1985: Collier Leads Renegades to Upset of Outlaws

The Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League were hoping to build off of their first win of the season the previous week as they played the Arizona Outlaws on April 14, 1985. The Renegades, coached by Lee Corso, were the relocated Washington Federals, a club that had gone a combined 7-29 in two USFL seasons, and losing the first six games of their third campaign promised only more disappointment. QB Reggie Collier (pictured above) was highly mobile as well as an able passer and WR Joey Walters was a quality receiver. But the Renegades were held back by having the league’s poorest defense.

Arizona was a combination of the previous year’s Arizona Wranglers and Oklahoma Outlaws, coached by Frank Kush, formerly of Arizona State. Veteran QB Doug Williams was a capable passer and also had a good target in WR Alphonso Williams. The roster contained several holdover veterans from the Wranglers team that had reached the 1984 USFL title game and the club was off to a respectable 4-3 start.

There were 32,169 fans in attendance on a hundred-degree day at Sun Devil Stadium. It was not a promising beginning for the Renegades when FB William Miller was lost to a knee injury on the opening kickoff. But the visitors scored first during the opening period after DT Ed McAleney recovered a fumble by the Outlaws at the Arizona 46. Shortly thereafter, Reggie Collier rolled to his right and threw long to WR Jackie Flowers for a 38-yard touchdown. Jeff Brockhaus added the extra point.

Before the first quarter was over, Orlando got another break when FB Rickey Claitt grabbed a deflected Collier pass and gained 31 yards. On the next play, RB Curtis Bledsoe, running to his left, went 19 yards for a TD and Brockhaus again converted.

Down by 14-0, the home team narrowed the score in the second quarter. A short Arizona punt hit WR Jeff Smith of the Renegades and was recovered by the Outlaws at the Orlando 13, and two plays later Doug Williams threw to TE Ron Wheeler, who made a diving catch for an 11-yard touchdown with five minutes remaining in the first half. Luis Zendejas kicked the point after. On Arizona’s next possession, Doug Williams connected with Alphonso Williams for a gain of 45 yards to the Orlando four. But the Renegades held on defense and the Outlaws settled for a 20-yard Zendejas field goal with the clock down to 34 seconds. The score was 14-10 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Arizona made it a one-point contest with a Zendejas field goal from 42 yards. However, the Renegades put together a long drive that covered 81 yards in 12 plays, including passes to Walters for gains of 33 and 15 yards and culminating in a three-yard scoring run by Claitt. Brockhaus added the extra point to increase Orlando’s lead to 21-13.

The Outlaws struck back before the period was over as Doug Williams connected with Alphonso Williams for a 54-yard TD. However, an attempt to tie the score with a two-point conversion failed. Still, it was a two-point contest at 21-19 heading into the final period.

In the fourth quarter, the Renegades maintained possession for 8:45 in a key drive that included carries by Collier of 8 and 14 yards to convert third downs. With 2:08 left on the clock, Jeff Brockhaus extended Orlando’s lead with a 38-yard field goal. There was still time for the Outlaws, but they now needed a touchdown to win and, starting from their own 27 following the kickoff, Doug Williams, confronted by an inspired defense, threw four incomplete passes and the Renegades held on for a 24-19 victory.

The Renegades led in total yards (303 to 231), first downs (16 to 12), and time of possession (37:11 to 22:49). The Outlaws had three sacks, to one by Orlando, and the Renegades were penalized 9 times for 60 yards, to six flags for 50 yards thrown on Arizona. Orlando also turned the ball over twice, to one suffered by the Outlaws.

Reggie Collier completed 12 of 23 passes for 180 yards with a touchdown and an interception and also ran the ball for 48 yards on 9 carries. Rickey Claitt rushed for 51 yards on 13 attempts and Curtis Bledsoe contributed 43 yards on 15 carries, each accounting for a TD. Joey Walters led the Renegades with four catches for 63 yards. On defense, LB Ron Freeman was the standout as he accumulated 11 tackles, defended two passes, and had a sack.

For the Outlaws, Doug Williams was successful on just 8 of 24 throws for 166 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Alphonso Williams had a big performance with four pass receptions for 127 yards and one TD. RB Reggie Brown gained 70 yards on 15 rushing attempts.

“It was a big win for us, and the defense came up with some big plays at the end,” said Orlando’s Coach Corso. “The last drive was set up by Collier and his great athletic ability.”

Having won two straight games, the Renegades returned to their losing ways for the next three and, while more competitive down the stretch, finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 5-13 record. Arizona continued to lose, eventually dropping six straight contests on the way to ending with an 8-10 tally that placed fourth in the Western Conference.

Reggie Collier continued to impress with his running and passing, throwing for 2578 yards and 13 touchdowns while giving up 16 interceptions and rushing for 606 yards and 12 TDs.

1985: Outlaws Control the Ball to Defeat Breakers, End Losing Streak

The Arizona Outlaws had lost six straight games as they traveled to Portland to take on the Breakers, losers of their last five contests, in a United States Football League game on May 19, 1985. A combination of 1984’s Oklahoma Outlaws and Arizona Wranglers, the team was coached by Frank Kush, formerly of Arizona State, and had an established veteran in QB Doug Williams (pictured above) to direct the offense. But after getting off to a 4-2 start, which included a win over Portland in the opener, the losing streak had them struggling at 4-8.

The Breakers were also at 4-8 after having lost their last two games by a combined score of 59-7. Coached by Dick Coury, the club was not as proficient on offense as it had been in Boston and New Orleans, its previous locations. The Breakers missed the retired John Walton at quarterback and the situation was not helped by the loss of promising RB Marcus Dupree with a knee injury in the opening week.

There were 15,275 fans in attendance at Civic Stadium. The Breakers had the game’s first possession and drove down the field, but an apparent nine-yard touchdown run by RB Buford Jordan was nullified by a holding penalty and the Breakers came up empty when Tim Mazzetti was unsuccessful on a 49-yard field goal attempt.

On Portland’s next series, Jordan fumbled the ball away at his 22 yard line. Arizona took advantage as RB Reggie Brown ran for a 13-yard TD with four minutes remaining in the first quarter and Luis Zendejas added the extra point.

As the contest entered the second quarter, the Outlaws added to the lead on their next series that culminated in Doug Williams tossing a pass to WR Greg Anderson for a 12-yard TD. Zendejas again successfully converted to increase the margin to 14-0. Before the first half was over, Zendejas added two field goals, from 22 and 26 yards, which boosted the visitors to a 20-0 lead at the intermission.

Portland QB Matt Robinson suffered an elbow injury during the first half and didn’t come back for the second half. Meanwhile, Arizona started the third quarter with a 68-yard drive and Williams threw to TE Ron Wheeler for a four-yard touchdown.

Ahead by 27-0, Arizona had to endure a strong comeback by the Breakers with backup QB Kevin Starkey directing the offense. Starkey, who had been signed as a free agent a few weeks earlier, was seeing his first action of the season.

The Outlaws reached paydirt on a Starkey pass to WR Ron Johnson that covered 35 yards for a TD late in the third quarter. The try for extra point failed. Now in the final period, Starkey struck again, throwing over the middle to Jordan on a touchdown play that covered 80 yards. This time Mazzetti added the point after and, with 12:36 remaining, the Arizona lead was cut to 27-13.

Needing to keep the ball away from Starkey and the suddenly hot Breakers, the Outlaws helped themselves with a long, ten-minute drive that ended with a 33-yard Zendejas field goal, which in essence clinched the win. Starkey came back to complete a TD pass covering 13 yards to RB Dwight Beverly, but there were only 53 seconds left on the clock. Arizona came away the winner by a final score of 30-21.

The Outlaws dominated in time of possession (41:44 to 18:16) and that translated into a lead in total yards of 348 to 256 plus a 21 to 14 edge in first downs. Arizona recorded five sacks, to one by the Breakers, and Portland suffered the game’s only turnover. However, the Outlaws also were penalized seven times while just two flags were thrown on the Breakers.

Doug Williams completed 17 of 28 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns while giving up no interceptions. RB Mack Boatner led Arizona’s effective ground game with 86 yards on 17 carries and Reggie Brown contributed 63 yards on 15 attempts. Greg Anderson had five pass receptions for 83 yards.

For the Breakers, Kevin Starkey was successful on 7 of 12 throws for 187 yards and three TDs with no pickoffs after relieving Matt Robinson, who was six-of-10 for 67 yards. Ron Johnson topped the club with three catches for 76 yards and a score while WR Marion Brown and RB Louis Jackson also had three receptions apiece, for 41 and 22 yards, respectively. Buford Jordan rushed for 35 yards on 9 attempts.

“Our main philosophy is to keep control of the ball, and that’s just what we did,” explained Coach Kush of Arizona.

The Outlaws lost badly to the Houston Gamblers the next week but then reeled off three straight wins on the way to an 8-10 record and fourth place finish in the Western Conference. Portland won its next game and ended up at 6-12 and fifth in the conference.

The 1985 season was the last for Kevin Starkey, who spent most of his brief pro career in the Canadian Football League. His performance against the Outlaws was the highlight of the year as he completed 16 of 33 passes for 287 yards overall. The three TD passes were his entire output and he gave up two interceptions.

1985: Zendejas Field Goals Propel Outlaws Over Breakers

The season-opening United States Football League game in Tempe, Arizona on February 24, 1985 featured the Arizona Outlaws and the Portland Breakers, two teams that had undergone transformations over the course of the offseason.

The Outlaws were a combination of clubs that played as the Arizona Wranglers and Oklahoma Outlaws in 1984. From Oklahoma came QB Doug Williams, previously of the NFL Buccaneers, who performed well until knocked out of action by a knee injury. WR Alphonso Williams and TE Ron Wheeler were capable receivers. From the previous Arizona franchise that had reached the USFL Championship game came such savvy veterans as RB Kevi n Long, DT Kit Lathrop, and DE Karl Lorch (although they were missing WR Trumaine Johnson, who held out). One newcomer was rookie PK Luis Zendejas out of Arizona State, where he set a NCAA record with 368 career points. Also new was Head Coach Frank Kush, long-time coach at ASU who had most recently been with the NFL Colts.

The Breakers, coached by Dick Coury, were in their third city in three USFL seasons. Originally based in Boston with an inadequate home venue, they moved to New Orleans for ’84 but, with the announced plan to shift to a Fall schedule in 1986, the club was forced to move again, this time to Portland, Oregon. The Breakers had featured an exciting offense led by QB John Walton, but he was now retired and being replaced by backup Doug Woodward. Still, there were good receivers in WR Frank Lockett and TE Dan Ross and capable runners in RBs Buford Jordan and Marcus Dupree. LB Marcus Marek was the keystone of a solid defense.

There were 20,321 fans in attendance at Sun Devil Stadium in what would prove to be a low-scoring struggle. The Outlaws scored first eight minutes into the opening period when Luis Zendejas kicked a 25-yard field goal. Zendejas added another field goal, from 29 yards, in the second quarter. It was set up by a pass from Doug Williams to WR William Davis that covered 46 yards to the Portland nine yard line (it would be the only catch of the year for Davis). The Outlaws took a 6-0 lead into halftime.

Late in the third quarter, the Breakers drove 80 yards on 15 plays and scored on an 11-yard touchdown carry by Marcus Dupree. Tim Mazzetti’s extra point put Portland ahead by 7-6.

In the final period, an interception by Arizona CB Carl Allen gave the Outlaws the ball at the Portland 39, and that set up a Zendejas field goal from 43 yards with 6:33 remaining to play. The Breakers reached the Arizona 37 in a last-gasp effort to pull the game out, but Doug Woodward fumbled the ball away on a fourth down play with 32 seconds left on the clock and the Outlaws came away with a 9-7 win.

Arizona had more total yards (279 to 210), although only 31 of those yards came on 25 rushing attempts while New Orleans had more balance on offense (108 rushing, 102 passing). The teams were even with 11 first downs apiece. Each team turned the ball over two times.

Doug Williams completed 16 of 26 passes for 254 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Ron Wheeler had three catches for 85 yards while WR John Mistler and RB Allan Clark also contributed three receptions apiece, for 30 and 28 yards, respectively. Kevin Long led the miniscule running attack with 18 yards on 11 carries. Luis Zendejas was the scoring star, with three field goals in as many attempts in his pro debut.

For the Breakers, Doug Woodward was successful on just 11 of 26 throws for 140 yards and had one intercepted. Marcus Dupree ran for 69 yards on 17 carries but had to be carried off the field on a stretcher with just over two minutes remaining in the contest. TE David Bayle caught three passes for 33 yards and Dan Ross gained 49 yards on his two receptions.

Dupree’s knee injury proved to be severe and finished him for the season. It would be a disappointing one for the Breakers, who were less productive on offense and finished at 6-12 and fifth in the Western Conference. Arizona ended up not being much better, going 8-10 in placing fourth in the conference.

Luis Zendejas was the USFL’s seventh-leading scorer (tied with Danny Miller of Birmingham) as he connected on 24 of 33 field goal attempts and added 36 extra points, albeit with five misses, in compiling 108 points. He went on to play in the NFL, with the Cowboys and Eagles, as did two of his brothers, Tony and Max (a cousin, Joaquin, kicked in one game for the Patriots).

1985: Gunslingers Beat Outlaws with Late Safety to Cap 4th Quarter Surge

The San Antonio Gunslingers had gone 7-11 in 1984, their inaugural United States Football League season, and played poorly in losing their 1985 season-opening game to Memphis by a score of 20-3. There did not appear to be much reason for optimism for the team coached by 38-year-old Jim Bates. The offense averaged just 17.2 points per outing in ’84, but QB Rick Neuheisel (pictured at right), a rookie out of UCLA in the team’s first year, at least now had a season of experience under his belt although his supporting cast was largely the same. It was the “Bounty Hunter” defense that kept the team competitive. However, the organization seemed shaky as owner Clinton Manges, an oil man, had difficulty paying its bills and presented a fly-by-night front with its offices housed in a double-wide trailer that was kept in the Alamo Stadium parking lot.

On March 3, 1985 the Gunslingers hosted the Arizona Outlaws before a small crowd of 11,151. Coached by Frank Kush, the Outlaws were a combination of 1984’s Arizona Wranglers and Oklahoma Outlaws. Several of the veterans who had been with the Wranglers under retired Head Coach George Allen supplemented the Outlaws squad that featured ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Doug Williams.

The Outlaws get off to a fast start, scoring on their first possession. They went 71 yards in 13 plays capped by RB Kevin Long’s one-yard scoring carry to take a 7-0 lead that held up until the final period. San Antonio threatened once in the second quarter, reaching the Arizona nine yard line after a 46-yard drive, but a 33-yard field goal attempt by Nick Mike-Mayer was aborted when Neuheisel fumbled the snap.

Arizona missed out on opportunities to extend the lead as Luis Zendejas failed on field goal attempts of 42 and 51 yards. Still, it seemed as though the one-touchdown lead might be enough against San Antonio’s weak offense.

In the fourth quarter the Gunslingers finally got on the board following a bad snap on an Arizona punt. Punter Case de Bruijn dropped the ball, recovered, but was tackled at his two yard line. Two plays later RB Scott Stamper scored a one-yard TD and, with the successful extra point, it was a tie game.

However, the Outlaws came right back, driving 75 yards in 12 plays that was again completed by Long on a one-yard scoring dive. But on the first play of San Antonio’s ensuing possession, Neuheisel came up with a big play as he threw to WR Danny Buggs for a 69-yard touchdown. The successful extra point again tied the game at 14-14.

There were more problems on special teams for Arizona as San Antonio LB Reggie Mathis blocked the punt following the next series and DB Jim Bob Morris recovered at the Arizona two. But the Outlaws kept the Gunslingers out of the end zone and, following yet another bad snap on a field goal attempt on fourth down, Neuheisel threw an incomplete pass.

The Outlaws had dodged a bullet but also had the ball deep in their own territory. On the second play, DE Jeff Chaffin sacked Doug Williams in the end zone with just over a minute remaining in the contest to provide the winning margin. San Antonio, having scored all of its points in the final period, came away with a 16-14 win.

Arizona outgained the Gunslingers (304 to 168) and had more first downs (16 to 10). The Outlaws sacked Neuheisel seven times, giving up two (although one was the game-deciding safety), and punted only twice, while San Antonio had to kick the ball away on six occasions. But they only managed to score the two touchdowns, and sloppy special teams play had a huge effect (although both clubs were so afflicted).

Rick Neuheisel completed 10 of 22 passes for 155 yards, with 69 of that total coming on his one touchdown pass, along with one interception. It was also the only reception for Danny Buggs, who nevertheless led the team in receiving yards, while RB Don Roberts and TE James Hadnot each caught two passes, for 15 and 12 yards, respectively. The Gunslingers gained just 54 rushing yards, and Scott Stamper led the way with 22 yards on 8 carries.

For Arizona, Doug Williams was successful on 24 of 34 throws for 211 yards with no TDs but two interceptions. TE Ron Wheeler caught 6 of those passes for 61 yards. Kevin Long led the team with 36 rushing yards on 12 attempts that included the two short TDs and also contributed 5 pass receptions for 49 more.


Coach Kush (pictured at left) expressed understandable disappointment with his club’s special teams play. Special teams “had to be the difference in the game,” said Kush. He added “San Antonio should get credit, though, because they hung in there.”

The tough defense that went on to score a total of four safeties over the course of the season wasn’t enough to carry the Gunslingers to many victories – they ended up with a 5-13 record for sixth place in the Western Conference. The off-field ineptness continued to distract the team, with missed paydays causing Coach Bates to quit before it was over. Arizona was 8-10, two places above San Antonio. The Outlaws won the rematch between the teams by a 13-3 score.

1985: Outlaws Defeat Express at Pierce College

As the 1985 United States Football League season neared completion, the Los Angeles Express franchise was in critical condition. J. William Oldenburg, who purchased the team prior to the 1984 season, was forced to surrender it back to the league, and GM Don Klosterman was running the club while frantically assisting the USFL to find a buyer. The colorful Oldenburg had caused plenty of excitement and poured money (too much money, it turned out) into the franchise during his brief tenure – most notably a contract worth over $40 million to rookie QB Steve Young.

The Express had never been a good draw while playing at the huge Memorial Coliseum (they bottomed out by drawing a combined 12,629 for their last three games there), and the final home game, on June 15 against the Arizona Outlaws, was moved to 16,000-seat John Shepard Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills. The team, coached by John Hadl, had lost six straight games and was barely remaining viable due to lack of money. As a result of injuries and the inability to sign replacements, LA fielded only 37 players for the game, including two kickers, with Tony Boddie (pictured above) the only healthy running back.

There were just 8200 fans in attendance at the small facility. The stadium had added temporary bleachers and the scoreboard showed the team names written with felt marker on paper, adding to the sense of decline. “It was humbling,” said Young. “I almost expected the cheerleaders to dress up our team bus like they did in high school.” (Alas, even the club’s cheerleading squad had been disbanded as a cost-cutting measure)

The visiting team was a union of two clubs that played as the Arizona Wranglers and Oklahoma Outlaws in 1984. Coached by Frank Kush, the offense boasted a seasoned veteran quarterback with NFL experience, Doug Williams, and RB Reggie Brown, who paced the ground attack. Arizona was 7-9 coming into the contest and out of playoff contention.

The Outlaws opened the scoring midway through the first quarter as Williams threw to a diving WR Greg Anderson for a 23-yard touchdown. However, the extra point attempt failed and the score stood at 6-0 after one period of play.

LA’s Tony Zendejas kicked a 50-yard field goal to put the Express on the board in the second quarter. Luis Zendejas, Tony’s brother and counterpart as placekicker for Arizona, responded with a 22-yard field goal to make the score 9-3 at the half.


Luis Zendejas booted another field goal, of 27 yards, in the third quarter before the Express scored a touchdown on a one-yard run by Boddie. With the score at 12-10, it seemed as though Los Angeles might pull out a win in its home finale. But two fourth quarter personal foul penalties proved disastrous for the Express. The first ended a drive by the offense at the Arizona 46. The second, on defense, helped prolong a possession by the Outlaws that culminated in Brown’s one-yard TD five plays later.

Reggie Brown’s touchdown with 4:45 left in the game made the score 18-10 (an attempted two-point conversion failed) and, for all intents and purposes, nailed down the win. Luis Zendejas capped the scoring with his third field goal of the game, of 20 yards, with just under five minutes left on the clock and the final tally was 21-10 in favor of the Outlaws.

Arizona gained 129 yards on 34 running plays and 250 yards through the air while Los Angeles ran the ball 24 times for 102 yards and netted 125 passing yards. The Outlaws also had the edge in first downs (19 to 13), although they had to overcome five turnovers (to three by LA).

Reggie Brown ran for 99 yards on 26 carries including a TD, and thus crossed the thousand-yard threshold for the season (he ended up with 1031 for the year, along with 12 rushing TDs). Doug Williams completed 15 of 29 passes for 250 yards with the one TD and two interceptions. Greg Anderson caught 5 passes for 109 yards and a score.

Tony Boddie led LA in both rushing and receiving with 73 yards on 18 carries and 4 catches for 44 yards. Steve Young contributed 29 yards to the ground total while running five times and also threw 25 passes, completing 13 of them, for 125 yards with no TDs and two interceptions.

GM Klosterman accented the positive and expressed encouragement with the turnout at the small venue. “For me, this (turnout) provides light at the end of the tunnel for prospective owners that wasn't there at the Coliseum,” he said. “But nothing's going to happen until after we find an owner, and I can't promise there's going to be anybody.” In the end, no new owner was ever found, and the USFL folded in any case.

“With these big, professional guys on that tiny field ...I don't know, it seemed kind of weird,” summed up Young after the game. “I don't mean to make fun of the efforts of anybody, though, and I guess these (spectators) were excited. Even under the circumstances, I still had fun.” In the offseason, Young bought out of the huge contract and moved on to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

John Hadl and his staff had already been told they would be let go after the finale in Orlando, which ended up being a loss that put the cap on a dismal 3-15 season. The Express finished up at the bottom of the Western Conference, while the Outlaws, who also lost their last game, came in fourth with an 8-10 record.