{"id":6458,"date":"2025-05-24T13:11:48","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T17:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/?p=6458"},"modified":"2025-05-25T07:38:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T11:38:58","slug":"1985-birmingham-stallions-roster-stats-and-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/2025\/05\/24\/1985-birmingham-stallions-roster-stats-and-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"1985 Birmingham Stallions Roster, Stats, and Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1985 Birmingham Stallions Stats<\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"941\" height=\"707\" src=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6459\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image.png 941w, https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-768x577.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 941px) 100vw, 941px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1985 Birmingham Stallions Season Recap: &#8220;The Agony of Almost&#8221;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1985 Birmingham Stallions entered the year with&nbsp;<strong>championship expectations<\/strong>, armed with a balanced offense, a punishing defense, and the bitter taste of past playoff heartbreaks. Under the steady hand of&nbsp;<strong>head coach Rollie Dotsch<\/strong>, they delivered another&nbsp;<strong>13-5 campaign<\/strong>, proving themselves as one of the USFL\u2019s elite\u2014but once again, they fell just short of the ultimate prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Regular Season: A Well-Oiled Machine<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Offensive Firepower<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cliff Stoudt<\/strong>&nbsp;solidified himself as one of the league\u2019s most efficient passers, throwing for&nbsp;<strong>3,358 yards, 34 TDs, and a 91.2 QB rating<\/strong>\u2014though his&nbsp;<strong>19 interceptions<\/strong>&nbsp;(4.3%) remained a concern.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jim Smith<\/strong>&nbsp;emerged as a true&nbsp;<strong>WR1<\/strong>, hauling in&nbsp;<strong>20 TDs<\/strong>&nbsp;and averaging a staggering&nbsp;<strong>15.2 yards per catch<\/strong>, including a league-high&nbsp;<strong>56-yard bomb<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Joe Cribbs<\/strong>&nbsp;remained the engine of the offense, grinding out&nbsp;<strong>1,047 rushing yards<\/strong>&nbsp;and adding&nbsp;<strong>7 TDs<\/strong>, while also contributing&nbsp;<strong>287 receiving yards<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Joey Jones (751 yards, 7 TDs)<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Darryl Mason (324 yards, 3 TDs)<\/strong>&nbsp;provided reliable secondary options.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Defensive Dominance<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Stallions\u2019 defense was&nbsp;<strong>opportunistic and physical<\/strong>, leading the league in&nbsp;<strong>interceptions (44)<\/strong>\u2014anchored by&nbsp;<strong>CB David Clanton\u2019s 16 picks<\/strong>, a USFL record.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The pass rush was relentless:&nbsp;<strong>DEs Larry Roe (9 sacks) and Bruce Spencer (7 sacks)<\/strong>&nbsp;led the charge, while&nbsp;<strong>LB Herb Spencer (5 INTs, 5 sacks)<\/strong>&nbsp;was a Swiss Army knife.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>LB Mike Haynes (72 tackles, 5 INTs)<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>DL Dave Pureifory (23 hurries)<\/strong>&nbsp;ensured opponents had no easy plays.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Games<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Week 3: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/2024\/08\/03\/boston-breakers-28-birmingham-stallions-42\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4569\">Stallions 42, Boston Breakers 28<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 A\u00a0<strong>shootout<\/strong>\u00a0that got Birmingham their first win of the season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Week 11: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/2024\/10\/15\/new-orleans-brass-7-birmingham-stallions-59\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"5453\">Stallions 59, New Orleans Brass 7<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 A\u00a0<strong>blowout win<\/strong>\u00a0jump starting their end of the season winning streak.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Week 14: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/2024\/12\/23\/tampa-bay-bandits-7-birmingham-stallions-20\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"5778\">Stallions 20, Tampa Bay Bandits 7<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Another\u00a0<strong>classic in the rivalry<\/strong> and a statement win during the streak.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Playoffs: So Close, Yet So Far<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>First Round: Stallions 24, Pittsburgh Maulers 17<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>grind-it-out win<\/strong>\u2014Cribbs rushed for only 60 yards, but scored 2 TDs. Stoudt tossed the game winner to Ken Toles with about a minute left.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The defense held firm, forcing\u00a0<strong>three key turnovers<\/strong>\u00a0(2 INT and a fumble).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Second Round: Stallions 21, New Jersey Generals 10<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Revenge served cold.<\/strong>\u00a0After losing to Herschel Walker\u2019s Generals in \u201984, Birmingham\u00a0<strong>stifled New Jersey\u2019s offense<\/strong>, holding Flutie to 4-14 passing for 93 yards and 2 interceptions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stoudt\u2019s 2 TDs<\/strong>\u00a0(both to Smith) and\u00a0<strong>two interceptions<\/strong>\u00a0by the defense sealed it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Eastern Conference Championship: Bandits 30, Stallions 27<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>heartbreaking repeat<\/strong>\u00a0of past failures. Birmingham led big in the 3rd, but Tampa\u2019s\u00a0<strong>roared back and kicked a FG in overtime<\/strong> and\u00a0ended their season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Overtime Imbalance:<\/strong>\u00a0Both teams got a chance in OT, but the Stallions offense stalled while Tampa&#8217;s put together two long drives to dominate the field position battle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stoudt (2TDs, but 3 INTs) and Jones (2 TDs) shined<\/strong>, but the defense couldn\u2019t get the final stop.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Assessment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Strengths:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Elite secondary (44 INTs)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Big-play passing (35 TDs, 12.7 YPA)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gelled late and got hot at the right time for the 8 game win streak<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weaknesses:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Turnovers (Stoudt\u2019s 19 INTs, 20 total fumbles lost)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Red-zone defense (struggled in key moments)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of a true home-run RB (Cribbs averaged just 3.9 YPC)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1985 Birmingham Stallions Roster<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Offense<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>QB:<\/strong>&nbsp;Cliff Stoudt, Bob Lane<br><strong>RB:<\/strong>&nbsp;Joe Cribbs, Joel Coles, Earl Gant<br><strong>WR:<\/strong>&nbsp;Jim Smith, Joey Jones, Ken Toler, Kevin Harris, Otha Hill, Troy Johnson<br><strong>TE:<\/strong>&nbsp;Darryl Mason, Robin Earl, Jay Repko<br><strong>OT:<\/strong>&nbsp;Pat Phenix, Phil McKinnley<br><strong>OG:<\/strong>&nbsp;Buddy Aydelette, Scott LaFond, Pat Saindon<br><strong>C:<\/strong>&nbsp;Mark Battaglia, Joe Bock, Mike Turner<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Defense<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DE:<\/strong>&nbsp;Rodney Harding, Don Reese, Pete Koch, Ron Faurot, Mike Perko<br><strong>DT:<\/strong>&nbsp;Doug Smith, Jackie Cline<br><strong>LB:<\/strong>&nbsp;Bill Roe, Herbie Spencer, Ken Kelley, Thomas Boyd, Greg Gerken, Mike Murphy, Dallas Hickman<br><strong>CB:<\/strong>&nbsp;David Dumars, David Evans, Chuck Clanton<br><strong>S:<\/strong>&nbsp;Dennis Woodberry, Ted Walton, Robert Gentry, Alvin Hall<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Special Teams<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>K:<\/strong>&nbsp;Dan Miller<br><strong>P:<\/strong>&nbsp;Bob Parsons<br><strong>KR\/PR:<\/strong>&nbsp;Alvin Hall (KR), Jeff Donaldson (PR), Troy Johnson (KR), Harris (RET)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1985 Birmingham Stallions Stats 1985 Birmingham Stallions Season Recap: &#8220;The Agony of Almost&#8221; The 1985 Birmingham Stallions entered the year with&nbsp;championship expectations, armed with a balanced offense, a punishing defense, and the bitter taste of past playoff heartbreaks. Under the steady hand of&nbsp;head coach Rollie Dotsch, they delivered another&nbsp;13-5 campaign, proving themselves as one of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/2025\/05\/24\/1985-birmingham-stallions-roster-stats-and-recap\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">1985 Birmingham Stallions Roster, Stats, and Recap<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,1],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-6458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-season-in-review","category-uncategorized","tag-birmingham-stallions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}