Chicago Blitz The Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s . They played at Soldier Field in Chicago , Illinois . Team history . The Blitz were one of the charter members of the USFL . The ownership group was headed by renowned heart surgeon Dr . Ted Diethrich , with legendary coach George Allen and Southern California developer Bill Harris as minority partners . Diethrich served as president , with Harris as executive vice president and Allen as chairman of the board and head coach . George Allen . Allen had been out of coaching since 1977 ; he had been a candidate for the vacant head coaching position with the Chicago Bears a year earlier , but Bears owner George Halas had never forgiven Allen for defecting to the Rams in 1965 . Allen immediately became the " face " of the new team , and set about putting together the best 40 - man roster he could find . The result was a team that was the early favorite to be the new league ' s first champion . 1983 season . They finished in a tie for the Central Division title , but were awarded a wild card berth due to being swept by the eventual champion Michigan Panthers . In the playoffs , they blew a 21 - point lead over the Philadelphia Stars , losing 44 - 38 in overtime . Struggling at the gate . Despite the fact that the Blitz were one of the strongest teams in the league ( some suggested that they could have been competitive in the NFL ) , they struggled a little at the gate , averaging only 18 , 100 fans . ( It should be noted that these numbers were very similar to the numbers the Philadelphia Stars and Michigan Panthers achieved in their first year . Both of those franchises would see dramatically higher attendance numbers in their second season based on their on - field success in their first year . ) Diethrich had lost millions of dollars in 1983 , was not confident in the team ' s ability to draw fans , and did not feel the losses justified making an investment for a team far from his home in Phoenix ( he was the founder of the Arizona Heart Institute ) . As it turned out , Arizona Wranglers owner Jim Joseph had lost almost as much money as Diethrich , and put his team on the market as well . Franchise swap with Arizona Wranglers . This resulted in one of the most unusual transactions in sports history . Diethrich and his group sold the Blitz to Milwaukee heart surgeon James Hoffman . The Diethrich group then bought the Wranglers from Joseph . Almost immediately after Diethrich closed on his purchase of the Wranglers , he and Hoffman agreed to swap their assets — players , coaching staff and all . The result was that , with few exceptions , the 1983 Blitz became the Wranglers , while the 1983 Wranglers became the Blitz . ( The most notable exception was that Wrangler triggerman Alan Risher stayed in Arizona to back up Veteran Greg Landry ) . The deal transformed the Wranglers from a cellar - dweller to a powerhouse almost overnight , but the league allowing the transformation of the Blitz into a lesser version of the 4 - 14 Wranglers raised questions about the USFL ' s credibility - - - especially in Chicago . The trade created a situation that had the potential of making an already bad attendance situation in Chicago even worse . The Hoffman Era . Although the 1984 Blitz had many of the same players as the 1983 Wranglers , they were weaker in two specific ways . All of the initial 12 teams were required to make players available in the expansion draft . Secondly , while the 1983 Wranglers featured the League ' s 6th ranked passer in rookie QB ( Alan Risher ) , 12th ranked rusher in 3rd year vet Calvin Murray , and the league ' s # 7 , # 10 , # 11 receivers ( 1983 rookies TE Mark Keel , WR Jackie Flowers , and WR Neil Balholm , respectively ) , triggerman Risher stayed in Arizona in the transaction . Hoffman spent heavily in promoting the new Blitz . He hired NFL veteran and Chicago native Marv Levy as coach . Levy had thought he would be taking over George Allen ' s team when he took the job . Talented , but raw longtime Bear backup QB Vince Evans was brought in to be the starter , in spite of owning a very unimpressive 57 . 31 rating in 7 previous NFL seasons . Evans ' accuaracy was always an issue in the NFL . His most accurate season up to that point was 1980 where he completed 53 . 2 % of his passes . He entered the USFL with a career NFL competition percentage of 48 . 7 % and a 31 - 53 TD to INT ratio ( Evans signed in November 1983 to a 4 year $ 5 million deal ) . In January , the Blitz tendered an offer that would have been the largest contract in football - - - $ 2 Million dollars a year for 3 years - - - to Bears running back Walter Payton . Payton advised he would consider the offer , but would not be rushed by the Blitz . The Blitz 1984 season was scheduled to start on February 27 and they had little success selling season tickets . The Blitz needed Payton to sign quickly to help season ticket sales , so they had put a deadline on the offer of 2 / 9 / 84 . Before he made up his mind , the Blitz withdrew the offer realizing they simply did not have the finances . With a less talented team and no big names to excite the fans , Chicago ' s season ticket sales predictably flatlined , in spite of Hoffman sinking a lot of money into advertising . Fans were not happy that Hoffman had , for all intents and purposes , jettisoned the third - best team in the league in favor of an also - ran . Just prior to the start of the season , a frustrated Hoffman walked away from the Blitz , leaving the team to the minority owners - - - walking away before his new team even played a down . The 1984 Season . The " new " Blitz made a wretched showing on the field , finishing with the third - worst record in the league . The 1983 Wrangler defense gave up a league worst 442 points and the 1984 Blitz were equally as challenged defensively finishing 2nd to last in the league with 466 points allowed . The talented Evans was about what most fans expected - - - a flashy talent with little accuracy or consistency and a perchant for turnovers . For the season , he completed 48 . 7 % of his passes with 14 TDs and 22 INTs for a rating of 58 . 29 . Featured HB Larry Canada was solid running for 915 yards and 7 TDs . WR Jackie Flowers lead the team with 51 catches for 904 yards with 8 TDs . The New Blitz ' s on the field trouble led to problems at the gate . They only attracted 7 , 500 people per game , the second - lowest per game gate in the league , a fact that would dramatically affect the team ' s bottom line . Early in the season , the Blitz ' minority owners , drowning in red ink , returned the team to the league . The league could not simply fold the Blitz , however — its contract with ABC required the league to have teams in the New York City , Los Angeles and Chicago markets ( not coincidentally , these markets are also home to ABC ' s strongest - performing owned and operated stations ) . Shutting down . With 4 games to go , a press conference was held announcing that the Blitz would be shut down . It was also announced that Chicago White Sox minority owner Eddie Einhorn would be granted a new USFL franchise for Chicago . While it was stressed that Einhorn ' s franchise was not the Blitz , Einhorn retained the rights to all Blitz players and coaching staff - - - strongly implying the team would play in the 1985 season . ABC had no objections to this move , probably due to the USFL ' s anemic ratings in Chicago . A strong proponent of the USFL ' s planned move to the fall in 1986 , Einhorn opted not to field a team in the USFL ' s final spring lame duck season , 1985 . As the league never played in the fall , this decision ended USFL football in Chicago . Players who went on to the National Football League . The Blitz had a number of players who had played in the National Football League or would go on to play there . Some of them were Vince Evans , Tim Spencer , Trumaine Johnson , Greg Landry , Vagas Ferguson , Richard Holland , Joe Ehrmann , Tim Wrightman , Larry Canada , Tom Thayer and Kevin Long . Jeff Gossett 1983 Blitz game results . REGULAR SEASON - ( Home Attendance in Bold ) Sun . Mar . 6 - ( W ) BLITZ 28 @ Washington Federals 7 ( Att . 38 , 007 ) Sat . Mar . 12 - ( L ) BLITZ 29 @ Arizona Wranglers 30 ( Att . 28 , 434 ) Sun . Mar . 20 - ( L ) BLITZ 13 VS . DENVER GOLD 16 ( Att . 22 , 600 ) Sun . Mar . 27 - ( W ) BLITZ 20 VS . LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 14 ( Att . 10 , 936 ) Sat . Apr . 2 - ( W ) BLITZ 42 @ Tampa Bay Bandits 7 ( Att . 46 , 585 ) Sun . Apr . 10 - ( W ) BLITZ 22 VS . BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS 11 ( Att . 13 , 859 ) Sun . Apr . 17 - ( L ) BLITZ 12 @ Michigan Panthers 17 ( Att . 11 , 634 ) Mon . Apr . 25 - ( W ) BLITZ 17 VS . NEW JERSEY GENERALS 14 * OT * ( Att . 32 , 184 ) Sun . May 1 - ( W ) BLITZ 38 @ Los Angeles Express 17 ( Att . 21 , 123 ) Sun . May 8 - ( W ) BLITZ 31 VS . WASHINGTON FEDERALS 3 ( Att . 11 , 303 ) Sun . May 15 - ( L ) BLITZ 24 @ Philadelphia Stars 31 ( Att . 20 , 931 ) Sun . May 22 - ( W ) BLITZ 19 @ New Jersey Generals 13 * OT * ( Att . 33 , 812 ) Mon . May 30 - ( W ) BLITZ 36 VS . ARIZONA WRANGLERS 11 ( Att . 13 , 952 ) Mon . Jun . 5 - ( L ) BLITZ 15 @ Boston Breakers 21 ( Att . 15 , 087 ) Sun . Jun . 12 - ( W ) BLITZ 31 VS . TAMPA BAY BANDITS 8 ( Att . 21 , 249 ) Fri . Jun . 17 - ( W ) BLITZ 29 @ Birmingham Stallions 14 ( Att . 22 , 500 ) Sun . Jun . 26 - ( L ) BLITZ l9 VS . MICHIGAN PANTHERS 34 ( Att . 25 , 041 ) Sun . Jul . 3 - ( W ) BLITZ 31 VS . OAKLAND INVADERS 7 ( Att . 12 , 346 ) USFL SEMI - FINALS Sat . Jul . 9 - ( L ) BLITZ 38 @ Philadelphia Stars 44 * OT * ( Att . 15 , 684 ) 1983 Chicago Blitz roster . 1 . Frank Minnifield ( CB ) 2 . Trumaine Johnson ( WR ) 3 . Frank Corral ( K / P ) 5 . Frank Garcia ( P ) 7 . John Roveto ( K ) 8 . Tom Porras ( QB ) 10 . Bobby Scott ( QB ) 11 . Greg Landry ( QB ) 14 . Tim Koegel ( QB ) 15 . Tom Rozantz ( QB ) 20 . Maurice Tyler ( CB ) 21 . Doug Dennison ( CB ) 22 . Lance Shields ( CB ) 24 . Virgil Livers ( CB ) 25 . Eddie Brown ( SS ) 27 . Luther Bradley ( FS ) 28 . Don Schwartz ( SS ) 29 . Richard Holland ( FB ) 31 . Walt Easley ( FB ) 32 . Carl Allen ( FS ) 34 . Frank Collins ( RB ) 34 . Walter Poole ( RB ) 37 . Pat Schmidt ( SS ) 42 . Jim Stone ( RB ) 43 . Mack Boatner ( FB ) 46 . Tim Spencer ( RB ) 48 . Kevin Long ( FB ) 50 . Steve Tobin ( C / LS ) 50 . Jack Lafferty ( C / LS ) 51 . Joe Federspiel ( LB ) 52 . Stan White ( LB ) 53 . Andrew Melontree ( LB ) 54 . Robert Barnes ( G ) 55 . Jim Fahnhorst ( LB ) 56 . Ed Smith ( LB ) 57 . Doak Field ( LB ) 58 . Bruce Gheesling ( LB ) 59 . Bruce Branch ( G ) 59 . Tom Piette ( C ) 59 . James Looney ( OL ) 59 . Tim Darling ( LB ) 61 . Tom Thayer ( G ) 62 . Jim Lohmann ( T ) 63 . Mark Buben ( DE ) 64 . John Lee ( DE ) 65 . Wally Pesuit ( C ) 66 . Tim James ( C / LS ) 66 . Bill McClung ( G ) 68 . Tim Norman ( G ) 69 . Kari Yli - Renko ( T ) 70 . Kit Lathrop ( DT ) 71 . Karl Lorch ( DE ) 72 . Bob Cobb ( DE ) 73 . Mark Stevenson ( G ) 74 . Joe Ehrmann ( DT ) 75 . Rob Taylor ( T ) 76 . Ken Gillen ( DE ) 77 . Junior Ah You ( DE ) 78 . Nick Eyre ( T ) 79 . Troy Thomas ( DT ) 79 . Bob Newton ( G ) 80 . Marcus Anderson ( TE ) 81 . Tim Wrightman ( TE ) 82 . Larry Douglas ( WR ) 84 . Doug Cozen ( TE ) 86 . Paul Ricker ( TE ) 88 . Wamon Buggs ( WR ) 89 . Lenny Willis ( WR ) 1984 Blitz game results . Mon . Feb . 27 - ( L ) BLITZ 18 @ Michigan Panthers 20 ( Att . 22 , 428 ) Sun . Mar . 4 - ( L ) BLITZ 13 @ Memphis Showboats 23 ( Att . 10 , 152 ) Sun . Mar . 11 - ( L ) BLITZ 36 vs . HOUSTON GAMBLERS 45 ( Att . 7 , 808 ) Sat . Mar . 17 - ( L ) BLITZ 14 vs . OKLAHOMA OUTLAWS 17 ( Att . 6 , 206 ) Sun . Mar . 25 - ( L ) BLITZ 35 @ New Orleans Breakers 41 * OT * ( Att . 43 , 692 ) Sat . Mar . 31 - ( W ) BLITZ 21 @ Washington Federals 20 ( Att . 7 , 373 ) Sat . Apr . 7 - ( W ) BLITZ 16 vs . SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS 10 ( Att . 9 , 412 ) Sun . Apr . 15 - ( L ) BLITZ 7 @ Philadelphia Stars 41 ( Att . 17 , 417 ) Fri . Apr . 20 - ( W ) BLITZ 49 vs . LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 29 ( Att . 11 , 713 ) Sun . Apr . 29 - ( L ) BLITZ 13 vs . OAKLAND INVADERS 17 ( Att . 7 , 802 ) Sun . May . 6 - ( L ) BLITZ 21 @ San Antonio Gunslingers 30 ( Att . 15 , 233 ) Fri . May . 11 - ( W ) BLITZ 29 @ Denver Gold 17 ( Att . 45 , 299 ) Fri . May . 18 - ( L ) BLITZ 7 vs . BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS 41 ( Att . 8 , 578 ) Mon . May . 28 - ( L ) BLITZ 17 vs . NEW JERSEY GENERALS 21 ( Att . 4 , 307 ) Sat . Jun . 2 - ( W ) BLITZ 14 @ Oklahoma Outlaws 0 ( Att . 17 , 195 ) Sun . Jun . 10 - ( L ) BLITZ 13 @ Houston Gamblers 38 ( Att . 24 , 243 ) Fri . Jun . 15 - ( L ) BLITZ 0 vs . ARIZONA WRANGLERS 36 ( Att . 5 , 711 ) Sun . Jun . 24 - ( L ) BLITZ 17 vs . MICHIGAN PANTHERS 20 ( Att . 5 , 557 ) 1984 Chicago Blitz roster . 3 . Kevin Seibel ( K ) 7 . Jeff Gossett ( P ) 8 . Vince Evans ( QB ) 11 . Dennis Shaw ( QB ) 13 . David Whitt ( P ) 14 . Tim Koegel ( QB ) 15 . Ron Reeves ( QB ) 19 . Carlton Peoples ( CB ) 20 . Ronnie Harris ( CB ) 21 . Trent Bryant ( CB ) 22 . Donnell Daniel ( SS ) 24 . Virgil Livers ( CB ) 25 . Tommy Wilcox ( SS ) 26 . Vegas Ferguson ( RB ) 27 . Mike Fox ( FS ) 28 . John Arnaud ( FS ) 29 . Richard Holland ( FB ) 33 . Glenn Ford ( RB ) 35 . Larry Canada ( FB ) 42 . Jim Stone ( FB ) 44 . Terdell Middleton ( RB ) 44 . Roy Eppes ( FS ) 46 . Doug Plank ( SS ) 47 . Charles Armstead ( CB ) 51 . Robin Fisher ( LB ) 51 . Russ Washington ( LB ) 52 . Jimmy Rivera ( LB ) 52 . Jeff Gabrielson ( LB ) 53 . John Gillen ( LB ) 54 . Tom Kilkenny ( LB ) 55 . Sam Norris ( LB ) 55 . Dann Lute ( LB ) 56 . Clinton Haynes ( LB ) 56 . Greg Williams ( LB ) 56 . Guy Ruff ( LB ) 57 . Mark Fischer ( C ) 58 . Jon Kimmel ( LB ) 58 . Bob Knapton ( LB ) 59 . James Looney ( LB ) 59 . Ken Kelley ( LB ) 60 . Mike Weston ( C ) 61 . Mike Cattage ( DE ) 62 . Perry Hartnett ( G ) 63 . Vince Stroth ( T ) 65 . Glenn Hyde ( G ) 68 . Curtis Bunche ( DE ) 70 . Malcolm Taylor ( DT ) 71 . Rod Walters ( G ) 72 . Ken Times ( DE ) 73 . Bob Simmons ( G ) 74 . Doug Hoppock ( T ) 76 . Mike Morgan ( DT ) 77 . Dan Jiggetts ( T ) 78 . Jerry Doerger ( T ) 79 . Bruce Thornton ( DE ) 80 . Marcus Anderson ( TE ) 81 . Brian Glasgow ( TE ) 82 . Darryl Stokes ( WR ) 82 . Vic James ( WR ) 83 . Mark Keel ( TE ) 84 . Keith Magee ( WR ) 84 . Dan Fulton ( WR ) 85 . T . K . Ehlebracht ( WR ) 86 . Gary Lewis ( TE ) 87 . Oliver Williams ( WR ) 87 . Frank McClain ( WR ) 88 . Jackie Flowers ( WR ) 88 . Shawn Potts ( WR ) 89 . Kris Haines ( WR ) 91 . Bob Clasby ( DE ) 91 . Chris Lindstrom ( DE ) 93 . Dennis Puha ( DT ) - - . Andy Cannavino ( LB ) - - . Kirk Wilson ( CB ) - - . Kerry Baird ( FS ) Single season leaders . Rushing Yards : 1157 ( 1983 ) , Tim Spencer Receiving Yards : 1327 ( 1983 ) , Trumaine Johnson Passing Yards : 2624 ( 1984 ) , Vince Evans Season - by - season . ! Totals | | 17 | | 20 | | 0