Omaha Nighthawks
Encyclopedia
The Omaha Nighthawks are a professional American football
team based in Omaha, Nebraska
, which plays in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team
in 2010
. For their first season, the Nighthawks played their home games at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium
before moving to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha for 2011 and beyond. Zach Nelson
, CEO of Internet software provider NetSuite
, was announced as lead owner in August 2010.
coach Jeff Jagodzinski
being named the team's head coach. The team allowed fans to name the new team by either writing in a name or choosing from a preselected list (Mustangs, Spirit, Navigators or Stags). The Nighthawks name was officially unveiled on May 5, 2010 and won based on a strong write-in campaign. It was partially derived from the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the retired stealth fighter used in the United States Air Force
.
On September 21, the Tuesday before the team's first ever game, it was announced that a sellout crowd of 24,000 tickets were sold for the first time in UFL history, to watch the Nighthawks take on the Colonials in the franchise's first ever game. Omaha defeated the Colonials, 27–26.
On November 19, the Omaha Nighthawks played Florida in the UFL's first alternate uniform: a camouflage jersey was worn in honor of the Armed Forces.
On January 3, 2011, Jagodzinski was fired by the Nighthawks. Omaha chose to not renew his contract for the 2011 season as he led the Nighthawks to four straight losses to close out the season at 3-5, tied for last place in the league for 2010. Just nine days later, Joe Moglia
was named team president and head coach. He was previously announced as the head coach for the expansion Virginia Destroyers.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, which plays in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
in 2010
2010 UFL season
The 2010 United Football League season was the second season of the United Football League. The regular season ran from September 18 to November 20 and featured five teams playing eight games each over a 10-week span. The 2010 season was a relatively competitive one as no team won more than five...
. For their first season, the Nighthawks played their home games at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium
Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium
Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium is a baseball stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, the former home to the annual NCAA Division I College World Series and the minor league Omaha Royals, now known as the Omaha Storm Chasers...
before moving to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha for 2011 and beyond. Zach Nelson
Zach Nelson
Zachery Mathew Nelson, is an American film producer and screenwriter.Nelson won Best Sci-fi/Horror Screenplay at the 2009 London Independent Film Festival for his screenplay, The Void. It was also a Finalist at the 2009 Paranoia Film Festival in Los Angeles.He resides in Chester Springs,...
, CEO of Internet software provider NetSuite
NetSuite
NetSuite Inc. is the leading vendor of cloud-based Software-as-a-Service integrated business management software for mid-market enterprises and divisions of large companies, with over 10,000 organizations and a +$225 billion market cap...
, was announced as lead owner in August 2010.
2010 season
On April 15, 2010, Omaha was granted an expansion team in the UFL, with former Boston CollegeBoston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
coach Jeff Jagodzinski
Jeff Jagodzinski
-United Football League:-External links:*...
being named the team's head coach. The team allowed fans to name the new team by either writing in a name or choosing from a preselected list (Mustangs, Spirit, Navigators or Stags). The Nighthawks name was officially unveiled on May 5, 2010 and won based on a strong write-in campaign. It was partially derived from the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the retired stealth fighter used in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
.
On September 21, the Tuesday before the team's first ever game, it was announced that a sellout crowd of 24,000 tickets were sold for the first time in UFL history, to watch the Nighthawks take on the Colonials in the franchise's first ever game. Omaha defeated the Colonials, 27–26.
On November 19, the Omaha Nighthawks played Florida in the UFL's first alternate uniform: a camouflage jersey was worn in honor of the Armed Forces.
On January 3, 2011, Jagodzinski was fired by the Nighthawks. Omaha chose to not renew his contract for the 2011 season as he led the Nighthawks to four straight losses to close out the season at 3-5, tied for last place in the league for 2010. Just nine days later, Joe Moglia
Joe Moglia
Joe Moglia is the current head football coach of the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. Moglia is also the current Chairman and former CEO of TD Ameritrade, the largest online discount brokerage firm in the world in terms of the number of retail online equity trades placed each...
was named team president and head coach. He was previously announced as the head coach for the expansion Virginia Destroyers.
Season-by-season records
| Season | W | L | T | Pct. | Finish | Post Season | Awards |
| 2010 2010 Omaha Nighthawks season -Schedule:-Week 2: vs. Hartford Colonials:In what is regarded as the best UFL game played so far, Jeff Garcia completed a pass to Robert Ferguson with six seconds left to give the Nighthawks a win 27-26.... |
3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 5th | ||
| 2011 2011 Omaha Nighthawks season -Roster:-Schedule:-Week 1: vs. Virginia Destroyers:-Week 3: at Sacramento Mountain Lions:-Week 4: at Las Vegas Locomotives:-Week 5: vs. Las Vegas Locomotives:-Week 6: vs. Sacramento Mountain Lions:-References:... |
1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 4th | ||
| Totals | 4 | 9 | 0 | .400 | - | - | - |
Records vs. teams
This includes postseason games.| Team | Record | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Locomotives Las Vegas Locomotives The Las Vegas Locomotives are a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada who play in the United Football League. The team plays its home games in Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jim Fassel is the franchise's head coach, president, and... |
0-4 | .000 |
| Hartford Colonials | 2-0 | 1.000 |
| Sacramento Mountain Lions | 2-2 | .500 |
| Florida Tuskers/Virginia Destroyers | 0-3 | .000 |
Home, away and neutral records
| Location | Record | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 2-5 | .400 |
| Away | 2-5 | .400 |
| Neutral | 0-0 | .000 |