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Hoch's USFL Memories
 Posted
10/27/2009 8:26:00 AM
I watched the USFL special on ESPN's "30 For 30" the other night, and I was magically transported back to a time that seemed so much nicer... happier... exciting. There's something about the USFL that will always bring back nostalgic feelings for me. (Kind of like when you hear a song that was a big part of your childhood.) I know the USFL was only around for 3 years, but I have such great memories from that league- and I don't even know why. To be honest, I found out so many things about the USFL watching the ESPN special that I now question if I really knew anything about the USFL in the first place. I learned that Lee Corso was a head coach in the USFL. Lee Corso from College Gameday! A head coach in the USFL!? Who says you can't learn anything from TV?
My memories of the USFL are a little scattered, because I was about 13 or 14 years old when it happened. I remember rooting for Vince Evans as quarterback for the Chicago Blitz. I had watched Vince Evans as a backup QB for the Bears, but he never got to play. Fans in Chicago were always calling for the coaches to put in Vince Evans, but they never really did... and all of a sudden, he was the starting quarterback for the Blitz! I even remember going out and buying a red Chicago Blitz hat, which I wore for the entire year of 1984. (Wish I could still find that hat.)
Now, that's my memory of the Blitz. But as I read about the USFL on Wikipedia, it tells me that Greg Landry was the quarterback of the Blitz, and also that the team was coached by George Allen. I don't remember either of those facts, so now I'm going to have to research the Blitz even further. Wow- I'm learning now that the Blitz has a lot of history I wasn't even aware of. Apparently, at one point, the entire team was traded to Arizona for their team. In 1983, the Blitz became the Wranglers, and the Wranglers became the Blitz. And Marv Levy was then named head coach of the Blitz! I had no idea I was rooting for a Marv Levy coached team. This is great!
Okay, I was right. Vince Evans was indeed the quarterback. (And not very good.) But here's something really interesting... The Blitz offered Walter Payton what would have been the largest contract in football at that time- 2 million dollars over 3 years. Apparently the Blitz needed to make this deal happen, because their fan base was too small and they needed to do something big. Unfortunately, for the USFL, the deal never happened. Wow, my life would have been dramatically different if Sweetness played for the Blitz. I would have been stuck watching Roland Harper and Matt Suhey running for the Bears with no Walter Payton.
I guess I need to do a little more research about the USFL. My appetite for USFL info and memories is growing. I must learn more. I must find out more about this childhood memory I have of the USFL. I must fill my quest for knowledge about this league that I thought I cared so much about. My quest begins now.
DAN JIGGETTS PLAYED FOR THE BLITZ!
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Marc Hochman
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It's about time you posted another blog
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Posted By
Dday25
On
11/2/2009 9:19:52 AM
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Steve Spurrier was the coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits. I was in Orlando a few years ago and they were running Tampa Bay at Denver Gold on ESPN Classics. I also had a Bandits t-shit. When is this going to be re-run? I missed it somehow. Also I always thought that the Houston Gamblers were kind of an odd thing to name your team.
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Posted By
Hassenphefer
On
10/28/2009 2:49:08 PM
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