Sporting News, August 10, 1987
It has been just over 2 weeks since the USFL Championship and the news has been coming fast and furious. From hirings to retirements, expansion to free agency, a lot has happened, and as the annual league summer meetings conclude, there is a lot to report. In this article we will discuss hirings, retirements, the site selection for the 1988 and 1989 USFL Championships, the introduction of the new Portland franchise, and the roster development for both Portland and Texas. In our 2nd part of this two part report from the USFL Owners Summer Meeting, we will review the wild free agency period this year.
COACHES HIRED
When the offseason officially kicked off after the USFL Championship Game, there were three Head Coach openings on the market. Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and Portland would all be looking for coaches. It was well known at the time that the new Texas Outlaws would be retaining Oklahoma coach Woody Widenhofer, releasing Gil Steinke. The three vacancies did not take long to fill.
NEW ORLEANS: The Breakers did just as predicted and announced the signing of former LSU Head Coach Bill Arnsparger as the new leader in New Orleans. Arnsparger made his name in the NFL as a defensive specialist with the Colts, Dolphins and Giants before a successful stint in Baton Rouge. The 2-time SEC Coach of the Year will try to instill a killer instinct in the Breakers D while also looking to develop a new quarterback after New Orleans failed to extend Tony Eason’s contract, allowing him to hit the free agent market.
PITTSBURGH: The Maulers went a different direction from their past coaches. Looking for an offensive spark to bring fans to the stands, Pittsburgh has agreed to a 3-year contract with former Eagles, Lions, and Bears OC Ted Marchibroda. Marchibroda, who also served as the Head Coach of the Baltimore Colts for 4 seasons is well-regarded as an offensive architect. The Maulers are looking to build around HB Mike Rozier and are hoping that Marchibroda’s system will be a good fit for the often-erratic Alan Risher.
PORTLAND: The soon-to-be-named Portland franchise (see below) was quick to announce their team’s first head coach, and they went with someone who is both well-known in the region and experienced in bringing a new team into an established league, former Seattle Seahawks coach, Jack Patera. Patera, who guided the 1976 expansion Seahawks from 2-12 to two consecutive 9-7 seasons in his first 4 years in the NFL remains a very popular figure in the Pacific Northwest. Patera’s trademarks with the Seahawks were a dynamic offense led by Jim Zorn and Steve Largent and a tendency towards trick plays to overcome differences in team depth or talent level with his opponents. If he can recreate those tendencies in Portland, he will almost certainly be warmly welcomed in the Rose City.
RETIREMENTS ANNOUNCED
In a year when the NFL will not be able to sign many, if any USFL players due to the impasse between the league and the player’s union and the league’s lack of a valid CBA, the USFL was looking mostly at retirement and internal free agency as the primary drivers of roster turnover. Well, if that is the case, the offseason started with a bang as several USFL players have announced that they will be calling it a career and seeking official retirement. The two teams most impacted by this will be Portland, which had anticipated having Rick Neuheisel as part of their initial roster, and the Oakland Invaders, who will be losing 1986 MVP Brian Sipe just weeks after a second playoff appearance.
Portland had been warned that after several injury-prone seasons, including the loss of almost the entire 1987 season, that QB Rick Neuheisel might give up his on-field exploits and turn his attention to coaching. That is exactly what happened, leaving Portland at this early stage with only the untested Brett Pease and the one-time Invader Fred Besana (signed by San Antonio as a backup after Neuheisel’s injury) on the active roster.
In Oakland, Sipe’s announcement, while not entirely unexpected, came on the heels of another Oakland stalwart hanging up the cleats, as LB Gary Plummer also announced that he would not be returning for the 1988 season. So now Oakland finds themselves without leaders on both sides of the ball.
Michigan also lost two players to retirement over the past few weeks as the team’s only kicker, Novo Bojovic, and one of their first NFL signings, DT Tim Krumrie, both announced that they would be retiring.
Philadelphia lost only one player to retirement, but TE Steve Folsom will be sorely missed by Chuck Fusina and the Philly offense. Folsom had played an integral part in both the run game and the play action passing of Fusina, as a reliable hot route specialist. The Stars will almost certainly try to find a replacement in free agency, as a rookie TE can take several years to fully integrate into an offense.
Other key USFL players who announced retirement plans this year include Houston HB Lynn Cain, Orlando DT Tim Blanchette, Birmingham LB Kevin Teel, Washington LB Brad Swearingen, and Pittsburgh TE Emory Moorhead.
PORTLAND BRINGS THE THUNDER
The expansion franchise which will take the place of the Oklahoma Outlaws in the Western Conference now has a name and a logo. President and CEO of the club, Phil Knight, announced that the newest USFL Franchise will bring back a name known to those who also participated in the World Football League. And while the new USFL Portland Thunder will also sport white helmets and a blue and green color set, this is not your momma’s Thunder. The new Thunder will sport a bright lime green jersey, complemented by sky blue, navy blue, and sun yellow elements. The logo features a stylized lightning bolt splitting two clouds as it wraps around the team’s helmet. It is a significant departure from the Kelly green and Royal combo of the WFL club, but one which will certainly be distinctive and will set Portland apart from other green jersey clubs like Washington or Texas.
OUTLAWS & THUNDER FILL ROSTERS
Before the USFL Free Agency window could officially begin, there was one more order of business to attend to, the merger of Oklahoma and San Antonio into the Texas Outlaws, and stocking the expansion roster of the Portland Thunder. Determining just how the merger of two rosters into one team and the expansion to include a new team would be handled was a major issue this Spring and early summer, as the league mediated negotiations among the three parties (San Antonio, Oklahoma, and the ownership of the expansion Portland franchise).
It was eventually decided that the Texas Outlaws would retain most of the Gunslinger roster and that most of the Portland roster would be made up of former Oklahoma Outlaws. However, it was not that simple as each team negotiated with the other to build key positions and retain talent that would appeal to the different fanbases. The final result was a 20-player swap, ten players from the Oklahoma roster to Texas and ten Gunslingers to the Portland franchise. The result was as follows:
Players headed from San Antonio/Texas to Portland include:
QB Fred Besana (Acquired midseason)
HB Ken Lacy
FB Mike Cade
WR Aubrey Matthews
WR Gerald McNeil
G Dean Steinkuhler
C Lonnie Hartman
LB Putt Choate
LB Mike Weddington
DE James Painter
Players headed from Oklahoma/Portland to Texas
QB Doug Williams
QB Blair Kiel
HB Stump Mitchell
WR Richard Johnson
TE Mike Tice
G Ellis Clinton
DE Mark Mraz
LB Brian Bosworth
LB Garth Jax
CB Emmanuel Carroll
1988 & 1989 USFL CHAMPIONSHIP SITES SELECTED
Finally, one of the key items on the agenda of this week’s Owners Meeting in New York was selection of the next two Championship Game sites. No fewer than 10 USFL cities pressed their case, for either 1988 (Eastern Conference site) or 1989 (Western Conference site), but soon the owners came to a consensus that two as-of-yet unused locations would be chosen. In both cases the league seemed to be rewarding faithful fan bases and franchises that had demonstrated excellence both on the field and in the front office.
No sooner had the Philadelphia Stars held their Championship Parade in the City of Brotherly Love than the league gave them more to celebrate, awarding the 1988 USFL Championship Game to Veterans Stadium. . The only concerns expressed were concerning the quality of the turf at Veterans Stadium. The Vet is well known as one of the worst artificial surfaces in pro football. Team owner, Miles Tanenbaum assured the other owners that he would be able to work with the NFL’s Eagles to improve or replace the turf in time for the July 1988 championship game.
The league then also announced that the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, home to the other 2-time champion, the Michigan Panthers, would be the site for the 1989 Championship. Michigan and Philly represent 2 of the 3 teams who have appeared in the playoffs all five seasons of the league, along with Tampa, which has already hosted the 1984 Championship. While other cities such as Washington, Orlando, Birmingham, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Chicago will have to wait, it seems appropriate that the two teams responsible for the last 4 championships get to host the league’s title game.