Defensive tackle Kit Lathrop of the Arizona Outlaws on the cover of a 1985 United States Football League program

Arizona Outlaws

United States Football League (1985)

Tombstone

Born: December 5, 1984 – The Arizona Wranglers merge with the Oklahoma Outlaws11985 Arizona Outlaws Media Guide
Folded: August 1986

First Game: February 24, 1985 (W 9-7 vs. Portland Breakers)
Final Game: June 21, 1985 (L 38-28 @ Memphis Showboats)

USFL Championships: None

Stadium

Sun Devil Stadium (70,030)21985 Sporting News Official USFL Guide & Register
Opened: 1958

Branding

Team Colors: Red, Black & Copper31985 Sporting News Official USFL Guide & Register

Ownership

 

OUR FAVORITE STUFF

Oklahoma/Arizona Outlaws
USFL Logo T-Shirt

The Outlaws never quite put it all together on the field during their two USFL seasons, first in Tulsa, Oklahoma and later in Tempe, Arizona.  But Outlaw veteran Doug Williams would go on the become the first former USFL QB to win a Super Bowl when he led the Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XXII in January 1988.
This 100% cotton Outlaws tee is available today in sizes Extra Small through 4XL from our friends at Royal Retros.
 
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

 

Background

The Arizona Outlaws were a pro football team that competed in the third and final season of the United States Football League in the spring of 1985.  The team emerged from the merger of the USFL’s Arizona Wranglers and Oklahoma Outlaws franchises in December 1984.

The Arizona Wranglers were a top-flight squad in 1984. Future Hall of Famer George Allen coached the team to the USFL Championship Game. But team owner Dr. Ted Diethrich, a Phoenix heart surgeon, had lost millions on the club and went looking for someone to take the team off his hands.  He found his partners in William Tatham Sr. and his son, William Jr.

The Tathams owned the Oklahoma Outlaws and they had suffered a nearly immediate case of buyer’s remorse after choosing Tulsa’s Skelly Stadium to host their expansion franchise in 1984.  The stadium was inadequate, it rained nearly every time the team played at home in 1984, and the Outlaws lost their final ten games to finish 6-12.  The Tathams would control 75% of the new club while Diethrich stepped back into quiet anonymity as a minority shareholder.

The net effect of the merger was to combine the Wranglers’ stout defense of NFL veterans, built up by Allen over the past two years, with Oklahoma’s management and offensive skill players.  The Tathams also made the dubious decision to re-brand the team as the “Arizona Outlaws”, eradicating two years of marketplace investment in the Wranglers identity.

1985 Arizona Outlaws Media Guide from the United States Football League

Wrangler Coaches & Weapons Depart

Allen had already resigned his post prior to the merger.  The Tathams appointed former Arizona State head coach Frank Kush to coach the team in 1985.  Three of the Wranglers key offensive threats from 1984 departed the team. Quarterback Greg Landry returned to the NFL.  Top running back Tim Spencer departed for the USFL’s Memphis Showboats.  And wideout Trumaine Johnson, one of the most dangerous weapons in the league, would sit out the entire 1985 season in a contract dispute.

What the Tathams brought with them from Tulsa wasn’t a whole lot.  The main asset among the ex-Oklahomans was former Tampa Bay Buccaneers first round draft pick Doug Williams, who capably replaced Landry at quarterback. Receiver Al Williams, another Oklahoma holdover, posted a 1,000-yard season.

After a promising 4-2 start, the 1985 Outlaws went into a tailspin and missed the playoffs with a 8-10 record.  Attendance plunged to 17,877 per game, down from over 25,000 for the 1984 Wranglers.

Arizona Outlaws quarterback Doug Williams on a 1985 Topps USFL trading card

Move To Fall & Demise

Nevertheless, the Tathams and the Outlaws were on board for the USFL’s planned move to a fall season in 1986.  Those plans came to naught when the USFL’s massive anti-trust suit against the National Football League fizzled out in a $3.00 “victory” the summer of the 1986. The judgment sapped the eight remaining USFL owners of the will to soldier on.  The Outlaws folded along with the rest of this very fun league in August 1986.

Aftermath

In 1988, St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) owner Bill Bidwill moved his franchise to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, the former home of the Outlaws.  The move exposed the terms of an unusual agreement between the defunct Outlaws and Arizona State University.  All fans who put $125 down towards 1986 Outlaws season tickets were offered the right of first refusal on NFL season tickets if and when the USFL folded and an NFL team came to Tempe instead. The agreement was good for up to two years from the date that the USFL ceased operations. This meant that the contract was still binding when Bidwill and the Cardinals arrived in early 1988.

Former Outlaws season ticket holders now controlled nearly 12,000 prime NFL loge season tickets.  Further, Outlaws officials had horse-traded with the tickets, transferring the rights to various people in lieu of payments and salaries.  By the time the deal was revealed, Bill Tatham Jr. personally controlled the rights to 1,728 prime season tickets for the city’s new NFL franchise.  The revelation caused an uproar in Phoenix.  Tatham was investigated by the university on allegations of ticket scalping and the resulting bad publicity over the handling of ticket sales (and the Cardinals league-high pricing) helped cement negative perceptions of the Bidwills in Arizona for years to come.

 

Arizona Outlaws Shop

USFL Mini-Helmets

Arizona Outlaws
Mini-Helmet

This USFL Mini Helmet is available through Royal Retros.
  • 15 oz. mini helmet
  • Style worn by the Outlaws in 1985
  • Available in the classic helmet style by Schutt or modern style by Riddell
  • Typically ships in 3-5 business days
  • Fulfilled by 417 Helmets
 
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

 

 

Arizona Outlaws Video

1985 Arizona Outlaws :30 TV spot.

 

In Memoriam

Outlaws defensive line coach John Teerlinck, who went on to become a legendary defensive line coach & guru in the NFL, passed away on May 10, 2020 at the age of 69. Teerlinck, fired by the Outlaws in midseason 1985 following an altercation with offensive lineman Donnie Hickman aboard a commercial airline flight, went on to win three Super Bowl rings as a defensive assistant with the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis Star obituary.

Defensive end Karl Lorch passed away on September 23, 2013 at the age of 63.

Head coach Frank Kush died on June 22, 2017. The former long-time Arizona State coach was 88 years old. New York Times obituary.

NFL veteran defensive tackle Rush Brown, who signed with the Outlaws for the final month of the 1985 season, passed on February 6, 2020 at age 65.

 

Links

United States Football League Media Guides

USFL Programs

###

Comments

One Response

  1. I always wondered what happened to the outlaws. I moved here in 1986, bought a new outlaw T shirt, worn it twice and never heard about them since. I still have that T shirt laying in my closet. I understand that they were a very good team, with a lot of potential.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share