Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?

"For three glorious years, football was 365"

2009 0h 53m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 22

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1983 the upstart United States Football League (USFL) had the audacity to challenge the almighty NFL. The new league did the unthinkable by playing in the spring and plucked three straight Heisman Trophy winners away from the NFL. The 12-team USFL played before crowds that averaged 25,000, and started off with respectable TV ratings. But with success came expansion and new owners, including a certain high profile and impatient real estate baron whose vision was at odds with the league’s founders. Soon, the USFL was reduced to waging a desperate anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL, which yielded an ironic verdict that effectively forced the league out of business. Now, almost a quarter of a century later, Academy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning director Mike Tollin, himself once a chronicler of the league, will showcase the remarkable influence of those three years on football history and attempt to answer the question, “Who Killed the USFL?”

“For three glorious years, football was 365”

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Cast

Donald Trump
Self
Burt Reynolds
Self
Herschel Walker
Self
Michael Tollin
Self
Jim Kelly
Self
Doug Flutie
Self
Steve Young
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Tollin
Writers: Michael Tollin
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 53-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Tollin, shot by Jon Tucker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Phil Hernandez. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Greg Parsons shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Donald Trump and Burt Reynolds and Herschel Walker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "For three glorious years, football was 365".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Tollin directs. Jon Tucker behind the camera. Phil Hernandez scores. Greg Parsons cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 53-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 17 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Michael Tollin, shot by Jon Tucker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Phil Hernandez. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Greg Parsons shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Donald Trump and Burt Reynolds and Herschel Walker carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "For three glorious years, football was 365".
9IMDB entry: tt1501756 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 22 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.