Pittsburgh Maulers

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The Pittsburgh Maulers were a team which competed in the 1984 season of the United States Football League Their most prominent player was running back Mike Rozier, who won the Heisman Trophy, collegiate football's most prestigious individual award. They were owned by shopping mall magnate Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr., the father of Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr., then-owner of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. The Maulers played at Three Rivers Stadium.

With little going for them except Rozier, the Maulers had a hideous season, tying the Washington Federals for the worst record in the league. Original coach Joe Pendry was fired with eight games to go in the season and was replaced with offensive line coach Ellis Rainsberger on an inteirm basis.

Despite losing millions of dollars, DeBartolo was determined to stick it out, even going as far as hiring Green Bay Packers assistant Hank Bullough as the new coach. However, just a few days later, the USFL announced it was switching to a fall schedule in 1986. DeBartolo knew he could not hope to compete against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just a week after the vote to move to the fall, he folded the franchise without so much as a press conference.