Arizona Wranglers | |
Founded | 1983 |
Relocated | 1985 Merger with Oklahoma Outlaws: Arizona Outlaws |
Based in | Tempe, Arizona, United States |
Home field | Sun Devil Stadium |
League | USFL |
Conference | Western |
Division | Pacific Division |
Team History | Arizona Wranglers (1983-1984) Arizona Outlaws (1985) |
Team Colors | Flag Blue, Red, Copper, Yellow, White
|
Head coaches | 1983 Doug Shivley (4-14) 1984 George Allen (12-9) |
Owner(s) | 1983 Jim Joseph 1984 Dr. Ted Diethrich |
Conference championships | 1984 |
Division championships | 1984 |
The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American Football team in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix.
History[]
Founding[]
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.
1983 season[]
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 at first, posting a 4-4 record and moving into a 4 way tie for first in their division.
The Wranglers probably benefited most from the League's decision not to have a preseason. When the rest of their opponents reached midseason form, the undermanned Wrangler defense had trouble keeping the games within reach of the offense. The Wranglers only scored more than 23 points once all season --- in their week 2 upset of George Allen's Chicago Blitz.
Many argue the strains of playing football in the desert heat was the primary reason for the Wranglers' late season collapse. The Wranglers played their first 6 home games by April 23 and only played 3 of their last 9 games at home. Perhaps the young Wranglers collectively hit a rookie brick wall with the extended length of the USFL season. Perhaps they were simply at a talent and depth disadvantage that presented itself when the rest of the league rounded into mid-season form. Whatever the cause, The Wranglers lost their last 10 games, finishing in a tie for the worst record in the league. Joseph lost millions of dollars in the 1983 season and decided to sell.
The 1983 Wranglers featured the League's 6th ranked passer in rookie QB (Alan Risher), 12th ranked rusher in 3rd year vet Leon Calvin Murray, and the league's #7, #10, #11 receivers (1983 rookies TE Mark Keel, WR Jackie Flowers, and WR Neil Balholm, respectively). There defense started out good. The Wranglers signed San Francisco 49er ILB Jeff McIntyre and ILB Glen Perkins from the University of Arizona. But during pre-season McIntyre who had a personal services contract, asked to be traded because of contract issues with the owners and Glen Perkins knee injury slowed his play and development. Which explains why the Wrangler defense gave up a league worst 442 points.
Transaction with the Chicago Blitz[]
In a stroke of luck for Joseph, Chicago Blitz owner Dr. Ted Diethrich, a Phoenix resident (he founded the Arizona Heart Institute), wanted a chance to move closer to his business interest. He was also angered at the Blitz' poor attendance despite fielding a team considered to be an NFL-quality unit.
As the result of a deal between the two men, Diethrich sold the Blitz to fellow surgeon James Hoffman, and then bought the Wranglers from Joseph. Hoffman and Diethrich then engineered a swap of assets in which virtually the entire Blitz organization—including most of the players and the entire coaching staff (led by head coach George Allen)--moved to Phoenix while the old Wranglers organization moved to Chicago. (The most notable exception was that Wrangler triggerman Alan Risher stayed in Arizona to back up Veteran Greg Landry). The deal transformed the Wranglers from a cellar-dweller to a powerhouse almost overnight. However, trading a team that had been, at worst, the third-best unit in the league for a lesser version of the 1983 Wranglers raised questions about the USFL's credibility --- especially in Chicago.
(While the USFL was active, the league considered the 1983 and 1984 Wranglers to be the same franchise, even though almost all the players were different.)
1984 season[]
The 1984 Wranglers finished in a tie for first in the Western Division. In the playoffs, they upset the powerful Houston Gamblers, then defeated the Los Angeles Express for the conference title. The Wranglers, despite having the worse record of the two participating teams, got to host the 1984 Western Conference championship game because the Los Angeles Express could not use their home field, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, because of preparations for the 1984 Summer Olympics. To accommodate the oppressive summer heat in the state, as well as the ABC Sports television schedule, the game kicked off at 8:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. Eastern time).
The Wranglers' run ended in the championship game with a 23-3 defeat by the Philadelphia Stars. QB Greg Landry retired after the season.
The Wranglers intended to change to Red jerseys for the 1984 season, but the league office had put in a rule that stated any team changing jersey colors (in this case, blue to red) had to wait one season before doing so. The Wranglers had intended to start wearing the red jerseys starting in the '85 season, but they ended up merging with the Oklahoma Outlaws and became the Arizona Outlaws.[citation needed]
1984 Arizona Wranglers Roster[]
(Games Played/Games Started in parenthesis), Height, Weight, Age, College
1. MINNIFIELD, Frank CB (18/15), 5.09, 180, 24, Ohio State; 38 tkl, 13 ast, 7 PDs, 2 FR, 4 ICs/74 yds
2. JOHNSON, Trumaine WR (18/18), 6.03, 193, 23, Grambling; 90 receptions, 1,269 yds, 14.1 avg, 13 TDs
3. CORRAL, Frank K/P (18/0), 6.02, 210, 28, UCLA; 11/21 FGM, 63/65 PATs, 96 pts, 69 punts, 41.4 avg, 58 long, 6 TB, 17 In-20
7. RISHER, Alan QB (18/0), 6.02, 190, 23, Louisiana State; 64/104, 61.5%, 728 yds, 3 TDs, 7 ICs
8. PORRAS, Tom QB (IA/18G), 6.02, 193, 26, Washington
11. LANDRY, Greg QB (18/18), 6.04, 207, 37, Massachusetts; 283/449, 63.0%, 3,534 yds, 26 TDs, 15ICs
20. DRAIN, Selwyn FS (15/0), 6.00, 190, 22, Ball State; 13 tkl, 3 ast, 2 FR
21. DENNISON, Doug RB (13/0), 6.01, 200, 32, Kutztown State, 8 car., 48 yds, 1 TD, 30 rec., 244 yds
22. SHIELDS, Lance CB (18/6), 6.00, 175, 23, Drake; 27 tkl, 10 ast, 2 PDs
24. JOHNSON, Randy RB (7/0), 5.11, 205, 21, Texas-Arlington; 13 car., 53 yds
25. BROWN, Eddie SS (16/4), 5.11, 190, 31, Tennessee; 31 tlk, 17 ast, 4 PDs, 1 FR, 2 INT, 20 PR, 11.0 avg.
27. BRADLEY, Luther FS (18/18), 6.03, 197, 28, Notre Dame;
28. SCHWARTZ, Don SS (IA/2G), 6.01, 195, 28, Washington State
29. WALTON, Ted SS (11/1), 5.10, 198, 26, Connecticut
32. ALLEN, Carl CB (11/11), 6.00, 175, 28, Southern Mississippi
33. LONG, Kevin FB (18/18), 6.01, 219, 29, South Carolina
40. LAIRD, Bruce SS (13/13), 6.01, 195, 33, American International
42. CLARK, Allan RB (18/0), 5.10, 190, 26, Northern Arizona
43. BOATNER, Mack FB (18/0), 6.00, 220, 25, Southeastern State (La.)
44. SANCHEZ, Lupe CB (9/4), 5.10, 197, 22, UCLA
46. SPENCER, Tim RB (18/18), 6.01, 216, 23, Ohio State
50. OHTON, Dave LS (5/0), 5.10, 220, 22, Arizona State
51. SULLIVAN, Gerry C (18/18), 6.04, 250, 31, Illinois
52. WHITE, Stan LB (18/18), 6.01, 225, 34, Ohio State
53. MELONTREE, Andy LB (18/0), 6.03, 214, 26, Baylor
54. CASEY, Derrick LB (5/0), 6.01, 230, 23, San Francisco State
55. FAHNHORST, Jim LB (18/18), 6.04, 230, 25, Minnesota
56. SMITH, Ed LB (18/18), 6.02, 218, 26, Vanderbilt
57. FIELD, Doak LB (14/0), 6.02, 224, 25, Baylor
58. GHEESLING, Bruce LB (18/0), 6.01, 212, 23, Furman
59. PIETTE, Tom LS (17/0), 6.04, 243, 23, Michigan State
61. THAYER, Tom G (16/16), 6.04, 261, 22, Notre Dame
62. KEHR, Rick G (IA/2G), 6.03, 270, 24, Carthage
63. BUBEN, Mark DE (18/1), 6.03, 260, 27, Tufts
64. LEE, John DE (18/17), 6.02, 261, 31, Nebraska
65. KIEWEL, Jeff G (IA/18G), 6.04, 254, 23, Arizona
67. STADNIK, John T (13/10), 6.04, 278, 24, Western Illinois
68. HUFFMAN, David G (18/18), 6.07, 255, 26, Notre Dame
70. LATHROP, Kit DT (18/18), 6.04, 254, 27, Arizona State
71. LORCH, Karl DE (18/18), 6.04, 235, 33, Southern California
72. HICKMAN, Dallas DE (14/0), 6.06, 234, 28, Alabama A&M
73. STEVENSON, Mark G (IA/3G), 6.03, 276, 28, Western Illinois
74. EHRMANN, Joe DT (14/9), 6.03, 248, 34, Syracuse
75. TAYLOR, Rob T (18/18), 6.06, 280, 23, Northwestern
76. GIDDENS, Frank T (15/8), 6.07, 320, 24, New Mexico
77. THOMAS, Todd T/LS (5/0), 6.06, 270, 24, North Dakota
79. SMITH, Robert DE (4/0), 6.07, 256, 22, Grambling
80. HILL, Al (IA/8G), 6.03, 205, 24, Arizona
81. WRIGHTMAN, Tim TE (IA/9G), 6.03, 225, 24, UCLA
82. DOUGLAS, Larry WR (16/2), 6.01, 192, 26, Southern
83. LOCKLIN, Kerry TE (2/0), 6.04, 235, 30, Washington
85. BROWN, Clay TE (2/0), 6.03, 220, 25, Brigham Young
85. TOLBERT, Mark WR (10/0), 5.09, 175, 25, Cal-Poly Pomona
86. RICKER, Paul TE (18/18), 6.03, 233, 27, Norwich
87. COZEN, Doug TE (4/0), 6.04, 241, 26, Illinois
88. BUGGS, Wamon WR (4/4), 6.02, 198, 23, Vanderbilt
89. WILLIS, Lenny WR (18/14), 5.11, 188, 30, Ohio State
91. EPPS, Nick DE (4/0), 6.03, 247, 21, Illinois
99. YOUNG, Wilbur DT (15/9), 6.06, 285, 34, William Penn
HEAD COACH: GEORGE ALLEN
Quarterbacks Coach: Roman Gabriel
Offensive Line: John Payne
Secondary: Donald "Deek" Pollard
Defensive Line: John Teerlinck
Offensive Backs: Ray Wietecha
Strength & Conditioning: Warren Anderson
Merger with the Oklahoma Outlaws[]
Despite making it to the Championship game, Diethrich was bleeding in red ink. He expected his all-star team's attendance to be much greater than the 25,776 fans per game the no-name Wranglers averaged in 1983. Despite fielding a winning team, the Wranglers' 1984 attendance figures (25,568 fans per game) were lower than the 1983 numbers, as fans were slow to warm to the new players. Diethrich sold the assets of the Wranglers to Oklahoma Outlaws owner William Tatham. Tatham was looking for a larger market with an acceptable stadium. Tatham relocated the Outlaws to Arizona for the 1985 season, merging the rosters into the Arizona Outlaws.
Single season leaders[]
Rushing Yards: 1207 (1984), Tim Spencer
Receiving Yards: 1258 (1984), Trumaine Johnson
Passing Yards: 3534 (1984), Greg Landry
Season-by-season[]
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1983 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 4th Pacific | - |
1984 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2nd WC Pacific | Won Divisional (Houston) Won Conference (Los Angeles) Lost USFL championship (Philadelphia) |
Totals | 16 | 23 | 0 | (including playoffs) |
Head coaches[]
- Doug Shivley (1983)
- George Allen (1984)