Memphis Showboats
and
The Minister of Defense

The United States Football League was a "shooting star" on the professional football skyline. The USFL was founded by David Dixon, though he would never hold a title or actually field a team. Formed on May 11 1982, the first games commenced in 1983.  Initially the league was made up of 12 teams in major markets across the country, with franchises established in New York (the Meadowlands, NJ), Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Tampa, Oakland, Denver, Washington, Philadelphia, Birmingham and San Diego (eventually switched to Phoenix). 

The first college player drafted by the USFL by the LA Express was Dan Marino. He didn't sign. However 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker did. Running back Walker left Georgia a year early to sign with the New Jersey Generals and became a key draw card for the league. Despite his presence however the Generals failed to lift on-field and the championship was eventually decided between the Michigan Panthers who nipped the Philadelphia Stars.  

The USFL was made for TV. The league had a network (ABC ) deal and cable (ESPN) deal. Despite what could be regarded as a successful first year from an attendance and a TV ratings perspective, it was television rights and payment for future rights that would be one of the reasons that the league would eventually fail. The other key reason was the larger than expected players salaries. In the first season these factors resulted in only the Denver Gold (who topped the league in attendance) and the Tampa Bay Bandits managing to escape large financial losses. 

1984 was a year of change for the young circuit, with team expansion, new owners and new players being a highlight of the USFL's second season. The addition of 6 expansion franchises at $3 million each was one of the league's "quick fix" ways to get an infusion of cash. Joining the league were the Houston Gamblers, Pittsburgh Maulers, San Antonio Gunslingers, Oklahoma Outlaws, Jacksonville Bulls and the under Pepper Rogers, a former head coach at Kansas, UCLA and Georgia Tech. However not even the addition of six more teams and another Heisman winner (Mike Rozier), could stop the Philadelphia Stars from blowing through their league schedule and then beating the Arizona Wranglers in the title game.

Pepper Rogers

Reggie signing up, congratulated by County Mayor Bill Morris

Rozier, college football's top player in '83, was just one of many quality players to sign with the league in just its second season. The league also featured Reggie White,Jim Kelly, Steve Young and a host of college football's best along with former NFL starters. In addition, it picked up real estate tycoon Donald Trump as the new owner of the New Jersey Generals. Although league attendance remained solid, rising player costs forced many teams deeper into the red.

Prior to the 1985 campaign, the USFL announced it's intention to switch to a fall schedule beginning in 1986 and to file an antitrust lawsuit against the National Football League. The change of playing season had severe ramifications for several franchises, many of which faced direct NFL competition in their respective cities. Fresh off their championship season, the Stars left their growing fan base in Philadelphia for the recently-vacated Baltimore. The Michigan Panthers threw in the towel and merged with the Oakland Invaders. The Pittsburgh Maulers called it quits after just one season. The Breakers were forced out of their new-found home in New Orleans and made Portland, Oregon their third city in as many years. All four moves were a direct consequence of the league's intentions to play in the fall. The Chicago Blitz also suspended operations, the Oklahoma Outlaws and Arizona Wranglers merged to form the Arizona Outlaws and the Washington Federals headed South to become the Orlando Renegades.

On the field in 1985, the relocated Stars overcame a slow start and won their second title. Doug Flutie became the third consecutive Heisman winner to sign with the league, and league play improved dramatically due in large part to the preseason consolidations. Several franchises did not fare very well, though. The San Antonio Gunslingers, Los Angeles Express and Houston Gamblers struggled to make it through the year. Negative headlines and near financial ruin plagued the league even as it was showcasing its best football.

In July of 1986, about a month before the league was to begin its first fall season, the USFL won its suit against the NFL, but incredibly was awarded just $1 (trebled to $3 under antitrust law) in damages. While the USFL had won the battle with the court finding that the NFL was a "duly adjudicated illegal monopoly" —it lost the war. Despite the finding that the NFL had willfully acquired and maintained a monopolization of professional football the jury ruled against the rest of the USFL's claims, including the claim that the NFL had controlled or attempted to control the television market.

More than $160 million in debt, the league folded before beginning its first fall campaign. The league released most of its remaining players to look for employment in the NFL or Canadian Football League shortly thereafter. The league would not play another game. The USFL's request for a new trial on damages was rejected, and subsequent appeals were unsuccessful.

A couple of young quarterbacks named Jim Kelly and Steve Young played their rookie seasons in the USFL. The league also developed its own talent with lesser knowns Bart Oates, Sam Mills, Bobby Hebert, and others becoming stars. When the USFL folded, no fewer than 14 Baltimore Stars players signed with NFL teams, a fitting tribute to the talent of that championship team of 1985.

Apart from a host of wonderful players the USFL legacy also included some innovation eventually adopted by the NFL including the 2-point option after a touchdown and the use of "instant replay" to perhaps overrule a bad by call the league's onfield officials. To my mind $1 seemed to cheap a price to pay for the demise of the USFL.

Aftermath

Though the NFL would be loathe to admit it during the remainder of the 1980s and 1990s, it is widely acknowledged that the USFL had a dramatic impact on the National Football League both on the field and off.

Almost all of the USFL's on-field innovations were eventually adopted by the older league, and a multitude of star players would go on to very successful careers in the NFL.

The last remaining active USFL players were punter Sean Landeta of the St. Louis Rams (2004) and quarterback Doug Flutie of the San Diego Chargers (2005).