Week 2 - Saturday, March 2,
1985
Attendance: 25,232,
TV:
ESPN
Buford Jordan bulled for
100 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown on a four-yard run early in the fourth quarter as
Portland made it’s home debut a success in downing
Los Angeles 14-10. A crowd of 25,232 watched the
USFL’s first Portland performance.
Los Angeles Express
Years of existence: 1983-1985
Owner:
Bill Daniels,
Alan Harmon (
1983), J.
William Oldenburg (
1984)
Stadium:
Los Angeles Coliseum (92,516)
Overall
Regular Season Record: 21-33 (.389)
Overall
Playoff Record: 1-1
Yearly Standings and Average
Home Attendances
1983: 8-10 (19,002)
1984: 10-8 (15,361)
1985: 3-15 (8,
415)
Of all the teams in the USFL, this one probably caused more headaches for the league than any other. By the end of the 1985 season, the
Express were playing in front of intimate gatherings at the huge Los Angeles Coliseum. It got so bad that the Express ended up playing their final home game at
Pierce College in the
San Fernando Valley. The game drew 8,
200 spectators, about double what the Express had drawn the previous two home games.
Prior to the 1984 season, J. William Oldenburg bought the team, and he and general manager
Don Klosterman assembled one of the greatest crops of young talent around.
Tops on the list was
BYU quarterback
Steve Young, who signed a whopping $40 million lifetime contract.
Young had the benefit of three great young offensive linemen in
Mark Adickes,
Gary Ruether, and
Gary Zimmerman. New coach
John Hadl oversaw the talented bunch to a playoff berth and all the way to the
Western Conference final. They fell to the
Arizona Wranglers, 35-23, but put up a great fight.
The future of the Express looked very bright.
Unfortunately, it all unraveled.
First, the people of Los Angeles didn't care at all about the team no matter how exciting they might be.
Second, some of Oldenburg's financial dealings caught up with him, and he had to surrender the team to the league.
The Express were suddenly ownerless.
Third, injuries hit the team hard. The Express stumbled through their final year, barely finishing.
Without any money to replace injured players and several others playing not to get hurt, the Express sunk to the bottom of the league. It got so bad Young had to play one game at running back. Not many people in Los Angeles even knew the team died, and Young bought out the rest of his huge contract so he could jump to the
NFL.
Portland Breakers
Years of existence: 1983-1985
Owner:
George Matthews,
Randy Vataha (1983),
Joseph Canizaro (1984-84)
Stadium:
Nickerson Field (20,535) 1983,
Superdome (69,658) 1984,
Civic Stadium (32,
500) 1985
Overall Regular Season Record: 25-29 (.463)
Overall Playoff Record: 0-0
Yearly Standings and Average Home Attendances
1983: 11-7 (12,817)
1984: 8-10 (30,557)
1985: 6-12 (19,919)
Once the USFL announced its move the fall, the
Breakers had to leave their new home and continued their trek westward, landing in
Portland, Oregon. The year 1985 was not a year Breakers' fans would like to remember. The offense was last in the league with just 275 points.
Jordan led the way with 817 yards, but the passing game struggled under
Matt Robinson and
Doug Woodward following the retirement of
Walton. It was a testament to the team's character and Coury's determination that the team made it as far as it did.
- published: 09 Mar 2015
- views: 1050