The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team based in Metro Detroit. The Panthers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the Western Conference and Central Division. The team played its home games at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
Harold Wade Phillips is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League (UFL). He has served as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Houston Roughnecks. He has also served as interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the Houston Texans. Additionally, Phillips has long been considered to be among the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. In his long career, he has served as defensive coordinator in eight separate stints with seven different franchises. Multiple players under Phillips' system have won Defensive Player of the Year: Reggie White, Bryce Paup, Bruce Smith, J. J. Watt and Aaron Donald. Others under Phillips have won Defensive Rookie of the Year: Mike Croel and Shawne Merriman. In Phillips' lone Super Bowl victory, a defensive player would be named Super Bowl MVP: Von Miller.
Michael Martz is an American football coach. Best known for his coaching tenure with the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL), he served as the offensive coordinator for the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf offense in 1999 that led the franchise to its first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXIV. Martz subsequently served as the head coach of the Rams from 2000 to 2005, where his teams reached the playoffs four times, won two division titles, and achieved a franchise-best 14–2 record in 2001 en route to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Michael Tullis Nolan is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). Nolan previously served as a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers, and a defensive coordinator for the National Football League (NFL)'s Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, and Dallas Cowboys. Nolan is a former linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, and New Orleans Saints.
John Fox is an American football coach and former player who previously was a senior defensive assistant for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Carolina Panthers (2002–2010), Denver Broncos (2011–2014) and Chicago Bears (2015–2017) of the National Football League (NFL). He coached the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII and the Broncos to Super Bowl XLVIII.
Jeff Davidson is an American professional football coach and former player in the National Football League (NFL). He was the offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns.
The Carolina Panthers' history formally dates back to 1993, when the NFL awarded the franchise to Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, began play in the 1995 NFL season as expansion teams. They have played in Charlotte since 1996, winning six division titles and two NFC Championships. The Panthers were the first NFL franchise based in the Carolinas and the second professional sports team based in Charlotte, the first being the NBA's Charlotte Hornets.
Matthew Edward Patricia is an American football coach who has served with several teams in the National Football League (NFL). He served 15 non-consecutive seasons as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots, including six seasons as the defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. During Patricia's tenure as defensive coordinator, the Patriots won two Super Bowls and allowed the fewest points in 2016. Patricia also served as the Patriots' offensive playcaller in 2022. Outside of New England, Patricia was the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018 to 2020. He last served as a senior defensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, holding defensive playcalling duties near the end of the season.
Steven Douglas Brown is a former American football cornerback and coach who was most recently the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). Brown played his entire pro football career with the Houston Oilers from 1983 to 1990. He played college football at Oregon.
The 2008 season was the Detroit Lions' 79th in the National Football League (NFL), and their 75th since moving to Detroit from Portsmouth, Ohio. The Lions made history by becoming the first team since the schedule was expanded to 16 games to finish winless. It is one of only four winless seasons since the merger.
The 2009 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 80th season overall in the National Football League (NFL). It was the first season with the Lions for new head coach Jim Schwartz, and most of his new coaching staff. The Lions also introduced slightly new uniforms and logos. The Lions improved upon their 0–16 record from the previous season. However, they missed the playoffs for the 10th straight season, which meant the Lions were one of two franchises, not including the Houston Texans, to not qualify for the playoffs in the 2000s, with the other team being the Buffalo Bills.
Marcel Bellefeuille is a Canadian football coach who is the head coach of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and offensive coordinator for the Michigan Panthers. He originally began his coaching career with Ottawa in 1995 and won the program's second Vanier Cup championship in 2000. He then spent 16 years coaching in the Canadian Football League (CFL), including a stint as the head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 2008 to 2011. Bellefeuille returned as head coach of the Gee-Gees in 2020.
The 2015 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 86th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 82nd as the Detroit Lions and the second under Head Coach Jim Caldwell. By Week 7 of the season, the Lions had already lost six games, more than they did in the entire 2014 season. This led to the firing of Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and two other coaches. After falling to 1–7 the following week, the team fired President Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew. On November 19, the Lions named Rod Wood as team President. The Lions were eliminated from playoff contention after their loss to St. Louis in week 14. The team had a 6–2 record in the second half of the season to finish at 7–9, good for third place in the NFC North. One highlight of the season was the Lions beating the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field for the first time since 1991.
The 2015 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 50th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the first under new head coach Dan Quinn.
The 2020 season was the Detroit Lions' 91st in the National Football League (NFL) and their third and final season under head coach Matt Patricia. The Lions improved on their 3–12–1 record from the previous season, but were eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth consecutive year following their loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 15. The Lions finished 5–11, and last place in the NFC North for the third consecutive season. Further, the 2020 Lions defense had one of the worst seasons in NFL history, setting franchise records for points allowed and yards allowed in a season, both marks topping the 2008 team.
The 2020 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans competed as members of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. This was the program's first season under head coach Mel Tucker.
The Michigan Panthers are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Panthers compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the USFL Conference. The team is owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit, which also hosts the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).
The 2024 St. Louis Battlehawks season was the third season for the St. Louis Battlehawks as a professional American football franchise. They played as members of the United Football League after a merger between the XFL and the USFL. They was one of eight teams vying to compete in the league for the 2024 season. The Battlehawks played their home games at The Dome at America's Center and were led by head coach Anthony Becht. The team competed in the XFL Conference.
The 2024 UFL season was the first season of the United Football League, which was created following the merger of the XFL and USFL, and the fifth season in the combined history of the two leagues, following the 2020 XFL season, 2022 USFL season, and separate 2023 seasons for both the USFL and XFL.
The 2024 season was the Birmingham Stallions first season in the United Football League and their third under head coach Skip Holtz and general manager Zach Potter. The Stallions defended their back-to-back 2022 and 2023 USFL championship to create a three-peat and becoming the first UFL champions.
