Maurice Carthon came to the USFL out of Arkansas State, where they ran the wishbone offense. “The USFL gave me the opportunity to work on the skills that I didn’t have as a pass receiver and blocker,” Carthon said. The bruising fullback also had interest from the Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys before he decided to join Herschel Walker in the backfield in New Jersey.

Despite New Jersey's failures on the field with a 6-12 record in 1983, there was plenty of attention given to the Heisman Trophy winner Walker. “He was the first big-name guy that gave the league credibility,’ Carthon said in February 2006.  “I remember when the helicopter came and whisked him away to press conferences.”

For a city as big as New York, Carthon wasn't overwhelmed by the media. “It wasn’t too bad,” he said. “We were second-class citizens in New York – behind the Giants and Jets, even though they were struggling at the time.” Both the Giants and Jets had losing records in ’83.

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Giants All Pro middle linebacker Harry Carson got a nasty taste of what the best running back from the USFL was all about. “I remember him [Walker] running over Harry Carson and knocking him on his back,” Carthon said, with a snickering laugh. “Harry came over to me and said, ‘How come you didn’t tell me he was like that.’ I said, ‘You all were taking him for granted. When he wants to bring it, he can.’ He’s the only person I ever saw do Harry like that.”