USFL Forever: The Best of the USFL- Three Years in the Life and Times of the USFL

I hope the new USFL whenever it starts has learned from the old USFL as far as the mistakes that the old league made. Like having clubs in established NFL markets and having to compete with the NFL which was already the number one pro sports league in America at this point for fans and fan support. And to make that problem worst, the USFL decided that they were going to play in the fall after the 1985 season and not only try to compete with the NFL for fans, but try to compete with them the same time of year. Which of course didn't happen since the USFL went out of business following the 1985 season.

Another key mistake being that they expanded not only in NFL markets, but expanded way too fast. Going from 10-12 clubs in 1983 to 18 by 1985. Which is way too fast and they were at least ten years away from successfully being able to support that many franchises. Especially since they were competing with the NFL for the exact same fans. And of course some of the questionable management groups like Donald Trump in New York just to name one who perhaps has the most responsibility for why the USFL folded after the 1985 season.

What the USFL did real well was signing players and a lot of them could've either been drafted and done very in the NFL like Herschel Walker and Steve Young. Or had previously played and done well in the NFL like Brian Sipe and Doug Williams. Which is what they would be able to do again especially if they get a player sharing agreement with the NFL and the NFL allows for them to borrow some of their inexperienced players for their league. Don't expand so fast, stay out of the NFL markets, and play in the spring and summer and the USFL could do real well in the future.

USFL Forever-ESPN: USFL 1984- Jim Simpson Interviews Philadelphia Stars General Manager Carl Peterson

Source: USFL Forever-ESPN: USFL 1984- Jim Simpson Interviewing Stars President & GM Carl Peterson

The USFL was already in trouble by 1984 financially with most if not all of their clubs losing money. And this really didn't have anything to do with fan support. The fans were there for this league to still be in business as a spring/summer league today. But the league simply grew too fast with eighteen clubs by 1985. And most of these clubs being in established NFL markets. Like Washington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Tampa, Dallas, Houston, Denver and Los Angeles.

I'm not sure the old USFL could've been saved at this point, but moving their games to the fall which was the plan for 1986 was probably the thing that killed the league. Going up against the NFL in their markets in their territory the same time the NFL is playing. Perhaps the only thing that would've saved the old USFL at this point was going back to the old spring/fall schedule. And contraction or relocation of USFL clubs that were in NFL markets.

Paul Woods-CBC Sports: CFL 1994-Week 1: Baltimore Stallions @ Toronto Argonauts: First Baltimore Game in the CFL

Source: Paul Woods-

Source:Paul Woods


The first Canadian Football League game ever for the City of Baltimore, Maryland, which was starving for major league pro football again to the point they would take a CFL franchise to show they can and will support good pro football. This is not a shot at the CFL, of which I'm actually a fan and watch their games in America, but Baltimore is one of the greatest pro football cities in North America, with a long proud rich tradition. It is the only city to win the NFL Championship, including three Super Bowls, the United States Football Championship in 1985 with the Stars, and the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup in 1995 which you could make the case was the North American gridiron pro football championship in 1994 and 1995. The Baltimore Stallions played both games against the Vancouver Lions in 1994 and the Calgary Stampeders in 1995.

1994-95 was the final chapter in the Baltimore journey to be an NFL city, again by not only getting the Stallions as an CFL expansion franchise, but supporting them very well, and I believe they even led the CFL in attendance. Keep in mind an American franchise leading the Canadian Football League in attendance, but they wanted the NFL back in Baltimore so much that they would support another style of gridiron football from another country.

Thanks to the CFL and football fans of Baltimore and the State of Maryland in general and perhaps the Delmarva area and Southern Pennsylvania, Baltimore proved that they were an NFL-caliber market again after losing the Colts in 1984 and losing out on NFL expansion in 1993, that the NFL was losing money by not having a franchise in this great football city and market, and that the State of Maryland deserved its own NFL franchise again as well.  Now it has two:  the Ravens and the Redskins, who play about 40 miles apart from each other.

ESPN: USFL 1985-Week 14-Memphis Showboats @ Portland Breakers: Short Video

Source:Real Life Journal

Playing pro football in a baseball park which is what Portland Civic Stadium was before they converted it to a soccer stadium. And Portland will need a football stadium if they are going to get another major league pro football franchise. But Memphis and Portland are markets that the USFL should’ve been looking at back then and should be looking at today. If they are serious about coming back. Something they’ve talked about since 2011-12. Because these are markets that are not currently occupied by the NFL. And they wouldn’t have to compete with the NFL for their fans. And Memphis and Portland are major markets that can both support major league football franchises. Which is what the old USFL was and what a new USFL would be. If they get an agreement with the NFL about training their players in the spring.

ESPN: CFL 1995-Week 7-Memphis Mad Dogs @ Baltimore Stallions: Short Clip

Source:Real Life Journal

The Stallions, weren’t the only good team in the CFL’s Southern Conference, American Conference, really. The San Antonio Texans, at 12-6 in 1995 were pretty good too. But they were the class of the CFL South. Maybe the only real Grey Cup contender in the entire CFL South in 1995. But you gotta know, the entire CFL South were expansion franchises. The Stallions, were in their second season. The Memphis Mad Dogs, were in their second season. The Shreveport Pirates and Birmingham Piranhas, were in their second seasons. The San Antonio Texans, who came over from Sacramento, were in their third season. The Las Vegas Posse, were in their second season in 1995. The CFL, wanted to create two conferences. A Canadian and an American, so the Grey Cup Final would be a Can Am Championship of pro football. Which was the right idea, but poorly executed. With the American clubs outside of Baltimore never marketed very well in America.

ESPN: CFL 1995-Week 5-Edmonton Eskimos @ San Antonio Texans: Short Video

Source:Real Life Journal

Inter-conference play in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos from the North or Canadian Conference, against the San Antonio Texans from the South, or American Conference. Which was really the goal of the CFL when they started their American experiment in the early 1990s. Was to create a continental or can-am league. Between America and Canada with a Canadian conference and an American conference. And have the winners of both conferences play in a continental or North American Championship game. This game between the Eskimos and Texans was a potential preview for the 1995 Grey Cup between Canada and America. Because they were two of the best teams in the CFL that year. The Eskimos were 13-5 and the Texans were 12-6. Both teams making the playoffs and looking to win the CFL Grey Cup. So this was a very good matchup

TSN: CFL-1995-Week 18-Edmonton Eskimos @ Memphis Mad Dogs: Short Video

Source:Real Life Journal

Here’s a battle between one of the most storied and successful North American, not just CFL, but North American major league pro football franchises in the Edmonton Eskimos and one CFL American expansion franchises in the Memphis Mad Dogs. Who in their two CFL seasons were decent, but struggled to get over 500. A defensive oriented teamed coached by Pepper Rogers, who had some success in college football and the old USFL. But averaged less than twenty points a game in 1995. Which is a hard thing to do. Considering that they play on a longer wider field. The defenses tend to be somewhat undersized. They only play three downs, so you really need to pass the ball more anyway in the CFL to avoid second and long and having to pass to avoid punting on third down. Multiple players able to move in motion on offense pre-snap. Yet I guess the Mad Dogs didn’t have the firepower to take advantage of all of those CFL offensive advantages.

ESPN: CFL 1995-Grey Cup-Baltimore Stallions vs. Calgary Stampeders: Short Video

Source:Real Life Journal

One thing that was great about the CFL American experience in the early and mid 1990s was that we got to see a North American Football Championship game. Not once, but twice in 1994 and 95. The Stallions lost to the Vancouver Lions (as I call them) in 1994 and then beat the Calgary Stampeders in 1995. Baltimore, being one of the premier American football markets and now with one of the premier franchises and premier histories as well. Calgary, being one of the premier Canadian football markets, franchises and has one of the best football histories in Canada. The Stallions and Stampeders, were clearly the two best teams in the CFL in 1995. And both had a host of players that either played in the NFL, or went on to play in the NFL.

The CFL American experience didn’t fail because of lack of quality talent on the American teams. But because outside of Baltimore the franchises weren’t run and marketed very well. And outside of Baltimore there wasn’t a CFL American market that badly wanted in to or back into the NFL. Baltimore loved the Stallions, but they also used the Stallions to get another NFL club. To show the NFL how much they wanted another NFL club by the way they supported the Stallions. And as a result Baltimore is the only city in the world actually, that has won the NFL Championship, including multiple Super Bowls, the USFL Championship and the CFL Grey Cup Championship.

The CFL American experiment, was a good idea that was poorly executed. And if the USFL ever comes back, they should look at the CFL as a possible merger. With lets say ten American clubs that are all outside of NFL markets. With 9-10 CFL clubs and play a couple inter-conference or inter-league games for each club in this new league. So fans in both countries can see how they play against each other. Play in the spring and summer, instead of the fall and winter. So they’re not going up against the NFL. Get a player agreement with the NFL so they can have access to NFL players who are talented, but aren’t playing much right now. Because they are not ready and need experience. And get a revenue sharing agreement as well. And this new Can-Am league I believe would do very well both in America and Canada.