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.
The Memphis Mad Dogs were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Mad Dogs were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States. They played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team based in the Detroit, Michigan area. The Panthers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the Western Conference and Central Division. The team played its home games at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
Samuel Davis Mills Jr. was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. He also played for three seasons for the Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars of the United States Football League (USFL), where he won two championships in 1984 and 1985. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
Reginald Howard White was an American professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. White played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, earning unanimous All-American honors. After playing two seasons for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL), he was selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft, and then played for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most awarded defensive players in NFL history.
The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the most prominent players on the Showboats' roster during their two seasons of existence were future Pro Football Hall of Fame member Reggie White and future professional wrestler "The Total Package" Lex Luger.
Larry Coyer was an American football coach. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) from 2009 to 2011. Prior to the Colts, he was the assistant head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos and New Mexico State.
Hugh Donell Green is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1991. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers as a defensive end, and was recognized as a three-time consensus All-American. Green was selected in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft, and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins.
John Arthur Banaszak is an American football coach and former player. He was formerly the head football coach at Robert Morris University. Banaszak played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1975 to 1981. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion. Banaszak was a starter at right defensive end for the Steelers in Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XIV. He later played in the United States Football League (USFL), winning a championship as a starting defensive end for the Michigan Panthers in 1983. Banaszak played for Michigan in 1983 and 1984 and for the Memphis Showboats in 1985.
Tyrone K. McGriff Sr. was an American gridiron football player and coach. He is an inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Albert Timothy Bentley is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and the United States Football League (USFL). Bentley began his professional career in the USFL with the Michigan Panthers and Oakland Invaders from 1984 to 1985. After the USFL folded, he played for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers from 1985 to 1992. Bentley played college football for the Miami Hurricanes.
Gary Lee Shirk is a former professional American football tight end. He played with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He also played in the World Football League (WFL) for the Memphis Southmen and in the United States Football League (USFL) for the Memphis Showboats. Shirk played college football at Morehead 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.
William Oliver Roe II was an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. He also was a member of the Boston Breakers, Memphis Showboats and Birmingham Stallions in the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at the University of Colorado.
Frank Ginda is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at San Jose State.
Curtis Lee Anderson is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers. He also was a member of the Michigan Panthers, Oklahoma Outlaws and Jacksonville Bulls in the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at Central State University.
Joshua Michael Love is an American professional football quarterback for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football for San Jose State. He also played for the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League (USFL).
The 2023 USFL season was the second season of the United States Football League. The regular season started on April 15 and ended on June 18. The postseason began on June 24 and ended with the 2023 USFL Championship Game on July 1. The league expanded the locations their teams play to four total stadiums, adding Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, and Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.
T. J. Carter is an American professional football defensive end for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Kentucky and was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He also spent time with the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Los Angeles Rams.
The 2024 UFL season was the first season of the United Football League, which was created following the merger of the XFL and USFL, and the fifth season in the combined history of the two leagues, following the 2020 XFL season, 2022 USFL season, and separate 2023 seasons for both the USFL and XFL.
