The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be played in the autumn/winter, directly competing against the long-established National Football League (NFL). However, the USFL ceased operations before that season was scheduled to begin.
James Edward Kelly is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL). Kelly played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning offensive MVP honors in the 1981 Peach Bowl.
John Perry Pardee was an American professional football player and head coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). As a coach, he is the only head coach to helm a team in college football, the NFL, the United States Football League (USFL), the World Football League (WFL), and the Canadian Football League (CFL). Pardee was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986.
The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducing former Middletown (Ohio) High School football coach Glenn "Tiger" Ellison's Run & Shoot offense to the world of pro football.
Tim Lewis is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator for the Boston College Eagles. He played college football as a cornerback for the Pittsburgh Panthers and was selected by the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft. Following a neck injury that cut his playing career short after four seasons, Lewis began serving as a coach in the collegiate and professional levels and obtained his first head coaching position with the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019. He also served as the defensive backs coach for the St. Louis BattleHawks and co-defensive coordinator for the Arlington Renegades of the XFL.
Joe Stanier Cribbs is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at Auburn University along with future NFL backs William Andrews and James Brooks. He began his professional career in 1980 with the Buffalo Bills.
Ricky Wayne Sanders is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 12 seasons from 1983 to 1994, two with the United States Football League (USFL)'s Houston Gamblers and 10 in the National Football League (NFL). He played running back, safety, and place kicker as a three-year letterman for Belton High School in Belton, Texas and broke five records.
Dale Robert Hellestrae is an American former professional football long snapper in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at Southern Methodist University.
Joseph Martin Silipo was a Canadian and American football player in three professional football leagues.
Lionel Vital is an American former professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. He was recently the general manager for the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL). He was a member of the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also was a scout and director of personnel in the NFL. He played college football at Nicholls State University.
Larry Bethea was an American football defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He was also a member of the Michigan Panthers and Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL). Bethea was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 1978 NFL draft, after playing college football for the Michigan State Spartans and winning Big Ten Most Valuable Player in 1977. He died a self imposed death after being identified as a suspect in two armed robberies.
The 1983 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League, and the 24th overall. It was the first of three seasons for head coach Kay Stephenson. Bills running back Joe Cribbs was both the Bills' leading rusher, and the team's leader in receptions and receiving yards. The team looked to improve on its 4–5 record from 1982. With the NFL schedule back to 16 games, the Bills were a more competitive team during 1983. The team started 5–2 through its first 7 games. However, they would struggle the rest of the way, as they went 3–6 in its final 9 games en route to a mediocre 8–8 season. This season also saw the Bills beat the Dolphins in Miami for the first time since 1966, Miami's inaugural season. After beating the Chiefs, 14–9, in Arrowhead Stadium on December 4, the Bills would lose 22 road games in a row, which included going 0–8 on the road in each of the following two seasons.
Durwood Clinton Roquemore is a former American football cornerback who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL), United States Football League (USFL), and Arena Football League (AFL).
Julian Luis "Kiki" DeAyala is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the United States Football League (USFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and still holds the school record for career sacks with 40.5.
Willie L. Lewis is an American football executive and former professional player who is the general manager for the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL). He was most recently the Director of Player Personnel for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL and Assistant Director of Pro Personnel for the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL. He was the general manager for the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). He previously served as an executive in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 years, including tenures with the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. Most notably, he was the Seahawks vice president of football operations from 2010 to 2012.
Vincent Eric Courville is an American former professional football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He was also a member of the Houston Gamblers in the United States Football League (USFL) and the New York Knights in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Rice University.
Marc Stacy Brown is a former professional American football wide receiver who played for the Buffalo Bills in 1987.
The Houston Roughnecks are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The Roughnecks compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the USFL Conference. The team is owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The team was a founding member of the USFL, as the Houston Gamblers in 2022, named after the 1980s USFL team of the same name. Though named after the city of Houston, the 2020s Gamblers never played there under that brand, instead playing its home games as the guest of other USFL teams in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022 and Memphis, Tennessee in 2023. When the USFL and XFL merged to form the UFL in 2024, the Gamblers took over the branding of the original Houston Roughnecks that had played the 2020 and 2023 seasons in the XFL and played in Houston at Rice Stadium and will play at Space City Financial Stadium for the 2025 season.
Tucker Addington is an American professional football long snapper who is a free agent. He played college football at Sam Houston State and spent two years out of football before being selected in the 2022 USFL draft by the Houston Gamblers, where he played one season. Addington has also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Commanders.
