Oakland Invaders
| Oakland Invaders | |
|---|---|
 
|
|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Folded | 1985 |
| Based in | Oakland, California, United States |
| Home field | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum |
| League | USFL |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Pacific Division |
| Team History | Oakland Invaders (1983–1985) |
| Team colors |
Air Force Blue, Invader Gold, Navy, White |
| Head coaches | 1983–1984 John Ralston (9-12) 1984 Chuck Hutchison (7-8) 1985 Charlie Sumner (15-5-1) |
| Owner(s) | 1983–1985 Tad Taube 1985 A. Alfred Taubman and Tad Taube |
| Conference championships | 1985 |
| Division championships | 1983, 1985 |
Air Force Blue, Invader Gold, Navy, White
The Oakland Invaders were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 through 1985. Based in Oakland, California; they played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum.
Oakland had been without a football team after the Oakland Raiders relocated to Los Angeles before the 1982 NFL season. The Invaders stepped in to fill the void; the similar name was no accident.
The team was originally owned by Bay Area real estate magnates Jim Joseph and Tad Taube. However, after the original owner of the USFL's Los Angeles franchise, Alex Spanos, bought the San Diego Chargers instead, Joseph and Taube flipped a coin to decide who would buy the Los Angeles rights. Joseph won the toss, selling his stake in the Invaders to Taube. As it turned out, Joseph was forced to move his team to Phoenix, Arizona as the Arizona Wranglers.
Led by the league's 2nd ranked passer QB Fred Besana, WR Gordon Banks, and ex-Raiders HB Arthur Whittington and TE Raymond Chester, the Invaders won the Pacific Conference with a 9-9 record. The Invaders gave a valiant effort in the opening round of the playoffs, but were overrun by the eventual league champion Michigan Panthers, 37-21 in front of 60,237 rabid fans in the Pontiac Silverdome (The game was the largest turnout for any USFL game in the 1983 season).
The Invaders were picked by most to again challenge for a playoff spot in 1984, but their powerful offense fell apart in the first half of the season, scoring only 82 points. The team was unable to run the ball and lost 9 straight to open the season. With the emergence of RB Eric Jordan, the Invaders running attack rebounded and the team won 7 of its last 9 games. The defense was strong throughout the season finishing 7th in points allowed. However, attendance tumbled to 23,644 per game—nearly 8,000 fewer than in 1983.
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