St.Dan
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I like to post these during the season to match the upcoming opponent… but I felt nostalgic this week as Sam Mills was inducted into the HOF. So I rewatched some of Mora’s playoff wins (!) with the old Phila./Balt Stars of the old USFL. That included this one, the 1985 USFL Championship game.
The teams that won more often than not in the moribund league were teams with a high number of then-recent-former NFL starters or those who eventually became NFL starters. Mora’s Stars had a lot of them on defense during the three-year run of the defunct league. It included Mills and fellow LBs George Jamison and Mike Johnson, plus William Fuller and Pete Kugler. On offense, Carl Smith (!) coordinated a bunch that was QB’d by former Penn Stater and NFL backup Chuck Fusina and leaned heavily on a running game led by all-purpose thumper Kelvin Bryant.
Hebert’s Michigan Panthers were among several teams that merged with other teams to survive what ended up being the final season. They had done so with the Oakland Invaders and played in Oakland and kept the name. The Cannon had future all-pro and thorn in the Saints’ side Anthony Carter at WR and Albert Bentley in the backfield, who went on to start with the Colts.
The Panthers/Invaders were the one team that gave the Stars’ solid defense fits during those three years. They beat the Stars in the first USFL title game. After the Stars coasted to the title in ‘84, they met each other again a year later. The Invaders played the Stars to a tie during the ‘85 regular season.
Keith Jackson and Lynn Swann were in the booth for this one, which ended up being a competitive game. Enjoy and let’s get on with 2022 before I forget what year it is
Who Dat!
The teams that won more often than not in the moribund league were teams with a high number of then-recent-former NFL starters or those who eventually became NFL starters. Mora’s Stars had a lot of them on defense during the three-year run of the defunct league. It included Mills and fellow LBs George Jamison and Mike Johnson, plus William Fuller and Pete Kugler. On offense, Carl Smith (!) coordinated a bunch that was QB’d by former Penn Stater and NFL backup Chuck Fusina and leaned heavily on a running game led by all-purpose thumper Kelvin Bryant.
Hebert’s Michigan Panthers were among several teams that merged with other teams to survive what ended up being the final season. They had done so with the Oakland Invaders and played in Oakland and kept the name. The Cannon had future all-pro and thorn in the Saints’ side Anthony Carter at WR and Albert Bentley in the backfield, who went on to start with the Colts.
The Panthers/Invaders were the one team that gave the Stars’ solid defense fits during those three years. They beat the Stars in the first USFL title game. After the Stars coasted to the title in ‘84, they met each other again a year later. The Invaders played the Stars to a tie during the ‘85 regular season.
Keith Jackson and Lynn Swann were in the booth for this one, which ended up being a competitive game. Enjoy and let’s get on with 2022 before I forget what year it is
Who Dat!