Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Does anyone here have any gamebooks from 1985? I'm looking for gamebooks from 1984 and 1983 as well. I'm working on trying to compile all stats for 1985 due to lack of published information on that year especially. I'm trying to compile all defensive stats as well because they are not accurately compiled in very many publications. I'm working on active rosters, starting lineups for all games as well. I have some figured out using transactions that were published in Sporting News Football Registers and actual issues of TSN from 1984 and 1985.

I'm about 25% done with 1984. New Jersey, Philly, Houston, Oakland, LA and Arizona were generally pretty easy to figure out with lineups and all. I have most of the info for Jacksonville, Tampa and Michigan (which are almost done). Memphis, Denver and New Orleans seem like they would be easy enough to figure out. Oklahoma and Birmingham have some missing information between the media guides and just bad lineup information. Washington and San Antonio will definitely take some figuring out. Pittsburgh and Chicago folded after '84 so they will definitely have a lot of info missing due to lack of published team specific information. My goal is to publish all information here in the "Members Only" section of the site. It's pretty much a labor of love for me at this point.

I have about 50% play by plays for New Jersey due to them being published in "Fallen Generals" but anything else that anyone can help out with regarding any gamebooks from any point in the USFL's history would be greatly appreciated. If anyone has ever done any sort of project like this, I'd be willing to collaborate. Please let me know if you have anything in the way of gamebooks. I'm sure they exist somewhere. If a project like this isn't able to be completed, then it's not able to be completed but I'd sure like to try as best as I can.

Have you tried looking at game results reported in newspapers to fill in the holes? Use newspapers.com and/or newspaper archive.com to look at local coverage in the next day’s newspapers after the games.

The Hall of Fame has some of the USFL gamebooks, but I guess the Hall is still closed.

If you really want play-by-plays you could do your own watching games on You Tube.

TodMaher wrote:The Hall of Fame has some of the USFL gamebooks, but I guess the Hall is still closed.

If you really want play-by-plays you could do your own watching games on You Tube.

I have thought about doing that. It would time comsuming and probably not 100% accurate so that's probably something that I will do down the road to fill in the blanks.

RyanChristiansen wrote:Have you tried looking at game results reported in newspapers to fill in the holes? Use newspapers.com and/or newspaper archive.com to look at local coverage in the next day’s newspapers after the games.

That is actually a pretty good idea. I will look into it to see what I can come up with. I'll be planning a visit to the football hall in the next year or 2 and I'd definitely like to see what they have as far as USFL artifacts.

The Hall of Fame, unless it's changed, doesn't have many of the game books. Best bet is going through the Sporting News issues from 1983-85, as well as the '84 and '85 Sporting News USFL Record and Fact Books.

lietzaro24 wrote: I'm sure they exist somewhere.

Why are you sure they exist somewhere?

I know film of the 1919 World Series was unearthed in the last few years, but I don't know that any USFL game books are buried in the Alaskan tundra.

It may very well be that they don't exist. Someone likely would have produced them by now if they did.

TSNs and the two TSN guides that were published have box scores and individual stats, but not the play-by-play/lineups/participation that game books are really good for. (A handful of USFL team media guides have participation charts, showing who started and played in each game, but not many.)

Throwin_Samoan wrote:

lietzaro24 wrote: I'm sure they exist somewhere.

Why are you sure they exist somewhere?

Whether or not gamebooks for every USFL game exist now is not a certainty but it is almost certain that every game had a gamebook produced at the time the games were played. I have seen some pop up on ebay every now and then so I know there are some out there. I haven't seen anyone here talk about them before so there is some curiousity whether anyone has any or how much interest there is in this community in putting the history of the USFL together from a statistical standpoint (especially with the 1985 season).

lietzaro24 wrote:

Throwin_Samoan wrote:

lietzaro24 wrote: I'm sure they exist somewhere.

I have seen some pop up on ebay every now and then so I know there are some out there.

Yeah, I see the 5/19/1985 Express-Stallions gamebook is for sale on ebay.