246: The Pittsburgh Maulers - With Tom Rooney

As we continue to debate the general wisdom of resurrecting the intellectual property of the original short-lived 1980s version of the United States Football League - as well as question the viability of launching yet another spring pro football circuit - our attention this week turns to one of the eight chosen "franchises" for the new USFL launching this April.   Of course, memorably well-supported originals like the Tampa Bay Bandits, New Jersey Generals, Birmingham Stallions, and the only two clubs to ever win USFL championships - the Stars (once in Philadelphia, once in Baltimore) and the Michigan Panthers - make some semblance of sense.   But the lamentable one-year Pittsburgh Maulers?   Longtime sports promotions executive Tom Rooney - nephew of famed Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, and former Maulers front office executive - joins for a nostalgic trip back to Three Rivers Stadium ("One and Dumb: The Story of the Maulers" from Three Rivers Stadium: A Confluence of Champions) and shares just why this mostly forgotten team from 1984 just might be worth bringing back to life.