Passing Through the USFL Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bobby Hebert

Future NFL star Bobby Hebert was the only quarterback to pass for at least 3000 yards in every USFL season (1983-1985). He finished with a career total of 11,137 yards, making him the league's career leader. Houston Gamblers QB Jim Kelly is the single season record holder with 5219 yards, set during the 1984 season.

Answer: Doug Williams and Chuck Fusina

During his first stint in the NFL, Doug Williams was a star quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, helping the franchise to its first division title in 1979. It was capped off by an appearance in the NFC Championship game. Bucs owner Hugh Culverhouse refused to reward Williams during contract negotiations following the 1982 season (Williams's salary was so low that more than half the NFLs backup quarterbacks were reportedly out-earning him). Williams decided to leave the Bucs and move to the USFL, where he spent three seasons as the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma/Arizona Outlaws. Williams's backup in Tampa Bay was Chuck Fusina, who left the organization the same year to play for the Philadelphia Stars.

Answer: Steve Young

On April 20th, 1984, Los Angeles Express quarterback Steve Young did this. The feat occured in LA's 42-29 loss at the Chicago Blitz. One of the players who helped Young in his achievement was offensive lineman Gary Zimmerman, who went on to become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame after 12 seasons in the NFL.

Answer: Dallas Cowboys

Despite a remarkable career at the University of Southern Mississippi, Reggie Collier didn't look like much in the 1983 NFL Draft. The quarterback class of that year is remembered as the greatest ever, led by standouts such as John Elway, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, and Ken O'Brien. Collier was picked in the sixth round by the Dallas Cowboys, four months after the Birmingham Stallions made him the third pick in the first USFL Draft.

He ultimately chose to play in the USFL, playing each of his three seasons with a different franchise (Birmingham in '83, the Washington Federals in '84, and the Orlando Renegades in '85).

After the USFL, he was picked up by the Cowboys in 1986, and then played for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1987.

Answer: Bobby Hebert and Chuck Fusina

Although no one knew it at the time, the 1985 USFL Championship game was the last game the league ever played. Held at Giants Stadium on July 14th, the game featured the two starting quarterbacks from the 1983 title game, the Oakland Invaders' Bobby Hebert and the Baltimore Stars' Chuck Fusina.

The 1983 game was won by Hebert, whose Michigan Panthers defeated Fusina and the Philadelphia Stars 24-22, on a late touchdown pass from Hebert to wide receiver Anthony Carter. This time, Fusina was victorious, guiding the Stars to a 28-24 win.

Answer: Fred Besana

NFL reject Fred Besana enjoyed brief success in the USFL with the Oakland Invaders, whom he led to the playoffs during the league's first season in 1983. On May 21st of that year, the Invaders visited the Tampa Bay Bandits, who sacked Besana 10 times en route to a 29-9 victory. Besana was relegated to the bench later in his career, when the Invaders absorbed the Michigan Panthers and QB Bobby Hebert.

Answer: Jim Kelly and Cliff Stoudt

Future Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly threw five TDs as a member of the Houston Gamblers on May 12th, 1984 against the Pittsburgh Maulers. The following season, in a February 24th game against the LA Express, Kelly repeated the feat. Birmingham Stallions QB Cliff Stoudt also accomplished five TDs twice, first against the Oklahoma Outlaws on April 20th, 1984, and again on May 19th, 1985 against the LA Express.

Answer: The Rose Bowl

'Slick' Rick Neuheisel was the toast of Los Angeles after underdog UCLA throttled Illinois in the 1984 Rose Bowl, 45-9. The Bruins QB wasn't even expected to start after he and two other players came down with food poisoning before the game. After his college career, Neuheisel joined the doomed San Antonio Gunslingers, a USFL expansion team whose team offices were inside a trailer.

A competent pro at best, Neuheisel was the face of the team until the USFL's demise. He later gained notoriety as a controversial NCAA head football coach, leading the Colorado Buffaloes program into the stinker after being cited for recruiting violations that occured during his tenure from 1995-1998.

Answer: The Pittsburgh Steelers

Cliff Stoudt was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1977, and spent his first six seasons as the backup to Terry Bradshaw. When Bradshaw underwent elbow surgery prior to the 1983 season, Stoudt was named the starter. His performance was sub-par, and Steelers fans made Stoudt public enemy No. 1.

In 1984, he moved to the USFL and posted a 101.6 quarterback rating with the Birmingham Stallions, guiding the team to the playoffs. During the season, the Stallions visited the Pittsburgh Maulers. In his return to the Steel City, Stoudt was hit with a barrage of snowballs thrown by unforgiving fans.

The game, a 30-18 Stallions victory, was the only sell-out in Pittsburgh Maulers history.

Answer: The Green Bay Packers

Penn State legend Chuck Fusina was one of the USFLs most dominant quarterbacks, finishing among the leaders in all major passing categories during the league's three-year run. After the league went belly-up, Fusina spent 1986 as a member of the NFLs Green Bay Packers, backing up starter Randy Wright.

Answer: The New Jersey Generals

After the Houston Gamblers ceased operations following the 1985 season, Jim Kelly was picked up by the New Jersey Generals. He was expected to be the Generals' starting QB, but the USFL folded before the 1986 season began. Following the league's demise, Kelly became a member of the NFLs Buffalo Bills. Sports Illustrated ran a feature about Kelly in their July 21st, 1986 issue, and put him on the cover.

The photograph used was a picture taken of Kelly in his New Jersey Generals uniform, and the article touted him as the NFLs next great passing threat.

Answer: John Reaves

After 11 seasons in the NFL, Florida Gator legend John Reaves came to the USFL in 1983 as quarterback of the Tampa Bay Bandits. He shared playing time with Jimmy Jordan in coach Steve Spurrier's high octane 'Banditball' offense. In 1984, Reaves became the full time starter, throwing for over 4000 yards and leading the Bandits to a 14 win season.

After a successful 1985 campaign, Reaves was released due to a contract dispute, and was picked up by the Orlando Renegades. He was expected to be Orlando's starter in 1986, but the league folded, and in 1987 Reaves gave the NFL another try.

He appeared in two games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and left pro football for good after the 1987 season.

Answer: His quarterback rating was last in the league

Denver Gold quarterback Jeff Knapple only started three games for the team in 1983, but his 213 pass attempts was good enough to qualify him for dead last on the USFL passer rating list with a rating of 34. It should be noted that in 1983, the USFL utilized a different formula for rating its QB's.

In 1984, the league adopted the NFL formula). After Knapple, Denver used a revolving door of quarterbacks in an attempt to jumpstart their offense, but with poor results. Despite their lackluster performance on the field, the Gold were unique. Owner Ron Blanding's team packed Mile High Stadium on a regular basis, and were the only USFL team to turn a profit in 1983.

Answer: Brian Sipe

After buying the New Jersey Generals from oil baron J. Walter Duncan following the 1983 season, real estate tycoon Donald Trump went on a spending spree that mocked the USFL's un-enforcable salary cap rule. One of his moves was the aquisition of quarterback Brian Sipe, who won the NFL MVP award in 1980 while playing for the Cleveland Browns.

The following year, Trump signed Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie to a contract, and dealt Sipe to the Jacksonville Bulls less than 24 hours later.

Answer: Dan Marino

Four months before the Miami Dolphins made him the 27th pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, University of Pittsburgh quarterback Dan Marino was selected by the Los Angeles Express of the USFL, becoming the league's first draft pick. Marino made several promotional appearances with the team, and everything seemed well. Unfortunately for LA, they never came to a contract agreement with Marino, who wound up becoming one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. Marino is from Pittsburgh. Western Pennsylvania is often referred to as the 'Cradle of Quarterbacks', due to the number of successful NFL QBs born in the area.