Event Date: August 2nd, 1985
Event Description: U.S.F.L. Merger
Source: United Press International
Trump's New Jersey Generals Thursday announced a merger with the Houston Gamblers, who were purchased last week by Trump's friend and fellow real estate developer Steve Ross.
Trump said the club will continue to be called the Generals and he plans to stay in New Jersey.
The merger brings together the USFL's best runner in Herschel Walker and its leading passer in Jim Kelly.
'It's probably the best team in football,' Trump said. 'With a backfield of Herschel Walker and Jim Kelly, and all those (Gamblers) receivers and our defense ... I don't just want the best team in the USFL, I want the best team in football.'
Trump, who inherited Walker in his backfield when he bought the Generals after their inaugural 1983 season, went out and signed Brian Sipe from the NFL in 1984 and Doug Flutie out of Boston College in January as quarterbacks. Both took the Generals into the playoffs but New Jersey failed to get past the first round in postseason play both years.
New Jersey finished 11-7 last year and Houston was 10-8. Both made the playoffs.
Kelly's arrival in New Jersey means 1984 Heisman Trophy Flutie will be dealt by the Generals to another USFL team. Although a coach won't be officially named for several weeks, a club source said Gamblers coach Jack Pardee and his staff will be retained and New Jersey's Walt Michaels set free.
'We're looking for exciting offense, if Walt can provide exciting offense we'll keep him,' Trump said of the conservative Michaels.
Jerry Argovitz, one of the former Gamblers' owners, will be Generals' Director of Football Operations and Houston general manager Gene Burrough will hold the same postion with New Jersey.
Argovitz said 22 Houston players and 15 Generals -- including Flutie - will be retained on the roster that must be submitted to the league Saturday.
Most of the Generals' office and public relations staff will probably be retained.
Trump now has the quarterback he's wanted ever since he bought the Generals.He briefly looked into a merger with Houston last year to acquire Kelly, before signing Flutie to a $7 million contract out of Boston College.
After Flutie arrived, Sipe was quickly traded to Jacksonville. Now Flutie is on the block, and he'll probably end up with a new USFL franchise in either Chicago or Boston.
Ross, who paid over $5 million for the Gamblers, said he orginally intended to move them to Shea Stadium in New York, but Trump approached him about a merger and they worked out the deal. Trump and Ross will be co-owners and have equal say in running the team.
Ross said the Generals would only leave Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., if there is a problem getting playing dates.
Both the New York Giants and New York Jets of the NFL play in Giants Stadium and the Generals might be squeezed out when the USFL moves to a fall season in 1986.
'Neither the Giants nor the Jets can beat us now,' said Trump, who repeated an old challenge to meet one or both in a charity game.
In other league news:
The Houston Gamblers have announced the resignation of Jim Sheehan who was the coordinator of media information.
more to come......
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