Steve Young in the USFL

Steve Young’s first professional contract was with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL. He made his debut with the Express on April 1, 1984 at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, against the New Jersey Generals. New Jersey’s most recognizable player was Herschel Walker; Jojo Townsell was probably the best Express player besides Young. The Generals won, 26-10, before just 19,853 at Memorial Coliseum. The Express went to 2-4.

Here’s how one newspaper reported Young’s performance: “He completed 19 of 29 passes for 163 yards and at times ran the offense as if he had been a part of it for years. . . . Young, who signed a contract in early March worth more than $40 million over 43 years, took advantage of a breakdown in coverage to pass 9 yards for a touchdown to Jojo Townsell, a former draft choice of the Jets. During one stretch over the second and third quarters, he completed 9 consecutive passes before Kerry Justin, the Generals’ cornerback, made a good play to break up a pass intended for Anthony Allen.”

Steve said: ”I think it’s just a matter of time. I felt pretty comfortable out there. I was throwing the ball pretty well. We just have to get the continuity going. I feel comfortable with what I’ve done, but I’ve got to get better.”

His coach, John Hadl, made an accurate prediction: “Steve is going to be a great quarterback. He went up against one of the best defenses in the league and performed well. I like his leadership. He saw some things on the field that another quarterback wouldn’t see for a year.”

By the way, Brian Sipe, longtime quarterback with the Browns, led the Generals to victory in his fourth start of the USFL season. He said: “This was probably my best game. I felt more comfortable than I have felt so far. And it was nice to see us do a lot of different things. My knee injury was a real setback to me, but each week, I seem to feel more and more comfortable.”

As a service to 49er fans, Steve Young fans, and USFL fans, I’ve hunted down the stats for this game from the L.A. Times archives. Here’s a rundown of the scoring:

And here’s the team box score:

And, here’s the individual stats:

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Steve Young’s Debut in the USFL

I figure people already know, or can find elsewhere, an awful lot about Steve Young. But, I’m not sure how widely available the details of his debut USFL game are. So: the game was on Sunday April 1, 1984, at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. Young, who had signed with the L.A. Express a few weeks previously, quarterbacked them to a 26-10 loss to the New Jersey Generals, featuring Herschel Walker and quarterbacked by Brian Sipe. Steve threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Joseph “Jo-Jo” Townsell late in the second quarter, but also threw an interception off a deflection, to Generals’ nose tackle Tom Woodland. Young went 19 of 29 for 163 yards on a mix of nothing but short passes. Young also ran 6 times for 32 yards to lead the Express in rushing, and was sacked twice, losing 11 yards. The attendance was 19,153, and Herschel Walker’s 50-yard touchdown on a screen pass was probably the greatest highlight. The Los Angeles Times relegated the story to an inside article in the sports section, and accompanied it with an analysis by Bob Oates, who said Young didn’t throw hard enough to be a great quarterback and criticized his flat-footed stance for throwing the ball. Oates added that Young needed to learn to scramble “only as a last resort” and should always slide at the end of his runs.

Afterward, Steve said: “What’s a good saying? How about ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.'” And: “This is only one game. You’ve got to keep it in perspective. I’ve got a lot of years left to go.”

Express coach John Hadl commented: “He saw some things out there that another quarterback wouldn’t see for a year. He’s an exceptional young man. Steve’s a natural born leader.”

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