'83 Chronology-College Draft II

Event Date: January 4th, 1983

Event Description: U.S.F.L. Draft Day

Source: New York Times

The new United States Football League, whose 12 teams plan to play a spring-summer schedule beginning March 6, will conduct its first draft of college players today and tomorrow. Such a draft amounts to a strong challenge of the National Football League because the two leagues in many instances will be competing for the services of the same players.

The order of the draft was determined by lot and the Los Angeles Express will have the first selection, the Generals the third. The order will be reversed for the second round and that reversing process will continue through the next 22 rounds. 

Territorial Rights

The process, which will involve 600 athletes, comes in two parts. Each of the 12 teams will have one selection in 24 rounds of the draft, which is to follow the familiar N.F.L. format. In addition, each team may choose a total of 26 players from five colleges that each specified last summer. In most cases the colleges were picked with territorial considerations in mind so that the teams would have on their rosters some players of regional renown.

These 312 players from the 60 specified colleges will be placed on the ''territorial protection lists'' and their names announced before the draft begins at 10 A.M., with headquarters at the Grand Hyatt here.''With that many already protected,'' said Fairbanks, ''there will be a limit on the number of top players available for the actual draft.''

There may also be a limit in the amount of money the U.S.F.L. teams intend to spend on signing players from among the 60 they draft, many of whom can expect to be drafted in late April by the N.F.L.'s 28 teams. The new league's clubs have informally agreed to limit player salaries to a total of $1.7 million per team, or an average of $42,500 for the 40 players each will be allowed on its roster. The average salary in the N.F.L., before the new contract, is approximately $100,000.

The college players selected today and tomorrow will augment the free agents, most with some N.F.L. experience, who have already been signed by the U.S.F.L. clubs. 

Story-(New York Times)