'84 Chronology-Future Installments

Event Date: November 18th, 1984

Event Description: Young Pact

Source: Eugene Register Guard

'84 Chronology-The Gunslingers

Event Date: November 14th, 1984

Event Description: San Antonio Gunslingers

Source: United Press International

United States Football League Commissioner Chet Simmons announced Thursday the league's newest team will be the San Antonio Gunslingers and that they will begin playing a full schedule next spring.

'It is with great pleasure that I welcome the San Antonio Gunslingers as the newest team in the United States Football League,' Simmons said in a telegram read at a press conference announcing the team's formation.

The Gunslingers will play their games next year in the Alamo Stadium, which seats 32,000. Owner Clinton Manges said his first priority would be to find a coach and begin signing players.

The Gunslingers join Orlando as the latest teams in the fledgling league. The Orlando franchise will replace the former Washington Federals team, while the Chicago Blitz will now go dark but are planning a return in 1986.

Simmons said in the telegram he was delighted with the support he had received from the people of San Antonio, and thanked local officials for providing the team with a place to play.

“I will be looking forward to attending a game next spring,” the commissioner said.

Story-(UPI Modified)

'84 Chronology-Coaches Carousel

Event Date: November 13th, 1984

Event Description: People in Sports

Source: Eugene Register Guard

'84 Chronology-Mavericks

Event Date: November 10th, 1984

Event Description: People in Sports

Source: Eugene Register Guard

'84 Chronology-On the Radio

Event Date: November 9th, 1984

Event Description: 'Gades Radio Play

Source: Lakeland Ledger

'84 Chronology-Texas Style

Event Date: November 7th, 1984

Event Description:  San Antonio Secures Franchise

Source: UPI

United States Football League commissioner Chet Simmons Tuesday announced the awarding of a franchise to San Antonio, keeping the total number of USFL teams for next year at 16. 

San Antonio will replace the Chicago franchise which will “go dark” for the 1985 season, but return in 1986 under new ownership.

“We are delighted to bring a USFL franchise to the city of San Antonio,” Simmons told a news conference which was held at the leagues’ headquarters in New York.

Clinton Manges, a millionaire oil man and native of Texas, is the owner of the franchise, which still has no name. He told the crowd it was “perhaps the most exciting moment of my life.”

San Antonio becomes the second city in Texas to have a USFL franchise, and the owner of the other franchise, the Houston Gamblers, Jerry Argovitz, immediately proposed a Houston-San Antonio opener in 1985.

“We're going to make San Antonio a winner," Manges said.

Manges has been silent so far on who his coach will be, although local newspapers have speculated about several names, ranging from former Blitz coach Mark Levy to former NFL coach and television commentator Hank Stram.

The new San Antonio owners have said they will accept entries in a contest to name the team until midnight Wednesday, with the name selected being announced next week. The person suggesting the winning name will win two season's passes for the 1985 season.

Last month, Manges cleared the first hurdle in landing the franchise when he signed a lease for the rental of Alamo Stadium. He also has paid the league an undisclosed contingency fee, guaranteeing the players' salaries through one season. 

San Antonio featured an entry in the defunct World Football League, the Wings, in the mid-1970s. That team was led by Breakers’ quarterback Johnny Walton, but folded after just one season.

Story-(UPI Modified)

'84 Chronology-Sales & Promotions

Event Date: November 6th, 1984

Event Description: Corso Hired

Source: Lakeland Ledger

'84 Chronology-NFL Moves

Event Date: November 6th, 1984

Event Description: NFL Courts

Source: Lakeland Ledger

'84 Chronology-Fair Weather Friend

Event Date: November 3rd, 1984

Event Description: Dupree Considers Challenge

Source: Lakeland Ledger

'84 Chronology-Snake Stabler

Event Date: October 27th, 1984

Event Description: Snake Retires

Source: Eugene Register-Guard

'84 Chronology-Closed Door Meetings

Event Date: October 24th, 1984

Event Description: NFL Owners Meetings

Source: Eugene Register-Guard

'84 Chronology-Decisions Delayed

Event Date: October 20th, 1984

Event Description: Roulier Buys Express

Source: United Press International

United States Football League franchise owners adjourned two days of meetings Saturday, but postponed announcement of the results for two weeks.

The biggest confirmed news to come out of the meeting was the approval of Houston Gambler part-owner Jay Roulier as new owner of the Los Angeles Express. Roulier, a Denver entrepreneur said he would sell his share of the Gamblers to take over the Express. 

But confirmation of the sale, and the possibility of a new franchise being awarded to the city of San Antonio will not be released until a news conference November 7th in New York, said USFL Commissioner Chet Simmons.

Oil baron Clinton Manges refused to comment regarding the awarding of a new team to the city of San Antonio, saying only that he is determined to bring pro football to the south Texas city.

The league agreed to fine any of the owners representing the current teams a $50,000 fine for prematurely releasing any information about the meeting.

John Bassett, owner of the Tampa Bay Bandits and outgoing chairman of the USFL executive committee, said owners decided to postpone releasing the changes so players and coaches would not “read about it in tomorrow's newspaper. There are human and marketing reasons,” Bassett said.

The troubled Chicago Blitz franchise also is expected to announce a move that will allow the team to move into involuntary bankruptcy, but return in 1986.

Although refusing to discuss the content of negotiations, league officials strove to put a positive face on the results of the two-day meeting at Amelia Island, a north Florida golf and tennis resort.

“All I can tell you is the job is done and done well in two days instead of the three we had expected," Bassett said. “There has never been up to now a league in the history of the United States to have such success in its first two years.”

The 1986 season will end with the championship game that owners decided Saturday would take place in Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville, an expansion team last year, has been one of the most successful in an endeavor troubled by meager attendance, especially in its largest cities.

The proximity of Jacksonville invested the meeting with an air of optimism at a time when some owners were uncertain about the league's future, Bassett said. He said he came to the meeting expecting “this thing was going to go on or it was not going to exist” after the meeting.

The Express should be essentially the same team as last year in the 1985 season, Roulier said. The new owner said he was assuming all player contracts, including that of high-priced quarterback Steve Young, and would launch a marketing program within 30 days to boost the team's paltry attendance.

Story-(UPI Modified)

'84 Chronology-Einhorn Alternatives

Event Date: October 19th, 1984

Event Description: Einhorn Predicts Consolidation

Source: United Press International

The owner of the Chicago Blitz predicted the U.S. Football League will be reduced by at least two teams by the end of an owners' meeting that began Friday.

Eddie Einhorn, owner of the struggling Blitz, said mergers or attrition would probably leave the 16-member league with 12-to-14 franchises.

Einhorn said he will announce the fate of his own club Sunday at the meeting's end.

The Blitz could spend the upcoming spring season in another city only to return in 1986. Einhorn said he had discussed the future of his team with a Charlotte, North Carolina businessman and others.

“The alternatives that I have is moving the team, selling the team outright or coming back in ’86," Einhorn said. “I have talked to some people and I will have a number of options to talk about Sunday.”

The possibility no franchise in Chicago for the coming spring would allow ABC to cancel its contract with the USFL, but Einhorn, the league's main negotiator with the networks, said he hoped to find a “creative” solution to the problem.

“We will be doing some interesting things in the next week. You'll read about them,” he told a news conference after the owners recessed for the day.

The owners spent the first day of meetings reviewing the television situation along with possible franchise shifts, marketing, and rules changes, Commissioner Chet Simmons said. Simmons said no owners are ready to fold their teams. “Nobody has just bellied up and said 'I'm out of business,'' he said.

Story-(UPI)

'84 Chronology-Turning Point

Event Date: October 19th, 1984

Event Description: USFL Owners Meeting Again

Source: United Press International

U.S. Football League owners begin a three-day meeting in Florida today that will cover topics ranging from team sales, franchise shifts, potential mergers to the location of the 1986 championship game.

The future of several teams, including the Chicago Blitz, a potential San Antonio team and the Los Angeles Express, will likely have a prominent spot on the meeting's agenda. Rumors of sales and the awarding of a second Texas team have been circulating through the league for some time.

“These meetings will be the single most important meetings we've had,” said Jacksonville Bulls owner Fred Bullard.

Owners of 15 teams -- the Los Angeles franchise is without an owner - will take part in the meeting at a resort about 25 miles from Jacksonville.

The proximity to Jacksonville may present a cheering prospect for the young league.

Despite a 4-14 record in their inaugural season this year, the Bulls led the league in attendance, drawing an average 46,730 people to the city's Gator Bowl for home games. Average attendance league-wide is 27,126.

Big city teams, where the NFL already is entrenched, offer figures that are downright dismal. The Blitz, for example, averaged 7,455 fans at their home contests last season.

Another possible topic of discussion are the Blitz, who reportedly are on the auction block. Joe Sullivan, a Honolulu restaurateur, has said he's negotiating with Blitz owner Eddie Einhorn.

The league also must decide what to do with the Los Angeles franchise and a purchase could be approved at the present meeting. Several investors reportedly are interested.

The owners are scheduled to pick a site for the USFL's 1986 championship game. Jacksonville is in the running along with Phoenix, Tampa, Houston and Detroit.

Story-(UPI Modified)

'84 Chronology-Tampering Charges

Event Date: October 18th, 1984

Event Description: Simmons Fines Gold

Source: United Press International

The Denver Gold of the U.S. Football League was fined $50,000 and the loss of a 1985 first-round draft choice by Commissioner Chet Simmons Thursday for tampering in its negotiations and signing of Coach Darrel 'Mouse' Davis.

Simmons announced his decision after a day of hearings in which it was determined the Gold had been “guilty of conduct detrimental to the best interests of the USFL.”

Simmons said the Gold should have attempted to obtain permission from the Houston Gamblers before signing Davis. He was signed by the Gold August 1st to replace Craig Morton as head coach.

“It is this type of conduct by the Gold that rules and regulations seek to prohibit,” Simmons said. “The discussion with Mr. Davis before even requesting such permission from the Gamblers was exacerbated by the fact it placed the organization in an extremely difficult and embarrassing position with the media, its fans and other partners in the league.”

In a related matter, the commissioner found the Gold not in violation of tampering rules in the team's subsequent signing of Gamblers coach June Jones as offensive coordinator.

Story-(UPI)

'84 Chronology-Delicate Negotiations

Event Date: October 15th, 1984

Event Description: Honolulu Blitz?

Source: United Press International

A Honolulu restauranteur Monday confirmed negotiations were in progress to purchase the Chicago Blitz of the U.S. Football League and move the team to the islands.

"We're at the point now where talks are in the delicate stage,” Joe Sullivan said. "So I really have no further comment.”

A story in the Sunday Chicago Sun-Times said Sullivan offered $7.5 million to Blitz owner Eddie Einhorn for the franchise.

“I don't know how they (the Sun-Times) got that information, but it's not totally accurate,” said Sullivan, who also said no information was supposed to have been released on the negotiations.

Sullivan reportedly has offered $6 million for the USFL's Los Angeles Express should the Chicago deal fall through.

He said a USFL owners' meeting in Jacksonville, Florida., this weekend would have a heavy bearing on his attempt to move a franchise to Honolulu.

“Out of that meeting will come a lot of important decisions so I'm just hanging in there,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan declined to identify members of his group attempting to bring a professional team to Hawaii.

Story-(UPI)

'84 Chronology-Opportunity Knocks

Event Date: October 12th, 1984

Event Description: Roulier May Buy Express

Source: United Press International

The Los Angeles Express lost $17 million this year, but a co-owner of the Houston Gamblers Tuesday was considering buying the club because it is 'the world's greatest opportunity.'

The USFL franchise has been for sale nearly four months -- since the league took over operation of the franchise from J. William Oldenburg in July. But Jay Roulier said he still wants the team.

“People have a fear of the L.A. deal because of Oldenburg losing money," Roulier said. “I see it as the world's greatest opportunity. They have a hell of a team, a great quarterback and it's an important franchise to the league.”

Roulier has asked the USFL to allow him to sell his $4 million equity in the Gamblers or transfer it to the Express.

“All I can tell you is what Don Klosterman, our president, has said,” Express spokesman Bob Rose said in Los Angeles. “He has confirmed that Roulier is one of the prospective, interested buyers. That's about all. Obviously it's been a very tedious, long process in selling the club, and it's been the wishes of the people involved to keep it as private as we can.”

All mergers and club acquisitions must be completed by Oct. 19-21 when league owners convene at Amelia Island, Fla.

“I won't go into details, but I think there is good sentiment in the league for me to take over the L.A. franchise,” Roulier said.

But Roulier said he will not move to buy the Express until he finds a new partner for the Gamblers. "I won't sell out until Jerry (Argovitz) has a partner," he said. “I think Jerry has someone in mind.” Argovitz, Alvin Lubetkin and Roulier each owns 33 1-3 shares of the Gamblers.

Roulier and North Carolina businessman George Shinn earlier visited Los Angeles to discuss purchase deals with Express general manager Don Klosterman. But a spokesman for Shinn said Monday his interest in the purchase had declined.

If the USFL allowed Roulier to use his equity in the Gamblers toward purchasing the Express, he actually would pay nothing for the franchise.

“The cost of running L.A. is substantially more than running Houston,” he said. “The entry fee means nothing.”

Story-(UPI)

'84 Chronology-Starting Over

Event Date: October 12th, 1984

Event Description: Bugsy Joins Dizney

Source: Lakeland Ledger

'84 Chronology-Expressly Interested

Event Date: October 9th, 1984

Event Description: Roulier Eyes Express

Source: United Press International

Houston Gamblers co-owner Jay Roulier wants to sell his interest in the club and purchase the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League.

Roulier has asked the USFL permission to sell his $4 million equity in the Gamblers or transfer it to to the Express, league and Express officials said Monday.

“I won't go into details, but I think there is good sentiment in the league for me to take over the L.A. franchise," Roulier said. “But I don't know if you could put a timetable on it.”

All mergers and club acquisitions must be completed by Oct. 19-21 when league owners convene at Amelia Island, Fla.

But Roulier said he will not move to buy the Express until he finds a new partner for the Gamblers.

“I won't sell out until Jerry (Argovitz) has a partner," he said. “I think Jerry has someone in mind.” Argovitz, Alvin Lubetkin and Roulier each owns a third of the Gamblers.

If the USFL allowed Roulier to use his equity in the Gamblers toward purchasing the Express, he actually would pay nothing for the franchise. “The cost of running L.A. is substantially more than running Houston," he said. "The entry fee means nothing.”

The Express incurred $17 million in losses in 1984, and has been up for sale nearly four months. The league took over operation of the franchise from J. William Oldenburg in July.

Story-(UPI)

'84 Chronology-Spurrier Stays

Event Date: October 9th, 1984

Event Description: Spurrier Stays Put

Source: Lakeland Ledger

'84 Chronology-Worth the Wait?

Event Date: October 9th, 1984

Event Description: Bengals Hopeful

Source: Lakeland Ledger

'84 Chronology-Dizney Deal II

Event Date: October 5th, 1984

Event Description:  Orlando Somethings

Source: United Press International

Businessman Donald Dizney expects the “Orlando Something” will soon join the Tampa Bay Bandits and the Jacksonville Bulls as Florida's third U.S. Football League team.

Dizney said at a news conference Thursday he has bought the USFL's financially ailing Washington Federals and will move it to Orlando. He had been trying for a month to swing the deal.

“I'm happy to say we've signed a definitive agreement with the Washington Federals subject to league approval, which should take few more days,” he said.

Dizney did not disclose the cost of the deal, but the Orlando Sentinel has reported the initial outlay is about $5 million. “I think Orlando's time has come for a professional franchise,” Dizney said. As for a team name, Dizney said, "All I know is that's it's going to be called the Orlando something.”

The USFL's five-man executive committee approved the deal Thursday night, commissioner Chet Simmons announced in New York. Approval by team owners was expected Monday.

“The purchase received the enthusiastic support of the committee and it recommended approval of the full ownership,” Simmons said. “To have Don Dizney as an owner and Orlando as a franchise city for the USFL is a very positive step. It adds another strong football city to the league.”

The two year-old franchise had been slated for sale to Miami hotel magnate Sherwood Weiser and Howard Schnellenberger resigned as coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes to run the team, but that deal fell through for a number of reasons.

Dizney did not name a head coach, but hinted he was trying to lure former Louisiana State coach Charlie McClendon out of retirement. McClendon, 60, executive director of the American Football Coaches Assn., has lived in Orlando since he retired from LSU in 1979.

Dizney's attorney, Robert Fraley, said he was pleased with the transaction so far.

“The deal is as good as you'll ever see. I don't think you'll ever again see a pro football franchise bought at this price,” Fraley said. An agreement reportedly had been worked out earlier for the territorial rights with John Bassett, owner of the Tampa Bay Bandits.

Story-(UPI)