The XFL was a professional American football league that played its only season in 2001. The XFL was operated as a joint venture between the World Wrestling Federation and NBC. The XFL was conceived as an outdoor football league that would begin play immediately after the National Football League season ended, to take advantage of the perceived lingering public desire to watch football after the NFL and college football seasons conclude. It was promoted as having fewer rules to encourage rougher play than other major leagues, while its telecasts featured sports entertainment elements inspired by professional wrestling, including heat and kayfabe, and suggestively-dressed cheerleaders. Commentary crews also featured WWF commentators joined by sportscasters and veteran football players. Despite the wrestling influence, the games and their outcomes were legitimate and not based on scripted storylines.
The Los Angeles Xtreme was a professional American football team based in Los Angeles, California. The team was a member of the XFL, begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. The team played its home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the spring of 2001. They were in the XFL's Western Division with the San Francisco Demons, the Memphis Maniax, and the Las Vegas Outlaws. The team had the league's best passing offense and was nicknamed "L.A.X." as a pun on the IATA code for Los Angeles International Airport. They finished the season in 1st place with a 7–3 record and defeated the Chicago Enforcers in the Playoffs and the San Francisco Demons in the Million Dollar Game with a score of 38–6 to win the league's sole Championship.
The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The league folded midway through its second season, in 1975. A new minor football league began play as the World Football League in 2008 after acquiring the rights to its trademarks and intellectual property; it folded in 2011.
The Las Vegas Outlaws were an American football team in the XFL. They played in the Western Division with the Los Angeles Xtreme, San Francisco Demons and Memphis Maniax. They played their home games at Sam Boyd Stadium. On February 3, 2001, The Outlaws hosted the first nationally televised XFL game on NBC against the New York/New Jersey Hitmen.
The Memphis Mad Dogs were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Mad Dogs were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States. They played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
The Birmingham Thunderbolts were a short-lived springtime American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States.
The Chicago Enforcers were a short-lived American football team based at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of WWE and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. NBC dropped the XFL after the first season in 2001 due to dismal ratings, and the dissolution of the league was announced shortly afterwards.
The Orlando Rage was an American football team based in Orlando, Florida as part of the XFL, begun by Vince McMahon of the World Wrestling Federation and by NBC, a major television network in the United States.
The San Francisco Demons were a short-lived springtime American football team based in San Francisco, California. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. Originally they were to be based in San Jose but prior to the start of the season they were moved to San Francisco. They were in the Western Division with the Los Angeles Xtreme, Las Vegas Outlaws and Memphis Maniax.
The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the most prominent players on the Showboats' roster during their two seasons of existence were future Pro Football Hall of Fame member Reggie White and future professional wrestler The Total Package Lex Luger.
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium is a football stadium located at the former Mid-South Fairgrounds in the Midtown area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual Liberty Bowl, the annual Southern Heritage Classic, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team of the American Athletic Conference. It has also been the host of several attempts at professional sports in the city, as well as other local football games and other gatherings.
The Million Dollar Game, also known as the XFL Championship, was the lone championship of the original 2001 incarnation of the XFL. The game was played on Saturday, April 21, 2001 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Western Division champion Los Angeles Xtreme defeated the western runner-up San Francisco Demons 38–6.
Charles Henry "Kippy" Brown is an American football former coach and former player who most recently was the wide receivers coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was a college-level starting quarterback for Memphis and coached in various capacities at both the college and professional levels of American football. He retired in May 2015.
Sports in Memphis, Tennessee are supported in the city by Memphis Park Services, which offers a wide range of public facilities, including 17 swimming pools, 8 public golf courses, 48 athletic fields hosting a range of 510 youth and 269 adult teams, 130 basketball courts, 7 tennis centers and a soccer complex.
The 1997 Tennessee Oilers season was their 38th season overall and 28th in the National Football League. It was the team's first season in Memphis, Tennessee after moving from Houston, and they played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Corey Franklyn Sawyer is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 1990s. He played college football for Florida State University, and earned All-American honors. He played professionally for the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets of the NFL, the Memphis Maniax of the XFL, and the Tampa Bay Storm and Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League (AFL).
Walter Lewis is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. He played for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL) and the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Alabama, Where he was the first African American quarterback to start for the Crimson Tide and legendary Hall of Fame coach Bear Bryant. He was also the last quarterback to start for Bryant.
The Los Angeles Wildcats were a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL. The Wildcats played their home games at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The United States Football League (USFL) is a professional American football minor league that began play on April 16, 2022. The inaugural 2022 regular season was played in its entirety in Birmingham, Alabama. The postseason games were played in Canton, Ohio, at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
The United States Football League was a proposed American professional football minor league founded in 2008 and aimed to begin play on February 20, 2010. The league was also known as the New United States Football League to distinguish it from the 1983–85 league of the same name. During its lifetime, the league had three different owner groups, with the last one aimed to start a season in 2015, but the plans never materialized.
