'85 Chronology-1985 USFL Schedule

1985 United States Football League Schedule

Week #1 (February 23rd-25th)

Saturday 

Orlando at Tampa Bay (ESPN)

Sunday

New Jersey at Birmingham (ABC National)

Pittsburgh at Jacksonville (Local)

Houston at Los Angeles (ABC Regional)

Philadelphia at Denver (ABC Regional)

New Orleans at Oakland (Local)

Monday

San Antonio at Memphis (ESPN)

Michigan at Arizona (ESPN Regional)

Week #2 (March 1st-4th)

Friday

New Jersey at Orlando (ESPN)

Saturday 

Denver at Jacksonville (ESPN Regional)

Los Angeles at Birmingham (ESPN Regional)

Sunday

Michigan at Philadelphia (ABC National)

Houston at New Orleans (ABC Regional)

Oakland at Tampa Bay (Local)

San Antonio at Pittsburgh (Local)

Monday

Arizona at Memphis (ESPN)

Week #3 (March 9th-11th)

Saturday 

Memphis at Houston (ESPN)

Jacksonville at New Orleans (ESPN Regional)

Sunday

Los Angeles at New Jersey (ABC National)

Birmingham at Michigan (ABC Regional)

Tampa Bay at San Antonio (ABC Regional)

Pittsburgh at Oakland(Local)

Orlando at Denver (Local)

Monday

Arizona at Philadelphia (ESPN)

Week #4 (March 16th-18th)

Saturday 

Arizona at Birmingham (ESPN Regional)

Pittsburgh at New Orleans (ESPN Regional)

Sunday

New Jersey at Michigan (ABC National)

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (ABC Regional)

Los Angeles at Memphis (Local)

Oakland at Jacksonville (Local)

Orlando at San Antonio (Local)

Monday

Denver at Houston (ESPN)

Week #5 (March 21st-25th)

Thursday

Pittsburgh at Orlando (ESPN)

Saturday 

Jacksonville at Tampa Bay (ESPN Regional)

Houston at Michigan (ESPN)

Sunday

New Jersey at Philadelphia (ABC National)

Birmingham at Memphis (Local)

New Orleans at San Antonio (Local)

Arizona at Los Angeles (ABC Regional)

Monday

Oakland at Denver (ESPN)

Week #6 (March 30th-April 1st)

Saturday 

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (Local) 

New Orleans at Orlando (Local)

Los Angeles at Oakland (ESPN Regional)

Sunday

Houston at New Jersey (ABC National)

Tampa Bay at Birmingham (ABC Regional)

Michigan at San Antonio (Local)

Arizona at Denver (Local)

Monday

Memphis at Jacksonville (ESPN National)

Week #7 (April 6th-8th)

Saturday 

Pittsburgh at New Jersey (ESPN Regional)

Arizona at Oakland (ESPN)

Orlando at Philadelphia (Local) 

San Antonio at Houston (Local)

Memphis at Tampa Bay (Local)

Sunday

Birmingham at Jacksonville (ABC National)

Monday

Michigan at New Orleans (ESPN) 

Denver at Los Angeles (ESPN Regional)

Week #8 (April 12th-15th)

Friday

San Antonio at Jacksonville (ESPN)

Saturday 

Tampa Bay at New Orleans (ESPN)

Sunday

Memphis at Michigan (ABC National)

Birmingham at Houston (ABC Regional)

Denver at Pittsburgh (Local)

Oakland at Orlando (Local)

Philadelphia at Los Angeles (Local)

Monday

New Jersey at Arizona (ESPN)

Week #9 (April 19th-22nd)

Friday

Michigan at Birmingham (ESPN)

Saturday 

Tampa Bay at San Antonio (ESPN) 

Orlando at Arizona (ESPN Regional)

Jacksonville at New Orleans (Local)

Philadelphia at Oakland (Local) Philadelphia

Sunday

Houston at Memphis (ABC Regional)

Pittsburgh at Los Angeles (ABC Regional)

Monday

New Jersey at Denver (ESPN)

Week #10 (April 26th-29th)

Friday

Michigan at Oakland (ESPN)

Saturday 

Birmingham at Pittsburgh (ESPN Regional)

New Orleans at Arizona (ESPN Regional)

Sunday

Philadelphia at Houston at (ABC National)

San Antonio at Los Angeles (ABC National)

Denver at Tampa Bay (ABC Regional)

Sunday Night

Memphis at Orlando (ESPN)

Monday

Jacksonville at New Jersey (ESPN)

Week #11 (May 3rd-6th)

Friday

Jacksonville at Michigan (ESPN)

Pittsburgh at Arizona (Local)

Saturday 

Memphis at San Antonio (ESPN Regional)

Orlando at Los Angeles (ESPN Regional)

Sunday

New Jersey at Oakland (ABC National)

Philadelphia at Denver (ABC Regional) 

Monday

New Orleans at Birmingham (ESPN Regional) 

Houston at Tampa Bay (ESPN Regional) 

Week #12 (May 11th-13th)

Friday

Denver at Michigan (ESPN)

Saturday 

Oakland at Houston (ESPN Regional)

Arizona at San Antonio (Local) 

Pittsburgh at Memphis  (Local)

Sunday

Jacksonville at Philadelphia (ABC Regional)

Tampa Bay at New Jersey (ABC National)

Monday

Orlando at Birmingham (ESPN)

Los Angeles at New Orleans (ESPN Regional)

Week #13 (May 17th-20th)

Friday

Houston at  Pittsburgh (ESPN)

Saturday 

Michigan at Orlando (ESPN Regional)

Arizona at Tampa Bay (ESPN Regional) 

Sunday

San Antonio at New Jersey (ABC National)

New Orleans at Philadelphia (ABC Regional)

Birmingham at Denver (Local) 

Memphis at Oakland  (Local)

Monday

Los Angeles at Jacksonville (ESPN)

Week #14 (May 23rd-27th)

Thursday

Jacksonville at Birmingham (ESPN)

Philadelphia at Orlando (Local)

Friday

Los Angeles at Denver (ESPN)

Saturday 

Tampa Bay at Memphis (ESPN)

Sunday

New Jersey at Pittsburgh (ABC Regional) 

New Orleans at Michigan (ABC Regional)

Sunday Night

Oakland at Arizona (ABC National)

Monday

Houston at San Antonio (ESPN) 

Week #15 (May 30th-June 3rd)

Thursday

Los Angeles at Arizona (ESPN)

Saturday 

Philadelphia at New Jersey (ESPN)

Memphis at Birmingham (ESPN Regional)

Sunday

Michigan at Houston (ABC National)

San Antonio at New Orleans (ABC Regional) 

Orlando at Pittsburgh  (Local)

Denver at Oakland (Local)

Monday

Tampa Bay at Jacksonville (ESPN)

Week #16 (June 7th-8th )

Friday

Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (ESPN Regional)

Denver at Arizona (ESPN Regional)

Saturday 

Orlando at New Jersey (ABC National)

Jacksonville at Memphis (Local)

San Antonio at Michigan (Local)

Birmingham at Tampa Bay (ABC Regional)

New Orleans at Houston (ABC National)

Oakland at Los Angeles (Local)

Regular Season Ends

Week #17 (June 15th-16th)

Divisional Playoff Games

Week #18 (June 22nd)

Conference Championship Games

Week #21 (June 29th)—-Saturday Night

USFL Championship Game at New Jersey Meadowlands

Week #22 (July 6th)

USFL Exhibition: London, England

Teams TBD

'84 Chronology-Allocation Draft

'84 Chronology-1985 USFL League Calendar

USFL Calendar

The following are dates for key USFL events scheduled from:

August 1st, 1984 through March 1st, 1985. 

August 1st-USFL Contracts Expire

October 3rd-Teams may begin signing street free agents 

October 4th— Trading period for 1985 begins at 4:00 p.m.

October 19th-21st—Annual Fall Owners Meeting, New York City, New York. 

November 1st-Free agency period begins at 4:00 p.m. e.s.t.. 

November 12th — Street Free Agent Combine to be held in New York, Tampa, Houston, Denver and Los Angeles.

November 26th — Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become NFL or CFL Free Agents upon the expiration of their current contracts. However, a contract cannot be signed and completed with a USFL club until 4:00 p.m. e.s.t. on January 1st, 1985.

December 1st — The 1985 league year begins; clubs must submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 1985 contracts and who have fewer than three accrued years of free agency credit (USFL, NFL or CFL).

January 5th-8th— Annual Owners Meeting, Tampa, Florida.

January 3rd— 1984 USFL Territorial Draft, New York City, New York.

January 4th— 1984 USFL Collegiate Draft, New York City, New York.

January 5th— USFL Spring Coaches Meeting, New York City, New York

January 12th-14th— USFL Rookie Symposium, Memphis, Tennessee.

January 21st— USFL training camps open in Tampa Bay, Orlando, Houston and Arizona.

January 29th— USFL Inter-squad Scrimmages begin.

February 1st — USFL Supplemental Draft (if necessary by teleconference).

February 1st— Deadline for any club to sign players under contract to a multi-year contract extension.

February 11th-13th— USFL Regular Season begins (16 game season).

'84 Chronology-Transactions #20

October 25th:

Denver Gold-Waived QB Craig Penrose, TE's Mike Hirn and Victor Hicks, DB's James Stewart and Derrick Taylor, WR's Joe Curtis, Obie Graves, John Green, Keith Hugger, Jeff Chapine, Phil Frye and Lawrence Thompson; traded DB Arnold Garron to the Chicago Blitz for past considerations; traded the rights to RB David Nelson to the Jacksonville Bulls for LB Fernando Jackson.

October 20th:

Los Angeles Express-Released NT Dewey Forte.

October 17th:

Arizona Outlaws-Signed DL John Lee to a three-year contract.

October 9th:

Denver Gold-Signed offensive coordinator June Jones to a two-year contract.

October 5th:

League Office-Announced the return of marketing director Peter Ruocco.

October 1st:

Houston Gamblers-Named John Jenkins offensive coordinator, terminated the contract of June Jones assistant coach.

New Jersey Generals-Named Chris Palmer offensive coordinator and John D'Ottavio wide receivers coach; announced the resignation of offensive coordinator Bill Austin.

September 27th:

Houston Gamblers-Named Jim Sheehan coordinator of media information.

Oakland Invaders-Signed WR Mariot Ford.

September 25th:

Denver Gold-Named Steve Garrish director of public relations.

September 14th:

Oakland Invaders-Named Fred Biletnikoff wide receiver coach.

August 29th:

New Orleans Breakers-Signed QB Mike Beauchemin (Patriots camp '84).

August 28th:

Denver Gold-Named Rich Nathan president and general manager.

August 24th:

New Orleans Breakers-Announced the resignation of team president Randy Vataha, named John Ralston team president.

August 1st:

Chicago Blitz-Released QB Greg Landry.

July 26th:

Pittsburgh Maulers-Named Hank Bullough as their new head coach.

July 24th:

Los Angeles Express-Defensive coordinator Ray Malavasi resigned.

New Jersey Generals-Waived LB Bob Horn and QB Jeff Knapple.

July 18th:

Oakland Invaders-Waived QB Tom Ramsey.

July 11th:

New Orleans Breakers-Named Jim Fassel offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

July 8th:

Denver Gold-Placed DL Dave Stalls on Reserve-Retired List.

July 2nd:

Pittsburgh Maulers-Relieved head coach Joe Pendry of all duties.

June 28th:

Denver Gold-Announced head coach Craig Morton would not return for the 1985 season.

June 22nd:

Los Angeles Express-Activated TE Gordon Hudson and DB Allanda Smith.

Pittsburgh Maulers-Activated RB-KR Amos Lawrence and LB Bruce Huther.

Tampa Bay Bandits-Activated RB Sam Platt and TE Ed Brinkman.

June 21st:

Arizona Outlaws-Activated DL Mark Buben.

Chicago Blitz-Activated OL Jim Lohmann.

Michigan Panthers-Activated DB's Peter Raeford, John Arnaud and Vito McKeever.

June 20th:

Birmingham Stalllions-Released RB Ted Sample.

Memphis Showboats-Released QB Bobby Scott, activated QB John Fourcade.

June 19th:

New Jersey Generals-Signed OL Terry Falcon.

Washington Federals-Released QB Alvin White.

June 15th:

Philadelphia Stars-Placed RB Kelvin Bryant on Inactive List; activated LB Willie Rosborough.

June 14th:

Michigan Panthers-Signed OC Tom Turner to a multi-year contract; waived WR Mike Williams.

June 9th:

Pittsburgh Maulers-Signed DT Ed McAlaney; released WR Jim Taylor.

June 8th:

Arizona Outlaws-Placed RB-WR Mel Gray on Reserve-Retired List.

June 7th:

Pittsburgh Maulers-Signed FB Dennis Johnson; waived OL Chuck Correal.

June 6th:

New Jersey Generals-Signed WR Timmy White.

June 5th:

Jacksonville Bulls-Signed P Rich Hendley.

June 1st:

Philadelphia Stars-Signed QB Steve Piscarkiewicz.