The USFL is back.
A reboot of the United States Football League returns this weekend, and it’s complete with the team names from the original version, which played three seasons from 1983-85.
The original USFL challenged the NFL in the 1980s because it was able to sign top players from the college game. That nostalgia factor should give the new-look league an initial jolt, and it is amazing to look back and see all the star players, coaches and celebrities that were involved in the original league.
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That includes Pro Football Hall of Famers, Heisman Trophy winners and a future United States president. Sporting News looks back at those notable names:
Hall of Famers who played in USFL
Two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, a future two-time defensive player of the year and a dominant offensive lineman started their professional careers in the USFL.
Jim Kelly
Kelly chose the Houston Gamblers over a cold-weather NFL team. He passed for 9,842 yards and 83 TDs in two USFL seasons from 1984-85 and was the league’s MVP in 1984. He went on to an 11-year career in Buffalo, where he led the Bills to four Super Bowl appearances.
Reggie White
The “Minister of Defense” began his professional career with the Memphis Showboats after a standout college career at Tennessee. He had 23.5 sacks in two seasons before taking a pay cut to play with the Eagles in 1985. White finished with 198 sacks between 15 seasons with Philadelphia, Green Bay and Carolina.
Steve Young
Young signed a 10-year, $40 million deal to play for the Los Angeles Express, and he played two seasons in the USFL. Young’s dual-threat style worked in the league. He went on to a 15-year career with Tampa Bay and San Francisco, and he won Super Bowl XXIX MVP honors with the 49ers.
Gary Zimmerman
Zimmerman started his professional career as a tackle for the Los Angeles Express, where he played two seasons. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection for Minnesota and Denver and helped the Broncos win Super Bowl XXXII.
Heisman winners who played in USFL
Three straight Heisman Trophy winners from 1982-84 chose to play in the USFL instead of the NFL.
Herschel Walker
The NFL did not allow juniors to enter its draft, and the USFL exploited that. Walker, who was voted SN’s greatest college football player of all time in 2019, bypassed the NFL for the new league. Walker, who won the Heisman Trophy for Georgia in 1982, opted for the New Jersey Generals and the USFL after his junior season. He rushed for 5,562 yards and 54 TDs in three seasons, including 2,411 yards and 21 TDs in 1985.
Mike Rozier
Rozier won the Heisman Trophy at Nebraska in 1983, and he chose to play for the Pittsburgh Maulers the following season. He also spent one season with the Jacksonville Bulls. He rushed for 2,153 yards and 15 TDs in those two seasons before a seven-year NFL career with Houston and Atlanta.
Doug Flutie
Flutie won the Heisman Trophy at Boston College in 1984, and he chose the New Jersey Generals the following season. He passed for 2,109 yards, 13 TDs and 14 interceptions. Flutie went on to a career that spanned the CFL and NFL from 1986-2005. He was involved in the announcement of the league’s return in 2022.
Hall of Fame coaches, execs from USFL
The USFL had influences from some legendary coaches and executives through its initial run.
George Allen
Allen had a 116-47-5 record in the NFL between stints with Los Angeles and Washington, and he took the experience into the USFL. He led the Chicago Blitz to a 12-6 record in 1983 before leaving for the Arizona Wranglers the following season. Arizona finished 10-8 before losing to the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL championship game.
Sid Gillman
Gillman’s coaching days were over, but he was brought on as a consultant for the Oklahoma Outlaws and was instrumental in them signing quarterback Doug Williams, who was the MVP of Super Bowl XXIII. Gillman later was a consultant for the Los Angeles Express.
Bill Polian
Polian left his job as a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs to be the personnel director for the Chicago Blitz. Polian took the same job with the Bills the following season, and the rest is history. He went on to be a successful general manager with Buffalo, Carolina and Indianapolis.
Marv Levy
Levy coached the Chiefs for five years before the USFL began. He coached the Chicago Blitz in 1984, and it was a 5-13 season. He reunited with Polian in Buffalo, however, and that led to four Super Bowl appearances with the Bills.
Pro Bowlers who played in USFL
Here is a closer look at some USFL stars who went on to become star NFL Players.
Anthony Carter
Carter, a star at Michigan, started his professional career as a deep-threat receiver with the Michigan Panthers and played one season with the Oakland Invaders. He averaged 19.0 yards per catch with 27 TDs in three seasons. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Vikings from 1987-89.
Gary Clark
Clark played two seasons at receiver with the Jacksonville Bulls before becoming a key piece for Washington. The four-time Pro Bowl selection was a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Sean Landeta
Landeta was a punter for the Philadelphia and Baltimore Stars from 1983-85. The two-time Pro Bowl selection won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants.
Kent Hull
Hull played center for the New Jersey Generals from 1983-85. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a mainstay at center for the Bills from 1986-96.
Other USFL contributors
That’s not all. The USFL had a star-studded cast of owners and coaches, including these outspoken personalities:
Donald Trump
Trump bought the New Jersey Generals in 1984, and he urged the USFL to move to a fall schedule and compete with the NFL. That led to an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. The USFL won the case, but was awarded just $3 and the league folded in 1986. Trump was elected President of the United States in 2016.
Lee Corso
The “ESPN College GameDay” commentator was 5-13 as the head coach of the Orlando Renegades in 1985.
Jim Mora
“Playoffs?” That wasn’t a problem for Mora in the USFL. He led the Philadelphia Stars, which relocated to Baltimore in 1985, to three straight USFL championship games and a pair of championships. Mora went on to coach 15 years with New Orleans and Indianapolis in the NFL.
Steve Spurrier
Spurrier went 35-19 in three seasons with the Tampa Bay Bandits, and he used that experience to launch a college football career with Duke, Florida and South Carolina. Spurrier coached Orlando in the AAF in 2019.
Burt Reynolds
The famous Hollywood actor was a minority owner of the Tampa Bay Bandits from 1982-86.