The Philadelphia Stars were a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Stars competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member club of the league's North division. The team played its home games at Protective Stadium and Legion Field, both in Alabama, in 2022, and Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan in 2023. Ultimately, the team would never play a game in Philadelphia. The Stars appeared in the playoffs once, won the division championship game once, and appeared in one USFL Championship Game.
| Philadelphia Stars | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
| Established 2021 Folded 2023 Played in Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan | |
 | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
United States Football League (2022–2023)
| |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Red, orange, gold, white |
| Mascot | Blob |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports) |
| Head coach | Bart Andrus (2022-2023) |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
| Playoff appearances (1) | |
| 2022 | |
| Home stadium(s) | |
| |
On December 19, 2023, the USFL informed its players union that the Stars would be among four USFL teams to be contracted as part of the league's upcoming merger with the XFL.[1]
History
editThe Philadelphia Stars were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021.[2] On January 6, 2022, It was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former CFL Head coach Bart Andrus was named the Head coach and General manager of the Stars.[3] Andrus later announced most of his staff on January 28, 2022, on the Dan Sileo Show.[4]
During the 2022 USFL draft, the Stars selected quarterback Bryan Scott with the 3rd overall pick,[5] and selected highly touted cornberback, Channing Stribling.[6]
After training camp, Scott was officially named the Stars' starting quarterback for the 2022 season by head coach Andrus. After starting the season 2–3, the Stars went 4–1 in their last five games, clinching a playoff berth in week 8 after a victory over the Michigan Panthers.[7] They went on to beat the New Jersey Generals 19–14 in the North Division Championship game, earning them their first USFL Championship Game appearance.[8] However, despite erasing a halftime 11-point deficit, they ultimately lost on a late touchdown to the Birmingham Stallions, 33–30.[9]
On December 19, 2023, the USFL informed its players union that the Stars would be among four USFL teams to be contracted as part of the league's upcoming merger with the XFL.[1]
Player History
editCurrent NFL Players
edit| USFL Season | Pos | Name | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | DT | LaBryan Ray | Carolina Panthers |
Notable Players
edit| USFL Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | WR | Corey Coleman | Former Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver, 2016 1st Round Pick |
| 2023 | TE | Ryan Izzo | Former New England Patriots Tight End, 2018 7th Round Pick |
Coach History
editHead Coach history
edit| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Philadelphia Stars | ||||||||||
| 1 | Bart Andrus | 2022-2023 | 20 | 10 | 10 | .500 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
*Andrus also served as the team Offensive Coordinator
Defensive Coordinator history
edit| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Philadelphia Stars | ||||||||||
| 1 | Brad Miller | 2022-2023 | 20 | 10 | 10 | .500 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
Championships
editNorth Division championships
edit| Season | Coach | Location | Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bart Andrus | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio) | New Jersey Generals | 19–14 | |
| Total North Division Championships won: 1 | |||||
Records
edit| All-time Stars leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Stars | |
| Passing Yards | Case Cookus | 3,628 passing yards | 2022-2023 | |
| Passing Touchdowns | Case Cookus | 27 passing touchdowns | 2022-2023 | |
| Rushing Yards | Matt Colburn | 721 rushing yards | 2022-2023 | |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Matt Colburn | 12 touchdowns | 2022-2023 | |
| Receiving Yards | Devin Gray | 715 receiving yards | 2022-2023 | |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Diondre Overton | 5 receiving touchdowns | 2022-2023 | |
| Receptions | Devin Gray | 76 receptions | 2022-2023 | |
| Tackles | Cody Brown | 118 tackles | 2022-2023 | |
| Sacks | Adam Rodriguez | 15.0 sacks | 2022-2023 | |
| Interceptions | Channing Stribling | 8 interceptions | 2022-2023 | |
| Coaching wins | Bart Andrus | 10 wins | 2022-2023 | |
Statistics and records
editSeason-by-season record
editNote: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.
| USFL champions† | Division champions^ | Wild Card berth# |
| Season | Team | League | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct | ||||||||
| 2022 | 2022 | USFL | North | 2nd# | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | Won Division finals (Generals) 19–14 Lost USFL Championship Game (Stallions) 30–33 |
Maurice Alexander (ND MVP) | ||
| 2023 | 2023 | USFL | North | 3rd | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | – | – | ||
| Totals | 10 | 10 | 0 | .500 | (2022–2023, regular season) | |||||||
| 1 | 1 | — | .500 | (2022–2023, playoffs) | ||||||||
| 11 | 11 | 0 | .500 | (2022–2023, regular season and playoffs) | ||||||||
Mascot
edit
On April 11, 2022, the Stars unveiled their mascot, a monstrous red creature that drew comparisons to other Philadelphia sports mascots Gritty and the Phillie Phanatic.[10][11] The Stars then held a Twitter poll asking fans whether the mascot should be named "Astro", "Cosmo", or "Blob".[12] "Blob" took 65 percent of the vote, and the name was confirmed on April 15.[13] The Stars have offered few details about Blob besides describing him as "out of this world" and noting that he enjoys dancing.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b "Four USFL teams survive merger with XFL". NBC Sports. December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ Stephan Rachuk (January 6, 2022). "USFL Officially Reveals the First Four Head Coaches on The Herd". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- ^ "Bart Andrus Reveals Some Philadelphia Stars Coaching Hires". Pro Football Newsroom. January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ Michael Owen Baker (February 22, 2022). "Philadelphia Stars select quarterback Bryan Scott with the third pick of the USFL Draft". www.inquirer.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ "Former Ticats DB Channing Stribling signs with Washington Commanders after all-star USFL stint". www.3downnation.com. 3DownDigital Inc. July 15, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Eric D. Williams (June 5, 2022). "Case Cookus, Stars roll past Panthers, clinch playoff spot". www.foxsports.com. Fox Media LLC. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Jeff Schudel (June 26, 2022). "Philadelphia Stars shock Generals, 19-14, in USFL semifinal". news-herald.com. MediaNews Group. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Barry Werner (July 3, 2022). "Birmingham Stallions defeat Philadelphia Stars in USFL championship game". www.usatoday.com. USA Today Network. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Conde, Ximena (April 11, 2022). "Philly has yet another weird mascot – and we don't know what it is". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ^ Sykes, II, Mike D. (April 15, 2022). "The Philadelphia Stars' new 'Blob' mascot is just Dollar Tree Gritty". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ^ Herman, Adam (April 15, 2022). "Philadelphia Stars let fans name mascot, and it's hilarious". NBC Sports Philadelphia.
- ^ Clancy, Shamus (April 15, 2022). "Philadelphia Stars' mascot is named 'Blob'". PhillyVoice. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ^ Conde, Ximena (April 15, 2022). "Meet Blob, Philly's new and mysterious USFL mascot". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 15, 2022.