The USFL Brought Pro Football To The Spring

In the mid 1980's, the United States Football League (USFL) was founded to give fans football in the spring. The idea was that fans went through withdrawal after the NFL season was done, so why not start a league in the spring? It initially wasn't started as a league to compete with the established NFL.

Other leagues had tried to take on the NFL. The AAFC ended up merging three teams with the NFL in the 1950's. The AFL merged at the end of the 1960's after their team, the New York Jets, beat the NFL's Baltimore Colts in the third Super Bowl. The WFL folded after a couple seasons in the 1970's.

Though it wasn't started to compete with the NFL, there were problems early on when top college prospects were signed to USFL contracts. Then, some of the top NFL stars signed with the rival league. The USFL had a more party-like atmosphere, which made it more enjoyable for some fans.

Then, Donald Trump bought the New Jersey Generals and signed a couple big NFL stars. The team had already drafted Heisman Trophy winner Hershel Walker in their first year, and Walker went on to have a 2000 yard season.

But Trump had bigger ambitions. He wanted to take the league into the fall and winter and go head to head with the NFL. John Bassett, owner of the Tampa Bay Bandits, intended to keep his team in the Spring and planned to start a new league before selling his team when he began his battle with Cancer.

A few owners didn't like the winter idea, but others thought it was the only way to survive. The problem was that many of the league's franchises were also in NFL cities. Prior to what would have been the league's fourth season, they filed a lawsuit against the NFL on the grounds that they had established a monopoly.

The interesting thing is that the USFL actually won this lawsuit. The jury granted them the sum of $3.76 for their victory. This was a far cry from the millions Trump thought they would win. The league effectively ended with that outcome.

The Michigan Panthers gave the state their first pro football championship in several decades with a win over the Philadelphia Stars. The Stars franchise, which moved to Baltimore and was coached by Jim Mora, won the other two championships.

Several NFL Hall Of Famers, including Steve Young, Jim Kelly and Reggie White, played in the USFL. The league also adopted two point conversions and instant replays long before the NFL would use either. There was a plan to bring the league back, though nothing has come of it as of yet.