Boston Breakers (USFL)
| Portland Breakers | |
|---|---|
 
|
|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Folded | 1985 |
| Relocated | 1984, 1985 |
| Based in |
Boston, Massachusetts (1983) New Orleans, Louisiana (1984) Portland, Oregon (1985) |
| Home field |
Nickerson Field (1983) Louisiana Superdome (1984) Civic Stadium (1985) |
| League | USFL (1983–1985) |
| Conference | Eastern Conference (1984) Western Conference (1985) |
| Division | Atlantic Division (1983) Southern Division (1984) |
| Team History | Boston Breakers (1983) New Orleans Breakers (1984) Portland Breakers (1985) |
| Team colors |
Breaker Blue, Royal Blue, Silver, White |
| Head coaches | 1983–1985 Dick Coury (25-29) |
| Owner(s) | 1983 George Matthews and Randy Vataha 1984 Joseph Canizaro, Neal Kaye Sr. and Randy Vataha 1985 Joseph Canizaro |
Breaker Blue, Royal Blue, Silver, White
The Portland Breakers were an American football team that played in the original United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans Breakers.
The team started out in 1983 as the Boston Breakers, owned by Boston businessman George Matthews and former New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Vataha. They had originally hoped to play at Harvard Stadium, but Harvard University rejected them almost out of hand. Their next choice was Sullivan Stadium, the home of the Patriots, but high rent and the stadium's location (30 miles southwest of Boston) made this unrealistic. They finally settled on Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University, a rather antiquated facility that seated only 20,300. The team's cheerleaders were called "Heartbreakers."
Coach Dick Coury put together a fairly competitive team led by 36-year-old former World Football League QB Johnnie Walton and Canadian Football League Veteran HB Richard Crump. The Breakers finished 11-7, narrowly missing the playoffs. Walton, who had retired from pro football years earlier and had spent the previous three years coaching college football, was the league's 7th ranked passer. Coury was named coach of the year.
Despite fielding a fairly solid team, playing in Nickerson doomed the team in Boston. It was so small that the Breakers lost money even when they sold out as visiting teams got a portion of the gate proceeds. The Breakers and Washington Federals were the only teams to draw less than 14,000 per game in 1983. The other 10 teams drew over 18,000 per game. Matthews again found after the season that he was unable to secure a lease for his Breakers in any of the larger stadiums in the Boston area. Concluding that the stadium situation was untenable, Matthews moved the team to New Orleans and was approved by the USFL on October 18, 1983 and later sold his interest to New Orleans real estate developer Joe Canizaro.
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