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Stars Team Formation
On May 11, 1982, the announcement of the USFL was officially made by league owner and antique dealer, David Dixon. The league’s Philadelphia team (later named as the Stars) would be owned by Myles H. Tanenbaum. George Perles was originally named as the team’s head coach in July 1982. Perles, previously an assistant coach for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, never coached a game for the Stars, opting to take the head coach position for Michigan State instead. On January 15, 1983, the Stars hired Jim Mora to be their head coach.
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Relocate to Baltimore
The league’s owners, led by Donald Trump of the New Jersey Generals, voted to move play to the fall following the 1985 season. The Stars quickly realized they could not compete with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. Years later, Tanenbaum said that if he had stayed in Philadelphia, they would have had to start the season on an extended road trip due to MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies sharing Veterans Stadium as well. Had the Phillies advanced to the World Series, the Stars would not be able to play a home game until November at the earliest. With no other stadium in the Philadelphia area suitable even for temporary use, Tanenbaum moved the team to Baltimore, which was still smarting from the loss of the NFL Colts three years earlier.
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1984 USFL Champs
The Stars remained in Philadelphia for the 1984 season but were forced to relocate their post-season home games to Franklin Field due to a conflict with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Stars roared through the regular season with the league best 16–2 (.889) record, and routed George Allen’s Arizona Wranglers, 23–3 for the league title in Florida at Tampa Stadium on July 15. It was the last traditional professional football championship for the city of Philadelphia until the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII victory at the end of the 2017 season, and its first since the 1960 NFL championship. The Stars were also becoming increasingly popular amongst fans, as average home attendance jumped from approximately 18,000 in 1983 to 28,000 in 1984.
The Philadelphia Stars were a professional American football team which played in the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s.
Established
1983
City
Philadelphia – Baltimore
League History
1983 – 1986 / United States Football League
Team History
1985 / Baltimore Stars
1983 – 1984 / Philadelphia Stars
Nickname
Stars – A fixed luminous point in the night sky that is a large, remote incandescent body like the sun.
Original USFL Team
Yes
Final USFL Team
No
Team’s Final Outlook
Although the Stars had a strong following, Tanenbaum knew he couldn’t hope to compete with the Philadelphia Eagles and moved the team to Baltimore. Unfortunately, he was unable to get a lease for Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. As a condition of the settlement between the city and the NFL’s Colts after the Colts moved to Indianapolis, no pro football team could play at Memorial Stadium until 1986.
Championship
USFL Championship 1
1985, 1984
Stadium
1985 / Byrd Stadium
*Philadelphia*
1984 Post Season / Franklin Field
1983 – 1984 / Veterans Stadium
Owner
1983 – 1986 / Myles Tanenbaum
Coaches
1983 – 1985 / Jim Mora (48 wins – 13 losses – 1 tie)
Accomplishments
1985 / USFL Championship (vs Oakland Invaders 28 – 24)
1984 / USFL Championship (vs Arizona Wranglers 23 – 3)
1983 / USFL Championship Game (vs Michigan Panthers 22 – 24)
1985 / Conference Champions (vs Birmingham Stallions 28 – 14)
1984 / Conference Champions (vs Birmingham Stallions 20 – 10)
1985 / Divisional Champions (vs New Jersey Generals 20 – 17)
1984 / Divisional Champions (vs New Jersey Generals 28 – 7)
1983 / Divisional Champions (vs Chicago Blitz 44 – 38 OT)
Averaged 14,275 fans (34,680 seat stadium)
*Blue is this team’s history