San Antonio Gunslingers (USFL team)

This article is about the 1984–1985 American football team. For the current indoor football team, see San Antonio Gunslingers (indoor football).

San Antonio Gunslingers
Established 1977 Folded 1985 Played in Alamo Stadium in San Antonio, Texas
League/conference affiliations
American Football Association (1977-1983) Western Division (1980-1981, 1983) Southwestern Division (1982) United States Football League (1984-1985) Western Conference (1984–1985) Central Division (1984)
Current uniform
Team colors	Royal blue, kelly green, silver, white
Personnel
Owner(s)	Clinton Manges
Head coach	1984 Gil Steinke (7–11) 1985 Jim Bates (3–9) 1985 Gil Steinke (2–4)
Team history
San Antonio Charros (1977-1981) San Antonio Bulls (1982-1983) San Antonio Gunslingers (1984–1985)
Championships
League championships (1) 1977
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Playoff appearances (6)
1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983
Home stadium(s)
Alamo Stadium (1977–1985)

The San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas, that played in the United States Football League (USFL) in 1984 and 1985. Owned by oil magnate Clinton Manges, the team played its home games in Alamo Stadium and its colors were kelly green, royal blue, silver, and white. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback.

History

In 1977 the San Antonio Charros were founded by Roger Gill as a charter member of the American Football Association. They went undefeated and won the first championship. After the 1981 season, the Charros changed their name to the Bulls. In 1982 Roger Gill was appointed AFA Commissioner; as part of the terms, Gill agreed to divest himself of the Bulls franchise. He sold the club to Clinton Manges in June of 1982. Under Manges, the Bulls were successful, appearing in the AFA's final championship (but losing in a shutout to the Carolina Chargers).

Going into the 1984 season, the USFL made the decision to expand to eighteen franchises in order to boost league capital. However, efforts to expand to Minneapolis-St. Paul and Seattle fell through. San Antonio was mentioned as a possible market for expansion, as rapid growth through the 1970s propelled it to major-city status. By 1984, almost 800,000 people lived in San Antonio, making it the 11th largest city in the United States. Despite this, a series of studies of possible new cities concluded that San Antonio could not support a USFL team. The San Antonio area, then as now, was considered a medium-sized market because the surrounding suburban and rural areas were far smaller than the city itself.

The owners were also somewhat skeptical about Manges's bid, not in the least because he planned to base the team at Alamo Stadium, a Works Progress Administration project and high school stadium that seated only 18,000 people. Ultimately, fears that Manges would seek a franchise in a proposed league started by WFL, American Basketball Association, and World Hockey Association co-founder Dennis Murphy tipped the scales in his favor. At the time, the flamboyant oil baron was a member of the Forbes 400, and was thought to be one of the richest men in Texas. The USFL did not want to risk losing his apparent wealth to a rival league. Ultimately, Murphy's proposed league folded before it could get off the ground when the USFL placed teams in three of its potential markets–San Antonio, Memphis, and Houston. Manges was unable to carry the Bulls name over because the Jacksonville Bulls claimed the name first.

The USFL had endeavored to avoid the mistakes of the ill-fated World Football League by requiring perspective owners to undergo a detailed due diligence and requiring franchises to meet strict capitalization requirements. However, it never performed any meaningful due diligence on Manges's original application, apart from the concern about Alamo Stadium. Once the Minnesota and Seattle franchises fell through, the league had few options left if it was to field 18 teams for the 1984 campaign. With little time to examine Manges's financial situation, league officials apparently concluded that given Manges' perceived wealth, his application carried little risk. Additionally, despite – or perhaps, because of – his apparent oil fortune, the league also didn't require Manges to make an initial capital investment (as is standard for most major league sports franchises). Instead, Manges appeared to pay team expenses out of his own pocket as they arose.

The result was an organization that was notoriously cheap, even by USFL standards. The front office was staffed mainly by friends and family. The team bus was an old San Antonio Independent School District bus with a malfunctioning gas gauge; the driver had to manually check the tank. The Gunslingers had to add 14,000 folding chairs around the end zones to bring the stadium to the USFL's minimum capacity. The team office was located in a double-wide trailer in the Alamo Stadium parking lot.

Manges hired local coaching legend Gil Steinke to run the team as general manager and head coach. In 23 years at nearby Texas A&I, Steinke had a record of 195-63-5, including a 6-1 record in NAIA Championship games. However, Steinke had been off the sidelines for almost a decade, and was displaying clear signs of mental deterioration to the point of senility. He frequently forgot plays and play calls, and got lost in cities that he supposedly knew well. In a league with free-spending owners, Steinke's Gunslingers rarely had the edge in talent but most games were very disciplined on the field, allowing them to remain somewhat competitive in spite of the team's shoestring budget.

1984 season

The Gunslingers showed moments of offensive competence most games, but lacked the game breakers that other teams had. The team was populated with football players, not athletes. Whenever they scored, more often than not it was the product of a long, drawn-out drive. The Gunslingers were an average rushing team, in spite of having no true feature back. Neuheisel played solidly for the team, nickel and diming the team up and down the field, and the intense "Bounty Hunter" defense led by players like Jeff McIntyre, John Barefield, Peter Raeford, Rich D'Amico, Jim Bob Morris, and Putt Choate kept the Gunslingers within striking distance almost every week. Notably, the team was +13 in turnovers, a sign of a disciplined team.

Coach/general manager Steinke managed to rally the modestly talented team to a 7-7 finish after an 0-4 start, keeping them in the playoff race until the last few weeks of the season. However, the Gunslingers' most enduring memory of that first season was when the lights at Alamo Stadium went out during their second game—and didn't come back on for 48 minutes. According to Neuheisel, the head of municipal power company City Public Service deliberately cut the power after having a falling-out with Manges. They finished the game with temporary lights, though by most accounts it was still somewhat dark.

The team remained competitive despite Alamo Stadium's poor playing conditions. The locker rooms were cramped and had no air conditioning. The playing surface was an extremely thin AstroTurf carpet atop a concrete slab, resulting in numerous knee injuries. Many players came down with skin infections because Manges was unwilling to pay to keep the field clean. The field was painted with industrial-grade paint that dried hard. Combined with the thin surface, this turned rug burns usually common on artificial surfaces into severe rashes and scabs in San Antonio.

Additionally, team officials frequently deactivated non-marquee players every third game in a cost-cutting move. The standard USFL contract required players to be active in three consecutive games to earn their full salaries. Neuheisel recalled that players often faked injuries to keep from being deactivated.

The Gunslingers only drew 15,444 fans per game, in large part because they had already built a reputation for being short of professional standards. For instance, they tried to save money by mailing press releases in bulk, resulting in them arriving days after games. Among the promotions they attempted were cowboys firing real guns into the air.

Offseason

Defensive coordinator Jim Bates was rewarded with a promotion to head coach in 1985. However, according to Bates's successor as defensive coordinator, Tim Marcum, who would later go on to fame in the Arena Football League, the coaches and players already considered Bates to be their true on-field leader. Steinke remained general manager. They also acquired Larry Canada, the Chicago Blitz' leading rusher.

1985 season

Despite their strong finish, by the start of the 1985 season, the Gunslingers were known to be badly undercapitalized, unlike most of their USFL brethren.

The Gunslingers' ramshackle financial structure caught up with them early in 1985. The price of oil tumbled as low as $11 or $12 a barrel, decimating Manges's fortune. The Gunslingers quickly fired all of their secretaries, and virtually all of the public relations staffers resigned. The on-field operation suffered as well; they had no scouts or practice squad. It would soon emerge that the Gunslingers' owner had been in financial trouble since at least 1980.

With Manges suddenly unwilling and/or unable to underwrite the franchise's mounting expenses, the club found itself in a situation not unlike those faced by many teams in the ill-fated WFL. Players and coaches frequently had their checks bounce. Neuheisel and McIntyre were the only two players with a personal services contract. When the San Antonio Express-News broke the story, Manges reacted by revoking the paper's press credentials. The situation got so dire at one point that several players traded tickets for food and stayed with sympathetic fans because they couldn't afford to pay the rent for their apartments. Years later, Neuheisel told ESPN that the players raced each other to the bank to cash their checks, knowing that half (if not more) of them would bounce. However, the team had to use creative methods to meet payroll even before then; as mentioned above, they were notorious for deactivating players every third game.

The San Antonio Light reported that the Internal Revenue Service had slapped two liens on the Gunslingers for over $400,000 in back payroll taxes, further squeezing the franchise's financial picture. Eventually, Manges ordered his employees not to discuss the team's finances, and even had reporters bounced from the locker room.

On April 7, Manges promised that the payroll problem would be fixed, going as far as to issue promissory notes. However, the checks bounced again on the following payday, which particularly rankled the players when they saw Manges and his top staffers riding limousines. A month later, the team was nearly left stranded in Orlando when the check for the flight home bounced. They only made it back to San Antonio after Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, a Manges confidant, intervened to guarantee payment. After another late payroll on May 29, the players walked out of practice, and only returned after Manges told team president Bud Haun that he would shut the team down if they didn't return.

On one occasion, an arbitrator threatened to release 30 players from their contracts if Manges didn't make good on their bounced checks. On another, several players threatened to sit out a June 9 game against the Los Angeles Express unless they were paid. After a month of missed paydays, Bates threatened to quit unless the players were paid by the team's contest against the Oakland Invaders. The money never arrived, and Bates walked out, forcing Steinke to take over for the last six games of the season.

In June, Manges simply stopped paying the franchise's bills. The players and coaches played the last four games of the season without being paid. Not surprisingly, the Gunslingers barely survived the season. Due in large part to a nonexistent rushing attack (their leading rusher, George Works, only ran for a total of 452 yards), they finished with the second-worst record in the league. Attendance crashed to 11,721, the second-worst in the league. Shortly after the season, after another missed payroll, the entire roster was put on waivers.

Aftermath

A month after the season, Commissioner Harry Usher had seen enough. He ordered Manges to make restitution for the team's debts in 15 days, or lose the franchise. When this didn't occur, the Gunslingers became the only USFL franchise to be revoked. The dubious distinction was, to an extent, academic. The USFL, which had been planning to move to a fall schedule in 1986, ultimately folded without playing another game.

The Gunslingers' holding company, South Texas Sports, was auctioned off to pay more than $650,000 of debts to former players. The players also sued Manges to recover back pay, but that suit collapsed when Manges filed for bankruptcy. At least some of the players still hadn't been paid at the time of a 1998 reunion, and no players or staff members that were owed back wages had been paid at the time of Manges's death in 2010.

Average home attendance

• 1984: (15,444)
• 1985: (11,721)

Game results

1984

Week	Day	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	TV	Venue	Attendance
Preaseason
1	Bye
2	Saturday	February 4	vs. Houston Gamblers	L 17–19	0–1		Harlingen, Texas
3	Saturday	February 11	vs. Memphis Showboats	W 13–3	1–1		Shreveport, Louisiana
4	Saturday	February 18	Birmingham Stallions	L 15–23	1–2		Alamo Stadium
Regular season
1	Sunday	February 26	New Orleans Breakers	L10–13	0–1		Alamo Stadium	18,233
2	Monday	March 5	Houston Gamblers	L 7–35	0–2	ESPN	Alamo Stadium	10,023
3	Sunday	March 11	at Oklahoma Outlaws	L 7–14	0–3		Skelly Stadium	24,311
4	Saturday	March 17	Los Angeles Express	L 12–13	0–4		Alamo Stadium	9,821
5	Saturday	March 24	Oakland Invaders	W 14–10	1–4	KGGP	Alamo Stadium	11,012
6	Sunday	April 1	at Michigan Panthers	L 10–26	1–5		Pontiac Silverdome	42,692
7	Saturday	April 7	at Chicago Blitz	L 10–16	1–6		Soldier Field	9,412
8	Saturday	April 14	at Jacksonville Bulls	W 20–0	2–6		Gator Bowl Stadium	35,084
9	Sunday	April 22	Philadelphia Stars	L 14–20	2–7	ABC	Alamo Stadium	16,590
10	Saturday	April 28	at Arizona Wranglers	W 24–23	3–7		Sun Devil Stadium	12,259
11	Sunday	May 6	Chicago Blitz	W 30–21	4–7		Alamo Stadium	15,231
12	Friday	May 11	at Memphis Showboats	L 14–38	4–8	ESPN	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	32,406
13	Sunday	May 20	at Washington Federals	W 30–14	5–8		RFK Stadium	6,159
14	Friday	May 25	Denver Gold	L 20–27	5–9		Alamo Stadium	20,077
15	Friday	June 1	Michigan Panthers	L 17–23 (OT)	5–10		Alamo Stadium	16,384
16	Monday	June 11	at Pittsburgh Maulers	W 17–3	6–10	ESPN	Three Rivers Stadium	17,148
17	Monday	June 18	at Houston Gamblers	L 26–29	6–11	ESPN	Houston Astrodome	30,184
18	Sunday	June 24	Oklahoma Outlaws	W 23–0	7–11		Alamo Stadium	21,625

Sources

1985

Week	Day	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	TV	Venue	Attendance
Preseason
1	Saturday	February 2	Birmingham Stallions	T 0–0	0–0–1		Alamo Stadium
2	Saturday	February 9	vs. Houston Gamblers	L 21–28	0–1–1		McAllen, Texas
3	Saturday	February 16	Denver Gold	W 36–13	1–1–1		Alamo Stadium
Regular season
1	Monday	February 25	Memphis Showboats	L 3–20	0–1	ESPN	Alamo Stadium	10,983
2	Sunday	March 3, 1985	Arizona Outlaws	W 16–14	1–1		Alamo Stadium	11,151
3	Sunday	March 10	Tampa Bay Bandits	L 18–31	1–2		Alamo Stadium	21,822
4	Saturday	March 16	at Los Angeles Express	L 7–38	1–3	ESPN	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	10,410
5	Monday	March 25	at Denver Gold	L 2–16	1–4	ESPN	Mile High Stadium	13,901
6	Monday	April 1	at Portland Breakers	W 33–0	2–4	ESPN	Civic Stadium	19,882
7	Sunday	April 7	Birmingham Stallions	W 15–14	3–4		Alamo Stadium	8,873
8	Friday	April 12	at Jacksonville Bulls	L 17–28	3–5	ESPN	Gator Bowl Stadium	32,097
9	Monday	April 22	at Oakland Invaders	L 20–27	3–6	ESPN	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	18,215
10	Sunday	April 28	Houston Gamblers	L 29–38	3–7		Alamo Stadium	9,723
11	Sunday	May 5	Denver Gold	L 9–35	4–8		Alamo Stadium	9,753
12	Monday	May 13	at Orlando Renegades	L 20–21	3–9	ESPN	Florida Citrus Bowl	22,404
13	Saturday	May 18	Oakland Invaders	L 21–24	3–10		Alamo Stadium	7,118
14	Sunday	May 26	at Baltimore Stars	L 10–28	3–11		Byrd Stadium	8,633
15	Saturday	June 1	at Arizona Outlaws	L 3–13	3–12		Sun Devil Stadium	11,151
16	Sunday	June 9	Los Angeles Express	W 31–27	4–12		Alamo Stadium	4,963
17	Monday	June 17	at Houston Gamblers	L 21–49	4–13	ESPN	Houston Astrodome	11,780
18	Sunday	June 23	Portland Breakers	W 21–13	5–13		Alamo Stadium	19,603

Sources

Rosters

1984

NO. NAME (POS) - GP/GS

• 5. MIKE-MAYER, Nick (K) - 18/0
• 7. NEUHEISEL, Rick (QB) - 16/16
• 8. WHITE, Alvin (QB) - 3/0
• 9. HARTLEY, Ken (P) - 15/0
• 10. FORD, Mike (QB) - 2/1
• 11. TORCHIO, Lloyd J. (QB) - 3/0
• 14. MORTENSEN, Fred (QB) - IA/2G
• 16. DOUGLASS, Karl (QB) - 2/1
• 17. PRYOR, David (P) - 3/0
• 20. RAEFORD, Peter (CB) - 18/18
• 21. BONNER, Marcus (RB) - 18/7
• 22. GORDON, Jerry (WR) - 13/13
• 23. ULMER, Mike (FS) - 18/7
• 25. ANDERSON, Gary (CB) - IA/2G
• 26. JERNIGAN, Hugh (CB) - 2/0
• 27. SMITH, Daryl (FS) - IA/2G
• 28. MORRIS, Jim Bob (SS) - 15/14
• 29. RICHMOND, Rock (CB) - 17/6
• 30. STAMPER, Scott (FB) - 11/9
• 31. WHITE, Jafus (SS) - 7/0
• 34. HAGEN, Mike (FB) - 16/9
• 35. PENN-WHITE, Al (RB) - 7/6
• 40. WORKS, George (RB) - 8/2
• 41. GREENE, Doug (SS) - 1/0
• 41. BEDFORD, Vance (CB) - 1/0
• 42. TYLER, Maurice (CB) - 17/12
• 43. ROBERTS, Don (RB) - 15/3
• 44. ARMSTEAD, Charles (CB) - 7/2
• 47. WADDY, Ray (FS) - 17/17
• 49. RUSH, Mark (FB) - 7/0
• 49. THOMPSON, Emmuel (CB) - 2/0
• 50. NEAL, Tally (LB) - 15/0
• 51. D'AMICO, Rich (LB) - 18/18
• 52. OLIVER, Reggie (LB) - 17/2
• 53. CASTILLO, Juan (LB) - 6/0
• 54. MILLS, DAVE (LB) - 6/4
• 54. SPEROS, Pete (C/LS) - 9/0
• 55. CHOATE, Putt (LB) - 18/18
• 56. RIVERA, Jimmy (LB) - 5/0
• 57. SILIPO, Joe (C) - 9/0
• 58. BAREFIELD, John (LB) - 12/12
• 59. McCORMICK, Glenn (C/LS) - 7/3
• 59. McINTYRE, Jeff (LB) - 1/0
• 60. WINTERS, Bill (C) - 12/12
• 61. GARZA, Rich (G) - 18/18
• 62. MUESKE, Darryl (G) - IA/4G
• 63. THOMPSON, Arland (G) - 18/18
• 65. HANNA, Paul (NT) - 17/17
• 66. JOHNSON, Gary Don (DT) - 9/0
• 68. ZOGG, John (G/T) - 5/0
• 70. LOHMANN, Jim (T) - 2/0
• 71. WILLIAMS, Ralph (T) - 18/18
• 72. WHITE, Victor (T) - IA/2G
• 73. PEKAR, Jim (DT) - 1/1
• 72. JONKER, Kurt (T) - DNP/2G
• 75. SPIVEY, Lee (T) - 17/17
• 76. GILLEN, Ken (DE) - 18/18
• 77. TABOR, Tommy (NT) - 18/12
• 78. ST. CLAIR, Mike (DE) - 18/18
• 79. FIELDS, Gred (DE) - 17/0
• 81. HACKETT, Joey (TE) - 18/18
• 82. O'ROARK, Larry (WR) - 2/0
• 82. CRANE, Darryl (WR) - 3/0
• 83. OSBORNE, Rich (TE) - 7/0
• 84. VELA, David (WR) - 2/0
• 84. PARKER, Rodney (WR) - 4/1
• 85. PHEA, Lonell (WR) - 2/2
• 85. MONROE, Terry (DT) - 10/1
• 86. ARMSTRONG, Tony (TE) - 10/0
• 87. GABBIDON, Earl (TE) - 4/0
• 88. BUGGS, Danny (WR) - 17/17
• 89. STARKS, Glenn (WR) - 12/3
• 90. KIRKPATRICK, Ron (DE) - IA/1G
• 95. CASE, Frank (DE) - 18/0
• 99. FIELDS, Greg (DE) - 17/0

INJURED RESERVE

• 97. PRICE, Ernest (DT) - IR/16G

1985

NO. NAME (POS) - GP/GS

• 5. MIKE-MAYER, Nick (K) - 18/0
• 7. NEUHEISEL, Rick (QB) - 18/16
• 9. HARTLEY, Ken (P) - 5/0
• 10. TAYLOR, Whit (QB) - 17/1
• 11. ROBERTS, Buddy (P) - IA/1G
• 14. MORTENSEN, Fred (QB) - 12/1
• 20. RAEFORD, Peter (CB) - 18/17
• 21. BONNER, Marcus (RB) - 18/10
• 22. GORDON, Jerry (WR) - 18/17
• 23. ULMER, Mike (FS) - 8/0
• 24. JAMES, Larry (FS) - 18/3
• 25. MINOR, Vic (FS) - 18/16
• 26. McNEIL, Mark (CB) - 11/0
• 27. WORTHY, Gary (RB) - 10/7
• 28. MORRIS, Jim Bob (SS) - 17/17
• 29. WILLIAMS, Leon (CB) - 17/1
• 30. STAMPER, Scott (FB) - 18/11
• 32. JOHNSON, Clyde (SS) - 18/11
• 33. WORKS, George (RB) - 10/5
• 34. HAGEN, Mike (FB) - 10/0
• 35. CANADA, Larry (FB) - 17/4
• 43. ROBERTS, Don (RB) - 18/5
• 44. ARMSTEAD, Charles (CB) - 18/18
• 48. HADNOT, James (TE) - 14/9
• 49. RUSH, Mark (TE) - 5/1
• 50. NEAL, Tally (LB) - 5/0
• 51. D'AMICO, Rich (LB) - 18/13
• 52. OLIVER, Reggie (LB) - 18/1
• 53. CASTILLO, Juan (LB) - 7
• 54. MILLS, DAVE (LB) - 6/4
• 55. CHOATE, Putt (LB) - 18/18
• 56. MATHIS, Reggie (LB) - 13/0
• 57. SILIPO, Joe (C/LS) - 18/0
• 58. BAREFIELD, John (LB) - 7/7
• 60. LEIDING, Jeff (LB) - 11/4
• 61. GARZA, Rich (C) - 18/18
• 63. THOMPSON, Arland (G) - 18/14
• 65. HANNA, Paul (DT) - 7/4
• 68. ZOGG, John (G) - IA/3G
• 69. ROBERTS, Carl (G) - 18/0
• 70. WALTERS, Rod (G) - 18/18
• 71. WILLIAMS, Ralph (T) - 18/18
• 75. SPIVEY, Lee (T) - 16/16
• 76. GILLEN, Ken (DE) - 11/11
• 77. CHAFFIN, Jeff (DE) - 18/7
• 78. JENKINS, Mark (T) - 18/2
• 80. HILL, Al (WR) - IA/7G
• 80. LOCKETT, Frank (WR) - 8/6
• 81. HACKETT, Joey (TE) - 18/16
• 83. GREENE, Sammy (WR) - IA/1G
• 83. COFFMAN, Ricky (WR) - 9/0
• 85. TOLBERT, Mark (WR) - 5/0
• 86. WILLIAMS, Kevin (WR) - 8/5
• 87. WILLIAMS, Oliver (WR) - 5/0
• 88. BUGGS, Danny (WR) - 8/4
• 90. TABOR, Tommy (DT) - 12/0
• 91. GAYLORD, Jeff (DT) - 7/7
• 92. HAYES, Jay (DE) - IA/5G
• 92. RUSHING, Ralph (DE) - 1/0
• 93. ANAE, Brad (DE) - 16/0
• 94. SMITH, Bennie (DT) - 15/7
• 95. LESNIK, Ivan (DT) - 18/18
• 99. FIELDS, Greg (DE) - 18/18

Season-by-season

Season records

Season	W	L	T	Finish	Playoff results
1977	8	0	0	1st	W Championship
1978	6	4	0	2nd	W Semifinals
1979	10	4	0	2nd	L Semifinals
1980	6	4	0	2nd Western Division	L Semifinals
1981	6	6	0	2nd Western Division	L Semifinals
1982	4	6	0	4th Southwestern Division	--
1983	6	1	0	1st Western Division	L Championship
1984	7	11	0	3rd WC Central	--
1985	5	13	0	6th WC	--
Totals	58	49	0

Single-season leaders

• Rushing yards: 500 Scott Stamper (American football)(1984), 452 George Works (1985)
• Receiving yards: 690 Jerry Gordon (1985), 650 Jerry Gordon (1984)
• Passing yards: 3068 Rick Neuheisel (1985), 2649 Rick Neuheisel (1984)

External links

• USFL.info - San Antonio Gunslingers
• Powell, Shaun. "A U.S.F.L. Team That Played for the Love of the Game," The New York Times, Sunday, April 19, 2009.