With the recent ESPN documentary chronicling the rise and fall of the now legendary United States Football League I did a little research into how the players from that league were distributed to NFL teams.
Some, like Jim Kelly above, were drafted by NFL teams in the regular NFL draft. Their rights were owned by the NFL team who originally drafted them. Others were drafted in 1984 during the NFL supplemental draft. This was despite the fact the USFL played on through 1985. The thought being the NFL didn't want their teams causing bidding wars amongst themselves once the USFL folded.
With that in mind today's slide-show is a quiz. Can you name the top 5 picks in that 1984 supplemental draft? Amongst them were three Hall-of-Famers, a Heisman Trophy winner, and a Harvard-trained doctor. Good luck!
Steve Young was signed to a 10-year, $40 million contract in 1984, but still missed the first six games of the season in order to take college classes so he could graduate on time.
Young was a definite talent in Los Angeles but even he couldn't keep the fans coming and the owner went bankrupt in 1985.
Young would sign with Tampa in 1985 and record a dismal 3-16 record there as a starter. He was then traded to the Niners in 1987 after the Bucs selected Vinny Testaverde and the rest is Hall of Fame history.
Rozier signed with the Pittsburgh Maulers after winning the 1983 Heisman Trophy at Nebraska. He was the second-consecutive winner to go to the USFL after the New Jersey Generals snatched Georgia's Herschel Walker the year before.
Despite his presence in the lineup, the Maulers folded after just one season. Rozier ran for a pedestrian 792 yards and only three touchdowns. He played one more season in the USFL with the Jacksonville Bulls and then began his NFL career in Houston.
Rozier's NFL career would never live up to his collegiate standards. A good back, but never great, Rozier faded from the game after 8 solid seasons.
Zimmerman, a 2008 NFL Hall of Fame inductee, began his pro career protecting Steve Young for the LA Express.
After being selected by the Giants in the supplemental draft, his rights were traded to the Minnesota Vikings for two 1986 second-round picks. Zimmerman then started 169 consecutive games - a streak that lasted until 1996 in Denver. Zimmerman would win a Super Bowl with Denver in 1997, the year he retired.
Zimmerman was named All-Pro eight times, and selected to the Pro Bowl seven times.
The Minister of Defense went from the University of Tennessee to the hometown Memphis Showboats and recorded 23.5 sacks in his two seasons there.
White then moved onto Philadelphia where he became the leader of Buddy Ryan's ferocious Eagles defenses of the early 90's. White sadly moved onto Green Bay as a free agent and won a Super Bowl in 1996.
White notched a total of 198 sacks, was named to the Pro Bowl 13 times, selected All-Pro 10 times, and was honored as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice.
Adickes was a highly-touted guard prospect out of Baylor before signing with the LA Express in 1984. He teamed with future Hall-of-Famer Gary Zimmerman on the Express' offensive line in front of another HOF'er Steve Young.
Adickes then went on to play four seasons in Kansas City and two for the Washington Redskins.
Once he retired, the truly impressive part of his career began. He attended Harvard Medical School and became an orthopedic surgeon. He now serves as team physician for the Houston Rockets, United States Ski Team, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and University of St. Thomas.
If you liked this, check out the next slideshow:
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