USFLFan

@VUSFL2018 Fun fact: Generals backup QB Jeff Knapple went on to marry Vicki from The Love Boat

OTD, 1985. Doug Williams returns to Tampa Bay as a member of the Arizona Outlaws and fell to the Tampa Bay Bandits 23-13 in front of 41,381 USFL fans. Williams is attempting a pass against the Bandits defense. Gary Anderson being tackled by Outlaws Kip Lathrop and Barry Copeland

Oakland Invaders TE Raymond Chester with a catch against the Birmingham Stallions March 13, 1983 at the Oakland Coliseum. The first overtime game in USFL history was won by the Stallions 20-14.

Reggie White #92 and Sam Clancy #90 led a tough Memphis Showboats USFL Defense in the 1985 season. They held their opponents to 18 PPG on the season and less than 16 PPG over their last 9.

OTD March 11, 1984, one of the strangest yet memorable sporting events ever held in Pittsburgh took place. The USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers hosted the Birmingham Stallions in their first-ever home game, before the ONLY sellout crowd the fledgling league would ever see, 53,771 at Three Rivers Stadium. There was legitimate excitement over Pittsburgh’s new expansion franchise and especially their Heisman Trophy-winning running back, Mike Rozier, the first pick chosen in the 1984 USFL draft, who to everyone’s surprise signed with the Maulers on a 3-year deal for $1M per season (or, to be more precise, he signed with Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., as it was a personal services contract). Though they had started 0-2, the Maulers were coming off a solid showing, albeit in a losing effort, in an ESPN nationally-televised game at the defending USFL champions, the Michigan Panthers. Maulers gear was popular and there was a decent amount of purple and orange being worn around ‘tahn. The real draw though that Sunday afternoon was the “homecoming” of a certain former Steelers QB. The beginning of the game felt in many ways like any other pro football game at Three Rivers Stadium, but it was sure strange seeing that Maulers logo on the 50 and those “Pittsburgh Purple” jerseys and helmets down on the field. The stands that day also happened to be filled with packed snow in addition to all those fans, and anyone could have predicted what would happen next, especially when the Maulers fell behind 18-0 early. The target of all those snowballs was that certain returning QB, who maintained his Pittsburgh form with a stat line that read 2-17-29 with 0 TDs and 1 INT. It had to have ranked as one of the worst performances by a winning QB in the history of pro football, as Birmingham went on to win 30-18 despite those passing game woes. In fairness, it was still wintertime, he did run for a TD, and the Maulers defense deserved some of the credit. But the Maulers D also gave up 191 yards on the ground to former Buffalo Bill, Joe Cribbs, and the offense couldn’t get much going to offset it. Rozier ran for 52 yards on 16 carries, and QB Glenn Carano went 18-34 for 221 yards with an INT and a late TD. This video (not ours) comes from Birmingham local tv news and shows some decent quality footage from the game. It highlights some of the good defense by the Maulers, including an INT by CB Jerry Holmes and a nice sack by the great Pitt basketball hero Sam Clancy, playing football for the first time since high school! Also included is Birmingham’s perspective on the game, with some of the Stallions “appreciating” the enthusiasm of the Three Rivers crowd more than others! An added bonus is that morphing Mauler logo video at the very beginning, which by the end of the season was pretty much shown any time the team even had a positive play. And the signs hanging inside Three Rivers Stadium were absolutely classic! Our take on the events of this day is yes maybe the homecoming “reception” and snowballs were a bit over the top, but you would be hard-pressed to find another USFL game in a packed stadium where fans rooted hard for the home team and treated the visitors like a true archrival. It was probably in its own way the most memorable atmosphere in the history of the USFL. It had to have been the most interesting. Deep down we think many would admit there was still some love left for ol’ Clipboard Cliff, proud owner of 2 Steelers Super Bowl rings, who handled it all with dignity. Shout out to fellow Steelers 2-time Super Bowl Champion WR Jim Smith of the Stallions (1 of the 2 Birmingham receptions on the day, for 23 of their 29 passing yards) who is also interviewed in the video, he of one of the all-time best TD spiking techniques! We loved the Maulers!

Novo (1983)