# Playing in multiple competitor leagues to NFL

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-in-multiple-competitor-leagues-to-nfl/689203>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [May 24, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-in-multiple-competitor-leagues-to-nfl/689203 "2014-05-24T19:15:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-in-multiple-competitor-leagues-to-nfl/689203/1 "2014-05-24T19:15:17Z")

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Did any player play in more than 1 of the upstart leagues?

League name and dates of operation

AAFC (1946-49)  
AFL (1960-69)  
WFL (1973-75)  
USFL (1983-85)

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-in-multiple-competitor-leagues-to-nfl/689203/2 "2014-05-24T20:15:00Z")

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At the same time? No.

Of course lots of people transferred to the NFL once the USFL folded. A friend of mine played for the LA Express and the Raiders.

The AFL was folded into the NFL so entire teams played in both.

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**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-in-multiple-competitor-leagues-to-nfl/689203/3 "2014-05-24T20:18:04Z")

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Obviously I didn’t mean simultaneously. I also mean pre-merger AFL. My question doesn’t involve the NFL, just the would-be competitors.

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-in-multiple-competitor-leagues-to-nfl/689203/4 "2014-05-24T20:19:51Z")

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> [@etv78](#):
>
> Obviously I didn’t mean simultaneously. I also mean pre-merger AFL. My question doesn’t involve the NFL, just the would-be competitors.

Yes. I see that now. My apologies.

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-in-multiple-competitor-leagues-to-nfl/689203/5 "2014-05-24T20:31:01Z")

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Don Maynard played in the AFL, the CFL, the NFL, and the WFL. Anthony Davis played in the CFL, the NFL, the USFL, and the WFL.

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**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-in-multiple-competitor-leagues-to-nfl/689203/6 "2014-05-24T20:34:24Z")

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Very cool Nemo. Assume Davis is the USC back who lit up Notre Dame. Because of the different rules/field, I wasn’t counting the CFL.