Team History
The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. Team colors were scarlet, white, royal blue and sunflower gold. The primary logo was a gold five-star general wreath. Team helmets were solid scarlet with the logo decal on each side and a white face-mask. Home uniforms featured red jerseys with white numbers trimmed in royal blue, with numbers on the sleeves and no striping; pants were white with a single wide red stripe trimmed in blue down the sides from hip to knee. Road jerseys were white with red numbers trimmed in blue.[1] The team was the second in the New York metropolitan area to be known as “Generals,” since there was a professional soccer team in the late 1960s known as the New York Generals.
From the beginning, USFL founder David Dixon placed a premium on putting a team in the New York area. Initially, Donald Trump was tapped to own the team. However, he backed out after paying an initial installment on the franchise fee, hoping instead to buy the struggling Baltimore Colts of the NFL. Needing a credible owner with the means to front a team in the nation’s biggest market, Dixon persuaded Oklahoma oil magnate J. Walter Duncan to step in. Duncan had originally been slated to own the USFL’s Chicago franchise, as he’d grown up in Chicago. However, he readily agreed to shift to New York.[2]
Duncan took on former New England Patriots coach Chuck Fairbanks as a minority partner; Duncan knew Fairbanks from his days as head coach at the University of Oklahoma. Fairbanks also served as general manager and head coach. They initially had an uphill battle to get a lease at Giants Stadium, but were able to obtain one on condition that they brand their team as “New Jersey” rather than “New York.” They named the team the “Generals” after the large number of generals based in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War.[2]
Coaching Staff and Front Office
Owners: J. Walter Duncan/Chuck Fairbanks
| Head Coach: Walt Michaels |
| Bill Austin | Offensive Line |
| Ted Cottrell | Defensive Line |
| Clark Gaines | Special Teams/Running Backs |
| Dale Lindsey | Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers |
| John North | Quarterbacks |
| Chris Palmer | Wide Receivers |
| Joe Pascale | Defensive Backs |
| John Polonchek | Quarterbacks |