Michigan Panthers Team History
The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 through 1984.
Established
1983
City
Pontiac – Oakland
League History
1983 – 1985 United States Football League
Nickname
Panthers – A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any Panthera species.
Team History
1983 – 1985 Oakland Invaders
1983 – 1984 Michigan Panthers
Original USFL Team
Yes
Final USFL Team
No
Team’s Final Outlook
After the merger between the Oakland Invaders and the Oklahoma Outlaws collapsed, Taubman quietly approached Invaders owner Tad Taube about a possible merger with his Panthers.
Championship
USFL Championship 1
1983
Stadium
1983 – 1985 Oakland – Alameda County Coliseum
*Michigan*
1983 – 1984 Pontiac Silverdome
Owner
1985 A. Alfred Taubman and Tad Taube
1983 – 1984 Tad Taube
*Michigan*
1983 – 1984 A. Alfred Taubman
Coaches
1985 Charlie Sumner(15 wins – 5 losses – 1 tie)
1984 Chuck Hutchison (7 wins – 8 losses)
1983 – 1984 John Ralston (9 wins – 12 losses)
*Michigan*
1983 – 1984 Jim Stanley (24 wins – 15 losses)
Accomplishments
1985 USFL Championship Game (vs Baltimore Stars 24 – 28)
1983 USFL Champions (vs Philadelphia Stars 24 – 22)
1985 Conference Champions (vs Memphis Showboats 28 – 19)
1985 Division Champions (vs Tampa Bay Bandits 30 – 27)
1984 Division Championship Game (vs Los Angeles Express 21 – 27 OT)
1983 Division Champions (vs Oakland Invaders 37 – 21)
Averaged 31,211 in 1983, 23,644 in 1984 and 17,509 in 1985 (56,057 seat stadium)
*Blue is this team’s history