- 1983
- 1984
-
Blitz Team Formation
The Blitz was one of the twelve charter franchises of the USFL. The owner was originally slated to be J. Walter Duncan, an Oklahoma oil magnate who had grown up in Chicago. However, league founder David Dixon persuaded Duncan to take on ownership of the New York City franchise–what became the New Jersey Generals–after its original owner, Donald Trump, pulled ... -
Franchise Swap with Arizona
As it turned out, Arizona Wranglers owner Jim Joseph had lost almost as much money as Diethrich and was looking to sell the Wranglers. Diethrich was willing to take over in Arizona, provided that he keeps Allen and the NFL veteran-loaded roster that he had assembled a year earlier. Joseph readily agreed. Soon afterward, Diethrich found a buyer for the ...
The Chicago Blitz was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.
Established
1983
City
Chicago
League History
1983 – 1984 / United States Football League
Team History
1983 – 1984 / Chicago Blitz
Nickname
Blitz – Blitz the QB, a strategy used by a defensive unit in which they will have a player other than a member of the defensive line attempt to pressure the quarterback.
Original USFL Team
Yes
Final USFL Team
No
Team’s Final Outlook
This resulted in one of the most unusual transactions in sports history. Diethrich sold the Blitz to fellow surgeon James Hoffman, then bought the Wranglers from Joseph. Hoffman and Diethrich then engineered a swap of assets in which George Allen, the Blitz coaching staff and most of the Blitz players moved to Phoenix while most of the Wranglers roster moved to Chicago.
Championship
USFL Championship 0
Stadium
1983 – 1984 / Soldier Field
Owner
1984 / Dr. James Hoffman and United States Football League
1983 / Dr. Ted Diethrich
Coaches
1984 / Marv Levy (5 wins – 13 losses)
1983 / George Allen (12 wins – 7 losses)
Accomplishments
1983 / Divisional Championship Game (vs Philadelphia Stars 38 – 44 OT)
Averaged 18,133 in 1983 and 7,455 in 1984 fans (65,720 seat stadium)
*Blue is this team’s history