It was the offseason for the now-defunct United States Football League and the draft was approaching when Donald Trump, the New Jersey Generals’ owner, met with head coach Walt Michaels to discuss their plans for the roster. They had decided they needed a new quarterback to breathe life into their offense, and now they were arguing over which one to target.
Michaels, with his old-school mentality, wanted Randall Cunningham from UNLV. Cunningham looked like a prototypical quarterback, tall and lean, and Michaels liked how he threw the deep ball. Plus, he would be the best punter in the league.
But Trump wanted Doug Flutie, the Heisman Trophy winner from Boston College. Flutie was arguably the most famous college player in the country, thanks in part to his memorable Hail Mary pass to beat Miami. Trump felt Flutie was more exciting, more marketable, a star in the making. They picked Flutie.
Cunningham became one of football’s first successful dual-threat quarterbacks and had a lengthy NFL career. The USFL folded in a 1985 and Trump went on to make a fortune in business.
Trump is now running for president. Cunningham lives in Las Vegas, where he coaches the football team Silverado High School and his daughter, Vashti, who qualified as a high jumper for the summer’s Rio Olympics.
Click here for the full story from Sports Illustrated’s Monday Morning Quarterback.
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