The Bulls' name was taken from team owner Fred "Bubba" Bullard, a Jacksonville land developer. Bullard had initially sought to buy a stake in the Boston Breakers and move them to Jacksonville when it became apparent the Breakers could not find a suitable venue in Boston. However, Breakers owner George Matthews broke off talks when Bullard insisted that coach Dick Coury be fired in favor of Florida State Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden. The team held a 'name the team' promotion with a write-in campaign for publicity purposes. The Bulls moniker was credited as a submission from the winning entry. The team colors of garnet, orange and silver were taken from the three college football teams most popular in the area; garnet from the Seminoles, orange from the Florida Gators, and silver from the pants worn by the Georgia Bulldogs. The helmet design was unique for a professional football team. Each side had the team's logo of a streaking bull ; the two logos were bridged by a series of parallel lines, and the team name was incorporated into the bridge as a silhouette against the parallel lines.
1984 season
The Bulls made an immediate splash in their first game, in which they blew out the Washington Federals 53-14. Although they finished 6-12 — last in the tough Southern Division — they were far more competitive than their record indicated. Six of their losses were by a touchdown or less, including two losses by a last-second field goal. They remained in contention for most of the season, but a six-game losing streak toward the end of the season kept them out of the playoffs. The Bulls were an undisputed success at the gate, running away with the league's attendance title. They notched the only two crowds of 70,000 or greater in league history, including a throng of 73,227 against the powerful New Jersey Generals on March 4. In the last game, against the Pittsburgh Maulers, a huge crowd patiently waited through a late-June downpour which postponed the game for more than an hour. When play finally started the Bulls won 26-2.
1984 schedule and results
Sources
1984 roster
1. Danny Miller 2. Rich Hendley 3. Brian Franco 5. Jeff Brockhaus 8. Jeff Pierce 9. Ken Hobart 14. Ben Bennett 14. Ron Rice 15. Robbie Mahfouz 16. Buck Belue 17. Matt Robinson 20. Billy Cesare 21. Willie McClendon 22. Kevin Gray 23. Kerry Baird 23. Donald Dykes 24. Marvin Lewis 25. Charlie Dean 26. Chester Gee 27. Michael Whiting 28. Matt Courtney 32. Larry Mason 33. Vaughan Johnson 35. John Lott 44. Larry Key 44. Bobby Hosea 45. Mike Goedeker 46. Don Bessillieu 47. Sammy Brown 50. John McLean 51. Dave Otey 52. Tom Dinkel 53. Fernando Jackson 55. Carl Qualls 55. Dann Lute 56. Rufus Norman 56. Doug West 57. Greg Zappala 58. Andy Hendel 59. Russ Washington 60. Gary Anderson 63. Nat Hudson 64. Kenny Howell 65. Wally Pesuit 66. George Collins 67. Warren Gray 69. Rush Brown 70. Val Brown 72. Don Latimer 73. Ed Gantner 75. Bob Gruber 77. Chris Wampler 78. Brian Douglas 80. Gary Clark 82. Wyatt Henderson 83. Aubrey Matthews 84. Paul Bergmann 85. Perry Kemp 87. Chuck McCurley 88. Robert Young 89. Alton Alexis 91. Phil Dokes 92. George Atiyeh 92. Marvin Dyett 95. Mike Raines 97. Charles Philyaw 98. Bob Clasby 99. Joe Costello --. Amos Lawrence --. Dan Gooch Charles R. Hunsicker Jr. – Team Chaplain
Offseason
The offseason saw the addition of former NFL MVP QB Brian Sipe to take over as triggerman of Coach Lindy Infante's high octane passing scheme as well as former Heisman Trophy winning HB Mike Rozier.
1985 season
While Sipe only threw 89 passes before suffering a career-ending injury, an improved defense and the addition of Rozier resulted in a 9-9 record. The Bulls finished one win short of a playoff spot and led the league in attendance again.
1985 schedule and results
Sources
Demise
The Bulls were one of the seven teams assured of playing the 1986 USFL season, which would have been played in the autumn. The Bulls had bought the football assets of the Denver Gold during the offseason and were to take on much of that team's staff, including head coachMouse Davis. The USFL itself was pursuing a large antitrust lawsuit against the NFL at the time; when they failed to secure a sizable judgment against the older league, the USFL suspended operations and eventually folded.
Legacy
Despite never posting a winning record, the Bulls were considered to be one of the stronger USFL franchises — indeed, one of the few USFL teams with the potential to be viable had the league been better run. Owner Fred Bullard was determined from the beginning to put together a strong organization on and off the field. Many experts believe that had it not been for the Bulls' success, the NFL would not have considered awarding the Jacksonville Jaguars to the city in 1995. In 1987 the Houston Oilers nearly moved to Jacksonville, in part due to the overwhelming support for the Bulls.
