Dan Fike Game-Worn Jersey #73 USFL Tampa Bay Bandits 1984 COA 100% Authentic

Presented is a rare 1984 USFL Tampa Bay Bandits game worn jersey. It was worn by Dan Fike.  Fike wore the offered [size] “L” Champion jersey during his USFL tenure dating it to 1984. It is a red portal fishnet main body, the craze among jerseys of the mid ’80s. Both sleeve ends are custom hemmed.   The red mesh jersey has Fike’s number “73” in white with black outline on the front and back, as well as smaller versions on each shoulder. The Bandits logo is pressed into each sleeve. “FIKE” in white tackle twill on nameplate adorns the back.  The jersey exhibits an incredible amount of wear with well worn identifiers.

The Tampa Bay Bandits were the Tampa franchise of the USFL. While they were owned by Canadian businessman John Bassett, actor and former Florida State player Burt Reynolds bought in as a minority owner and became a big part of the team’s marketing. Though most fans assumed the ‘Bandits’ name was a reference to Reynolds’ popular movie franchise, Bassett said he’d named the team after his granddaughter’s dog.

Helping the team’s popularity was another local star, Steve Spurrier. The Florida star’s up-tempo, aggressive offense – which earned the nickname Bandit Ball – was usually among the best in the league. On the field, the Bandits went 11-7, 14-4, and 10-8. The team made the playoffs in two of their three seasons and played an exhibition game in London in 1984.

After graduating from Florida, Dan Fike was selected in the 1983 USFL Territorial Draft by the Tampa Bay Bandits. The New York Jets selected Fike in the tenth round (274th pick overall) of the 1983 NFL draft,. After being cut from the NFL’s New York Jets, he signed with the Tampa Bay Bandits on November 13, 1984, and played two seasons as their left tackle starting all 36 regular season games and two playoff from 1984 to 1985.