Philadelphia Stars Team History
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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.
Image courtesy of Philadelphia Stars USFL -
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.