Throwback Thursday: Peterson's All-Time All-USFL Team

A week ago Rick Gosselin profiled the United States Football League (1983-85) and former general manager Carl Peterson in a column for the Talk of Fame Sports Network. Before Peterson was the GM of the Kansas City Chiefs he was the architect of the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars. A team that played in all three USFL title games, winning the last two. Peterson knows all about the highs and lows of the league that threw a genuine scare into the big, bad NFL in the 1980s. If the USFL did anything right it was in their ability to attract top football talent. A must for any league with the NFL in their sites. The USFL also had a plan. A good plan. Five years of spring football and then see where they stand. It might have been a great plan if it weren't for a fistful of impatient owners, led by a buffoon named Donald Trump, that wanted to challenge the NFL in the fall. The USFL never played a fourth season.

But this isn't about where the USFL went wrong. This is about Carl Peterson's picks for the best players from the USFL's three years of entertaining football.

Quarterback
Chuck Fusina, Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars

Running backs
Herschel Walker, New Jersey Generals

Receivers
Anthony Carter, Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders
Trumaine Johnson, Chicago Blitz, Arizona Wranglers

Tight end
Dan Ross, New Orleans/Portland Breakers

Tackles
Irv Eatman, Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars
Gary Zimmerman, Los Angeles Express

Guards
Buddy Aydelette, Birmingham Stallions
Wayne Harris, New Jersey Generals

Center
Bart Oates, Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars

Defensive ends
Reggie White, Memphis Showboats
William Fuller, Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars

Defensive tackles
Pete Kuglar, Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars
Kit Lathrop, Chicago Blitz, Arizona Wranglers

Linebackers

John Corker, Michigan Panthers, Memphis Showboats

Sam Mills, Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars

Gary Plummer, Oakland Invaders

Cornerbacks

Luther Bradley, Chicago Blitz, Arizona Wranglers

Jerry Holmes, Pittsburgh Maulers, New Jersey Generals

Safeties

Chuck Clanton, Birmingham Stallions

Mike Lush, Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars

Kicker

Novo Bojovic, Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders

Punter

Sean Landeta, Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars

Kick returner

Derrick Crawford, Memphis Showboats

Punt returner

Mel Gray, Los Angeles Express

That's a lot of football talent for a league that only played three seasons. The USFL might have managed more than scaring the NFL if they had stuck to their original plan.

There's a lot of Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars representation on this team. Peterson shouldn't be accused of undue bias as his team did win two of the three USFL titles. And lost 24-22 in the third. Perhaps the most curious pick is the one he made at quarterback. Others under consideration were Bobby Hebert, Jim Kelly, and Steve Young. One would think that the choice would be a toss-up between Kelly and Young. Those two might have been the better passing talents but Fusina had the wins and the titles. 

Of the on- and off-the-field talents that moved from the USFL to the NFL, Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Gary Zimmerman, Reggie White, Marv Levy, and Bill Polian have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

The Minnesota Vikings benefited a bit from the fall of the USFL. Anthony Carter, Gary Zimmerman, and defensive tackle Keith Millard became cornerstone players.