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Author: dadlucasmullen
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Announcing Cascadia Evergreen
Dateline: Friday, April 11, 1986. After a season of turmoil that saw rumors of contraction and bad actors attempting to thwart the league’s ideals, the USFL worked to renew faith in the league by showing that they’re in this for the long haul. Then, this year, they reaffirmed that commitment by putting more thought into the league. They hired new assistants to help the commisioner keep track of league business. They put together a marketing team that worked to increase brand awareness and spread the gospel of the new USFL. Those moves paid huge dividends already in the season. Attendance is up. The league is in talks to expand their television coverage beyond ESPN and ABC into local affiliates.
It is in this spirit that the team announces the final expansion team for 1987, the Cascadian Evergreen. The Pacific Northwest offers the perfect opportunity to test for further Canada expansion. The fans in the area are also some of the most loyal. They will give even the coop ownership in Boston a run for their money. They hope to hire Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Steve Moore as their coach. The Evergreen join Denver, Los Angeles, Oakland, Las Vegas, and Arizona in the Pacific. Stay tuned for more information as the 1987 season approaches.
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1986 USFL Championship Game
Dateline: Sunday, July 6, 1986. Denver and Boston delivered an entertaining Championship game at the Silverdome in Michigan Sunday evening. Bston finished off an undefeated season with the victory. It looked to be a back and forth affair until Scott Thomas broke away on a kick return and scored. Matt Dunigan added two more touchdowns to super star receiver Mike Sherrard to put Boston up 38-14 at the half.
They never looked back. Denver tried to keep pace with the Boston offense. They did in every category but the score. The loss caps off another close but no cigar heartbreak of a season for the Gold. However, they promise to be back again next year to compete for their first championship.
Offensive Player of the Game: Mike Sherrard, WR, Boston Breakers. Sherrard helped Dunigan settle into the new league with a massive regular season. He continued his tear in the post season, capping it off with 6 catches for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Defensive Player of the Game: Bruce Miller, CB, Boston Breakers. Miller registered 7 tackles. He also forced a fumble and picked off the ball late in the game to stifle any chance of a Denver comeback.
Special Teams Player of the Game: Scott Thomas, KR, Boston Breakers. Thomas returned 5 kicks for 201 yards with the 89 yard touchdown to kick off the run that put the game comfortably in Boston’s hands.
With the game, we complete another successful season of USFL football. With the warm relationship with the established NFL, the league promises to flourish for decades to come. Already, owners hope to buy into the success of the league. Keep an eye on our four expansion clubs next year and how the league adjusts going forward. See you in 1987!
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1986 USFL Championship Game Preview
How We Got Here
East Conference Championship: 1986 USFL East Conference Championship
West Conference Championshp: 1986 USFL West Conference Championship
Denver Gold
Denver went 12-6 in the regular season, losing a tie breaker to Houston. Nevertheless, they secured the second seed and a first round bye. They went all in on Mouse Davis’ run and shoot offense, scoring almost 40 points a game. Quarterback Bob Gagliano stepped up and threw for over 6000 yards, 54 touchdowns against only 18 interceptions. Running back Bill Johnson added almost 2200 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground and over 700 yards and 6 touchdowns receiving. They bosted three 1000 yard receivers on offense.
Their bend but don’t break defense averaged 28.8 points a game. Led by linebacker John Nevens (118 tackles, 5 sacks, and 5 interceptions) and CB Curtis Stacy (103 tackles and 3 interceptions) and S Chris White (8 interceptions), they insured that the potent offense saw the field enough to outscore opponents.
They will need all of this offensive and defensive talent if they want to take down an undefeated Boston team that only looked somewhat mortal in two games during their unbeaten run.
Boston Breakers
In an anecdote all too familiar and sure to go down in USFL history as one of the great steals for the league, Boston’s fan ownership wooed CFL quarterback Matt Dunigan to the team in the offseason. The dual threat responded by throwing for just under 5000 yards and a league leading 60 touchdowns. He added almost 600 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns on the ground. This opened the field for RB Buford Jordan, who ran for over 1600 yards and 13 touchdowns. They, too, saw three recievers gain over 1000 yards, including leader Mike Sherrard with 1938 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Their own defense gave up 27.7 points per game on the year. Linebacker Marcus Marek (111 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 int) led a defefnse joined by three defensive backs who registered 90 tackles or more. That included the two Scotts; CB Byers with 10 interceptions and Thomas with 6.
In a league defined by high flying offenses, both teams bring a balanced gameplan that means that either has a chance to come away with the victory.
Our Take
Denver comes in with a strong resume and on a tear in the playoffs that’s almost unmatched. Defeating both Michigan and Houston by double digits is impressive. However, they will need all of that firepower and more to beat a historic Boston Breakers team. Matt Dunigan and the Breakers are on a mission this year and they will win next week to cap off an undefeated season and win their first USFL Championship.
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1986 USFL Divisional Round Wrap Up
Games
Saturday
1986 USFL Divisional Round: Philadelphia Stars at Birmingham Stallions
1986 USFL Divisional Playoffs: Michigan Panthers at Denver Gold
Sunday
1986 USFL Divisional Round: New Jersey Generals at Boston Breakers
1986 USFL Divisional Round: Los Angeles Express at Houston Gamblers
Recap
The conference semifinal round got off to a slow start with two blowouts. Philadelphia fell to Birmingham and Denver took care of Michigan and their young quarterback Jim Harbaugh. Neither game featured any drama with the home teams rushing out to leads and holding on with a stingy defense to finish off the visitors.
The Sunday games featured closer games. New Jersey ran into the buzz saw that are the Boston Breakers this year. The Generals just didn’t have enough offense or defense to compete. They added some late touchdowns to make the score more respectable. However, Boston remains on a mission this year. Houston required some last minute Kelly magic to defeat the surprising Express and host the Gold next week for a spot in this year’s championship game.
1986 Conference Finals Weekend Preview
Birmingham Stallions at Boston Breakers: An immovable object meets the unstoppable force when Boston’s offense squares up against Birmingham’s defense. This promises to be one of the toughest tests for the high flying Breakers. However, they look poised to march into the USFL Championship with their flawless record intact. Our Take: It may be a close game, but the Breakers firepower will bring them home.
Denver Gold at Houston Gamblers: The Gold figured out how to, not only match, but in some ways surpass the prolific Houston offense. Their own version of the run and shoot with Bob Gagliano and Bill Johnson have them again on the verge of a USFL Championship. With rumors of Jim Kelly possibly leaving for the NFL in a couple of years, this represents one of the last times for him to lift another title. Our take: Close game, but never bet against Kelly in a tight spot.
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1986 USFL Divisional Round Preview
Saturday
Philadelphia Stars at Birmingham Stallions
Philadelphia Stars: The Stars finished the season 10-8 and grabbed one of the wild card spots in the Atlantic. They never truly found their footing on offense, ranking in the middle or bottom in nearly every category. However, their defense kept them in games most of the year and were a primary reason that the Stars made the playoffs.
Birmingham Stallions: Birmingham put together another outstanding season, finishing at 14-4 and winning the South by a game over Jacksonville to take the number two spot in the conference. Their defense was even more impressive than Philadelphia. In addition, their offense ranked number 3 in total yards and 2 in rushing.
Quick Pick: The Stallions are just too much for the Stars. Plus they’re playing at home. Take Birmingham
Michigan Panthers at Denver Gold
Michigan Panthers: Michigan bounced back to 11-7 after two disappointing seasons. Their young and exciting quarterback Jim Harbaugh led the team to the tune of a fourth ranked scoring offense. Their defense had some bumps, ranking in the bottom quarter of the league in many categories.
Denver Gold: Denver finally found their footing under Mouse Davis and exploded on offense. They came in number two in scoring offense, number 1 in total yards, number 4 in rushing, and number two in passing. Never known for their defense, they held teams under 30 points per game to allow the explosive offense to steal some wins.
Quick Pick: Denver is just too powerful for Michigan and their young quarterback. The Panthers will be back, but take Denver this time.
Sunday
New Jersey Generals at Boston Breakers
New Jersey Generals: No surprise, but Jersey sported the number one rushing offense in the league. With Walker and Carthon, they averaged almost 200 yards rushing a game. But where they really shone was on defense, ranking in the top 5 in many categories.
Boston Breakers: By now, everyone knows the story of how the Breakers fan collective made a huge splash in the offseason by luring CFL quarterback Matt Dunigan to the team. It paid off in huge dividends with an 18-0 regular season and only one game where they sweated the outcome. Their defense can be some of an achilles heel, but the offense is just too powerful.
Quick Pick: Walker may have a big game, as he often does. But, Dunigan and the Breakers are on a mission. There’s no way they bow out this early.
Los Angeles Express at Houston Gamblers
Los Angeles Express: After last year’s disaster, they decided to go in a different direction and give their young quarterback Steve Young some time to develop. It paid off as they bounced back and made it to the playoffs, defeating the Ace in the wild card round.
Houston Gamblers: The Gamblers know nothing other than success in their time in the league. They’ve made the playoffs every year, winning the division and taking the number one seed each time. They won the Championship in their inaugural season and lost last year to Denver in the second round.
Quick Pick: Houston just wins at home. We don’t expect any less out of them this wekeend.
Be sure to return for full coverage of the games as they happen!