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Best Players In The League

Andrew: One of the great things about the USAFL, is that we have free agency occur not just once, but twice in a player's career. So every GM has two shots at signing a big name player. That is, unless his original team places a Franchise Player tag on him. 

In my opinion, Oakland's All-World defensive lineman Eric Oden was flat out the best player I ever watched play in the USAFL. I gotta tell ya, either he is that great, or everyone in the league that year he had 60+ sacks were Girl Scouts.

Although, my passion for football is really focused on the rushing game. I think there is nothing greater than watching great RBs work their magic as they move the ball down the field. Especially when the clock is winding down an the pressure is most intense. The RB has to find the strength to reach for that extra yard when his body is just about spent. 

Someday very soon, we will have our first RB to break the 2,000 yard mark for a season. We have some great RBs in our league right now. Just look at how Buffalo's Joel Brenner is filling his shelf with MVP trophies!

Everyone dreams of having great players on their roster. Check out who they dreamed about stealing on the Free Agency Market ...........

Bill: I'm sure I'll echo everyone else's defensive thoughts and say Bing Bennett. Offensively is a more difficult question - I'll say Jon Winters, Buffalo HB. He was an absolute TD machine.

Todd: 
Offense: RB Lee Tardits (will retire with the most career rushing yards)
Defense: Bing! (his mystique won't let me get his name out of my head!)

Fred: 
Offensive: BUF WR Corey Price. OK, BUF had great WRs, but what Price has done over the years is impressive.
Defensive: BUF DL Clarke Wilson. Why did I trade that pick. He's a sack machine. And he's only 5yo. Bad trade. Bad bad bad.

Ben: 
Offensive: Corey Price... he's an animal: 6 ratings in the 90's
Defensive: Judd Vixie... I mean, he raked in 32 million dollars per year with the Jets at one point, that should explain it all.

Tom: 
Best offensive player I can say that didn't play for me who didn't succeed just because of a great system was Corey Price, receiver for Buffalo. Sure, Buffalo gave him a great season, but Price would have been great anywhere. He was (hell, still is) a go-to receiver who had speed, could catch, and broke tackles like no one. He was like a wide receiver and a running back in one, and when he was returning kicks too? Yikes.

Best defensive player would probably be one of the Atlanta bookends, Vince Bates or the other one whose name I can't remember. They were incredible, and made Atlanta an unbeatable force back in the early USAFL.

Joe: 
Offensive - I'd say Tim Rogan. What he did in his Super Bowl runs were just awesome. Defensive - Do I have to pick one? Vince Bates... Michael Mays.. just too tough of a choice. Both were just so dominant.

Jean: 
DL Kelvin Ceciliani = all time sacks leader
RB Joel Brenner = 23 TDs in a season is simply incredible

Flip: 
Offensive players would be Beachy, Turk, Hazelton, Buckley, Pollara, Overton. Merriweather.
Defensive players would be Hanson, Fricke, Ceciliani, Dudley, Richard, Hutchinson.

Mike: 
Eric Oden One of if not the best DL of all time. Set the Career Sacks mark in the old USAFL. I am terrible with names but, there was a QB in the old days that owned the league. He had the career marks in almost every stat. Andrew help me out here. :o) (EDITORS NOTE: Atlanta's John Cullers is all over the career record book, along with Oakland's Tory Kay)

For even more historical data, visit the USAFL History Page to view tons of stats from earlier versions of the USAFL. This page can always be accessed through the USAFL FAQ.