The Baltimore Stars, reigning champions of the United
States Football League, were struggling at 5-6-1 as they faced the Orlando
Renegades on May 17, 1985. Highly successful as a Philadelphia-based franchise
in 1983 and ’84, the Stars were having difficulty adjusting to the move to Byrd
Stadium at the University of Maryland (Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium was
unavailable) while continuing to practice in Philadelphia. However, Head Coach
Jim Mora’s team still had a solid defense plus an effective ball-control
offense directed by QB Chuck Fusina that featured RB Kelvin Bryant.
The Renegades, coached by Lee Corso, were the remnant of
the far-less-successful Washington Federals of the prior two years. They came
into the contest at 3-9, but were showing improvement after getting off to a
0-6 start. Highly mobile QB Reggie Collier led the attack but the defense was
poor, often failing in the second half of games.
There were 23,121 fans in attendance on a Friday night at
Orlando Stadium. The Renegades took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, first on
a six-yard TD pass from Reggie Collier to WR Jackie Flowers less than two
minutes into the contest that was set up when Baltimore’s Kelvin Bryant fumbled
the ball away at his own 11 yard line, safety Victor Jackson recovering, and
then on a four-yard run by RB Leon Perry that completed a six-play, 50-yard
possession. Jeff Brockhaus added the extra point after each.
The Stars came back in the second quarter when Chuck Fusina
threw long to Bryant for a 43-yard touchdown and David Trout added the point
after. However, Perry scored a second touchdown shortly thereafter, carrying
from two yards out. Trout kicked a 42-yard field goal for the visitors in the
final minute, but the Renegades held a surprising 21-10 lead at the half.
The Stars were known for their opportunism on defense,
and two big plays by inside LB Sam Mills in the first four minutes of the
second half turned the game around. First, he returned an intercepted pass 20
yards for a touchdown. Then he forced a fumble with a hard tackle of RB Henry
Odom, who had just caught a Collier pass across the middle, which gave the
Stars the ball at the Orlando 22 when DE William Fuller recovered. Six plays
later, Bryant ran five yards for another Baltimore TD. The Stars were suddenly
in front by 24-21.
The Renegades came back strong on offense, driving to the
Baltimore one on their next series. However, the Stars repelled three straight
runs and it was Mills making a big stop of Odom inches from the goal line on
fourth down that ended the threat. The Stars responded with an 83-yard drive
and Trout added a 34-yard field goal before the period was over.
There was one more score midway through the fourth
quarter as Fusina passed to WR Herbert Harris for a 16-yard TD, icing the cake
for the Stars. Baltimore came away with a comfortable 34-21 win thanks to 24
unanswered second half points.
Orlando outgained the Stars (348 yards to 301) and had
more first downs (24 to 19). However, the Renegades also turned the ball over
five times, four on fumbles, while the visitors did so twice. The Stars also
recorded five sacks, to three for the home team. There were many penalties,
with Philadelphia flagged 15 times to 9 called on Orlando.
Chuck Fusina completed 15 of 30 passes for 204 yards and
two touchdowns while giving up one interception. Kelvin Bryant ran for 87 yards
on 16 carries and also led the club with 5 pass receptions for 74 yards,
scoring one TD apiece on the ground and through the air.
For the Renegades, Reggie Collier was successful on 27 of
47 throws for 243 yards and a TD with one picked off. Collier was also
Orlando’s rushing leader as he accumulated 50 yards on five attempts. Jackie
Flowers caught 7 passes for 93 yards and a score.
The win evened the Stars’ record at 6-6-1 and they went
on to win four of their next five games to finish fourth in the Eastern
Conference with a 10-7-1 tally. The rally continued into the postseason as they
went on to defeat the Oakland Invaders and repeat as USFL Champions. Orlando
ended up at 5-13 and the bottom of the conference.
Sam Mills was a consensus first-team All-USFL selection
for the third straight year. An undersized (5’9”, 225 pounds) player out of
Montclair State in New Jersey who had previously failed in free agent tryouts
with the NFL Browns and CFL Argonauts, he made the most of his opportunity in
the Spring league and, following the demise of the USFL, moved on to the New
Orleans Saints of the NFL along with Coach Mora. He was selected to four Pro
Bowls as a member of the Saints and one after moving on to the Carolina
Panthers.
