The USFL begins its second season this weekend with 8 teams, 400 players and dozens of NFL alumni employed on the field as coaches and players.
Fox Sports bought the rights to the league which originally played in the spring for three seasons (1983-85). The USFL back then produced eventual Pro Bowl players such as the late Reggie White, Steve Young, Jim Kelly and…current Alumni President Bart Oates. This will be the first time since the ‘80s that any spring pro football league is playing two years in a row.
Spring football still has a long way to go before gaining a large fan base at this time of the year. However, the USFL and the XFL, its current eight-team competitor, will play head-to-head for the next month until the XFL Championship Game in mid-May.
One of our primary reasons at NFLA for supporting both leagues is the job opportunities that are provided to NFL alums. That includes on the coaching sidelines as well as on the field as young NFL players, who were cut in their first attempts in our league, try to again showcase their skills to NFL scouts.
In addition to coaching and playing positions, there also are job opportunities for alumni in the USFL front offices. For example, former Cowboys RB Daryl (Moose) Johnston was promoted last week to USFL President of Football Operations. It is the highest-ranking football executive position in the USFL since there is no commissioner at the top of the league’s organizational chart.
NFL alumni, who will be on the coaching sidelines for the start of the USFL season this weekend, include:
- Pittsburgh Maulers Head Coach Ray Horton (who played in the NFL from 1983-92)
- Michigan Panthers Defensive Coordinator Steve Brown (NFL 1983-90)
- Memphis Showboats Defensive Coordinator Carnell Lake (NFL 1989-2001)
- Philadelphia Stars Assistant Coach Martin Bayless (NFL 1984-1996)
- New Jersey Generals Assistant Coach Antonio Banks (NFL 1997-2000)
- New Orleans Breakers Assistant Coach Cornell Brown (NFL 1997-2004)
- Birmingham Stallions Assistant Coach Mike Jones (NFL 1983-90)
- Houston Gamblers Assistant Coach Brett Maxie (NFL 1985-97)
In addition to our alumni who are working in the USFL, there are many former NFL players—Rod Woodson, Hines Ward, Jim Haslett, LaRoi Glover and at least a dozen more—who are coaching in the XFL this season.
Jobs and more jobs for our brothers!
We at NFL Alumni continue to support all former players who have chosen coaching as a career on the high school, collegiate or professional level. We want our sport to continue to grow in the safest and most entertaining fashion possible.
