Birmingham Stallions

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Team and League History

June 3, 2021

In a surprising announcement, FOX Sports issued a press release stating they will be the broadcast partner for a reboot of the United States Football League, planned for the spring of 2022.

FOX Sports is also an equity investor in the USFL's parent company, The Spring League. The Spring League was created by Brian Woods, who is also the co-founder of the new USFL. TSL has had various levels of seasons since 2017 and there are no plans to fold the TSL. “I’m extremely passionate about football and the opportunity to work with FOX Sports and to bring back the USFL in 2022 was an endeavor worth pursuing,” said Woods.

Eric Shanks, CEO and executive producer for Fox Sports, said, “The relaunch of the USFL is a landmark day for football fans and Fox Sports. Football is in our DNA and the return of this innovative and iconic league is a fantastic addition to our robust slate of football programming.”

The new incarnation will have “at least” eight teams, and the league retains the rights to most of the original team names. One of the trademarks The Spring League received was for the Birmingham Stallions name. They have also registered a "Dallas Stallions" trademark, however.

While the new USFL won't compete with the National Football League, which plays in the fall and winter months, it could find itself facing off against another new league. Actor Dwayne Johnson and his partners Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital last year acquired the remnants of the XFL, with plans to relaunch in 2022. Most recently, the XFL was reportedly holding talks with the Canadian Football League regarding a merger of some sort.

October 11, 2021
It is being reported that representatives for the new USFL have formally asked if Birmingham would host their inaugural season in a "bubble format".

City officials and the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority are currently considering the proposal, where the USFL would play all 43 games - 40 regular-season games, two semifinal playoff games, and a championship game - in the city. Most likely, 75-80% of the games would be played in the newly built Protective Stadium with the remaining games played at Legion Field.

Games would be broadcast evenly between Fox, NBC, Fox Sports, and the USA Network.

“There’s still a lot to work through. There are some terms for further discussion and negotiation and that’s what’s going to happen over the next couple of days. We’ve got to do more due diligence. That’s the kind of phase we’re in. Potentially, Birmingham could have a team. But what that team would be I don’t think we know the answer yet. We’re gonna learn a lot more in the coming days,” said BJCC executive director Tad Snider.

A bubble season is an interesting opportunity and is projected to have a significant economic impact on the city. To house league officials over the season’s 12 weeks between April and July would require more than 40,000 hotel nights, according to city officials. The overall estimated impact could be $15 million. But at what cost to the city? “That’s what we’re working on right now. Understanding the opportunity for the city and the expense. That has to balance out,” Snider said.

October 18, 2021
BJCC and USFL officials have agreed to a non-binding "Memorandum of Understanding" (MoU) for the city to host the 2022 season.

The plan is to field eight teams, including a revival of the Birmingham Stallions name. FOX Sports owns the league and has committed $150 million over three years.

For now, the MoU only allows the USFL use of Protective Stadium for free. The league will also enter discussions with the Park Board to secure rights to Legion Field for some games and practices.

The agreement also stipulates the league will "work in good faith to accommodate the opening ceremonies of the World Games," which are scheduled for July 7, 2022. In addition, the MoU includes a tentative schedule for the 2022 season. A few dates are excluded from that calendar, for an unnamed concert between May 30th and June 5th, and nine dates being held for the Birmingham Legion. The Legion have played their home matches at BBVA Field since their beginning in 2019, except for one match at Legion Field this season. Those dates have yet to be approved by the Legion, however.

October 20, 2021
Birmingham Park and Recreation president Montal Morton says they have agreed to a MoU to allow the league to play up to six games and host practices at Legion Field. "Birmingham has always been a mecca for football. I’m just excited, I’m just happy that we are moving in a right direction.”

Additionally, reports are surfacing about a FOX-owned "National Spring Football League". Not many details are available, but it is believed to be simply an umbrella company that will contain all the USFL holdings.

October 26, 2021
The Birmingham City Council has approved $500,000 to help secure the new United States Football League's bubble season for 2022.

Shortly after, the Jefferson County Commission quickly agreed to match the city's funding with another $500,000. Jefferson County Commission chair Jimmie Stephens said the county was waiting on a commitment from the city. “We were really waiting on Birmingham to come through with their commitment. We could be subject to matching them dollar-for-dollar if needed to complete the deal. We really needed to know where [Birmingham stood].”

Late last week, the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau offered up to $2 million in assistance.

Unfortunately, the combined $3 million is still $700,000 short of estimated expenses. The breakdown of costs includes weekly overhead ($1,019,600), weekly game day staffing (1,436,150), weekly services provided by the city (635,800), and equipment and labor for field conversions ($1,091,500).

Michael Davis of Balch & Bingham, which represents Fox Sports, stated “Fox is not seeking any incentive. No money goes to Fox or the league. Any pledges (from stakeholders) will go to the BJCC to have operational costs secured in case they have a loss.”

Birmingham may also have the opportunity to host a "mini-bubble" with as many as four teams during the USFL's second season, with as many as four teams playing in their respective cities. In the third year, all teams will play in their own cities.

It is still unclear if Fox will own all teams for the first three years or if they will seek outside team owners at some point.

November 22, 2021
The eight teams are announced and the Birmingham Stallions will return to the Magic City.

There will be a total of eight teams split evenly between two divisions. The Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars, and Pittsburgh Maulers will comprise the North Division. The Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, and Tampa Bay Bandits will make up the South Division.

January 6, 2022
Many non-FOX media are reporting that former Auburn University head coach Gene Chizik will be the Stallions head coach. Chizik will only admit to having discussions with the league.

FOX has not confirmed this rumor, but it did officially name four of the eight head coaches today; Mike Riley (New Jersey Generals), Kevin Sumlin (Houston Gamblers), Todd Haley (Tampa Bay Bandits), and Bart Andrus (Philadelphia Stars).

Many local fans would have preferred to have Riley, as he played football at the University of Alabama for Paul "Bear" Bryant. In his time at Alabama as a reserve defensive back, the Crimson Tide won four Southeastern Conference titles and a National Championship in 1973.

January 8, 2022
The University of North Carolina announces that Gene Chizik has been hired as their "assistant head coach for defense".

January 20, 2022


	Head coach "Skip" Holtz

FOX Sports announces that Louis Leo "Skip" Holtz, Jr. will be the Stallions head coach. This will be his first coaching position in the professional ranks.

Holtz played one season at Notre Dame under his father, legendary Lou Holtz, in 1985 as a special teams walk-on.

Holtz has started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for two years at Florida State (1987-88). The next year he moved to Colorado State to coach wide receivers before moving to Notre Dame to coach receivers under his father, the legendary Lou Holtz, for two years. He was then promoted to offensive coordinator at Notre Dame for two years. His first job as a head coach came the next year at Connecticut, where he served for five years (1994-98). He resigned to again coach with his father, this time as offensive coordinator at South Carolina from 1999 to 2004. When his father resigned from South Carolina, "Skip" moved into his second head coaching position, this time for five years at East Carolina (2005-09). He then became head coach at South Florida for three years (2010-12) before being fired. He rebounded to become head coach at Louisiana Tech, where he remained longer than any other stay before, nine years (2013-21) until he was fired.

Holtz has a few accolades of note: his teams made 12 bowl appearances in 16 seasons, won eight conference divisional titles, and he was named Conference USA's Coach of the Year in 2016 while at Louisiana Tech.

In the same announcement, Kirby Wilson was named head coach of the Pittsburgh Maulers.

January 25, 2022
At a press conference at Protective Stadium, FOX Sports officially announces that Birmingham will host the United States Football League's inaugural season in a bubble format, with all eight teams playing games at Protective Stadium and Legion Field.

The league's first game will be the Stallions versus the New Jersey Generals on April 16th. The 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.

Tickets will be $10 with general admission seating.

A player selection draft will be held February 22 and 23, and training camps will open March 21. Each 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.

February 16, 2022
The United States Football League announces that all post-season games will not be played in Birmingham.

Instead, the league will play all playoff games and the championship game in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

Birmingham is set to host the 2022 World Games, which had reserved Protective Stadium for their opening ceremonies well before the USFL came calling. The window between the league's regular season ending and the World Games' stadium preparation practices were too tight, and a schedule that would benefit everyone could not be worked out.

February 28, 2022
A group of former team owners and executives from the original United States Football League has sued FOX Sports to halt their launch of the new USFL, calling it "an unabashed counterfeit."

The suit, filed in California today, alleges the new USFL is inappropriately using the old league's branding through trademark infringement, false advertising, and false association. The group is seeking an injunction to prevent the new league from using any names or logos associated with the defunct league. The suit also alleges that FOX Sports and its partners didn't properly obtain use of the league's trademarks and other intellectual property.

The former owners and executives are seeking an order preventing FOX from calling its league the USFL or using the names and logos of any of the original league's 18 teams.

April 2022

			2022 United States Football League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx

	Birmingham Stallions		Houston Gamblers		Michigan Panthers		New Jersey Generals		New Orleans Breakers


	Philadelphia Stars		Pittsburgh Maulers		Tampa Bay Bandits

2022 United States Football League
North Division	South Division
Michigan Panthers	Birmingham Stallions
New Jersey Generals	Houston Gamblers
Philadelphia Stars	New Orleans Breakers
Pittsburgh Maulers	Tampa Bay Bandits

June 25, 2022
The Birmingham Stallions advanced to the United States Football League's Championship Game when they defeated the New Orleans Breakers 31-17 in the South Division playoff in Canton, Ohio. In something of a surprise, the Philadelphia Stars defeated the heavily favored New Jersey Generals to take the North Division title.

The Stallions defeated the Breakers for the third time this season.

July 3, 2022
The Birmingham Stallions win the inaugural United States Football League Championship. They defeated the Philadelphia Stars 33-30 in an exciting game where both team's backup quarterbacks finished the game.

Birmingham's wide receiver Victor Bolden, Jr. was voted the game's Most Valuable Player.

The Stallions finished with an 11-1 record.

Birmingham Stallions players celebrate their 2022 USFL Championship victory

November 15, 2022
The United States Football League announced today that they will use multiple hub cities in 2023. Birmingham will remain a hub, hosting the Stallions and the New Orleans Breakers.

The league also made two team announcements. The Tampa Bay Bandits club will go on a one year hiatus but there will be a new team in Tennessee, the Memphis Showboats.

The city of Memphis will also be a two team hub, hosting the Showboats and the Houston Gamblers.

No announcement was made regarding hubs for the Northern Division teams.

January 24, 2023
The league announces that they have changed the colors of the Pittsburgh Maulers to black and gold. This puts the Maulers in line with most of the other professional sports teams that are based in Pittsburgh.

January 25, 2023
The league announces that one of the northern hubs will be Canton, Ohio.

The New Jersey Generals and the Pittsburgh Maulers will play their home games in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

January 26, 2023
The league announces that the final northern hub will be Detroit, Michigan.

The Michigan Panthers and the Philadelphia Stars will play their home games in Ford Field. This hub will be the only domed stadium in the league.

April 2023

			2023 United States Football League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx

	Birmingham Stallions		Houston Gamblers		Memphis Showboats		Michigan Panthers		New Jersey Generals


	New Orleans Breakers		Philadelphia Stars		Pittsburgh Maulers

2023 United States Football League
North Division	South Division
Michigan Panthers	Birmingham Stallions
New Jersey Generals	Houston Gamblers
Philadelphia Stars	Memphis Showboats
Pittsburgh Maulers	New Orleans Breakers

June 25, 2023
The Birmingham Stallions advanced to the United States Football League's Championship Game when they defeated the New Orleans Breakers 47-22 in the South Division playoff.

The Northern Division title was played by two 4-6 teams, the Michigan Panthers and the Pittsburgh Maulers. The Maulers won 31-27 in overtime.

Just as happened last year, the Stallions defeated the Breakers for the third time in a season.

June 30, 2023
Birmingham's quarterback Alex McGough is named the league's Most Valuable Player.

July 1, 2023
The Birmingham Stallions win the 2023 United States Football League Championship by defeating the Pittsburgh Maulers 28-12.

Birmingham's wide receiver Deon Cain was voted the game's Most Valuable Player. Cain had 171 receiving yards and three touchdown catches.

The Stallions finished with an 10-2 record.

Birmingham Stallions players celebrate their 2023 USFL Championship victory

September 19, 2023

Multiple media outlets are reporting that the United States Football League and the XFL are in serious discussions regarding a merge.

Allegedly, the USFL turned a profit but the XFL lost a reported $60 million in their first season of the league's third separate attempt, this time under the direction of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his partners.

The goal is to have everything done before the 2024 season kicks off.

The resolution of the discussions should be announced by the end of the week.

September 28, 2023
The United States Football League and the XFL have released joint statements indicating the two leagues will merge.

The merge is subject to customary regulatory approvals and no timetable was given.

December 31, 2023

The merger of the United States Football League and the XFL is official and a new 8-team league will be created, the United Football League.

The new league will be owned by FOX Sports, ESPN, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale. It was not made clear who are majority owners.

The release said the USFL champion Birmingham Stallions will face the XFL champion Arlington Renegades in the opening game on March 30, 2024 in Arlington.

The UFL will use the modified hub the XFL used in their only season, where all teams will he housed and practice in one city. On game day, teams will fly to the home cities to play in stadiums there and will return to Arlington after the games.

Games will be shown on Fox, ABC, ESPN, and FS1 networks.

January 1, 2024
The United Football League announces the remaining six teams that will comprise the inaugural season.

The "USFL Conference" will contain the Birmingham Stallions, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, and the Houston Roughnecks.

The "XFL Conference" will contain the Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas, and the St. Louis Battlehawks

In an interesting twist, the Houston Roughnecks are basically the USFL's Houston Gamblers in every way but the name.

March 2024

			2024 United Football League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx

	Arlington Renegades		Birmingham Stallions		DC Defenders		Houston Roughnecks		Memphis Showboats


	Michigan Panthers		San Antonio Brahmas		St. Louis Battlehawks

2024 United Football League
USFL Division	XFL Division
Birmingham Stallions	Arlington Renegades
Houston Roughnecks	DC Defenders
Memphis Showboats	San Antonio Brahmas
Michigan Panthers	St. Louis Battlehawks

June 8, 2024
The Birmingham Stallions advanced to the United Football League's Championship Game when they defeated the Michigan Panthers 31-18 in the USFL Division playoff. The Stallions defeated the Panthers for the third time this season.

A day later, the XFL Division title was won by the San Antonio Brahmas, who defeated the St. Louis Battlehawks 25-15. San Antonio was the only team to defeat the Stallions in the regular season.

The Championship Game will be played in The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

June 10, 2024
Birmingham's quarterback Adrian Martinez is named the league's Most Valuable Player.

June 16, 2024
The Birmingham Stallions win the inaugural United Football League Championship by defeating the San Antonio Brahamas 25-0 in The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The Stallions have now won three consecutive league titles, with the first two as members of the United States Football League in 2022 and 2023.

Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez was voted the game MVP.

Birmingham Stallions players celebrate their 2024 UFL Championship victory

November 25, 2024
The United Football League announces a push toward expansion.

No details were given other than the statement that they now "accepting proposals from prospective markets".

March 2025

			2025 United Football League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx

	Arlington Renegades		Birmingham Stallions		DC Defenders		Houston Roughnecks		Memphis Showboats


	Michigan Panthers		San Antonio Brahmas		St. Louis Battlehawks

2025 United Football League
USFL Conference	XFL Conference
Birmingham Stallions	Arlington Renegades
Houston Roughnecks	DC Defenders
Memphis Showboats	San Antonio Brahmas
Michigan Panthers	St. Louis Battlehawks

Champions of the United States Football League
Year	Team
2022	Birmingham Stallions
2023	Birmingham Stallions


	Years local team participated

Champions of the United Football League
Year	Team
2024	Birmingham Stallions
2025	???


	Years local team participated

			Teams of the United States Football League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx

	Birmingham Stallions 2022 to 2023		Houston Gamblers 2022 to 2023		Memphis Showboats 2023		Michigan Panthers 2022 to 2023		New Jersey Generals 2022 to 2023


	New Orleans Breakers 2022 to 2023		Philadelphia Stars 2022 to 2023		Pittsburgh Maulers 2022 to 2023		Tampa Bay Bandits 2022

			Teams of the United Football League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx

	Arlington Renegades 2024 to 2025		Birmingham Stallions 2024 to 2025		DC Defenders 2024 to 2025		Houston Roughnecks 2024 to 2025		Memphis Showboats 2024 to 2025


	Michigan Panthers 2024 to 2025		San Antonio Brahmas 2024 to 2025		St. Louis Battlehawks 2024 to 2025

Contact Gene Crowley
Last update: April 01, 2025