May 2000

Basil DeVito, President of the XFL, announces that Birmingham is in contention for a charter franchise in the planned spring football league that will begin play in 2001. The XFL, owned and operated by the World Wrestling Federation, is the creation of the WWF's Chairman Vince McMahon and is heavily financed by a $30 million investment from the television network NBC. 

The XFL is an outdoor spring football league and is scheduled to begin play in February 2001. Each team will play 10 regular season games. A 2 week, 4 team playoff and a championship game will close out the season sometime in April. NBC will air games on Saturday nights and the UPN network will televise games on Sunday nights. Plans call for the league to own all 8 teams and only New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orlando have been guaranteed franchises. Memphis, Las Vegas, Houston, Washington (DC), Miami and Birmingham are all in contention for one of the 3 remaining franchises. DeVito said the final decision on franchise locations will be made in early June.

The XFL's interest in Birmingham grew after league organizers discussed the city with Dr. Larry Lemak, President of the Alabama Sports Foundation and the XFL's medical director. Gene Hallman, executive director of the Alabama Sports Foundation, said Lemak didn't initially jump at the chance to bring another football league to the city. "They approached him about Birmingham being one of the 8 franchise cities. He didn't take them seriously at first, but they kept pursuing it. Being the President of the Alabama Sports Foundation, he put them in touch with the right people. It's now to the point where it looks as if Birmingham will be the eighth and final city selected. Our thoughts parallel with the Washington Post in that, if (the XFL) named their eight cities right now, Birmingham would be one of them," Hallman said. Hallman went on to say that Birmingham and Miami are the final choices to fill the eighth spot, but Birmingham has certain advantages. The local NBC affiliate, WVTM-13, is owned and operated by NBC, which makes it more economical for the broadcasting company to produce and air games here as opposed to Miami. "I think the lack of professional team competition helps. In Miami you have the Dolphins, the Marlins and the Heat. In Birmingham, you obviously don't have that," Hallman said.

DeVito said the league is encouraged by Birmingham. "Birmingham has always been a good football market - the college level, the professional level. It is one of the best cities without an NFL franchise. We have talked to some local people and interviewed them and they seem to feel that there would be a great deal of support and we feel it has a strong possibility of success," DeVito said.

The XFL will try to lure fans in using the same flashy style the WWF uses. The league has said it will put microphones on all players and coaches. They also plan to install cameras in selected helmets as well as the locker rooms and sidelines. Some rule changes such as no television timeouts or fair catches, adjusting the clock rules to speed up the action, allowing receivers and running backs to be in motion on the snap and bringing back the bump-and-run and the head slap have been mentioned. Salaries will be limited to $50,000 per player.

McMahon announced the formation of the league in February saying, "The appetite for professional football continues long past the Super Bowl. The XFL is more than just an extension of the football season, it is a completely new product that not only fills a void for football fans, but will give the casual fan an all-access pass to a football experience unlike any other to date. The action will feature the best football players available and will be highly competitive, hard-hitting, and most importantly, fan friendly. Guaranteed."

Some feel that this league is the result of the failed Turner/NBC league that was planned in 1999.

June 2000

August 2000

Vince McMahon holds a press conference in Birmingham to formally announce the city as one of the charter franchises in the XFL. Joining Birmingham in the new league will be teams in Orlando, Las Vegas, New York/New Jersey, Chicago, Memphis, San Jose and Los Angeles. 

In talking about the new league's major competitor, McMahon said, "It's that corporate mentality the NFL has gone to where, quite frankly, they've forgotten who plays the game and they've forgotten who comes to the games. NFL is all about corporate America and not middle-class America." 

In response to questions on Birmingham's checkered professional sports history, McMahon said, "I thrive on challenges and thrive on people doubting whether we can do certain things. I would suggest that Birmingham has never failed in terms of football; it's been the pro leagues that have failed Birmingham. This league is not going to fail Birmingham. It has too much going for it. We know what we're up against and carrying the burden of prior leagues that have failed. This type of football is different than other football that has been here. We're not looking for this to be a flash in the pan. We are looking to carve out a niche, and we certainly will. I don't mind if you doubt us. That's logical; that's OK."

Also announced was the selection of Gerry DiNardo as Head Coach. This will be DiNardo's first job in professional football. Previously, DiNardo was the Head Coach at Louisiana State (LSU) for 5 years before he was fired 10 games into the 1999 season. In 1990 he was the Offensive Coordinator for Colorado when they won the National Championship. His first head coaching job came in 1991 when he went to Vanderbilt. He stayed there for 4 years before moving to LSU. DiNardo said the league offered him the head coaching position at Birmingham, New York and Memphis but chose Birmingham because he had visited here many times through the years and had come to love the city. "Fans are tough on coaches and players in the South and maybe all over the country. If we look like we know what we're doing and we win some games in Legion Field, we're going to be fine. If we don't, then I think it's pretty predictable how people are going to perceive you," DiNardo said.

Gene Hallman says the XFL will hold a press conference next week to unveil the nicknames, logos and colors for all the teams in the league. Hallman is President of the Bruno Event Team, which is working with the Birmingham franchise's marketing and promotions. Hallman said that the team nickname would not be 'Beavers' as had been rumored. 

He also went on to report that the league had briefly considered beginning the team's name with 'Alabama' instead of 'Birmingham'. "We've settled on calling it Birmingham because it's Birmingham's team," Hallman said.

Later that same day, the XFL announces that they have reconsidered the name 'Blast' and will not use the name for Birmingham. The league scratched the name after officials with the team and the league were told of the negative image the name had to blacks because of a church bombing in 1963 and an abortion clinic bombing in 1998. However, using a focus group of Birmingham males age 12 to 24, the league presented over 96 names to the group and Blast received the most favorable reception. Tim Berryman, Birmingham's General Manager, said, "The fact that the name leaked out turned out to be a positive. Why should we introduce a name that makes anyone cringe? My job was to relay this concern to the league office, and to their credit they dropped everything today to work on a provisional plan." 

It is reported that the Canadian Football League has approached the XFL about allowing players that are under contract with CFL teams to also play in the XFL. Jeff Giles, President and Chief Operating Officer of the CFL, said he has spoken with the XFL's Director of Football Operations, Mike Keller.

The CFL's season ends in late November, giving players at least a month to rest before the start of XFL training camps in January. The XFL's season ends in April, which gives players roughly 2 months to rest before CFL training camps begin. 

"The XFL has issued a statement that any players that play with them in the 2001 season would be free after that season to play with another league. Really, they have thrown it open. Now it's up to us to figure out what we're going to do with that," Giles said.

February 2001

March 2001

Not surprisingly, the plan is met with sharp criticism from the American Football Coaches Association. Their contention is that the XFL would be too much of an enticement for players who failed college admission tests. If players sign with the XFL, they would then be ineligible to play at the collegiate level in the future.

May 2001

"Despite where our heart was, we just couldn't make it work from a financial standpoint. We tried to figure out every conceivable way to make this work," McMahon said. 

"We were an instant success the first week, but we made a lot of mistakes. Then the national media picked up, and pounded us pretty hard. From then on, we were fighting this uphill battle," Berryman said.

In response to questions of creditors and payroll due the players, McMahon said,  "You won't find anyone associated with this enterprise who won't be taken care of in every conceivable way." The city of Birmingham received $30,000 in rent each game and all of the concession and parking revenue. The head of Legion Field, Walter Garrett, said, "Frankly, we made pretty good money on it."

Quarterback Casey Weldon was so sure the Thunderbolts would return next year he had began trying to organize local football camps. "I was disappointed. I was sure we'd be around a couple of years. It was a great experience. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do it again. I just want to thank the fans that did come out. I really fell in love with Birmingham. I'm just sorry I won't be back," Weldon said.

McMahon said that the WWF and NBC would each lose around $35 million after taxes. "The buck stops with me principally. This was my vision. It did not work, for whatever reason," McMahon said.