Sporting News, September 14, 1984
Never let it be said that the USFL lacks excitement. On the field we see the excitement in the countless close games, big comebacks and astounding plays, but during the offseason the moves made by each team’s front office are as engaging as any found on the field. As we reach the midpoint of the league’s down time, with the Draft not arriving until early January, there is still plenty of news coming out of the league.
OWNERSHIP UPDATE
Earlier in the year our sources highlighted several potential changes to USFL ownership, and it appears our sources were very accurate in their early information. Los Angeles has indeed added an investor in Interscope President Ted Field. Oakland has found their own golden goose in tech millionaire William Millard. These are partnership deals with the two franchises existing ownership. In the case of Ted Field, the role of CEO of the Express organization is his, while William Millard has opted to allow Ted Taube, the Invaders’ original financier to retain the primary position within team operations.
Also as expected, the Denver Gold now have an entirely new ownership group, headed up by brothers Dick and Charles Montfort, whose money comes largely from meatpacking. The Montforts were announced this past week and have already committed to keeping 2nd year coach Craig Morton at the helm of the team. After an 0-4 start, Morton lead the Gold to an 8-4 finish and a playoff spot despite the Gold having the lowest salary pool in the league. That appears to be a changing aspect of the Gold with the Montforts in town, as Denver announced their first significant NFL player signing in their franchises’s existence (details on that are below).
And finally, in a press release sent out just yesterday, the USFL Ownership Executive Committee has announced that they will be assisting the ownership groups in both Chicago and Boston to locate new investors and ownership teams. They are hoping to review bids within the next 4 months, and, of course, a priority will be placed on retention of these two large markets. Despite this interest, rumors are already spreading that several rejected 1984 expansion groups are hoping to buy into the league, and the potential for relocation cannot be taken off the table for either the Blitz or the Breakers.
COACHES
In addition to ownership news, this past month has seen one of the two head coaching vacancies filled. The Oakland Invaders, having been rumored to be looking at several current NFL coordinators, went a very different direction, signing former Philadelphia Eagles and UCLA head coach Dick Vermeil to be the new face of the franchise. Known as an enthusiastic “player’s coach” with a strong background in creative offense, Coach Vermeil resigned from his position with the Eagles after the 1982 season, having taken the Eagles to Super Bowl XV, but suffered a rough 1982 strike-shortened season and departed the NFL, citing stress as a contributing factor. It appears that Vermeil has found some relief and is eager to return to football. Currently working on developing a staff to support him, Vermeil has stated that he is excited to return to football and to California, where he started his career as a HS coach, before stints at College of San Mateo, Napa Junior College, Stanford, and with both UCLA and the LA Rams.
The signing of Vermeil leaves only the Arizona Wrangler position unfilled. Arizona has interviewed 3 candidates, including former Texas Longhorn coach Darrell Royal and current Tampa Bay Bandits Offensive coach John Rauch. Many are suspicious that the delay in finding a coach is due to interest in signing a current NFL coach, which may delay the process until December or January, which is a risky proposition for any USFL team, with training camps opening in late January.
PLAYER NEWS
The third piece of the offseason hot stove is player acquisition. While the USFL draft of new collegiate players will not occur until this Winter, trades and free agent movement within the league, as well as the signing of NFL players who are either released from their NFL teams or who are between contracts is well underway. As we have seen in past years, the USFL has had only limited reach in signing NFL free agents, as its teams seem more focused on acquiring big name college talent. This year certainly seems to be following this trend as there has been little poaching from the NFL to the USFL or vice versa. Obviously the use of multi-year contracts in both leagues has been a major contributor to this, but there also seems to be an unspoken agreement about roster poaching, at least once one league has players under contract. But, this is not to say that the waiver wire and free agency period has been without any news.
In addition to the announced USFL signings earlier this summer of Chargers QB Ed Luther (JAX), Atlanta RB Lynn Cain (HOU), and Seahawk DT Manu Tuiasosopo (DEN), there have been a few noteworthy signings:
1983 Champion Tampa Bay, seeking to find a 2nd receiver to line up opposite ALL-USFL Wideout Eric Truvilliion, have signed former UF and Cincinnati Bengal receiver Cris Collinsworth to a 3 year deal. They immediately traded 3rd WR Danny Buggs to the needy Pittsburgh Maulers for draft considerations.
Arizona has traded former Ohio State RB Tim Spencer back to Chicago (where he played his first season before the AZ-CHI franchise swap). Spencer has been the lead rusher for the franchise both seasons (In Chicago and then in Arizona) but has yet to crack the upper echelon of USFL backs, despite averaging 952 yards per season. With a vacancy at RB, Arizona reached out to the NFL and signed former Cleveland Brown RB Mike Pruitt to fill the gap. Pruitt became expendable to the Browns with the combination of Earnest Byner and Charles White on the roster. The 8 year NFL vet turns 30 this year, but Arizona clearly feels that he has gas left in the tank to trade away the younger Spencer.
New Jersey is trying to add some flair to their offense, signing former NY Jets wideout, Johnnie “Lam” Jones. Jones, known as a deep threat with a penchant for avoiding contact in favor of deep ball acrobatics, is expected to be an instant starter for a Generals offense that will start their third QB in three years in search of a passing game. We still don’t know who that QB will be, with New Jersey having traded Brian Sipe to the Oakland Invaders. Acquiring the Boston Breaker’s first territorial pick in the upcoming draft is leading many to speculate that owner Donald Trump is seeking to sign Heisman winner Doug Flutie out of Boston College to lead the Generals.
The Pittsburgh Maulers are clearly concerned that their C-List wide receiving corps was a big reason they finished last year out of playoff contention. In addition to getting Tampa wideout Danny Buggs in trade, they have signed former Charger and Packer wideout John Jefferson. Jefferson, who was a regular 1,000 yard receiver, has struggled with the Packers, and now will likely be catching passes from former Penn State star Todd Blackledge.
Among other USFL moves, not involving NFL players, Jacksonville has, as expected, traded away backup QB Matt Robinson. The former NFL backup was moved to the Boston Breakers for draft considerations and will now likely serve as the clipboard-carrier behind 2nd year QB Tony Eason. Arizona acquired DT Eddie Weaver from Los Angeles for a late round pick. LB Kevin Teel is on his 3rd team in 3 years, having moved from the Federals to the Showboats and now the Houston Gamblers. Oakland was able to acquire rarely used Michigan Panther RB Albert Bentley for a future draft pick, while Washington has acquired former Express CB and Kick Returner Mark Berry.