Event Date: December 2nd, 1986
Event Description: Breakers Reach 10k
Source: UPI
Team spokesman Brian Feldman said Monday, “We reached 10,000 on Sunday and have only about 1,000 seats left in the $15 category, our second-best ticket category.” Top-priced $19 tickets were sold out earlier.
The Breakers franchise moved from New Orleans to Portland last month.
Story-(UPI Modified)
Event Description: Staff Reductions
Source: UPI
The Oakland Invaders of the U.S. Football League Monday announced the firing of about a dozen front-office personnel, including publicity director Gino Effler and director of college scouting Bill Baker, Jr.
The merger of the Michigan and Oakland teams this past off-season has led to a reorganization of the front offces.
A club spokesman said the Invaders' front office from now until next March will consist of president Vince Lombardi Jr., director of football operations Mike Keller, business manager Mona Williams, assistant to the president Jill Gutenkunst and administrative assistant Sue Oliver.
The Michigan coaching staff will remain intact with head coach Jim Stanley taking over in Oakland.
Story-(UPI Modified)
Event Date: November 24th, 1986
Event Description: Stars Add Backup; Corker Joins Bulls
Source: PFW
Rozantz, who played two years in the CFL and four years in the USFL, said on Sunday he had reached a tentative contract agreement with the Stars.
The Stars also signed ex-Renegades offensive tackle Dave Sullivan, former San Diego Chargers defensive back Terry Lewis, linebacker Lester Speight (Morgan State), and safety Rob Porter a 1984 draft pick.
Other signings from the USFL included; the Jacksonville Bulls have added tight end Mark Raugh, offensive tackle Greg Murtha, and linebacker John Corker. Corker was most recently with the Miami Dolphins, but was cut during training camp.
more to come......
Event Description: Season Ticket Sales
Source: UPI
The new Portland Breaker entry in the United States Football League has sold out all of its top-priced season tickets for next season, the team announced Thursday.
A spokesman said all 3,800 season tickets in the $19 price range were sold during the first two days they were offered.
In all about 4,000 season tickets have been sold. The rest are in the $15 and below price range. The team formally announced on Tuesday of this week it is moving from New Orleans to Portland next year.
Event Description: Truvillion Traded
Source: Football Journal
The Oakland Invaders traded disgruntled wide receiver Eric Truvillion to the Orlando Renegades for slot receiver Jeff Smith and defensive back Lee Wilson, the club announced Friday.
Recently, Truvillion had expressed that he wanted to be released or traded, leading the Invaders to seek a deal.
Truvillion started his pro career with the Tampa Bay Bandits where he played for three seasons before being traded to Michigan.
Event Date: November 15th, 1986
Event Description: Delta Dome Redux?
Source: UPI
Portland industrial leaders are talking about a possible $100 million domed stadium seating between 50,000 and 70,000.
“We should absolutely have a domed stadium and a convention center,” said U. S. Bancorpchairman John Elorriaga.
Elorriaga said he has invited Gov. Vic Atiyeh, Mayor-elect Bud Clark, and a group of businessmen to meet next week “to see if we can get some people organized to do something about this.”
New talk about a domed stadium surfaced after the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League switched their franchise to Portland.
Joe Canizaro, Breakers' owner and a real estate developer in New Orleans, is hoping for a domed faciliity.
“There is the Kingdome, Superdome, Silverdome, Astrodome and so on,” Canizaro said. “I would like to see this called the Portland Dome, so that every time it is mentioned, people have to say the city's name.”
Canizaro said, “I don't want anybody to build anything for me. I want the people of Portland to do it for themselves, for their own pride and enjoyment.”
Story-(UPI Modified)
Event Date: November 13th, 1986
Event Description: Breakers Moving
Source: Eugene Register Guard
Event Date: November 8th, 1986
Event Description: Canizaro Visit
Source: Eugene Register Guard
Event Date: November 4th, 1986
Event Description: Phenomenal Interest
Source: Eugene Register Guard
Event Date: October 31st, 1986
Event Description: Spedding Files Suit
Source: UPI
Spedding, who bought the team for $8.75 million, contends he was led to believe he would lose no more than $500,000 during the 1984 football season, but actually lost more than $3 million.
Story UPI........
Event Date: October 23rd, 1986
Event Description: Michigan Merger
Source: Football News
The Michigan Panthers announced at a meeting of league owners this week that they were in the process of merging with the Oakland Invaders.
Under the terms of the merger, Oakland owner Tad Taube, would sell his majority interest in the Invaders to Michigan Panthers owner A. Alfred Taubman. Taube will remain with the team as a minority owner and the team will be based in Oakland.
“We don't know exactly how things are to be worked out, because the papers haven't been processed through the league office yet,” said USFL spokesman Peter Hadhazy.
“But I do know that Oakland would have a much improved team if it was to get all of the Michigan players.”
The USFL owners approved in principle the merger of the two franchises. The merger, which is to be completed on or about Nov. 15th, will see the league reduced to 12 teams.
In another announcement, it was revealed that the voluntary termination notice provided to the league by the Los Angeles Express became effective Sunday.
A dispersal draft of players from the Los Angeles club is scheduled to take place in Memphis on December 8th.
The format for the 1987 season was unveiled as well.
There will be two conferences -- the Liberty and Independence-- with the Liberty conference consisting of New Jersey, Baltimore, Memphis, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and Orlando.
The Independence conference will include Birmingham, Houston, Arizona, Denver, Oakland and the Breakers.
more to come......
Event Date: October 19th, 1986
Event Description: Hadl Terminated
Source: UPI
Los Angeles Express coach John Hadl and his entire staff will be unemployed come November after being fired by USFL commissioner Harry Usher.
The Express have been financed by Charlotte businessman George Shinn who agreed to try and restructure the teams’ finances along with minority owner Jay Roulier.
Usher said that Shinn and Roulier would both like to remain in the league, but that the situation in Los Angeles was “untenable.”
The decision to terminate Hadl and the Express staff was made last week by Usher during a visit to Los Angeles.
“The situation is pretty bleak,” Hadl said. “We've been told they're going to cut the overhead and turn the lights out until further notice.”
Hadl and his assistants have another year remaining on their contracts. It is considered doubtful that the USFL will honor the contracts.
Story-(UPI Modified)
Event Description: Klosterman Concerned
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 depends on current negotiations between the league and ABC-TV and ESPN, 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 (actually in Teaneck, N.J.) 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 late July, when the franchise's majority owner, Charlotte businessman George Shinn, gave up control of it.
(Story-UPI Modified)
