The 2011 UFL season was the third season of the United Football League (UFL). The season, which was affected by franchise shifts and schedule delays due in part to the UFL's lingering financial issues (as well as a failure to capitalize on the National Football League's player lockout),Smith, Michael David (July 20, 2011). Jim Fassel: UFL misread the NFL lockout. Pro Football Talk. Retrieved July 20, 2011 began on September 15, 2011, and would have run through October 28, with a championship game set for the following weekend. The regular season was abandoned after the games of October 15 (with two weeks remaining), and the championship game moved up to October 21, when the Virginia Destroyers claimed their first UFL title by defeating the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Locomotives 17-3 at Virginia Beach Sportsplex.Robinson, Tom (October 22, 2011). Virginia Destroyers capture UFL title in 17-3 victory . Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
Pre-season planning and changes Though it hoped for as many as six teams in place for the 2010 season, the UFL entered the 2011 season with only four, including having a presence in a new market, the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, which was granted an expansion franchise in August 2010, the Virginia Destroyers. The Destroyers' first off-season was marked with front office and coaching upheaval: Jim Speros had been named owner of the Destroyers before relinquishing control back to the league, who would assign control to former Hartford Colonials owner Bill Mayer in August 2011. The Destroyers off-season would see two coaches leave (see "Coaching Changes" below) as well as a general manager, Doug Williams, who resigned in February 2011 to accept the head football coaching position at his alma mater, Grambling State University.
The UFL went back from six to five teams on January 12, 2011, when the league announced it was "ceasing operations" of its Florida Tuskers franchise and moving the Tuskers' coaching staff and list of protected players to Virginia to serve in the same roles with the Destroyers in lieu of an expansion draft. The relocated coaching staff included Tuskers head coach Jay Gruden, who replaced original Destroyers coach Joe Moglia (who was reassigned to the open head coaching position in Omaha) but later accepted a coordinator position with Cincinnati in the NFL.
Prior to shuttering the Tuskers franchise (a move the UFL made citing decreased attendance and stadium issues in the Orlando area),"Omaha Nighthawks name Joe Moglia new coach" , from omaha.com, 1/12/2011 the league had been aiming for as many as eight franchises for 2011; the league was "pretty committed" to a team in the Los Angeles area (a market it has explored in the past to various degrees), and plans were almost in place for a team in Portland, Oregon."UFL chief pleased by league growth, Mountain Lions," from Sacramento Bee, 11/27/2010 Though "encouraging conversations" with franchise investors for a sixth team did take place, the UFL announced in February 2011 that new expansion plans would not be made in time for the start of the 2011 season, and that the league would remain at five teams."Source: No 6th Team for 2011 Season," from uflaccess.com, 2/9/2011Source: UFL press release via oursportscentral.com from 2/10/2011 In March 2011, however, a report surfaced that a group in Chattanooga, Tennessee, led by Jim Bates and Jeremy Bates, was interested in pursuing a UFL team for that city.Mortensen, Chris (2011-03-21). "Another UFL headline on hold or in works - 6th franchise in Chattanooga w a Jim/Jeremy Bates father & son reunion as coaches. A maybe." MortReport (Twitter). Retrieved 2011-03-21.Carp, Steve (2011-04-21). "UFL commish Michael Huygue insists 2011 season's a go, lockout or not. May add a 6th team for this yr. Portland, Salt Lake or Chattanooga. Before you dismiss Chattanooga, look what Omaha did at turnstiles in inaugural UFL season. Led league in attendance." Twitter. SteveCarpRJ (Twitter). Retrieved 2011-04-21. League officials acknowledged that Chattanooga was in the mix, but only for a 2012 expansion and that the 2011 season was fixed at five teams.Paschall, David (2011-03-23). UFL confirms future Chattanooga interest. Times Free Press. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
The UFL's franchise lineup would encounter further instability when, in late July 2011, it was revealed that the UFL was considering further contraction, with the Hartford Colonials a rumored victim.. Hartford Courant. Retrieved July 27, 2011. The league would confirm on August 10 that the Colonials would indeed be shuttered,Source: UFL press release from 8/10/2011 with Colonials owner Bill Mayer given controlling ownership of the Virginia Destroyers."New owner's decision saved UFL destroyers," from The Virginian-Pilot, 9/8/2011 The UFL, realizing it could not afford to operate five teams at the moment, chose to contract the Colonials due to a high cost to operate out of Rentschler Field, where the team played its 2010 home schedule. from Associated Press via Bloomberg Businessweek, 8/11/2011
The 2011 UFL draft was held May 2, 2011, with an additional dispersal draft of Hartford Colonials players conducted on August 15 after the Colonials were shuttered."United Football League Teams Select 24 Former Hartford Colonials Players In Reallocation Draft," from ufl-football.com, posted and accessed 8/16/2011 The UFL had also indicated that it would aggressively pursue the undrafted free agents that, because of the NFL's ongoing labor stoppage, could not be signed to NFL teams until said stoppage was lifted; the May 2 draft was in part designed to gain access to the undrafted free agent market.Prospects such as Burney and Herzlich must make decision. NFL.com. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
Financial difficulties The UFL's financial difficulties came to glaring light during the 2011 offseason, with the league delinquent on bills acquired during the previous season, having lost approximately $50 million in the 2010 season and facing about $6 million in debts to creditors.Carp, Steve (2011-02-14). Huyghue: UFL plans to play, pay. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2011-02-14.Dole, Paul (2011-03-04). . Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2011-03-04. A few players and team personnel also claimed they have not received paychecks for the 2010 season."Norfolk's Rome stymied by cash-strapped UFL," from pilotonline.com, 3/3/2011
Legal action against the UFL was also set into motion during the 2011 offseason, including: League investor Mark Cuban claimed the league defaulted on a $5 million loan"Mark Cuban Files Federal Suit to Get Back His $5 Million Loan to the United Football League," from dallasobserver.com, 1/13/2011 A public relations firm that worked with the Sacramento Mountain Lions sought payment The Mayo Clinic also sought payment for medical bills and player physicals.Football League Facing Mayo Lawsuit," from firstcoastnews.com, 3/2/2011
Most of these debts were paid in March 2011, according to reports.Barrows, Matthew (2011-03-25). UFL, Mountain Lions may pounce if NFL stays idle . Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 2011-03-25.Robinson, Tom (2011-03-24). A little Marty follow-up. Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2011-03-25. The Mayo Clinic's lawsuit, however, was still reported as open and pending in October 2011."Executive Sues Cash-Strapped United Football League," from firstcoastnews.com, 10/18/2011
In an effort to avoid future problems, the league shifted most operation costs from the league to its teams for 2011, with each team president taking a greater role of its finances. League founder and majority owner William Hambrecht stated that this was because he was no longer interested in subsidizing an entire league and instead desired to focus his efforts on the Las Vegas Locomotives, of which he owns a greater share than the other teams.Carp, Steve (2011-08-25). Las Vegas Locomotives owner staying in UFL game. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
Further news of the league's financial problems surfaced in mid-October, at the time of the season's truncation (see below). A source revealed to the UFLAccess website on October 12 that the league hadn't yet made full payments to Florida Tuskers staff who participated in the 2010 UFL championship game, which UFL VP/Communications Michael Preston confirmed was "among debts the UFL is working to clear.""United Football League is Still Late on 2010 Payments," from UFLAccess.com, posted 10/12/2011 Additionally, UFL COO Bill Peterson filed a suit in Duval County, Florida (where the UFL is headquartered) claiming that the league owes him over $110,000 in back salary.
Coaching changes Team 2011 Coach 2010 Coach Reason for leaving Story/accomplishmentsHartford ColonialsContractedChris Palmer, Jerry GlanvilleResigned, contractedAfter leading the Colonials to a 3–5 record (.375) in 2010, Palmer resigned on February 15, 2011, to become the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. Former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville was named as his replacement on March 21, 2011, but never got to coach the team before it was contracted on August 10. Glanville would be retained by the league as a consultant, color commentator for broadcasts on Comcast SportsNet, and liaison for potential expansion markets; his Colonials coaching staff was reassigned to other teams."Mountain Lions Home Games Will Air on Comcast SportsNet California," press release from Sacramento Mountain Lions/UFL via OurSportsCentral, 9/12/2011Omaha NighthawksJoe MogliaJeff JagodzinskiFiredAfter a 3–1 start in 2010, the Nighthawks lost their last four games to finish 3–5 (.375) and tied for last place, leading to Jagodzinski's dismissal on January 3, 2011. The UFL replaced Jagodzinski on January 12 with Joe Moglia, an Omaha resident who moves over from same position in Virginia. Prior to joining the UFL, Moglia's coaching experience included working as defensive coordinator for Dartmouth College in the early 1980s and most recently serving as an unpaid assistant with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In between those stints, Mogila had spent 27 years out of football, during which he was an executive with Merrill Lynch and TD Ameritrade; he still serves as chairman of the latter company, which is also the name sponsor of the Nighthawks' new stadium.Virginia DestroyersMarty SchottenheimerJoe Moglia,Jay GrudenReassigned,resignedMoglia was named the Destroyers' head coach in November 2010 when the Destroyers were an expansion team, but was transferred to Omaha (see above) when the Florida Tuskers' operations, including its coaching staff, were merged into Virginia's. Jay Gruden, who went 5-4 (.556) as Tuskers coach in 2010 (including a loss in the championship game) accepted the offensive coordinator position with the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals on February 2. The Destroyers, after initially revealing they had a tentative agreement with an unstated former NFL head coach on March 4Robinson, Tom (2011-03-04). UFL eager to get going in Hampton Roads after glitches. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2011-03-04. announced Schottenheimer as their head coach March 23. Schottenheimer was a head coach in the NFL from 1984 to 1998 and 2001 to 2006, with a career record of 205–139–1 (.604).
Stadium changes Two UFL teams played in new stadiums in 2011. The Omaha Nighthawks, who played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in 2010, moved to the brand new TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha.Nighthawks the newest tenants at TD Ameritrade Park . Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 2011-05-25. The Virginia Destroyers, who as the Florida Tuskers played in Orlando's Citrus Bowl, called Virginia Beach Sportsplex in Virginia Beach their new home in 2010; the currently undersized Sportsplex underwent a temporary expansion to accommodate the Destroyers.Robinson, Tom (2011-06-10). UFL schedule finally out, team's work is just beginning. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2011-06-10.