Arizona Wranglers
Encyclopedia
The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football
team in the United States Football League
in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium
on the campus of Arizona State University
in Tempe
, a suburb of Phoenix
.
. However, the franchise's original owner, Alex Spanos
, pulled out and bought into the NFL
's San Diego Chargers
. The owners of the Oakland Invaders
, Bay Area
real estate executives Jim Joseph and Tad Taube, flipped a coin to decide who wouland became the new owner of the Los Angeles franchise. The "loser" got full ownership of the Invaders, while the "winner" got the rights to Southern California. Joseph won.
A few months later, however, Bill Daniels
and Alan Harmon were forced to move to Los Angeles after their initial bid for a team in San Diego fell through. The league forced Joseph to give up his franchise rights to Daniels and Harmon; it felt that Daniels and Harmon's roots in the cable television industry would be better suited for the country's second-largest market. Joseph finally settled on a move to Phoenix, bringing professional football to the city for the first time.
Arizona Wranglers
season was the inaugural season for the team in the United States Football League
.
Owner Jim Joseph held fast to the USFL's original blueprint, aggressively marketing the team in Arizona while keeping tight controls on spending (including player salaries). The result was a young team with some talent at the skill positions, but fewer quality starters in the starting lineup and less depth of talent than their opponents.
The Wranglers were quite competitive at first, posting a 4-4 record and moving into a four way tie for first in their division. However, they lost their last 10 games--the longest losing streak in league history--finishing in a tie for the worst record in the league.
The 1983 Wranglers featured the League's 6th ranked passer in rookie QB (Alan Risher), 12th ranked rusher in 3rd year vet Leon Calvin Murray, and the league's #7, #10, #11 receivers (1983 rookies TE Mark Keel, WR Jackie Flowers
, and WR Neil Balholm, respectively).
There defense started out good. The Wranglers signed San Francisco 49er ILB Jeff McIntyre and ILB Glen Perkins
from the University of Arizona. But during pre-season McIntyre, who had a personal services contract with Joseph, asked to be traded because of contract issues. Perkins suffered a knee injury that slowed his play and development.
The Wranglers probably benefited early on from the league's decision not to have a preseason. When the rest of their opponents reached midseason form, the undermanned Wrangler defense had trouble keeping the games within reach of the offense. They gave up 442 points, easily the most in the league. The Wranglers only scored more than 23 points once all season --- in their week 2 upset of George Allen's Chicago Blitz
.
In hopes of avoiding Arizona's often-oppressive summer heat, the Wranglers played their first 6 home games by April 23 and only played 3 of their last 9 games at home.
Joseph lost millions of dollars in the 1983 season. While he'd anticipated years of losses when he first got his franchise, the team's poor attendance made him unwilling to stick it out, and he decided to sell.
The Wranglers finished the season 4-14, 4th place in the USFL's Pacific Divisione, the team whose region was hosting the Super Bowl would not be playing in it.
owner Dr. Ted Diethrich, a Phoenix resident (he founded the Arizona Heart Institute), wanted a chance to move closer to his business interests in the Phoenix area. He was also angered at the Blitz' poor attendance despite fielding a team considered to be an NFL-quality unit.
Diethrich thought he had a solution to both his and Joseph's problems--an unprecedented swap of franchises. First, Diethrich sold the Blitz to fellow surgeon James Hoffman, and then bought the Wranglers from Joseph. Hoffman and Diethrich then engineered a swap of assets in which virtually the entire Blitz organization—including the entire coaching staff (led by head coach George Allen) and most of the players--moved to Phoenix while the old Wranglers organization moved to Chicago. (The most notable exception was that Wrangler triggerman Alan Risher stayed in Arizona to back up Greg Landry
). The deal transformed the Wranglers from a cellar-dweller to a powerhouse almost overnight. However, trading a team that had been, at worst, the third-best team in the league for a lesser version of the 1983 Wranglers raised questions about the USFL's credibility -- especially in Chicago.
(While the USFL was active, the league considered the 1983 and 1984 Wranglers to be the same franchise, even though almost all the players were different.)
, then defeated the Los Angeles Express for the conference title. The Wranglers, despite having the worse record of the two participating teams, got to host the 1984 Western Conference championship game because the Los Angeles Express could not use their home field, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
, because of preparations for the 1984 Summer Olympics
. To accommodate the oppressive summer heat in the state, as well as the ABC Sports television
schedule, the game kicked off at 8:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. Eastern time).
The Wranglers' run ended in the championship game with a 23-3 defeat by the Philadelphia Stars. QB Greg Landry
retired after the season.
The Wranglers intended to change to Red jerseys for the 1984 season, but the league office had put in a rule that stated any team changing jersey colors (in this case, blue to red) had to wait one season before doing so. The Wranglers had intended to start wearing the red jerseys starting in the '85 season, but they ended up merging with the Oklahoma Outlaws and became the Arizona Outlaws.
1. MINNIFIELD, Frank CB (18/15), 5.09, 180, 24, Ohio State; 38 tkl, 13 ast, 7 PDs, 2 FR, 4 ICs/74 yds
2. JOHNSON, Trumaine WR (18/18), 6.03, 193, 23, Grambling; 90 receptions, 1,269 yds, 14.1 avg, 13 TDs
3. CORRAL, Frank K/P (18/0), 6.02, 210, 28, UCLA; 11/21 FGM, 63/65 PATs, 96 pts, 69 punts, 41.4 avg, 58 long, 6 TB, 17 In-20
7. RISHER, Alan QB (18/0), 6.02, 190, 23, Louisiana State; 64/104, 61.5%, 728 yds, 3 TDs, 7 ICs
8. PORRAS, Tom QB (IA/18G), 6.02, 193, 26, Washington
11. LANDRY, Greg QB (18/18), 6.04, 207, 37, Massachusetts; 283/449, 63.0%, 3,534 yds, 26 TDs, 15ICs
20. DRAIN, Selwyn FS (15/0), 6.00, 190, 22, Ball State; 13 tkl, 3 ast, 2 FR
21. DENNISON, Doug RB (13/0), 6.01, 200, 32, Kutztown State, 8 car., 48 yds, 1 TD, 30 rec., 244 yds
22. SHIELDS, Lance CB (18/6), 6.00, 175, 23, Drake; 27 tkl, 10 ast, 2 PDs
24. JOHNSON, Randy RB (7/0), 5.11, 205, 21, Texas-Arlington; 13 car., 53 yds
25. BROWN, Eddie SS (16/4), 5.11, 190, 31, Tennessee; 31 tlk, 17 ast, 4 PDs, 1 FR, 2 INT, 20 PR, 11.0 avg.
27. BRADLEY, Luther FS (18/18), 6.03, 197, 28, Notre Dame;
28. SCHWARTZ, Don SS (IA/2G), 6.01, 195, 28, Washington State
29. WALTON, Ted SS (11/1), 5.10, 198, 26, Connecticut
32. ALLEN, Carl CB (11/11), 6.00, 175, 28, Southern Mississippi
33. LONG, Kevin FB (18/18), 6.01, 219, 29, South Carolina
40. LAIRD, Bruce SS (13/13), 6.01, 195, 33, American International
42. CLARK, Allan RB (18/0), 5.10, 190, 26, Northern Arizona
43. BOATNER, Mack FB (18/0), 6.00, 220, 25, Southeastern State (La.)
44. SANCHEZ, Lupe CB (9/4), 5.10, 197, 22, UCLA
46. SPENCER, Tim RB (18/18), 6.01, 216, 23, Ohio State
50. OHTON, Dave LS (5/0), 5.10, 220, 22, Arizona State
51. SULLIVAN, Gerry C (18/18), 6.04, 250, 31, Illinois
52. WHITE, Stan LB (18/18), 6.01, 225, 34, Ohio State
53. MELONTREE, Andy LB (18/0), 6.03, 214, 26, Baylor
54. CASEY, Derrick LB (5/0), 6.01, 230, 23, San Francisco State
55. FAHNHORST, Jim LB (18/18), 6.04, 230, 25, Minnesota
56. SMITH, Ed LB (18/18), 6.02, 218, 26, Vanderbilt
57. FIELD, Doak LB (14/0), 6.02, 224, 25, Baylor
58. GHEESLING, Bruce LB (18/0), 6.01, 212, 23, Furman
59. PIETTE, Tom LS (17/0), 6.04, 243, 23, Michigan State
61. THAYER, Tom G (16/16), 6.04, 261, 22, Notre Dame
62. KEHR, Rick G (IA/2G), 6.03, 270, 24, Carthage
63. BUBEN, Mark DE (18/1), 6.03, 260, 27, Tufts
64. LEE, John DE (18/17), 6.02, 261, 31, Nebraska
65. KIEWEL, Jeff G (IA/18G), 6.04, 254, 23, Arizona
67. STADNIK, John T (13/10), 6.04, 278, 24, Western Illinois
68. HUFFMAN, David G (18/18), 6.07, 255, 26, Notre Dame
70. LATHROP, Kit DT (18/18), 6.04, 254, 27, Arizona State
71. LORCH, Karl DE (18/18), 6.04, 235, 33, Southern California
72. HICKMAN, Dallas DE (14/0), 6.06, 234, 28, Alabama A&M
73. STEVENSON, Mark G (IA/3G), 6.03, 276, 28, Western Illinois
74. EHRMANN, Joe DT (14/9), 6.03, 248, 34, Syracuse
75. TAYLOR, Rob T (18/18), 6.06, 280, 23, Northwestern
76. GIDDENS, Frank T (15/8), 6.07, 320, 24, New Mexico
77. THOMAS, Todd T/LS (5/0), 6.06, 270, 24, North Dakota
79. SMITH, Robert DE (4/0), 6.07, 256, 22, Grambling
80. HILL, Al (IA/8G), 6.03, 205, 24, Arizona
81. WRIGHTMAN, Tim TE (IA/9G), 6.03, 225, 24, UCLA
82. DOUGLAS, Larry WR (16/2), 6.01, 192, 26, Southern
83. LOCKLIN, Kerry TE (2/0), 6.04, 235, 30, Washington
85. BROWN, Clay TE (2/0), 6.03, 220, 25, Brigham Young
85. TOLBERT, Mark WR (10/0), 5.09, 175, 25, Cal-Poly Pomona
86. RICKER, Paul TE (18/18), 6.03, 233, 27, Norwich
87. COZEN, Doug TE (4/0), 6.04, 241, 26, Illinois
88. BUGGS, Wamon WR (4/4), 6.02, 198, 23, Vanderbilt
89. WILLIS, Lenny WR (18/14), 5.11, 188, 30, Ohio State
91. EPPS, Nick DE (4/0), 6.03, 247, 21, Illinois
99. YOUNG, Wilbur DT (15/9), 6.06, 285, 34, William Penn
HEAD COACH: GEORGE ALLEN
Quarterbacks Coach: Roman Gabriel
Offensive Line: John Payne
Secondary: Donald "Deek" Pollard
Defensive Line: John Teerlinck
Offensive Backs: Ray Wietecha
Strength & Conditioning: Warren Anderson
.
Receiving Yards: 1258 (1984), Trumaine Johnson
Passing Yards: 3534 (1984), Greg Landry
|1983 || 4 || 14||0 || 4th Pacific ||-
|-
|1984 || 10 || 8 || 0 || 2nd WC Pacific || Won Divisional (Houston
)
Won Conference (Los Angeles)
Lost USFL championship (Philadelphia)
|-
!Totals || 16 || 23 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team in the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...
on the campus of Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
in Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
, a suburb of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.
Founding
The Wranglers were originally supposed to be in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. However, the franchise's original owner, Alex Spanos
Alex Spanos
Alexander Gus Spanos is an American real estate developer and self-made billionaire of Greek origin who founded the A. G. Spanos Companies and owns the San Diego Chargers.-Early life:...
, pulled out and bought into the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The owners of the Oakland Invaders
Oakland Invaders
Oakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:...
, Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
real estate executives Jim Joseph and Tad Taube, flipped a coin to decide who wouland became the new owner of the Los Angeles franchise. The "loser" got full ownership of the Invaders, while the "winner" got the rights to Southern California. Joseph won.
A few months later, however, Bill Daniels
Bill Daniels
Robert W. "Bill" Daniels was a pioneer in the cable television industry, commonly known as the "Father of Cable Television". He was an owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and a founder of the United States Football League ....
and Alan Harmon were forced to move to Los Angeles after their initial bid for a team in San Diego fell through. The league forced Joseph to give up his franchise rights to Daniels and Harmon; it felt that Daniels and Harmon's roots in the cable television industry would be better suited for the country's second-largest market. Joseph finally settled on a move to Phoenix, bringing professional football to the city for the first time.
1983 season
The 19831983 USFL season
-Regular season:W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against = Division Champion, = Wild CardThe 1983 USFL season was the inaugural season of the United States Football League.-Regular season:...
Arizona Wranglers
Arizona Wranglers
The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix.-Founding:...
season was the inaugural season for the team in the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
.
Owner Jim Joseph held fast to the USFL's original blueprint, aggressively marketing the team in Arizona while keeping tight controls on spending (including player salaries). The result was a young team with some talent at the skill positions, but fewer quality starters in the starting lineup and less depth of talent than their opponents.
The Wranglers were quite competitive at first, posting a 4-4 record and moving into a four way tie for first in their division. However, they lost their last 10 games--the longest losing streak in league history--finishing in a tie for the worst record in the league.
The 1983 Wranglers featured the League's 6th ranked passer in rookie QB (Alan Risher), 12th ranked rusher in 3rd year vet Leon Calvin Murray, and the league's #7, #10, #11 receivers (1983 rookies TE Mark Keel, WR Jackie Flowers
Jackie Flowers
Jackie Flowers was a standout wide receiver at Raines High School, graduating in 1976. He accepted a scholarship at Florida State University where he was a four-year letterman. In 1978, he made 43 catches for 757 yards and 7 TDs, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors...
, and WR Neil Balholm, respectively).
There defense started out good. The Wranglers signed San Francisco 49er ILB Jeff McIntyre and ILB Glen Perkins
Glen Perkins
Glen Weston Perkins is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. He made his major league debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2006. Perkins attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Stillwater Area High School in Oak Park Heights...
from the University of Arizona. But during pre-season McIntyre, who had a personal services contract with Joseph, asked to be traded because of contract issues. Perkins suffered a knee injury that slowed his play and development.
The Wranglers probably benefited early on from the league's decision not to have a preseason. When the rest of their opponents reached midseason form, the undermanned Wrangler defense had trouble keeping the games within reach of the offense. They gave up 442 points, easily the most in the league. The Wranglers only scored more than 23 points once all season --- in their week 2 upset of George Allen's Chicago Blitz
Chicago Blitz
The Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :...
.
In hopes of avoiding Arizona's often-oppressive summer heat, the Wranglers played their first 6 home games by April 23 and only played 3 of their last 9 games at home.
Joseph lost millions of dollars in the 1983 season. While he'd anticipated years of losses when he first got his franchise, the team's poor attendance made him unwilling to stick it out, and he decided to sell.
The Wranglers finished the season 4-14, 4th place in the USFL's Pacific Divisione, the team whose region was hosting the Super Bowl would not be playing in it.
1983 USFL Draft
| Draft order | Player name | Position | Height | Weight | College | Contract | Notes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Choice | Overall | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 2 | Traded to the Chicago Blitz Chicago Blitz The Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :... |
|||||||||||||
| 1 | 6 | 6 | Received from the Chicago Blitz Chicago Blitz The Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :... |
Eric Dickerson Eric Dickerson Eric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:... |
RB | 6'2" | 190 | Southern Methodist | ||||||||
| 2 | 23 | 23 | Gary Williams Gary Williams Gary B. Williams is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. In 2002, he led Maryland to the NCAA Tournament Championship... |
WR | 6'2" | 215 | Ohio State | |||||||||
| 3 | 26 | 26 | Sid Abramowitz Sid Abramowitz -References:... |
OT | 6'6" | 280 | Tulsa | |||||||||
| 4 | 47 | 47 | Rob Fada | OG | 6'2" | 265 | Pittsburgh | |||||||||
| 6 | 27 | 196 | Jamar Wall Jamar Wall Jamar Wall is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft... |
CB | 5'10" | 204 | Texas Tech | |||||||||
| 7 | 27 | 234 | Sean Lissemore Sean Lissemore Sean Lissemore is an American football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the 7th round of the 2010 NFL Draft... |
NT/DE | 6'4" | 298 | William & Mary | |||||||||
Transaction with the Chicago Blitz
In a stroke of luck for Joseph, Chicago BlitzChicago Blitz
The Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :...
owner Dr. Ted Diethrich, a Phoenix resident (he founded the Arizona Heart Institute), wanted a chance to move closer to his business interests in the Phoenix area. He was also angered at the Blitz' poor attendance despite fielding a team considered to be an NFL-quality unit.
Diethrich thought he had a solution to both his and Joseph's problems--an unprecedented swap of franchises. First, Diethrich sold the Blitz to fellow surgeon James Hoffman, and then bought the Wranglers from Joseph. Hoffman and Diethrich then engineered a swap of assets in which virtually the entire Blitz organization—including the entire coaching staff (led by head coach George Allen) and most of the players--moved to Phoenix while the old Wranglers organization moved to Chicago. (The most notable exception was that Wrangler triggerman Alan Risher stayed in Arizona to back up Greg Landry
Greg Landry
Gregory Paul Landry is a former American football player and coach who played quarterback in the National Football League from 1968 to 1981 and again in 1984...
). The deal transformed the Wranglers from a cellar-dweller to a powerhouse almost overnight. However, trading a team that had been, at worst, the third-best team in the league for a lesser version of the 1983 Wranglers raised questions about the USFL's credibility -- especially in Chicago.
(While the USFL was active, the league considered the 1983 and 1984 Wranglers to be the same franchise, even though almost all the players were different.)
1984 season
The 1984 Wranglers finished in a tie for first in the Western Division. In the playoffs, they upset the powerful Houston GamblersHouston Gamblers
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...
, then defeated the Los Angeles Express for the conference title. The Wranglers, despite having the worse record of the two participating teams, got to host the 1984 Western Conference championship game because the Los Angeles Express could not use their home field, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
, because of preparations for the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
. To accommodate the oppressive summer heat in the state, as well as the ABC Sports television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
schedule, the game kicked off at 8:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. Eastern time).
The Wranglers' run ended in the championship game with a 23-3 defeat by the Philadelphia Stars. QB Greg Landry
Greg Landry
Gregory Paul Landry is a former American football player and coach who played quarterback in the National Football League from 1968 to 1981 and again in 1984...
retired after the season.
The Wranglers intended to change to Red jerseys for the 1984 season, but the league office had put in a rule that stated any team changing jersey colors (in this case, blue to red) had to wait one season before doing so. The Wranglers had intended to start wearing the red jerseys starting in the '85 season, but they ended up merging with the Oklahoma Outlaws and became the Arizona Outlaws.
1984 Arizona Wranglers Roster
(Games Played/Games Started in parenthesis), Height, Weight, Age, College1. MINNIFIELD, Frank CB (18/15), 5.09, 180, 24, Ohio State; 38 tkl, 13 ast, 7 PDs, 2 FR, 4 ICs/74 yds
2. JOHNSON, Trumaine WR (18/18), 6.03, 193, 23, Grambling; 90 receptions, 1,269 yds, 14.1 avg, 13 TDs
3. CORRAL, Frank K/P (18/0), 6.02, 210, 28, UCLA; 11/21 FGM, 63/65 PATs, 96 pts, 69 punts, 41.4 avg, 58 long, 6 TB, 17 In-20
7. RISHER, Alan QB (18/0), 6.02, 190, 23, Louisiana State; 64/104, 61.5%, 728 yds, 3 TDs, 7 ICs
8. PORRAS, Tom QB (IA/18G), 6.02, 193, 26, Washington
11. LANDRY, Greg QB (18/18), 6.04, 207, 37, Massachusetts; 283/449, 63.0%, 3,534 yds, 26 TDs, 15ICs
20. DRAIN, Selwyn FS (15/0), 6.00, 190, 22, Ball State; 13 tkl, 3 ast, 2 FR
21. DENNISON, Doug RB (13/0), 6.01, 200, 32, Kutztown State, 8 car., 48 yds, 1 TD, 30 rec., 244 yds
22. SHIELDS, Lance CB (18/6), 6.00, 175, 23, Drake; 27 tkl, 10 ast, 2 PDs
24. JOHNSON, Randy RB (7/0), 5.11, 205, 21, Texas-Arlington; 13 car., 53 yds
25. BROWN, Eddie SS (16/4), 5.11, 190, 31, Tennessee; 31 tlk, 17 ast, 4 PDs, 1 FR, 2 INT, 20 PR, 11.0 avg.
27. BRADLEY, Luther FS (18/18), 6.03, 197, 28, Notre Dame;
28. SCHWARTZ, Don SS (IA/2G), 6.01, 195, 28, Washington State
29. WALTON, Ted SS (11/1), 5.10, 198, 26, Connecticut
32. ALLEN, Carl CB (11/11), 6.00, 175, 28, Southern Mississippi
33. LONG, Kevin FB (18/18), 6.01, 219, 29, South Carolina
40. LAIRD, Bruce SS (13/13), 6.01, 195, 33, American International
42. CLARK, Allan RB (18/0), 5.10, 190, 26, Northern Arizona
43. BOATNER, Mack FB (18/0), 6.00, 220, 25, Southeastern State (La.)
44. SANCHEZ, Lupe CB (9/4), 5.10, 197, 22, UCLA
46. SPENCER, Tim RB (18/18), 6.01, 216, 23, Ohio State
50. OHTON, Dave LS (5/0), 5.10, 220, 22, Arizona State
51. SULLIVAN, Gerry C (18/18), 6.04, 250, 31, Illinois
52. WHITE, Stan LB (18/18), 6.01, 225, 34, Ohio State
53. MELONTREE, Andy LB (18/0), 6.03, 214, 26, Baylor
54. CASEY, Derrick LB (5/0), 6.01, 230, 23, San Francisco State
55. FAHNHORST, Jim LB (18/18), 6.04, 230, 25, Minnesota
56. SMITH, Ed LB (18/18), 6.02, 218, 26, Vanderbilt
57. FIELD, Doak LB (14/0), 6.02, 224, 25, Baylor
58. GHEESLING, Bruce LB (18/0), 6.01, 212, 23, Furman
59. PIETTE, Tom LS (17/0), 6.04, 243, 23, Michigan State
61. THAYER, Tom G (16/16), 6.04, 261, 22, Notre Dame
62. KEHR, Rick G (IA/2G), 6.03, 270, 24, Carthage
63. BUBEN, Mark DE (18/1), 6.03, 260, 27, Tufts
64. LEE, John DE (18/17), 6.02, 261, 31, Nebraska
65. KIEWEL, Jeff G (IA/18G), 6.04, 254, 23, Arizona
67. STADNIK, John T (13/10), 6.04, 278, 24, Western Illinois
68. HUFFMAN, David G (18/18), 6.07, 255, 26, Notre Dame
70. LATHROP, Kit DT (18/18), 6.04, 254, 27, Arizona State
71. LORCH, Karl DE (18/18), 6.04, 235, 33, Southern California
72. HICKMAN, Dallas DE (14/0), 6.06, 234, 28, Alabama A&M
73. STEVENSON, Mark G (IA/3G), 6.03, 276, 28, Western Illinois
74. EHRMANN, Joe DT (14/9), 6.03, 248, 34, Syracuse
75. TAYLOR, Rob T (18/18), 6.06, 280, 23, Northwestern
76. GIDDENS, Frank T (15/8), 6.07, 320, 24, New Mexico
77. THOMAS, Todd T/LS (5/0), 6.06, 270, 24, North Dakota
79. SMITH, Robert DE (4/0), 6.07, 256, 22, Grambling
80. HILL, Al (IA/8G), 6.03, 205, 24, Arizona
81. WRIGHTMAN, Tim TE (IA/9G), 6.03, 225, 24, UCLA
82. DOUGLAS, Larry WR (16/2), 6.01, 192, 26, Southern
83. LOCKLIN, Kerry TE (2/0), 6.04, 235, 30, Washington
85. BROWN, Clay TE (2/0), 6.03, 220, 25, Brigham Young
85. TOLBERT, Mark WR (10/0), 5.09, 175, 25, Cal-Poly Pomona
86. RICKER, Paul TE (18/18), 6.03, 233, 27, Norwich
87. COZEN, Doug TE (4/0), 6.04, 241, 26, Illinois
88. BUGGS, Wamon WR (4/4), 6.02, 198, 23, Vanderbilt
89. WILLIS, Lenny WR (18/14), 5.11, 188, 30, Ohio State
91. EPPS, Nick DE (4/0), 6.03, 247, 21, Illinois
99. YOUNG, Wilbur DT (15/9), 6.06, 285, 34, William Penn
HEAD COACH: GEORGE ALLEN
Quarterbacks Coach: Roman Gabriel
Offensive Line: John Payne
Secondary: Donald "Deek" Pollard
Defensive Line: John Teerlinck
Offensive Backs: Ray Wietecha
Strength & Conditioning: Warren Anderson
Merger with the Oklahoma Outlaws
Despite making it to the Championship game, Diethrich was bleeding in red ink. He expected his all-star team's attendance to be much greater than the 25,776 fans per game the no-name Wranglers averaged in 1983. Despite fielding a winning team, the Wranglers' 1984 attendance figures (25,568 fans per game) were lower than the 1983 numbers, as fans were slow to warm to the new players. Diethrich sold the assets of the Wranglers to Oklahoma Outlaws owner William Tatham. Tatham was looking for a larger market with an acceptable stadium. Tatham relocated the Outlaws to Arizona for the 1985 season, merging the rosters into the Arizona OutlawsArizona Outlaws
The Arizona Outlaws were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They were owned by Fresno banker and real estate agent William Tatham, Sr., who had briefly owned the Portland Thunder of the World Football League.- 1984 Oklahoma...
.
Single season leaders
Rushing Yards: 1207 (1984), Tim SpencerReceiving Yards: 1258 (1984), Trumaine Johnson
Trumaine Johnson
Trumaine Johnson is a retired American football player who played in the National Football League and the United States Football League.-Career:...
Passing Yards: 3534 (1984), Greg Landry
Greg Landry
Gregory Paul Landry is a former American football player and coach who played quarterback in the National Football League from 1968 to 1981 and again in 1984...
Season-by-season
|-|1983 || 4 || 14||0 || 4th Pacific ||-
|-
|1984 || 10 || 8 || 0 || 2nd WC Pacific || Won Divisional (Houston
Houston Gamblers
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...
)
Won Conference (Los Angeles)
Lost USFL championship (Philadelphia)
|-
!Totals || 16 || 23 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
Head coaches
- Doug Shivley (1983)
- George Allen (1984)