Historical Moments:
1983: Of the 12 original USFL franchise locations, the city of Birmingham had an experience
with an upstart football league challenging the NFL, as they had a successful
team in the World Football League nearly a decade earlier. Playing their games
at historic Legion Field, the Birmingham Stallions coached by Rollie Dotsch
were a late forming team as they signed or claimed approximately 20 players via
trades or waivers in the week prior to their first game. Hosting the Michigan
Panthers in the first Monday Night game the Stallions were hardly a cohesive unit
as they lost 9-7 on their way to a 2-5 start. In Week 8, backup Bobby Lane
replaced the struggling Reggie Collier at quarterback, and led the Stallions to
a 21-9 win over the Oakland Invaders, sparking a five-game winning streak. However,
running up against some of the best teams in the league, Birmingham struggled
down the stretch losing four of five, before ending the season with a 29-17
win over the Tampa Bay Bandits, to finish the year at 9-9. The Stallions were
the top rushing team in the league as they rotated ball carriers and gained 3,012
yards with Ken Talton leading the way with 907 yards and five touchdowns. The
passing attack meanwhile struggled as the Stallions were one of the worst passing
offenses in the USFL.
1984: After finishing .500 in their first season, the Birmingham Stallions were one of
the most improved teams in the USFL's second season thanks to the addition former
NFL Quarterback Cliff Stoudt, who had been Terry Bradshaw's backup with the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Joe Cribbs who had been a top running back with the Buffalo
Bills, full back Leon Perry, defensive end Dave Pureifory and CFL cornerback
Ricky Ray. Despite losing the season opener to the New Jersey Generals at home
17-6, the Stallions came racing out of the gate, capturing their next nine games.
After suffering a 43-11 setback to the Philadelphia Stars, the Stallions would
win five of their next six games to clinch first place in the Southern Division.
The Stallions would end the season with a 17-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Bandits
to finish the season with a record of 14-4. All off the Stallions additions
played a big role, is their rise to the playoffs. Joe Cribbs, was the USFL's top
rushers with 1,467 yards and eight touchdowns, while Leon Perry bruised his
way to 774 yards with 13 touchdowns. The biggest difference was Birmingham's improved
passing game, which saw Cliff Stoudt pass for 3,121 yards with 21 touchdowns.
In one game Stoudt was pelted by snowballs by angered Pittsburgh fans as
the he led the Stallions to 30-18 win over the expansion Pittsburgh Maulers at
Three Rivers Stadium.
1984 USFL Playoffs: After losing the regular season finale to the Tampa Bay Bandits, the Birmingham Stallions
faced their division rivals a week later in the playoff opener at Legion
Field, with 32,000 in attendance. With Joe Cribbs running for 112 yards, the
Stallions were in control all day as they beat the Bandits 36-17 to advance to
the USFL semifinals. Cribbs scored once, while Cliff Stoudt had a pair of quarterback
sneaks to get in the endzone, with Danny Miller nailing five field goals.
In the USFL Semifinals the Stallions would face the Philadelphia Stars at Franklin
Field, as Veterans Stadium was unavailable due to a Philadelphia Phillies
game. Forced to walk for the Vet to Franklin Field, the Stallions were out of
sync early as the Stars defense smothered the Stallions forcing a pair of turnovers
to build a 20-0 lead at the half. The Stallions would get on the scoreboard
in the fourth quarter, but it was too late as the Stars held to win 20-10 and
advanced to the USFL Championship Game, where they would defeat the Arizona Wranglers.
1985: After a solid season, the Birmingham Stallions enter the USFL's third season with
nearly the same roster, though one upgrade they attempted to make was at the Wide
Receiver position by drafting Jerry Rice out of Mississippi Valley State. However,
the Stallions could not reach a deal with Rice who chose to play in the
NFL, where he became the greatest pass catcher in NFL history with the San Francisco
49ers. The Stallions played well early, beating the New Jersey Generals
at Legion Field to spoil Doug Flutie's debut 38-28 as they won five of their first
six games. A midseason slump would see the Stallions lose three of five games,
but it was the only blemish on an otherwise terrific season as the Stallions
were the top team in the Eastern Conference, posting a record of 13-5, as Rollie
Dotsch was named Coach of the Year. Joe Cribbs again had a solid season, rushing
for 1,047 yards with seven touchdowns while Cliff Stoudt had a strong season
passing for 3,358 yards with 34 touchdowns. On defense Chuck Clanton, made
history, with 16 interceptions a professional football record.
1985 USFL Playoffs: In the postseason, the Birmingham Stallions with second best overall record in the
USFL, faced the high-powered offense of the Houston Gamblers. The Stallions kept
Jim Kelly under warps in the first half, building a10-0 lead. In the third
quarter Houston made their surge taking the lead 17-16. The Stallions regained
the lead on a 57-yard Field Goal by Danny Miller, the Gamblers would get the lead
back in the fourth quarter. With two minutes left Miller nailed his fifth Field
Goal of the game to give the Stallions a 22-20 lead that would stand up as
they returned to the USFL Semifinals for a second straight season. The Stallions
would find a familiar foe as they hosted the Baltimore Stars with a trip to the
USFL Championship on the line. Once again, the Stallions no answer for the Stars,
as Baltimore used the big play to build a 28-0 lead as Jonathan Sutton return
a Cliff Stoudt pass 39 yards to open the scoring, while Kelvin Bryant had
pair of long touchdown plays.
1986: Though leery of the move from spring football to take on the NFL, the Birmingham
Stallions were one of eight teams preparing for the USFL's first fall season, when
the season was postponed as the league await the verdict in its monopoly lawsuit
against the NFL. While the USFL won the case, the $1 jury award in damages
would seal the USFL's fate as the league ceased operations.
|
