Before they even took the field, the Washington Federals seemed to be doomed. Hoping the afterglow of the Washington Redskins Super Bowl XVII victory could boost interest in the new league, the Washington Federals instead were blinded, and shunned by fans who showed no interest in the USFL from the start.

Owned by prominent Washington attorney Berl Bernhard and coached by Ray Jauch, who had some success in the CFL, the Federals did have a decent crowd of 38,007 as they hosted the Chicago Blitz in the USFL's first game at RFK Stadium. However, some of that crowd was curiosity and the return of former Redskins Coach George Allen who led the Blitz to a 28-7 victory.

Attendance would never again come close to that number as the Federals would quickly drop to the bottom of the league. After losing their next two games on the road, the Federals drew just 11,404 fans at RFK Stadium as they beat the Michigan Panthers 22-16 in overtime for their first win on Kim McQuilken's 22-yard pass to Joey Walters.

The Panthers would go on to win the first USFL Championship, the Federals would go on to lose their next nine games, quickly establishing themselves as the worst team in the new league's first season. The road to 1-13 was paved with much frustration, as Owner Berl Bernhard compared them to a bunch of trained gerbils.

The Feds had several close losses including a 22-21 loss to the Arizona Wranglers in Week 6. Leading 21-16 late in the fourth quarter, the Federals were turned away at the goaline, when Joe Gilliam's quarterback sneak fell short.

Rather than go for a field goal they tried to pad the lead, turning the ball over on downs. One play later Allan Risher and Jackie Flower connected on a 98-yard touchdown to win the game for Arizona 22-21.

That loss all but summed up the Federals first season. Injuries were a major reason behind the struggles as they rotated through three quarterbacks, including Joe Gilliam a former Pittsburgh Steeler who once battled Terry Bradshaw for the starting job, but had been out of the game for more than five years after battling heroin addiction.

The Federals would finish the season strong, winning their three of their last four games, including a 21-14 win over the USFL's best team the Philadelphia Stars in the final game of the season. However, their 4-14 record would rank worst along with the Wranglers.

In his comeback attempt Joe Gilliam finished with 673 yards with five touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while Kim McQuilken's was the team's leading passer with 1,912 yards seven touchdowns and 14 picks. Mike Hohensee also saw plenty of action with 1,297 yards, with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Craig James was the Federals leading rusher with 823 yards, before his season ended with a neck injury.