Portland Breakers
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For information on the Women's United Soccer Association team of the same name, see Boston Breakers
The Portland Breakers were a professional American Football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. The television program Coach paid tribute to the defunct team by naming a team in the show the Orlando Breakers.
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[edit] History
[edit] Boston 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 21,000. Coach Dick Coury put together a fairly competitive team that finished 11-7, just one game out of the playoffs.
However, Nickerson Field was so small that the Breakers lost money even when they sold out; visiting teams got a portion of the gate proceeds. This was an untenable situation for a team aspiring to be part of a major sports league. When no suitable solution to the venue problem could be found in the Boston area, Matthews sold his interest to New Orleans real estate developer Joe Canizaro.
[edit] New Orleans Breakers
They relocated for the 1984 season to New Orleans and became the New Orleans Breakers. Here, they played in the Louisiana Superdome, also home to the NFL's New Orleans Saints. They started out the season 5-0, and all signs pointed to them running away with the Southern Division. However, they only won three more games to finish 8-10. This included a 35-0 shellacking by the Philadelphia Stars and losses in their last six games.
[edit] Portland Breakers
After the season, the Breakers were forced to move again by the USFL's decision to switch to a fall schedule beginning in 1986. Canizaro knew that the Breakers could not hope to compete with the Saints, and opted to move to Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately, the constant moving finally took its toll on the Breakers, and they finished far out of contention.
The Breakers were one of nine teams slated to play in the USFL's first fall season, but shut down during the USFL's antitrust suit against the NFL. That suit resulted in the USFL being awarded only $3 in damages.
Unlike many other USFL teams, the Breakers never changed their name, logo or colors when they relocated.
[edit] Top "name" players
Among the top "name" players that the Breakers had were Marcus Dupree, Johnnie Walton, Tim Mazzetti, Matt Robinson, Buford Jordan, Jeff Gossett, and Dan Ross.
[edit] Coaches and Executives
Coury was the team's coach for all three seasons. Defensive coordinator was the late Pokey Allen who would later take Portland State University to two national championship games. The Offensive coordinator during the 1983 season was College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL Most Valuable Player Roman Gabriel. Allen would hire former Breaker executive Steven "Dream" Weaver as his marketing director and whose publicity stunts raised his Portland State teams to a national acclaim. The team president for the Portland Breakers was the legendary John Ralston, who was also a founder of the USFL. Other executives included Jack Galmiche, John Brunelle and Brian Feldman. Feldman was the only executive who worked in all three cities.
[edit] Single season leaders
- Rushing Yards: 1296 (1984), Buford Jordan
- Receiving Yards: 1189 (1984), Frank Lockett
- Passing Yards: 3772 (1983), Johnnie Walton
[edit] Season-by-season
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Breakers | |||||
| 1983 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 2nd Atlantic | -- |
| New Orleans Breakers | |||||
| 1984 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 3rd EC Southern | -- |
| Portland Breakers | |||||
| 1985 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 5th WC | -- |
| Totals | 25 | 29 | 0 | ||
[edit] Head coaches
- Dick Coury (1983-1985)
[edit] External links
| United States Football League Coaches | Players | Radio coverage | Seasons | Television coverage | Venues |
| Arizona Wranglers (1983-84) | Birmingham Stallions (1983-85) | Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers (1983-85) | Chicago Blitz (1983-84) | Denver Gold (1983-85) | Los Angeles Express (1983-85) | Michigan Panthers (1983-84) | New Jersey Generals (1983-85) | Oakland Invaders (1983-85) | Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars (1983-85) | Tampa Bay Bandits (1983-85) | Washington Federals/Orlando Renegades (1983-85) | Houston Gamblers (1984-85) | Jacksonville Bulls (1984-85) | Memphis Showboats (1984-85) | Oklahoma/Arizona Outlaws (1984-85) | Pittsburgh Maulers (1984) | San Antonio Gunslingers (1984-85) |
