View source for Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars

{{Short description|Defunct football team in the USFL}}
{{About|the first edition of the USFL|the former USFL team|Philadelphia Stars (2022)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox USFL team
| name = Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars
| current =
| logo = 
| helmet = Philadelphia Baltimore Stars Helmet.gif
| founded = 1982
| folded = 1986
| city = [[Byrd Stadium]]<br>in [[College Park, Maryland]]
| misc = 
| uniform =
| colors = [[Crimson]], [[Old Gold]], [[White]]<br />{{color box|#DC143C}} {{color box|#CFB53B}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}}
| coach = 1983 [[Jim E. Mora|Jim Mora]] {{winning percentage|48|13|1|record=y}}
| owner = Myles Tanenbaum
| chairman =
| president = 
| general manager = 
| mascot =
| nicknames =
| league =
[[United States Football League]] (1983–1985)
* Eastern Conference (1984–1985)
** Atlantic Division (1983–1984)
| team_history =
* Philadelphia Stars (1983–1984)
* Baltimore Stars (1985) 
| no_league_champs = 2
| no_conf_champs = 2
| no_div_champs = 2
| league_champs = [[1984 USFL season|1984]], [[1985 USFL season|1985]]
| conf_champs = 1984, 1985
| div_champs = 1983, 1984
| playoff_appearances = 1983, 1984, 1985
| no_playoff_appearances = 3
| stadium_years =
* [[Veterans Stadium]] (1983–1984)
* [[Franklin Field]]  (1984 postseason)
* [[Byrd Stadium]] (1985)
}}

The '''Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars''' were a professional [[American football]] team which played in the [[United States Football League]] (USFL) in the mid-1980s.  Owned by real-estate magnate Myles Tanenbaum, they were the short-lived league's dominant team, playing in all three championship games and winning the latter two. They played their first two seasons in Philadelphia as the '''Philadelphia Stars''' before relocating to Baltimore, where they played as the '''Baltimore Stars''' for the USFL's final season. Coached by [[Jim E. Mora|Jim Mora]], the Stars won a league-best 41 regular season games and 7 playoff games.

== Founding ==
On May 11, 1982, the announcement of the USFL was officially made by league owner and antique dealer, [[David Dixon (businessman)|David Dixon]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usflsite.com/history.php|title = USFL History - USFL (United States Football League)}}</ref> The league's Philadelphia team would be owned by real estate developer Myles H. Tanenbaum. He had originally wanted to name the team the Stallions in honor of [[Rocky Balboa]], who was nicknamed "The Italian Stallion." However, when the [[Birmingham Stallions|Birmingham entry]] snapped up the Stallions name, Tanenbaum settled on "Stars."<ref name=Reeths/>

[[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 Spartans football|Michigan State]] instead.  On January 15, 1983, the Stars hired Jim Mora to be their head coach.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://usflrevisited.webs.com/phi.htm |title=PHI - United States Football League - Revisited |access-date=2017-05-08 |archive-date=2015-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410034457/http://usflrevisited.webs.com/phi.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==1983 season==
{{main|1983 Philadelphia Stars Season}}
The Stars began in Philadelphia in the USFL's inaugural [[1983 USFL season|1983]] season and played their home games at [[Veterans Stadium]] (the "Vet"). They compiled the league's best regular season record of {{winning percentage|15|3|record=y}}, and advanced to the 1983 USFL championship game. Their "Doghouse Defense" allowed only 204 points in an 18-game season—the least in the history of the league.  The Stars were led by fourth-year quarterback [[Chuck Fusina]] ([[1978 NCAA Division I-A football season#Heisman Trophy|1978]] [[Heisman Trophy]] runner-up), fifth-year wide receiver [[Scott Fitzkee]], rookie halfback [[Kelvin Bryant]] of [[North Carolina Tar Heels football|North Carolina]], rookie offensive tackle [[Irv Eatman]] of [[1982 UCLA Bruins football team|UCLA]], rookie linebacker [[Sam Mills]], and second-year safety [[Scott Woerner]].  The team also featured [[Towson Tigers football|Towson]]'s all-star rookie punter [[Sean Landeta]].  At the conclusion of the regular season, Bryant was named the USFL's Player of the Year by the [[Associated Press]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://usflrevisited.webs.com/standingsawards.htm |title=Standings/Awards - United States Football League - Revisited |access-date=2017-05-08 |archive-date=2015-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428121411/http://usflrevisited.webs.com/standingsawards.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Stars entered the playoffs as the top-seeded team. In the Semi-Finals, the Stars defeated the preseason favorites to win the 1983 title—[[George Allen (American football coach)|George Allen]]'s [[Chicago Blitz]]—by withstanding seven turnovers and erasing a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 44–38 in overtime.<ref name="bhbfopr">{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1983/07/10/page/33/article/blitz-has-big-fall-off-21-point-perch |work=Chicago Tribune |last=Jauss |first=Bill |title=Blitz has big fall off 21-point perch |date=July 10, 1983 |page=1, sec. 3}}</ref><ref name="bssrsincb">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TdcxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=muMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4308%2C5773119 |work=Reading Eagle |location=Pennsylvania|last=Zonca |first=Tony |title=Blitz sees Stars in comeback |date=July 10, 1983 |page=73}}</ref> In the league title game at [[Denver]]'s [[Mile High Stadium]] on July 17, the Stars lost to [[Jim Stanley (American football)|Jim Stanley]]'s [[1983 Michigan Panthers season|Michigan Panthers]], 24–22.<ref name="mhmtitg">{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1983/07/18/page/47/article/michigan-has-magic-touch-in-usfl-title-game |work=Chicago Tribune|last=Jauss |first=Bill|title=Michigan has magic touch in USFL title game |date=July 18, 1983 |page=1, sec. 4}}</ref> Just as they had against the Blitz, the Stars opened the game sluggishly, but finished with a flourish, after allowing the Panthers to carry a 17–3 lead into the fourth quarter.<ref name="afrfttl">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OcAxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SeMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2158%2C4791410 |work=Reading Eagle |location=Pennsylvania |agency=Knight-Ridder |last=Domowitch |first=Paul |title=A final rally for title not in Stars |date=July 18, 1983 |page=17}}</ref><ref name="srap83ti">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Fjo0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=r-4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5117%2C1298192 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |last=Lowitt |first=Bruce |title=Panthers tops stars for crown |date=July 18, 1983|page=13}}</ref> Many observers of the time believed that the Stars, Panthers and Blitz were almost NFL-quality units.

One of the few blemishes on the Stars' first season was the box office. They only attracted 18,650 fans per game. In addition to bad weather, there were lingering memories of a massive gate-papering scandal involving the [[World Football League]]'s [[Philadelphia Bell]] in 1974. The Bell had claimed that a total of over 120,000 fans had attended their first two games, but it subsequently emerged that all but 19,000 of the tickets had been given away for free or for significantly reduced prices.<ref name=Reeths/>

==1983 Philadelphia Stars schedule==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Week
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Day
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Date
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Opponent
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Result
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Record
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| TV
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Venue
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Attendance
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="9" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"|Regular season
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 1
| Sunday
| March 6
| at [[Denver Gold]]
| '''W''' 13–7
| 1–0
| [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
| [[Mile High Stadium]]
| 45,102
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 2
| Sunday
| March 13
| [[1983 New Jersey Generals season|New Jersey Generals]]
| '''W''' 25–0
| 2–0
| ABC
| [[Veterans Stadium]]
| 38,205
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 3
| Monday
| March 21
| at [[Birmingham Stallions]]
| '''W''' 17–10
| 3–0
| [[ESPN]]
| [[Legion Field]]
| 12,850
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 4
| Sunday
| March 27
| [[Tampa Bay Bandits]]
| '''L''' 22–27
| 3–1
| ABC
| Veterans Stadium
| 18,718
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 5
| Sunday
| April 3
| [[1983 Washington Federals season|Washington Federals]]
| '''W''' 34–3
| 4–1
| ABC
| Veterans Stadium
| 14,576
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 6
| Sunday
| April 10
| at [[Los Angeles Express (USFL)|Los Angeles Express]]
| '''W''' 17–3
| 5–1
| 
| [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]]
| 18,671
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 7
| Saturday
| April 16
| at [[Oakland Invaders]]
| '''W''' 17–7
| 6–1
| ESPN
| [[Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum]]
| 34,901
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 8
| Sunday
| April 24
| [[1983 Boston Breakers Season|Boston Breakers]]
| '''W''' 23–16
| 7–1
| ABC
| Veterans Stadium
| 10,257
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 9
| Saturday
| April 30
| at [[Tampa Bay Bandits]]
| '''W''' 24–10
| 8–1
| ESPN
| [[Tampa Stadium]]
| 41,559
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 10
| Sunday
| May 8
| [[Denver Gold]]
| '''W''' 6–3
| 9–1
| ABC
| Veterans Stadium
| 14,306
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 11
| Sunday
| May 15
| [[Chicago Blitz]]
| '''W''' 31–24
| 10–1
| ABC
| Veterans Stadium
| 25,251
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 12
| Sunday
| May 22
| at [[Arizona Wranglers]]
| '''W''' 24–7
| 11–1
|
| [[Sun Devil Stadium]]
| 18,151
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 13
| Sunday
| May 29
| at [[1983 Boston Breakers Season|Boston Breakers]]
| '''L''' 17–21
| 11–2
| ABC
| [[Nickerson Field]]
| 15,668
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 14
| Sunday
| June 5
| [[1983 Michigan Panthers season|Michigan Panthers]]
| '''W''' 29–20
| 12–2
| ABC
| Veterans Stadium
| 19,727
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 15
| Sunday
| June 12
| at [[1983 New Jersey Generals season|New Jersey Generals]]
| '''W''' 23–9
| 13–2
|
| [[Giants Stadium]]
| 32,521
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 16
| Monday
| June 20
| [[Oakland Invaders]]
| '''W''' 12–6
| 14–2
| ESPN
| Veterans Stadium
| 16,933
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 17
| Sunday
| June 26
| [[Birmingham Stallions]]
| '''W''' 31–10
| 15–2
|
| Veterans Stadium
| 17,973
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 18
| Sunday
| July 3
| at [[1983 Washington Federals season|Washington Federals]]
| '''L''' 14–21
| 15–3
|
| [[RFK Stadium]]
| 11,039
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="9" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"|Playoffs
|-style="background:#cfc"
! Divisional<br />Playoff
| Saturday
| July 9
| [[Chicago Blitz]]
| '''W''' 44–38 {{Small|(OT)}}
| —
| [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
| [[Veterans Stadium]]
| 15,686
|-style="background:#fcc"
! USFL<br />Championship
| Sunday
| July 17
| vs. [[1983 Michigan Panthers season|Michigan Panthers]]
| '''L''' 22–24
| —
| ABC
| [[Mile High Stadium]]
| 50,906
|}
Sources<ref>[https://www.statscrew.com/football/results/t-USFLPHI/y-1983 statscrew.com 1983 Philadelphia Stars Game-by-Game Results]</ref><ref>[http://www.usflsite.com/1983season.php usflsite.com 1983 USFL Season]</ref><ref>[https://www.profootballarchives.com/1983usflphi.html profootballarchives.com 1983 Philadelphia Stars (USFL)]</ref>

==1984 season==
The Stars remained in Philadelphia for the [[1984 USFL season|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 {{winning percentage|16|2|record=y}} record, and routed [[George Allen (American football coach)|George Allen]]'s [[Arizona Wranglers]], 23–3 for the league title in [[Florida]] at [[Tampa Stadium]] on July 15.<ref name="ssawrnglr">{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1984/07/16/page/37/article/pro-football |work=Chicago Tribune |last=Jauss |first=Bill |title=Stars strangle Allen's Wranglers |date=July 16, 1984 |page=5, sec. 3}}</ref><ref name="ndsttm">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=q5NYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j-EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6154%2C3779755 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon|agency=Associated Press |title=No denying Stars this time |date=July 16, 1984 |page=1B}}</ref> 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 Game|1960 NFL championship]].  The Stars were also becoming increasingly popular among fans, as average home attendance jumped from approximately 18,000 in 1983 to 28,000 in 1984.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usflsite.com/stars.php|title=Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars - USFL (United States Football League)}}</ref>

After the league championship game, the Stars played a rare post-season exhibition game with Tampa Bay in [[England]] on July 21, and defeated the Bandits 24–21 at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] in [[London]].

==1984 Philadelphia Stars schedule==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Week
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Day
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Date
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Opponent
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Result
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Record
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| TV
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Venue
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Attendance
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="9" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"|Preseason
|-
! 1
| colspan="8" rowspan="2" |Bye
|-
! 2
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 3
| Saturday
| February 11
| vs. [[New Jersey Generals]]
| '''L''' 20–28
| 0–1
|
| [[Deland, Florida]]
| 
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 4
| Saturday
| February 18
| vs. [[Tampa Bay Bandits]]
| '''L''' 17–22
| 0–2
|
| [[Orlando, Florida]]
| 
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="9" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"|Regular season
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 1
| Sunday
| February 26
| at [[Memphis Showboats]]
| '''W''' 17–9
| 1–0
|
| [[Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium]]
| 28,098
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 2
| Sunday
| March 4
| at [[Washington Federals]]
| '''W''' 17–6
| 2–0
|
| [[RFK Stadium]]
| 12,067
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 3
| Sunday
| March 11
| at [[New Jersey Generals]]
| '''L''' 14–17
| 2–1
| [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
| [[Giants Stadium]]
| 46,716
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 4
| Sunday
| March 18
| [[Oakland Invaders]]
| '''W''' 28–7
| 3–1
|
| [[Veterans Stadium]]
| 30,284
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 5
| Saturday
| March 24
| at [[Pittsburgh Maulers (1984)|Pittsburgh Maulers]]
| '''W''' 25–10
| 4–1
| [[ESPN]]
| [[Three Rivers Stadium]]
| 24,341
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 6
| Sunday
| April 1
| [[Tampa Bay Bandits]]
| '''W''' 38–24
| 5–1
| ABC
| Veterans Stadium
| 30,270
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 7
| Sunday
| April 8
| at [[Arizona Wranglers]]
| '''W''' 22–21
| 6–1
| ABC
| [[Sun Devil Stadium]]
| 30,252
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 8
| Sunday
| April 15
| [[Chicago Blitz]]
| '''W''' 41–7
| 7–1
|
| Veterans Stadium
| 17,417
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 9
| Sunday
| April 22
| at [[San Antonio Gunslingers (USFL team)|San Antonio Gunslingers]]
| '''W''' 24–10
| 8–1
| ABC
| [[Alamo Stadium]]
| 16,590
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 10
| Friday
| April 27
| [[New Orleans Breakers (1984)|New Orleans Breakers]]
| '''W''' 35–0
| 9–1
|
| Veterans Stadium
| 34,011
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 11
| Sunday
| May 6
| at [[Birmingham Stallions]]
| '''W''' 43–11
| 10–1
| ABC
| [[Legion Field]]
| 49,500
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 12
| Sunday
| May 13
| [[Los Angeles Express (USFL)|Los Angeles Express]]
| '''W''' 18–14
| 11–1
| ABC
| Veterans Stadium
| 22,391
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 13
| Saturday
| May 19
| [[Jacksonville Bulls]]
| '''W''' 45–12
| 12–1
| ESPN
| Veterans Stadium
| 33,194
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 14
| Sunday
| May 27
| at [[Michigan Panthers]]
| '''W''' 31–13
| 13–1
| ABC
| [[Pontiac Silverdome]]
| 20,387
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 15
| Monday
| June 4
| [[Pittsburgh Maulers (1984)|Pittsburgh Maulers]]
| '''W''' 23–17
| 14–1
| ESPN
| Veterans Stadium
| 30,102
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 16
| Friday
| June 8
| at [[Denver Gold]]
| '''W''' 21–19
| 15–1
|
| [[Mile High Stadium]]
| 30,755
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 17
| Friday
| June 15
| [[Washington Federals]]
| '''W''' 31–8
| 16–1
|
| Veterans Stadium
| 22,582
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 18
| Sunday
| June 24
| [[New Jersey Generals]]
| '''L''' 10–16
| 16–2
| ABC
| Veterans Stadium
| 37,758
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="9" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"|Playoffs
|-style="background:#cfc"
! Divisional<br />Playoff
| Saturday
| June 30
| [[New Jersey Generals]]
| '''W''' 28–7
| —
| [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
| [[Franklin Field]]
| 19,038
|-style="background:#cfc"
! Conference<br />Championship
| Sunday
| July 8
| [[Birmingham Stallions]]
| '''W''' 20–10
| —
| ABC
| [[Franklin Field]]
| 26,616
|-style="background:#cfc"
! USFL<br />Championship
| Sunday
| July 15
| vs. [[Arizona Wranglers]]
| '''W''' 23–3
| —
| ABC
| [[Tampa Stadium]]
| 52,662
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="9" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"|Postseason Exhibition
|-style="background:#cfc"
! Exhibition
| Saturday
| July 21
| vs. [[Tampa Bay Bandits]]
| '''W''' 24–21
| —
| [[ESPN]]
| [[Wembley Stadium]],<br />[[London]], [[England]]
| 21,000
|}
Sources<ref>[https://www.statscrew.com/football/results/t-USFLPHI/y-1984 statscrew.com 1984 Philadelphia Stars Game-by-Game Results]</ref><ref>[http://www.usflsite.com/1984season.php usflsite.com 1984 USFL Season]</ref><ref>[https://www.profootballarchives.com/1984usflphi.html profootballarchives.com 1984 Philadelphia Stars (USFL)]</ref>

==Relocation 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. This put the Stars in a difficult position. Tanenbaum said that the Stars would have had to start the 1986 season on an extended road trip due to the 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.<ref name=Reeths>{{cite book|title=The United States Football League, 1982-1986|last=Reeths|first=Paul|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|date=2017|isbn=978-1476667447}}</ref> Moving full-time to Franklin Field was quickly ruled out due to the [[Penn Quakers football]] team playing there on Saturdays when the USFL had planned to play in the fall. The only other football venue in Philadelphia was [[John F. Kennedy Stadium]], next door to the Vet. However, the 60-year-old stadium was in a poor state of repair after not being well maintained in several years; it would be condemned only four years later. In any case, it seated over 100,000 people, meaning even a decent-sized USFL crowd would have been swallowed up in the environment.

At the time, the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] were in visible distress only five years after making it to the Super Bowl due to Eagles owner [[Leonard Tose]]'s gambling and other debts. The Stars were one of the few USFL teams that had a realistic possibility of forcing their NFL counterparts out of town. At one point, Tose unsuccessfully tried to trade the Eagles for the equally distressed [[Buffalo Bills]] and/or relocate to Arizona. However, officials with the city of Philadelphia had shown clear favoritism to the Eagles despite their financial struggles, scuttling Tose's efforts and securing an agreement to keep the Eagles in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tose's Decision to Stay Put Leaves Arizonans Miffed |work=The Seattle Times |date=December 17, 1984}}</ref>

With no venue in the Delaware Valley suitable even for temporary use, Tanenbaum moved the team to [[Baltimore]], which was still smarting [[Baltimore Colts relocation to Indianapolis|from the loss of the NFL Colts]] in March 1984. Indeed, even as Tanenbaum prepared to move the Stars, the city of Baltimore was attempting to strip the Colts from owner [[Robert Irsay]] via [[eminent domain]].<ref name=Reeths/><ref name="smtbllmtap">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LotfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5C4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=2556%2C519399 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=Idaho |agency=Associated Press |title=Stars move to Baltimore |date=November 2, 1984 |page=3C}}</ref>

It initially appeared that the Stars would be bolstered by a merger with the [[Pittsburgh Maulers (1984)|Pittsburgh Maulers]]. Owner [[Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr.]] had folded the Maulers after just one season because knew he could not even begin to compete with the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]. He agreed to join Tanenbaum as a minority partner, but decided to get out altogether soon afterward.<ref name=Reeths/>

Baltimore welcomed the Stars with open arms. Tanenbaum quickly signed a broadcasting deal with Baltimore's most powerful radio station, [[WBAL (AM)|WBAL]], and built a good relationship with then-mayor [[William Donald Schaefer]]. However, he ran into a problem when he discovered that the Stars could not play at Baltimore's [[Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)|Memorial Stadium]] until 1986 due to objections from the [[Baltimore Orioles]]. Reportedly, Orioles general manager [[Hank Peters]] and manager [[Joe Altobelli]] were concerned about the Stars tearing up the turf, and persuaded owner [[Edward Bennett Williams]] to lock out the Stars.<ref name=Reeths/> With no other stadium in the immediate Baltimore area suitable for temporary use, Tanenbaum was forced to play at the [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]]'s [[Byrd Stadium]] in [[College Park, Maryland|College Park]], {{convert|29|miles}} southwest of Baltimore and a [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] suburb (coincidentally, the Washington USFL franchise, the Federals, moved to Orlando as the [[Orlando Renegades]] the same season).  This was all compounded by the [[Washington Commanders|Washington Redskins]]' success during these years which included playing in the [[Super Bowl]] in January [[Super Bowl XVII|1983]] and [[Super Bowl XVIII|1984]].  Further complicating matters, the team kept its operations in Philadelphia and commuted to College Park for games—effectively consigning the Stars to 18 road games for the league's lame-duck spring season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.phillyhistory.org/blog/index.php/2014/06/the-philadelphia-stars-philadelphias-other-pro-football-team/|title=The Philadelphia Stars: Philadelphia's Other Pro Football Team – PhillyHistory Blog}}</ref>

==1985 season==
At least in part due to all the moving, the Stars initially struggled in 1985, but won nine of their last 13 games to secure a wild-card berth. They did so in front of a mostly empty Byrd Stadium, however. While Baltimore-area fans were happy to see the return of pro football after a two-year absence, they balked at making the 35-minute drive down [[Interstate 95 in Maryland|Interstate 95]] to see the Stars play in College Park. Most were waiting for the team to begin play in the city's venerable Memorial Stadium a year later.

As a result, attendance sagged to the point that the Stars might have lost home-field advantage for the playoffs even with a winning record. [[ESPN on ABC|ABC Sports]], embarrassed at the dwindling attendance from around the league, told Usher it did not want to televise playoff games in near-empty stadiums.  Since ABC had disproportionate influence on league affairs due to the structure of its contract with the USFL, Usher had little choice but to agree.  However, the Stars managed to upend the favored New Jersey Generals and Birmingham Stallions in successive weeks to reach the title game at [[Giants Stadium]] in [[New Jersey]].  Once there, the Stars won the USFL title beating the [[Bobby Hebert]]-led [[Oakland Invaders]], 28–24.<ref name="bhstrs">{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1985/07/15/page/23/article/pro-football |title=Bryant helps Stars keep USFL title|date=July 15, 1985 |page=5, sec. 3}}</ref><ref name="swlusft">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Qw5XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=F-8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6626%2C7588281 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Stars win last spring USFL title |date=July 15, 1985 |page=C1}}</ref> Soon afterward, Tanenbaum sold controlling interest to fellow real estate magnate [[Stephen M. Ross|Stephen Ross]].<ref name=Reeths/>

As it turned out, this was the final USFL game ever played.  On July 29, 1986, a federal grand jury found in favor of the USFL in its antitrust suit against the NFL.  However, the USFL was only awarded $1 in damages, tripled to $3 under antitrust law.<ref name="atvfusfl">{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1986/07/30/page/33/article/a-tough-victory-for-usfl |work=Chicago Tribune |last=Smith |first=Sam |title=A tough victory for USFL |date=July 30, 1986 |page=1, sec. 4}}</ref><ref name="ergthev">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VdxVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tuEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6252%2C7076702 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |agency=wire services |title=The verdict: USFL wins, and loses |date=July 30, 1986 |page=1B}}</ref> The league's abandonment of Philadelphia was a factor in the adverse jury award.  The jury foreman explained that while they agreed the NFL was a monopoly, they could not agree on the size of the award. As a result, the jury misinterpreted the law and decided on the $1 award, feeling it would be changed by the presiding judge.  However, the judge was not able to increase the amount once it was stipulated by the jury. As a result, the league suspended operations a day later, never to return.

Number 19 was never issued to any player in that lone season out of respect to the Colts' great [[Johnny Unitas]].

==1985 Baltimore Stars schedule==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Week
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Day
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Date
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Opponent
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Result
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Record
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| TV
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Venue
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"| Attendance
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="9" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"|Preseason
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 1
| Saturday
| February 2
| vs. [[Orlando Renegades]]
| '''L''' 10–16
| 0–1
|
| [[Spec Martin Stadium]], [[Deland, Florida]]
| 300
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 2
| Saturday
| February 9
| vs. [[Memphis Showboats]]
| '''W''' 14–9
| 1–1
|
| [[Winter Haven, Florida]]
| 
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 3
| Saturday
| February 16
| vs. [[Tampa Bay Bandits]]
| '''L''' 26–28
| 1–2
| [[WTOG]]
| [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]
| 20,000
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="9" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"|Regular season
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 1
| Sunday
| February 24
| at [[Jacksonville Bulls]]
| '''L''' 14–22
| 0–1
|
| [[Gator Bowl Stadium]]
| 51,045
|-style="background:#ffc"
! 2
| Sunday
| March 3
| at [[Oakland Invaders]]
| '''T''' 17–17 {{Small|(OT)}}
| 0–1–1
|
| [[Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum]]
| 20,495
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 3
| Saturday
| March 9
| at [[Memphis Showboats]]
| '''L''' 19–21
| 0–2–1
| [[ESPN]]
| [[Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium]]
| 37,466
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 4
| Sunday
| March 17
| [[New Jersey Generals]]
| '''W''' 29–9
| 1–2–1
| [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
| [[Byrd Stadium]]
| 31,026
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 5
| Sunday
| March 24
| [[Birmingham Stallions]]
| '''L''' 3–7
| 1–3–1
|
| Byrd Stadium
| 14,529
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 6
| Sunday
| March 31
| at [[Houston Gamblers]]
| '''W''' 27–14
| 2–3–1
| ABC
| [[Houston Astrodome]]
| 24,166
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 7
| Sunday
| April 7
| at [[Los Angeles Express (USFL)|Los Angeles Express]]
| '''W''' 17–6
| 3–3–1
| ABC
| [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]]
| 5,637
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 8
| Sunday
| April 14
| [[Memphis Showboats]]
| '''L''' 10–13
| 3–4–1
| ABC
| Byrd Stadium
| 15,728
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 9
| Sunday
| April 21
| [[Portland Breakers]]
| '''W''' 26–17
| 4–4–1
|
| Byrd Stadium
| 14,832
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 10
| Sunday
| April 28
| at [[Tampa Bay Bandits]]
| '''L''' 14–29
| 4–5–1
|
| [[Tampa Stadium]]
| 41,226
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 11
| Sunday
| May 5
| [[Arizona Outlaws]]
| '''W''' 24–19
| 5–5–1
|
| Byrd Stadium
| 14,432
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 12
| Sunday
| May 12
| at [[New Jersey Generals]]
| '''L''' 3–10
| 5–6–1
| ABC
| [[Giants Stadium]]
| 34,446
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 13
| Friday
| May 17
| at [[Orlando Renegades]]
| '''W''' 34–21
| 6–6–1
| ESPN
| [[Camping World Stadium|Florida Citrus Bowl]]
| 23,121
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 14
| Sunday
| May 26
| [[San Antonio Gunslingers (USFL team)|San Antonio Gunslingers]]
| '''W''' 28–10
| 7–6–1
|
| Byrd Stadium
| 8,633
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 15
| Sunday
| June 2
| [[Jacksonville Bulls]]
| '''W''' 17–12
| 8–6–1
| ABC
| Byrd Stadium
| 9,663
|-style="background:#fcc"
! 16
| Saturday
| June 8
| at [[Birmingham Stallions]]
| '''L''' 7–14
| 8–7–1
| ESPN
| [[Legion Field]]
| 24,300
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 17
| Saturday
| June 15
| [[Orlando Renegades]]
| '''W''' 41–10
| 9–7–1
|
| Byrd Stadium
| 6,988
|-style="background:#cfc"
! 18
| Sunday
| June 23
| [[Tampa Bay Bandits]]
| '''W''' 38–10
| 10–7–1
|
| Byrd Stadium
| 12,647
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="9" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Philadelphia Stars|border=2}}"|Postseason
|-style="background:#cfc"
! Quarterfinals
| Monday
| July 1
| at [[New Jersey Generals]]
| '''W''' 20–17
| —
|
| [[Giants Stadium]]
| 26,982
|-style="background:#cfc"
! Semifinals
| Sunday
| July 7
| at [[Birmingham Stallions]]
| '''W''' 28–14
| —
| [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
| [[Legion Field]]
| 23,250
|-style="background:#cfc"
! USFL<br />Championship
| Sunday
| July 14
| vs. [[Oakland Invaders]]
| '''W''' 28–24
| —
| ABC
| [[Giants Stadium]]
| 49,263
|}
Sources<ref>[https://www.statscrew.com/football/results/t-USFLBAL/y-1985 statscrew.com 1985 Baltimore Stars Game-by-Game Results]</ref><ref>[http://www.usflsite.com/1985season.php usflsite.com 1985 USFL Season]</ref><ref>[https://www.profootballarchives.com/1985usflbal.html profootballarchives.com 1985 Baltimore (USFL)]</ref><ref>[http://www.usflsite.com/usflgame.php?game_id=308 Anonymous, "Baltimore 10 at Orlando 16 (Deland, FL)," Associated Press, February 2, 1985. Retrieved December 16, 2018]</ref><ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-02-03-8501070323-story.html Lorenz, Rich, "The New Jersey Generals have offered tackle...," ''Chicago Tribune'', February 3, 1985. Retrieved December 15, 2018]</ref>

==Legacy==

The Stars are widely acknowledged to have been the best team to see the field in USFL history.

The Stars won 41 of 54 regular-season games and were 7–1 in the postseason. For the team's entire run, they were coached by [[Jim E. Mora|Jim Mora (Sr)]], who later became a head coach in the [[National Football League|NFL]] for the [[New Orleans Saints]] and [[Indianapolis Colts]].  Mora was actually the Stars' second choice; Tannenbaum originally hired [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] defensive coordinator [[George Perles]], but Perles opted instead to take the open job at his alma mater, [[Michigan State Spartans|Michigan State]].

[[Carl Peterson]], who later became the president/general manager/chief executive officer of the [[Kansas City Chiefs]], served as the team's [[General Manager]] for all three seasons.

[[Sean Landeta]] and [[Sam Mills]] both also had successful careers in the NFL.  Landeta was one of the top punters in the NFL for two decades, and was the last former USFL player still active in the NFL at the time of his retirement in 2006.  Mills had a sterling career with the Saints (alongside Mora) and the [[Carolina Panthers]].  The Panthers retired Mills' No. 51 jersey after his death from cancer in 2005.

Landeta and [[Bart Oates]] were also teammates with the [[New York Giants]].  Oates signed with the Giants in 1985.  Both Oates and Landeta went on to win a combined five Super Bowl rings throughout their NFL careers.  Both won two rings apiece with the Giants in 1986 and 1990, while Oates earned an additional ring with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994. Oates was selected to five Pro Bowls during his career and to the UPI All-NFC team three times. He was extremely durable, starting 125 consecutive games during his Giants career.

==Single-season leaders==
Rushing Yards: 1470 [[1983 Philadelphia Stars Season|(1983)]], [[Kelvin Bryant]], 1406 (1984), [[Kelvin Bryant]], 1207 (1985), [[Kelvin Bryant]]

Receiving Yards: 731 [[1983 Philadelphia Stars Season|(1983)]], [[Scott Fitzkee]], 1895 (1984), [[Scott Fitzkee]], 882 (1985), [[Scott Fitzkee]]

Passing Yards: 2718 [[1983 Philadelphia Stars Season|(1983)]], [[Chuck Fusina]], 3837 (1984), [[Chuck Fusina]], 3496 (1985), [[Chuck Fusina]]

Interceptions: 8 [[1983 Philadelphia Stars Season|(1983)]], [[Scott Woerner]], 7 (1984), Mike Lush, 10 (1985) Mike Lush

Sacks: 8.5 [[1983 Philadelphia Stars Season|(1983)]], Don Fielder, 6 (1984) George Cooper, 10 (1985) John Walker

== Season-by-season results ==
{{Start NFL SBS}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="background:#DC143C; color:#FDC82F;" colspan="6" | '''Philadelphia Stars'''
|-
|[[1983 Philadelphia Stars Season|1983]] || 15 || 3 || 0 || 1st Atlantic Division || Won Divisional Playoff ([[Chicago Blitz|Chicago]])<br />Lost USFL Championship ([[Michigan Panthers|Michigan]])
|-
|1984 || 16 || 2 || 0 || 1st Atlantic Division || Won Divisional Playoff ([[New Jersey Generals|New Jersey]])<br />Won Eastern Conference Championship ([[Birmingham Stallions|Birmingham]])<br />'''Won USFL Championship''' ([[Arizona Wranglers|Arizona]])
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="background:#DC143C; color:#FDC82F;" colspan="6" | '''Baltimore Stars'''
|-
|1985 || 10 || 7 || 1 || 4th Eastern Conference || Won Divisional Playoff ([[New Jersey Generals|New Jersey]])<br />Won Eastern Conference Championship ([[Birmingham Stallions|Birmingham]])<br />'''Won USFL Championship''' ([[Oakland Invaders|Oakland]])
|-
!Totals || 48 || 13 || 1
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
{{s-end}}

==Radio broadcasters==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Year
!Station
!Play-by-play
!Color commentator
|-
|1983
|
|Harry Donohue
|
|-
|1984
|
|Harry Donohue
|Vince Papale
|-
|1985
|[[WCBM]]
|[[Chuck Thompson]]
|[[Vince Bagli]]
|}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://www.usflsite.com/stars.php USFL.info – Philadelphia-Baltimore Stars]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZoZtJqJyuQ 1983 USFL Championship Game]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoZGpxhqQxU&t 1984 USFL Championship Game]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGdkQFw6ngs 1985 USFL Championship Game]

{{USFL}}
{{Defunct Pennsylvania sports teams}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philadelphia Baltimore Stars}}
[[Category:Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars| ]]
[[Category:1982 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1984 disestablishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1985 establishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:1986 disestablishments in Maryland]]