In the first of three seasons for the United States Football League, the class of the USFL in 1983 was the Philadelphia Stars (15-3), followed by the Michigan Panthers (12-6), the Chicago Blitz (12-6), and the Tampa Bay Bandits (11-7). The rest of the league was .500 or worse. Division winners were Philadelphia, Michigan, and Oakland, with the Wild-Card going to Chicago. In the Divisional Playoffs, it was the Stars over the Blitz 44-38, while the Panthers beat the Invaders 37-21, setting up the inaugural USFL Championship Game between the Philadelphia Stars and the Michigan Panthers. Most of the 46,535 who came out to 75,000-seat Mile High Stadium were rooting for Michigan. Banners for the Panthers dominated the scene and the Stars were hooted during the intros. Anthony Carter and Derek Holloway were the big-play receivers for Bobby Hebert and definitely big enough for the Michigan Panthers, who got big plays and big days from
their little guys to win the first United States Football League championship with a 24-22 victory over the Philadelphia Stars.  Philadelphia came into the game with a mandate to stop Michigan's big play attack. Carter caught a career-best nine passes for 179 yards while Holloway grabbed three for 39. Hebert threw 39 times, completing 20. Carter delivered the touchdown that gave Michigan a 24-14 lead with 3:01 to play. Rookie Novo Bojovic kicked a 33-yard field goal and David Trout countered with a 30-yard field goal for Philadelphia to leave it 3-3 until Hebert hit Holloway with his first scoring pass. Carter set up Holloway's first score with receptions of 27, 12 and 13 yards. He caught a pair of 13-yard passes leading to Holloway's second touchdown, which gave the Panthers a 17-3 lead with 7:49 to play in the third quarter. Fusina, who had only seven completions in his first 22 passes yet wound up 25-for-47 for 192 yards, got hot in the fourth quarter and almost brought the Stars back. He threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Collier with 8:49 left and
a successful two-point conversion pass pulled the Stars within a field goal, 17-14, only to have Hebert counter with his game-clinching throw to Carter. Hebert, named the game's Most Valuable Player, completed touchdown passes of 12-and 14-yards to the 5-foot7- Holloway and topped his 314-yard passing night off with a 48-yard game-sealing strike to the 5-9 Carter to give the Detroit area its first pro football championship since the Detroit Lions copped the NFL title in 1957.