San Antonio Gunslingers (USFL)

The San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas, that played in the United States Football League (USFL) in 1984 and 1985. Owned by oil magnate Clinton Manges, the team played its home games in Alamo Stadium and its colors were kelly green, royal blue, silver, and white. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback.

History

In 1977 the San Antonio Charros were founded by Roger Gill as a charter member of the American Football Association. They went undefeated and won the first championship. After the 1981 season, the Charros changed their name to the Bulls. In 1982 Roger Gill was appointed AFA Commissioner; as part of the terms, Gill agreed to divest himself of the Bulls franchise. He sold the club to Clinton Manges in June of 1982. Under Manges, the Bulls were successful, appearing in the AFA's final championship (but losing in a shutout to the Carolina Chargers).

Going into the 1984 season, the USFL made the decision to expand to eighteen franchises in order to boost league capital. However, efforts to expand to Minneapolis-St. Paul and Seattle fell through. San Antonio was mentioned as a possible market for expansion, as rapid growth through the 1970s propelled it to major-city status. By 1984, almost 800,000 people lived in San Antonio, making it the 11th largest city in the United States. Despite this, a series of studies of possible new cities concluded that San Antonio could not support a USFL team. The San Antonio area, then as now, was considered a medium-sized market because the surrounding suburban and rural areas were far smaller than the city itself.

The owners were also somewhat skeptical about Manges's bid, not in the least because he planned to base the team at Alamo Stadium, a Works Progress Administration project and high school stadium that seated only 18,000 people. Ultimately, fears that Manges would seek a franchise in a proposed league started by WFL, American Basketball Association, and World Hockey Association co-founder Dennis Murphy tipped the scales in his favor. At the time, the flamboyant oil baron was a member of the Forbes 400, and was thought to be one of the richest men in Texas. The USFL did not want to risk losing his apparent wealth to a rival league. Ultimately, Murphy's proposed league folded before it could get off the ground when the USFL placed teams in three of its potential markets–San Antonio, Memphis, and Houston. Manges was unable to carry the Bulls name over because the Jacksonville Bulls claimed the name first.

The USFL had endeavored to avoid the mistakes of the ill-fated World Football League by requiring perspective owners to undergo a detailed due diligence and requiring franchises to meet strict capitalization requirements. However, apart from the concern about Alamo Stadium, it never performed a substantive review of Manges's original application. Once the Minnesota and Seattle franchises fell through, the league had few options left if it was to field 18 teams for the 1984 campaign. With little for anything beyond a cursory review of Manges's financial situation, league officials apparently concluded that given Manges' perceived wealth, his application carried little risk. Additionally, despite – or perhaps, because of – his apparent oil fortune, the league also didn't require Manges to make an initial capital investment (as is standard for most major league sports franchises).

1985 season

Despite their strong finish, by the start of the 1985 season, the Gunslingers were known to be badly undercapitalized, unlike most of their USFL brethren.

The Gunslingers' ramshackle financial structure caught up with them early in 1985. The price of oil tumbled as low as $11 or $12 a barrel, decimating Manges's fortune. The Gunslingers quickly fired all of their secretaries, and virtually all of the public relations staffers resigned. The on-field operation suffered as well; they had no scouts or practice squad. Years later, Neuheisel told ESPN that the players raced each other to the bank to cash their checks, knowing that half (if not more) of them would bounce. However, the team had to use creative methods to meet payroll even before then; as mentioned above, they were notorious for deactivating players every third game.

The San Antonio Light reported that the Internal Revenue Service had slapped two liens on the Gunslingers for over $400,000 in back payroll taxes, further squeezing the franchise's financial picture. Eventually, Manges ordered his employees not to discuss the team's finances, and even had reporters bounced from the locker room. After a month of missed paydays, Bates threatened to quit unless the players were paid by the team's contest against the Oakland Invaders. The money never arrived, and Bates walked out, forcing Steinke to take over for the last six games of the season.

In June, Manges simply stopped paying the franchise's bills. The players and coaches played the last four games of the season without being paid. Not surprisingly, the Gunslingers barely survived the season. Due in large part to a nonexistent rushing attack (their leading rusher, George Works, only ran for a total of 452 yards), they finished with the second-worst record in the league. Attendance crashed to 11,721, the second-worst in the league. Shortly after the season, after another missed payroll, the entire roster was put on waivers. The players also sued Manges to recover back pay, but that suit collapsed when Manges filed for bankruptcy. At least some of the players still hadn't been paid at the time of a 1998 reunion, and no players or staff members that were owed back wages had been paid at the time of Manges's death in 2010.

Average home attendance

1984: (15,444)
1985: (11,721)

Game results

1984

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!style=""| Week

!style=""| Date

!style=""| Opponent

!style=""| Result

!style=""| Record

!style=""| Venue

!style=""| Attendance

! colspan="9" style=""|Preaseason

! 1

| colspan=8|Bye

! 2

| vs. Houston Gamblers

| L 17–19

| 0–1

| Harlingen, Texas

! 3

| vs. Memphis Showboats

| W 13–3

| 1–1

| Shreveport, Louisiana

! 4

| Birmingham Stallions

| L 15–23

| 1–2

| Alamo Stadium

! colspan="9" style=""|Regular season

! 1

| February 26

| New Orleans Breakers

| L10–13

| 0–1

| Alamo Stadium

| 18,233

! 2

| Houston Gamblers

| L 7–35

| 0–2

| Alamo Stadium

| 10,023

! 3

| March 11

| at Oklahoma Outlaws

| L 7–14

| 0–3

| Skelly Stadium

| 24,311

! 4

| Los Angeles Express

| L 12–13

| 0–4

| Alamo Stadium

| 9,821

! 5

| Oakland Invaders

| W 14–10

| 1–4

| Alamo Stadium

| 11,012

! 6

| April 1

| at Michigan Panthers

| L 10–26

| 1–5

| Pontiac Silverdome

| 42,692

! 7

| at Chicago Blitz

| L 10–16

| 1–6

| Soldier Field

| 9,412

! 8

| at Jacksonville Bulls

| W 20–0

| 2–6

| Gator Bowl Stadium

| 35,084

! 9

| April 22

| Philadelphia Stars

| L 14–20

| 2–7

| Alamo Stadium

| 16,590

! 10

| at Arizona Wranglers

| W 24–23

| 3–7

| Sun Devil Stadium

| 12,259

! 11

| May 6

| Chicago Blitz

| W 30–21

| 4–7

| Alamo Stadium

| 15,231

! 12

| at Memphis Showboats

| L 14–38

| 4–8

| Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium

| 32,406

! 13

| May 20

| at Washington Federals

| W 30–14

| 5–8

| RFK Stadium

| 6,159

! 14

| Denver Gold

| L 20–27

| 5–9

| Alamo Stadium

| 20,077

! 15

| Michigan Panthers

| L 17–23

| 5–10

| Alamo Stadium

| 16,384

! 16

| at Pittsburgh Maulers

| W 17–3

| 6–10

| Three Rivers Stadium

| 17,148

! 17

| at Houston Gamblers

| L 26–29

| 6–11

| Houston Astrodome

| 30,184

! 18

| June 24

| Oklahoma Outlaws

| W 23–0

| 7–11

| Alamo Stadium

| 21,625

Sources

1985

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!style=""| Week

!style=""| Date

!style=""| Opponent

!style=""| Result

!style=""| Record

!style=""| Venue

!style=""| Attendance

! colspan="9" style=""|Preseason

! 1

| Birmingham Stallions

| T 0–0

| 0–0–1

| Alamo Stadium

! 2

| vs. Houston Gamblers

| L 21–28

| 0–1–1

| McAllen, Texas

! 3

| Denver Gold

| W 36–13

| 1–1–1

| Alamo Stadium

! colspan="9" style=""|Regular season

! 1

| Memphis Showboats

| L 3–20

| 0–1

| Alamo Stadium

| 10,983

! 2

| March 3

| Arizona Outlaws

| W 16–14

| 1–1

| Alamo Stadium

| 11,151

! 3

| March 10

| Tampa Bay Bandits

| L 18–31

| 1–2

| Alamo Stadium

| 21,822

! 4

| at Los Angeles Express

| L 7–38

| 1–3

| Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

| 10,410

! 5

| at Denver Gold

| L 2–16

| 1–4

| Mile High Stadium

| 13,901

! 6

| at Portland Breakers

| W 33–0

| 2–4

| Civic Stadium

| 19,882

! 7

| April 7

| Birmingham Stallions

| W 15–14

| 3–4

| Alamo Stadium

| 8,873

! 8

| at Jacksonville Bulls

| L 17–28

| 3–5

| Gator Bowl Stadium

| 32,097

! 9

| at Oakland Invaders

| L 20–27

| 3–6

| Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum

| 18,215

! 10

| April 28

| Houston Gamblers

| L 29–38

| 3–7

| Alamo Stadium

| 9,723

! 11

| May 5

| Denver Gold

| L 9–35

| 4–8

| Alamo Stadium

| 9,753

! 12

| at Orlando Renegades

| L 20–21

| 3–9

| Florida Citrus Bowl

| 22,404

! 13

| Oakland Invaders

| L 21–24

| 3–10

| Alamo Stadium

| 7,118

! 14

| May 26

| at Baltimore Stars

| L 10–28

| 3–11

| Byrd Stadium

| 8,633

! 15

| at Arizona Outlaws

| L 3–13

| 3–12

| Sun Devil Stadium

| 11,151

! 16

| June 9

| Los Angeles Express

| W 31–27

| 4–12

| Alamo Stadium

| 4,963

! 17

| at Houston Gamblers

| L 21–49

| 4–13

| Houston Astrodome

| 11,780

! 18

| June 23

| Portland Breakers

| W 21–13

| 5–13

| Alamo Stadium

| 19,603

Sources

Rosters

1984

NO. NAME (POS) – GP/GS

5. MIKE-MAYER, Nick (K) – 18/0
7. NEUHEISEL, Rick (QB) – 16/16
8. WHITE, Alvin (QB) – 3/0
9. HARTLEY, Ken (P) – 15/0
10. FORD, Mike (QB) – 2/1
11. TORCHIO, Lloyd J. (QB) – 3/0
14. MORTENSEN, Fred (QB) – IA/2G
16. DOUGLASS, Karl (QB) – 2/1
17. PRYOR, David (P) – 3/0
20. RAEFORD, Peter (CB) – 18/18
21. BONNER, Marcus (RB) – 18/7
22. GORDON, Jerry (WR) – 13/13
23. ULMER, Mike (FS) – 18/7
25. ANDERSON, Gary (CB) – IA/2G
26. JERNIGAN, Hugh (CB) – 2/0
27. SMITH, Daryl (FS) – IA/2G
28. MORRIS, Jim Bob (SS) – 15/14
29. RICHMOND, Rock (CB) – 17/6
30. STAMPER, Scott (FB) – 11/9
31. WHITE, Jafus (SS) – 7/0
34. HAGEN, Mike (FB) – 16/9
35. PENN-WHITE, Al (RB) – 7/6
40. WORKS, George (RB) – 8/2
41. GREENE, Doug (SS) – 1/0
41. BEDFORD, Vance (CB) – 1/0
42. TYLER, Maurice (CB) – 17/12
43. ROBERTS, Don (RB) – 15/3
44. ARMSTEAD, Charles (CB) – 7/2
47. WADDY, Ray (FS) – 17/17
49. RUSH, Mark (FB) – 7/0
49. THOMPSON, Emmuel (CB) – 2/0
50. NEAL, Tally (LB) – 15/0
51. D'AMICO, Rich (LB) – 18/18
52. OLIVER, Reggie (LB) – 17/2
53. CASTILLO, Juan (LB) – 6/0
54. MILLS, DAVE (LB) – 6/4
54. SPEROS, Pete (C/LS) – 9/0
55. CHOATE, Putt (LB) – 18/18
56. RIVERA, Jimmy (LB) – 5/0
57. SILIPO, Joe (C) – 9/0
58. BAREFIELD, John (LB) – 12/12
59. McCORMICK, Glenn (C/LS) – 7/3
59. McINTYRE, Jeff (LB) – 1/0
60. WINTERS, Bill (C) – 12/12
61. GARZA, Rich (G) – 18/18
62. MUESKE, Darryl (G) – IA/4G
63. THOMPSON, Arland (G) – 18/18
65. HANNA, Paul (NT) – 17/17
66. JOHNSON, Gary Don (DT) – 9/0
68. ZOGG, John (G/T) – 5/0
70. LOHMANN, Jim (T) – 2/0
71. WILLIAMS, Ralph (T) – 18/18
72. WHITE, Victor (T) – IA/2G
73. PEKAR, Jim (DT) – 1/1
72. JONKER, Kurt (T) – DNP/2G
75. SPIVEY, Lee (T) – 17/17
76. GILLEN, Ken (DE) – 18/18
77. TABOR, Tommy (NT) – 18/12
78. ST. CLAIR, Mike (DE) – 18/18
79. FIELDS, Greg (DE) – 17/0
81. HACKETT, Joey (TE) – 18/18
82. O'ROARK, Larry (WR) – 2/0
82. CRANE, Darryl (WR) – 3/0
83. OSBORNE, Rich (TE) – 7/0
84. VELA, David (WR) – 2/0
84. PARKER, Rodney (WR) – 4/1
85. PHEA, Lonell (WR) – 2/2
85. MONROE, Terry (DT) – 10/1
86. ARMSTRONG, Tony (TE) – 10/0
87. GABBIDON, Earl (TE) – 4/0
88. BUGGS, Danny (WR) – 17/17
89. STARKS, Glenn (WR) – 12/3
90. KIRKPATRICK, Ron (DE) – IA/1G
95. CASE, Frank (DE) – 18/0
99. FIELDS, Greg (DE) – 17/0

INJURED RESERVE

97. PRICE, Ernest (DT) – IR/16G

1985

NO. NAME (POS) – GP/GS

5. MIKE-MAYER, Nick (K) – 18/0
7. NEUHEISEL, Rick (QB) – 18/16
9. HARTLEY, Ken (P) – 5/0
10. TAYLOR, Whit (QB) – 17/1
11. ROBERTS, Buddy (P) – IA/1G
14. MORTENSEN, Fred (QB) – 12/1
20. RAEFORD, Peter (CB) – 18/17
21. BONNER, Marcus (RB) – 18/10
22. GORDON, Jerry (WR) – 18/17
23. ULMER, Mike (FS) – 8/0
24. JAMES, Larry (FS) – 18/3
25. MINOR, Vic (FS) – 18/16
26. McNEIL, Mark (CB) – 11/0
27. WORTHY, Gary (RB) – 10/7
28. MORRIS, Jim Bob (SS) – 17/17
29. WILLIAMS, Leon (CB) – 17/1
30. STAMPER, Scott (FB) – 18/11
32. JOHNSON, Clyde (SS) – 18/11
33. WORKS, George (RB) – 10/5
34. HAGEN, Mike (FB) – 10/0
35. CANADA, Larry (FB) – 17/4
43. ROBERTS, Don (RB) – 18/5
44. ARMSTEAD, Charles (CB) – 18/18
48. HADNOT, James (TE) – 14/9
49. RUSH, Mark (TE) – 5/1
50. NEAL, Tally (LB) – 5/0
51. D'AMICO, Rich (LB) – 18/13
52. OLIVER, Reggie (LB) – 18/1
53. CASTILLO, Juan (LB) – 7
54. MILLS, DAVE (LB) – 6/4
55. CHOATE, Putt (LB) – 18/18
56. MATHIS, Reggie (LB) – 13/0
57. SILIPO, Joe (C/LS) – 18/0
58. BAREFIELD, John (LB) – 7/7
60. LEIDING, Jeff (LB) – 11/4
61. GARZA, Rich (C) – 18/18
63. THOMPSON, Arland (G) – 18/14
65. HANNA, Paul (DT) – 7/4
68. ZOGG, John (G) – IA/3G
69. ROBERTS, Carl (G) – 18/0
70. WALTERS, Rod (G) – 18/18
71. WILLIAMS, Ralph (T) – 18/18
75. SPIVEY, Lee (T) – 16/16
76. GILLEN, Ken (DE) – 11/11
77. CHAFFIN, Jeff (DE) – 18/7
78. JENKINS, Mark (T) – 18/2
80. HILL, Al (WR) – IA/7G
80. LOCKETT, Frank (WR) – 8/6
81. HACKETT, Joey (TE) – 18/16
83. GREENE, Sammy (WR) – IA/1G
83. COFFMAN, Ricky (WR) – 9/0
85. TOLBERT, Mark (WR) – 5/0
86. WILLIAMS, Kevin (WR) – 8/5
87. WILLIAMS, Oliver (WR) – 5/0
88. BUGGS, Danny (WR) – 8/4
90. TABOR, Tommy (DT) – 12/0
91. GAYLORD, Jeff (DT) – 7/7
92. HAYES, Jay (DE) – IA/5G
92. RUSHING, Ralph (DE) – 1/0
93. ANAE, Brad (DE) – 16/0
94. SMITH, Bennie (DT) – 15/7
95. LESNIK, Ivan (DT) – 18/18
99. FIELDS, Greg (DE) – 18/18

Season-by-season

| 1977 || 8 || 0 || 0 || 1st ||W Championship

|1978 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd ||W Semifinals

|1979 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 2nd ||L Semifinals

|1980 || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2nd Western Division||L Semifinals

|1981 || 6 || 6 || 0 || 2nd Western Division||L Semifinals

|1982 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 4th Southwestern Division||--

|1983 || 6 || 1 || 0 || 1st Western Division||L Championship

|1984 || 7 || 11 || 0 || 3rd WC Central ||--

|1985 || 5 || 13 || 0 || 6th WC || –

!Totals || 58 || 49 || 0

Single-season leaders

Rushing yards: 500 Scott Stamper (American football)(1984), 452 George Works (1985)
Receiving yards: 690 Jerry Gordon (1985), 650 Jerry Gordon (1984)
Passing yards: 3068 Rick Neuheisel (1985), 2649 Rick Neuheisel (1984)

References

External links

USFL.info – San Antonio Gunslingers
Powell, Shaun. "A U.S.F.L. Team That Played for the Love of the Game," The New York Times, Sunday, April 19, 2009.