- 1983
- 1985
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Express Team Formation
Cable television pioneers Alan Harmon and Bill Daniels were awarded a USFL franchise for San Diego when the league announced its formation in 1982. However, the city refused to grant the team a lease to play at Jack Murphy Stadium under pressure from the stadium’s existing tenants—baseball’s Padres, the NFL’s Chargers, and the NASL’s Sockers. The only other outdoor facility ... -
Express Owner Problems
Then, just as quickly as the Express rose, they fell. Midway through the season, the FBI began investigating Oldenburg’s financial dealings. Multiple exposés by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times revealed Oldenburg not only had a habit of luring savings and loans into questionable deals but was also nowhere near as well off as he had long ...
History of the Express
The Los Angeles Express was a team in the United States Football League (USFL) based in Los Angeles, California. Playing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Express competed in all three of the USFL seasons played between 1983 and 1985.
Cable television pioneers Alan Harmon and Bill Daniels were awarded a USFL franchise for San Diego when the league announced its formation in 1982. However, the city refused to grant the team a lease to play at Jack Murphy Stadium under pressure from the stadium's existing tenants—baseball's Padres, the NFL's Chargers, and the NASL's Sockers. The only other outdoor facility available in the area was Balboa Stadium, the original home of the Chargers. However, it was a relatively antiquated facility (built-in 1915) that had not had a major tenant since the Chargers moved into Jack Murphy in 1967, and was now largely used by high school teams. This was an untenable situation for a team that was aspiring to be part of a major sports league.
With only eight months before the season was to start, Harmon and Daniels decided to move to Los Angeles with the league's blessing. League officials believed that Harmon and Daniels' ties to the cable industry could help the league get exposure; David Dixon's blueprint for the league depended heavily on television coverage. They forced Jim Joseph, the second owner of the Los Angeles USFL franchise, to give up his rights to Los Angeles in favor of Harmon and Daniels. Joseph relocated his franchise to Phoenix, Arizona as the Arizona Wranglers.
Established
1983
City
Los Angeles
League History
1983 – 1985 / United States Football League
Team History
1983 – 1985 / Los Angeles Express
Nickname
Express – The nickname for the Express refers to the incredible Los Angeles freeway system's express lanes.
Original USFL Team
Yes
Final USFL Team
No
Team’s Final Outlook
Unable to find a new owner for the Express, the league announced the team would suspend operations for the 1986 season.
Championship
USFL Championship 0
Stadium
1983 – 1985 / Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Owner
1985 / United States Football League
1984 / J. William Oldenburg
1983 / Alan Harmon & Bill Daniels
Coaches
1984 – 1985 / John Hadl (14 wins – 24 losses)
1983 / Hugh Campbell (8 wins – 10 losses)
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Accomplishments
1984 / Conference Championship Game (vs Arizona Wranglers 23 – 35)
1984 / Division Champions (vs Michigan Panthers 27 – 21 OT)
Averaged 19,002 in 1983, 15,361 in 1984 and 8,415 in 1985 (93,607 seat stadium)
*Blue is this team’s history