Houston Gamblers
Houston Gamblers | |
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Established 1983 Folded 1986 Played in Houston, Texas | |
League/conference affiliations | |
United States Football League (1984–1985)
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Current uniform | |
Team colors | Black, Gambler Red, Gray, White, Yellow-Gold |
Personnel | |
Owner(s) | 1984 Alvin Lubetkin, Bernard Lerner, Dr. Jerry Argovitz, Fred Gerson 1985 Alvin Lubetkin, Dr. Jerry Argovitz, Jay Roulier |
Head coach | 1984–1985 Jack Pardee (23-15) |
Team history | |
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Championships | |
League championships (0) | |
Conference championships (0) | |
Division championships (1) 1984 | |
Playoff appearances (2) | |
1984, 1985 | |
Home stadium(s) | |
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The Houston Gamblers were an
The Run & Shoot puts the USFL on the map
The Gamblers also got the attention of a few NFL teams. The run & shoot offense would be adopted as the base set for the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Oilers. All 3 teams were in the upper half of the league in scoring while using the run & shoot. In spite of this fact, the offense was widely discredited as a gimmick in the NFL when none of the 3 teams won a Super Bowl. Even after those teams moved away from the run & shoot as their base sets, the influence of Mouse Davis and Jim Kelly left a lasting impact on the league. In the 1970s most teams ran the 2 back "pro-set" as their base offense with fixed routes. Today, almost all NFL teams incorporate extensive packages of 4 WR sets and option routes for WRs depending on coverages faced, innovations that are the basis of the run & shoot.
The playoffs, 1985, and beyond
The Gamblers appeared in the
Following the August 22, 1984 USFL Owners meeting where the majority of owners decided to move to the fall, things started to crumble for the league, especially for teams in cities with existing NFL teams, like the Gamblers. Kelly, one of the more public faces of the USFL, voiced the concerns of many fans when he called the schedule switch "100 percent" wrong, saying, "It's the worst thing they could have done."
The Run N' Shoot attack of the Gamblers grew even stronger in 1985. Davis left to become head coach of the
As it turned out, that would be the last game the Gamblers would ever play. While the Gamblers had been a solid draw the year before, area fans were not about to abandon the Houston Oilers. Attendance dropped by almost 9,000 from 1984. The resulting financial problems were so severe that at one point, the Gamblers had trouble making payroll. They needed an advance from the league just to go to the playoffs. Although owner Jerry Argovitz had ultimately supported moving to the fall, he and his partners knew they could not even begin to compete with the Oilers and decided to get out.
After briefly entertaining an offer to move to New York City, they agreed to sell controlling interest to real estate magnate and future Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. Just days later, Ross announced he was merging the Gamblers with the New Jersey Generals. Although the Generals were the surviving team, Ross would be a full partner with Generals owner Donald Trump, and Argovitz became the merged team's president. However, Ross backed out of the merger after discovering the Gamblers' debt load was larger than he anticipated. Trump reimbursed Ross for his interest and became sole owner.[1] However, Trump retained the Gamblers' player contracts, so the deal was still widely reported as a merger. Trump immediately hired Pardee as coach. With an offense boasting Kelly and Walker, observers dubbed the new Generals the USFL's "dream team." Kelly was even featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in a Generals uniform. That season however would never be played.[2]
The most notable players on the team were Kelly, future
Giant dice game
The Gamblers were well known for a 7-11 promotion in which two huge dice were dropped onto the field from the roof of the Astrodome.[3]
1984 schedule and results
Week | Day | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | TV | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preseason | ||||||||
1 | Bye | |||||||
2 | Saturday | February 4, 1984 | vs. San Antonio Gunslingers | W 19–17 | 1–0 | Harlingen, Texas | ||
3 | Saturday | February 11, 1984 | at Jacksonville Bulls | W 34–22 | 2–0 | Gator Bowl Stadium | 24,680 | |
4 | Saturday | February 18, 1984 | vs. Oklahoma Outlaws
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W 34–7 | 3–0 | Lewis Field Stillwater, Oklahoma |
6,120 | |
Regular season | ||||||||
1 | Sunday | February 26, 1984 | at Tampa Bay Bandits | L 17–20 | 0–1 | Tampa Stadium | 42,915 | |
2 | Monday | March 5, 1984 | at San Antonio Gunslingers | W 35–7 | 1–1 | ESPN | Alamo Stadium | 10,023 |
3 | Sunday | March 11, 1984 | at Chicago Blitz | W 45–36 | 2–1 | Soldier Field | 7,808 | |
4 | Sunday | March 18, 1984 | New Jersey Generals | W 32–25 | 3–1 | ABC | Houston Astrodome
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35,532 |
5 | Monday | March 26, 1984 | Michigan Panthers | L 34–52 | 3–2 | Houston Astrodome | 38,754 | |
6 | Saturday | March 31, 1984 | at Oklahoma Outlaws
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L 28–31 (OT) | 3–3 | Skelly Stadium
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17,266 | |
7 | Monday | April 9, 1984 | Washington Federals
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W 31–13 | 4–3 | Houston Astrodome | 16,710 | |
8 | Monday | April 16, 1984 | at Oakland Invaders | W 35–27 | 5–3 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
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18,320 | |
9 | Saturday | April 21, 1984 | Arizona Wranglers | W 37–24 | 6–3 | ESPN | Houston Astrodome | 23,117 |
10 | Monday | April 30, 1984 | Los Angeles Express | L 24–27 (OT) | 6–4 | ESPN | Houston Astrodome | 30,727 |
11 | Sunday | May 6, 1984 | at Michigan Panthers | L 28–31 (OT) | 6–5 | ABC | Pontiac Silverdome | 29,068 |
12 | Saturday | May 12, 1984 | at Pittsburgh Maulers | W 47–26 | 7–5 | ESPN | Three Rivers Stadium | 24,880 |
13 | Sunday | May 20, 1984 | Oklahoma Outlaws
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W 31–12 | 8–5 | ABC | Houston Astrodome | 31,142 |
14 | Friday | May 25, 1984 | at Jacksonville Bulls | W 54–7 | 9–5 | Gator Bowl Stadium | 31,638 | |
15 | Sunday | June 3, 1984 | at Denver Gold | W 36–20 | 10–5 | ABC | Mile High Stadium | 50,057 |
16 | Sunday | June 10, 1984 | Chicago Blitz | W 38–13 | 11–5 | ABC | Houston Astrodome | 24,243 |
17 | Monday | June 18, 1984 | San Antonio Gunslingers | W 29–26 | 12–5 | ESPN | Houston Astrodome | 30,184 |
18 | Monday | June 25, 1984 | Memphis Showboats | W 37–3 | 13–5 | ESPN | Houston Astrodome | 22,963 |
Postseason | ||||||||
Divisional Playoff |
Sunday | July 1, 1984 | Arizona Wranglers | L 16–17 | — | ABC | Houston Astrodome
|
32,713 |
1985 schedule and results
Week | Day | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | TV | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preseason | ||||||||
1 | Bye | |||||||
2 | Saturday | February 9, 1985 | vs. San Antonio Gunslingers | W 28–21 | 1–0 | McAllen, Texas | ||
3 | Saturday | February 16, 1985 | at Birmingham Stallions | W 20–10 | 2–0 | KTXH | Legion Field | |
Regular season | ||||||||
1 | Sunday | February 24, 1985 | at Los Angeles Express | W 34–33 | 1–0 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 18,828 | |
2 | Sunday | March 3, 1985 | at Tampa Bay Bandits | W 50–28 | 2–0 | ABC | Tampa Stadium | 42,291 |
3 | Sunday | March 10, 1985 | at Oakland Invaders | W 42–7 | 3–0 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
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16,037 | |
4 | Monday | March 18, 1985 | Denver Gold | W 36–17 | 4–0 | ESPN | Houston Astrodome
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33,747 |
5 | Sunday | March 24, 1985 | Portland Breakers | W 27–20 | 5–0 | Houston Astrodome | 22,031 | |
6 | Sunday | March 31, 1985 | Baltimore Stars
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L 14–27 | 5–1 | ABC | Houston Astrodome | 24,166 |
7 | Sunday | April 7, 1985 | at New Jersey Generals | L 25–31 | 5–2 | ABC | Giants Stadium | 34,573 |
8 | Monday | April 14, 1985 | Los Angeles Express | L 17–18 | 5–3 | Houston Astrodome | 20,193 | |
9 | Sunday | April 21, 1985 | at Arizona Outlaws | W 33–17 | 6–3 | ABC | Sun Devil Stadium
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16,640 |
10 | Sunday | April 28, 1985 | at San Antonio Gunslingers | W 38–29 | 7–3 | Alamo Stadium | 9,723 | |
11 | Monday | May 6, 1985 | at Portland Breakers | W 45–7 | 8–3 | ESPN | Civic Stadium
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18,457 |
12 | Sunday | May 12, 1985 | at Memphis Showboats | L 15–17 | 8–4 | ABC | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
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27,325 |
13 | Monday | May 20, 1985 | Jacksonville Bulls | L 17–20 | 8–5 | ESPN | Houston Astrodome | 17,127 |
14 | Sunday | May 26, 1985 | Arizona Outlaws | W 41–20 | 9–5 | Houston Astrodome | 12,696 | |
15 | Monday | June 3, 1985 | Birmingham Stallions | L 27–29 | 9–6 | ESPN | Houston Astrodome | 13,202 |
16 | Sunday | June 9, 1985 | at Denver Gold | L 13–16 | 9–7 | ABC | Mile High Stadium | 12,553 |
17 | Monday | June 17, 1985 | San Antonio Gunslingers | W 49–21 | 10–7 | ESPN | Houston Astrodome | 11,780 |
18 | Monday | June 24, 1985 | Oakland Invaders | L 21–31 | 10–8 | ESPN | Houston Astrodome | 15,797 |
Playoffs | ||||||||
Quarterfinal | Saturday | June 29, 1985 | at Birmingham Stallions | L 20–22 | — | ABC | Legion Field | 18,500 |
Single-season leaders
- Rushing Yards: 1009 (1984), Todd Fowler
- Receiving Yards: 1445 (1984), Richard Johnson
- Passing Yards: 5219 (1984), Jim Kelly (also league record)
Season-by-season results
Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1st in Western | Lost in Quarterfinals (Arizona) |
1985 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 3rd in Western | Lost in Quarterfinals (Birmingham) |
Totals | 23 | 13 | 0 |
References
- ISBN 978-1476667447.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Site Builder".
- ^ statscrew.com 1984 Houston Gamblers Game-by-Game Results Retrieved January 1, 2019
- ^ usflsite.com 1984 USFL Season Retrieved January 1, 2019
- ^ profootballarchives.com 1984 Houston Gamblers (USFL) Retrieved January 1, 2019
- ^ statscrew.com 1985 Houston Gamblers Game-by-Game Results Retrieved January 1, 2019
- ^ usflsite.com 1985 USFL Season Retrieved January 1, 2019
- ^ profootballarchives.com 1985 Houston Gamblers (USFL) Retrieved January 1, 2019