1984 USFL Draft

By Patrick Mondout

The National Football League held a special draft on June 5, 1984 to prevent a bidding war among its member teams for the rights to players from the 1984 draft class who had signed with the United States Football League (USFL) or Canadian Football League and before the May 1st NFL draft. Outspoken New Jersey Generals owner threatened to file tampering charges calling the draft "a blatant attempt to hurt our league." The hypocrisy of that statement was not lost on anyone.

The first pick, as expected, was Steve Young of the Los Angeles Express. In fact, seven of the first fourteen selections were members of the Express and eleven were chosen in the first round! Curiously, not one NFL team that had a cross-town USFL rival selected a player from the same city.

Some NFL teams took the draft more seriously than others and those that did put their teams in a better position to compete in the mid-to-late 80s. The first team to whiff completely was the Raiders at #28, who selected former Auburn receiver Christopher Woods - the first and one of only eight CFL signees selected. Woods never played for the Raiders.

We also have the 1984 NFL Draft and other USFL drafts.

USFL Bibliography
Books:
The $1 League: The Rise and Fall of the USFL by Jim Byrne
The Sporting News Official USFL Guide and Register, 1984
The Sporting News Official USFL Guide and Register, 1985
USFL Media Guides (each team published one each year)

Magazines:
Kickoff Magazine (published by league; 9 issues per year + playoffs; sold at games)
The Sporting News (regular coverage + special "preview" inserts)

These and many other USFL items can be found at eBay - check our links on the far right of this page!