Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985 . The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons . They were noteworthy for introducing former Middletown ( Ohio ) High School football coach Glenn " Tiger " Ellison ' s Run & Shoot offense to the world of pro football . The Run & Shoot puts the USFL on the map . Run & Shoot advocate and chief refiner Darell " Mouse " Davis was hired by the progressive Pardee to install the offense as the team ' s Offensive Coordinator . ( Davis was a former head coach at Portland State University where he developed the St . Louis Cardinals 2 time Pro Bowl QB Neil Lomax . ) Led by former Miami Hurricanes QB Jim Kelly ( who snubbed the NFL ' s Buffalo Bills to play in the USFL ) the Gamblers wrecked secondaries across the USFL , getting national media attention in demolishing the league ' s single season scoring record . ( The Gamblers scored 618 points in 1984 . The 1983 USFL record was 456 . ) Kelly became the USFL ' s answer to the NFL ' s Dan Marino , and the league ' s second superstar player ( after Herschel Walker ) . 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 playoffs in each of their two seasons , but suffered narrow first - round defeats both times . In 1984 , the expansion Gamblers finished the regular season with the best record in the Western conference and were the favorites in the West to go to the championship game . They held a 16 - 3 lead over George Allen ' s star laden Arizona Wranglers with just 7 minutes remaining before falling 17 - 16 in a furious Wrangler comeback . The Wranglers would go on to play in the 1984 Championship Game . 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 team was not as strong in 1985 with the loss of Davis ( who became the head coach of the Denver Gold ) and player worries about the future . On the field , the team ran much less and as such became more predictable . Additionally , opponents adjusted their defenses . Scoring dropped in 1985 to 544 points . Off the field , concerns about the league and the team were a big distraction with the young team . The team made the playoffs with a 10 - 8 record and again lost in a nailbiter to an excellent team , the 13 - 5 veteran , Cliff Stoudt / Joe Cribbs / Jim Smith - led Birmingham Stallions , 22 - 20 . The ownership of the Gamblers ran into financial difficulty in the team ' s second season , including having trouble making payroll . Facing an expensive move to the fall and head to head competition with the Oilers , the assets of the team were quietly sold to Donald Trump for an undisclosed amount . It was publicly announced the team was merged with the New Jersey Generals in preparation for the 1986 season . The Generals would have Jim Kelly at QB and Herschel Walker at RB . Kelly was even featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in the NJ General uniform . That season however would never be played . The most notable players on the team were Kelly , future Washington Redskins wide receiver Ricky Sanders , future Detroit Lions wide receiver Richard Johnson , future Indianapolis Colts kick returner Clarence Verdin , and future Cleveland Browns wide receiver Gerald McNeil . Todd Fowler , the featured running back on the team , was also notable as the first USFL player the rival NFL signed away from the league in 1985 ( by the Dallas Cowboys ) . Trivia . Houston native and famed country singer Kenny Rogers was signed to serve as the official mascot at all Gamblers home games due to his being known as " The Gambler . " The original contract called for Rogers to sing during each half time show , but he pulled out of the deal after the Houston Sports Authority refused to allow him to open a Kenny Rogers Roasters franchise in the Astrodome . There were additional reports that Rogers was afraid he would be crushed by " giant King Kong sized dice " that would be dropped from the roof of the Dome during each half time as part of a 7 - 11 promotion . ( " Rogers Folds ' em and Walks Away " by Neil Holhfeld , Houston Chronicle , November 18 , 1983 . ) Team colors were black , red , and white . Season - by - season . ! Totals | | 23 | | 15 | | 0