re: Memphis Showboats announce coaching staff for 2024 UFL season

quote:

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jim kelly-houston gamblers, herchel walker-NJ generals, doug flutie-NJ generals, cliff stoudt-birmingham stallions, marcus dupree-new orleans/portland breakers, steve young- LA express, Bobby Hebert-michigan panthers, sam mills/vaughn johnson-philadelphia/baltimore stars. and on and on and on

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Iirc in the case of Hershel and I think Dupree, those guys went to the USFL because of the NFL draft rules on underclassmen at the time. Flutie was thought to be too small for the NFL. Mills and Vaughn were examples of guys who got the chance in the NFL based on their play in the USFL,
but might not have gotten a shot otherwise.

Young, IIRC, went to the USFL for the money in what was at that time a record breaking $40 million deal. At that point, NFL money wasn’t insane like it was today and the USFL could actually outbid them for some rookies and even a few vets. Doug Williams went to the USFL after the Bucs wouldn’t pay him. Brian Sipe too. Mike Rozier was the third straight Heisman winner they signed.

You had NFL vets like Stoudt and
Greg Landry. Guys who were college “names” like Chuck Fusina and Reeves from Florida.

You didn’t mention Gary Zimmerman and Reggie White, who started in the UsFL and went on to the NFL HOF along with Mills, Kelly and Young.

Obviously this version isn’t going to try to directly compete with the NFL like the previous incarnation.