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 (NFL) 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 AF2 was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup championship in August. The AF2 continued to operate while the AFL suspended operations for its 2009 season. The league was effectively disbanded in September 2009 when no team committed to playing in 2010, but several of the stronger franchises transferred into the reconstituted AFL.
Sidney Gillman was an American football player, coach and executive. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage, was instrumental in making football into the modern game that it is today. He was inducted as a coach into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
James Taylor is an American former professional football player who was a kicker in the Arena Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played collegiately for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
George Edward "Blackie" Blackburn was an American football player, coach, and scout. He served as the head coach at Miami University (1948), the University of Cincinnati (1955–1960), and the University of Virginia (1965–1970), compiling a career college football record of 60–61–7. Blackburn was also an assistant coach under coaching legends Sid Gillman at Miami and Cincinnati and under Earl Blaik at the United States Military Academy.
Robert Joseph Carpenter III is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He also played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins, the Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots.
Jay Michael Gruden is an American football coach and former quarterback. He previously served as the head coach of the Washington Redskins from 2014 to 2019 and as offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars. During his time in the Arena Football League (AFL), he won four ArenaBowls as a player and two more as a head coach. Gruden is the younger brother of former NFL head coach Jon Gruden and was an assistant coach of the 2002 Buccaneers team that won Super Bowl XXXVII.
John Alan Luginbill is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at San Diego State University from 1989 to 1993, compiling a record of 31–25–3. Luginibull was also the head football coach at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California for one season, in 1977, leading his team a record of 11–1 and a victory in the Junior Rose Bowl. At the end of his career, Luginbill was the head coach for three professional teams: the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe from 1995 to 2000, the Los Angeles Xtreme of the XFL in 2001, and the Detroit Fury of the Arena Football League (AFL) in 2003. His Los Angeles Xtreme team won the XFL championship, the Million Dollar Game.
Tom Luginbill is a former professional American football quarterback and coach. He is currently a college football analyst for ESPN.
Walter Martin Corey was an American professional football player and coach. He played as a linebacker for seven seasons in the American Football League (AFL) before coaching in the National Football League (NFL) for 28 seasons.
Thomas Brown is an American football coach and former running back who is the passing game coordinator for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2023.
The American Football League (AFL) was a professional American football league that operated in 1936 and 1937. The AFL operated in direct competition with the more established National Football League (NFL) throughout its existence. While the American media generally ignored its operation, this second AFL was the first "home" of the Cleveland Rams, which joined the National Football League after one year in the AFL.
The National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association (APFA) with ten teams from four states, all of whom existed in some form as participants of regional leagues in their respective territories. The league took on its current name in 1922. The NFL was the first professional football league to successfully establish a nationwide presence, after several decades of failed attempts. Only two founding members are still in the league, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals is the oldest NFL franchise.
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 consensus 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).
Nicholas Truesdell is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He was signed by the Colorado Ice as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He played college football at the University of Cincinnati before transferring to Grand Rapids Community College.
Todd Matthew Doxzon is a former American football wide receiver who played one season with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played quarterback at Iowa State University and attended Millard North High School in Omaha, Nebraska. He was also a member of the Amsterdam Admirals, Los Angeles Xtreme, New York Dragons, Carolina Cobras and Georgia Force. Notable for his extremely quick 40 yd dash times.
Frank Leatherwood is a former American football fullback who played one season with the Detroit Fury of the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Appalachian State.
Tegray Rene Scales is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Indiana.
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 was an owned-and-operated member of the second XFL. The Wildcats played their home games at Dignity Health Sports Park. On March 8, 2020, the Wildcats played their final game against the Tampa Bay Vipers, which was the final XFL game before the league suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Samuel Cole Sloman is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Miami University, and in 2019 he made 86.7% of his field goal attempts. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, and has also played for the Tennessee Titans.
