Texas football is a religion, but in the mid-1980s, the San Antonio Gunslingers were a cult classic that ended in a train wreck. Honestly, if you look at the United States Football League today—the shiny, corporate 2020s revival—it’s hard to imagine the sheer, unadulterated madness of the original franchise. The San Antonio Gunslingers USFL experience wasn't just about touchdowns. It was about bounced checks, missing stadium lights, and an owner who eventually became a federal fugitive.
They were flashy. They were fun. Then, they were broke.
Most people remember the USFL for Jim Kelly’s Houston Gamblers or Herschel Walker’s New Jersey Generals. But San Antonio? They were the grit in the gears of the league. They proved that you could have a passionate fan base and a decent roster and still fall apart if the guy at the top is essentially playing a shell game with the finances.
Who Were the San Antonio Gunslingers?
The team kicked off in 1984. They played at Alamo Stadium, a place nicknamed "The Rockpile" because, well, it was literally carved into an old limestone quarry. It was loud. It was cramped. It felt like real Texas football.
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Clinton Manges was the man behind the curtain. A South Texas oil tycoon with a penchant for litigation and a massive ego, Manges wanted to stick it to the establishment. He didn't just want a football team; he wanted a weapon. He hired Rick Arrington—father of ESPN’s Jill Arrington and a former NFL QB—to run the show. They even managed to lure Rick Neuheisel away from a potential NFL career to be their signal-caller.
The stadium didn't have permanent lights sufficient for TV broadcasts. Think about that. A professional team in a major US league had to bring in portable light trucks just so the cameras could see the players during night games. It was grassroots on a multi-million dollar scale.
The Rick Neuheisel Era and On-Field Survival
Neuheisel was the face of the San Antonio Gunslingers USFL journey. He wasn't the strongest arm in the league, but he had moxie. In 1984, the team actually finished 7-11. That sounds bad, but in a league filled with future Hall of Famers, they were competitive. They beat the eventual champion Philadelphia Stars once. They had a defense led by guys like Jim Shook and Jeff Gembis who would hit anything that moved.
The games were high-scoring. They were chaotic.
But behind the scenes? The money was drying up faster than a puddle in a San Antonio summer. By the 1985 season, the "Gunslinger" name felt like a cruel joke because nobody was getting paid to shoot.
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When the Checks Started Bouncing
This is where the story gets legendary for all the wrong reasons. In 1985, the team’s financial structure collapsed. Clinton Manges’ oil empire was under siege from banks and lawsuits. The players? They were the ones feeling the squeeze.
Imagine being a professional athlete and showing up to the bank on Tuesday only to be told your paycheck is "insufficient funds." It happened constantly. Players started taking drastic measures. Some reportedly refused to practice until they saw cash. There are stories of trainers having to buy tape and medical supplies with their own money just to get the team through a Sunday afternoon.
The locker room became a site of "civil disobedience." During one infamous stretch, the players threatened to strike right before a kickoff. Manges would reportedly scrounge up just enough cash to satisfy the loudest voices, and the game would go on. It was a week-to-week survival act.
By the end of the '85 season, the team was essentially a ghost ship. They finished 5-13. The league eventually had to step in and basically revoke the franchise because Manges couldn't—or wouldn't—pay the bills. When the USFL finally folded its tent after the failed antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, the Gunslingers were already dead in the water.
The Legend of Clinton Manges
You can't talk about the San Antonio Gunslingers USFL history without diving into the madness of Clinton Manges. He was a populist hero to some and a villain to many. He fought the big oil companies. He fought the banks. He fought the USFL office.
Eventually, the law caught up. Manges ended up in federal prison in the 1990s for racketeering and mail fraud related to his business dealings. His downfall mirrored the team’s: a lot of bluster, a lot of initial success, and a spectacular, public crash.
He represented a specific type of 1980s Texas excess. He bought a football team because he could, then treated it like a secondary asset until the creditors came knocking. For the fans at The Rockpile, he was the guy who brought pro ball to the city. For the players, he was the guy who owes them money to this very day.
Why the Gunslingers Still Matter
San Antonio is constantly teased with the prospect of an NFL team. The Raiders almost moved there. The Saints practiced there after Katrina. Every time a team needs leverage for a new stadium, they mention the Alamo City.
The Gunslingers were the proof of concept.
They proved San Antonio would support a team. Even when the lights were flickering and the owner was broke, the fans showed up. They averaged over 15,000 fans a game in 1985, which, considering the team was a disaster, is actually impressive. It showed that the market wasn't the problem; the management was.
Navigating the Legacy
If you're a sports memorabilia collector or a football historian, the Gunslingers are a gold mine. Their logo—a stylized "SA" with a pistol—is one of the coolest in sports history. It’s rugged. It’s aggressive. It’s very San Antonio.
But the real legacy is the cautionary tale. The San Antonio Gunslingers USFL story is taught in sports management classes as what not to do. It’s the ultimate example of how a lack of liquidity can destroy a brand faster than any losing streak on the field.
How to Research the Era
- Check Local Archives: The San Antonio Express-News has the best blow-by-blow coverage of the 1984-85 seasons.
- Watch the Documentaries: "Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?" gives a great overview of the league's death, though it focuses heavily on Donald Trump.
- Player Memoirs: Look for interviews with Rick Neuheisel. He’s been very open over the years about the absurdity of playing for a team that couldn't afford jerseys some weeks.
Practical Takeaways for Modern Fans
If you're looking into the history of the San Antonio Gunslingers USFL or just interested in defunct sports leagues, here is how you should view this saga:
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- Look at the Ownership first. A team is only as stable as its bank account. Manges is the reason the team failed, not the city.
- Value the "Cult" Brands. The Gunslingers' merchandise is still popular today because the brand had a soul that modern, "focus-grouped" teams often lack.
- Understand the Market. San Antonio remains the biggest "untapped" NFL market for a reason. The Gunslingers started that fire.
The San Antonio Gunslingers were a beautiful, chaotic mess. They were the embodiment of the 1980s USFL—ambitious, flawed, and ultimately unsustainable. They didn't win a championship, and they didn't last more than two years, but they left a mark on Texas sports history that won't ever be erased.
To truly understand the Gunslingers, you have to look past the stats. You have to look at the bounced checks, the limestone stadium, and the sheer audacity of a team that played professional football while the repo man was waiting in the parking lot.
Actionable Next Steps
- Verify the Roster: If you're collecting cards, focus on Rick Neuheisel and Peter Raeford; they are the most iconic players from that short window.
- Visit the Site: If you're ever in San Antonio, go see Alamo Stadium. It’s been renovated, but you can still feel the history of "The Rockpile."
- Support the New USFL/UFL: The San Antonio Brahmas are the spiritual successors to the Gunslingers. Supporting spring football today is the best way to honor the legacy of those who tried to make it work forty years ago.