Orlando Renegades The Orlando Renegades were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid - 1980s . In Washington . 1983 season . The Renegades started out in 1983 as the Washington Federals and played in Washington , D . C . ' s Robert F . Kennedy Memorial Stadium under the ownership of prominent Washington attorney Berl Bernhard . The team lured Ray Jauch to be its head coach ; he had previously guided the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to success in the Canadian Football League . At the time he was the fourth - winningest coach in CFL history . The Federals finished 4 - 14 , tied for the worst record in the league . However , they were far more competitive than their record indicated . Eight of their losses were by a touchdown or less . They had a fair amount of offensive talent and skill players with comparatively good depth . More than any other team in the league , the Federals seemed dogged by inconsistency , bad timing , and terrible luck . A week before the season even began , their player personnel expert bolted to the NFL ' s New York Jets . The first game in franchise history was a portent of things to come ; the Federals were drilled at RFK 28 - 7 by the Chicago Blitz , the preseason title favorites coached by former Washington Redskins coach George Allen . The game was played on March 6 , 1983 , just five weeks after the Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII . The Blitz , led by former Lions and Colts Quarterback Greg Landry , raced out to a 28 - 0 lead . The Federals were so terrible in the game , the Blitz held Washington to only one first down , and a mere 24 yards total offense in the first half . Chicago led 21 - 0 before the Federals ever recorded a second first down . By that time , Landry hit 15 of his first 17 pass attempts , including a 23 - yard touchdown pass to Trumaine Johnson . Kim McQuilken had a horrible debut as the Federals quarterback , and was replaced by back up Mike Hohensee . Hohensee accounted for the Federals only score , a 19 - yard pass to Walker Lee . The next week went ever worse for Washington , as quarterback Hohensee , Running back Craig James and wide receiver Reggie Smith all were injured . McQuilken could only muster 3 points of offense , while throwing two more interceptions . In week 3 , the Federals led the Boston Breakers 16 - 9 with less than five minutes to go in regulation . However , two bad snaps on special teams led to a 19 - 16 loss . Playing at home week three , the Federals finally got a victory . They managed to defeat the Michigan Panthers , one of the better teams in the USFL and future league champions . The Panthers were led by future NFL quarterback Bobby Hebert , and wide receiver Anthony Carter , one of the fastest players in the league . Federals QB Kim McQuilken had one of his better games , completing 24 of 48 passes and throwing for 324 yards . He threw three touchdowns compared to one interceptions . Panthers Lineback Robert Pennywell intercepted McQuilken , which led to a game trying score on a pass play from Hebert to Derek Holloway . The game went into overtime , where Washington won on a 22 - yard pass from McQuilken to Joey Walters . In week 6 , the Federals led the Arizona Wranglers 21 - 16 , only to have a potential game - sealing drive stall on the 2 - yard - line . The Wranglers ' first play from scrimmage after that was a 98 - yard touchdown pass — the longest in league history . The Federals saved their best game for last in the 1983 season . Playing at home against the Philadelphia Stars , the Federals shocked the league by defeating the 15 - 2 Stars 21 to 14 . When all was said and done , despite the fact the Federals were a mere 4 - 14 , there was one positive , they had defeated both teams who later played in the USFL championship game that year . It seemed like it was going to be another blow out loss . The Stars , led by all league quarterback Chuck Fusina , led 14 - 6 going into half time . The Stars were a dominate team who had crushed Washington 34 - 3 earlier in the season . However , the Federals refused to bow down , as McQuilken hit Stan Rome with a 19 - yard touchdown pass before half time . Lane had his best day ever as a pro , catching 17 passes for 170 yards . The Federals may have not been dominate in the second half , but they were good enough on this day . Federals rookie linebacker Mike Corvino helped stop two late Stars drives with a sack and interception , respectively . Former New York Giants running back Billy Taylor got in on the scoring for Washington with a six - yard run in the third quarter . Washington was able to add two points on the conversation . McQuilken scored his first touchdown as a pro with a one - yard run for the go ahead score in the fourth quarter . The Federals had pulled off an upset win over Atlantic division champion Stars , giving much promise for the 1984 season . The only USFL all - star on the team was reserve running back Eric Robinson , whose kickoff return for touchdown vs . Tampa Bay at RFK was the only kickoff return for touchdown in the USFL in 1983 . The team changed QBs almost weekly , with different QBs finishing a number of games . In part , it was because the Federals were bitten repeatedly by the injury bug . Jauch ' s biggest mistake was probably giving the opening day starter , NFL veteran Kim McQuilken , the quick hook for rookie QB Mike Hohensee . From there the team never seemed to settle with a QB for more than a few games in a row and when McQuilken did play , he often pressed , forcing his throws into coverage . The team alternated between McQuilken and Hohensee , with occasional appearances by former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback " Jefferson Street " Joe Gilliam . He was way past his prime and only threw for 673 yards . The only other quarterback on the team was rookie Mike Forslund , who never got into a game . SMU star rookie running back Craig James was sidelined five games with a fractured vertebra . Hohensee only played in nine games all season . At one point , all of their receivers had leg injuries . The Federals had good linebackers in Joe Harris , Dan Lloyd and Jeff McIntyre . Washington ' s best Outside Linebacker , Jeff McIntyre , could cover receivers down field and stop the run . McIntyre lead the team in tackles and sacks until and ankle injury sidelined him for the remaining 6 games . However , they simply stayed on the field too long . Washington - area fans largely viewed the Federals with indifference . They only averaged 13 , 800 fans per game ( in a 56 , 000 - seat stadium ) . However , their marketing efforts were severely crippled by the Redskins ' Super Bowl victory . 1983 Washington Federals roster . ( Games Played / Games Started in parenthesis ) , Height , Weight , Age , College , 83 USFL Stats 1 . ARIRI , Obed K ( 4 / 0 ) , 5 . 08 , 170 , 27 , Clemson , 3 / 7 FGs , 3 / 5 PATs , 12 pts 1 . OLSON , Ken K ( 2 / 0 ) , 5 . 11 , 190 , 24 , Salisbury State , 0 / 1 FGs , 3 / 4 PATs , 3 pts 1 . CASTRO , Dale K ( 3 / 0 ) , 6 . 01 , 197 , 24 , Maryland , 3 / 6 FGs , 2 / 3 PATs , 11 pts 3 . HOFFMAN , Steve P ( 3 / 0 ) , 6 . 00 , 185 , 25 , Dickinson College , 15 punts / 542 yds , 36 . 1 avg , 49 lng 3 . MOORE , Dana P / K ( 15 / 0 ) , 5 . 11 , 180 , 22 , Mississippi State , 86 punts / 3 , 480 yds , 40 . 5 avg , 60 lng , 1 / 3 FGs , 3 pts 6 . VITIELLO , Sandro K ( 6 / 0 ) , 6 . 02 , 197 , 25 , Massachusetts , 10 / 17 FGs , 14 / 17 PATs , 44 pts 7 . FORSLUND , Mike QB ( IA / 16G ) , 6 . 04 , 194 , 23 , Liberty Baptist 9 . HOHENSEE , Mike QB ( 9 / 7 ) , 5 . 11 , 197 , 22 , Minnesota , 92 / 199 comp , 1 , 296 yds , 9 TDs , 7 INTs , 19 car , 73 yds 10 . GILLIAM , Joe QB ( 4 / 2 ) , 6 . 03 , 186 , 33 , Tennessee State , 40 / 102 comp , 673 yds , 5 TDs , 11 INTs , 3 car , - 6 yds 11 . McQUILKEN , Kim QB ( 11 / 9 ) , 6 . 02 , 203 , 32 , Lehigh , 188 / 334 comp , 56 . 3 % , 1 , 912 yds , 7 TDs , 14 INTs , 13 car , 9 yds , 1 TD 14 . GARRITY , Chris QB ( DNP / 3G ) , 6 . 01 , 190 , 23 , William & Mary 20 . BURRELL , Don SS ( IA - 8G ) , 6 . 01 , 198 , 27 , Mississippi State 20 . JACKSON , Victor FS ( 1 / 0 ) , 6 . 00 , 189 , 20 , Washington 21 . GREENE , Doug FS ( 18 / 18 ) , 6 . 02 , 205 , 27 , Texas A & M - Kingsville , 108 tkl / 48 ast , 1 fumb rec , 9 INTs / 121 yds / 1 TD 22 . HARDEMAN , Buddy RB / PR ( 5 / 0 ) , 6 . 00 , 196 , 29 , Iowa State , 3 car / - 3 yds , 18 rec , 114 yds , 5 pr , 42 yds 23 . BLEDSOE , Curtis RB ( 6 / 0 ) , 5 . 11 , 216 , 26 , San Diego State , 26 car / 133 yds , 4 rec / 25 yds 24 . HOLLEY , Willie CB ( 17 / 4 ) , 5 . 10 , 180 , 26 , East Carolina , 29 tkl / 15 ast , 1 fumb rec 26 . HARRIS , Donnie FS ( 7 / 6 ) , 6 . 02 , 185 , 29 , Rutgers , 25 tkl / 24 ast , 1 . 0 sack , 1 INT / 0 yds 28 . BUTLER , Gregg RCB ( 18 / 14 ) , 5 . 10 , 170 , 31 , Howard University , 39 tkl / 8 ast , 1 fumb rec , 2 INTs / 25 yds 32 . JAMES , Craig RB ( 14 / 14 ) , 6 . 00 , 215 , 22 , Southern Methodist , 201 car / 823 yds / 5 TDs ; 40 rec / 342 yds / 2 TDs 33 . GIAMMONA , Louie RB / KR ( 1 / 0 ) , 5 . 09 , 180 , 30 , Utah State , 3 kor / 66 yds / 0 TD 33 . WATSON , Anthony FS ( 6 / 0 ) , 6 . 01 , 200 , 24 , New Mexico State , 1 tkl / 1 ast 35 . SANFORD , Mark FB ( DNP / 2G ) , 6 . 01 , 213 , 35 , Virginia 35 . CLAITT , Ricky FB ( 4 / 0 ) , 5 . 10 , 206 , 26 , Bethune - Cookman , 1 car / 1yd ; 2 rec / 27 yds ; 1 kor / 13 yds 36 . BROWN , Jeff LCB ( 18 / 18 ) , 6 . 01 , 170 , 22 , Liberty Baptist , 73 tkl / 14 ast , 1 forc fumb , 6 INTs / 47 yds 38 . TAYLOR , Billy FB ( 15 / 13 ) , 6 . 00 , 215 , 27 , Texas Tech , 172 car / 763 yds / 5 TDs ; 64 rec / 523 yds / 2 TDs 39 . MAYBERRY , James FB ( 17 / 6 ) , 5 . 11 , 210 , 26 , Colorado , 41 car / 114 yds / 2 TDs ; 5 rec / 14 yds 40 . ROBINSON , Eric RB / KR ( 16 / 3 ) , 5 . 08 , 188 , 23 , Indiana St . , 21 kor / 609 yds / 1 TD ; 24 pr / 171 yds / 7 . 1 avg ; 49 car . / 97 yds ; 18 rec / 172 yds 43 . HURST , Mike SS ( 16 / 0 ) , 5 . 11 , 203 , 23 , Cincinnati , 15 tkl / 3 ast 44 . GUESS , Mike FS ( 17 / 12 ) , 5 . 11 , 188 , 25 , Ohio State , 79 tkl / 31 ast , 2 fumb rec , 5 INTs / 49 yds 50 . BAXLEY , Ed MLB ( 14 / 10 ) , 6 . 02 , 226 , 24 , South Carolina , 29 tkl / 17 ast 51 . ZUPANCIC , John RLB ( 3 / 2 ) , 6 . 00 , 220 , 23 , Miami - Ohio , 6 tlk / 6 ast 51 . LLOYD , Dan LB ( 4 / 0 ) , 6 . 02 , 225 , 30 , Washington , 9 tkl / 5 ast 51 . MULLER , Mike MLB ( 6 / 3 ) , 6 . 01 , 223 , 23 , Maryland , 27 tkl / 15 ast , 1 . 0 sack 52 . BYROM , Bruce C / LS ( 18 / 5 ) , 6 . 04 , 240 , 24 , Maryland 53 . MUSSELMAN , Brian C / G ( 10 / 9 ) , 6 . 02 , 255 , 24 , Virginia 54 . SHUPYRT , Bob RLB ( 7 / 4 ) , 6 . 02 , 210 , 25 , New Mexico , 27 tkl / 22 ast , 1 . 0 sack , 1 forc fum 54 . McLAIN , Kevin MLB ( 6 / 5 ) , 6 . 02 , 227 , 29 , Colorado State , 29 tkl / 16 ast 55 . HARRIS , Joe RLB ( 13 / 13 ) , 6 . 01 , 225 , 31 , Georgia Tech , 57 tkl / 23 ast , 2 . 5 sacks , 1 fumb rec , 1 forc fumb 56 . PATTERSON , Kevin LB ( 3 / 0 ) , 6 . 01 , 235 , 24 , Virginia Union 56 . FACYSON , Scott LB ( 5 / 0 ) , 6 . 01 , 230 , 26 , Howard University , 9 tkl / 4 ast , 2 fumb rec , 1 INT / 0 yds 57 . LOIA , Tony C ( 9 / 6 ) , 6 . 02 , 325 , 23 , Arizona State 57 . BELL , Farley LLB ( 6 / 4 ) , 6 . 02 , 235 , 27 , Cincinnati , 15 tkl / 14 ast , 1 fumb rec 58 . CORVINO , Mike lLB ( 14 / 7 ) , 6 . 02 , 238 , 23 , Maryland , 30 tlk / 12 ast , 2 . 5 sacks 59 . McINTYRE , Jeff LLB ( 8 / 6 ) , 6 . 04 , 232 , 28 , Arizona State , 52 tlk / 36 ast , 7 . 5 sacks , 3 forc fumb 60 . PACELLA , Dave T / G ( 18 / 18 ) , 6 . 02 , 266 , 23 , Maryland , started 6 games at RT , 12 at RG 62 . CARNES , Tom G ( IA / 2G ) , 6 . 04 , 275 , 24 , East Carolina 62 . BUTCHER , Brian G ( Exempt , 4G ) , 6 . 05 , 255 , 23 , Clemson 63 . JACKSON , Ed DT ( 6 / 3 ) , 6 . 04 , 235 , 24 , Maryland - East Shore , 21 tkls / 9 ast , 0 . 5 sacks 66 . DOLCE , Chris G ( 2 / 1 ) , 6 . 03 , 255 , 25 , Clemson 66 . HARMAN , Vaughn G ( 15 / 6 ) , 6 . 03 , 263 , 24 , Towson State 67 . WILSON , Mike G ( 4 / 2 ) , 6 . 02 , 250 , 36 , Dayton 67 . VITALE , Tony G ( 4 / 0 ) , 6 . 03 , 265 , 24 , Central Michigan 69 . PATTEN , Joel LT ( 18 / 18 ) , 6 . 07 , 310 , 25 , Duke 70 . TAYLOR , Drew LDE / DT ( 10 / 8 ) , 6 . 05 , 225 , 33 , San Jose State , 21 tlks / 13 ast , 2 . 5 sacks 71 . MATOCHA , Mike DE ( 16 / 0 ) , 6 . 02 , 250 , 25 , Texas - Arlington , 10 tkls / 10 ast 72 . CALDWELL , Rod T ( IA / 3G ) , 6 . 03 , 264 , 25 , Maryland 72 . ROBINSON , Leroy T ( 5 / 0 ) , 6 . 04 , 255 , 25 , South Carolina State 74 . FERNANDES , Ron DT ( 3 / 1 ) , 6 . 04 , 251 , 32 , Eastern Michigan , 3 ast 74 . COBB , Bob DE ( 5 / 2 ) , 6 . 02 , 248 , 26 , Arizona , 7 tkl / 7 ast , 1 . 0 sack 75 . HORTON , Myke RG ( 17 / 13 ) , 6 . 03 , 258 , 30 , UCLA 76 . SUBER , Tony DT ( 14 / 3 ) , 6 . 04 , 279 , 24 , Gardner - Webb , 16 tlk / 22 ast , 4 . 0 sacks , 1 forc fum 77 . SEVY , Jeff RT ( 12 / 12 ) , 6 . 05 , 260 , 32 , California 78 . ESTAY , Ron RDT ( 17 / 11 ) , 6 . 01 , 240 , 35 , Louisiana State , 46 tkls / 35 ast , 6 . 5 sacks , 2 fumb rec 79 . BACON , Coy RDE ( 18 / 16 ) , 6 . 04 , 270 , 41 , Jackson State , 45 tlks / 34 ast , 7 . 0 sacks , 1 forc fumb , 1 rec fumb 80 . SMITH , Reggie WR / KR ( 2 / 2 ) , 5 . 04 , 168 , 27 , North Carolina Central , 6 rec / 87 yds ; 5 kor / 81 yds ; 2 pr / 20 yds 80 . FISHER , Mike WR ( 4 / 0 ) , 5 . 11 , 172 , 25 , Baylor 81 . KINNEY , Vince WR ( 12 / 0 ) , 6 . 02 , 190 , 27 , Maryland , 7 rec / 120 yds 82 . LEE , Walker WR ( 1 / 0 ) , 6 . 01 , 190 , 27 , North Carolina , 2 rec / 32 yds / 1 TD 82 . HARRIS , Mike WR / KR ( 14 / 6 ) , 6 . 00 , 185 , 24 , Purdue , 26 rec / 441 yds / 2 TDs ; 15 kor / 365 yds ; 1 pr / 0 yds 83 . BROWN , Marc WR ( 2 / 1 ) , 6 . 02 , 200 , 22 , Towson State , 1 rec / 18 yds 83 . ROGUSKY , Vince TE ( 10 / 6 ) , 6 . 02 , 250 , 25 , Lehigh , 4 rec / 47 yds 84 . HOLMES , Mike WR ( 11 / 10 ) , 6 . 01 , 190 , 33 , Texas Southern , 35 rec / 654 yds / 7 TDs 85 . DIGGS , Bubba TE ( 12 / 4 ) , 6 . 03 , 220 , 23 , Clemson , 3 rec / 19 yds 86 . DuBOIS , Phil TE ( 2 / 1 ) , 6 . 02 , 230 , 27 , San Diego State 86 . CHISLEY , Charles WR ( 6 / 2 ) , 6 . 00 , 173 , 25 , District of Columbia , 3 rec / 47 yds 87 . WALTERS , Joey WR ( 16 / 15 ) , 6 . 00 , 175 , 29 , Clemson , 63 rec / 959 yds / 6 TDs ; 1 kor / 20 yds 88 . POSTELL , Jeff WR ( 7 / 1 ) , 6 . 04 , 210 , 25 , Morehouse College , 4 rec / 32 yds ; 1 pr / 0 yds 89 . WALL , William TE ( 3 / 2 ) , 6 . 04 , 226 , 26 , Virginia Union , 2 rec / 20 yds 89 . SAMUELS , Tony TE ( 4 / 3 ) , 6 . 04 , 229 , 29 , Bethune - Cookman , 1 rec / 30 yds 89 . ROME , Stan WR ( 4 / 1 ) , 6 . 05 , 212 , 27 , Clemson , 12 rec / 157 yds / 1 TD 90 . BARBER , Robert LDE ( 16 / 13 ) , 6 . 03 , 240 , 32 , Grambling , 45 tkl / 21 ast , 5 . 0 sacks , 2 fumb rec 92 . SMITH , Bennie LDT ( 15 / 15 ) , 6 . 03 , 248 , 23 , Missouri , 69 tkl / 30 ast , 7 . 0 sacks , 1 fumb rec 93 . MURRAY , Richard DE ( 5 / 0 ) , 6 . 02 , 255 , 29 , Oklahoma , 4 tkl / 1 ast HEAD COACH : RAY JAUCH Quarterbacks Coach : Offensive Line : Secondary : Defensive Line : Offensive Backs : Strength & Conditioning : 1984 season . Despite losing millions , Bernhard was committed to sticking it out . There were a lot of reasons for optimism . In spite of the tremendous number of on field mistakes in 1983 , the team had played with heart under Jauch , taking better teams down to the wire even at the end of the season . With just a few lucky breaks the Federals might have been almost a . 500 team — and at best , a 12 - 6 team — in 1983 . They had started the season 1 - 13 , but had finished strongly going 3 - 1 in the last 4 games of the season . It appeared that the Federals had finally learned how to turn a close game into a win . With the league - wide talent pool expected to be stretched out due to expansion , the schedule seemed likely to be littered with a number of very winnable games . With McQuilken ' s post - season retirement , the team had an undisputed and seemingly capable starter at QB in Hohensee . The Birmingham Stallions ' acquisition of Cliff Stoudt made their quarterback Reggie Collier available and the Federals added him for depth alongside Hohensee and rookie Lou Pagley . Star HB Craig James was healthy . It seemed like the pitfalls that Jauch had fallen into in the first season might be missed this time around . Player familiarity with the system and their teammates and having a proven winner like Jauch as a coach suggested the Federals were bound to deliver better results in 1984 . Unfortunately , the 1984 season came unraveled in a hurry . The league scheduled the Federals to open against the expansion Jacksonville Bulls in a probable effort to help the get the Federals off to a good start . Unfortunately , that plan backfired when the Bulls crushed the Federals 53 - 14 . Hours before the game , the Federals cut all three of their starting linebackers , a move which hobbled the defense . The embarrassing loss forced Bernard to act to save face for his franchise . Jauch was fired after the game and replaced by former Maryland Terrapins and Dallas Cowboys running back Dick Bielski . In week 2 , James suffered a season - ending injury . At that point , the season became a total fiasco - - - even though Hohensee played fairly well for a second year starter finishing the season with a very respectable QB rating ( for the USFL ) of 72 . 2 . Support was almost nonexistent ; they only averaged 7 , 700 fans per game in 1984 ( including a crowd of 4 , 432 against the Memphis Showboats ) , the worst per - game attendance in league history . With little fan turnout and James ' frequent injuries , both the Federals and James were motivated to end their relationship . A little over a month into the season , James was given his release to allow him to sign with the NFL ' s Patriots . It took the Federals nine games to finally win . Among their season lowlights were two losses to the expansion Pittsburgh Maulers . The Federals finished 3 - 15 , tied with the Maulers for the worst record in the league . Although the defense was awful throughout the season , the offense was respectable in the last 12 games or so . HB Curtis Bledsoe replaced James as the feature back , rushing for a respectable 1080 yards and 7 TDs in 1984 . " Go to " WR Joey Walters caught 98 passes for 1410 yards with 7 TDs and made the 1984 TSN USFL All - Star Team , becoming the Federals ' main star . With six games left in the season , Bernhard ( who once called the Federals " trained gerbils " ) gave up and sold the Federals to Florida real estate developer Woody Weiser , who announced plans to move the Federals to Miami . Weiser quickly signed up Howard Schnellenberger as the new coach after the season ended . However , on August 22 , 1984 , the league owners voted to move to a fall schedule in 1986 . Weiser knew he could not possibly compete against the Miami Dolphins , so he canceled the deal . This left Bernhard in a desperate situation , as he knew that he stood no chance going head - to - head with the Redskins . A few days later , Tampa Bay Bandits part - owner Donald Dizney stepped up and ended Bernhard ' s suffering . Dizney bought the Federals , moving them to Orlando and renaming them the Renegades . In Orlando . The Renegades played at the Citrus Bowl . Lee Corso was hired as coach . Corso had a clear plan for the team . He decided to build around the very raw 3rd year QB Reggie Collier . After starting out looking much like the 1984 Federals , the Renegades were fairly competitive in their remaining 12 games as the mobile and talented Collier , who had been an abysmal failure in Birmingham and Washington in his first 2 seasons , began to develop . ( Collier later went on to briefly play for the Dallas Cowboys ) . In 1985 , in addition to Collier , the team ' s offense featured running back Curtis Bledsoe and WR Joey Walters . The Renegades were one of 8 teams selected to continue operations when the USFL elected to switch to a fall schedule in 1986 , but the entire league collapsed before any fall games were played . Single season leaders . Rushing Yards : 1080 ( 1984 ) , Curtis Bledsoe Receiving Yards : 1510 ( 1984 ) , Joey Walters Passing Yards : 2766 ( 1984 ) , Mike Hohensee Season - by - season . ! Totals | | 12 | | 42 | | 0