United States Football League (USFL) Team Media Guides Collection

Collection

Identifier: FBP 543

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of media guides for the original incarnation of the United States Football League during its three seasons of play in 1983, 1984, and 1985. The media guides typically contain pictures, articles, bios, and statistics about the players on the teams, as well as pictures, information, and bios about coaches and other team personnel, including owners, administrators, trainers, and cheerleaders. The guides usually also contain historical and contemporary information about the team and the league and advertisements. Formats include media guides.

Dates

Creation: 1983-1985

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Biographical / Historical

Founded in 1982, the professional United States Football League sponsored three seasons of competition in 1983, 1984, and 1985. The league played its game in the spring and summer, outside of the traditional fall and winter schedules for college football and the National Football League (NFL). In advance of the 1986 season, league owners voted to move the USFL’s schedule to the fall and the winter to directly compete with the well-established NFL. Simultaneously, the USFL sued the NFL in federal court for anti-trust violations. The jury found the NFL guilty of violating anti-trust laws but only awarded the USFL $1 in damages. After the jury’s decision, the league and its teams were deep in debt. The USFL suspended the planned 1986 fall/winter season and never returned to the field. After further unsuccessful court decisions, the USFL formally disbanded in 1988.