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.
On December 19, 2023, the USFL informed its players union that the Stars would not be among four USFL teams to be contracted as part of the league's upcoming merger with the XFL.
History The 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. 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. Andrus later announced most of his staff on January 28, 2022, on the Dan Sileo Show.
During the 2022 USFL draft, the Stars selected quarterback Bryan Scott with the 3rd overall pick, and selected highly touted cornberback, Channing Stribling.
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. 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. However, despite erasing a halftime 11-point deficit, they ultimately lost on a late touchdown to the Birmingham Stallions, 33–30.
On December 19, 2023, the USFL informed its players union that the Stars would not be among the four USFL teams to be contracted as part of the league's upcoming merger with the XFL.
Player history
Notable players USFL SeasonPosNameNotes2023WRCorey ColemanFormer Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver, 2016 1st Round Pick2023TERyan IzzoFormer New England Patriots Tight End, 2018 7th Round Pick
Coach history
Head coach history #NameTermRegular seasonPlayoffsAwardsGCWLWin %GCWLPhiladelphia Stars1Bart Andrus2022–2023201010.500211 *Andrus also served as the team offensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator history #NameTermRegular seasonPlayoffsAwardsGCWLWin %GCWLPhiladelphia Stars1Brad Miller2022–2023201010.500211
Championships
North Division championships 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 All-time Stars leadersLeader Player Record Years with Stars Passing yards Case Cookus 3,628 passing yards 2022–2023Passing TouchdownsCase Cookus27 passing touchdowns2022–2023 Rushing yards Matt Colburn 721 rushing yards 2022–2023Rushing TouchdownsMatt Colburn12 touchdowns2022–2023 Receiving yards Devin Gray 715 receiving yards 2022–2023Receiving TouchdownsDiondre Overton5 receiving touchdowns2022–2023ReceptionsDevin Gray76 receptions2022–2023 Tackles Cody Brown 118 tackles 2022–2023 Sacks Adam Rodriguez 15.0 sacks 2022–2023 Interceptions Channing Stribling 8 interceptions 2022–2023Coaching winsBart Andrus10 wins2022–2023
Statistics and records
Season-by-season record
Note: The finish, wins, losses, and ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. +LegendUSFL champions†Division champions^Wild Card berth#
+Philadelphia Stars season-by-season recordsSeasonTeamLeagueDivisionRegular seasonPostseason resultsAwardsFinishWinsLossesTies 2022 USFL North 2nd# 6 4 0 Won Division finals (Generals) 19–14Lost USFL Championship Game (Stallions) 30–33 Matt Colburn (SMOY) Maurice Alexander (ND MVP) 2023 USFL North 3rd 4 6 0 – –Totals10100(2022–2023, regular season)11—(2022–2023, playoffs)11110(2022–2023, regular season and playoffs)
Mascot
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. The Stars then held a Twitter poll asking fans whether the mascot should be named "Astro", "Cosmo", or "Blob". "Blob" took 65 percent of the vote, and the name was confirmed on April 15. The Stars have offered few details about Blob besides describing him as "out of this world" and noting that he enjoys dancing. Rivalries Key Stone State Battle The Philadelphia Stars shared a rivalry with their cross-state foes the Pittsburgh Maulers called the Key Stone State Battle. The Stars went 3–1 against Pittsburgh during both USFL seasons.
Franchise matchup history +TeamRecordPct.Memphis Showboats1–01.000Tampa Bay Bandits1–01.000Pittsburgh Maulers3–1.750Michigan Panthers2–2.500Houston Gamblers1–1.500New Orleans Breakers1–1.500New Jersey Generals2–3.400Birmingham Stallions0–3.000
References