| Philadelphia Stars | |
| Current: | 2023 Philadelphia Stars season |
| Founded: | 2021 |
| Folded: | 2023 |
| City: | Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan |
| Stadium Years: |
|
| Owner: | National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports) |
| Coach: | Bart Andrus (2022-2023) |
| Manager: | Michael Woods (2023) |
| League: | United States Football League (2022–2023)
|
| Team History: |
|
| No League Champs: | 0 |
| No Conf Champs: | 0 |
| No Div Champs: | 0 |
| Playoff Appearances: | 2022 |
| No Playoff Appearances: | 1 |
| Mascot: | Blob |
| Colors: | Red, orange, gold, white |
The Philadelphia Stars were a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Stars competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member club of the league's North division. The team played its home games at Protective Stadium and Legion Field, both in Alabama, in 2022, and Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan in 2023. Ultimately, the team would never play a game in Philadelphia. The Stars appeared in the playoffs once, won the division championship game once, and appeared in one USFL Championship Game.
On December 19, 2023, the USFL informed its players union that the Stars would be among four USFL teams to be contracted as part of the league's upcoming merger with the XFL.[1]
The Philadelphia Stars were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021.[2] On January 6, 2022, It was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former CFL Head coach Bart Andrus was named the Head coach and General manager of the Stars.[3] Andrus later announced most of his staff on January 28, 2022, on the Dan Sileo Show.[4]
During the 2022 USFL draft, the Stars selected quarterback Bryan Scott with the 3rd overall pick,[5] and selected highly touted cornberback, Channing Stribling.[6]
After training camp, Scott was officially named the Stars' starting quarterback for the 2022 season by head coach Andrus. After starting the season 2–3, the Stars went 4–1 in their last five games, clinching a playoff berth in week 8 after a victory over the Michigan Panthers.[7] They went on to beat the New Jersey Generals 19–14 in the North Division Championship game, earning them their first USFL Championship Game appearance.[8] However, despite erasing a halftime 11-point deficit, they ultimately lost on a late touchdown to the Birmingham Stallions, 33–30.[9]
On December 19, 2023, the USFL informed its players union that the Stars would be among four USFL teams to be contracted as part of the league's upcoming merger with the XFL.
| USFL Season | Pos | Name | NFL Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | WR | Maurice Alexander | Detroit Lions | |
| 2022 | OT | Alex Akingbulu | Washington Commanders | |
| 2023 | DT | LaBryan Ray | Carolina Panthers |
| USFL Season | Pos | Name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | WR | Corey Coleman | Former Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver, 2016 1st Round Pick | |
| 2023 | TE | Ryan Izzo | Former New England Patriots Tight End, 2018 7th Round Pick |
| Season | Coach | Location | Opponent | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio) | 19–14 | |||||
| Total North Division Championships won: 1 | ||||||
| All-time Stars leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Stars | |
| Passing Yards | 3,628 passing yards | 2022-2023 | ||
| Passing Touchdowns | Case Cookus | 27 passing touchdowns | 2022-2023 | |
| Rushing Yards | 721 rushing yards | 2022-2023 | ||
| Rushing Touchdowns | Matt Colburn | 12 touchdowns | 2022-2023 | |
| Receiving Yards | Devin Gray | 715 receiving yards | 2022-2023 | |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Diondre Overton | 5 receiving touchdowns | 2022-2023 | |
| Receptions | Devin Gray | 76 receptions | 2022-2023 | |
| Tackles | 118 tackles | 2022-2023 | ||
| Sacks | Adam Rodriguez | 15.0 sacks | 2022-2023 | |
| Interceptions | 8 interceptions | 2022-2023 | ||
| Coaching wins | Bart Andrus | 10 wins | 2022-2023 | |
Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.
| USFL champions† | Division champions^ | Wild Card berth# |
| Season | Team | League | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | |||||||||
| 2022 | USFL | North | 2nd# | 6 | 4 | 0 | Won Division finals (Generals) 19–14 Lost USFL Championship Game (Stallions) 30–33 | Maurice Alexander (ND MVP) | ||||
| 2023 | USFL | North | 3rd | 4 | 6 | 0 | – | – | ||||
| Totals | 10 | 10 | 0 | (2022–2023, regular season) | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | — | (2022–2023, playoffs) | |||||||||
| 11 | 11 | 0 | (2022–2023, regular season and playoffs) | |||||||||
On April 11, 2022, the Stars unveiled their mascot, a monstrous red creature that drew comparisons to other Philadelphia sports mascots Gritty and the Phillie Phanatic.[10] [11] The Stars then held a Twitter poll asking fans whether the mascot should be named "Astro", "Cosmo", or "Blob".[12] "Blob" took 65 percent of the vote, and the name was confirmed on April 15.[13] The Stars have offered few details about Blob besides describing him as "out of this world" and noting that he enjoys dancing.[14]