Drafting a Flock
"Now if you just follow me right this way I'll take you to see Mrs. O'Brian."
"Thank you very much for the service, I have to say for my first time in a limousine it's been pretty swell." Said Steve Young.
"Yeah, but that also means it's your worst time aint it?" The Lakers provided chauffer joked, eliciting a laugh from Steve.
Boy, did he never think he would end up here. Just weeks ago he was worrying about passing his finals to maintain his scholarship and place on the team, and now he was being flown first class in the Christmas season to LA to visit the Carrie O'Brian. The Scream Queen, Princess Leia, Mrs. Bruce O'Brian, and most importantly to Steve, a co-founder of the USFL and owner of the Los Angeles Fighting Geese.
When it was first announced in the sports world that Carrie O'Brian would be joining Saints owner David Dixon in forming a springtime league, it had been an interesting curiosity but one that was overall treated with bemusement rather than any level of professionalism by most. In the century history of the game, only two leagues had seen true success, the NFL and AFL, and since the merger they had formed a comfortable monopoly as THE gridiron football league with numerous challengers having risen and fallen as quickly as Icarus from Hubris.
However, as time passed, Carrie's involvement in the USFL gave the league a great deal of legitimacy as her crafting of the Magic Dynasty as the world was calling the 80s Lakers had proved that she was an expert sportswoman and team owner in the same way that Star Wars had made Lucasfilms a new leader of the Hollywood establishment.
Then in three months earlier, the football world was changed forever with the NFL strike. What seemed to at first just be another nuisance like previous strikes in professional football had turned into a dirty and ferocious battle to rival the intensity and nastyness of the Great Hollywood Strike of '75. At first the League had been a strong stalwart shield, but with each passing week of no play and hundreds of millions lost, the tide turned against them as football fans were enraged for quiet Sundays and the corporate world were murderous for the advertising lost. Sure, the NFLPA wasn't perfect and had its own score of criticisms, but the League's reputation was in the dirt, especially with its blacklisting of dozens of players for their roles in the strike.
With such a shitshow of a strike, the USFL suddenly became very hot and very legitimate, if nothing else than to crave the void football fans had after an empty season and the remaining game's being a wild mess. Most of Steve's senior teammates had started to hire agents early and engaged in serious discussions with USFL scouts for drafting or recruitment. Steve himself was interested in the League, but didn't expect to join until '84 or '85 after his final season. Then in Thanksgiving, his entire world was flipped upside down when Carrie O'Brian called his family home and offered to fly him out to LA for talks.
So here he was in the city of stars, a college junior about step in the most important interview of his life with one of the most powerful women in the world.
"Steve, it's good to finally see you, you're far taller than the tapes make you out to be." Carrie complimented, rising from her near front row seat in the middle section of the Forum where the Lakers were practicing for tonight's game. It was a surreal sight to Steve, to see champions practicing their craft a couple yards away.
"Thank you Ma'am, I have been told such a couple times before." Such wasn't true, but it didn't hurt to fib a bit in good humor to make your future boss comfortable.
Steve shook Carrie's hand, "So Ma'am, are we going to meet in an office or-?"
"Please, call me Carrie. And if you don't mind, I'd like to talk here, just be a little casual. We're going to be playing the Celtics tonight and I want to make sure my boys are in top shape against Boston."
"It's a pretty good view." Steve admitted. In the back of his mind, he knew it to be a negotiating tactic. Carrie was enticing Steve by showing her existing championship team who she had turned into a dynasty within a single year. It was that Steve could admit was working quiet well at the awesome sight of Magic side stepping a defensive Kareem to launch a slam dunk.
Carrie chuckled, "You know, it was little more than three years ago that I was in this exact same position."
"Oh?"
"Pregnant and well into my second trimester, talking with a college kid who decided to shoot for the pros early." Carrie suggested, another reference to Magic who by now was one of the most popular athletes in the world. Even in quiet Utah, it wasn't uncommon to see boys wearing Magic jerseys or doing their best to copy his moves on the basketball court. A phenomena that perhaps could apply to Steve.
"It was a very wise investment." Steve complimented, to which Carrie nodded.
"Tell me Steve, do you believe in the USFL?" Carrie asked.
"Well I am here, would be back at the dorms if I didn't."
"You could say that, but some would chalk it up to merely interest or business. If you walk away, you'll have half the NFL interested thanks to this conversation." Carrie pointed out.
"Well, if I'm being honest, it can be a bit intimidating, joining a fresh new league. Had a lot of concerned relatives in Thanksgiving who thought maybe I should stay another year. Even if it's springtime, we're still fighting against the NFL." Steve admitted.
"But..." Carrie drawn out.
"But while it is a challenge and a tough uphill climb, there's also lots of opportunities and potential for greatness. If it were anyone else who called I might have declined to come, but with you, I feel like a golden door is opening before me."
"How so?" Carrie asked with a smile.
"The odds are rough, but that's how sports are in general. You face off against hundreds if not thousands depending upon the sport to be the best. Some people though, they got the talent and knowledge to be consistent winners. Your entire career in the past decade since Some Nights has been consistent success, the top of your fields. If you believe in the USFL, then it will work." Steve said. While some may interpret it as brown nosing, Steve felt it was the genuine truth.
"Good answer. Now do you know why I'm talking with you and not the hundreds of other NCAA quarterbacks or any NFL vets?" Carrie asked.
"Is it because of my rushing talent?" Steve ventured. As a veteran of rush-first offenses, Steve was unorthodox for running near as often as his running backs. Each season he posted triple, sometimes four digit yard numbers in rushing and just this past year had 8 rushing touchdowns.
"That's part of it, but good guess. As an owner, I want to have teams that not only are the best, but change the game and lead its evolution. I've been doing it these past three years with the Lakers and our Showtime play. I think you can do what Magic is doing for football, set a new standard of what it means to be a quarterback."
"How?"
As Carrie explained and shared her vision, Steve was instantly hooked line and sinker. With a very generous salary, support for completing college at a later date, and a nice gift of courtside tickets later that night where he sat next to Bruce O'Brian himself, Steve would fly back to Utah as a Goose.
"I thought David said the draft was going to be in New York." Bruce asked, as he and Carrie took their places within the ballroom of the 4 Seasons Hotel which had been turned into a media hall for the week in a copy of the NFL's Draft process.
"Donald was certainly doing his best to place it in Manhattan, but I convinced David that it would be one of the few ways to make ourselves distinct of the NFL. With a lot of the other teams using my loans, it isn't hard to get what I want." Carrie informed.
"Seems like my spoiled princess is starting to turn rotten." Bruce teased. Honestly it was for the best as while it would have been nice to see his parents again, they had just been there for Thanksgiving and he didn't want Mary to miss out on school.
"When you're carrying a gosling there's no such thing as being too spoiled." Carrie countered, the two shared a laugh and then a kiss.
"You sure none of the other teams are gonna nab Steve?" Bruce asked. In terms of the lottery draft pool, the Geese got the seventh first round pick while the Generals started off with number one.
"I communicated with everyone else and we have a gentleman's agreement for round 1. At the very least, no one was planning on drafting him, they're underestimating me, thinking I'm acting like Alan with gambles. And if I don't get Steve, they know there'll be hell to pay." Carrie informed.
Bruce wouldn't say it, but a part of him was a bit sceptical from the optics of Carrie drafting someone who while impressive, didn't finish his full college term. And that wasn't even mentioning her choice of a head coach in UCLA's 17-28. To be fair though, the Lakers won the Finals 2 out of 3 seasons under Carrie's tenure, so there really was nothing to it than having complete unconditional faith in Carrie, a way of life that served Bruce well in his marriage.
After twenty minutes, the draft would start with some pauses for the ESPN commentary who would be covering the draft (along with Monday Night Football games for the league). David and Carrie would then give their own speeches, David once more speaking confidently of the innovation and new age of gameplay the USFL would set for the sport while Carrie spoke of opportunities granted for the hundreds of deserving college athletes who would have missed their shot otherwise, including some subtle digs at the NFL for their recent policies. Overall very O'Brian like, and Bruce couldn't be more prouder.
Then at the fifteen minute mark, USFL Commissioner Chet Simmons would strut up to the podium and begin the night's process, "For the very first ever draft pick of the United States Football League, the New Jersey Generals select, Quarterback John Elway of Stanford University."
A large chorus of applause followed this momentous occasion, though this was overshadowed by Trump's rather boisterous hollering for John who walked up to the podium with a cool crisp million dollar smile, then accepting the number one red and gold Generals jersey.
While Carrie was still confident in her pick for Young, Bruce couldn't help but notice a sharp hitch of her breath at the draft, with the concurrent applause in the room being accompanied by anxious looks of those present. John Elway was widely recognized as THE best player for the draft pool and would likely be a dominant force for the rest of the decade.
"Football's a team sport Bruce, wouldn't have won last year if Magic was the only star on the team." Carrie said, for both herself and Bruce's comfort, with Bruce nodding and holding her hand in firm support.
......
"For the third draft pick, of the first round of the 1983 USFL Draft, the Houston Roughnecks select, Quarterback Jim Kelly of the University of Miami."
.......
"For the sixth draft pick of the first round of the 1983 USFL Draft, the Jacksonville Bulls select, Quarterback Dan Marino of the University of Pittsburgh." Everyone clapped save for the Maulers team who were furious that they weren't able to select the hometown favorite due to being the 17th seed.
With a nod from Carrie, her and Bruce got up to prepare to welcome Steve Young, who thankfully with an intact gentleman's agreement had not been drafted yet.
"With the seventh pick of the first round of the 1983 USFL Draft, the Los Angeles Fighting Geese select, Quarterback Steve Young of BYU."
Across America, there would be much debate in the coming days on if Carrie had made the best choice or if she settled for the best she could get as seventh place, though in Los Angeles there was great hype and confidence surrounding Steve Young, for surely if he was Carrie's preferred pick then he would be the best of the best.
On stage, a jubilant Steve smiled and waved to his family in the audience, accepting a Geese cap from Bruce and the number one uniform from Carrie, though he planned to swap that out for an 8, giving each a firm handshake.
After the fanfare ended, Steve was approached by a reporter from ESPN to give an immediate interview on his new affiliation, "Steve Young, being in fact most likely the youngest player to be selected in the first round and the primary pick for Los Angeles Lakers owner Carrie O'Brian, how are you feeling tonight?"
"Oh I feel really blessed and thankful to be in this situation, to be one of the first quarterbacks for the USFL and be part of the history we're going to be making. I'm very grateful to Carrie O'Brian for giving me this opportunity, I'm thankful for my team who helped me be the best quarterback I can be, I'm thankful for my family for raising me and always supporting me, and I'm most thankful to God for guiding me and blessing me on this night."
"Do you believe the Geese will have some of that O'Brian luck in the season?"
"Well as a man of full English descent I can't say for certain, but I have full faith in Carrie O'Brian and Don Klosterman to give me the best teammates possible."
......
"For the twelfth pick of the first round of the 1983 USFL Draft, the Memphis Showboats select, Quarterback Kenneth O'Brien of UC Davis."
There was a lot of excited murmuring in the hall at that, though it was less hype and more speculation and mystery as Ken due to playing for a Division II team was a complete unknown at the national level, but for his last name with many believing that he was a relative of Bruce O'Brian just purely from the name.
"Are we related to him at all?" Carrie asked a confused Bruce.
"I don't...know?" Bruce said in a bewildered state. He would then lock eye contact with Ken while he was onstage, and Bruce was disturbed to see a very familiar blue eyes and black hair. In fact, were his face less chiseled and hair a bit wilder, he'd look exactly like Gavin.
One look into the O'Brian geneology book he compiled later that night, and it turned out that Ken O'Brien was indeed Bruce's 3rd cousin. Small world.
January 17th would mark the first true start of the USFL as each of the 18 teams would begin their training camps across the country. If there was one thing that Steve was really thankful for being part of the Geese, his training would take place in the warm LA sun and he would most likely never have to deal with another snow day game in his career.
The two weeks after the draft were a whirlwind for Steve Young. He had to move to a new home in the Valley and once that was done, he did his best to meet with the other draft picks and signed players for the Geese Roster. There was a bit of caution in most Geese towards Young, but at the very least Steve felt he was friendly enough to where they would at least trust him to do his best and give him a shot in training. From there he could work on forming a team with everyone in training and get ready for the upcoming regular season.
Through that process, Steve felt his fears and apprehensions of joining a newly formed team of a new league melt away. Sure they were all untested and most were college grads, but there was plenty of raw potential there. Just last Wednesday he played some catch with Henry Ellard in the park and the pair felt a special spark in their perfect reception that showed that great things could happen from working together.
The locker room was a bit awkward with the first day jitters, but with each passing minute they were warming up to each other and there was plenty of existing camaraderie from a third of the roster being USC players and some even having played each other just this last fall. There were also plenty of good natured laughs shared at the uniforms from their new mascot, but if the Packers could proudly be Super Bowl Champs with a fan base that wore cheese head hats then surely Geese could be fearsome. The most badass man in the world was a Goose after all.
Eventually, a call rang out for the team to huddle up onto the practice field of the Trojans which they were renting.
Outside, there was a score of media in the stands and next to the fence. Most of the Geese staff were present, along with Carrie and Bruce who appeared to be accompanied by their twin children, a daughter who was rather nonchalant while the son was heavily excited at everything.
The Geese took a knee around Carrie who was to give them a pep talk for the start, "When I look out at all of you, I see the best of the best, some of the most talented players that crossed the gridiron since the sport was founded. You've got what it takes to be champions, but you're not close to that level yet. It's a brave new world, 18 teams with untapped potential. No dynasties, no elites, no winners, just some of football's best playing together for the spring and summer.
No matter how the media presents it, the Lakers didn't become a dynasty overnight. It took months of building teamwork and excellence to reach the peak, and if you've watched the Finals, you know we had to fight like hell to stay there. It's not an easy road we're walking on, but it's one filled with opportunity, the potential to be the best in the best league, and if nothing else, you'll be damned sure we'll pay you your deserved dues." A shared laugh was given in response, the memories of the Strike still fresh and deep with lots of friends affected, some of the Geese present even having participated.
"We're not going to reach Championship level by the end of the day, but what we are going to do is lay a foundation. Then the next day a brick, and the next another brick, so that by game one we have a great fortress that will stand tall at the top of the league. So get out there and show me some good football."
"Fighting Geese on three everyone!" Steve suggested with an outstretched hand. Those nearest to him gave theirs in humor followed by the rest of the team in a classic huddle.
"One, two, three, Fighting Geese!"
