Pittsburgh Maulers The Pittsburgh Maulers competed in the 1984 season of the United States Football League . Their most prominent player was first pick overall in the 1984 USFL draft , running back Mike Rozier of Nebraska , who won the Heisman Trophy , collegiate football ' s most prestigious individual award . They were owned by shopping mall magnate Edward J . DeBartolo , Sr . , the father of Edward J . DeBartolo , Jr . , then - owner of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League . The Maulers played at Three Rivers Stadium . 1984 Season . No one was surprised when two groups filed for a Pittsburgh franchise in the winter of 1983 . DeBartolo , Sr . was one of them - - a considerable surprise , given his son ' s ownership of the 49ers . However , once he did apply , the other owners knew that he would lend the upstart league instant credibility and quickly approved his bid . Unusually , DeBartolo applied for the franchise in his own name rather than setting up a corporation or partnership . In fact , the NFL itself was threatening an investigation over a possible Cleveland Spiders - style conflict of interest due to the father owning a USFL team and the son owning an NFL team , an accusation both father and son insisted was not the case . The Maulers finished 3 - 15 , tying the Washington Federals for the worst record in the league . However , while undermanned , they were not nearly as bad as their record indicated . They were in part victims of a very tough schedule . They played nine games against playoff teams and caught a lot of the other teams when they were hot - - - Oklahoma and New Orleans early and San Antonio and Jacksonville late . The team was built around the idea that Dallas Cowboys long time third - string QB Glenn Carano would be a strong starter in the USFL . To support Carano , the team had RB Mike Rozier and WR Greg Anderson , who caught 63 passes . Carano had his moments but he struggled overall , completing only 53 . 7 % of his passes with 13 touchdowns and 19 interceptions . Backup Tom Rozantz was expected to mostly carry a clipboard , but he ended up playing a lot and he struggled as well . However , either would have been a disappointment , as most fans expected the Maulers to pick Steve Young rather than Mike Rozier . Even bringing in former Arizona Wranglers star WR Jackie Flowers did not turn around the offense . Head coach Joe Pendry was fired ten games into the season and he was replaced by offensive line coach Ellis Rainsberger on an interim basis . The defense , led by CB Jerry Holmes and DE Sam Clancy finished a respectable eighth in points allowed . In spite of this , they were hobbled by a low - octane offense . 1984 Pittsburgh Maulers Roster . < noinclude > Vote for a fall schedule kills franchise . Despite losing millions of dollars and only winning three games , the Maulers were competitive in most games and they had reasonable fan support for a first year team . DeBartolo was determined to stick it out , even going as far as hiring Hank Bullough away from the Buffalo Bills to become the new head coach . However , just a few days later the USFL announced that they were switching to a fall schedule in 1986 . DeBartolo was a strong believer in the USFL ' s original spring football concept , and he knew he could not hope to compete with the Pittsburgh Steelers . A move to Cleveland , closer to DeBartolo ' s home in Youngstown , was quickly ruled out ; even without the daunting task of competing with the Cleveland Browns to consider , it is not likely that Cleveland fans would have accepted a refugee from Pittsburgh . As a result , just a week after the vote to move to the fall DeBartolo folded the franchise without so much as a press conference . Single season leaders . Rushing Yards : 792 ( 1984 ) , Mike Rozier Receiving Yards : 994 ( 1984 ) , Greg Anderson Passing Yards : 2368 ( 1984 ) , Glenn Carano Kick / Punt Return Yards 1306 ( 1984 ) Mark Poindexter