the united states football league, 1982-1986

Reviewed by G. Louis Heath, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor, Ashford University, Clinton, Iowa

19 march 2018 archive

This book satisfies a need in sports literature. It gives us an exhaustively researched, authoritative account of the short-lived, yet significant, United States Football League. The author, a USFL fan from day one, avidly collects its memorabilia and maintains a website devoted to all things USFL. Reeths' passion for the league shines throughout his book.

The USFL was not the first league organized to compete with the NFL. The World Football League and American Football League that preceded receive substantial coverage as Reeths develops his USFL narrative. The WFL and the AFL, like the USFL, were all attempts to challenge the immense monopolistic power of the NFL. Though all ultimately failed, they achieved the effect of transforming the NFL; for example, causing it to expand (either through incorporating AFL franchises or awarding new ones to cities "lusting"—Reeths' term—for a team.)

By restricting the number of teams, the NFL inflated the value of its franchises. Cities such as Oakland, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Indianapolis fought each other to attract a franchise. They bid large sums and some tantalized with new stadiums at taxpayers' expense. Few major cities could resist the siren call to join the feeding frenzy. The reason for the frenetic bidding was, of course, that the monopolistic NFL failed purposely to satisfy a lot of fan demand for pro football and especially it limited access to pro careers of many talented college players and coaches. Enter the USFL.

The USFL's buildup included twenty-three teams (not all lasted three years): New Jersey Generals, Chicago Blitz, Arizona Outlaws, Arizona Wranglers, Tampa Bay Bandits, Michigan Panthers, Pittsburgh Maulers, Memphis Showboats, Los Angeles Express, Oklahoma Outlaws, Houston Gamblers, Baltimore Stars, Philadelphia Stars, Oakland Invaders, San Antonio Gunslingers, Orlando Renegades, Birmingham Stallions, Boston Breakers, New Orleans Breakers, Portland Breakers, Jacksonville Bulls, Denver Gold, and Washington Federals. The league fielded teams for three seasons: 1983, 1984, and 1985, and drew a cumulative attendance of ten million fans. Reeths presents the owner of each franchise in colorful detail. They comprised a diverse, remarkable array of towering personalities and entrepreneurial talent. For example, Donald Trump, owner of the New Jersey Generals and Co-Chair of the USFL's Executive Committee, played a leading role in the league's development. Two sections, "Enter The Donald" and "Signing Triggermen," highlight his lavish spending to recruit elite players and his sensational efforts to garner media attention for the fledgling league. Those efforts included a proposal for a Trumpdome to house his team, which he hoped to eventually incorporate into the NFL. Neither happened. The author sketches the careers of USFL coaches, most notably veterans George Allen, Red Miller, Marv Levy, John Ralston, Hugh Campbell, and Walt Michaels. Others, such as Steve Spurrier and Jim Mora, got their start in the USFL. For example, University of Florida Heisman Trophy winner rookie coach Spurrier (Tampa Bay Bandits) created a complicated offense that proved effective in stymieing opponents' defenses. The stories of Spurrier's career and the other USFL coaches inform the reader in substantial detail of the high quality of USFL coaching and underscore the import of the league's brief existence.

The many players who joined the new league make up the essential core of this volume. (There are a good number of cameo-captioned photos.) They include Herschel Walker (Heisman, 1982), Mike Rozier (Heisman, 1983), Doug Flutie (Heisman, 1984), Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Rick Neuheisel, Bobby Hebert, Brian Sipe, Greg Landry, and Doug Williams. Over 150 collegiate players who honed their skills in the USFL went on to succeed in the NFL. Case in point: Reggie White of the Memphis Showboats became an NFL Hall of Famer. Some USFL players even opted for the new league over the NFL. For examples: Brigham Young University quarterback, Steve Young, projected as the top pick in the 1984 NFL draft, chose the Los Angeles Express, attracted by a lucrative offer; Quarterback Doug Williams, who led the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a NFC title game, left the Bucs in 1984 to sign with the USFL's expansion Oklahoma Outlaws (another opulent contract the USFL could not realistically afford).

Economics, of course, play a crucial role in the narrative. The book recounts the financial vicissitudes the league underwent, especially on the part of the owners who spent millions (including personal wealth), in a determined effort to create a new market for pro football. The hows, why, and whens of the mounting obstacles and ultimate collapse of the United States Football League are well documented here. For examples: the $1 billion antitrust suit the USFL filed against the NFL and the league's contentious debate about abandoning its spring football season to schedule games in fall in order to compete directly with the NFL. And, of prime significance, the barbarian-at-the-gate USFL recruited some of the best players at high salaries. This was the precursor of the free agency market today. In 1987 the NFL had a strike and by 1990 player salaries had skyrocketed to a basic minimum in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and to astronomical elite remuneration in the millions.

One important sidelight: The USFL is noteworthy as the first professional football league televised by then-unknown ESPN on a newly emergent cable TV system. ESPN's coverage of the USFL enabled it to surmount early money troubles to become the media giant it is today. Certainly, we all know ESPN. Yet few know the USFL. This outstanding book will remedy that deficiency for all who read it. Especially given that football has eclipsed baseball in popularity and is now our de facto national sport, The United States Football League, 1982-1986 belongs in public and collegiate libraries as well as in private collections of sports fans everywhere. Paul Reeths' decade of exhaustive research and excellent writing has resulted in this excellent book filled with facts, analyses, and stories you do not want to miss.

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