Tag: USFL

First USFL game to air on FOX and NBC on April 16

All 8 USFL teams will be based in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2022 season

The USFL is returning to the football field. The teams will be associated with different cities as they were in the league’s first iteration.

However, for 2022 they will have one home state: Alabama. The games will be played at Birmingham’s UAB’s Protective Stadium and Legion Field, home of the Crimson Tide

Let the jokes roll in about these teams being the second through ninth-best in the state.

The first game will feature the New Jersey Generals against the Birmingham Stallions and will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 16.

That game will air on both FOX and NBC, making it the first scheduled sporting event to air on competing broadcast networks since Super Bowl I in 1967, which was shown on both CBS and NBC.

“The first game played in any new league is itself historical and having the USFL’s inaugural game simulcast by NBC and Fox makes it even more so,” said Eric Shanks, Fox Sports CEO and executive producer. “It’s rare when two competitors can come together and see how cooperation can lead to long-term benefit.”

In case you were wondering about how the rosters will come together: The eight-team league will hold a player selection meeting Feb. 22-23, and training camps will open March 21.

Each USFL team will carry a 38-man active roster, plus a seven-man practice squad, and players will receive base compensation and be eligible for victory bonuses.

The league revealed how the divisions will break down:

The North: the Generals, the Michigan Panthers, the Philadelphia Stars and the Pittsburgh Maulers.

The South: the Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits.

Former Chiefs HC Todd Haley named HC of USFL Bandits

The USFL has enlisted former #Chiefs head coach Todd Haley as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits for their inaugural season.

Another upstart football league, a relaunch of the USFL (United States Football League), is slated to play their first game in fewer than 100 days. With the inaugural season so close, they’re now announcing head coaches for four of their eight teams across the league.

Kansas City Chiefs fans will recognize a familiar face as a head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits. The USFL has enlisted none other than former Chiefs head coach Todd Haley to coach the Bandits in their inaugural season. Haley, of course, was the head coach in Kansas City during some of their darkest days as a franchise.

The Bandits tweeted out the news on Thursday, asking fans to welcome their first head coach. Check out the message down below:

Haley coached in the NFL from 1995 through 2018, beginning his career as a scouting assistant with the New York Jets before working his way up to become a wide receivers coach. From 2007-2008 he served as the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator. After coaching the Cardinals offense in their trip to Super Bowl XLIII, he became a top candidate to become an NFL head coach. In 2009, he became the 11th head coach of the Chiefs. He’d spend three seasons in Kansas City, accumulating a 19-26 record during that span, struggling to find offensive consistency with Matt Cassel at quarterback.

After he was relieved of his duties in Kansas City in December of 2011, Haley caught on as offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a few seasons. In 2018, he coached his last NFL season as offensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns and for the past two seasons, he’s been coaching the offense at Riverview High School in Sarasota, Florida.

Now, Haley will get a chance to build up his coaching career again with the USFL. Whether the fledgling league or the former NFL coach will be successful remains to be seen.

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USFL announces first 4 head coach hires

The new USFL has named its first four head coaches for the upcoming season

The USFL is on its way back to the football field. The league is scheduled to return in April.

When you have a deal with FOX Sports, you get the jump on the announcement as Colin Cowherd and Joy Taylor did on Thursday.

Andrus has a long and varied football resume that can be checked out by clicking here.

Mike Riley has been head coach of the San Diego Chargers and has also been head coach at Oregon State and Nebraska.

Todd Haley was wide receivers coach of the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Dallas Cowboys. He served as the offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals from 2007-08, the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009-11, the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2012-17, and the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns in 2018, but he was fired in Week 8 of his first season with the team.

Finally, Kevin Sumlin was as the head football coach at the University of Houston from 2008-11, Texas A&M University from 2012-17, and at the University of Arizona from 2018-20.

One other familiar name weighed in that he has spoken with the league and there is interest on both sides.

 

The Michigan Panthers are back in the new USFL

The USFL will be back in the spring of 2022 and the Michigan Panthers will be part of it

The new edition of the USFL is coming back to life in the spring of 2022, and the Michigan Panthers will be a part of the rebirth.

The league revealed the eight franchises and locations that will be part of the new version of the storied USFL. The Panthers were one of eight teams carrying over from the original USFL, which disbanded after three seasons in 1985.

“We’re excited to take this next major step in the development of a new USFL,” said Brian Woods, USFL President of Football Operations in a press release. “These eight teams form the core of our initial league membership and will represent an exciting brand of professional football coming this
spring. We look forward to the start of our inaugural season.”

The Panthers, led by QB Bobby Hebert and WR Anthony Carter, won the first USFL championship. They were one of the USFL’s most successful teams in the first two years before the team folded instead of switching from the spring season to the fall with the rest of the league.

Exact logistics and ownership of the new Panthers franchise have yet to be revealed.

The Browns Wire Podcast: The Julio Jones Effect/USFL Returns

Josh and Donovan talk about Julio Jones finally being traded to the Tennessee Titans and the USFL has announced its return.

It’s time for the latest episode of the Browns Wire Podcast.

Josh Keatley (@JoshKeatley16) & Donovan James (@DonJamesSports) dive into the impact of the Julio Jones trade, plus the USFL returns!

Give the Browns Wire Podcast a like on Facebook and follow along with us on Twitter. It’s also available on all of your favorite podcast apps, including iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, and Spotify. Thanks for listening!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_WIBrGbXF8&t=3s

43 NFL players who spent time in other leagues

Arena, the USFL, CFL and other leagues have been the path to the NFL for some players.

Many players have spent time in other leagues before going on to success in the NFL.

CFL Brandon Browner

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Brandon Browner signed with the Denver Broncos in 2005 as a free agent but broke his forearm in the preseason and missed the rest of the year. In 2006, he signed with the Calgary Stampeders. In 2008, he helped Calgary win the Grey Cup. In his five seasons with the Stampeders, he was a three-time CFL All-Star and recorded eight interceptions. In 2011, Browner signed with the Seattle Seahawks and was immediately named the starter. He also played with New Orleans and New England before returning to Seattle.

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‘The Greatest Game No One Saw,’ which featured Jim Kelly and Steve Young, turns 35

‘The Greatest Game No One Saw’ between USFL stars Steve Young and Jim Kelly turns 35

The USFL gave people all sorts of memories. The owner of the New Jersey Generals went on to become President of the United States, Donald Trump. There were big names like Herschel Walker, Steve Young and Doug Flutie who played for the upstart league.

And it provided one of the best games in football history. Only, no one saw it on television.

The Houston Gamblers and Jim Kelly faced the Los Angeles Express and Steve Young on Feb. 24, 1985. One would have thought that matchup would have been natural for ABC, which had the league’s TV rights. However, ABC decided to show the New Jersey Generals’ game because Flutie was making his USFL debut. The game was the opener for the Gamblers and Express that season.

Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY Sports

Only cameramen that worked for both teams were on hand to record the game that turned out to be epic. The Express led 33-13 with just under 10 minutes left in the game. Kelly led the Gamblers on a comeback that would see them pull off a 34-33 win before a crowd of 18,828 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. In the end, Kelly, the USFL’s most valuable player as a rookie in 1984, threw for 574 yards.

Despite being a rival league, the Bills remembered the effort by their HOF quarterback with a tweet in 2014.

LA appeared to put the game away in the fourth quarter when safety Troy West intercepted a Kelly pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown, making the score 33-13. However, two plays from scrimmage later Houston narrowed the gap as Kelly threw to WR Richard Johnson for a 52-yard touchdown.

The Gamblers got the ball back at the LA 43 with the clock down to 4:05. This time Kelly connected with WR Vince Courville from 20 yards. With the successful extra point it was 33-27.

Following another punt, the Gamblers needed 40 seconds to cover 84 yards and cap their furious comeback as Kelly found Ricky Sanders open over the middle, beating West. Toni Fritsch kicked his fourth extra point of the game to provide a one-point margin.

“I’ve been in some comebacks before, but never anything like that,” Kelly said after the game. “Pulling out that win was the best feeling I ever had in my life.”

Kelly completed 35-of-54 as his passing yardage topped the former USFL mark of 444 yards by Bobby Hebert of Michigan. It was also 20 yards more than the NFL mark established by Norm Van Brocklin in 1951, but was 12 yards shy of the pro football record of 586 by Sam Etchenverry with Montreal of the Canadian Football League in 1954.

Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Three Houston receivers gained over 100 yards, led by Johnson with 174 on 11 catches, including one score, and followed by Sanders with nine receptions for 108 yards and three TDs and RB Sam Harrell’s 105 on six catches.

For the Express, Steve Young was successful on 13 of 27 passes for 255 yards with a TD and an interception and was the leading rusher with 27 yards on five carries.