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View Full Version : ESPN 30 for 30: Small Potatos-Who Really Killed The USFL

NJCardFan
10-21-2009, 10:09 AM
Anybody catch this last night? It was very well done and the producer who also narrarated this piece pretty much blames Trump for the demise of the league. This brought back memories of this great league. But I'm not going to completely blame Trump. I believe the league expanded too much too fast and this helped in killing the league. I wish someone would do a lengthy documentary on the life and death of the USFL.
kjbad
10-21-2009, 11:52 AM
What amazed me is that the NFL was actually considering the addition of the two best USFL franchises. We would have had the Generals and the Stars in the NFL in some fashion, unreal.

The USFL did what Circle K did...expanded too soon and relied on an unproven market (spring football).
Harmon
10-21-2009, 12:55 PM
Bring back the USFL!!
NJCardFan
10-21-2009, 09:17 PM
Bring back the USFL!!

Apparently 2010 (http://www.newusfl.com/).

I was a big fan of the USFL and it had some great players and I was greatly disappointed when it ceased operations. But I wouldn't lay complete blame at Trump's feet. I thought the league expanded too soon and too much. The first season was perfect with 12 teams. But expanding by 6 for '84 was just dumb. I would have taken Houston and Jacksonville but Oklahoma, San Antonio, Pittsburgh, and Memphis could have waited as 3 of those teams weren't even around for another season and San Antonio was a repeat of the World Football league where players would race each other to the bank to cash their checks before they bounced. And according to Wiki, if the league would have continued, it would have been an 8 team league and the Generals would have been dangerous merging with Houston. Can you imagine an offense with Jim Kelly, Hershel Walker, Mo Carthon, and Ricky Sanders?
AussieCardinal
10-22-2009, 02:25 AM
I wish I had of seen the special.
kjbad
10-22-2009, 08:34 AM
I wish I had of seen the special.

It was cool to see, it brought back memories of me and my dad sitting in SDS watching the Arizona Wranglers (who were really the Chicago Blitz, but that's a different story). The Cards got the idea to put the AZ flag on their jerseys from the original Wranglers jerseys...I can still hear the commercials that played on TV. Good times.
NJCardFan
10-22-2009, 09:22 AM
It was cool to see, it brought back memories of me and my dad sitting in SDS watching the Arizona Wranglers (who were really the Chicago Blitz, but that's a different story). The Cards got the idea to put the AZ flag on their jerseys from the original Wranglers jerseys...I can still hear the commercials that played on TV. Good times.
The league had some characters, didn't it? Pepper Rogers for one. And that was something when 2 teams traded with each other, wasn't it?
kjbad
10-22-2009, 09:24 AM
The league had some characters, didn't it? Pepper Rogers for one. And which Wranglers did you see, the original mediocre Wranglers or the Wranglers that were the Blitz in '83?

Oh we saw both...I remember the game when we came back from 2 TDs down to beat the Blitz, and then the very next season they became our team! I was done when they became the Outlaws though.
NJCardFan
10-22-2009, 09:39 AM
Oh we saw both...I remember the game when we came back from 2 TDs down to beat the Blitz, and then the very next season they became our team! I was done when they became the Outlaws though.

Sorry we had to beat you in the '84 championship. :salute:
kjbad
10-22-2009, 09:40 AM
Sorry we had to beat you in the '84 championship. :salute:

You guys earned it...
Wide Left Rackers
10-22-2009, 09:50 AM
After watching that, its obvious to me the USFL is by far the most successful football league there has ever been outside of the NFL (w/ the exception of the old time AFL). To be honest, it makes the UFL look like a BAD #2.
NJCardFan
10-22-2009, 09:54 AM
You guys earned it...

Stars were the class of that league. We were within 2 points of sweeping the championships. I was ticked when they moved to Baltimore.
AussieCardinal
10-22-2009, 09:16 PM
It was cool to see, it brought back memories of me and my dad sitting in SDS watching the Arizona Wranglers (who were really the Chicago Blitz, but that's a different story). The Cards got the idea to put the AZ flag on their jerseys from the original Wranglers jerseys...I can still hear the commercials that played on TV. Good times.

That's why I wanted to see it. I have no idea on what the USFL was. Would have been a good history lesson.
NJCardFan
10-22-2009, 11:35 PM
That's why I wanted to see it. I have no idea on what the USFL was. Would have been a good history lesson.

You missed something as it was pretty good football. Thanks to the USFL the NFL has replay and the 2 point conversion and the Jags. The only thing I didn't like about the USFL was it's receiving rule which is the same as college where you only need 1 foot in.
AZCrazy
10-24-2009, 09:40 AM
It was cool to see, it brought back memories of me and my dad sitting in SDS watching the Arizona Wranglers (who were really the Chicago Blitz, but that's a different story). The Cards got the idea to put the AZ flag on their jerseys from the original Wranglers jerseys...I can still hear the commercials that played on TV. Good times.

....There's a hot new brand of football,
Fast and tough and mean....
The Arizona Wranglers,
Pro football's hot new team....

The Arizona Wranglerrrsssss
The Excitement will make you screammmm.. Yaaaahhhhhhh!
Lomax 2 Green
10-31-2009, 11:41 PM
I loved the USFL. The Birmingham Stallions were my team. Future Cards backup QB Cliff Stoudt and RB Joe Cribbs were pretty good.
NJCardFan
11-01-2009, 01:58 AM
Stallions were a good team. I believe they were a playoff team all 3 years. I remember the Stars barely beat them in '84 at Birmingham but handled them pretty easily in the playoffs.