1983 Season
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Owner: |
Ron Blanding |
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Coaches: |
Robert "Red" Miller (4-7) |
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Charley Armey (0-1) |
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Craig Morton (3-3) |
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Record: |
7-11 (3rd Place Pacific Division) |
The Gold Defense gang tackles an
Express running back in week 12.
"Red" Miller had just been fired, and the Gold showed their
displeasure with an uninspired 14-10 loss to Los Angeles. Photo is from the
1983 Championship Game Program.
The 1983 Season opened with a home game against the Philadelphia Stars. A crowd of over 41,000 attended making it the second highest attendance for the league. However, the Stars were too much, beating Denver 13-7. It was not a good sign for Miller. Blanding had done his best too keep costs down, but he knew the fans would not support a loser for long. He demanded a better showing, and when Miller was unable to produce, he was fired - the first USFL coach to get the ax.< Red Miller posted a 4-7 record before being fired. Miller was replaced for the Los Angeles Express game by his Defensive Coordinator, Charley Armey. The Gold responded with a 14-10 loss in front of the smallest home crowd of the year, almost 33,000 fans. Ron Blanding was not a stupid man, however. He knew that Miller was popular, and his replacement would have to be equally popular. So Ron Blanding turned to the other Denver legend, and hired Craig Morton as coach. Morton had worn #7 in Denver prior to Elway (who had recently been traded to the Broncos) and still was very popular. The Gold went 3-3 under Morton, but won all three games at home. However, the Gold was still the Gold and finished the year a paltry 7-11.
The fans had been faithful, though. In July, the league held the Inaugural Championship in Mile High Stadium. Over 50,000 turned out for the game between the Philadelphia Stars and the Michigan Panthers. Bobby Hebert and Anthony Carter were too much for Sam Mills and the Stars defense, and Michigan won the game, 24-22. At the close of the game, fans swarmed the field, causing what the New York Times would call "The Mile High Riot." It was the only black mark the city of Denver and its fans would get during the first USFL Season.
Banding had been faithful to the ideals of the league and was the one owner who showed an initial profit. It wasn’t much, but the Gold was the only team “in the black.” Blanding and Miller had put together a team made mostly of players who would never be NFL stars. Blanding kept the costs down, and the team performed as predicted. However, with the other teams in the USFL on a spending spree for talent, Blanding saw the writing on the wall. Unable to compete financially, in the latter part of the 1983 season, Blanding announced he might be willing to sell the team.
This Page last updated on May 01, 2001