UFL Championship Game
Encyclopedia
The UFL Championship Game is an American football
game held annually to determine the champion of the United Football League. The game has been played annually since the UFL's first season in 2009, and involves the first and second place teams in the league's single-division standings playing one week after the conclusion of the UFL's regular season at a pre-determined site. The winner of the game is awarded the William Hambrecht
Trophy, named for the league's founder and majority owner.
in 2008. The league had originally used the name "United Bowl
" for the contest, but was unable to gain rights from United Indoor Football
or its successor, the Indoor Football League
, to use the name (the IFL continues to use the United Bowl name). In March 2008, the league chose Sam Boyd Stadium
in Las Vegas to hose the 2008 title game on the day after Thanksgiving
. When the inaugural season was postponed to 2009, the game was moved to the corresponding date in 2009 and kept in Las Vegas.
The first UFL Championship Game, played on November 27, 2009, involved the Florida Tuskers, who had just finished a perfect 6-0 regular season, against the 2nd place team, the home-standing Las Vegas Locomotives
. The Locos, thanks to a 33-yard field goal by Graham Gano
in overtime, defeated the Tuskers by a 20-17 score. The game holds a distinction of being the UFL's first ever overtime
game.
The second UFL Championship Game as held on November 27, 2010 at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium
in Omaha, Nebraska
. The game site was not determined until after October 18, 2010 (after the 5th week of the regular season), with the UFL taking "advance ticket and merchandise sales, energy for all events prior to the season starting, and team record" into consideration for site selection. (After Omaha was selected, the league moved the game date to the Saturday after Thanksgiving to avoid conflicts with a Nebraska Cornhuskers
home game that Friday.) The game was a rematch of 2009; both the Las Vegas Locomotives and Florida Tuskers finished the regular season with 5-3 records. Las Vegas once again won the title with a three-point margin of victory over Florida, with the final score being 23-20 in favor of Las Vegas.
Prior to the 2010 game, league commissioner Michael Huyghue
revealed that the league's season start would move to August beginning in 2011; to accommodate, the 2011 Championship Game was move up to the weekend of October 21-23. The move was an effort to capitalize on the labor uncertainty surrounding the 2011 NFL season
, an effort that proved futile; the league announced in July 2011 that the season would be moved back to a September to November time frame as it was in 2010, with the UFL Championship Game accordingly moved back to the first week of November. However, the UFL suddenly called off the balance of its 2011 season
on October 17 and moved up the Championship Game
to its original weekend—Friday October 21. The 2011 title game was hosted and won by the Virginia Destroyers, the former Florida Tuskers, who defeated the 2-time defending champion Las Vegas Locomotives
, 17-3, thanks to a stifling defense led by game MVP Aaron Rouse
, the Destroyers strong safety who recorded 2 interceptions. Virginia's home stadium, Virginia Beach Sportsplex
, was host venue by virtue of the Destroyers' popular following in the Tidewater area
, including game attendance (both Destroyer home games attracted crowds above 12,000, while the Locos' lone 2011 home game drew just 6,100).
broadcast the first two UFL Championship Games (2009 and 2010), with Doug Flutie
handling color commentary for both games and pared with play-by-play announcers Dave Sims
(2009) and Craig Minervini (2010). With the UFL without a national TV partner in 2011, that season's title was carried on a regional basis only through the Destroyers' TV partner, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic
, with Brent Harris on play-by-play and Jerry Glanville
on color commentary.
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...
game held annually to determine the champion of the United Football League. The game has been played annually since the UFL's first season in 2009, and involves the first and second place teams in the league's single-division standings playing one week after the conclusion of the UFL's regular season at a pre-determined site. The winner of the game is awarded the William Hambrecht
William Hambrecht
Bill Hambrecht is an American investment banker and chairman of W.R. Hambrecht + Co. which he founded in 1998. He helped persuade Google to use an Internet-based auction for their initial public offering in 2004, instead of a more traditional method using banks and other financial companies to...
Trophy, named for the league's founder and majority owner.
History
On October 13, 2007, the United Football League announced it would hold its inaugural championship game over Thanksgiving weekendThanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
in 2008. The league had originally used the name "United Bowl
United Bowl
United Bowl may refer to:* The championship game of the former United Indoor Football league from 2005 to 2008* The championship game of the Indoor Football League, which acquired UIF, from 2009 to the present...
" for the contest, but was unable to gain rights from United Indoor Football
United Indoor Football
United Indoor Football was a United States indoor football league that started in 2005. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion and two from arenafootball2 took their franchises and formed their own league...
or its successor, the Indoor Football League
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
, to use the name (the IFL continues to use the United Bowl name). In March 2008, the league chose Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; the mailing address of the stadium is "Las Vegas". The stadium is named after Sam Boyd, a major figure in the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consists...
in Las Vegas to hose the 2008 title game on the day after Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
. When the inaugural season was postponed to 2009, the game was moved to the corresponding date in 2009 and kept in Las Vegas.
The first UFL Championship Game, played on November 27, 2009, involved the Florida Tuskers, who had just finished a perfect 6-0 regular season, against the 2nd place team, the home-standing 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...
. The Locos, thanks to a 33-yard field goal by Graham Gano
Graham Gano
Graham Gano is an American football placekicker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Florida State...
in overtime, defeated the Tuskers by a 20-17 score. The game holds a distinction of being the UFL's first ever overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
game.
The second UFL Championship Game as held on November 27, 2010 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...
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...
. The game site was not determined until after October 18, 2010 (after the 5th week of the regular season), with the UFL taking "advance ticket and merchandise sales, energy for all events prior to the season starting, and team record" into consideration for site selection. (After Omaha was selected, the league moved the game date to the Saturday after Thanksgiving to avoid conflicts with a Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers is the name given to several sports teams of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
home game that Friday.) The game was a rematch of 2009; both the Las Vegas Locomotives and Florida Tuskers finished the regular season with 5-3 records. Las Vegas once again won the title with a three-point margin of victory over Florida, with the final score being 23-20 in favor of Las Vegas.
Prior to the 2010 game, league commissioner Michael Huyghue
Michael Huyghue
Michael L. Huyghue is a sports lawyer and businessman who is the current commissioner of the new United Football League, having served in that capacity since the league's founding in 2007. He was previously a member of the legal department of the NFL Players Association before joining the NFL...
revealed that the league's season start would move to August beginning in 2011; to accommodate, the 2011 Championship Game was move up to the weekend of October 21-23. The move was an effort to capitalize on the labor uncertainty surrounding the 2011 NFL season
2011 NFL season
The 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on...
, an effort that proved futile; the league announced in July 2011 that the season would be moved back to a September to November time frame as it was in 2010, with the UFL Championship Game accordingly moved back to the first week of November. However, the UFL suddenly called off the balance of its 2011 season
2011 UFL season
The 2011 UFL season was the third season of the United Football League. The season, which was affected by franchise shifts and schedule delays due in part to the UFL's lingering financial issues , began on September 15, 2011 and would have run through October 28, with a championship game set for the...
on October 17 and moved up the Championship Game
2011 UFL Championship Game
The 2011 UFL Championship Game was the third championship game of the United Football League and took place on October 21, 2011, the concluding weekend of the league's truncated third season...
to its original weekend—Friday October 21. The 2011 title game was hosted and won by the Virginia Destroyers, the former Florida Tuskers, who defeated the 2-time defending champion 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...
, 17-3, thanks to a stifling defense led by game MVP Aaron Rouse
Aaron Rouse
Aaron Roosevelt Rouse is an American football safety for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
, the Destroyers strong safety who recorded 2 interceptions. Virginia's home stadium, Virginia Beach Sportsplex
Virginia Beach Sportsplex
-External links:[]Category:Sports venues in Hampton RoadsCategory:United Football League venuesCategory:Soccer venues in VirginiaCategory:Sports in Virginia Beach, VirginiaCategory:Visitor attractions in Virginia Beach, Virginia...
, was host venue by virtue of the Destroyers' popular following in the Tidewater area
Tidewater (geographic term)
Tidewater is a geographic area of southeast Virginia and northeastern North Carolina that is considered a part of the Coastal Plain. Portions of Maryland facing the Chesapeake Bay are also given this designation. The area gains its name because of the effect the area has from the changing tides of...
, including game attendance (both Destroyer home games attracted crowds above 12,000, while the Locos' lone 2011 home game drew just 6,100).
Championship Game results
| Season | Date | Site | Winning Team (score) | Losing Team (score) | Winning Coach | Game MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 2009 UFL season The 2009 United Football League season -- referred to by the professional American football league as the UFL Premiere Season -- was the inaugural season of the United Football League... |
11/27/2009 | Sam Boyd Stadium Sam Boyd Stadium Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; the mailing address of the stadium is "Las Vegas". The stadium is named after Sam Boyd, a major figure in the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consists... , Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous... |
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... (20, OT) |
Florida Tuskers (17) | Jim Fassel Jim Fassel -Professional:-Personal life:Before the 2003 NFL season, Fassel was reunited with a son, John Mathieson, whom he and his wife Kitty gave up for adoption in 1969. The couple was unmarried when he was born.... |
DeDe Dorsey DeDe Dorsey DeDe Dorsey is an American football running back for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2006... (Las Vegas RB) |
| 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... |
11/27/2010 | 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... , 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... |
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... (23) |
Florida Tuskers (20) | Jim Fassel Jim Fassel -Professional:-Personal life:Before the 2003 NFL season, Fassel was reunited with a son, John Mathieson, whom he and his wife Kitty gave up for adoption in 1969. The couple was unmarried when he was born.... |
Chase Clement Chase Clement Chase Austin Clement is a professional American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He played college football for Rice.-College career:... (Las Vegas QB) |
| 2011 2011 UFL season The 2011 UFL season was the third season of the United Football League. The season, which was affected by franchise shifts and schedule delays due in part to the UFL's lingering financial issues , began on September 15, 2011 and would have run through October 28, with a championship game set for the... |
10/21/2011 | Virginia Beach Sportsplex Virginia Beach Sportsplex -External links:[]Category:Sports venues in Hampton RoadsCategory:United Football League venuesCategory:Soccer venues in VirginiaCategory:Sports in Virginia Beach, VirginiaCategory:Visitor attractions in Virginia Beach, Virginia... , Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay... |
Virginia Destroyers (17) | 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... (3) |
Marty Schottenheimer Marty Schottenheimer Martin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach... |
Aaron Rouse Aaron Rouse Aaron Roosevelt Rouse is an American football safety for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft... (Virginia S) |
Broadcasting
VersusVersus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
broadcast the first two UFL Championship Games (2009 and 2010), with Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
handling color commentary for both games and pared with play-by-play announcers Dave Sims
Dave Sims
Dave Sims is an American sportscaster. He currently is the television play-by-play commentator for the Seattle Mariners, the radio play-by-play man for Sunday Night Football on Westwood One, and the host of Basketball and Beyond with Coach K on Sirius XM Satellite Radio...
(2009) and Craig Minervini (2010). With the UFL without a national TV partner in 2011, that season's title was carried on a regional basis only through the Destroyers' TV partner, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic
Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic
Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic is a regional sports network that delivers live-game coverage and sports news and entertainment television programming to more than 4.7 million households throughout the Washington, D.C...
, with Brent Harris on play-by-play and Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville is a former American football player and current head coach of the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League, former NASCAR driver and owner, and sportscaster in the United States. He served the head coach of the Houston Oilers from 1986 to 1990 and the Atlanta Falcons from...
on color commentary.