1983 Season Preview

Cory Robinzine, WR, Arizona

It appeared the Houston Gamblers would be the easy choice to defend their World Bowl title during the USFL/WFL's 10th season. Then the league was turned upside down when setherick asked to be replaced as coach after having built a championship team that would be strengthened even further with 17 draft picks.

Now, suddenly, the search for a new Gamblers coach is on the trophy is back up for grabs. And, there is no shortage of potential grabbers.

• There are the New Jersey Generals, league champs two seasons ago, who fell to the Gamblers in World Bowl IX.
• There are the Michigan Panthers, who were one ill-advised pass away from knocking off Houston in the American Conference championship game.
• There are the Honolulu Hawaiians and New Orleans VooDoo, who both finished 13-3 during the 1982 regular season. There is the Portland Storm, who claimed their third West Division crown in four seasons.
• There are the Memphis Showboats, who won World Bowls VI and VII and have made the playoffs four times in the last five seasons.
• There is the Denver Gold, who will be seeking a third consecutive trips to the postseason. There is the Los Angeles Express, who finished 9-7 but signed last year's league offensive MVP, quarterback Mario Valencia, after Houston let him walk via free agency. There are the Cleveland Thunderbolts and Chicago Blitz, who both finished 9-7 and, like Los Angeles, missed the playoffs only because Denver won the tie-breaker.
• There are the Jacksonville Bulls, who will be seeking a third consecutive Southeast Division title. There are the Birmingham Stallions, who made the playoffs after four seasons of rebuilding by coach Wolveraider.
• There are the Washington Federals, coming off their second Atlantic Division championship in three seasons. There is the Philadelphia Bell, seeking to make the playoffs for the third year in a row.
• There are the San Antonio Gunslingers, Oklahoma Outlaws, Detroit Wheels, Tampa Bay Bandits, Shreveport Steamer, Pittsburgh Maulers, Baltimore Stars, and New York Stars ... all teams who have been championship contenders in recent memory and are trying to get back there.
• There are the San Jose SaberCats, Southern California Sun, Arizona Wranglers, Oakland Invaders, Orlando Renegades, Florida Blazers, Georgia Force, Charlotte Hornets, and Boston Breakers ... all in various stages of rebuilding. But, someone from this group always pulls an upset or two every season.

We love competitive balance, and there is plenty of that.

Individually, there will be some interesting things to watch.

• Can Valencia become the first QB to lead three different teams to World Bowl victories?
• Can former Oklahoma Outlaws WR Dusty Heckman, now with Portland, become the first receiver to reach 100 TDs? He has 96. Or, will Heckman be passed by Arizona's Cory Robinzine, who has 95? Both are likely to retire after this season.
• Can Pittsburgh RB John Murray have an impressive final season and join backfield mate Cliff Thomas in the USFL/WFL Hall of Fame?
• Can former Portland star QB William Hill, now with Shreveport, pass for 8 more yards and reach the 50,000-yard mark for his career? He threw for 1,331 last season as the backup to Edgar Jones in Shreveport.
• If Valencia and Hill both retire, who goes into the Hall of Fame first?
• Can Washington MLB Travis Curcio become the first player to reach 1,000 career tackles? He has 883.
• Can Portland LDE Norman Paulk and Washington RDE John Broussard become the first players to be voted All-Pro four times?
• Can Charlotte FB/OG Jorge Knox allow 33 more sacks and become the all-time leader in sacks allowed? Former Hornets OT Harold White allowed an incredible 165 sacks from 1974-1980.

The preseason wraps up Monday with the regular season beginning Wednesday.