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Birmingham Stallions Team Formation
The owner was Cincinnati financier and Birmingham native Marvin Warner. The team’s coach was Rollie Dotsch, who was previously an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers during its Super Bowl years and ended up with the second most wins in USFL history. The Stallions starting QB in 1984 & 1985 was Cliff Stoudt, a long-time backup to Terry Bradshaw with the Steelers. Stoudt had finally taken over for the injured Bradshaw in 1983 and had played very well for the first half of the season, but his game fell apart in the second half of the season leading Steeler fans to harshly turn on him. After the season, Stoudt quickly decided it wasn’t worth staying in Pittsburgh and signed with the Stallions. (Amusingly, the expansion Pittsburgh Maulers’ lone sellout was the game where Cliff Stoudt returned to Pittsburgh. Steeler fans pelted the hated Stoudt with snowballs throughout the game, but Stoudt and Birmingham won, 30-18.)
The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their home games at Birmingham, Alabama’s Legion Field. They competed in all three USFL seasons, 1983–1985. During their run, they were one of the USFL’s more popular teams, and seemed to have a realistic chance of being a viable venture had the USFL been better run.
Established
1983
City
Birmingham
League History
1983 – 1986 / United States Football League
Team History
1983 – 1985 / Birmingham Stallions
Nickname
Stallions – A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated).
Original USFL Team
Yes
Final USFL Team
Yes
Team’s Final Outlook
The USFL planned to play its 1986 schedule in the fall, directly opposite the NFL, thanks mostly to Donald Trump’s strong advocacy of direct competition with the older, established league.
Championship
USFL Championship 0
Stadium
1983 – 1985 / Legion Field
Owner
1983 – 1986 / Marvin L. Warner
Coaches
1983 – 1985 / Rollie Dotsch (38 wins – 18 losses)
Accomplishments
1985 / Conference Championship Game (vs Baltimore Stars 14 – 28)
1984 / Conference Championship Game (vs Philadelphia Stars 10 – 20)
1985 / Division Champions (vs Houston Gamblers 22 – 20)
1984 / Division Champions (vs Tampa Bay Bandits 36 – 17)
Averaged 22,046 in 1983, 36,850 in 1984 and 32,065 in 1985 (71,594 seat stadium)
*Blue is this team’s history