Moments in NFL History: USFL expanded football’s calendar

image: Jim Kelly Reggie White USFL
Houston Gamblers quarterback Jim Kelly scrambles away from the rush by Memphis Showboats defensive end Reggie White in the first quarter of the USFL game on Monday, June 25, 1984, in the Astrodome in Houston. Kelly found receiver Clarence Verdin for a 27-yard gain downfield.Credit: John Henley/Associated Press

Professional football would not have grown into what it is today without the American Football League and National Football League agreeing to merge in 1966. Completed in 1970, that merger added to the solid foundation on which the NFL would continue to build.

Like the AFL, multiple other professional football leagues formed over the past 80 years to give athletes a chance to play the game they love at the professional level: the All-America Football Conference, World Football League, Arena Football League, XFL and the Alliance of American Football are among these that came and went. Operational today are the United Football League and Indoor Football League.

Another league was born on this date, May 11, in 1982: the United States Football League (USFL). 

The USFL was the brainchild of David Dixon. He had helped bring the Saints to New Orleans and sought to fill a hole pro football left in the spring and summer months. With a passion for the game and over 15 years of studying it, Dixon said the upstart USFL would come to 12 cities across the country with play starting in 1983.

The initial 12 teams were the Philadelphia Stars, Boston Breakers, New Jersey Generals, Washington Federals, Michigan Panthers, Chicago Blitz, Tampa Bay Bandits, Birmingham Stallions, Oakland Invaders, Los Angeles Express, Denver Gold and Arizona Wranglers. Over the three seasons, the league also fielded teams in New Orleans, Portland, Houston, Jacksonville, Memphis, Oklahoma, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, San Antonio and Orlando.

The Stallions, Gold, Express, Generals and Bandits were the only teams not to move, cancel seasons or combine with other franchises over the short history of the league.

image: David Dixon USFL
David Dixon (left) founder of the United States Football League and owner of the Detroit Franchise and J. Walter Duncan, Jr., owner of the New York USFL franchise, attend a press conference at the 21 Club in New York on May 11, 1982. Credit: G. Paul Burnett/Associated Press

The USFL saw its share of success, especially when it came to attracting top talent. Three consecutive Heisman Trophy winners chose to play in the USFL over the NFL. Herschal Walker (New Jersey Generals), Doug Flutie (Generals) and Mike Rozier (Pittsburgh Maulers) all started their careers in the spring league. 

The USFL also attracted Hall of Fame talent to its league. Nine Hall of Famers (some already elected) were involved with the USFL:

“It was during my coaching days in the USFL that I met a Buffalo Bills player personnel scout named Bill Polian,” Levy in a recent sit down with the Hall of Fame. “He moved up the ladder – make that he moved up the ‘snow heap’ in Buffalo – and he was later promoted to become the general manager of the Buffalo Bills and seeking to fill the head coaching vacancy. He strongly recommended to Mr. [Ralph] Wilson that I was the guy they should hire. The rest is history.”

For others, the USFL aided their growth.

“The USFL was either the No. 1 or No. 2 most important time periods for my NFL development,” Zimmerman told the Hall of Fame. “I received a call on a Monday night from the O-line coach, and he told me to learn left tackle . . . I used all the techniques learned in college and through teammates, coaches and game experience and I learned how to play the tackle position. Without the USFL, I’m not sure I would have ended up at the tackle position in the NFL.”

“My USFL career was a tremendous starting point that helped prepare me for the NFL,” said Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly to the Hall of Fame. “The USFL was a great league at the time, filled with outstanding players and talent. Playing in Houston under the ‘Run and Shoot’ offense truly elevated my game and gave me opportunities I may not have received so early in my career.”

Ultimately, even with millions of dollars in television deals, the USFL folded after its 1985 season. Despite that short-lived success, the impact of the league continues to resonate.

The NFL eventually would place franchises in cities once held by the USFL: Jacksonville, Baltimore and Phoenix. The USFL’s disbandment also left a prime-time TV slot open after failing to play in the fall of 1986; that led to the NFL launching “Sunday Night Football,” which has become the country’s highest-ranked show each year for nearly two decades.

Backers gave the USFL a second life a few years ago. In March 2022, it was announced that the USFL (in name only) was returning with eight teams and a deal with Fox Sports. After playing its second season in 2023, the league announced it was merging with another startup league – the XFL – creating the current United Football League, which is playing games currently.

Leagues come and go. Some are successful; others fade quickly. The original USFL, while on the surface lasting only three seasons, left an impact on the game that remains today.