MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Pepper Rodgers, in his second year as a pro coach after 13 seasons at the college level, would say his Memphis Showboats are coming off a good recruiting year.
After a 7-11 season as an expansion team, Memphis owner William Dunavant went out and acquired running backs Tim Spencer and Harry Sydney, linebacker John Corker, offensive guard John McGriff, highly-regarded rookie cornerbacks Mossy Cade and Leonard Coleman and kick-return specialist Henry Williams.
The Showboats also have a new general manager in Steve Ehrhart, who was the league's director of administration last year. The new faces join second-year quarterback Walter Lewis, who is recovered from surgery on his right hand to repair tendon damage to his middle finger.
Spencer, obtained in the allocation draft from the Arizona Outlaws, led the Western Conference with 1,212 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns last year. He has a two-season United States Football League total of 2,369 yards on the ground. Sydney ran for 961 yards and 10 TDs with the Denver Gold in 1984.
Corker amassed 36 sacks in two seasons with the Michigan Panthers, and was voted the league's top defensive player in 1983. McGriff was a teammate of Corker's on the USFL's first championship team after spending three years with the Pittsburgh Stealers.
Cornerbacks Cade and Coleman were both selected in the first round of the NFL draft last year. Cade, from Texas, was the sixth pick overall by the San Diego Chargers and Coleman was selected eighth out of Vanderbilt by the Colts.
Williams, a rookie from East Carolina, led the nation in kickoff returns in 1983.
Dunavant, who pledged to spend between $12-$15 million over four years, expects his new faces to blend with a decent nucleus from 1984 and become contenders in the USFL's Eastern Conference.
Lewis, who signed a 3-year contract worth $1 million out of the University of Alabama last season, passed for 1,862 yards and 15 touchdowns in 13 games before his injury. Mike Kelley stepped in for the final five contests, hitting 82-of-120 passes for 1,014 yards and eight touchdowns.
Wide receiver Derrick Crawford led the USFL in kickoff-return average last year at 26.9 on 46 attempts, including a league-record 97-yard TD. He added a team-leading 63 catches for 703 yards and 12 TDs.
Defensively, the Showboats turn to tackle Reggie White, known as the 'Minister of Defense' during his All-America career at Tennessee. White, the highest paid Showboat with a 5-year, $4-million contract, was credited with 11 sacks in his rookie season.
Inside linebacker Steve Hammond finished 1984 with 131 tackles, three fumble recoveries and one sack.
Barney Bussey, the team's No. 1 draft pick in 1984, will probably move from cornerback to strong safety to make room for Cade and Coleman.
