| Birmingham Stallions | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
| Established November 22, 2021 Play in Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama) | |
 | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
United States Football League (2022-2023)
United Football League (2024–present)
| |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Red, gold, white |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | Fox Corporation (50%), Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, RedBird Capital Partners (50%) |
| Head coach | Skip Holtz |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (2) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (2) | |
| Playoff appearances (2) | |
| Home stadium(s) | |
| |
The Birmingham Stallions are a professional American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The Stallions compete in the United Football League (UFL). The Stallions are owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. They play their home games at Protective Stadium. They have won both of the USFL championship games since its founding, defeating the Philadelphia Stars 33–30 in 2022 and defeating the Pittsburgh Maulers 28–12 in 2023.
History
The Birmingham Stallions were one of eight teams officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021.[1] On January 6, 2022, it was revealed that former NCAA coach Gene Chizik would become the head coach of the Stallions. Chizik confirmed the report, but the parties have yet to agree. He ultimately took a deal to become the defensive coordinator for North Carolina two days later.[2][3] On January 20, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NCAA football head coach Skip Holtz was named the head coach and general manager of the Stallions.[4]
The Stallions finished the 2022 regular season with a 9–1 record, winning the South division title and clinching the South division's first seed. The Stallions hosted their first South Division Championship game, facing the second-seed New Orleans Breakers. The Stallions defeated the Breakers 31–17 and advanced to the 2022 USFL Championship Game.[5]
On July 3, 2022, in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, the Stallions played against the North division's second seed, the Philadelphia Stars. Following halftime, the Stallions led by eleven points, but a 4-yard Stars' touchdown narrowed the Stallions' lead to five points with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter. On the Stallions' next possession, they were forced to attempt a 38-yard field goal, which was missed. Then Philadelphia's Case Cookus found Devin Gray in the end zone for a touchdown two plays later. The Stars attempted and converted a two-point conversion.[6] This gave Philadelphia a 23–20 lead, their first of the game. Following a pair of field goals and a 26–23 lead with under three minutes remaining, Scooby Wright had a 46-yard interception returned for a touchdown to seal the game for the Stallions effectively. Victor Bolden Jr. won the USFL Championship Game Most Valuable Player Award.
Following the 2022 season, the Stallions hired Zachary Potter. He previously held the title of team director during the Stallions 2022 season.[7]
In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons.[8] Officials in Birmingham were assured that the Stallions would be part of the merged league should the union go forward.[9] On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date.[10] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[11] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League".[12] On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a "combined season" to begin March 30, 2024.[13] The merger was made official on December 31, 2023.[14]
Championships
The Stallions have won two USFL Championships and two South Division Championships, going back-to-back on both in 2022 and 2023.
USFL Championships
| Year | Coach | USFL Championship Game | Stadium | Location | Opponent | Score | MVP | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Skip Holtz | 2022 | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | Canton, Ohio | Philadelphia Stars | 33–30 | Victor Bolden Jr. | 9–1 |
| 2023 | Skip Holtz | 2023 | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | Canton, Ohio | Pittsburgh Maulers | 28–12 | Deon Cain | 8–2 |
| Total USFL championships won: | 2 | |||||||
South Division Championship Games
| Year | Coach | Stadium | Location | Opponent | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Skip Holtz | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | Canton, Ohio | New Orleans Breakers | 31–17 | 9–1 |
| 2023 | Skip Holtz | Protective Stadium | Birmingham, Alabama | New Orleans Breakers | 47–22 | 8–2 |
| Total South Division championship games won: | 2 | |||||
Current Roster
Players
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
|
Staff
| Ownership
{{{ownership}}} Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
| |||||
Player History
Current NFL Players
| Season | Pos | Name | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | LB | DeMarquis Gates | Chicago Bears |
| 2022-2023 | K | Brandon Aubrey | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2023 | WR | Austin Watkins | Cleveland Browns |
| 2023 | DT | Khalil Davis | Houston Texans |
| 2023 | QB | Alex McGough | Green Bay Packers |
| 2023 | WR | Davion Davis | Houston Texans |
| 2023 | TE | La'Michael Pettway | New England Patriots |
Notable Players
| Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-present | WR | Amari Rodgers | Former Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver, 2021 3rd Round Pick |
USFL MVP award winners
| Stallions USFL MVP winners | |||
| Year | Player | Position | Selector |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Alex McGough | QB | USFL |
Coach History
Head Coach history
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Birmingham Stallions | ||||||||||
| 1 | Skip Holtz | 2022-present | 20 | 17 | 3 | .850 | 4 | 4 | 0 | *2023 USFL Coach of the Year |
*Holtz also serving as Offensive Coordinator
Defensive Coordinator history
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Birmingham Stallions | ||||||||||
| 1 | John Chavis | 2022-present | 20 | 17 | 3 | .850 | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
Records
| All-time Stallions leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Stallions | |
| Passing Yards | Alex McGough | 2,564 passing yards | 2022-2023 | |
| Passing Touchdowns | Alex McGough | 23 passing touchdowns | 2022-2023 | |
| Rushing Yards | C. J. Marable | 925 rushing yards | 2022-present | |
| Rushing Touchdowns | C. J. Marable | 8 rushing touchdowns | 2022-present | |
| Receiving Yards | Davion Davis | 575 receiving yards | 2023 | |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Jace Sternberger | 7 receiving touchdowns | 2023-present | |
| Receptions | C. J. Marable | 48 receptions | 2022-present | |
| Tackles | Christian McFarland | 96 tackles | 2022-present | |
| Sacks | DeMarquis Gates | 6.5 sacks | 2022 | |
| Interceptions | Lorenzo Burns | 2 interceptions | 2022-present
2023-present | |
| Coaching wins | Skip Holtz | 17 wins | 2022-present | |
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Statistics and records
Season-by-season record
Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.
| USFL champions† | Division champions^ | Wild Card berth# |
| Season | Team | League | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct | ||||||||
| 2022 | 2022 | USFL† | South^ | 1st^ | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | Won Division finals (Breakers) 31–17 Won USFL Championship Game (1) (Stars) 33–30 | J'Mar Smith (SDF MVP) Victor Bolden Jr. (CG MVP) | ||
| 2023 | 2023 | USFL† | South^ | 1st^ | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 | Won Division finals (Breakers) 47–22 Won USFL Championship Game (2) (Maulers) 28–12 | Alex McGough (USFL MVP) Skip Holtz (COTY) Deon Cain (CG MVP) | ||
| Totals | 17 | 3 | 0 | .850 | (2022–2023, regular season) | |||||||
| 4 | 0 | — | 1.000 | (2022–2023, playoffs) | ||||||||
| 21 | 3 | 0 | .875 | (2022–2023, regular season and playoffs) | ||||||||
Ufl Teams
Four teams came from the XFL and three came from the USFL, while each league's Houston, Texas-based team was merged with its counterpart to create one. The XFL's Roughnecks take the Gamblers' place in the USFL while keeping the Roughnecks brand and Gamblers' player rights and coaching staff.[15]
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | First season | Head coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USFL Conference | |||||||
| Birmingham Stallions | Birmingham, Alabama | Protective Stadium | 47,100 | 2022 | Skip Holtz | ||
| Houston Roughnecks | Houston, Texas | Rice Stadium | 47,000 | 2022 | Curtis Johnson | ||
| Memphis Showboats | Memphis, Tennessee | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | 58,325 | 2023 | John DeFilippo | ||
| Michigan Panthers | Detroit, Michigan | Ford Field | 65,000 | 2022 | Mike Nolan | ||
| XFL Conference | |||||||
| Arlington Renegades | Arlington, Texas | Choctaw Stadium | 25,000 | 2020 | Bob Stoops | ||
| DC Defenders | Washington, D.C. | Audi Field | 20,000 | 2020 | Reggie Barlow | ||
| San Antonio Brahmas | San Antonio, Texas | Alamodome | 64,000 | 2023 | Wade Phillips | ||
| St. Louis Battlehawks | St. Louis, Missouri | The Dome at America's Center | 67,277 | 2020 | Anthony Becht | ||
Timeline
References
- ↑ "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- ↑ Chizik, Gene [@CoachGeneChizik] (January 6, 2022). "Addressing a rumor this morning. I am honored that the new @USFL is interested in me for a HC position. We have had several discussions. Although this is a consideration, nothing has been finalized… #Facts" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ↑ "North Carolina Tar Heels football names Gene Chizik assistant head coach for defense". ESPN. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ↑ "What you need to know for USFL in 2022:Two more head coaches revealed". Fox Sports. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ↑ "USFL Playoffs 2022 score, highlights: Birmingham Stallions defeat New Orleans Breakers 31–17". www.sports.nbcsports.com. NBC Universal. June 25, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ↑ Jones, Alex (July 3, 2022). "Birmingham Stallions win 2022 USFL Championship over the Philadelphia Stars". WBRC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ↑ "USFL hires new general managers for two teams". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ↑ Baysinger, Tim; Primack, Dan; Fischer, Sara (September 19, 2023). "Scoop: Football leagues XFL and USFL in merger talks". Axios. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ↑ Johnson, Roy S. (2023-09-22). "Will Birmingham Stallions be part of possible USFL-XFL merged league?". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ↑ TSN ca Staff (2023-09-28). "XFL, United States Football League announce intention to merge". TSN. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
- ↑ Schad, Tom (2023-09-28). "XFL, USFL confirm intention to merge into single spring football league". USA Today. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
- ↑ "XFL files trademark applications for 'United Football League' and 'UFL'". San Antonio Express-News. October 18, 2023.
- ↑ "We are pleased to have completed the antitrust review process in connection with the proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30. We are now finalizing terms of the definitive agreement and will share more about this new League in the coming weeks". Instagram.
- ↑ "USFL, XFL announce merger, formation of new spring football league: The UFL". Yahoo Sports. 2023-12-31. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ↑ UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE REVEALS TEAM MARKETS AND HEAD COACHES FOR 2024 SEASON. Press release. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
