USFL.INFO Strikes Again!

[Mac the Knife]

Back when I created USFL.INFO last year, I made a comment about how the selection order for the league's 1984 draft was rigged so that the Pittsburgh Maulers could take Mike Rozier with the first overall pick. Shortly afterward I got e-mails from assorted visitors to the site, chastising me for daring to make the claim that the 'lottery' that was allegedly conducted wasn't on the up-and-up.

Flash forward to this morning, where a source - one I absolutely know to be telling the truth - confirmed USFL.INFO's version of the events that led to the Maulers' selection of Rozier: how the draft order was rigged, how the team had negotiated with him, right down to why Pittsburgh was given the first overall selection (because owner Ed DeBartolo had more than enough money to sign him).

While this is merely a confirmation of what I already knew was true, it gave me a little boost today in the sense that, when it comes to that league, its history and what-not, in developing USFL.INFO I had it all - cold. Now if I could ever get around to writing that damned book...

[Ez Street]

Back when I created USFL.INFO last year, I made a comment about how the selection order for the league's 1984 draft was rigged so that the Pittsburgh Maulers could take Mike Rozier with the first overall pick. Shortly afterward I got e-mails from assorted visitors to the site, chastising me for daring to make the claim that the 'lottery' that was allegedly conducted wasn't on the up-and-up.

Flash forward to this morning, where a source - one I absolutely know to be telling the truth - confirmed USFL.INFO's version of the events that led to the Maulers' selection of Rozier: how the draft order was rigged, how the team had negotiated with him, right down to why Pittsburgh was given the first overall selection (because owner Ed DeBartolo had more than enough money to sign him).

While this is merely a confirmation of what I already knew was true, it gave me a little boost today in the sense that, when it comes to that league, its history and what-not, in developing USFL.INFO I had it all - cold. Now if I could ever get around to writing that damned book...

If you need help writing that book, I offer my crappy services.

[rmered]

From experience, my advice would be to document as much as you can, and refer to it when these sorts of queries come up.

I have an historical website for Aussie Rules jumpers, and the number of emails I get from people asserting various ideas becomes laughable.

If you have something to refer them to, be it newspaper articles, records of interviews, photos or anything else, keep them in a place where you can access them and send them.

Mostly these people come over strong, like they know what they're talking about, and when you have something on hand to refute them, they go away pretty quickly.

It also gives you confidence in what you're saying.

But if all you've got is a knowledge in your head, it becomes a bit of "I remember it differently" and people have selective memories.

[otherwilds]

I always assumed there was some kind of fix in the USFL player selection/assignments. Too many players ended up on teams within a state or region. Fluite goes to NY/NJ and Reggie White to the Memphis Showboats. I always presumed it was just accepted that they nudged things around to help the teams with marjketing and building an instant fanbase with a local or regional star.

[rams80]

I always assumed there was some kind of fix in the USFL player selection/assignments. Too many players ended up on teams within a state or region. Fluite goes to NY/NJ and Reggie White to the Memphis Showboats. I always presumed it was just accepted that they nudged things around to help the teams with marjketing and building an instant fanbase with a local or regional star.

I thought I read somewhere that teams did have designated "territorial" schools. Mac?

[Mac the Knife]

I always assumed there was some kind of fix in the USFL player selection/assignments. Too many players ended up on teams within a state or region. Fluite goes to NY/NJ and Reggie White to the Memphis Showboats. I always presumed it was just accepted that they nudged things around to help the teams with marjketing and building an instant fanbase with a local or regional star.

I thought I read somewhere that teams did have designated "territorial" schools. Mac?

They did - each franchise had a group of universities/colleges from which they had exclusive rights, but only in cases where the player went undrafted in the 'regular' draft. There were holes in the system however - Nebraska, for instance, was a territorial school for the Breakers (in all three cities). There was no real fix in the drafts themselves, but apparently in the '84 selection order.

[apeman33]

I always assumed there was some kind of fix in the USFL player selection/assignments. Too many players ended up on teams within a state or region. Fluite goes to NY/NJ and Reggie White to the Memphis Showboats. I always presumed it was just accepted that they nudged things around to help the teams with marjketing and building an instant fanbase with a local or regional star.

I thought I read somewhere that teams did have designated "territorial" schools. Mac?

They did - each franchise had a group of universities/colleges from which they had exclusive rights, but only in cases where the player went undrafted in the 'regular' draft. There were holes in the system however - Nebraska, for instance, was a territorial school for the Breakers (in all three cities). There was no real fix in the drafts themselves, but apparently in the '84 selection order.

I'm 99-percent sure Oklahoma was a regional school for the Generals. Probably because northeastern football at the time was pretty much just Syracuse and Boston College. When the Oklahoma Outlaws came along, I remember a dispute because the Generals didn't want to give up Oklahoma...but how could you NOT let the Outlaws have it? I don't remember which school replaced Oklahoma for the Generals, though....

[oddball]

A couple of things on this. First of all, that the draft was rigged... yeah, it was the USFL. I mean that you look at the league and it was a rebel league to the NFL, so being I guess on the dark side if you will, rigging or placing a player in a city to help that city is a no brainer. Does it shock me? No. Does it shock me that he went to a team who could pay him more? No. I mean you look at Hershel Walker and Doug Flutie on New Jersey, rigged? Sure. Now not looking at the standings brings me to the next question, did Rozier help Pittsburgh? You can rig it all you want, but it's the players on the field who need to play together and execute the plays that are called.

[Mac the Knife]

A couple of things on this. First of all, that the draft was rigged... yeah, it was the USFL. I mean that you look at the league and it was a rebel league to the NFL, so being I guess on the dark side if you will, rigging or placing a player in a city to help that city is a no brainer. Does it shock me? No. Does it shock me that he went to a team who could pay him more? No. I mean you look at Hershel Walker and Doug Flutie on New Jersey, rigged? Sure. Now not looking at the standings brings me to the next question, did Rozier help Pittsburgh? You can rig it all you want, but it's the players on the field who need to play together and execute the plays that are called.

No, I can speak to this with some certainty - the draft itself wasn't rigged, just the selection order. And with respect to Donald Trump, Ed DeBartolo at the time had about 20x the financial wherewithall that Trump had.