USFL Forever: USFL 1985-Week 3-Baltimore Stars @ Memphis Showboats: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

I just looked it up and the Baltimore Stars were 10-7-1 in 1985 and yet they won the USFL Championship that season. Not exactly a great record for a championship team. That would be like a 9-7 record in the NFL. Teams with records like that generally barely make the playoffs and don’t do much in the playoffs, or just miss the playoffs. But generally don’t go all the way. But if you listen to the commentary of this game, they are talking about after the first two games of the season, the Stars were still winless. And turning the ball over a lot and not scoring touchdowns in the red zone.

The Memphis Showboats were 11-7 in 1985 and also made the playoffs, but didn’t go very far. Solid record with a solid team, but not exactly championship material as their record would indicate. A defensive oriented running team, that played fairly conservatively on offense. The Stars were fairly similar in style, but with a better quarterback in Chuck Fusina, a better passing game and a great running back in Kelvin Bryant. Who would go on to the NFL with the Redskins. And be a major factor in the 1987 Redskins Super Bowl Championship team. So this was a very good matchup with two very tough teams with very good defenses.

USFL Forever: USFL 1983-Week 1-Chicago Blitz @ Washington Federals: Full Game

Source:Real Life Journal 

The old United States Football League even though they had a good product as far as their quality of talent and coaching with a lot of those people more than capable of succeeding in the NFL which a lot of them did like QB Jim Kelly, QB Steve Young, QB Doug Williams, QB Bobby Hebert. RB Hershel Walker, RB Mike Rozier, WR Rickey Sanders, DE Reggie White and many others. The USFL made two crucial mistakes early on.

Expanding way too fast. They had eighteen franchises in their three years, whereas the old American Football League finished out with ten franchises before they merged with the NFL in 1970 and the rest is history. But the USFL moved way too fast decided to compete with the NFL by 1985 their third season moving their games from the spring to the fall with the NFL and also expanding into NFL markets. Like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Tampa, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Denver going head-to-head with these established franchises.

And the people in these markets weren't going support teams they weren't familiar with especially if they love their NFL team. So the USFL was invading NFL territory and got kicked out by the NFL and as a result went out of business even though they had a product that was good enough to keep them in business today. Because they had the money and ability to attract NFL caliber talent.

The Washington Federals are the perfect example of this, not only competing with the Redskins directly and play at their stadium RFK, but they were competing with at the time one of the best franchises in the NFL that had just won Super Bowl 17. And won back-to-back NFC Championships and were in contention to win another division, conference and Super Bowl Championship. I know this because I'm a football junky and of course a die hard Redskin fan since 1982. And unfortunately got to see a few Federal games and not only were they competing with the Redskins for fan support and revenue.

But the Federals were lousy perhaps the worst team in the USFL for all three seasons. So you had one of the best teams in the NFL at the time in the Redskins, competing with one of the worst teams in the USFL the Federals. The Federals an expansion franchise in a brand new pro football league, going up against one of the best franchises in the NFL. In the best pro football league in the world, as well as one of the best pro sports leagues in the world in the same market. A very big market where there are plenty of other things to do, playing in the same stadium. 

The Washington Federals represent exactly what was wrong with the USFL, with their ugly green an white uniforms looking more like the Philadelphia Eagles than a Washington sports franchise.  And to top all of that off, being one of the worst teams in the league for all three seasons. And represent one reason why the USFL went out of business after just three years.

USFL Forever-ABC Sports: USFL 1984- Western Conference Final- Los Angeles Express @ Phoenix Wranglers: Full Game

Source:USFL Forever

The problems with the United States Football League had nothing to do with lack of talent either with player personal or coaching. The Los Angeles Express QB was Steve Young who of course is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Phoenix Wranglers head coach was George Allen who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Express head coach was John Hadl who is at least a borderline Hall of Fame caliber QB with the San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams.

The problems with the USFL had to with the league trying to grow too fast being at eighteen clubs by 1985 just their third season. Too many clubs in major NFL markets like Los Angeles with the Express that already had the Raiders in Los Angeles and the Rams in Anaheim. And of course moving from a spring/summer league which was perfect for them with no NFL games to go up against. To playing in the fall where they are right up against the NFL.

XFL 2001: XFL 2001-Week 2-Las Vegas Outlaws @ Memphis Maniax: Full Game

Well I’ll give the Xtreme Football League as it was called not my name for it, but what they called it credit for a few things actually. But the first one not being their best credit. Is that combining pro football that is major league football NFL talent all over the XFL with pro wrestling was an interesting concept. But something that will probably never be done again for good reason. World Wrestling Entertainment Vince McMahon’s company are the people who produced this league and the games.

The XFL didn’t die after one season because they lacked talent or didn’t have the right coaching or anything really having to do with football. The XFL died because it was run by WWE. And having WWE personalities all over the league and turned the XFL in not so much a pro football league. But a celebrity reality show that was designed to look like a concert or a show and not football games. Which is not what football fans want to see which is football.

If you are familiar with the WWE and what they do and then watch a XFL game, the only thing that is different about either show is that instead of watching pro wrestling you are watching what is supposed to be pro football. But with all of these wrestling personalities involved in the production. And their little wrestling segments involved in the programs as well. Instead of seeing a serious pro football game and show that is only about pro football.

USFL Forever: USFL 1983-Week 6-Oakland Invaders @ Boston Breakers: Full Game

A crowd of less than eight-thousand at a major league pro football game. I guess the USFL was slow to catch on Boston which is too bad. Because the USFL had very good teams in it and a lot of NFL caliber players. Of course the weather looked horrible for this game. Which isn’t uncommon in Boston in early spring. But the Breakers were one of the USFL franchises that relocated and ended up in Portland in 1984 or 85. Boston was one of the mistakes if the USFL. Their idea that the USFL could take on the NFL in their own markets was one of their fatal errors. Oakland was one of their good moves, because Oakland is crazy for major league pro football. And the Raiders had just moved to Los Angeles in 1982. So the USFL going to Oakland was perfect timing on their part.

The USFL History: USFL 1985- USFL Championship-Oakland Invaders vs. Baltimore Stars: Full Game

Source:The USFL History- with the 1985 USFL Championship.

"July 14, 1985 - Giants Stadium - East Rutherford, New Jersey

Quarterfinals

BIRMINGHAM 22, Houston 20

MEMPHIS 48, Denver 7

OAKLAND 30, Tampa Bay 27

Baltimore 20, NEW JERSEY 17

Semifinals

Baltimore 28, BIRMINGHAM 14

Oakland 28, MEMPHIS 19" 

From The USFL History 

Baltimore the only city to win the Super Bowl, 1970, 2000 and 2012, the USFL Championship in 1985 and the CFL Grey Cup in 1995. And the Baltimore Colts won the NFL Championship in 1958 and 59 before that game was called the Super Bowl. So this is a big city with a great American pro football history, with a bunch of championships as well as playing in a lot of championship games. And some of the best American pro football fans in the world.

The USFL didn’t fold because of lack of support, or lack of good players, or lack of coaching, or lack of quality play. They folded because of lack of management in the league administration and how their clubs were run. Had they stayed in the spring and summer and stayed out of NFL markets, they could very well still be in business today.

The perfect example of the lack of quality management in the USFL, had to do with the so-called Baltimore Stars. As ABC Sports announcer Keith Jackson said, the Baltimore Stars is a bit of a misnomer since the Stars never even played a single game in the City of Baltimore. They didn't even play a game in Baltimore County for that matter.  

The Stars moved to College Park, Maryland in 1985 and played their home games at Byrd Stadium there and called themselves the Baltimore Stars for the 1985 USFL season, before having a stadium agreement with the City of Baltimore, because the USFL was a spring league and the Orioles obviously play baseball in the spring and Baltimore Memorial Stadium was their home. 

With even decent management, the Stars wouldn't have even tried to move to Baltimore,  without a new stadium agreement in Baltimore, whether it was either at Baltimore Memorial, or another stadium there. And even if the Stars tried to move under those circumstances, that USFL shouldn't have let the Stars move from Philadelphia and let them call themselves the Baltimore Stars, when they don't even play in the Baltimore area, let alone in Baltimore. College Park, Maryland, is part of the Washington area, not Baltimore. 

As far as this game, definitely the two best, all around teams, in the USFL in 1985 and both had a lot of NFL quality talent on their clubs. Which is why ABC Sports showed this game and it was an excellent championship game.

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USFL Forever: USFL 1985- Week 8: Oakland Invaders @ Birmingham Stallions: Full Game

Source:USFL Forever- the Invaders and Stallions from 1985.

“The Stallions are often cited as being one of the league’s most loved and best supported teams. In 1984 and 1985 they also were one of the best teams in the USFL. The city of Birmingham even bailed the team out of financial trouble with a $1 million loan during the 1985 season when owner Marvin Warner, a former U.S. ambassador, went through some legal problems.

On this night against the Invaders Joe Cribbs gained a season-high 94 yards and Birmingham’s defense had five sacks and two interceptions as the Stallions defeated Oakland 20-17.

The victory put Birmingham atop the United States Football League’s Eastern Conference at 6-2. Second place Tampa Bay, at 5-2. Oakland fell to 4-3-1 and to fourth place in the Western Conference.

Birmingham drove 79 and 63 yards on its first two possessions, capped by scoring runs of 9 yards by Cribbs and 8 yards by quarterback Cliff Stoudt, who injured an elbow on the run and later had to leave the game.

Danny Miller added field goals of 48 and 31 yards for Birmingham.

Oakland’s Bobby Hebert hit Anthony Carter on a 24-yard toss to the 2 and John Williams carried it across early in the second quarter to make it 14-7.

Novo Bojovic got a 27-yard field goal for the Invaders in the third period, and with 20 seconds left in the game, Hebert hit Carter on a 3-yard scoring pass.

Birmingham sacked Hebert for a total of 41 yards, and Clanton got his second interception in the final quarter. Hebert finished with 17 completions on 30 passes for 192 yards.”  

From USFL Forever 

Stallions quarterback Cliff Stoudt was Terry Bradshaw’s backup for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Just another example the fact that the USFL was major league football. Not a league of career cab drivers, food service workers, or construction workers living out their dreams as pro football players. But guys who not only went to college, but played major college football and at major college football programs. And then were either drafted in the NFL or USFL and played there and in many cases played in both leagues. When perhaps they weren’t given the opportunity to actually play in the NFL and not just sit on the bench. And the Oakland Invaders and Birmingham Stallions were two of the best franchises in the USFL. 

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ABC Sports: USLF 1985- Semifinal Playoff- Baltimore Stars @ Birmingham Stallions: Full game

Source:ABC Sports- Birmingham Legion Field, home of the Birmingham Stallions.

"A rematch of the 1984 Semi-Final Playoff only this time the game is played in Birmingham. The Stallions 13-5 record was the second best record in the USFL in 1985. Only the Oakland Invaders 13-4-1 had a better record. The Stars record of 10-7-1 was embarrassing to this premier franchise and they were out to prove that they were still the same team that went 29-6 in the previous two seasons, The winner faces the Oakland Invaders in the Championship Game

NOTE: I don't own or claim to own the copyright(s) associated with this video; absolutely NO copyright infringement is intended!" 

From Signman 2710 

Baltimore is the only city that has won the NFL Championship including three Super Bowls, the CFL Championship the Grey Cup and the USFL Championship in 1985. 

Baltimore is a crazy football city as far as how much they love pro football, that only lost the Colts because of the poor Colts management under Bob Irsay and that they weren’t given enough time to replace Baltimore Memorial Stadium and build a new stadium for the Colts. Or the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland failed to make that happen.  

Baltimore did not lose the Colts because they longer wanted NFL football and no longer wanted the Colts. And you can give me the poor attendance figures of the Colts the last few seasons all you want.  The fact is that the Colts were one of the worst franchises in the NFL in the early 1980s under Irsay and company. And that is what Indianapolis got in 1984 and what Colts fans were not going to support and subsidize. 

Baltimore thanks to the USFL and later the CFL proved that it was a major league pro football city and market, even with the Redskins 40 miles south in Washington and the Eagles 90 miles north in Philadelphia. So every pro football man in Baltimore and the greater state of Maryland, should thank of the USFL and CFL for those opportunities. 

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ESPN: USFL 1985- Los Angeles Express @ Oakland Invaders: Full Game

Source:ESPN- Oakland Invaders QB Bobby Hebert.

“I was lucky enough to attend the earlier game in 1985 between these two teams in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for me that game does not seem to exist anywhere, If anybody ever runs into a copy of that game (1985 Oakland @ Los Angeles) Please, Please let me know…Thanks 

NOTE: I don’t own or claim to own the copyright(s) associated with this video; absolutely NO copyright infringement is intended!” 

From Singman 2710 

The old Oakland Coliseum was a strange place for football. Because it was basically a baseball park that was renovated so the Raiders could play football there. And then later so the Invaders could play football there as well. But the old Oakland Coliseum was much better suited for baseball than football and had a better baseball feel. 

The Oakland Coliseum looked strange for football, because the Invaders played during the baseball season when the Athletics were playing. And you had the outfield seats of the baseball park essentially on the sidelines of the football field. 

The Coliseum was an open air ballpark before the Raiders came back in 1985. Which meant the outfield was a single deck. Most football stadiums the sidelines have multiple decks, because those are where the best seats are for the game. And teams want to be able to seat as many people there as possible. 

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USFL Forever: USFL 1983-Week 1-New Jersey Generals @ Los Angeles Express: Full Game

Source:Real Life Journal

I can see why ABC Sports and the USFL would want New Jersey and Los Angeles for their week 1 matchup on ABC. The biggest markets in America in Los Angeles and New York/North Jersey. And try to get a big week one TV rating from this game. And maybe they did, but the New Jersey Generals were 6-12 in 83 and were much better in 84 and 85, but they were a bad team in 83, at least as far as what they showed. And the Los Angeles Express were 8-10 a mediocre team that again were better in 84 and 85.

I think what is rememberable about this game is that it was Generals running back Herschel Walker’s first professional football game. No question the best college running back in 1982 and instead of playing in the NFL, he ends up in the USFL because he lost his college eligibility for speaking to pro agents too soon. Either a bad rule or big mistake on Herschel’s part. Because had Herschel played his whole career in the NFL, we are talking about a guaranteed first ballot hall of famer. But that is how good the USFL was as far as the talent that they had and the players they brought in.

ESPN: CFL 1995-Grey Cup-Baltimore Stallions vs. Calgary Stampeders: Highlights

Source:FreeState Now

When the Colts left Baltimore in 1984, Baltimore went out of its way to land a new NFL franchise, including landing the Stars of the USFL in 1984 who played two seasons there before the USFL folded in 1986.  After that Baltimore hosted NFL Preseason games at Baltimore Memorial Stadium, nicknamed, and for good reason, the "Outdoor Insane Asylum" because of the crazy fan atmosphere it had for sporting events.

And then Baltimore applied for an NFL expansion franchise in 1993 but was turned down and lost out to Charlotte and Jacksonville and then struck gold in 1994 when they landed a CFL franchise, the Stallions, that were around for two seasons, 1994-95.  It was two of the greatest two seasons that pro-football franchise had, especially for an expansion franchise, winning two Eastern Conference Championships, playing in two Grey Cup Finals, and winning the Grey Cup in 1995 and barely losing in 1994 to a very good Vancouver Lions team in Vancouver and then beating a very good Calgary Stampeders led by QB a Doug Flutie team in 1995 in Regina. I saw both games on ESPN.  They could've easily won both games, but in 1994 they lost on a last second field goal by Louis Pasiglia  The Stallions had two very good teams in their only two seasons.

But the Stallions were also very well managed, led by their General Partner Jim Speros, a native Marylander who understood Maryland and the City of Baltimore and how passionate they were for pro-football and how much they wanted it back as well as how much they missed the Colts and how much they wanted another pro-football franchise. Speros marketed his club very well and they played at Memorial Stadium, which has a great fan atmosphere.

For both football and baseball with the Orioles, he hired Don Matthews as his head coach/general manager, who had a long successful history in the CFL.  I believe he's in the Hall of Fame winning multiple Grey Cups, and they put two very good teams together, signing players, not based on how good they would be in the NFL, but on how well they would play in the CFL, such as QB Tracy Ham, RB Mike Pringle, WR Chris Armstrong, LB OG Brigance, and others.

And that's why they were so successful so early, because they had a team that had already been successful in the CFL and knew how to play the CFL brand of football, which is different from the NFL.  Without the Stallions and all the success they had and how well Baltimore and Maryland supported their new team by leading the CFL in attendance both seasons, Baltimore probably doesn't land the Ravens in 1995.

The Stallions proved to the NFL that they can support a major league pro-football franchise by how they supported the Stallions, even though Baltimore is only 40 miles from Washington with the Redskins and 90 miles from Philadelphia.  Baltimore could support its own NFL franchise and have the Stallions to thank for that.