Strong Arm Tactics:
A History and Statistical Analysis of the Professional Quarterback
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Strong Arm Tactics: A History and Statistical Analysis of the Professional Quarterback |
The United States Football League
In 1983, the USFL began as a spring league to challenge the NFL and did fairly well until they tried to shift to a fall schedule after three years. They eventually went belly up, won their antitrust court case against the NFL but were awarded just one dollar in damages and vanished. While Doug Williams, Greg Landry, Vince Evans and Chuck Fusina jumped from the NFL to the USFL and would later return to the established league, four future NFL star quarterbacks got their starts in the USFL: Doug Flutie Bobby Hebert, and Hall of Famers Steve Young and Jim Kelly. Among black quarterbacks, Doug Williams, Joe Gilliam, Vince Evans, Johnny Walton and Karl Douglas all started in the NFL, Reggie Collier would move on to the NFL, Walter Lewis would moved on to the CFL and Nate Koonce would just move on. The passing leaders from this three-year failed league are listed in the following table.
USFL Quarterbacks, by Rating
| Quarterback | Years | Attempts | Comp. | % | Yards | Y/Att | TD | Int | Rating |
| Ben Bennett | 1984 | 13 | 7 | 53.8% | 113 | 8.7 | 1 | 0 | 108.8 |
| Jim Kelly | 1984-85 | 1154 | 730 | 63.3% | 9842 | 8.5 | 83 | 45 | 98.1 |
| Cliff Stoudt | 1984-85 | 810 | 478 | 59.0% | 6479 | 8.0 | 60 | 26 | 95.9 |
| Tim Riordan | 1984-85 | 47 | 27 | 57.4% | 363 | 7.7 | 1 | 0 | 89.2 |
| Chuck Fusina | 1983-85 | 1382 | 843 | 61.0% | 10051 | 7.3 | 66 | 33 | 89.2 |
| Walter Lewis | 1984-85 | 460 | 258 | 56.1% | 3455 | 7.5 | 31 | 15 | 89.0 |
| Greg Landry | 1983-84 | 783 | 471 | 60.2% | 5917 | 7.6 | 42 | 24 | 88.8 |
| Mike Loyd | 1984 | 23 | 11 | 47.8% | 274 | 11.9 | 1 | 1 | 88.0 |
| Brian Sipe | 1984-85 | 413 | 247 | 59.8% | 3225 | 7.8 | 21 | 17 | 84.3 |
| Jim Krohn | 1983 | 36 | 19 | 52.8% | 249 | 6.9 | 1 | 0 | 84.1 |
| Kevin Starkey | 1985 | 33 | 16 | 48.5% | 287 | 8.7 | 3 | 2 | 83.8 |
| Bobby Hebert | 1983-85 | 1407 | 773 | 54.9% | 11137 | 7.9 | 81 | 58 | 82.9 |
| Fred Besana | 1983-85 | 1054 | 636 | 60.3% | 7266 | 6.9 | 41 | 32 | 81.4 |
| Whit Taylor | 1983-85 | 114 | 54 | 47.4% | 843 | 7.4 | 5 | 2 | 79.7 |
| Mike Kelley | 1983-85 | 546 | 328 | 60.1% | 4203 | 7.7 | 21 | 25 | 78.0 |
| Tim Koegel | 1983 | 89 | 42 | 47.2% | 557 | 6.3 | 5 | 2 | 76.8 |
| John Reaves | 1983-85 | 1364 | 766 | 56.2% | 10011 | 7.3 | 62 | 61 | 76.0 |
| Robbie Mahfouz | 1984-85 | 347 | 204 | 58.8% | 2379 | 6.9 | 13 | 14 | 75.3 |
| Bob Gagliano | 1984-85 | 389 | 225 | 57.8% | 2931 | 7.5 | 15 | 18 | 75.3 |
| Johnnie Walton | 1983 | 589 | 330 | 56.0% | 3772 | 6.4 | 20 | 18 | 74.0 |
| Craig Penrose | 1983-84 | 346 | 206 | 59.5% | 2605 | 7.5 | 17 | 22 | 73.0 |
| Steve Young | 1984-85 | 560 | 316 | 56.4% | 4102 | 7.3 | 16 | 22 | 72.8 |
| Alan Risher | 1983-84 | 527 | 299 | 56.7% | 3394 | 6.4 | 23 | 23 | 72.6 |
| Mike Hohensee | 1983-84 | 591 | 323 | 54.7% | 4063 | 6.9 | 26 | 27 | 71.9 |
| Mike Rae | 1983 | 319 | 175 | 54.9% | 1964 | 6.2 | 11 | 10 | 71.9 |
| Ed Luther | 1985 | 400 | 240 | 60.0% | 2792 | 7.0 | 15 | 21 | 71.8 |
| Rick Neuheisel | 1984-85 | 804 | 450 | 56.0% | 5610 | 7.0 | 32 | 40 | 70.3 |
| Jimmy Jordan | 1983-84 | 261 | 157 | 60.2% | 1988 | 7.6 | 8 | 15 | 70.2 |
| Todd Dillon | 1984-85 | 305 | 160 | 52.5% | 2069 | 6.8 | 10 | 11 | 70.0 |
| Bobby Scott | 1983 | 374 | 210 | 56.1% | 2813 | 7.5 | 11 | 19 | 68.9 |
| Doug Williams | 1984-85 | 1037 | 532 | 51.3% | 6757 | 6.5 | 36 | 38 | 68.3 |
| Doug Flutie | 1985 | 281 | 134 | 47.7% | 2109 | 7.5 | 13 | 14 | 67.8 |
| Bob Lane | 1983-85 | 124 | 61 | 49.2% | 894 | 7.2 | 4 | 5 | 67.1 |
| Fred Mortensen | 1983-85 | 240 | 124 | 51.7% | 1645 | 6.9 | 7 | 10 | 66.1 |
| Glenn Carano | 1984 | 354 | 190 | 53.7% | 2368 | 6.7 | 13 | 19 | 64.6 |
| Matt Robinson | 1984-85 | 545 | 281 | 51.6% | 3869 | 7.1 | 22 | 32 | 63.6 |
| Tom Ramsey | 1983-84 | 398 | 214 | 53.8% | 2487 | 6.2 | 15 | 21 | 63.5 |
| Kim McQuilken | 1983 | 334 | 188 | 56.3% | 1912 | 5.7 | 7 | 14 | 62.4 |
| Buck Belue | 1985 | 68 | 37 | 54.4% | 294 | 4.3 | 3 | 3 | 61.8 |
| Tom Rozantz | 1984 | 130 | 63 | 48.5% | 878 | 6.8 | 4 | 6 | 61.6 |
| Vince Evans | 1984-85 | 736 | 357 | 48.5% | 4883 | 6.6 | 26 | 38 | 60.4 |
| Reggie Collier | 1983-85 | 695 | 358 | 51.5% | 4151 | 6.0 | 20 | 32 | 60.3 |
| Jerry Golsteyn | 1985 | 135 | 65 | 48.1% | 647 | 4.8 | 4 | 4 | 59.7 |
| Ron Reeves | 1984-85 | 211 | 108 | 51.2% | 1304 | 6.2 | 4 | 9 | 59.0 |
| Steve Pisarkiewicz | 1983 | 15 | 6 | 40.0% | 69 | 4.6 | 0 | 0 | 54.6 |
| Doug Woodward | 1983-85 | 240 | 107 | 44.6% | 1319 | 5.5 | 7 | 10 | 54.5 |
| Ken Johnson | 1983 | 248 | 121 | 48.8% | 1115 | 4.5 | 6 | 12 | 49.4 |
| Gene Bradley | 1983-84 | 78 | 33 | 42.3% | 356 | 4.6 | 2 | 3 | 48.9 |
| Bruce Threadgill | 1985 | 6 | 3 | 50.0% | 63 | 10.5 | 0 | 2 | 47.9 |
| Frank Seurer | 1984-85 | 374 | 184 | 49.2% | 2137 | 5.7 | 10 | 26 | 46.8 |
| Todd Kruger | 1983 | 35 | 16 | 45.7% | 161 | 4.6 | 1 | 2 | 45.1 |
| Dave Boisture | 1983 | 35 | 16 | 45.7% | 160 | 4.6 | 1 | 2 | 44.9 |
| Joe Gilliam | 1983 | 102 | 40 | 39.2% | 673 | 6.6 | 5 | 12 | 39.0 |
| Ken Hobart | 1984 | 111 | 45 | 40.5% | 576 | 5.2 | 1 | 6 | 38.0 |
| Rick Johnson | 1984-85 | 153 | 76 | 49.7% | 920 | 6.0 | 4 | 15 | 37.7 |
| Dan Manucci | 1983 | 119 | 52 | 43.7% | 577 | 4.8 | 2 | 8 | 36.3 |
| Jeff Knapple | 1983 | 213 | 105 | 49.3% | 1191 | 5.6 | 3 | 19 | 34.0 |
| Mike Ford | 1984 | 51 | 20 | 39.2% | 222 | 4.4 | 0 | 3 | 28.4 |
| Wayne Peace | 1984 | 43 | 18 | 41.9% | 215 | 5.0 | 1 | 4 | 26.8 |
| Jay Torchio | 1984 | 18 | 6 | 33.3% | 74 | 4.1 | 0 | 1 | 23.8 |
| Mike Livingston | 1983 | 23 | 8 | 34.8% | 127 | 5.5 | 0 | 4 | 14.5 |
| Nate Koonce | 1983 | 10 | 2 | 20.0% | 20 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 |
