1984 is the first year in this series with a major amount of continuity from the previous year. The WFL lasted two years, yes, but with several teams folding or relocating.
By contrast, the USFL expanded from 12 teams to 18 in 1984.
- On the left are the Atlantic (top four) and Southern (bottom five) Divisions of the Eastern Conference. On the right are the Western Conference divisions: Pacific and Central.
- The Atlantic Division saw the Pittsburgh Maulers replace the Boston Breakers, as the latter relocated to New Orleans for 1984.
- The Southern and Central Divisions were composed of the rest of the expansion teams—the Gunslingers, Gamblers, Bulls, Showboats and Outlaws—as well as the relocated Breakers and the four teams from 1983’s Central Division.
- The Pacific Division remained the same as before.
I’m honestly not a fan of four divisions for 18 teams. I would have gone for three. I suppose one could argue that it would require splitting the trio of Houston-San Antonio-Oklahoma between two divisions (probably Houston in the Southern and the other two in the Pacific) and I’d be willing to do that. Good rivalries are built out of familiarity more so than proximity.
A couple other notable events in the offseason would shape 1984 for the USFL.
Before the league began, real estate tycoon Donald Trump was tapped to head a New York-area franchise. He backed out in the hopes of buying the Baltimore Colts of the NFL instead. After the Colts moved to Indianapolis, Trump agreed to buy the Generals from their previous owner. He fired their head coach and brought in some much-needed NFL talent for a team that went 6-12 in 1983.
Additionally, the Chicago Blitz and Arizona Wranglers— respectively, if you recall, the best and worst teams in my 1983 ratings—traded places. Ted Diethrich, previously the Blitz owner, had an NFL-caliber team, but he lost millions of dollars because the Blitz couldn’t attract an audience in their first year. He bought the Wranglers, sold the Blitz and traded almost all the Wranglers’ players to the Blitz for almost all of their players.
The regular season schedule remained the same as the year before: 18 games. However, the expansion to 18 teams necessitated an expansion of the playoffs. Now, eight teams—four from each conference—would play for a title.
It’s unclear to me if each division was guaranteed two spots in the playoffs or if any of them could have had a third team if there was as much of an imbalance as in 1983. As it turned out, the divisions were much more balanced in ’84 and the eight best teams by record reached the postseason.
The fortunes of the six expansion teams, while largely poor, had a couple bright spots in Texas. While the other four teams finished in the bottom third of the league, the Gunslingers ended the season high. They couldn’t overcome a 2-7 start, but they ended stronger than they began.
Meanwhile, the Gamblers put up 618 points—more than 34 on average—behind the effort of future NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. However, the Gamblers’ defense gave up 400 points on the season and ultimately fell in the first round of the playoffs against the Arizona Wranglers, 17-16. The Wranglers hosted the Express, coming off a three-overtime win against the defending champion Panthers, in the semifinal—but only because of a conflict with preparation for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles—and defeated them.
The Philadelphia Stars, however, would not be denied in their quest for redemption from 1983. They defeated the Generals—who did turn around from the prior year and beat the Stars twice in the regular season—followed by the Stallions and Wranglers.
After four editions of Throwback Thursday, I can finally say that this season’s champions were the best team as well. For a league of its size, it’s not even much of a comparison. A 16-2 regular season with three postseason wins, including defeating the only team responsible for both regular season losses, makes it hard to argue for any team other than the Philadelphia Stars.
The Oklahoma Outlaws and Washington Federals, on the other hand, ended the season on the bottom. Both teams gave up more than 200 points more than they could score. The Outlaws lost their final ten games; the Federals won a league-low three games total.
Most teams were drawing big enough crowds to justify a third season. In August of 1984, a majority of USFL team owners, led by Trump, voted to move the league to the fall, starting in 1986. The competition with the NFL led to what many remember the USFL for most: an antitrust lawsuit which the newer league would bet its entire existence on winning.
I’ll save the rest for next time, when we get into the 1985 USFL season.
By contrast, the USFL expanded from 12 teams to 18 in 1984.
- On the left are the Atlantic (top four) and Southern (bottom five) Divisions of the Eastern Conference. On the right are the Western Conference divisions: Pacific and Central.
- The Atlantic Division saw the Pittsburgh Maulers replace the Boston Breakers, as the latter relocated to New Orleans for 1984.
- The Southern and Central Divisions were composed of the rest of the expansion teams—the Gunslingers, Gamblers, Bulls, Showboats and Outlaws—as well as the relocated Breakers and the four teams from 1983’s Central Division.
- The Pacific Division remained the same as before.
I’m honestly not a fan of four divisions for 18 teams. I would have gone for three. I suppose one could argue that it would require splitting the trio of Houston-San Antonio-Oklahoma between two divisions (probably Houston in the Southern and the other two in the Pacific) and I’d be willing to do that. Good rivalries are built out of familiarity more so than proximity.
A couple other notable events in the offseason would shape 1984 for the USFL.
Before the league began, real estate tycoon Donald Trump was tapped to head a New York-area franchise. He backed out in the hopes of buying the Baltimore Colts of the NFL instead. After the Colts moved to Indianapolis, Trump agreed to buy the Generals from their previous owner. He fired their head coach and brought in some much-needed NFL talent for a team that went 6-12 in 1983.
Additionally, the Chicago Blitz and Arizona Wranglers— respectively, if you recall, the best and worst teams in my 1983 ratings—traded places. Ted Diethrich, previously the Blitz owner, had an NFL-caliber team, but he lost millions of dollars because the Blitz couldn’t attract an audience in their first year. He bought the Wranglers, sold the Blitz and traded almost all the Wranglers’ players to the Blitz for almost all of their players.
The regular season schedule remained the same as the year before: 18 games. However, the expansion to 18 teams necessitated an expansion of the playoffs. Now, eight teams—four from each conference—would play for a title.
It’s unclear to me if each division was guaranteed two spots in the playoffs or if any of them could have had a third team if there was as much of an imbalance as in 1983. As it turned out, the divisions were much more balanced in ’84 and the eight best teams by record reached the postseason.
The fortunes of the six expansion teams, while largely poor, had a couple bright spots in Texas. While the other four teams finished in the bottom third of the league, the Gunslingers ended the season high. They couldn’t overcome a 2-7 start, but they ended stronger than they began.
Meanwhile, the Gamblers put up 618 points—more than 34 on average—behind the effort of future NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. However, the Gamblers’ defense gave up 400 points on the season and ultimately fell in the first round of the playoffs against the Arizona Wranglers, 17-16. The Wranglers hosted the Express, coming off a three-overtime win against the defending champion Panthers, in the semifinal—but only because of a conflict with preparation for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles—and defeated them.
The Philadelphia Stars, however, would not be denied in their quest for redemption from 1983. They defeated the Generals—who did turn around from the prior year and beat the Stars twice in the regular season—followed by the Stallions and Wranglers.
After four editions of Throwback Thursday, I can finally say that this season’s champions were the best team as well. For a league of its size, it’s not even much of a comparison. A 16-2 regular season with three postseason wins, including defeating the only team responsible for both regular season losses, makes it hard to argue for any team other than the Philadelphia Stars.
The Oklahoma Outlaws and Washington Federals, on the other hand, ended the season on the bottom. Both teams gave up more than 200 points more than they could score. The Outlaws lost their final ten games; the Federals won a league-low three games total.
Most teams were drawing big enough crowds to justify a third season. In August of 1984, a majority of USFL team owners, led by Trump, voted to move the league to the fall, starting in 1986. The competition with the NFL led to what many remember the USFL for most: an antitrust lawsuit which the newer league would bet its entire existence on winning.
I’ll save the rest for next time, when we get into the 1985 USFL season.
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