NFP»News»Hot News and Rumors
RSS

Biggs: The return of the USFL?

UFL starts in October, but it may have competition. Brad Biggs

Bookmark and Share Print This Send This August 12, 2009, 11:43 AM EST
15 Comments

Not sure what to make of the Las Vegas Locomotives or the California Redwoods?

Well, how do you feel about the New Jersey Generals and the Los Angeles Express? The United Football League has company now with another league trying to find a niche underneath the behemoth known as the NFL. The USFL is back. In fact, they’re calling it the New USFL.

While the UFL bills itself as the place where future stars come to play and will begin selling game tickets today, the old USFL is where some stars did play as the league fought with the NFL for the top college talent and won many battles.

USFLAPThe USFL...in 1984

Few details have surfaced, but Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News, who broke the story on the New USFL, writes that a 10-team league is planned to begin play in the spring. Tom Ramsey, who quarterbacked the Express before the arrival of Steve Young in 1984, is involved in the planning stages with a group trying to get the league running with a 16-game schedule. You’re not going to find many details at the league’s Web site, but hey, they’ve got to start somewhere. Presumably there are not plans for Brian Sipe, pictured with the Generals on the site, to resume his playing career. But will the Donald get involved as an owner again?

The UFL is starting small, with a four-team league and a six-game schedule this fall. The first game will be played Oct. 8 and the championship is slated for Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. It’s a modest beginning, but the league will look to see if it can grow interest and possibly implement an expansion plan. It looks like the UFL is setting itself up to serve as a minor league operation for the NFL, but it’s hard to say how an alternative league will fare competing for fan interest when the NFL season is in full force. No matter what the intention of the league is, it still needs to generate revenue to keep rolling. Maybe both leagues are banking on a work stoppage by the NFL in 2011.

The plan for the USFL seems mighty ambitious, but Hoffarth wrote that “a full announcement could come as early as the end of this week with more details.”

Stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed for the return of some of those old USFL logos.

Follow me on Twitter: BradBiggs

Comments

Add a Comment
sjgmoney
Aug 12, 2009
12:48 PM

As a former New Jersey Generals season ticket holder this gets my blood flowing!!! I will send a mint condition NJ Generals bumper sticker to the first person who can tell me the QB who started the first game in Generals history.

ted.castaneda
Aug 12, 2009
01:08 PM

Doug Flutie was the QB, and Herschel Walker was the running back. Donald Trump was the owner, and if I'm not mistaken, Herschel ran for over 2000 yards that first season.



Ted C.
Saskatoon, SK CANADA

ted.castaneda
Aug 12, 2009
01:29 PM

Doug Flutie was the QB, and Herschel Walker was the running back. Donald Trump was the owner, and if I'm not mistaken, Herschel ran for over 2000 yards that first season.



Ted C.
Saskatoon, SK CANADA

David A.
Aug 12, 2009
02:52 PM

Bobby Scott

sjgmoney
Aug 12, 2009
02:56 PM

Wrong. Doug Flutie joined them in their third year. Trump bought them in their second year. Walker rushed for over 1800 yards his first year, then he and Maurice Carthon both went over 1000 in the second year and finally Walker busted loose for something like 2400 yards in the 3rd year.

C'mon people!!!

Mr.Murder
Aug 12, 2009
02:59 PM

Reggie White playing for Pepper Rodgers, Derrick Crawford returning punts, good things for the Showboats. That's right, a USFLer made the HoF!

Snake Plissken
Aug 12, 2009
03:00 PM

Wow. The Useless Stupid Football League is going Freddy Kruegger.

What's ridiculous is that the AFL folded last week due to a bad economic climate and these USFL guys think they should get in now..... Doy! I'm betting they never buckle up a chinstrap.

Mr Jet
Aug 12, 2009
04:27 PM

I remember the old USFL and how it messed up the NFL DRAFT. I'll never watch it. I hate it already and I hope it fails. I will be BOYCOTTING it all the way.

sjgmoney
Aug 13, 2009
10:00 AM

David A is the winner!!! Do you remember how bad Bobby Scott was? god awful!! Let me know if you want one of those bumper stickers.

Angelo Soprano
Aug 14, 2009
12:33 PM

This isn't exactly new news but I'm glad to see it getting mainstream play finally.

Here is my interview with new USFL founder Michael Dwyer. This is from December of 2008. Enjoy

part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU-jdc_E-wg

part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIiaKS75iko&feature=related

USFL Sucks
Aug 14, 2009
03:50 PM

Wow, I am going to pay to watch has beens and third stringers? I remember the first league and it blew.

The economy is dead and the NFL is here.

USFL Rocks
Aug 15, 2009
03:00 AM

Who are you guys that hate football? Do you not watch college or high school football too? You hate backup players because they're not as good--so do you only watch the Pro Bowl then?

The new USFL has no intentions of going up or stealing precious players from the NFL that you pay ungodly amounts of money to watch. They're going to probably go down the NFLE/WLAF route. I love the old USFL...taught the NFL how to throw the ball again, 2pt conversions, challenging calls, and more exciting game play.

Sure parts of it blew, and they were crazy to challenge the NFL...but there's four teams in the NFL that now exist partially because of the USFL: Jacksonville, Tennessee, Oakland (Raiders were in LA), and Phoenix. The USFL wasn't all bad at all, it just knew part of the recipe and couldn't cook it up right. The NFL took the parts it liked and made a better game...so if you hate the USFL, then get rid of those NFL teams, rules, and the wide open passing game it currently has.

Next 1 - 12 of 15 Prev COMMENTS

Add a Comment

* Required - Keep track of your comments Login or Register with NFP
(will not be published)