1985 USFL season


The 1985 USFL season was the third and final season of the United States Football League, and the last by a league using that name until the 2022 USFL season.

Rule changes

Adopted instant replay for the 1985 season. Under the instant-replay rule, a team may have one appeal per half in three situations:
  • A fumble or no-fumble situation.
  • Whether a pass is complete, incomplete or intercepted.
  • Whether the ball has penetrated the goal line.
The team asking for the replay would lose a time out if they were wrong.
The replay was available only in games televised by ABC.

Franchise changes

  • Pittsburgh Maulers fold.
  • Chicago Blitz suspend operations.
  • Michigan Panthers merge with the Oakland Invaders.
  • Arizona Wranglers and the Oklahoma Outlaws merge and create the Arizona Outlaws.
  • New Orleans Breakers relocate to Portland, Oregon as the Portland Breakers.
  • Philadelphia Stars move games to College Park, Maryland, with plans to move to Baltimore in 1986, team is renamed the Baltimore Stars.
  • Washington Federals are sold and relocate to Orlando, Florida, as the Orlando Renegades.

General news

August 22, 1984, the owners voted to move to a fall schedule starting in 1986.
Harry Usher became the new commissioner of the USFL in January 1985.
The USFL and the United States Football League Players Association agreed on a four-year agreement in March 1985.
On April 29, 1985, the league's owners voted 13–2 to reaffirm their decision to begin playing a fall season in 1986.

Regular season

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
= Division Champion, = Wild Card
''New Jersey finished ahead of Memphis based on a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage.''

Awards

'
Second Team
'