# 1983 New Jersey Generals season

From the beginning, USFL founder David Dixon placed a premium on putting a team in the New York area. Initially, Donald Trump was tapped to own the team. However, he backed out after paying an initial installment on the franchise fee, hoping instead to buy the struggling Baltimore Colts of the NFL. Needing a credible owner with the means to front a team in the nation's biggest market, Dixon persuaded Oklahoma oil magnate J. Walter Duncan to step in. Duncan had originally been slated to own the USFL's Chicago franchise, as he'd grown up in Chicago. However, he readily agreed to shift to New York.
Duncan took on former New England Patriots coach Chuck Fairbanks as a minority partner; Duncan knew Fairbanks from his days as head coach at the University of Oklahoma. Fairbanks also served as general manager and head coach. They initially had an uphill battle to get a lease at Giants Stadium, but were able to obtain one on condition that they brand their team as "New Jersey" rather than "New York." They named the team the "Generals" after the large number of generals based in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War.
The team made a big splash by signing Heisman Trophy-winning underclassman Herschel Walker, a running back from the University of Georgia. While the USFL had followed the NFL's lead in banning underclassmen from playing, league officials were certain that this rule would never withstand a court challenge. In an even more ominous development, Walker did not sign a standard player contract. Rather, he agreed to a three-year personal-services contract with Duncan. The contract was valued at $4.2 million—more than double the USFL's salary cap of $1.8 million. Nonetheless, the other owners knew having the incumbent Heisman winner in their fold would lend the USFL instant credibility, and allowed the contract to stand.
Despite the signing of Walker, who rushed for 1,812 yards and 17 touchdowns, the Generals finished their inaugural season with a 6–12 record. This was largely due to a porous defense which gave up the third-most points in the league (437) and a feeble passing attack led by ex-New Orleans Saints career backup Bobby Scott.

## USFL Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 5 | Gary Anderson | Running Back | Arkansas |
| 2 | 22 | Mark Stewart | Linebacker | Washington |
| 2 | 24 | Darryl Talley | Linebacker | Washington |
| 3 | 27 | Ramsey Dardar | Defensive Tackle | LSU |
| 4 | 46 | Wes Hopkins | Defensive Back | SMU |
| 5 | 51 | Wayne Harris | Guard | Mississippi State |
| 5 | 60 | Mark Cooper | Offensive Tackle | Miami |
| 6 | 70 | Randy Grimes | Center | Bayler |
| 7 | 75 | Kent Hull | Center | Mississippi State |
| 8 | 94 | Maurice Carthon | Running Back | Arkansas State |
| 9 | 99 | Marlin Russell | Linebacker | Toledo |
| 10 | 118 | Charles Benson | Defensive End | Baylor |
| 11 | 123 | Danny Walters | Defensive Back | Arkansas |
| 12 | 142 | Bryan Millard | Offensive Tackle | Texas |
| 13 | 147 | Ricky Williamson | Defensive End | Mars Hill |
| 14 | 166 | James Britt | Defensive Back | LSU |

## Schedule

| Week | Day | Date | TV | Opponent | Results | Results | Location | Attendance |
| Week | Day | Date | TV | Opponent | Score | Record | Location | Attendance |
| 1 | Sunday | March 6 | ABC | at Los Angeles Express | 15-20 | 0-1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 34,002 |
| 2 | Sunday | March 13 | ABC | at Philadelphia Stars | 0-25 | 0-2 | Veterans Stadium | 38,205 |
| 3 | Sunday | March 20 | | Tampa Bay Bandits | 9-32 | 0-3 | Giants Stadium | 53,307 |
| 4 | Sunday | March 27 | | Boston Breakers | 21-31 | 0-4 | Giants Stadium | 41,218 |
| 5 | Sunday | April 3 | | at Arizona Wranglers | 35-21 | 1-4 | Sun Devil Stadium | 31,382 |
| 6 | Sunday | April 10 | ESPN | Michigan Panthers | 6-21 | 1-5 | Giants Stadium | 17,648 |
| 7 | Sunday | April 17 | ABC | Washington Federals | 23-22 | 2-5 | Giants Stadium | 35,381 |
| 8 | Monday | April 25 | ESPN | at Chicago Blitz | 14-17 (OT) | 2-6 | Soldier Field | 32,182 |
| 9 | Sunday | May 1 | ABC | at Denver Gold | 34-29 | 3-6 | Mile High Stadium | 47,940 |
| 10 | Monday | May 9 | ESPN | Birmingham Stallions | 7-22 | 3-7 | Giants Stadium | 38,374 |
| 11 | Monday | May 16 | ESPN | at Michigan Panthers | 24-31 | 3-8 | Pontiac Silverdome | 32,862 |
| 12 | Sunday | May 22 | ABC | Chicago Blitz | 13-19 (OT) | 3-9 | Giants Stadium | 33,812 |
| 13 | Sunday | May 29 | | at Washington Federals | 32-29 | 4-9 | RFK Stadium | 11,264 |
| 14 | Saturday | June 4 | ESPN | at Oakland Invaders | 21-34 | 4-10 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 32,908 |
| 15 | Sunday | June 12 | | Philadelphia Stars | 9-23 | 4-11 | Giants Stadium | 20,500 |
| 16 | Saturday | June 17 | ABC | Los Angeles Express | 20-12 | 5-11 | Giants Stadium | 31,807 |
| 17 | Sunday | June 25 | ESPN | Arizona Wranglers | 21-14 | 6-11 | Giants Stadium | 30,612 |
| 18 | Sunday | July 3 | | at Boston Breakers | 10-34 | 6-12 | Nickerson Field | 15,798 |

## Rewards

| Award | Winner | Position |
| All-USFL Team | Herschel Walker | RB |
| USFL Outstanding Running Back | Herschel Walker | RB |
| USFL Rushing Yards Leader | Herschel Walker | RB |
| USFL Rushing Touchdown Leader | Herschel Walker | RB |

## Final Statistics
### Offense

Generals Passing :
| | C/ATT | Yds | TD | INT |
| Bobby Scott | 167/296 | 2174 | 7 | 16 |
| Jeff Knapple | 82/164 | 1017 | 3 | 10 |
| Dave Boisture | 16/35 | 160 | 1 | 2 |
| Gene Bradley | 7/19 | 81 | 1 | 1 |
| Mike Friede | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Generals Rushing |||||
| | Car | Yds | TD | LG |
| Herschel Walker | 412 | 1812 | 17 | 83 |
| Maurice Carthon | 90 | 334 | 3 | 14 |
| Dwight Sullivan | 47 | 205 | 4 | 20 |
| Walter Tullis | 17 | 123 | 1 | 33 |
| Thomas lott | 18 | 110 | 1 | 16 |
| Bobby Scott | 19 | 71 | 0 | 14 |
| Dave Boisture | 7 | 45 | 0 | 11 |
| Vickey Ray Anderson | 5 | 29 | 0 | 9 |
| Jeff Knapple | 4 | 25 | 0 | 10 |
| Larry Coffey | 6 | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| Mark Slawson | 2 | 18 | 0 | 12 |
| Sam Bowers | 2 | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| Lance Olander | 3 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
| Tom McConnaughey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Dave Jacobs | 1 | –5 | 0 | –5 |
| Victor Hicks | 2 | –11 | 0 | –11 |
| Generals Receiving |||||
| | Rec | Yds | TD | LG |
| Herschel Walker | 53 | 489 | 1 | 65 |
| Sam Bowers | 43 | 719 | 1 | 49 |
| Tom McConnaughey | 42 | 691 | 3 | 37 |
| Mike Friede | 25 | 379 | 1 | 27 |
| Victor Hicks | 20 | 267 | 3 | 40 |
| Maurice Carthon | 20 | 170 | 0 | 22 |
| Dwight Sullivan | 20 | 99 | 0 | 11 |
| Larry Brodsky | 19 | 239 | 1 | 31 |
| Mark Slawson | 17 | 259 | 1 | 27 |
| Larry Coffey | 6 | 56 | 0 | 27 |
| Vickey Ray Anderson | 5 | 22 | 1 | 7 |
| Walter Tullis | 2 | 52 | 0 | 37 |

### Defense

Generals Sacks :
| | Sacks |
| Mike Weddington | 6.0 |
| James Lockette | 4.5 |
| Terry Daniels | 4.0 |
| Rod Shoate | 4.0 |
| Tom Woodland | 3.0 |
| Ricky Williamson | 2.5 |
| Mike McKibben | 2.0 |
| Joe Cugliari | 2.0 |
| Richard Murray | 1.0 |
| Mel Lunsford | 1.0 |
| Scott Dawson | 1.0 |
| Maurice Clemmons | 1.0 |
| Donnie Harris | 1.0 |
| Sam Sopp | 0.5 |
| Rod Skillman | 0.5 |
| Steve Hammond | 0.5 |
Generals Interceptions :
| | Int | Yds | TD | LG |
| Mike Williams | 8 | 68 | 0 | 26 |
| Terry Daniels | 4 | 26 | 0 | 23 |
| Keith Moody | 3 | 27 | 0 | 16 |
| Sam Sopp | 3 | 22 | 0 | 15 |
| Rod Skillman | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Dana Noel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rod Shoate | 2 | 50 | 0 | 31 |
Generals Fumbles :
| | Fmb | FR | Yds | TD |
| Herschel Walker | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas Lott | 2 | 6 | 0 | –1 |
| Bobby Scott | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Knapple | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Maurice Carthon | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dwight Sullivan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Bowers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Coffy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Rod Skillman | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| William Holliday | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Boisture | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frank Naylor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Brodsky | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Victor Hicks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Walter Tullis | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |

### Special Teams

Generals Kicking :
| | FGM–FGA | XPM–XPA |
| John Roveto | 7-13 | 15-15 |
Generals Punting :
| | Pnt | Yds | Lng | Blck |
| Lance Olander | 54 | 1998 | 57 | 0 |
| Dave Jacobs | 23 | 788 | 51 | 0 |
Generals Kick Returns :
| | Ret | Yds | TD | Lng |
| Thomas Lott | 53 | 1160 | 0 | 37 |
| Larry Coffy | 6 | 113 | 0 | 39 |
| Lance Olander | 6 | 89 | 0 | 22 |
| Dwight Sullivan | 5 | 85 | 0 | 23 |
| Herschel Walker | 3 | 69 | 0 | 27 |
| Mike Williams | 2 | 49 | 0 | 30 |
| Mike Weddington | 4 | 41 | 0 | 14 |
| Vickey Ray Anderson | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Walter Tullis | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Mike Friede | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Generals Punt Returns :
| | Ret | Yds | TD | Lng |
| Thomas Lott | 25 | 155 | 0 | 17 |
| Mike Williams | 5 | 58 | 0 | 18 |

## Standings

Atlantic Division :
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | 1983 Capacity | Avg. Att. | Avg. % filled | Coach |
| y-Philadelphia Stars | 15 | 3 | 0 | .833 | 379 | 204 | Veterans Stadium | 72,204 | 18,650 | 26% | Jim Mora |
| Boston Breakers | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 399 | 334 | Nickerson Field | 21,000 | 12,817 | 61% | Dick Coury |
| New Jersey Generals | 6 | 12 | 0 | .333 | 314 | 437 | Giants Stadium | 76,891 | 35,004 | 46% | Chuck Fairbanks |
| Washington Federals | 4 | 14 | 0 | .222 | 297 | 422 | RFK Stadium | 54,794 | 13,850 | 25% | Ray Jauch |