'83 Chronology-USFL College Draft I

Event Date: January 1st, 1983

Event Description: USFL Set

Source: United Press International

Hoping to get the negotiating jump on the NFL, the United States Football League holds its inaugural college draft Tuesday with a selection process sporting a few new wrinkles.

A total of 600 players will be involved in the USFL draft, which begins at 8:30 a.m. EST in a midtown hotel with the announcement of the 26 eligible college seniors on the protected list of each of the 12 teams in the spring league. The formal draft of the remaining 288 players will begin a half hour later, with the proceedings open to the press but not the public.

Peter Hadhazy, Director of Operations for the USFL -- which will open its first regular season March 6 and conclude with a championship game July 17 -- explains the reasoning behind the territorial list of 26 players from each team.

'This method has two advantages,” Hadhazy says. 'The first is to provide a methodical, organized list for our teams in the first year of the league and the second point is that a player from that school will have the opportunity to play in the same city he went to school in or lives in. We thought that would be very alluring to a college senior.”

Each of the league's 12 teams has been allocated five colleges from which to choose a total of 26 eligible seniors to protect. Those names will be announced prior to the formal draft and no other USFL team but the franchise involved can select a particular player on the territorial list unless the negotiating rights are traded.

“In that way, we are guaranteed that a least some players announced in the formal draft will be big names,' says Hadhazy.”

The order of selection for the league's first draft is: Los Angeles Express, Arizona Wranglers, New Jersey Generals, Washington Federals, Birmingham Stallions, Chicago Blitz, Oakland Invaders, Philadelphia Stars, Denver Gold, Michigan Panthers, Boston Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits.

Story-(United Press International)