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Date | July 1, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Kickoff time | 8:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-4) | ||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, Ohio | ||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Deon Cain, Birmingham | ||||||||||||||||||
Favorite | Birmingham by 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
Referee | Larry Smith [1] | ||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||
Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
National anthem | Dylan Scott | ||||||||||||||||||
TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | NBC & Peacock | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Jac Collinsworth (play-by-play), Jason Garrett (analyst) and Zora Stephenson (sideline reporter) | ||||||||||||||||||
Nielsen ratings | 0.7 (1.157 million viewers) (NBC) (1.2 million viewers) (Peacock) [2] [3] | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2023 USFL championship game was an American football game that was played on July 1, 2023, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. [4] The contest determined the champion of the 2023 USFL season and was played between the Pittsburgh Maulers and the Birmingham Stallions, eventually crowning Birmingham the champion of the league for the second year in a row.
The game featured the number one defense in the league in Pittsburgh facing off against the number one offense in the league in Birmingham. After going up 3–0, the Maulers would fall after Alex McGough threw touchdown passes to Davion Davis and Deon Cain, the eventual MVP, and would never lead again. The Maulers would add additional field goals, though their continued lack of success on the offensive side of the ball would ultimately be the reason they lost the game. The Stallions eventually won the game 28-12 to repeat as USFL champions.
The United States Football League was originally founded in 1982 as a professional spring and summer league. [5] It completed three full seasons, from 1983 to 1985, before folding prior to its 1986 season, which was to be played in the fall, in direct competition with the National Football League (NFL). [5] The direct competition, in addition to a failed antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, led to the league's decline. [5] On June 3, 2021, the new United States Football League, a distinct league from its predecessor, announced that it would begin play with eight teams in spring 2022. [6] The list of eight teams were unveiled on November 22, 2021, all of which shared their name and colors with a team that competed in the original USFL. [7] As part of the USFL's salary structure, each member of the championship team received $10,000 in addition to their salary. [8]
On January 25, 2023, the league announced that the New Jersey Generals and the Pittsburgh Maulers (who sported a new gold-and-black uniform color scheme to emphasize the team's Pittsburgh identity) would play their home games at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, with the Generals as the host team. [9] The stadium will also be the site of both the North Division playoff game and the 2023 USFL Championship Game, as it was in 2022.
The two lowest-finishing teams from each division were excluded from participation in the playoffs. From the North Division, the New Jersey Generals were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention on June 17, and the Philadelphia Stars were eliminated from postseason contention on June 18. In the South Division, the Memphis Showboats were the first team ruled out of the postseason, on June 17, while the Houston Gamblers were eliminated from postseason contention on June 18.
The first semifinal game was held between the North Division first and second place teams, the Pittsburgh Maulers and the Michigan Panthers. The Maulers win in overtime 31–27 and clinch a berth in the championship game. The second semifinal game followed, which was contested by the Birmingham Stallions and the New Orleans Breakers. The Stallions clinched their championship game spot with a 47–22 win. With their playoff semifinal victories, the Stallions entered the USFL championship game 8–2, while the Maulers entered the USFL championship game 4–6.
Division Finals June 24–25, 2023 | USFL Championship July 1, 2023 | ||||||||
N1 | Pittsburgh Maulers | 31 | |||||||
N2 | Michigan Panthers | 27 | |||||||
N1 | Pittsburgh Maulers | 12 | |||||||
S1 | Birmingham Stallions | 28 | |||||||
S1 | Birmingham Stallions | 47 | |||||||
S2 | New Orleans Breakers | 22 |
Birmingham Stallions finished their second overall season under head coach Skip Holtz, going 8–2 and advancing to their first playoff berth to the division title game against New Orleans Breakers.
Pittsburgh Maulers finished their second overall season, and first under head coach Ray Horton, going 4–6 and advancing to their first playoff berth to the division title game against Michigan Panthers.
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Pittsburgh Maulers | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
Birmingham Stallions | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium • Canton, Ohio
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Stallions wide receiver Deon Cain, previously named to the all-USFL team, was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
After the game, Fox officially announced that the league would return in April 2024, featuring the same eight teams that competed during the 2023 season.
The USFL employed the help of DAZN for international streaming. [13]
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be played in the autumn/winter, directly competing against the long-established National Football League (NFL). However, the USFL ceased operations before that season was scheduled to begin.
The Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars were a professional American football team which played in the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. Owned by real-estate magnate Myles Tanenbaum, they were the short-lived league's dominant team, playing in all three championship games and winning the latter two. They played their first two seasons in Philadelphia as the Philadelphia Stars before relocating to Baltimore, where they played as the Baltimore Stars for the USFL's final season. Coached by Jim Mora, the Stars won a league-best 41 regular season games and 7 playoff games.
The Pittsburgh Maulers were a team that competed in the 1984 season of the United States Football League. Their most prominent player was first pick overall in the 1984 USFL Draft, running back Mike Rozier of Nebraska, who won the Heisman Trophy, collegiate football's most prestigious individual award.
The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their home games at Birmingham, Alabama's Legion Field. They competed in all three USFL seasons, 1983–1985. During their run, they were one of the USFL's more popular teams, and seemed to have a realistic chance of being a viable venture had the USFL been better run.
Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, formerly Fawcett Stadium, is a football stadium and entertainment complex in Canton, Ohio. It is a major component of Hall of Fame Village, located adjacent to the grounds of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The venue hosts the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and serves as the home field for the football teams from Canton McKinley High School. It also served as the home field for Malone University from 1993 to 2018 and Walsh University from 1998 to 2022. It also served as the home stadium for a number of other Canton-area high schools.
Clifford Lewis Stoudt is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL). Stoudt played college football for the Youngstown State Penguins. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1977 NFL draft by the Steelers.
The 1984 USFL season was the second season of the United States Football League.
The 1986 USFL season would have been the fourth season of the United States Football League. Plans and a schedule had been set for a 1986 season, which would have played in the autumn and winter months, but the failure to secure a large judgment or concessions through a landmark antitrust lawsuit against the National Football League, combined with the seizure of one of the team's assets, days before the season was to begin led the league to postpone, then ultimately cancel the season and cease operations. The federal court judgement found the NFL guilty of violating antitrust guidelines on July 29, 1986, but the USFL was only awarded $1 in damages plus court costs, as the jury found that the actions of the USFL owners had done as much in detriment to themselves as did the actions of the NFL. On August 4, the 1986 season was canceled. On August 7, all players were released from their contracts.
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football minor league that played two seasons from 2022 to 2023. It is now one of the two-component conferences of the United Football League (UFL), along with the XFL.
The 2022 USFL season was the inaugural season of the United States Football League, and the first season of a league using that name since 1985. The season began on April 16 and concluded on July 3. The league's eight teams represent various geographical locales and associated team names that were part of the 1984 season of the original USFL. For 2022, all regular-season games were played in Birmingham, Alabama, at Protective Stadium and at Legion Field.
The Birmingham Stallions are a professional American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The Stallions compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the USFL Conference. They were a founding member of the second iteration of the United States Football League (USFL) in 2022. The Stallions are owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation, and play their home games at Protective Stadium. They have won three league championships since their founding, defeating the Philadelphia Stars 33–30 in 2022 and the Pittsburgh Maulers 28–12 in 2023 as part of the USFL, and most recently the San Antonio Brahmas 25–0 in the inaugural UFL Championship Game in 2024.
The New Jersey Generals were a professional American football team. The Generals competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member club of the league's North division. Though named after the 1980s USFL team of the same name, which played at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Generals never played in New Jersey nor the New York metropolitan area the original Generals represented, instead playing its home games at the USFL's hub at Protective Stadium and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022, and at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio in 2023 under the USFL's stadium sharing model. The Generals were one of eight teams that joined the USFL in 2022.
The Philadelphia Stars were a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Stars competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member club of the league's North division. The team played its home games at Protective Stadium and Legion Field, both in Alabama, in 2022, and Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan in 2023. Ultimately, the team would never play a game in Philadelphia. The Stars appeared in the playoffs once, won the division championship game once, and appeared in one USFL Championship Game.
The Pittsburgh Maulers were a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but played their home games in Canton, Ohio. The Maulers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) North division.
The New Orleans Breakers were a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Breakers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the league's South division.
The 2022 Pittsburgh Maulers season was the first season for the Pittsburgh Maulers as a professional American football franchise, as well as the only one under head coach Kirby Wilson. They played as charter members of the United States Football League, one of eight teams to compete in the league for the 2022 season. The Maulers technically played as a traveling team.
The 2022 USFL championship game was an American football game which was played on July 3, 2022, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The contest, which determined the champion of the United States Football League (USFL), featured the winners of the playoff semifinal games: the Philadelphia Stars from the North Division and the Birmingham Stallions from the South Division. It was the inaugural USFL championship game and the final game of the 2022 USFL season. The game began at 7:30 p.m. EDT and was broadcast on Fox. Prize money was awarded to players on the winning team in the amount of $10,000 in addition to their salary.
The 2023 USFL season was the second season of the United States Football League. The regular season started on April 15 and ended on June 18. The postseason began on June 24 and ended with the 2023 USFL Championship Game on July 1. The league expanded the locations their teams play to four total stadiums, adding Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, and Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.
The 2024 USFL season was the planned third season of the United States Football League. The regular season was expected to start March 30, 2024, and to end in June 2024. The postseason was expected to begin in June 2024 and end with the 2024 USFL Championship Game in July 2024.
The 2024 UFL championship game was an American football game played on June 16, 2024, at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The contest determined the champion of the 2024 UFL season and was played between the USFL Conference title winners, the Birmingham Stallions, and the XFL Conference title winners, the San Antonio Brahmas. The game began at 5:00 p.m. EDT and aired on Fox.