Oakland Invaders

The Oakland Invaders were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 through 1985. Based in Oakland, California, they played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum.

Oakland Invaders
Established 1977 Folded 1986 Played in Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California
League/conference affiliations
California Football League (1977–1982) United States Football League (1983–1985) Western Conference (1984–1985) Pacific Division (1983–1984)
Current uniform
Team colors	Air Force Blue, Invader Gold, Navy, White
Personnel
Owner(s)	1982–1985 Tad Taube 1985 A. Alfred Taubman and Tad Taube
Head coach	1983–1984 John Ralston (9-12) 1984 Chuck Hutchison (7-8) 1985 Charlie Sumner (15-5-1)
Team history
Twin Cities Cougars (1977–1982) Oakland Invaders (1983–1985)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (1) 1985
Division championships (1) 1983
Playoff appearances (2)
1983, 1985
Home stadium(s)
Marysville High School field (1977–1982) Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (1983–1985)

The team can trace its history to 1977 when they played in the California Football League as the Twin Cities Cougars, and won four league championships (1979–1982).^[1] During that time, they played their home games at the Marysville High School field.^[2]

History

In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles

Oakland had been without a football team since the Oakland Raiders relocated to Los Angeles before the 1982 NFL season. The Invaders stepped in to fill the void; the similar name was no accident. One of the Invaders' first player signings was former Raider and 49er Cedrick Hardman, who came out of a one-year retirement to serve as player-coach.

The team was originally owned by Bay Area real estate magnates Jim Joseph and Tad Taube. However, after the original owner of the USFL's Los Angeles franchise, Alex Spanos, bought the San Diego Chargers instead, Joseph and Taube flipped a coin to decide who would buy the Los Angeles rights. Joseph won the toss, selling his stake in the Invaders to Taube. As it turned out, Joseph was forced to move his team to Phoenix, Arizona as the Arizona Wranglers.

1983 season

Taube held fast to David Dixon's original blueprint for the USFL, heavily marketing the team in the Bay Area while keeping tight controls on spending (including player salaries).

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 finished with 9–9 record. However, in an extremely weak Pacific Division, this was enough to garner them the division title. In the playoffs, despite a valiant effort, they were overrun by the eventual league champion Michigan Panthers, 37–21 in front of 60,237 rabid fans in the Pontiac Silverdome (the largest crowd for any USFL game in the 1983 season).

1983 schedule and results

Week	Day	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	TV	Venue	Attendance
Regular season
1	Sunday	March 6	at Arizona Wranglers	W 24–0	1–0		Sun Devil Stadium	45,167
2	Sunday	March 13	Birmingham Stallions	L 14–20 (OT)	1–1		Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	47,344
3	Saturday	March 19	at Michigan Panthers	W 33–27	2–1	ESPN	Pontiac Silverdome	28,952
4	Monday	March 28	at Denver Gold	L 12–22	2–2	ESPN	Mile High Stadium	38,720
5	Sunday	April 3	at Los Angeles Express	L 7–10	2–3		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	23,538
6	Sunday	April 10	at Boston Breakers	W 26–7	3–3	ABC	Nickerson Field	7,984
7	Saturday	April 16	Philadelphia Stars	L 7–17	3–4	ESPN	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	34,901
8	Sunday	April 24	at Birmingham Stallions	L 9–21	3–5		Legion Field	18,500
9	Monday	May 2	Arizona Wranglers	W 34–20	4–5	ESPN	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	27,460
10	Sunday	May 8	Tampa Bay Bandits	L 10–17	4–6	ABC	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	26,989
11	Monday	May 16	Washington Federals	W 34–27	5–6		Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	25,900
12	Saturday	May 21	at Tampa Bay Bandits	L 9–29	5–7	ESPN	Tampa Stadium	43,389
13	Sunday	May 29	Los Angeles Express	W 20–10	6–7		Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	28,967
14	Saturday	June 4	New Jersey Generals	W 34–21	7–7	ESPN	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	32,908
15	Monday	June 13	Denver Gold	W 16–10	8–7	ESPN	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	26,840
16	Monday	June 20	at Philadelphia Stars	L 6–12	8–8	ESPN	Veterans Stadium	16,933
17	Saturday	June 25	Boston Breakers	W 17–16	9–8	ESPN	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	30,396
18	Sunday	July 3	at Chicago Blitz	L 7–31	9–9		Soldier Field	12,346
Playoffs
Divisional Playoff	Sunday	July 10	at Michigan Panthers	L 21–37	—	ABC	Pontiac Silverdome	60,237

Sources^[3][4][5]

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 nine straight to open the season. With the emergence of RB Eric Jordan, the Invaders′ running attack rebounded and the team won seven of its last nine games. The defense was strong throughout the season, finishing seventh in points allowed. However, attendance tumbled to 23,644 per game – nearly 8,000 fewer than in 1983.

1984 schedule and results

Week	Day	Date	Opponent	Venue	Attendance	TV	Result	Record
Preseason
1	Sunday	January 29	vs. Arizona Wranglers	Sun Devil Stadium			L 0–6	0–1
2	Saturday	February 4	vs. Denver Gold	Francisco Grande, Arizona			L 6–12	0–2
3	Saturday	February 11	vs. Chicago Blitz	Mesa, Arizona			L 21–31	0–3
4	Saturday	February 18	vs. Michigan Panthers	Mesa, Arizona		KICU	W 7–6	1–3
Regular season
1	Sunday	February 26	at Arizona Wranglers	Sun Devil Stadium	29,176	ABC	L 7–35	0–1
2	Sunday	March 4	New Orleans Breakers	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	41,200	—	L 0–13	0–2
3	Sunday	March 11	Los Angeles Express	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	23,479	ABC	L 0–10	0–3
4	Sunday	March 18	at Philadelphia Stars	Veterans Stadium	30,284	—	L 7–28	0–4
5	Saturday	March 24	at San Antonio Gunslingers	Alamo Stadium	11,012	KGGP	L 10–14	0–5
6	Sunday	April 1	at Pittsburgh Maulers	Three Rivers Stadium	22,408	—	L 14–28	0–6
7	Saturday	April 7	at Tampa Bay Bandits	Tampa Stadium	58,777	—	L 0–24	0–7
8	Monday	April 16	Houston Gamblers	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	18,320	—	L 27–35	0–8
9	Sunday	April 22	Washington Federals	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	14,828	—	L 17–31	0–9
10	Sunday	April 29	at Chicago Blitz	Soldier Field	7,802	—	W 17–13	1–9
11	Saturday	May 5	Denver Gold	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	19,331	—	W 20–17 (OT)	2–9
12	Sunday	May 13	Arizona Wranglers	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	20,004	—	W 14–3	3–9
13	Saturday	May 19	Memphis Showboats	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	22,030	—	W 29–14	4–9
14	Saturday	May 26	at Oklahoma Outlaws	Skelly Stadium	16,378	—	W 17–14	5–9
15	Saturday	June 2	Jacksonville Bulls	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	29,687	—	W 17–12	6–9
16	Saturday	June 9	Michigan Panthers	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	23,918	ESPN	W 20–13	7–9
17	Friday	June 15	at Los Angeles Express	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	14,794	—	L 19–24	7–10
18	Friday	June 22	at Denver Gold	Mile High Stadium	32,623	Local	L 7–20	7–11

Sources^[6][7][8]

1985 season

As early as 1984, Taube had come to believe the USFL should move to the fall. He began looking for new investors when it became apparent that the USFL was going to vote to switch to fall play in 1986, knowing he would be competing directly with the San Francisco 49ers. However, unlike other USFL teams who would be going head-to-head against NFL teams, Taube had reason for optimism. The Raiders had successfully built their own niche market and fan base in Oakland for two decades, and there was at least a chance the Invaders could have survived in the same manner. He nearly merged his team with the Oklahoma Outlaws. However, talks collapsed when Outlaws owner William Tatham demanded that his son, Bill Jr., be given control over the merged team's football operations.

Taube then approached the Michigan Panthers, who had been one of the league's strongest teams during its first two years. Some observers reckoned them as an NFL-quality team; indeed, the Panthers had made a better account of themselves on the field than the Detroit Lions. However, Panthers owner A. Alfred Taubman was a strong supporter of spring football, and had no desire to directly compete with the Lions. Knowing that he would not even begin to be able to go head-to-head with the Lions even if he'd been inclined to do so, he had begun putting out feelers for a merger partner when it became clear that the move to the fall was a foregone conclusion.

Taubman and Taube and quickly reached a deal for a merger. The Invaders would be the surviving team, but Taube sold controlling interest in the merged team to Taubman while remaining chairman of the board. The merger was formally announced after the owners approved moving to the fall.

The new team, bolstered with key players from the Panthers such as Bobby Hebert, went a league-best 13–4–1 in the regular season and advanced all the way to the 1985 USFL championship game. The championship game was a rematch of sorts with Chuck Fusina's Stars, who now played in Baltimore; the Panthers had upended the Stars in the league's inaugural title game. The Invaders were in the midst of a potential game-winning drive when a personal-foul penalty derailed their momentum, 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, the team's attendance fell again, to a barely sustainable 17,509. Soon after the championship game, Taubman decided to pull out. The loss of Taubman's wealth left the Invaders without nearly enough resources for the move to the fall, and they suspended 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.

1985 schedule and results

Week	Day	Date	Opponent	Venue	Attendance	TV	Result	Record
Preseason
1	Saturday	February 2	vs. Arizona Outlaws	Mesa, Arizona			W 10–3	1–0
2	Saturday	February 9	vs. Arizona Outlaws	Mesa, Arizona			W 12–0	2–0
3	Sunday	February 17	vs. Arizona Outlaws	Fresno, California	10,204		W 31–13	3–0
Regular Season
1	Sunday	February 24	Denver Gold	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	23,622	—	W 31–10	1–0–0
2	Sunday	March 3	Baltimore Stars	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	20,495	—	T 17–17 (OT)	1–0–1
3	Sunday	March 10	Houston Gamblers	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	16,037	—	L 7–42	1–1–1
4	Sunday	March 17	Jacksonville Bulls	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	16,678	ABC	W 42–36	2–1–1
5	Sunday	March 24	at Memphis Showboats	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	28,773	—	W 31–19	3–1–1
6	Sunday	March 31	at Los Angeles Express	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	11,619	—	W 30–6	4–1–1
7	Saturday	April 6	at Portland Breakers	Civic Stadium	23,388	—	L 17–30	4–2–1
8	Saturday	April 13	at Birmingham Stallions	Legion Field	44,500	ESPN	L 17–20	4–3–1
9	Monday	April 22	San Antonio Gunslingers	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	18,215	ESPN	W 27–20	5–3–1
10	Friday	April 26	Arizona Outlaws	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	12,972	ESPN	W 27–11	6–3–1
11	Sunday	May 5	at Orlando Renegades	Florida Citrus Bowl	21,085	—	W 21–7	7–3–1
12	Saturday	May 11	Los Angeles Express	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	12,482	ESPN	W 27–6	8–3–1
13	Saturday	May 18	at San Antonio Gunslingers	Alamo Stadium	7,118	—	W 24–21	9–3–1
14	Thursday	May 23	at Denver Gold	Mile High Stadium	12,372	ESPN	W 31–16	10–3–1
15	Sunday	June 2	Portland Breakers	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	12,740	ESPN	W 38–20	11–3–1
16	Saturday	June 8	at Arizona Outlaws	Sun Devil Stadium	10,591	—	L 21–28	11–4–1
17	Saturday	June 15	New Jersey Generals	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	24,338	ESPN	W 34–29	12–4–1
18	Monday	June 24	at Houston Gamblers	Houston Astrodome	15,797	ESPN	W 31–21	13–4–1
Playoffs
Quarterfinal	Sunday	June 30	Tampa Bay Bandits	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	19,346	ABC	W 30–27	—
Semifinal	Saturday	July 6	at Memphis Showboats	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	37,796	ABC	W 28–19	—
USFL Championship	Sunday	July 14	vs. Baltimore Stars	Giants Stadium	49,263	ABC	L 24–28	—

Sources^[9][10][11]

Past and future National Football League players

• Albert Bentley
• Ray Bentley
• Dave Browning
• Anthony Carter
• Raymond Chester
• Frank Duncan
• Cedrick Hardman
• Derek Holloway
• Bobby Hebert
• Alva Liles
• Dewey McClain
• Dale Markham
• Ray Pinney
• Gary Plummer
• Mike Shumann
• Angelo Snipes
• Randy Van Divier
• Arthur Whittington
• Vito McKeever

Invaders executive William Hambrecht later emerged as a founder of the United Football League.

Single-season leaders

Rushing Yards: 1,045 (1983), Arthur Whittington

Receiving Yards: 1,323 (1985), Anthony Carter

Passing Yards: 3,980 (1983), Fred Besana

Season-by-season

Season records

Season	W	L	T	Finish	Playoff results
1983	9	9	0	1st Pacific	Lost Divisional (Michigan)
1984	7	11	0	4th WC Pacific
1985	13	4	1	1st WC	Won Quarterfinal (Tampa Bay) Won Semifinal (Memphis) Lost USFL Championship (Baltimore)
Totals	31	26	1	(including playoffs)

References

1. "In football, professionalism is a question of attitude" (PDF).
2. Barber, Phil. "Of Rattlers and Cougars". The Press Democrat.
3. statscrew.com 1983 Oakland Invaders Game-by-Game Results Retrieved December 30, 2018
4. usflsite.com 1983 USFL Season Retrieved December 30, 2018
5. profootballarchives.com 1983 Oakland Invaders (USFL) Retrieved December 30, 2018
6. statscrew.com 1984 Oakland Invaders Game-by-Game Results Retrieved December 30, 2018
7. usflsite.com 1984 USFL Season Retrieved December 30, 2018
8. profootballarchives.com 1984 Oakland Invaders (USFL) Retrieved December 30, 2018
9. statscrew.com 1985 Oakland Invaders Game-by-Game Results Retrieved December 30, 2018
10. usflsite.com 1985 USFL Season Retrieved December 30, 2018
11. profootballarchives.com 1985 Oakland Invaders (USFL) Retrieved December 30, 2018

External links

• USFL.info - Oakland Invaders
• https://web.archive.org/web/20050315221943/http://www.remembertheusfl.8m.com/teams/oakland.html