Birmingham Stallions (2022)

Last updated
Birmingham Stallions
AmericanFootball current event.svg Current season
Established November 22, 2021;2 years ago (2021-11-22)
Play in Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
Birmingham Stallions logo.svg
League/conference affiliations
United States Football League (2022–2023)
  • South Division (2022–2023)

United Football League (2024–present)

  • USFL Conference (2024–present)
Current uniform
Team colorsRed, gold, white
   
Personnel
Owner(s) Fox Corporation (50%), Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, RedBird Capital Partners (50%)
Head coach Skip Holtz
Team history
  • Birmingham Stallions (2022–present)
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.

Contents

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. [7] [8] 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. [9]

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. [10] Officials in Birmingham were assured that the Stallions would be part of the merged league should the union go forward. [11] 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. [12] The merger would also require regulatory approval. [13] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League". [14] 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. [15] The merger was made official on December 31, 2023. [16]

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

YearCoachUSFL Championship GameStadiumLocationOpponentScoreMVPRecord
2022 Skip Holtz 2022 Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Canton, Ohio Philadelphia Stars 33–30 Victor Bolden Jr. 9–1
2023Skip Holtz 2023 Tom Benson Hall of Fame StadiumCanton, Ohio Pittsburgh Maulers 28–12 Deon Cain 8–2
Total USFL championships won:2

South Division Championship Games

YearCoachStadiumLocationOpponentScoreRecord
2022 Skip Holtz Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Canton, Ohio New Orleans Breakers 31–179–1
2023Skip Holtz Protective Stadium Birmingham, Alabama New Orleans Breakers 47–228–2
Total South Division championship games won:2

Current Roster

Players

Birmingham Stallions roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • 65 Deonte Brown G (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg
  • 97 Willie Yarbary DT (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg



Roster updated April 2, 2024

50 active, 2 reserve(s)

Staff

2024 Birmingham Stallions staff

Front office

  • General manager – Zach Potter

Head coaches

  • Head coach/co-offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks – Skip Holtz

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches


Player History

Current NFL Players

SeasonPosNameNFL Team
2022CB Tae Hayes New York Jets
2022-2023K Brandon Aubrey Dallas Cowboys
2023WR Austin Watkins Cleveland Browns
2023DT Khalil Davis Houston Texans
2023QB Alex McGough Green Bay Packers
2023WR Davion Davis Houston Texans
2023TE La'Michael Pettway New England Patriots

Notable Players

SeasonPosNameNotes
2023–presentTE Jace Sternberger Former Green Bay Packers Tight End, 2019 3rd Round Pick
2024–presentWR Amari Rodgers Former Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver, 2021 3rd Round Pick
2024–presentQB Matt Corral Former Carolina Panthers Quarterback, 2022 3rd Round Pick
2024–presentDE Taco Charlton Former Dallas Cowboys Defensive End, 2017 1st Round Pick

USFL MVP award winners

Stallions USFL MVP winners
YearPlayerPositionSelector
2023 Alex McGough QBUSFL

Coach History

Head Coach history

#NameTermRegular seasonPlayoffsAwards
GCWLWin %GCWL
Birmingham Stallions
1 Skip Holtz 2022–present22193.863440*2023 USFL Coach of the Year

Offensive Coordinator history

#NameTermRegular seasonPlayoffsAwards
GCWLWin %GCWL
Birmingham Stallions
1 Skip Holtz 2022–present22193.863440*Co-Offensive Coordinator with Philip Montgomery
2 Philip Montgomery 2024–present2201.000–––*Co-Offensive Coordinator with Skip Holtz

*Holtz also serving as Offensive Coordinator

Defensive Coordinator history

#NameTermRegular seasonPlayoffsAwards
GCWLWin %GCWL
Birmingham Stallions
1 John Chavis 2022–present22193.863440

Records

All-time Stallions leaders
LeaderPlayerRecordYears with Stallions
Passing Yards Alex McGough 2,564 passing yards2022-2023
Passing Touchdowns Alex McGough 23 passing touchdowns2022-2023
Rushing Yards C. J. Marable 925 rushing yards2022–present
Rushing Touchdowns C. J. Marable 8 rushing touchdowns2022–present
Receiving Yards Davion Davis 575 receiving yards2023
Receiving Touchdowns Jace Sternberger 7 receiving touchdowns2023–present
Receptions C. J. Marable 48 receptions2022–present
Tackles Christian McFarland 96 tackles2023
Sacks DeMarquis Gates 6.5 sacks2022
Interceptions Lorenzo Burns

Nate Brooks

2 interceptions2022–present

2023

Coaching wins Skip Holtz 17 wins2022–present
2022 Usfl Championship presentation USFL Championship podium (2) 2022.png
2022 Usfl Championship presentation

Statistics and records

Season-by-season record

Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.

Legend
USFL champions†Division champions^Wild Card berth#
Birmingham Stallions season-by-season records
SeasonTeamLeagueDivisionRegular seasonPostseason resultsAwards
FinishWinsLossesTiesPct
2022 2022 USFL†South^1st^910.900Won 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^820.800Won Division finals (Breakers) 47–22
Won USFL Championship Game (2) (Maulers) 28–12		 Alex McGough (USFL MVP)
Skip Holtz (COTY)
Deon Cain (CG MVP)
Totals1730.850(2022–2023, regular season)
40—1.000(2022–2023, playoffs)
2130.875(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. [17]

TeamLocationStadiumCapacityFirst seasonHead coach
USFL Conference
Birmingham Stallions Birmingham, Alabama Protective Stadium 47,1002022 Skip Holtz
Houston Roughnecks Houston, Texas Rice Stadium [ citation needed ]47,0002022 Curtis Johnson
Memphis Showboats Memphis, Tennessee Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium 58,3252023 John DeFilippo
Michigan Panthers Detroit, Michigan Ford Field 65,0002022 Mike Nolan
XFL Conference
Arlington Renegades Arlington, Texas Choctaw Stadium 25,0002020 Bob Stoops
DC Defenders Washington, D.C. Audi Field 20,0002020 Reggie Barlow
San Antonio Brahmas San Antonio, Texas Alamodome 64,0002023 Wade Phillips
St. Louis Battlehawks St. Louis, Missouri The Dome at America's Center 67,2772020 Anthony Becht
Usa edcp location map.svg
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Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Stallions
Blue pog.svg
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Locations of teams for the 2024 UFL season (USFL Conference – red; XFL Conference – blue; Former – black)

Timeline

Birmingham Stallions (2022)

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References

  1. ↑ "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ "North Carolina Tar Heels football names Gene Chizik assistant head coach for defense". ESPN. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  4. ↑ "What you need to know for USFL in 2022:Two more head coaches revealed". Fox Sports. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Moseley, Brandon (3 July 2023). "Birmingham Stallions win second straight USFL championship". Alabama Today. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Haage, Anthony (25 March 2024). "UFL Title Odds for 2024 - Birmingham Favored to Three-Peat". Gambling Sites. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  9. ↑ "USFL hires new general managers for two teams". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  10. ↑ Baysinger, Tim; Primack, Dan; Fischer, Sara (September 19, 2023). "Scoop: Football leagues XFL and USFL in merger talks". Axios. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Roy S. (2023-09-22). "Will Birmingham Stallions be part of possible USFL-XFL merged league?". The Birmingham News . Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  12. ↑ TSN ca Staff (2023-09-28). "XFL, United States Football League announce intention to merge". TSN. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  13. ↑ Schad, Tom (2023-09-28). "XFL, USFL confirm intention to merge into single spring football league". USA Today. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  14. ↑ "XFL files trademark applications for 'United Football League' and 'UFL'". San Antonio Express-News. October 18, 2023.
  15. ↑ "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.
  16. ↑ "USFL, XFL announce merger, formation of new spring football league: The UFL". Yahoo Sports. 2023-12-31. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  17. ↑ UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE REVEALS TEAM MARKETS AND HEAD COACHES FOR 2024 SEASON. Press release. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
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