsburgh finding recent success, and while their 0-5 record in Conference Championships remains a painful truth for their fans, the New Orleans Breakers can boast that they have appeared in the last 9 post-season tournaments, a league record. Only 1 franchise, the 1987 expansion Chicago Machine, have yet to appear in the post-season, while teams like the Breakers, Gamblers, Stars, Bandits, and Panthers have made playoff appearances a regular expectation.

As we look at the overall records of each franchise, we can see that this is a league of opportunities, with both teams and players rising up to stake a claim on glory or fading as others take a stronger position. There is opportunity, with the right roster and the right coach, to redefine a franchise’s history. Every March all 20 teams start with a clean slate, and, as we have seen in the past, every team has a shot to put all the pieces together and shoot up the standings and into history.

THE PLAYERS

As we stated earlier, the USFL has become a league of stars, with players on both sides of the ball setting themselves apart and developing into legends. We include statistics both on the best individual seasons in the league’s first 10 years as well as overall 10-year records.

Many of the stars who helped to guide the league in its first seasons are still active and performing at a top level, for others the league was a way to end their professional careers on a high note. And at the same time new stars continue to emerge, records to fall, and stellar performances to engage the fans.

Looking at the All Decade record holders, it is exciting to see that so many of the best of the best are still in the league and adding to their records. Three of the Top 5 passing yardage leaders (1-Kelly, 2-Collier, 3-Stoudt) are set to suit up this year, as are 3 of 5 top rushers (Walker, Bryant, Rozier) and 4 of 5 top receivers (Truvillion, Johnson, Holloway, Walters). And while fans still rave about the play of those who have retired, Reaves, Fusina, Cribbs, James, Flowers or Gray, there are new stars on the rise to excite fans and help teams to a championship.

Even more exciting is the fact that some of the greatest performances in league history have happened in just the past few years, whether it is Brett Favre’s astounding debut season with 5,169 yards passing and 49 TDs, or mike Rozier’s 1,743 rushing yards in ’92. We have Eric Truvillion holding 3 of the top receiving seasons in league history and John Jefferson challenging Mel Gray’s record of 143 receptions. Ernest Givens caught 23 TD’s last season, only 2 behind the All-Time record, and 4 o the top 5 QBR seasons of all time happened in either 1991 or 1992. Defenders such as DE Phil Hansen or LB’s Brian Bosworth, Eric Kumerow and Marvcus Patton chase the tackles title each year.

It is an exciting time for the league, with so many young stars, and so much drama as teams battle to prove their mettle each season. The USFL is here to stay and for fans of football it is now a year-round passion.