'85 Chronology-Critical Mass

Event Date: April 26th, 1985

Event Description: Express Could Disband

Source: UPI

Don Klosterman, president and general manager of the U.S. Football League's troubled Los Angeles Express, said Thursday the team could be disbanded at next week's meeting of team owners.

Klosterman said the survival of the Express, who have a 4-5 record, no owner, limited money, the lowest attendance in the league and a monstrous payroll, depends on current negotiations between the league and ABC-TV, which is trying to renegotiate its television contract with the USFL.

An ABC spokesman told KNBC-TV in Los Angeles that the network plans to continue televising USFL games even if the Express are dropped from the league.

“The owners meet Monday in New York and at that particular time the owners are going to decide whether to keep the Express afloat or not,” Klosterman said.

“The LA market is important because of the TV market. But if ABC said that it wasn't important that LA be part of the league, then I'm sure they'll fold us up.”

The other team owners have been financing the Express since February, when the franchise's third owner, Denver real estate man Jay Roulier, gave up control of it. The league took over the team at that point and has kept the team intact with a reported $500,000 contribution from each of the other USFL teams.

The Express have an annual payroll of $6 million, the highest in the league, with much of it going to quarterback Steve Young, who signed a $36 million, 30-year deal with the team's second owner, J. William Oldenberg, 14 months ago.

Story-(UPI)