| 2023 Philadelphia Stars season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports) |
| General manager | Michael Woods |
| Head coach | Bart Andrus |
| Home field | Ford Field Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Week 2) |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–6 |
| League place | 3rd in North Division |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 2023 season was the Philadelphia Stars' second season in the United States Football League (USFL), their second season under head coach Bart Andrus and their first under general manager Michael Woods. With their fourth loss of the season against the Birmingham Stallions in Week 8, they failed to improve on their previous season where they went 6–4 in the regular season. They failed to again qualify for the playoffs and avenge their narrow loss to the Stallions 33–30 in the 2022 USFL Championship Game.
Shortly before the completion of the 2022 season, the USFL announced plans to move into two or four hubs for teams to play in. [1] In November, the USFL was reportedly exploring options of having a hub in Metro Detroit, with possible locations being the Eastern Michigan Eagles' Rynearson Stadium and the Detroit Lions' Ford Field. [2]
It was announced that the Stars would be playing their games in the Detroit, Michigan hub at Ford Field. They will share this hub with their North Division rival, the Michigan Panthers. [3]
The Stars clinched the 7th pick in the 2023 USFL draft and hold the 7th pick in every round.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Alfred Edwards | Offensive tackle | Utah State | |
| 2 | 13 | Anderson Hardy | Offensive tackle | Appalachian State | |
| 3 | 21 | Issac Moore | Offensive tackle | Temple | |
| 4 | 29 | Truman Jones | Defensive end | Harvard | |
| 5 | 37 | Earl Bostick Jr. | Offensive tackle | Kansas | |
| 6 | 46 | Jose Ramirez | Defensive end | Eastern Michigan | |
| 7 | 54 | Demontrey Jacobs | Offensive tackle | South Florida | |
| 8 | 62 | Trey Botts | Defensive lineman | CSU | |
| 9 | 70 | Destin Mack | Cornerback | The Citadel | |
| 10 | 78 | Dre Terry | Linebacker | Alabama A&M |
The Stars, like all other teams, have a 38-man active roster with a 7-man practice squad. [4]
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends | Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
Rookies in italics | ||||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
|
| Week | Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | Result | Record | TV | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 15 | 4:30 p.m. | at Memphis Showboats | W 27–23 | 1–0 | Fox | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | April 23 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Michigan Panthers | L 10–24 | 1–1 | FS1 | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | April 30 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh Maulers | L 13–21 | 1–2 | NBC | Ford Field | Recap |
| 4 | May 6 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. Houston Gamblers | L 16–41 | 1–3 | Fox | Ford Field | Recap |
| 5 | May 14 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. New Jersey Generals | W 24–21 | 2–3 | NBC | Ford Field | Recap |
| 6 | May 21 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. New Orleans Breakers | W 16–10 | 3–3 | FS1 | Ford Field | Recap |
| 7 | May 27 | 9:00 p.m. | at Pittsburgh Maulers | W 37–31 | 4–3 | FS1 | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | June 3 | 3:00 p.m. | at Birmingham Stallions | L 24–27 | 4–4 | NBC | Protective Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | June 11 | 7:00 p.m. | at New Jersey Generals | L 33–37 | 4–5 | Fox | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | June 18 | 7:00 p.m. | at Michigan Panthers | L 20–23 | 4–6 | Fox | Ford Field | Recap |
Bold indicates divisional opponent.
| North Division | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | W | L | PCT | GB | DIV | PF | PA | STK | |||
| 1 | (y) Pittsburgh Maulers | 4 | 6 | .400 | - | 4–2 | 177 | 178 | W2 | ||
| 2 | (x) Michigan Panthers | 4 | 6 | .400 | - | 3–3 | 171 | 215 | W1 | ||
| 3 | (e) Philadelphia Stars | 4 | 6 | .400 | - | 2–4 | 220 | 258 | L3 | ||
| 4 | (e) New Jersey Generals | 3 | 7 | .300 | 1 | 3–3 | 187 | 212 | L1 | ||
| (x)–clinched playoff berth; (y)–clinched division; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention | |||||||||||
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 7 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| Showboats | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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The Michigan Panthers are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Panthers compete in the United Football League (UFL). The team is owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit, which also hosts the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).
The Birmingham Stallions are a professional American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The Stallions compete in the United Football League (UFL). The Stallions are owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. They play their home games at Protective Stadium. They have won both of the USFL championship games since its founding, defeating the Philadelphia Stars 33–30 in 2022 and defeating the Pittsburgh Maulers 28–12 in 2023.
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.
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The 2022 Pittsburgh Maulers season was the first season for the Pittsburgh Maulers as a professional American football franchise, as well as the only one under head coach Kirby Wilson. They played as charter members of the United States Football League, one of eight teams to compete in the league for the 2022 season. The Maulers technically played as a traveling team.
The 2022 USFL Championship Game was an American football game which was played on July 3, 2022, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The contest, which determined the champion of the United States Football League (USFL), featured the winners of the playoff semifinal games: the Philadelphia Stars from the North Division and the Birmingham Stallions from the South Division. It was the inaugural USFL Championship Game and the final game of the 2022 USFL season. The game began at 7:30 p.m. EDT and was broadcast on Fox. Prize money was awarded to players on the winning team in the amount of $10,000 in addition to their salary.
The 2023 USFL season was the second season of the United States Football League. The regular season started on April 15 and ended on June 18. The postseason began on June 24 and ended with the 2023 USFL Championship Game on July 1. The league expanded the locations their teams play to four total stadiums, adding Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, and Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.
The 2023 season was the Michigan Panthers second season in the United States Football League (USFL), their first playing at Ford Field and their first under head coach/general manager tandem of Mike Nolan and Steve Kazor. They improved upon their 2–8 record from the previous season and reached the playoffs where they lost to the Pittsburgh Maulers in the USFL North Division Championship Game in overtime.
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This timeline of the United Football League (UFL) tracks the history of each of the league's eight franchises from their enfranchisements in the XFL and USFL, through the merger of the two leagues, and to the present day.
