United States Football League (1985)
Tombstone
Born: October 1984 – The Washington Federals relocate to Orlando
Folded: August 7, 1986
First Game: February 23, 1985 (L 35-7 @ Tampa Bay Bandits)
Last Game: June 22, 1985 (W 17-10 vs. Los Angeles Express)
USFL Championships: None
Stadium
The Florida Citrus Bowl (50,050)11985 Sporting News Official USFL Guide & Register
Opened: 1936
Marketing
Team Colors: Blue, Gray & Red21985 Sporting News Official USFL Guide & Register
Ownership
Owner: Donald R. Dizney
Attendance
Our Favorite Stuff
Orlando Renegades USFL
Logo T-Shirt
It’s a shame that Orlando didn’t get into the USFL earlier. By the time the sad sack Washington Federals moved to central Florida in 1985, the USFL was down to its final season. The ‘Gades would play just 9 home games in their brief history, but those games saw emerging young superstars such as Steve Young, Reggie White, Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker come to play at the Citrus Bowl.
Renegades t-shirts are available in a selection of styles and in sizes Small through 5XL at Royal Retros today!
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Background
The United States Football League arrived in Orlando, Florida in October 1984 when the league’s doormat Washington Federals franchise fled the nation’s capital for a fresh start in Florida. During the springtime football league’s first two seasons, the Federals had a league worst 7-29 record. The club’s exasperated former owner, Washington D.C. attorney Berl Bernhard, publicly compared the Feds to “untrained gerbils” after a 53-14 loss to open the 1984 season.
Bernhard thought he had a deal during the summer of 1984 to unload the team to Florida developer Woody Weiser. Weiser intended to bring the team to the Orange Bowl where they would be known as the Miami Manatees and coached by Howard Schnellenberger. But in late August, the USFL voted to move to a fall season in 1986, pitting the league head-to-head against the National Football League. Weiser knew he couldn’t compete in market against the Miami Dolphins in the autumn and pulled out of the sale. Bernhard, faced with a similar problem competing head-to-head with the Washington Redskins come 1986, was desperate to unload the Feds. He managed to strike a new deal with Donald Dizney, a minority partner in the USFL’s popular Tampa Bay Bandits franchise, to move the team to Orlando instead.
1985 Season
Unlike the USFL’s glitzier franchises, which lured three consecutive Heisman Trophy winners away from the NFL and paid out large contracts to get NFL free agents to jump leagues, the Federals/Renegades never opened the checkbook for splashy signings. The Renegades’ roster was composed mostly of journeymen from the Canadian Football League and NFL training camp cuts. ESPN College Gameday host Lee Corso was the Renegades Head Coach and is likely the only member of the team whose name would be familiar to contemporary football fans.
The ‘Gades marginally improved under Corso. Their 5-13 mark in 1985 was actually the best record in franchise history. Attendance was also much better. The Renegades averaged a little over 24,000 fans at the Florida Citrus Bowl in the spring of 1985, which was more than triple what they drew during their final depressing season at RFK Stadium in Washington.
Demise & Aftermath
The Renegades were due to return in the fall of 1986 for the USFL’s first fall season, but league owners elected to fold the league in August 1986 just as training camp was due to get underway. The USFL bet its future as a fall league on the successful outcome of an federal anti-trust against the National Football League. The USFL actually won the suit, but a jury awarded the league just $1.00 in damages, which was trebled to a final judgement of a whopping $3.00. USFL owners gave up shortly after the verdict.
Former Renegades owner Donald Dizney later owned the popular Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League for several years during the early 1990’s. Renegades starting quarterback, Reggie Collier also started for the Predators during their debut season in 1991.
After the demise of the the USFL, spring football returned to Orlando and the Citrus Bowl three more with diminishing returns. The Orlando Thunder of the NFL-backed World League of American Football played two seasons in 1991 and 1992. The Orlando Rage of the NBC/World Wrestling Entertainment joint venture the XFL arrived in 2001, but that league folded after only one season of play. Most recently, the Steve Spurrier-coach Orlando Apollos folded along with the rest of the Alliance of American Football midway through the league’s first season in 2019.
Orlando Renegades Shop
OUR FAVORITE STUFF
Orlando Renegades
USFL Replica Jersey
When it comes to Replica Jerseys, we turn to our friends at Royal Retros, who put extraordinary detail into their fully customizable USFL, WFL, CFL and WLAF jerseys.
Free Customization Included
Any name and number
Heavyweight sewn tackle twill
100% polyester
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Orlando Renegades Video
Orlando Renegades VideoRenegades host the New Jersey Generals with Doug Flutie & Herschel Walker. March 1, 1985.
In Memoriam
Cornerback Neal Colzie died of a heart attack on August 19, 2001. He was 48 years old.
Former Renegades General Manager Lewis “Bugsy” Engelberg passed away in July 1987 at the age of 41.
Downloads
1985 Orlando Renegades Results & Attendance
1985 Orlando Renegades Results & Attendance
Links
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