Oakland, California had been without a football team after the Oakland Raiders relocated to Los Angeles, California before the 1982 NFL season. The Invaders stepped in to fill the void; the similar name was no accident. The team had good fan support during the spring seasons of the USFL. Led by the league's 2nd ranked passer QB Fred Besana, WR Gordon Banks, and ex-Raiders HB Arthur Whittington and TE Raymond Chester, the Invaders won the Pacific Conference with a 9-9 record. The Invaders gave a valiant effort in the opening round of the playoffs, but were overrun by the eventual league champion Michigan Panthers, 37-21 in front of 60,237 rabid fans in the Pontiac Silverdome The game was the largest turnout for any USFL game in the 1983 season.
