Philadelphia Stars ( football ) The Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars were a professional American football team which played in the United States Football League in the mid - 1980s . They were owned by real estate magnate Myles Tanenbaum . They were the league ' s dominant team , playing in all three championship games and winning two of them . 1983 Season . The Stars began in Philadelphia in the 1983 season . They played their home games at Veterans Stadium ( the " Vet " ) , compiled the league ' s best regular season record ( 15 - 3 ) , and made it to the 1983 USFL championship game before losing . The 1983 squad ' s " Doghouse Defense " allowed only 204 points in an 18 game season — the least in the history of the league . They were led by fourth - year QB Chuck Fusina ( 1978 Heisman Trophy runner - up ) , fifth - year WR Scott Fitzkee , Rookie HB Kelvin Bryant of UNC , Rookie OT Irv Eatman of UCLA , Rookie LB Sam Mills , and second - year S Scott Woerner . The team also featured TSN all - star rookie punter Sean Landeta . The Stars were able to defeat the preseason favorites to win the 1983 title — George Allen ' s Chicago Blitz — by withstanding 7 turnovers and coming back from 21 down in the fourth quarter to win 44 - 38 in overtime . In the league title game , the Stars were edged out by Jim Stanley ' s Michigan Panthers , 24 - 22 . 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 . The Stars ' solid season led some to suggest that they could have been a fairly competitive NFL team , along with Michigan and Chicago . The fact this comparison was even being made gave the USFL much - needed credibility . 1984 Season . They remained in Philadelphia for the 1984 season , but were forced to relocate postseason home games to Franklin Field due to a conflict with the Philadelphia Phillies . The Stars roared through the regular season with the league best ( 16 - 2 ) record , and routed George Allen ' s Arizona Wranglers , 23 - 3 for the league title . The Stars played Tampa Bay at Wembley Stadium in an exhibition game on July 21 , 1984 . 1985 Season . The league ' s owners , led by Donald Trump ( New Jersey Generals ) , voted to move play to the fall after the 1985 season . Although the Stars had a strong following , Tanenbaum knew he couldn ' t hope to compete with the Philadelphia Eagles and moved the team to Baltimore . Unfortunately , he was unable to get a lease for Baltimore ' s Memorial Stadium . As a condition of the settlement between the city and the NFL ' s Colts after the Colts moved to Indianapolis , no pro football team could play at Memorial Stadium until 1986 . Tanenbaum was forced to play at the University of Maryland ' s Byrd Stadium in College Park , 40 miles south of Baltimore and in fact closer to Washington . Meanwhile , the team continued to practice in Philadelphia . At least in part due to all the moving , the Stars struggled in 1985 . Still , they qualified for the playoffs as a wild card and managed to get back to the finals . Once there the Stars again won the USFL title beating the Bobby Hebert - led Oakland Invaders in what was seen as a rematch of the first USFL title game . 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 7 of 8 post - season affairs . For the entire tenure of the team , they were coached by Jim Mora ( Sr ) , who later became a head coach in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts . ( In his NFL career Mora has a claim to fame as being the first coach to lead the Saints to a winning season . ) 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 , and Mills ' # 51 was retired by the NFL team which he played and later coached after his death from cancer in 2005 . Bart Oates , drafted by the New York Giants in 1985 , went on to win three Super Bowl rings throughout his NFL career . He won two with the Giants in 1986 and 1990 , and one 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 : 1440 ( 1983 ) , Kelvin Bryant , 1406 ( 1984 ) , Kelvin Bryant , 1207 ( 1985 ) , Kelvin Bryant Receiving Yards : 731 ( 1983 ) , Scott Fitzkee , 895 ( 1984 ) , Scott Fitzkee , 882 ( 1985 ) , Scott Fitzkee Passing Yards : 2718 ( 1983 ) , Chuck Fusina , 3837 ( 1984 ) , Chuck Fusina , 3496 ( 1985 ) , Chuck Fusina Season - by - season . ! Totals | | 48 | | 13 | | 1