Arizona Wranglers

Years Played in USFL: 1983, 1984
Club Owner(s): Jim Joseph, Brad Liebman (1983); Dr. Ted Diethrich, George Allen, Willard (Bill) Harris (1984)
Playing Site: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Head Coach(es): Doug Shively (1983); George Allen (1984)
Overall Record: 16-23-0 (14-22-0 regular season)

The Wranglers were originally supposed to be in Los Angeles. However, the franchise's original owner, Alex Spanos, pulled out and bought into the NFL's San Diego Chargers. Jim Joseph, a Bay Area real estate executive and part-owner of the Oakland Invaders, won a coin flip and became the new owner of the Los Angeles franchise. 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.
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...... Read more