The United States Football League is back, as the league and FOX Sports announced Wednesday that the USFL will return in spring 2022, with FOX Sports as the official broadcast partner and a minority equity stakeholder in the company that owns the league.
According to their release, the league “a minimum of eight teams and deliver high-quality, innovative professional football to fans throughout the spring season,” and will retain the rights to “key original team names.”
“I’m extremely passionate about football and the opportunity to work with FOX Sports and to bring back the USFL in 2022 was an endeavor worth pursuing,” Brian Woods, co-founder of the new USFL and founder and CEO of The Spring League, said in the release. “We look forward to providing players a new opportunity to compete in a professional football league and giving fans everywhere the best football viewing product possible during what is typically a period devoid of professional football.”
“The relaunch of the USFL is a landmark day for football fans and FOX Sports,” added Eric Shanks, CEO and Executive Producer of FOX Sports. “Football is in our DNA and the return of this innovative and iconic league is a fantastic addition to our robust slate of football programming.”
The release also said that more info, including cities and teams, personnel, and schedules, will be announced at a later date.
The original USFL launched in the spring of 1983 and lasted three seasons, playing a spring/summer schedule that included 18 different franchises over its tenure and touched 15 cities that also hosted NFL teams. The league was set to compete directly with the NFL with eight teams playing a fall/winter season in 1986, but folded before the schedule began.
The league was ultimately unsuccessful but did launch the pro careers of several future NFL stars, including Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Reggie White, and Steve Young, as well as Herschel Walker – who is the league’s all-time leader in every major rushing category.
Walker, who won two of the league’s three rushing titles, played his entire USFL career with the New Jersey Generals, who were based at the Meadowlands and owned for their final two seasons by future President Donald Trump.
Had the 1986 season gone on as planned, the Generals would have been one of just three teams to play all four seasons in their original locations, along with the Tampa Bay Bandits, Birmingham Stallions, and Los Angeles Express. Other more famous team names that may return include the Oakland Invaders, Memphis Showboats, and Houston Gamblers.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch