Oakland Invaders Oakland Invaders were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League ( USFL ) from 1983 through 1985 . History . In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles . Oakland , California had been without a football team after the Oakland Raiders relocated to Los Angeles , California before the 1982 NFL season . The Invaders stepped in to fill the void ; the similar name was no accident . The team had good fan support during the spring seasons of the USFL ( 1983 - 1985 ) . 1983 season . Led by the league ' s 2nd ranked passer QB Fred Besana , WR Gordon Banks , and ex - Raiders HB Arthur Whittington and TE Raymond Chester , the Invaders won the Pacific Conference with a 9 - 9 record . The Invaders gave a valiant effort in the opening round of the playoffs , but were overrun by the eventual league champion Michigan Panthers , 37 - 21 in front of 60 , 237 rabid fans in the Pontiac Silverdome ( The game was the largest turnout for any USFL game in the 1983 season ) . 1984 season . The Invaders were picked by most to again challenge for a playoff spot in 1984 , but their powerful offense fell apart in the first half of the season , scoring only 82 points . The team was unable to run the ball and lost 9 straight to open the season . With the emergence of RB Eric Jordan , the Invaders running attack rebounded and the team won 7 of its last 9 games . The defense was strong throughout the season finishing 7th in points allowed . 1985 Season . The Michigan Panthers merged with the Invaders before the 1985 season in response to the league ' s plan to move to the fall . The Invaders were the surviving team , and Taube took on Panthers owner A . Alfred Taubman as a minority partner . The new team , bolstered with Invader key players like Banks , went 13 - 4 - 1 in the regular season and was able to reach the 1985 USFL championship game . The Championship game was a rematch of sorts with Chuck Fusina ' s Stars , who now played in Baltimore . During the game , a personal foul was called on the Invaders that killed what might have been a game winning drive , allowing the Stars to defeat Hebert ' s Invaders 28 - 24 , and claim indisputable bragging rights as the league ' s all - time best team . Despite reaching the championship game , massive financial losses and weak attendance led the Invaders to announce they would suspend operations for the 1986 season . As it turned out , the championship game was the last USFL game ever played , as the league was effectively killed by an antitrust suit against the NFL in which it only won $ 3 in damages . Past and future National Football League players . Some former National Football League players and some who would play for the NFL later on were on this team . Among them were Ray Pinney of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers , Cedrick Hardman of the 1970s San Francisco 49ers and early 1980s Oakland Raiders , Anthony Carter ( Minnesota Vikings , Detroit Lions ) , Arthur Whittington ( Oakland Raiders , Buffalo Bills ) , Bobby Hebert ( New Orleans Saints , Atlanta Falcons ) , Gary Plummer ( San Diego Chargers , San Francisco 49ers ) , Raymond Chester ( Oakland Raiders , Baltimore Colts ) , Albert Bentley ( Indianapolis Colts , Pittsburgh Steelers ) , Dave Browning ( Oakland Raiders , Los Angeles Raiders , New England Patriots ) , Ray Bentley ( Buffalo Bills , Cincinnati Bengals ) , Dale Markham ( Oakland Raiders , New York Giants , Green Bay Packers ) and Derek Holloway ( Washington Redskins , Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) . Invaders executive William Hambrecht later emerged as a founder of the United Football League . Single season leaders . Rushing Yards : 1045 ( 1983 ) , Arthur Whittington Receiving Yards : 1323 ( 1985 ) , Anthony Carter Passing Yards : 3980 ( 1983 ) , Fred Besana Season - by - season . ! Totals | | 31 | | 26 | | 1