United States Football League Logo

United States Football League (1983-1985)

Tombstone

Formed: May 11, 1982
Disbanded: August 1986

First Game: March 6, 1983
Last Game: July 14, 1985

Seasons: 3
States: 17 including the District of Columbia
(AL, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, IL, LA, MA, MD, MI, NJ, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX)

Leadership

Commissioner

  • June 1982 – January 1985: Chet Simmons
  • January 1985 – August 1986: Harry Usher

Trophy Case

 

Our Favorite Gear

USFL Logo T-Shirt

This United States Football League logo tee harkens back to the iconic spring football experiment of the mid-1980s. The USFL challenged the NFL for the best collegiate talent of the era and created a form of de facto free agency for NFL stars, helping to launch or revitalize the careers of stars such as Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Herschel Walker, Doug Flutie, Doug Williams and Sam Mills.
The classic-era logo was later revived with minimal alteration for the Made-For-Television USFL re-boot of 2022 and 2023.
This USFL design is available in a variety of colors and in sizes Small through 5XL from Royal Retros today!
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

 

Timeline

1984
Heisman Winner Mike Rozier Signs With Pittsburgh Maulers
Mike Rozier on the cover of a 1984 Pittsburgh Maulers program from the United States Football League

Heisman Trophy-winning running back Mike Rozier (University of Nebraska), the USFL's #1 overall draft pick, signs a three-year, $3.1 million contract with the expansion Pittsburgh Maulers. He is the second straight Heisman winner to sign with the USFL, following Herschel Walker a year earlier.

Philadelphia Wins 1984 USFL Championship Game

The Philadelphia Stars defeat the Arizona Wranglers 23-3 in the 1984 USFL Championship Game before 52,662 at Tampa Stadium and a national television audience on ABC.

1985
Doug Flutie Signs with New Jersey Generals

The USFL lands its third consecutive Heisman Trophy winner when Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie signs with Donald Trump's New Jersey Generals. But unlike 1984, when USFL owners opened their wallets to pillage the NFL draft pool, Flutie is the only major college star to sign with spring league in…
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Herschel Walker Sets All-Time Single-Season Rushing Record
1985 Arizona Outlaws Program

Herschel Walker of the New Jersey Generals runs for 162 yards on 28 carries against the Jacksonville Bulls on a Monday night in the Meadowlands. With 2,129 yards on the season, Walker surges past Eric Dickerson's single season pro football rushing record of 2,105 yards. Dickerson, who established the record…
Read More

The Stars Repeat as Champions in Final USFL Game

The Baltimore Stars (formerly known as Philadelphia, where its players continued to live and practice during the week in 1985) reach their third straight USFL Championship Game. The Stars defeat the Oakland Invaders 28-24 in the final USFL game before a crowd of 49,623 at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.…
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2006
Last Men Standing

On January 1, 2006, punter Sean Landeta and quarterback Doug Flutie appear in their final NFL games on the same day. They are the last two active USFL veterans to play in the NFL. On the final play of his career, Doug Flutie converts a drop kick extra point for the New England Patriots,…
Read More

 

United States Football League Franchise List

Franchise Years Active USFL Champions
Arizona Outlaws 1985 None
Arizona Wranglers 1983-1984 None
Baltimore Stars 1985 1985
Birmingham Stallions 1983-1985 None
Boston Breakers 1983 None
Chicago Blitz 1983-1984 None
Denver Gold 1983-1985 None
Houston Gamblers 1984-1985 None
Jacksonville Bulls 1984-1985 None
Los Angeles Express 1983-1985 None
Memphis Showboats 1984-1985 None
Michigan Panthers 1983-1984 1983
New Jersey Generals 1983-1985 None
New Orleans Breakers 1984 None
Oakland Invaders 1983-1985 None
Oklahoma Outlaws 1984 None
Orlando Renegades 1985 None
Philadelphia Stars 1983-1984 1984
Pittsburgh Maulers 1984 None
Portland Breakers 1985 None
San Antonio Gunslingers 1984 None
Tampa Bay Bandits 1983-1985 None
Washington Federals 1983-1984 None

 

USFL Shop

Editor's Pick

Football For A Buck

The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL
By Jeff Pearlman
 

The United States Football League—known fondly to millions of sports fans as the USFL—did not merely challenge the NFL, but cause its owners and executives to collectively shudder. In its three seasons from 1983-85, it secured multiple television deals, drew millions of fans and launched the careers of legends such as Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Herschel Walker, and Reggie White. But then it died beneath the weight of a particularly egotistical and bombastic team owner—a New York businessman named Donald J. Trump.

In Football for a Buck, Jeff Pearlman draws on more than four hundred interviews to unearth all the salty, untold stories of one of the craziest sports entities to have ever captivated America. From 1980s drug excess to airplane brawls and player-coach punch outs, to backroom business deals and some of the most enthralling and revolutionary football ever seen, Pearlman transports readers back in time to this crazy, boozy, audacious, unforgettable era of the game. He shows how fortunes were made and lost on the backs of professional athletes and how, forty years ago, Trump was already a scoundrel and a spoiler.

 

When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

 

 

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