1983: Bobby Hebert Tosses 5 TD Passes as Panthers Beat Blitz

After a slow start in the United States Football League’s first season, the Michigan Panthers caught fire. They were 1-4 by the fifth week, but proceeded to win six straight games and 9 of 11 prior to their June 26, 1983 showdown against the Chicago Blitz at Soldier Field.

The Panthers offense had prospered behind the play of two rookies, QB Bobby Hebert and WR Anthony Carter, and this game would be no different. Meanwhile the Blitz, coached by George Allen and heavy preseason favorites to dominate the USFL, were 11-5 and just a game ahead of Michigan in the Central Division. They had obtained veteran QB Bobby Scott from the New Jersey Generals after Greg Landry, the club’s original starter, went down with a broken ankle; after Landry’s replacement, Tim Koegel, also suffered an injury, Scott moved into the starting lineup the previous week in a 29-14 win over Birmingham.

On a 99-degree day before 25,041 fans, the Panthers took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a pass from Hebert to RB Ken Lacy that covered 39 yards. It was 14-0 in the second quarter after Hebert threw his second TD pass of the day, for 35 yards to Carter. The Blitz got on the board with a 34-yard field goal by Frank Corral, but Hebert threw a 42-yard TD pass to WR Derek Holloway and Michigan took a 21-3 lead into halftime.

Hebert hit Holloway for another touchdown, of 15 yards, in the third quarter. While the extra point failed, the lead of 27-3 seemed secure. Still, Chicago rallied for 16 straight points in the fourth quarter. RB Kevin Long ran for a four-yard TD, although the attempted two-point conversion afterward failed. But Corral kicked a 40-yard field goal and Scott threw a nine-yard scoring pass to WR Trumaine Johnson to pull within reach of the Panthers at 27-19. However, Hebert’s fifth touchdown pass of the day, covering 32 yards to Carter, sealed the 34-19 win for Michigan.

Bobby Hebert completed 13 of 20 passes for 265 yards and an interception. His five touchdown passes set a USFL record that was tied six times over the next two seasons but never exceeded. Anthony Carter had his best game as a pro to date, catching 8 passes for 143 yards including the two TDs. Ken Lacy led the club in rushing with 77 yards on 21 carries in addition to his lone pass reception, the 39-yard TD.

Bobby Scott did not do badly for the Blitz, completing 22 of 39 passes for 345 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Trumaine Johnson, the eventual league-leader in pass receiving, had 8 receptions for 138 yards and the one TD. However, the normally proficient running game was held to 98 yards, with Kevin Long accumulating 33 yards on 10 carries and Tim Spencer adding 29 yards, also on 10 attempts.


The Panthers sacked Scott six times (suffering just one of their own), with LB John Corker accounting for two on his way to a USFL-leading 28. Corker also had an interception.

The win put the Panthers in a three-way tie atop the Central Division with the Blitz and Tampa Bay Bandits. Ultimately, after the final week action, Michigan and Chicago ended up with 12-6 records; the Panthers won the division title on tiebreakers while the Blitz made it to the postseason as the wild card entry. Tampa Bay placed third with an 11-7 mark. Chicago lost to the Philadelphia Stars in the first round of the postseason. Michigan ultimately won the league championship, defeating the Stars, 24-22.

Bobby Hebert led the league in overall passing rank as well as touchdowns (27) and yards per attempt (7.9). His 3568 yards through the air ranked third. Anthony Carter placed well behind Trumaine Johnson in pass receptions, but had an outstanding first year with 60 catches for 1181 yards and 9 touchdowns. John Corker not only was an All-League selection, but the Defensive Player of the Year.

1983: Newcomer JoJo Townsell Scores Winning TD as LA Defeats Wranglers

The Los Angeles Express were tied for the lead in the United States Football League’s Pacific Division as they hosted the Arizona Wranglers at the Memorial Coliseum on June 5, 1983, but with a mediocre 6-7 record. While the defense was adequate, the team was at the bottom of the league in running the ball while Head Coach Hugh Campbell split the quarterbacking between CFL and NFL veteran Mike Rae and rookie Tom Ramsey.

The Express also sought to bolster the receiving corps as the season progressed, adding WR Anthony Allen midway through and, two days prior to the contest with the Wranglers, rookie WR JoJo Townsell, a local talent out of UCLA (where he had been a teammate of Ramsey’s). It did not take long for the 5’9”, 180-pound receiver to make an impression.

Arizona, 4-9 coming into the contest, scored in the first quarter on a 25-yard field goal by Phil Denfeld, but Rae staked LA to a 7-3 halftime lead thanks to a one-yard touchdown plunge in the second quarter. The Wranglers moved back ahead in the third quarter with a 13-yard scoring run by RB Darryl Clark. Vince Abbott tied the score with a 33-yard field goal later in the period.

Arizona regained the advantage in the fourth quarter due to another Denfeld field goal, this from 34 yards. But with 2:38 remaining in the game, Ramsey passed to Townsell for a 26-yard touchdown to win the game for the Express, 17-13.

Neither team mounted much of a running attack, with LA actually outgaining the Wranglers 79 yards to 72. Time of possession was virtually the same, but the Express defense sacked Arizona’s quarterbacks a total of 9 times – both LB Eric Scoggins and NT Eddie “Meat Cleaver” Weaver recorded three apiece.

Of the two Los Angeles quarterbacks, Mike Rae completed 12 of 20 passes for 115 yards with no TDs and two interceptions; Tom Ramsey was successful on 11 of 14 throws for 101 yards with the winning TD and none picked off. Townsell was the headliner with two catches for a team-leading 57 yards and the critical TD, but Anthony Allen led the club in receptions with 6 (totaling 44 yards). RB John Barnett led the runners with 32 yards on 7 carries.

QB Alan Risher completed 14 of 17 passes for 143 yards with no interceptions for Arizona; QB Dan Manucci added another 41 yards while completing 5 of 12 passes with an interception (RB Harold Blue also completed a nine-yard pass). TE Mark Keel caught 6 passes for 44 yards and WR Neil Balholm gained 53 yards on four catches. RB Calvin Murray gained 44 yards on 10 carries to lead the team.

While the win over the Wranglers allowed the Express to stay even with Oakland at the top of the Pacific Division, ultimately LA finished second to the Invaders with an 8-10 record. It did not help that they had difficulty drawing fans to the Coliseum (there were 13,826 on hand for the June 2 contest). Arizona lost its remaining games to stay at the bottom of the division with a 4-14 tally.

The two late-arriving receivers performed well overall, with Allen catching 37 passes for 613 yards (16.6 avg.) and three touchdowns in eight games and Townsell making 21 catches for 326 yards (15.5 avg.) and three TDs over five contests. TE Ricky Ellis, who was with the Express all year (although not initially in the starting lineup) was the leader of the club’s solid group of receivers with 69 receptions for 716 yards and 6 TDs (he grabbed three passes for 21 yards against Arizona). But the lack of a running game badly hindered the offense (LaRue Harrington led the team in rushing for the year with just 547 yards and a 3.8 average).

1983: Long & Spencer Run Blitz to Win Over Wranglers

George Allen was a defensive-minded coach who preferred a conservative, run-based offense. With the Chicago Blitz of the United States Football League, the formula was unchanged from what it had been in the NFL. On May 30, 1983 the ground game lifted the Blitz to a win over the Arizona Wranglers before a sparse crowd of 13,952 at Soldier Field.

The running tandem of Kevin Long, an NFL veteran with five years of experience with the New York Jets, and rookie Tim Spencer (pictured above) keyed an attack that ran up 253 yards on the ground. It was especially welcome in that an inexperienced first-year quarterback, Tim Koegel, was getting his first start in place of 36-year-old veteran Greg Landry, who had suffered a broken ankle the week before.

Arizona, with a 4-8 record coming into the game, scored first when QB Alan Risher connected with WR Neil Balholm for a 21-yard touchdown pass play. The Wranglers went for two points and successfully converted for an 8-0 lead. Frank Corral put Chicago, 8-4 entering the contest, on the board later in the first quarter with a 40-yard field goal.

The Blitz took control in the second quarter, scoring 21 points on two more field goals by Corral, a 36-yard TD pass from Koegel to WR Trumaine Johnson that was followed by a successful two-point conversion, and a 40-yard punt return by WR Lenny Willis.

The Wranglers never got back into the game, with a 36-yard field goal by Phil Denfeld in the third quarter accounting for their remaining points. Chicago added two more field goals by Corral, a one-yard touchdown run by Spencer, and a safety to win the contest handily, 36-11. The margin could have been wider – while the veteran kicker Corral connected on four field goal attempts, he also missed three.

Long was the top rusher for the Blitz, gaining 102 yards on 19 carries. Spencer added another 90 yards on 16 attempts, including the short TD. Reserve RB Mack Boatner accounted for 47 yards on 8 runs. In all, Chicago ran the ball 50 times and averaged 5.1 yards-per-carry. Meanwhile, Koegel completed 12 of 29 passes for 202 yards with an interception and a touchdown. Trumaine Johnson had a typically solid outing, leading the receivers with 4 catches for 117 yards and a score.

The Blitz defense throttled Arizona’s offense. The Wranglers accumulated only 62 net yards of passing offense and gained 46 yards on 21 running plays. Chicago ran up five sacks, with DE Junior Ah You leading the way with two (Koegel wasn’t sacked at all). Arizona had just seven first downs (as opposed to Chicago’s 25) and was forced to punt 9 times. They also suffered 9 fumbles, losing 4 of them (the Blitz turned the ball over three times).

RB Calvin Murray led the Wranglers in rushing with 34 yards on 9 carries. Alan Risher threw 24 passes and completed 15 of them for 104 yards and the lone touchdown while having none picked off. Both Murray and RB Steve Howell caught 6 passes, with Murray’s 36 yards topping the receivers.

The Blitz, preseason favorites to dominate the USFL, failed to live up to expectations, but nevertheless concluded the regular season with a 12-6 record; that put them in second place in the Central Division behind eventual-champion Michigan due to tiebreakers. It was good enough for the lone wild card spot, but they lost to the Philadelphia Stars in the Semifinal round of the playoffs. Arizona fell to the bottom of the Pacific Division, continuing to lose the rest of the way and ending up with a 4-14 tally. Oddly enough, these franchises ended up switching locations for the 1984 season.

Both Tim Spencer and Kevin Long (pictured below) rushed for a thousand yards in ’83, with Spencer, despite nagging injuries, placing fourth in the league with 1157 yards on 300 carries (3.9 average) and six touchdowns and Long ranking sixth with 1022 yards on 262 attempts, also for a 3.9-yard average but with 12 TDs.

1983: Gold Loses to Express After Firing of Head Coach

As the Denver Gold hosted the Los Angeles Express on May 22, 1983, they not only were in the midst of a four-game losing streak but were under the direction of an interim head coach, Charley Armey. Owner Ron Blanding, concerned that the team was on the verge of falling out of the running in the Pacific Division, had dismissed Head Coach Red Miller (pictured) following the previous week’s 17-9 loss to the Boston Breakers. Miller thus became the first USFL head coach to be fired.

However, the move was not a popular one with Denver football fans. Miller had coached the NFL’s Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1977 and was thus held in great esteem. He had compiled a 42-25 record in four seasons with the Broncos, easily the best up to that time in the club’s history. For Blanding to hire him to coach the Denver USFL franchise was great for public relations – firing him was not. Moreover, even though the Gold was a mediocre 4-7, they were only a game out of first place in a weak division.

The Express, 5-6 and tied for first with Oakland, had lost three of their last four contests. The teams may have been far from the cream of the crop in the league, but were in the running for the postseason, thus making this a key division matchup.

At halftime Denver held a 7-0 lead thanks to a 31-yard touchdown pass play from QB Alvin White to RB Harry Sydney. LA tied the score in the third quarter as QB Mike Rae connected with RB John Barnett for a 19-yard TD. Brian Speelman moved the Gold back in front later in the period with a 50-yard field goal, but the Express won in the fourth quarter as Barnett dove into the end zone from a yard out with 3:32 left to play. Los Angeles went home the winner by a 14-10 margin.

The lackluster effort by the Gold was reflected in the statistics. The Express led in time of possession (34:28 to 24:32), first downs (22 to 10), and yards from scrimmage (373 to 185). There was no dominant runner for LA - RB Wilbert Haslip led the club with 36 yards on 8 carries while John Barnett, with the two TDs, contributed 33 yards on 9 attempts and RB LaRue Harrington added 30 yards on 12 rushes. Mike Rae, formerly of Toronto in the CFL and a backup with Oakland and Tampa Bay in the NFL, completed 21 of 43 passes for 275 yards with the one TD and two interceptions. WR Anthony Allen led the receivers with 5 catches for 68 yards.


As he did all season, RB Harry Sydney (pictured at left) led Denver in rushing with 46 yards on 13 carries and added another 44 yards on three pass receptions, including the team’s lone touchdown. Alvin White saw his only action of the year at quarterback, completing 2 of 7 passes for 38 yards with two interceptions and the one TD. QB Ken Mortensen completed 9 of 15 throws for 109 yards with no touchdowns and none picked off. Along with Sydney, two other receivers had three catches apiece (TE Bob Niziolek and WR Johnnie Dirden), with Dirden accumulating the most yards with 54.

Owner Blanding sought to mollify the loyal Denver fans (the team led the USFL in attendance in 1983, averaging 41,736 per game). He hired Craig Morton, quarterback of the 1977 AFC Championship team, as head coach in the week following the loss to the Express. The Gold won their first two contests with Morton at the helm, but ultimately ended up in third place with a 7-11 record. Los Angeles also missed out on winning the league’s weakest division, finishing second at 8-10.

Denver had sought to remain competitive while adhering closely to the original USFL philosophy of eschewing high-priced players in order to control costs. The defensive unit was respectable, but the offense lacked firepower – the Gold had the lowest-rated passing offense. Harry Sydney was one of the few notable offensive performers, rushing for 801 yards on 176 carries (4.6 average) with 9 touchdowns and catching 31 passes for 306 yards and another two scores. Bob Niziolek also performed well, catching 37 passes for 373 yards and three TDs. But the quarterbacks combined for just 4.6 yards per pass attempt with 36 interceptions against 19 touchdowns.

1983: Stars Come from Behind to Defeat Blitz

By the eleventh week of the inaugural United States Football League season, the Philadelphia Stars had put together a league-best 9-1 record. However, the Chicago Blitz, a team stocked with ex-NFL veterans and coached by George Allen, was 7-3 and, in the minds of many sportswriters, still the team to beat in the USFL.

On May 15, 1983 the Stars hosted the Blitz before 20,931 fans at Veterans Stadium, and for three quarters Chicago held the upper hand. 15-year veteran QB Greg Landry passed to WR Lenny Willis for a 24-yard first quarter touchdown. While the Stars got on the board with a 46-yard David Trout field goal and took the lead in the second quarter thanks to a 12-yard TD pass from QB Chuck Fusina to WR Tom Donovan, the Blitz went up 14-10 before halftime with a seven-yard touchdown run by RB Kevin Long.

Chicago was ahead 24-10 at the end of the third quarter, and appeared to have the game under control, after a nine-yard TD throw from Landry to WR Trumaine Johnson and a 37-yard field goal by Frank Corral.

But Philadelphia came back in the fourth quarter. First, the Stars engineered a 57-yard drive that culminated in a three-yard scoring run by star rookie RB Kelvin Bryant. LB Jon Brooks recovered a fumble on the Chicago 16 yard line that led to another touchdown run by Bryant, this from five yards out, that tied the score.

The defense made another big play on Chicago’s next possession, with LB Sam Mills (pictured above) recovering a fumble on the Blitz 19. Shortly thereafter, Fusina rolled out to his right and scrambled 17 yards for the winning touchdown. The Blitz could not come back – the final score was 31-24.


While the passing yardage was virtually identical (156 to 155 in favor of Philadelphia), the Stars outrushed the Blitz, 204 yards to 141. Kelvin Bryant had a typically strong performance, rushing for 98 yards and the two touchdowns on 23 carries. Chuck Fusina (pictured at left) completed 16 of 28 passes for 187 yards with a TD and one intercepted; crucially, he also ran for 87 yards on 12 attempts, including the winning score. WR Willie Collier was the team’s top receiver with 5 catches for 79 yards.

Chicago’s solid running game, as usual, featured Kevin Long (76 yards on 16 carries), formerly of the New York Jets, and standout rookie RB Tim Spencer (65 yards on 15 rushes). Greg Landry completed 13 of his 24 passes for 156 yards with both a TD and an interception. The other star rookie on offense, Trumaine Johnson, led the receivers with 6 catches for 82 yards and the TD.

The result was in keeping with the season’s outcome for each team. Philadelphia ended up on top of the Atlantic Division with a 15-3 record and lost the league title game to the Michigan Panthers in a close-fought 24-22 contest. Chicago wound up at 12-6, second in the Central Division to the Panthers as a result of tiebreakers. They lost to the Stars in the Semifinal round, once again due to a late comeback. The veteran team that had entered the season with such high expectations exhibited a tendency to lose leads late in the going.

Kelvin Bryant ended up second in the USFL in rushing with 1442 yards. Greg Landry ranked third in passing in the league, two ahead of Fusina, although Fusina’s 2.4 interception percentage was the lowest among qualifiers. Trumaine Johnson had the most pass receptions and yards receiving in the USFL’s first season, with 81 for 1322 yards and 10 TDs.

Significantly for the Stars, as was demonstrated by the two timely fumble recoveries in the fourth quarter, the defense had the best turnover ratio in the USFL (+35) and recovered the most fumbles (28). Fourth in total defense, they averaged the fewest points yielded (11.3 per game) of any unit in the league. Sam Mills and safety Scott Woerner were both All-League selections.

1983: John Walton Throws for 423 Yards as Breakers Fall to Panthers

35-year-old QB John Walton had made the rounds of minor and major pro football leagues prior to becoming a member of the Boston Breakers of the United States Football League in 1983. He had won a Continental Football League championship as a rookie with the Indianapolis Capitols in 1969 and spent a year with the Columbus Barons of the Midwest Football League in ’73. In between, he was on the taxi squad of the NFL’s Rams.

Walton moved on to the World Football League - after backing up in Chicago in 1974, he got a chance to start and performed well with the San Antonio Wings in 1975. From there, it was back to the NFL and a backup role with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976-79. At that point he retired as a player and returned to his alma mater, Elizabeth City State, where he was the head coach for three seasons before taking a shot at the USFL (his coaching record was 20-10-1).

Everywhere Walton went he had impressed with his strong throwing arm, and age had not diminished his passing ability. He also provided leadership; as Head Coach Dick Coury put it, “Talk about character, John’s the catalyst of that on the field.”

The Breakers had a 5-3 record as they hosted the Michigan Panthers (4-4) on May 1, 1983 at Nickerson Field. The Panthers had won three straight after a slow start, and scored the first touchdown when TE Don Echols recovered a fumble in the end zone. Boston scored 10 points in the second quarter as Walton passed to WR Nolan Franz for a 44-yard touchdown and Tim Mazzetti booted a 38-yard field goal. However, Michigan led 14-10 at the half thanks to a five-yard TD pass from QB Bobby Hebert to TE Mike Cobb.

The Panthers extended their lead to 21-10 in the fourth quarter as Hebert threw another TD pass, this one covering 47 yards to WR Anthony Carter. However, Walton drove the Breakers back into the lead with two touchdown throws to RB Anthony Steels that covered one and 13 yards, respectively. Boston had a 24-21 lead, but the storybook performance by Walton failed to have a happy ending; a shanked punt by Dario Casarino gave the Panthers good field position at the Breakers 43 yard line, and with under two minutes left to play, RB John Williams plowed over for a touchdown and the lead for the Panthers.

Walton and Boston still nearly pulled the game out. Taking possession at their own 22 yard line, the Breakers drove to the Michigan three. However, Boston was unable to stop the clock at that point and time ran out. The Panthers won, 28-24.

The veteran quarterback put on an impressive passing display in defeat, completing 37 of 48 passes for 423 yards with three TDs and no interceptions; the yardage figure was the highest of the ’83 USFL season. He also spread the ball around well, and several receivers had noteworthy performances: WR Frank Lockett and RB Richard Crump caught the most passes, with 8 apiece for 85 and 66 yards respectively, while Nolan Franz gained the most yards, 103, on six catches with the one TD. FB Tony Davis caught 6 passes for 65 yards, while veteran WR Charlie Smith (who had been a teammate of Walton’s with the NFL’s Eagles) had 4 catches for 75 yards. Anthony Steels, who caught the last two touchdown throws, had 5 receptions for 29 yards.

Michigan outgained the Breakers on the ground, 121 yards to 65, as RB Ken Lacy led the way with 55 yards on 16 carries and John Williams added 41 yards on 13 attempts, including the winning TD. Tony Davis, by contrast, led the Breakers with 26 yards on seven attempts.

Bobby Hebert completed 17 of 26 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns; like Walton, he had none picked off. Elite rookie Anthony Carter gained 77 yards on three catches with a TD while Mike Cobb led the club with 5 catches (for 53 yards).

There was plenty of sloppy play along the way, as the teams combined for 27 penalties (14 by Michigan, 13 by the Breakers for more yards).

Boston ended up with an 11-7 record, finishing in second place in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers surged to a 12-6 finish, and thanks to tiebreakers won the Central Division title over the Chicago Blitz. They also won the first USFL championship, defeating the Philadelphia Stars.

John Walton ranked first in the league in pass attempts (589), second in completions (330) and yards (3772), and tied for third in touchdown passes (20). However, it was the unheralded rookie, Bobby Hebert, ranking first among USFL passers in leading the Panthers to the title; he also topped the league in yards per attempt (7.9) and touchdown passes (27).

1983: Eric Truvillion’s 3 TD Receptions Help Bandits Defeat Federals

The Tampa Bay Bandits had won their first four games in the United States Football League’s inaugural season, but had stumbled in losing two of the next three contests. The loss of veteran QB John Reaves with a broken wrist didn’t help matters.

On April 24, 1983 the Bandits traveled to Washington to take on the lowly (1-6) Federals at RFK Stadium before a sparse crowd of 9070. Jimmy Jordan, a former star at Florida State, had taken over at quarterback. Like Reaves, Jordan wasn’t very mobile and also suffered from a sore shoulder, but he proved to be effective in this, his first start.

It looked like it would be an easy win for the Bandits as they broke out to a 20-6 halftime lead. Jordan hit WR Eric Truvillion with three touchdown passes, of 28, 15, and six yards (the extra point attempt was blocked after the first one). Washington only got on the board thanks to a 94-yard kickoff return by RB Eric Robinson after the first Tampa Bay score (the Bandits blocked the ensuing PAT attempt in turn).

However, sloppy play by the Bandits - they turned the ball over seven times in all - allowed the Federals to nearly pull the game out. First, RB Craig James ran for a 19-yard touchdown to cut the margin to 20-13 in the third quarter. Then in the fourth quarter, QB Mike Hohensee passed to WR Mike Holmes for a 10-yard TD that tied the score. The Federals gained the lead at 23-20 with a 23-yard Dale Castro field goal, but it didn’t last long.

Jordan took the Bandits to the Washington 15 yard line on the next possession, which culminated in Zenon Andrusyshyn re-tying the game at 23-23 with a 31-yard field goal. CB Leon Williams intercepted a pass to regain possession for Tampa Bay, and with under three minutes remaining RB Carl Franks dashed 18 yards through the middle for the winning touchdown. The final score was 30-23 in favor of the Bandits.

Jimmy Jordan completed 30 of 45 passes for 345 yards with the three touchdowns, but tossed three interceptions as well. Eric Truvillion caught 9 passes for 113 yards with the three scores, while WR Danny Buggs also exceeded a hundred receiving yards with 103 on 7 catches. RB Sam Platt led the club in rushing with 71 yards on 22 carries; he also contributed a further 49 yards on 7 pass receptions.


The two Washington quarterbacks, rookie Mike Hohensee and veteran Joe Gilliam, combined to complete 16 of 37 passes for 213 yards with a TD and four interceptions (Hohensee tossed the TD while Gilliam had three of his passes picked off). Craig James rushed for 60 yards on 15 attempts. WR Joey Walters was the Federals’ top receiver with 7 catches for 85 yards.

Tampa Bay gave up more turnovers than Washington thanks to four fumbles and the three passes picked off, but also won the total yardage battle (452 to 267) and dominated in first downs (31 to 16) and time of possession (35:28 to 24:32). The Federals recorded the only sacks of the contest, however, with three; 1.5 were credited to 15-year veteran DE Coy Bacon.

The Bandits encountered rough going the rest of the way, finishing with an 11-7 record that put them in third place in the Central Division and out of the playoffs. Washington went 4-14 to end up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, tied with Arizona for the worst record in the league.

Jordan performed well overall, placing fourth among the USFL’s passers (Reaves was 12th) as he completed 60.9 % of his 238 throws for 1831 yards with 14 TDs and 14 interceptions. Eric Truvillion was an All-League selection both by the USFL and The Sporting News as he caught 66 passes for 1080 yards and 15 touchdowns (Danny Buggs grabbed 76 passes for 1146 yards, but with just 5 TDs). Prize rookie Craig James was one of the few bright spots for the Federals as he rushed for 823 yards on 202 carries.

1983: John Reaves Sets USFL Passing Records as Bandits Defeat Gold in Overtime

33-year-old QB John Reaves was making the most of his new opportunity with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League. An outstanding college passer at Florida, he had been the first draft choice of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles in 1972. He had started seven games for a very bad Eagles team in his rookie season, but then sat on the bench for two years after veteran Roman Gabriel was obtained from the Rams. Traded to Cincinnati, Reaves backed up Ken Anderson for four years. But after appearing in five games with the Houston Oilers in 1981, it appeared that his career was over. He had become better known for his off-field problems than any on-field accomplishments.

In 1983, a clean and sober Reaves became starting quarterback for the USFL franchise in Tampa Bay, operating Head Coach Steve Spurrier’s air-oriented offense. He led the team to wins in the first four games, but then suffered a disastrous performance against the Chicago Blitz in which he was intercepted four times and pulled in the third quarter.

In the following contest, on April 9, 1983 at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Reaves filled the air with passes as he set single-game league records for passes attempted (63) and completed (38). The Bandits defeated the Denver Gold, 22-16, but it wasn’t easy.

Denver was up 13-3 at halftime thanks to a 56-yard pass play from QB Ken Johnson to RB Harry Sydney and two Brian Speelman field goals. The Bandits had managed only a 36-yard first quarter field goal by Zenon Andrusyshyn.

Reaves led Tampa Bay on a long scoring drive in the third quarter that culminated in a six-yard TD pass to WR Danny Buggs; Denver blocked the ensuing extra point attempt. A one-yard fourth quarter touchdown run by RB Sam Platt put the Bandits ahead by a 16-13 margin, but the Gold fought back as Speelman tied the game with a 33-yard field goal with 45 seconds remaining in regulation.

Reaves directed a 73-yard scoring drive to win the game in overtime, including a key 28-yard pass to WR Eric Truvillion that set up an 11-yard touchdown run by RB Greg Boone.

Reaves’ 38-of-63 performance yielded 357 yards; he threw two interceptions in addition to his one TD pass. Sam Platt caught the most passes for the Bandits with 12 receptions out of the backfield for 87 yards while Danny Buggs led the team with 97 yards on 8 catches. Boone was Tampa Bay’s top rusher with 41 yards on seven carries; Platt contributed another 36 yards on 16 attempts.

For Denver, Harry Sydney was the top rusher with 68 yards on 17 carries. Ken Johnson completed 13 of 23 passes for 157 yards with the lone touchdown and no interceptions. TE Bob Niziolek caught 5 passes, for 27 yards, while Sydney was the receiving yardage leader with 56 thanks to his touchdown reception.

Tampa Bay’s strong start didn’t result in continued success over the course of the season; the Bandits ended up with an 11-7 record and finished in third place in the strong Central Division and out of the postseason. Denver was 7-11 and ended up third in the far weaker Pacific Division.

Reaves suffered a broken right wrist the week after the Denver game and didn’t return until the next-to-last contest of the season (three quarterbacks started in his absence, most notably Jimmy Jordan, a former Florida State star). Thus, his overall numbers were held to 139 completions in 259 attempts (53.7 %) for 1726 yards with 9 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. That he was playing football at all, and in general quite effectively, was the bigger story. He would go on to have his greatest professional season in 1984.

1983: Stallions Defeat Invaders in 1st USFL Overtime Game

On March 13, 1983 the Oakland Invaders hosted the Birmingham Stallions at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in the second week of the young USFL’s season. It was the home opener for the Invaders, who had won at Arizona the previous week, while Birmingham lost a close contest at home to the Michigan Panthers.

With a crowd of 47,344 in attendance, the Invaders recorded the only score of the first half on a one-yard run by FB Ted Torosian. However, the Stallions took a 14-7 lead with two third quarter touchdowns, a 46-yard pass play from QB Reggie Collier to WR Ron Frederick and a one-yard run by RB Ken Talton.

Oakland QB Fred Besana (pictured above) threw a 26-yard TD pass to WR Wyatt Henderson to tie the score. Invader PK Kevin Shea missed a field goal that could have won the game in regulation, and for the first time in the USFL’s young history, the game went into overtime.

Birmingham QB Bob Lane, who relieved Collier, led a 48-yard scoring drive in the “sudden death” period, plunging over from a yard out for the winning touchdown and a final score of 20-14. The key play had been a pass from Lane to RB Earl Gant that surprised the Invaders defense on third-and-one at the Oakland 28 yard line and covered 25 yards for a first-and-goal at the three.

The placekicker, Shea, was the goat for Oakland as he missed all four of his field goal attempts, including the one that would have won the game in the fourth quarter plus another in overtime. Wasted was a 19-of-30, 270-yard passing performance by Besana, the surprising star who had played behind Steve Bartkowski in college at California but, after failing to latch on in the NFL, had lately been playing semi-pro football for the Twin Cities Cougars of the California Football League.

Oakland won the statistical battle, with 127 rushing and 222 net passing yards to 92 and 188 yards, respectively, for the Stallions. Torosian was the leading rusher for the Invaders, with 48 yards on 12 carries, with HB Arthur Whittington, an ex-Raider, right behind at 41 yards on 13 attempts. Wyatt Henderson had the most receptions, with 5 (for 73 yards), while 34-year-old TE Raymond Chester, another ex-Raider, accumulated the most receiving yards with 78 on four catches.


Between them, quarterbacks Collier and Lane completed 11 of 24 passes for 197 yards with Collier’s TD pass and two interceptions tossed by Lane. Ken Talton led the Stallions in rushing with 44 yards on 18 carries. Ron Frederick, Earl Gant (pictured at left), and WR Greg Anderson all caught three passes apiece, with Frederick’s 80 yards leading the club.

Both teams went on to compile 9-9 records, which was good enough to win the weak Pacific Division title for the Invaders while the Stallions finished at the bottom of the Central Division.

Fred Besana was one of the league’s top passers, leading the USFL in completions (345), completion percentage (62.7), and yards (3980). Not a mobile quarterback, he was also sacked the most times (71) – in the game against Birmingham, he was hauled down six times, with a resulting loss of 46 yards. He wasn’t helped by the generally poor play by the offensive line.

The two ex-Oakland Raiders, Arthur Whittington and Raymond Chester, had solid years. Whittington led the club with 1043 rushing yards and caught 66 passes. Chester was the top receiver with 68 catches in his final pro season.

Despite the dreadful placekicking performance against the Stallions, Kevin Shea completed the season and put up respectable numbers with 19 field goals out of 32 attempts that included 12 of 17 from inside the 40.

Birmingham’s two rookie quarterbacks went through their share of growing pains. Reggie Collier, the more heralded of the two coming out of Southern Mississippi, suffered through an injury-plagued season. Lane, from Northeast Louisiana, saw the most action. As he did in this game, Ken Talton led the Stallions in rushing with 907 yards; Earl Gant was second with 530.

For the Stallions, the overtime win was the first of two during the ’83 season – they would not play in any more during the remaining two years of the franchise’s existence. Oakland would appear in two more – one of which, in 1985, ended up being the only tie game in USFL history.

1983: Blitz Wins USFL Debut as George Allen Returns to Washington

March 6, 1983 marked opening day for the new United States Football League (USFL), and the Washington Federals hosted the Chicago Blitz at RFK Stadium. It was something of a homecoming for Blitz Head Coach George Allen, who had coached the NFL Redskins from 1971-77.

Allen was the most prestigious of the new league’s head coaches, and thus he and the Blitz received a fair amount of attention prior to the USFL commencing its first spring season. After initially gaining notoriety as the defensive assistant for the Bears under George Halas when they won the 1963 NFL title, Allen had gone on to his first head coaching job with the Rams. Taking over a franchise that had posted six consecutive losing seasons prior to 1966, he immediately turned the team’s fortunes around and ended up with a 49-19-4 record before departing following the 1970 season. From there it was to Washington and a 69-35-1 tally that included a NFC championship in 1972. Hard-working and intense, he also was an outstanding motivator whose teams typically played with great spirit and enthusiasm.

Allen left Washington to return to the Rams for the ’78 season, but never made it through the preseason as he was replaced by Ray Malavasi. He retreated to the broadcast booth until taking on the challenge of coaching a new team in a start-up league. His arrival in Chicago heralded great expectations and, as Allen had done with the Rams and Redskins, a strong nucleus of veteran players was assembled.

QB Greg Landry (pictured below left), a 14-year NFL veteran, guided an offense that included the team’s two most significant rookie signings, WR Trumaine Johnson and RB Tim Spencer. The defense was filled with experienced players, most notably defensive ends Karl Lorch (WFL and Redskins) and Junior Ah You (CFL), DT Joe Ehrmann (Colts and Lions), LB Stan White (Colts and Lions), CB Virgil Livers (Bears), and safety Luther Bradley (Lions). Even punter/placekicker Frank Corral (Rams) was an experienced pro.


Chicago met expectations in the opener, easily defeating the Federals, 28-7. Landry directed the typically conservative but effective offense (a signature of Allen’s teams), completing 19 of 27 passes for 251 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. The rookie WR Johnson made an immediate impression, catching 11 of those passes for 158 yards and a score. Spencer led the running attack with 69 yards on 17 carries. On defense, Bradley picked off two passes and Ah You and Ehrmann each recorded a sack.

The Blitz outrushed the Federals, 143 yards to 36 (rookie RB Craig James gained 34 of those yards on 14 carries), and outpassed them 213 to 172. Washington had only three first downs in the first three quarters, didn’t score until the fourth quarter, and was forced to punt nine times.

Speculation that Chicago was the USFL’s dominant team grew to a fever pitch, although Allen attempted to calm the inflated expectations. “I don’t feel that we’ll dominate the league in any manner,” was his response, and it was proven so the following week when the Blitz gave up 18 points in the fourth quarter to blow a 29-12 lead over the Arizona Wrangers, who won 30-29.

At the end of the year, Chicago had a 12-6 record and the wild card spot in the playoffs (their record matched that of the Michigan Panthers in the Central Division, but the eventual-champion Panthers won the division title by sweeping the season series between the teams). They lost to the Philadelphia Stars in the Semifinal round. Washington, by contrast, went 4-14 and ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

The Blitz scored the most points (456) and had the third-ranked offense as well as top-ranked defense in the USFL. Trumaine Johnson topped the league with 81 catches for 1322 yards and Luther Bradley led in interceptions with 12. Allen was criticized for his offense’s predictability, and for sitting on late leads that made them vulnerable to opponents staging comebacks. However, the team suffered key injuries, losing Landry to a foot injury twelve weeks into the campaign as well as some key offensive linemen. But for the outsized expectations (and monetary losses that led the franchise to exchange locations with the Wranglers for 1984), it was a respectable showing and did nothing to damage a coaching career that landed Allen in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1983: Herschel Walker Signs with USFL

Football fans received stunning news on February 23, 1983 as the new United States Football League (USFL), slated to begin play in just a few weeks, announced the signing of Heisman Trophy-winning RB Herschel Walker to a contract with the New Jersey Generals. There had been something of a false start earlier in the month when Walker, whose agent had been in contact with the league for some two months, signed but then took advantage of a 24-hour escape clause to back away. However, this time it was a done deal and the 6’1”, 220-pound phenom, just short of his 21st birthday, was officially a professional.

The news was both surprising and controversial. Walker, who had been a Heisman candidate since his freshman year at Georgia in 1980 (he finished third in the voting), had won the award as a junior in ’82. It was widely anticipated that he would duplicate Archie Griffin’s feat of twice attaining the Heisman trophy, especially since at the time it wasn’t possible for underclassmen to enter the NFL draft.

The USFL had initially stated that it would follow the NFL’s no-underclassmen rule. It had also been the new league’s policy to take a go-slow approach to challenging the older league. They would be playing in the spring, rather than going directly head-to-head with the NFL in the fall, and payrolls were to be held to $1.6 million per club.

The payroll structure began to unravel even before the Walker signing as several major players coming out of college such as North Carolina’s RB Kelvin Bryant, Grambling WR Trumaine Johnson, and Michigan WR Anthony Carter had inked contracts that stretched their respective team payrolls beyond the limit (the owners used personal services contracts to circumvent the cap). Walker’s deal, which was a personal services contract with Generals owner J. Walter Duncan, came to $3.9 million for three years and included incentives that took the figure over $4.2 million.

Both the NFL and NCAA cried foul at the signing of the underclassman Walker, and several colleges banned the new league’s scouts from their campuses. USFL Commissioner Chet Simmons insisted that no other underclassmen would be signed and that Walker presented a “special case”. The truth was that, in having his agent approach the new league, Walker had already compromised his college eligibility for 1983, and had he pressed a court case, he might well have forced his way into the USFL through judicial decision (a threat of a lawsuit challenging the draft was something the NFL feared and ultimately led to its ending the ban on underclassmen).

There may have been plenty of controversy, but Herschel Walker was the biggest name in college football and a huge prize for the new league. Signing with the team that would play in the New York metropolitan area only enhanced the effect. It also assured that he would receive intense scrutiny, and when he started slowly (he gained just 65 yards on 16 carries in his first game, a nationally-televised 20-15 loss to the Los Angeles Express) the criticism was quick to come. However, maintaining his composure throughout, Walker ended up leading the league in rushing with 1812 yards over the course of the 18-game season, although the Generals were a disappointing 6-12.