Age: 27 (May 31)
5th season in pro football, 2nd in USFL & with Stars
College: Penn State
Height: 6’1” Weight: 195
Prelude:
Fusina was chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 1979 NFL draft, but was activated for just one game during his rookie season and, in 1980 and ’81, threw a total of five passes for 20 yards. He was traded to San Francisco prior to the 1982 season but was released a week later and signed with the USFL Philadelphia Stars in December for the ’83 spring season. While not possessed of a strong arm, he was mobile and an able game manager for the Stars’ ball-control offense. Fusina completed 56.5 % of his passes for 2718 yards with 15 TDs against 10 interceptions and ran for 291 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Philadelphia went 15-3 and advanced to the USFL Championship game, losing by two points to the Michigan Panthers.
1984 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 18 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Passing
Attempts – 465 [6]
Most attempts, game – 35 vs. New Jersey 6/24
Completions – 302 [3]
Most completions, game – 24 vs. New Jersey 6/24
Yards – 3837 [3]
Most yards, game – 302 vs. Jacksonville 5/19
Completion percentage – 64.9 [1]
Yards per attempt – 8.3 [3]
TD passes – 31 [2]
Most TD passes, game – 5 vs. New Orleans 4/27
Interceptions – 9 [20, tied with Steve Young]
Most interceptions, game – 2 at Washington 3/4
Passer rating – 104.7 [1]
300-yard passing games – 1
200-yard passing games – 10
Rushing
Attempts – 40
Most attempts, game - 5 (for 52 yds.) at Memphis 2/26, (for 17 yards) vs. Tampa Bay 4/1
Yards – 251
Most yards, game – 52 yards (on 5 carries) at Memphis 2/26
Yards per attempt – 6.3
TDs – 1
Scoring
TDs – 1
Points - 6
Postseason: 3 G
Pass attempts – 58
Most attempts, game - 27 vs. Birmingham, Eastern Conf. Championship
Pass completions – 36
Most completions, game - 15 vs. Birmingham, Eastern Conf. Championship
Passing yardage – 414
Most yards, game - 158 vs. Arizona, USFL Championship
TD passes – 1
Most TD passes, game - 1 vs. New Jersey, USFL First Round playoff
Interceptions – 1
Most interceptions, game - 1 vs. Arizona, USFL Championship
Rushing attempts – 9
Most rushing attempts, game - 4 vs. New Jersey, USFL First Round playoff, vs. Arizona, USFL Championship
Rushing yards – 49
Most rushing yards, game - 24 vs. New Jersey, USFL First Round playoff
Average gain rushing – 5.4
Rushing TDs – 1
Awards & Honors:
USFL Player of the Year: Sporting News
1st team All-USFL: Sporting News
Stars went 16-2 to win the USFL Atlantic Division. Won First Round playoff over New Jersey Generals (28-7), Eastern Conference Championship over Birmingham Stallions (20-10), and USFL Championship over Arizona Wranglers (23-3).
Aftermath:
The team moved to Baltimore in 1985, and Fusina had another solid season as he completed 61.1 % of his passes for 3496 yards and 20 TDs. The team struggled early but again won the USFL Championship. With the demise of the league, Fusina joined the NFL Green Bay Packers, appearing in seven games and throwing 32 passes in 1986, his last season. Overall in the USFL, Fusina completed 843 passes (61.0 %) for 10,051 yards with 66 TDs against just 33 INTs. He also ran for 774 yards on 161 carries (4.8 avg.) and 4 TDs. However, he threw just 37 passes in four NFL seasons for 198 yards with 1 TD.
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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).
[Updated 2/12/14]
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