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86-780: On February 18, 2011, the first-ever UIFL game was played between the Saginaw Sting and the Eastern Kentucky Drillers . The inaugural game was held at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan . The league co-founders are Michael Taylor and Andrew Haines; Haines was also the owner and founder of the Atlantic/American Indoor Football League and the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League . The UIFL has

172-1029: A 0–2 start for the Sting, Wasmer was fired and owner Stuart Schweigert was named the head coach of the Sting. On August 23, 2015, the Sting announced that they would rejoin the revived CIFL, which became a member of the Indoor Football Alliance . After months of no new teams joining the CIFL, the Sting re-joined the AIF for the 2016 season but were removed from the AIF schedules in early 2016 and appears to have disbanded without any official announcement. Owner Jim O'Brien has stated that they suspended operations due to league instability but plans to return for 2017. Running backs Wide receivers Defensive Linemen Defensive Backs Kickers Exempt List Rookies in italics Roster updated September 17, 2015 0 Active, 0 Inactive → More rosters The following

258-478: A Battle Creek police officer, have offered a deal to split ownership of the two teams, with Trumbell and Rivera owning the Sting, and Johnson receiving the Xplosion. Trumbull and Rivera have indicated that they plan for the Sting to move to the new Indoor Football League . The Sting looked to have put together a promising team with the re-signing of QB Damon Dowdell, and signing 2007 CIFL MVP , WR/RB Robert Height, but

344-467: A UFL player was supposed pay a transfer fee of $ 150,000 (later lowered to $ 25,000) to the league. This fee was waived after the 2009 season but was more strictly enforced for 2010; in practice, no NFL team ever paid the fee, and the players who did jump to the NFL ended up paying the fee out of their UFL salaries. The league dropped the transfer fee for the 2011 season. For 2009, each team was unofficially tied to

430-495: A consultant and a member of the board of directors for Assured Equities. For 2012, there will be at least eleven new expansion teams, based in Rome, Georgia ; Estero, Florida ; Tupelo, Mississippi ; Marion, Ohio ; Cincinnati, Ohio ; Erie, Pennsylvania , and Lakeland, Florida . Of these markets, five (Rome, Tupelo, and Lakeland) previously had teams in the AIFL, while Estero previously had

516-594: A couple owners in hand, the UFL decided to go ahead and do a "soft launch" in 2009, similar to the one used by the Arena Football League in its inaugural season in 1987, rather than delaying play another year. The soft launch called for opening the league with fewer teams than planned and playing an abbreviated schedule. They hoped a functioning league would yield the UFL a superior position for attracting potential owners over competing leagues still under development (like

602-451: A deal to have their games broadcast on CBS sports. On the league's official website [1] on August 1, 2012, an official schedule for 2012, with the September 19 starting date and each team playing an unbalanced, eight-game schedule was posted, matching the earlier speculation. As of that time, final postseason plans remained undecided; the date for the championship game, Friday, November 16,

688-409: A half interest in a team. The league would own the other half. The UFL had difficulties finding willing owners the UFL leadership considered suitable. The UFL planned for each team to eventually sell shares to the public that they hoped could raise another $ 60 million. This never came to pass. Ultimately, the league accrued financial losses of between $ 120 million and $ 150 million over the course of

774-589: A high number of average TV viewing households as potential team locations. Target markets in the US included: Austin , Birmingham , Columbus , Hartford , Las Vegas , Los Angeles , Louisville , Memphis , Milwaukee , New York City , Oklahoma City , Orlando , Portland , Raleigh-Durham , Sacramento , Salt Lake City , San Antonio , and San Jose ; as well as international markets in London , Mexico City and Monterrey . With their planned launch date arriving soon and only

860-828: A logo nearly identical to the one used by the AIFL in the 2006 season (though it favors blue instead of red), and will apparently also use the AIFL red, white, and blue football also in use in the American Indoor Football Association . The league is based in Canton, Ohio . The league's first five teams were located in the Appalachia region, with teams based in Canton, Ohio ; Johnstown, Pennsylvania ; Pikeville, Kentucky ; Highland Heights, Kentucky ; and Huntington, West Virginia . Of those five markets, three (Canton, Johnstown, and Huntington) had teams in Haines' previous league,

946-543: A pair of divisions in the National Football League. In addition to this feature, the league held a draft on June 18, 2009, the UFL Premiere Season Draft . A second draft was held on June 2, 2010. The 2011 UFL Draft was held on May 2, with player selections announced via Twitter . No formal draft was staged prior to the 2012 UFL season . The original plan was for owners to pay $ 30 million to buy

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1032-551: A player salary cap range of $ 12–20 million per team with a staff salary cap of $ 3 million per team. The UFL hoped to be paying at least 10 players on each roster in excess of $ 1 million each per season. These players would provide name value and legitimacy for the league and would fast track the development of local fanbases and a national TV audience. The original plan was predicated on luring very wealthy owners like billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. The UFL however ultimately proved unsuccessful in securing commitments from enough of

1118-447: A soft launch financially tolerable, player salaries had to be dramatically scaled back—pro-rated to reflect the shortened season. An agent representing two players with NFL experience, Jack Bechta, reported his clients were offered UFL contracts at a base salary of $ 35,000. He confirmed with other agents that $ 35,000 was the league mandated salary for skill players and $ 25,000 for punters, place kickers and long snappers, at least for

1204-740: A team in arenafootball2 ; The Cincinnati Commandos and Marion Blue Racers have come previously from the Continental Indoor Football League ; and the Erie Explosion moves from the Southern Indoor Football League . (Incidentally, the acquisition of the Explosion brings the league full-circle; the Explosion was the last surviving remnant of the AIFL, tracing its history to the Erie Freeze in 2005.) On July 22, 2011,

1290-430: A total of $ 50,000 in the regular season; participants in the 2010 UFL championship game were paid a total of $ 10,000 each, with an additional $ 10,000 going to each player on the winning team. Starting quarterbacks earned a $ 200,000 salary. There was a significant delay in payments after the 2010 season, because of a revenue shortfall, a severe underestimation of expenses, and a delay in a $ 50,000,000 subsidy from one of

1376-420: Is a list of all Sting players who have won league awards The following Sting players have been named to All-League Teams: Head coach Offensive coaches Defensive coaches Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. * Season currently in progress United Football League (2009%E2%80%93) The United Football League ( UFL )

1462-561: Is in fact what happened; in addition to the championship game between Virginia and Las Vegas, the season concluded with a third-place game (on the same day) in Omaha between the other two teams, the first such game in outdoor professional gridiron football since the demise of the NFL's old third-place game, the Playoff Bowl , which was last contested in January 1970 following the 1969 season . Despite

1548-679: The Miami Inferno and Missouri Voodoo joined the league. Another team called the Austin Nitro had been listed on the UIFL's website, however, no further information was ever announced about that team. In addition, a new team based out of Columbia, South Carolina known as the Capital City Revolt was set to join in time for the 2015 season. However, the Voodoo and Inferno both folded mid-season, leaving

1634-532: The Ultimate Bowl , with quarterback Tommy Jones setting several UIFL passing records and claiming the Ultimate Bowl's MVP honors. On November 11, 2011, the Sting were acquired by Schweigert, Rob Licht and Jim O'Brien. The new ownership announced the same day that they would be moving the team back to the CIFL. On December 29, 2011, the Sting announced that 2011 interim head coach Vince Leveille would return as

1720-567: The United States Football League . On December 31, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced the formation of the modern United Football League . The remnants of the previous league ceded their social media handles to the 2024 UFL on April 6, 2024. The National Gridiron League attempted to relaunch as the UFL, using the existing trademarks and claiming to be a continuation of the original league. The UFL's original pay structure plan included

1806-457: The 1980s, the UFL played all of its games in the traditional fall season, competing directly with the NFL, college football , and high school football . The UFL occupied the second tier of professional football in the United States, behind the National Football League. The UFL primarily consisted of players who had previously played for an NFL team. Although the league had no connection with

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1892-443: The 2009 inaugural season. One of the players represented by the agent was a quarterback who received an offer of $ 35,000, although he stated that his negotiations revealed that teams are allowed to pay one quarterback more than the $ 35,000 salary. Bonuses were limited to $ 10,000 per player. In addition to the base salary, the league also paid for all housing expenses for its players. The league's initial salaries were roughly equal to

1978-633: The 2010 season, the New York Sentinels permanently settled in Hartford, Connecticut, becoming the Hartford Colonials . The new name was chosen by fans through an online vote. The California Redwoods relocated to Sacramento, California, and chose the name Mountain Lions, also from a fan vote. In another change for the 2010 season, each UFL team would gain their own uniform color identity, loosening them from

2064-529: The 2011−12 season. The thought was that the NFL would fail to reach an agreement with the NFL players' union after the end of their collective bargaining agreement. This would have led to the 2011−12 NFL season being delayed or cancelled, leaving the UFL the only pro football available. The NFL did lock out their players, but the situation was resolved in July 2011, before the start of the NFL season. This negated any benefits

2150-493: The 2012 season had sued the league ownership for failure to pay their salaries. The Destroyers' business license expired on March 1, 2013, and that team's remaining offices were closed before that date. On March 28, 2013, a report in The Wall Street Journal noted that both the spring 2013 resumption and the fall 2013 season were canceled, and that if the league were to return, it would not have been until spring 2014 at

2236-402: The 2013 CIFL Championship Game. With less than a minute to play, the team found itself on its opponent's nine-yard line down by one point. But due to the team's placekicker being suspended the previous week had nobody capable of kicking even a 24-yard chip shot, they were forced to attempt a touchdown. They failed, giving the Erie Explosion the championship and a perfect season . In June 2013,

2322-660: The AIFL. The two markets in Kentucky have never had a professional indoor football team in any league (though Highland Heights is usually considered part of the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area, and the city of Cincinnati has had several indoor teams). The sixth team, the Saginaw Sting , came from the Indoor Football League . The complete 2011 season concluded without any teams folding, nor any games being missed or rescheduled. The Northern Kentucky River Monsters finished with

2408-543: The CIFL. The original team owners were Mike Johnson, Mike Trumbull, and Esteban Rivera, who also owned the Kalamazoo Xplosion . The team was led by former Michigan State quarterback Damon Dowdell, who led the league in passing yards (2,190), touchdowns (54) and completion percentage (62%). Nick Body was Dowdell's favorite target, leading the league in receptions (78), yards (1,005) and touchdowns (31). Despite their offensive numbers, neither player won Offensive Player of

2494-645: The Hartford Colonials potentially on the chopping block. On August 10, 2011, the UFL announced that it would "suspend operations" of the Colonials and go forward with a four-team league. Jerry Glanville , a UFL consultant who had previously been announced as the new head coach of the now-suspended Colonials, began a listening tour of Chattanooga, Salt Lake City and Jackson, Mississippi , in October 2011 to gauge support for UFL expansion franchises. He has stated that of

2580-638: The Las Vegas Locomotives), blue (Florida Tuskers), black (New York Sentinels), and lime green and white (California Redwoods). Each of the team jerseys had the same design template, complete with a horizontal arc across the top front that resembles the arc on the UFL's logo. One of the Redwoods' games was moved to San Jose; the other two were played in San Francisco (the move to San Jose was a short-notice move due to poor attendance in San Francisco; however,

2666-441: The NFL, and had never intended to foster any such connection, some speculated that it could have become a minor or "developmental" league for the NFL, including the UFL's own commissioner. Early news reports had speculated that based on the UFL's initial plan the league would become a "competitor" to the NFL. The UFL seemed poised to capitalize on fan disgust with the NFL should the established league lock out its players prior to

Ultimate Indoor Football League - Misplaced Pages Continue

2752-518: The New USFL, which at the time was trumpeting a spring 2010 launch). The markets chosen for the premiere season were New York City ( Sentinels ), Las Vegas (Locomotives), Orlando ( Florida Tuskers ), and the San Francisco Bay Area ( California Redwoods ). The league's short schedule made the kind of expensive promotional efforts often employed with a new league cost prohibitive. Additionally,

2838-670: The New York Sentinels), Omaha Nighthawks, Sacramento Mountain Lions (originally the California Redwoods), Florida Tuskers, and Virginia Destroyers. The Florida Tuskers and Virginia Destroyers were legally separate teams, but because the Tuskers folded before the Destroyers began play, the UFL assigned most of the Tuskers' staff to the Destroyers and the two are typically conflated for the purpose of league history. Only stadiums in which

2924-748: The San Jose game ended up being even more poorly attended). The league was unable to secure a fiscally reasonable deal for a stadium within New York City, forcing the league to have the Sentinels play one home game each in Hartford, Connecticut; on the campus of Hofstra University in Long Island , and in New Jersey . In addition, one of the Tuskers' games was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida , in part because

3010-540: The Sting agreed to terms with the CIFL to return for the 2014 season. The Sting won their first eighth game of the season to advance to 8–0, but during that game the Sting lost quarterback A. J. McKenna to injury. The following week the team lost 2013 league MVP, C. J. Tarver to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The loss of those two key players became noticeable when

3096-422: The Sting lost their final regular season game to finish 9–1. Just one day before the Sting's first playoff game, head coach Fred Townsend announced his resignation. Line Coach James Perry II was named the teams interim head coach. In October 2014, the Sting announced they would be joining American Indoor Football (AIF). The Sting also announced the hiring of Greg Wasmer as the franchise's new head coach. After

3182-749: The Tarpons and Fury as the only two teams remaining in the UIFL for the season. After the Fury beat the Tarpons in Ultimate Bowl IV by a score of 60–23, both teams announced they were joining X-League Indoor Football for the 2015 season. With the Revolt's subsequent announcement of delay of operations until the 2016 season, the UIFL announced they were now defunct. Saginaw Sting Indoor Football League (2009) Ultimate Indoor Football League (2011) Continental Indoor Football League (2012–2014) The Saginaw Sting

3268-601: The Tuskers shared ownership that year with the Tampa Bay Rays ; this was not reprised in 2010. The Florida Tuskers finished 2009 with a 6–0 record. The Las Vegas Locomotives were next at 4–2, the California Redwoods were 2–4, and the Sentinels were last at 0–6. The Locomotives played the Tuskers in the 2009 UFL championship game ; the Locomotives won the title on a field goal in overtime. Before

3354-426: The UFL announced it would delay the start of its season until mid-September due to financial issues. The league was in negotiations with CBS and TNT for coverage after Versus dropped the UFL as part of its rebranding to NBC Sports Network , but was unable to get any, and the league also lost its existing television partners. After this postponement, the league confirmed it was considering even further contraction, with

3440-428: The UFL ceased operations for the remainder of the 2012 season. According to head of public relations Larry Weismann, the league intended on resuming the canceled schedule some time in spring 2013, with those games counting toward the 2012 season standings, then come back yet again for the next season in fall 2013. By spring 2013, 78 players from the 2012 season, two head coaches from 2011 and four assistant coaches from

3526-463: The UFL for their failure to repay the loan by the October 6, 2010, deadline. For the 2011 season, the UFL announced the addition of a franchise in the Hampton Roads ( Norfolk metro area) region of Virginia , originally owned by former CFL owner Jim Speros and managed by former NFL and USFL quarterback Doug Williams . Soon after Speros' ownership was announced, he relinquished control of

Ultimate Indoor Football League - Misplaced Pages Continue

3612-419: The UFL might have hoped to reap from the labor dispute. The league was beset by frequent operational interruptions, stemming from systemic financial shortfalls, especially from summer 2011 onward. The United Football League announced on October 20, 2012, that it was ceasing operations immediately, after four weeks of play. The official line from the league was that they intended to resume operations and complete

3698-433: The UFL was arranging a broadcast TV deal with CBS Sports Network (a deal the league had desperately sought) to go along with regional supplemental coverage. However, May 1 came and went without any official announcement by the UFL on their future plans. The league had previously entertained input on the possibility of moving from a fall schedule to the spring. Michael Huyghue, the UFL's original commissioner, resigned from

3784-506: The UFL's owners. As of February 2011, the bonuses for the 2010 championship game remained unpaid, as did numerous other bills accrued by the league during the 2010 season. Most of these bills were eventually paid in March. According to reports that surfaced in May 2011, the base salary for players was reduced to $ 5,000 per game (including the championship), with only a $ 1,000 additional bonus for winning

3870-466: The UFL's scheduling plan was different from that of the National Football League, which is prohibited under federal anti-trust exemption law ( 15 U.S.C. § 1291, i.e., the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 ) from broadcasting any professional game within seventy-five miles of any inter-collegiate or high school game on any Friday or Saturday, beginning with the second Friday in September and ending

3956-447: The UIFL and re-joined the CIFL under new ownership. The team has since moved to the AIF. The owners of the Sting were Stuart Schweigert , Rob Licht and Jim O'Brien. The Sting played their home games at The Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan . They are one of only a few teams to ever win a championship in multiple leagues (CIFL in 2008, the UIFL in 2011 and the CIFL again in 2012). The team began play in 2008 as an expansion team in

4042-540: The UIFL came to terms allowing the River Monsters to leave the UIFL. Draft On June 15, 2011, Michael Taylor and Andrew Haines sold their controlling slate in the UIFL to Assured Equities IV, a Florida corporation, for the sum of 1.45 million dollars. As part of the acquisition, UIFL Co-founder Andrew Haines will remain as League President and a member of the Board of Directors, and UIFL Co-founder Michael Taylor will continue as

4128-534: The UIFL named Jared Lorenzen the league's Commissioner . On January 19, 2012, the league was sold by Cecil Van Dyke and Assured Equities IV, back to Andrew Haines and Michael Taylor. The league took on the name United Indoor Football League for the 2012 season (at the time, the United (outdoor) Football League had suspended operations; the league reverted to the Ultimate Indoor Football League when

4214-611: The United Football League name. In 2018, he instead announced a new XFL , a brand used by McMahon's defunct football league that played one season in 2001; the new XFL began play in 2020 but went on a two-season hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, the XFL—by this time owned by Dany Garcia , Dwayne Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners—re-filed for the UFL and United Football League trademarks ahead of its proposed merger with

4300-677: The Year or the CIFL MVP. The duo led the Sting to a 10–2 regular season and a playoff berth. On June 29, 2008, the Sting defeated the Xplosion 41–37 to win the CIFL Championship Game . A number of Sting and Xplosion players indicated at the end of the 2008 season that wages were in arrears from the owners. This led to an investigation of Johnson in his role as Sting General Manager. Trumbull, owner of Triple Threat Sports in Battle Creek, and Rivera,

4386-466: The average per-game salaries in the Canadian Football League and, adjusted for inflation, equivalent to the old XFL . In another similarity to the XFL, teams could offer a sizable performance bonus; former Locomotives starting quarterback J. P. Losman has stated that he received a "nice sized" bonus for winning the 2009 UFL championship game . In 2010, players earned $ 6,250 per game, for

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4472-401: The best regular season record, 11–3. However, due to league sanctions they were not able to host any playoff games and were dropped to a four seed. Saginaw finished 9–5, followed by Eastern Kentucky at 8–6, Huntington at 7-7, Johnstown at 6–8, and Canton at 1–13. Saginaw defeated Northern Kentucky, 48–47, in the first semifinals of the Ultimate Bowl I Playoffs, sponsored by Trophy Awards. In

4558-428: The championship game. This contradicted the word of the commissioner, who had previously stated he aimed to increase compensation to $ 10,000 per game in March. Pay was further reduced to $ 3,500 per game for the 2012 season. Each player was under contract to the UFL through February of the following year, effectively creating a two-month non-compete clause after the season ends, and any NFL team that wished to sign

4644-463: The deep-pocketed owners their original plan required. By time the initial season began, the league had totally dumped its original salary structure to suit the reality of the soft launch. The league's original plan would have had the average UFL salary in the $ 240,000-$ 500,000 range, far in excess of the CFL's average salary. The short schedule gutted the league's ability to generate TV or gate revenue. To make

4730-478: The difficulties of 2011, UFL officials were on record as wanting to move ahead on future plans for the league. An April 2012 Las Vegas Review-Journal report indicated that the UFL would announce plans on May 1 to field a five-team league for the 2012 season, including the four 2011 teams plus a fifth expansion team. (The Review-Journal report mentioned San Antonio, Southern California , and Portland, Oregon, were expansion candidates.) The report also indicated that

4816-456: The earliest. The ownership lost or settled most of the lawsuits against them in 2014. As of 2016, all of the remaining non-liquid assets of the league were sitting in a warehouse in Jacksonville, Florida , with an estimated value of $ 100,000. The league still owes approximately $ 1,000,000 to the estate of Dennis Green ; under a court ruling, the league itself is liable for Green's salary, as

4902-406: The field, had done in 2010 after repeated delays of its announced inaugural schedule. However, on July 26, 2012, news broke that the UFL would indeed play a fourth season in 2012. Terms had not been finalized, but initial plans called for four teams playing an eight-game schedule (which would require an unbalanced schedule) on Wednesdays and Fridays beginning September 19, 2012. The league did reach

4988-535: The four teams that had been eliminated had announced their intentions to jump leagues and join the Xtreme Indoor Football League. The UIFL has stated it is exploring all options regarding the future of the league. The Florida Tarpons won Ultimate Bowl III, with a victory over the Corpus Christi Fury . The UIFL fielded four teams for the 2014 season; in addition to the returning Tarpons and Fury,

5074-419: The fourth season starts, a rebuilding and restocking of personnel will need to take place. To conserve much-needed funds the Virginia Destroyers relocated to much smaller office space by February 2012. The league remained silent throughout winter, spring and early summer 2012, raising fears that the league had quietly folded, in the same way the proposed All American Football League , without ever actually taking

5160-422: The full-time head coach for the 2012 season, but just 11 days before the team's first game, Leveille stepped down as the head coach, citing that his full-time job made him unavailable to do both. Defensive Coordinator Fred Townsend took over as the team's head coach. With an 8–0 record, the Sting returned to the CIFL playoffs for the first time since 2008, when they won the 2008 CIFL Championship Game and finished

5246-400: The league $ 5 million in April 2010. He did not own a franchise and he was not involved in day-to-day operations of the league nor of any of its teams. In January 2011, Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and majority owner of HDNet (now AXS TV ), a cable channel and Web-streaming service which had broadcast some games of the league's inaugural two seasons, filed a federal lawsuit against

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5332-638: The league announced Moglia would instead coach the Omaha Nighthawks. At the same time, the Florida Tuskers ceased operations in Orlando and moved to Virginia, with Jay Gruden initially remaining as the Destroyers' coach; however, Gruden was hired the next month by the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL. For possible 2011 expansion, all cities that were in consideration for 2010 (Portland, San Antonio, Austin, and Salt Lake City) remained in consideration, as well as Raleigh, North Carolina ; Los Angeles; and Honolulu. In regards to future expansion, Huyghue has said that they "may never have more than eight teams" depending on

5418-444: The league as potential owners, but both backed out prior to the 2009 season. On February 9, 2009, it was announced that Paul Pelosi , husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , was one of four investors who had stepped forward to invest $ 10,000,000, plus a personal commitment to cover opening-season losses up to another $ 10,000,000 for a one-half interest in four franchises to play in the league's 2009 inaugural season. The league

5504-407: The league had a full schedule of three home games in the same stadium in only one of their selected cities, Las Vegas. During the week of August 10, 2009, the four team names and their uniform jerseys were revealed. Each of the uniforms (and the team logos and helmets that were unveiled on October 2) incorporated the UFL's signature color scheme into their designs, including silver (primary color for

5590-413: The league to turn a profit. While he did reach the 20,000 fan threshold in Sacramento in 2010 and 2011, the paying television contract never materialized. Hambrecht sustained losses of $ 40 million on the league. Six teams played in the UFL over the course of its history, no more than five in any given year. The teams that played in the league were: the Las Vegas Locomotives, Hartford Colonials (originally

5676-444: The league's economic situation. The league announced it would expand into the Hampton Roads region of Virginia prior to the start of the 2011 season, giving the Virginia Destroyers time to organize. During UFL Championship Week 2010, the league announced it had a seventh franchise in place, with Huyghue indicating that it would most likely be in Los Angeles, and that the team would not be officially announced until an eighth franchise

5762-403: The league's four years of play. Paul Pelosi's investment alone was between $ 10 million and $ 50 million, according to federal disclosure forms filed by his wife Nancy. For his part, Pelosi initially anticipated losing $ 6 million per year, based on an anticipated 20,000 fans per game, and hoped to make up the difference from a renegotiated television contract in 2011 that paid enough rights fees for

5848-406: The other semifinal game, Eastern Kentucky advanced to the championship game with a 20–4 victory over Huntington. Ultimate Bowl I, also sponsored by Trophy Awards, was played Friday, June 9, 2011, at the Dow Center in Saginaw, MI, with the Sting claiming an 86–69 victory over the visiting Drillers. Following the Northern Kentucky River Monsters' elimination from the playoffs, owner Jill Chitwood and

5934-474: The outdoor UFL ended its suspension). Six teams folded in the process, including charter members Canton and Huntington, plus four teams ( Carolina Aviators , Danville Dragons , Tennessee Rail Runners , and Kentucky Monsters ) that never took the field, reducing the number of teams in the league from 16 to 10. Haines resigned his post as league president in June 2012. The 2013 season saw a reduction to six teams. Furthermore, prior to championship weekend, three of

6020-411: The owners had not personally guaranteed it. Hambrecht has also allegedly not paid the 78 players who sued him for back pay, even as the players won a $ 2.4 million judgment against Hambrecht. Frank Vuono, an executive with the UFL in its early existence, stated that Hambrecht had simply stopped paying the league's bills. The UFL abandoned its trademarks by 2017, when Vince McMahon filed a trademark on

6106-440: The position on January 31, 2012, citing in part the league's severe financial problems and philosophical differences with the league's owners on how to move forward. Instead, the league dispensed, at least for the time being, with a central office and owners Bill Hambrecht (Las Vegas) and Bill Mayer (Virginia) oversaw the league's business operations, while Locos' coach/president Jim Fassel overseeing football operations. Before

6192-966: The same home stadiums as in 2011; the Mountain Lions moved to the Triple-A baseball stadium ( Raley Field ) of the Sacramento franchise of the Pacific Coast League , the Sacramento River Cats . In addition, the Las Vegas Locomotives also negotiated backup plans with Cashman Field in Las Vegas, although the team was able to play its first two home games at Sam Boyd Stadium . On October 20, 2012, after four weeks, continued financial shortfalls, an uncertain stadium situation in Las Vegas, and dramatically reduced attendances across all four markets,

6278-540: The season as the Atlantic Conferences's #2 seed. In the 2012 CIFL Championship Game , the Sting defeated the Dayton Silverbacks 35–7, to win the CIFL championship. The title for the Sting was their 3rd in the last 4 seasons of playing. The Sting's first move in its quest for a title defense in 2013 was re-signing head coach Fred Townsend to a 3-year contract extension. Ultimately, the Sting progressed to

6364-463: The standard league colors. For 2010, the league indicated that five markets were under consideration for expansion teams: Omaha, Nebraska ; San Antonio or Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and Salt Lake City. On April 15, 2010, Omaha was granted an expansion team, called the Omaha Nighthawks . Mark Cuban, who was mentioned as a potential franchise owner in the league's formative stages, loaned

6450-445: The team fared poorly on the field in the IFL. Prior to the 2011 season, the team was purchased by San Diego–based business man, Mike Esposito. Esposito announced that the team would play in the newly formed Ultimate Indoor Football League , which Esposito was also the league's commissioner . He hired Stuart Schweigert as the Sting's Director of Player Development. The Sting went on to win

6536-446: The team played more than one game are listed. In an approach similar to previous football leagues, the UFL mostly adhered to standard NFL and football rules with a few differences of note: For the 2009 and 2010 seasons, the UFL scheduled its games on non-traditional evenings for pro football: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Though these games conflicted with high school and college football events in some locations,

6622-528: The team to the league and allowed bidding to be opened again. Williams later joined his alma mater Grambling State University as their head coach, resigning as Destroyers' general manager. The UFL announced the businessman Joe Moglia , also executive advisor to the head football coach of the University of Nebraska, as the first head coach and president of the Destroyers in November 2010; however, in January 2011,

6708-501: The third consecutive year. If a sixth team had been added, the schedule for each team would have expanded to ten games. The schedule for the 2011 UFL season , released June 9, 2011, confirmed that the league would be locked at five teams for the season, with no expansion. The 2011 season was to shift from a traditional late fall schedule to a late summer/early fall schedule beginning in August 2011 and ending in October; however, in July 2011,

6794-438: The three championships , appearing in (but losing) the third, and having a perfect record for the season at the time of the cessation of operations. The United Football League was founded by Bill Hambrecht and Tim Armstrong . The UFL initially had plans to start with eight teams with $ 12–20 million rosters playing in targeted sites in the fall of 2008. T. Boone Pickens and Mark Cuban had originally been in discussion with

6880-416: The three, at least "one has a UFL team and one may get a UFL team." On October 16, 2011, immediately after each team's fourth game, numerous reports indicated that the remainder of the 2011 season had been cancelled and that the 2011 UFL championship game between Las Vegas and Virginia would be moved up to the date of Virginia's last home game, which would have taken place against Omaha on October 21. This

6966-499: The unfinished 2012 schedule at an unspecified time in spring 2013, then revert to a fall schedule in fall 2013 without a full off-season. This announcement, however, was met with widespread skepticism from both within and outside the league, skepticism that was proven to be warranted as the league never returned. Over the course of the league's history, the Las Vegas Locomotives were the most successful team, winning two of

7052-485: Was a professional American football minor league based in the United States that began play in October 2009 and played four seasons, the final one being cut short in October 2012 . The small league, which never had more than five teams playing at one time, played most of its games in markets where the National Football League (NFL) had no current presence. Unlike most professional football leagues since

7138-472: Was a professional Indoor Football team based in Saginaw, Michigan . The team was most recently a member of American Indoor Football (AIF). They began play in 2008 as an expansion team in the Continental Indoor Football League and then moved to the Indoor Football League for the 2009 season. They suspended operations for the 2010 season before becoming an inaugural member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League . The following season they were suspended by

7224-656: Was confirmed. As events would turn out, neither franchise would materialize. The league suffered a setback when they had to fold the Florida Tuskers in January 2011. The league moved most of the Tuskers' staff to the Destroyers and reassigned the coaching staff already in Virginia to Omaha, firing the previous Omaha coaching staff. After this, the league reduced their goal to six teams, with Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City; and new contender Chattanooga, Tennessee , still in consideration, and Los Angeles no longer in consideration for

7310-521: Was set, although the location was not. Also left unanswered was the question of whether last season's unusual third-place game would be repeated. On September 6, a revised UFL schedule for 2012 was posted on the Omaha Nighthawks website [2] showing the season rescheduled to begin on Friday, September 28, and end on Saturday, December 1, along with the claim that CBS Sports Network was in full concordance with this revision. All teams but Sacramento used

7396-547: Was under the overall direction of William Hambrecht, a former Wall Street figure who had sold his old firm, Hambrecht & Quist, to what was then Chase Manhattan Bank for US$ 1.35 billion in 1999. Michael Huyghue , a former executive with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the head of a sports agency service, was the league's first and only commissioner. The league had identified 21 cities that they deemed possessed strong economic bases, passionate football tradition, and

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