Jacksonville Bulls

The Jacksonville Bulls were a team which competed in the final two seasons of the United States Football League, 1984 and 1985. They played their home games in the former Gator Bowl Stadium.

Former Miami Dolphins stars Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick were involved in an advertising campaign for the team, and apparently had at least a minor ownership interest as well. Larry Munson was hired as a radio play-by-play announcer. His very distinctive voice was already quite well-known in the Jacksonville area already due to his long association with both the University of Georgia Bulldogs college team and the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons.

Team name & colors

The nickname "Bulls" was taken from team owner Fred "Bubba" Bullard, a Jacksonville businessman. The team colors of maroon, orange and silver were taken from the three college football teams most popular in the area — maroon from the Florida State Seminoles, orange from the Florida Gators, and silver from the silver pants worn by the Georgia Bulldogs.

The helmet design was unique for a professional football team. Each side had the team's logo of a streaking bull (one side the mirror image of the other); the two logos were bridged by a series of parallel lines, and the team's name ("Bulls") were incorporated into the "bridge" as a silhouette against the parallel lines. [ [http://www.usfl.info/bulls/colors.html USFL.info: Jacksonville Bulls team colors] ]

1984 Jacksonville Bulls game results

Sun. Feb. 26 - (W) BULLS 53 vs. WASHINGTON FEDERALS 14 - (Att. 49,392)

Sun. Mar. 4 - (L) BULLS 26 vs. NEW JERSEY GENERALS 28 - (Att. 73,227)

Sat. Mar. 10 - (L) BULLS 25 @ Tampa Bay Bandits 28 - (Att. 51,274)

Mon. Mar. 19 - (L) BULLS 9 vs. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 38 - (Att. 48,303)

Sun. Mar. 25 - (W) BULLS 13 @ Los Angeles Express 7 - (Att. 8,000)

Sat. Mar. 31 - (L) BULLS 24 @ Memphis Showboats 27 - (Att. 17,180)

Sat. Apr. 7 - (L) BULLS 17 vs. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS 24 - (Att. 43,654)

Sat. Apr. 14 - (L) BULLS 0 vs. SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS 20 - (Att. 35,084)

Fri. Apr. 20 - (W) BULLS 12 vs. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 10 - (Att. 36.256)

Fri. Apr. 27 - (W) BULLS 34 @ Oklahoma Outlaws 6 - (Att. 29,324)

Sat. May. 5 - (L) BULLS 13 vs. TAMPA BAY BANDITS 31 - (Att. 71,174)

Fri. May. 11 - (L) BULLS 10 @ Birmingham Stallions 42 - (Att. 29,500)

Sat. May. 19 - (L) BULLS 12 @ Philadelphia Stars 45 - (Att. 33,194)

Fri. May. 25 - (L) BULLS 7 vs. HOUSTON GAMBLERS 54 - (Att. 31,638)

Sat. Jun. 2 - (L) BULLS 12 @ Oakland Invaders 17 - (Att. 29,687)

Fri. Jun. 8 - (L) BULLS 14 @ Arizona Wranglers 45 - (Att. 15,513)

Fri. Jun. 15 - (W) BULLS 20 @ New Orleans Breakers 17 - (Att. 21,333)

Fri. Jun. 22 - (W) BULLS 26 vs. PITTSBURGH MAULERS 2 - (Att. 31,843)

1984 Jacksonville Bulls roster

1. Danny Miller (K)

2. Rich Hendley (P)

3. Brian Franco (K/P)

5. Jeff Brockhaus (K)

8. Jeff Pierce (P)

9. Ken Hobart (QB)

14. Ben Bennett (QB)

14. Ron Rice (P)

15. Robbie Mahfouz (QB)

16. Buck Belue (QB)

17. Matt Robinson (QB)

20. Billy Cesare (SS)

21. Willie McClendon (RB)

22. Kevin Gray (CB)

23. Kerry Baird (CB)

23. Donald Dykes (CB)

24. Marvin Lewis (FB)

25. Charlie Dean (CB)

26. Chester Gee (CB)

27. Michael Whiting (RB)

28. Matt Courtney (CB)

32. Larry Mason (RB)

33. Vaughan Johnson (LB)

35. John Lott (FS)

44. Larry Key (RB)

44. Bobby Hosea (FS)

45. Mike Goedeker (LB)

46. Don Bessillieu (FS)

47. Sammy Brown (SS)

50. John McLean (LB)

51. Dave Otey (C)

52. Tom Dinkel (LB)

53. Fernando Jackson (LB)

55. Carl Qualls (LB)

55. Dann Lute (LB)

56. Rufus Norman (LB)

56. Doug West (LB)

57. Greg Zappala (LB)

58. Andy Hendel (LB)

59. Russ Washington (LB)

60. Gary Anderson (G/C)

63. Nat Hudson (T)

64. Kenny Howell (G)

65. Wally Pesuit (C)

66. George Collins (G)

67. Warren Gray (G)

69. Rush Brown (DE)

70. Val Brown (DE)

72. Don Latimer (NT)

73. Ed Gantner (DT)

75. Bob Gruber (T)

77. Chris Wampler (NT)

78. Brian Douglas (NT)

80. Gary Clark (WR)

82. Wyatt Henderson (WR)

83. Aubrey Matthews (WR)

84. Paul Bergmann (TE)

85. Perry Kemp (WR)

87. Chuck McCurley (WR)

88. Robert Young (TE)

89. Alton Alexis (WR)

91. Phil Dokes (DE)

92. George Atiyeh (NT)

92. Marvin Dyett (DE)

95. Mike Raines (DE)

97. Charles Philyaw (DE)

98. Bob Clasby (DE)

99. Joe Costello (DE)

--. Amos Lawrence (RB)

--. Dan Gooch (LB)

Charles R. Hunsicker Jr. - Team Chaplin

On the field

The Bulls made an immediate splash in their first game, in which they manhandled the Washington Federals 53-14. Although they finished 6-12--last in the tough Southern Division--they were far more competitive than their record indicated. Six of their losses were by a touchdown or less, including two losses by a last-second field goal. They remained in contention for most of the season, but a six-game losing streak toward the end of the season kept them out of the playoffs.

However, the Bulls were an undisputed success at the gate, running away with the league's attendance lead. They notched the only two crowds of 70,000 or greater in league history, including a throng of 73,227 against the powerful New Jersey Generals on March 4. In the last game, a huge crowd at the Gator Bowl patiently waited through a late-June downpour which postponed the game for more than an hour. When play finally started, the game was a blowout, ending in a 26-2 Jacksonville victory.

An improved defense and the addition of Mike Rozier at running back resulted in an even stronger 1985. They finished just one win short of a playoff spot and led the league in attendance again.

Demise

The Bulls were slated to be even stronger in 1986, due to a merger with the Denver Gold. Unfortunately, the league itself made several fatal errors, one of which was the decision essentially to stake the league's future on the outcome of an anti-trust suit against the NFL. When the league technically won the suit but was awarded only $3 in damages, the Bulls were forced to fold, along with all of the other USFL teams, and they passed into history and the realm of what might have been.

Despite the league's failure, the Bulls are considered to be one of the few USFL teams that had the potential to be a viable enterprise had the USFL been better run, in part because Bullard was determined from the first day to put together a viable organization on and off the field. Indeed, many Jacksonville football fans and USFL experts believe that had it not been for the Bulls' success, the NFL would have never even considered awarding the Jacksonville Jaguars to the city in 1995. Earlier, in 1987, the Houston Oilers nearly moved to Jacksonville, at least in part due to the overwhelming support for the Bulls.

Trivia

The 1985 Bulls were the first team in professional football historyFact|date=March 2007 to simultaneously have the winners of three different Heisman Trophies on its roster. The Heisman winners were Mike Rozier (1983) and Archie Griffin (1974 and 1975).

eason-by-season

-
1984 || 6 || 12 || 0 || 5th EC Southern || --
-
1985 || 9 || 9 || 0 || 6th EC || --
-!Totals || 15 || 21 || 0
colspan="2"
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

References

External links

* http://www.remembertheusfl.8m.com/teams/jacksonville.html