FOND MEMORIES, 30 YEARS LATER
Kooky characters defined the short-lived Memphis USFL team.
They were, after all, called the Showboats. Memphis’ entry in the old United States Football League — a roster that i ncluded Gizmo, Pepper, the Minister of Defense and future pro wrestler Lex Luger — certainly did its part to reflect the franchise’s nickname.
The team, which played its final game 30 years ago this weekend, had as many memorable characters as playmakers. None was more outrageous, colorful and extroverted than head coach Pepper Rodgers and none was more entertaining, genuine and respected than the late Reggie White, an ordained minister and future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
“We had a gamut of characters,” said former Showboats quarterback Mike Kelley, a low-key ex-Georgia Tech star.
The team played two seasons (1984 and ’85) in the USFL, a spring league with future NFL stars like Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly and Steve Young that had a three-year run before its demise in 1986. In those two years in Memphis, a growing fan base developed an appreciation for the team’s talent and an affinity for its memorable characters.
Besides Rodgers and White, the Showboats included a relatively unheralded lineman named Larry Pfohl, who would become nationally known several years later as professional wrestler Lex Luger.
There was 5-foot- 6 Memphis native Henry “Gizmo” Williams, a return specialist who joined the franchise in 1985 and gained a reputation for celebrating touchdowns with a flip in the air, similar, in some ways, to then-St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith’s pregame introduction routine.
Assistant coach Ernie Zwahlen, who handled the offensive line in 1984 and was a scout in 1985, brought his Chihuahua to work every day. Defensive back Barney Bussey once calmed his teammates — after the Showboats’ charter had dropped precipitously several minutes into the air — by screaming “Yee-haw, ride ’em cowboy” when the rapid descent graciously subsided.
Alan Reid, a tiny running back from the University of Minnesota, led the team in rushing in 1984, despite once reversing field multiple times on a sweep and nearly getting tackled in his own end zone.
And linebacker Billy Roe developed a nervous habit in which he would snap his fingers and move his legs constantly, a trait he told quarterback Walter Lewis was caused by “being cut seven times” at the NFL level.
On a team filled with characters, among the most memorable were:
PEPPER AND THE MINISTER
Rodgers orchestrated the cast of characters with a unique style. A storyteller with disheveled hair and folksy manner, Rodgers tried to keep a proper perspective while reminding his players it was “just a game.”
“I’ve always taken my jobs seriously,” Rodgers said. “I’ve just never taken myself seriously.”
He imparted that wisdom on White, when he ran into a public relations snafu early in his career after his purchase of, according to roommate Lewis, 72 pairs of socks from a local clothier became fodder for local radio stations. Rodgers said White thought the socks were being given to him.
“Reggie came to me and said all these people are making fun of me,” Rodgers said. “I said ‘Reggie, they’ve been trying to make fun of me my whole life.’ I told him they can’t touch me because I poke fun at myself.”
So Rodgers arranged for all the Showboat players to wave pairs of socks when they ran onto the field the next game.
“I had Reggie run onto the field last and run around (the perimeter of the stadium) and throw socks up into the stands,” Rodgers said. “Everybody loved it. I told people we were going to call our defense ‘The Sock Exchange’ instead of ‘The Sack Exchange.’ ”
White’s remarkable two years with the Showboats created a Zach Randolph-like connection with the fan base. He also had a strong relationship with his teammates, who recall White’s leadership, faith, humor and impersonations. Among the exTennessee All-American’s talents were spot-on impersonations of Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, comedian Rodney Dangerfield and an angry barking dog.
“Reggie was a fun-loving sweet guy, until he got on the field,” Kelley said.
Owner William B. Dunavant quickly became a fan of White’s, more for the person he was than for his ability to harass opposing quarterbacks.
“His biggest asset was his religion, his love of God and he just radiated that to everyone he knew,” Dunavant said. “He wasn’t ashamed of it. And he was someone who always did the right thing.”
White, who died in 2004, had a phenomenal post-Showboats career. He played mostly for the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, earning 13 Pro Bowl selections, winning a Super Bowl with Green Bay and twice being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
LEX LUGER: FROM USFL TO WCW STARDOM
A veteran offensive tackle, Larry Pfohl had experienced enough time “in the trenches” as he en- tered his second season with the Showboats. He had played collegiately at Penn State and Miami, in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and in the Canadian Football League with Montreal.
“He told me during a practice break one time: ‘Hey, I’m done. I ain’t going to play this stuff anymore. I’m going to make a million dollars wrestling,’ ” Kelley said. “We all said no way. He said ‘Watch me.’ ” Pfohl, 27 at the time, was a man of conviction. He changed careers, changed his name and became a three-time world champion, including capturing the WCW world heavyweight championship twice. In 1993, Pro Wrestling Illustrated voted him most popular wrestler of the year.
“He could have started for us,” Kelley said. “He was 6-5 and 285 pounds. He bench-pressed 480 pounds. The guy was an animal.”
Once dismissed from the University of Miami football team for trashing a hotel room, Pfohl found a comfortable fit inside a pro wrestling ring.
THEY CALLED HIM GIZMO
Henry “Gizmo” Williams was one of several native Memphians living the dream of playing pro football in their hometown. Williams attended grade school and junior high in Memphis before moving to Tunica, Mississippi. He played two years at Northwest Mississippi Community College and signed with East Carolina, where he led the nation in kickoff return yardage as a senior.
White gave Williams his nickname, which replaced another (“Space Shuttle”) he was briefly given during the team’s 1985 preseason training camp in Melbourne, Florida. Teammates had noticed his penchant for flipping in the air after scoring touchdowns and called him “Space Shuttle” in reference to the launching of the space shuttle at nearby Cape Canaveral on the opening day of camp.
After the USFL folded, Williams became a star in the CFL.
“I remember him as a little guy with this big, deep voice,” said sports talk radio host Dave Woloshin, who was part of the Showboats broadcast team. “And he was fast.”
Williams played the 1985 season with the Showboats and moved — sprinted? — to the Canadian Football League, where he became a five-time league all-star. He spent 14 seasons in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos, set numerous franchise records — including 26 puntreturn touchdowns — and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
After his retirement in 2000, he became a sought-after motivational speaker. His story of overcoming odds — in sports and life — resonated with audiences. While living in poverty in Memphis, he lost his mother when he was 6 to multiple sclerosis, a disease that also claimed the lives of seven of his 10 brothers and sisters. His father died a year after his mother in a house fire.
Williams often said that his hero wasn’t a sports figure but rather his brother, Edgar, who raised him after the death of his parents and before MS took Edgar’s life.