Michigan Panthers (2022)
Michigan Panthers | |
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Established November 22, 2021 Play in Ford Field (Detroit, Michigan) | |
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League/conference affiliations | |
United States Football League (2022–2023)
United Football League (2024–present)
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Current uniform | |
Team colors | Royal plum, champagne silver, light blue |
Personnel | |
Owner(s) | Fox Corporation (50%), Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, RedBird Capital Partners (50%) |
Head coach | Mike Nolan |
Team history | |
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Championships | |
League championships (0) | |
Conference championships (0) | |
Division championships (0) | |
Playoff appearances (2) | |
Home stadium(s) | |
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The Michigan Panthers are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Panthers compete in the United Football League (UFL). The team is owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit, which also hosts the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).[1]
History
[edit]The Michigan Panthers were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021.[2] On January 27, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NFL Head coach Jeff Fisher was named the head coach and general manager of the Panthers.[3]
The Panthers selected Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson with the first overall pick in the 2022 USFL draft.[4] In the first two games of 2022, the Panthers lost to the Houston Gamblers and New Jersey Generals.[5][6] On May 1, 2022, the team won their first ever game with a 24–0 win at Protective Stadium against the Pittsburgh Maulers.[7] Losses resumed after that, the Panthers' only other win of the season was against the Maulers, a 33–21 with the winner assuming the rights to the first overall pick in the 2023 USFL draft.[8]
In October, 2022, the Panthers hired Steve Kazor as general manager.[9] After all eight USFL teams played their home games in Birmingham, Alabama, the Panthers moved to the state of Michigan in 2023, announcing Ford Field as their home stadium.[10] On February 3, 2023, the USFL announced that Fisher had been replaced as head coach by Mike Nolan, citing only "personal reasons."[11]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/MichiganPanthersvsHoustonRoughnecksUFL52624-46_%2853752353645%29.jpg/220px-MichiganPanthersvsHoustonRoughnecksUFL52624-46_%2853752353645%29.jpg)
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.[12] 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.[13] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[14] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League".[15] 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.[16] The merger was made official on December 31, 2023.[17]
Current roster
[edit]Players
[edit]Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Unsigned draft picks
Roster updated August 23, 2024 45 active, 9 unsigned |
Staff
[edit]
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Player history
[edit]Current NFL players
[edit]Season | Pos | Name | NFL team |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | WR | D. J. Montgomery | Indianapolis Colts |
2023 | CB | Josh Butler | Dallas Cowboys |
2023 | WR | Kaden Davis | Detroit Lions |
2024 | K | Jake Bates | Detroit Lions |
2024 | CB | Nate Brooks | Cincinnati Bengals |
2023–2024 | DE | Levi Bell | Indianapolis Colts |
2024 | G | Jacob Burton | Detroit Lions |
2024 | WR | Samson Nacua | New Orleans Saints |
2023–2024 | DE | Breeland Speaks | Jacksonville Jaguars |
2022–2024 | DT | Walter Palmore | Carolina Panthers |
2024 | RB | Nate McCrary | Green Bay Packers |
2024 | C | Cohl Cabral | Dallas Cowboys |
2024 | LB | Frank Ginda | Los Angeles Chargers |
2024 | LB | DaShaun White | Las Vegas Raiders |
2023–2024 | DE | T. J. Carter | Arizona Cardinals |
2023–2024 | QB | E. J. Perry | Jacksonville Jaguars |
Notable Players
[edit]Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | DT | Robert Nkemdiche | Former Arizona Cardinals Defensive Tackle, 2016 1st Round Pick |
2024 | WR | Corey Coleman | Former Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver, 2016 1st Round Pick |
Defensive Player of the Year award winners
[edit]Year | Player | Position | Selector |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Frank Ginda | LB | USFL |
2024 | Breeland Speaks | DE | UFL |
Coach history
[edit]Head coach history
[edit]# | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
Michigan Panthers | ||||||||||
1 | Jeff Fisher | 2022 | 10 | 2 | 8 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2 | Mike Nolan | 2023–present | 20 | 11 | 9 | .550 | 1 | 0 | 2 | *2024 UFL Coach of the Year |
Offensive coordinator history
[edit]# | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
Michigan Panthers | ||||||||||
1 | Eric Marty | 2022-2023 | 20 | 6 | 14 | .300 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
2 | Marcel Bellefeuille | 2024–present | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Defensive coordinator history
[edit]# | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
Michigan Panthers | ||||||||||
1 | Daniel Carrell | 2022 | 10 | 2 | 8 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2 | Steve Brown | 2023 | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
2 | Collin Bauer | 2024–present | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Records
[edit]Leader | Player | Record | Years with Panthers |
---|---|---|---|
Passing Yards | Josh Love | 1,630 passing yards | 2022–2023 |
Passing Touchdowns | Josh Love | 15 passing touchdowns | 2022–2023 |
Rushing | Reggie Corbin | 809 rushing yards | 2022–2023 |
Rushing Touchdowns | Wes Hills | 5 rushing touchdowns | 2024–present |
Receiving Yards | Trey Quinn | 731 receiving yards | 2022–2023 |
Receiving Touchdowns | Cole Hikutini | 6 receiving touchdowns | 2023–present |
Receptions | Joe Walker | 66 receptions | 2022–2023 |
Tackles | Frank Ginda | 230 tackles | 2022–present |
Sacks | Breeland Speaks | 18.5 sacks | 2023–present |
Interceptions | Frank Ginda | 3 interceptions | 2022–present
2023–present |
Coaching wins | Mike Nolan | 11 wins | 2023–present |
Statistics and records
[edit]Season-by-season record
[edit]UFL champions† (2024–present) | USFL champions§ (2022–2023) | Conference champions* | Division champions^ | Wild Card berth# |
Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | Head coaches | Pct. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | W | L | |||||||||
2022 | 2022 | USFL | North | 3rd | 2 | 8 | Jeff Fisher | .200 | |||
2023 | 2023 | USFL | North | 2nd # | 4 | 6 | Lost Division Finals (Maulers) 27–31 (OT) | Mike Nolan | .550 | ||
2024 | 2024 | UFL | USFL | 2nd # | 7 | 3 | Lost USFL Conference Championship (Stallions) 18–31 | Mike Nolan COTY
Breeland Speaks DPOTY | |||
Total | 13 | 17 | All-time regular season record (2022–2024) | .433 | |||||||
0 | 2 | All-time postseason record (2022–2024) | .000 | ||||||||
13 | 19 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2022–2024) | .406 |
References
[edit]- ^ Reisman, Jeremy (January 26, 2023). "USFL's Michigan Panthers will play at Ford Field in 2023". Pride Of Detroit.
- ^ "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- ^ "USFL 2022: Jeff Fisher, Larry Fedora named as final two coaches". Fox Sports. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ McMann, Aaron (February 25, 2022). "The USFL helps keep ex-Michigan QB Shea Patterson's dream alive". MLive.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ Ryan Ford (April 17, 2022). "Michigan Panthers lose 17-12 to Houston Gamblers: Game thread replay". www.freep.com. USA TODAY Network. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Ryan Ford (April 22, 2022). "Michigan Panthers now 0-2 after 10-6 loss to the New Jersey Generals: Game thread replay". www.freep.com. USA TODAY Network. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Madison Jones (May 1, 2022). "USFL Score, highlights: Michigan Panthers shutout Pittsburgh Maulers, 24-0, to win first game of the season". www.sports.nbcsports.com. NBC Universal. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Jeff Kerr (June 19, 2022). "USFL Week 10 takeaways: Panthers earn first pick in 2023 draft by winning matchup of two worst teams". www.cbssports.com. CBS Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ "USFL hires new general managers for two teams". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ Tony Paul (January 24, 2023). "USFL's Michigan Panthers will play at Ford Field in 2023; EMU may host practices". www.detroitnews.com. The Detroit News. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "USFL Michigan Panthers Head Coach Jeff Fisher stepping down ahead of 2023 season". FOX 2 Detroit. 2023-02-03. Archived from the original on 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
- ^ Baysinger, Tim; Primack, Dan; Fischer, Sara (September 19, 2023). "Scoop: Football leagues XFL and USFL in merger talks". Axios. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ TSN ca Staff (2023-09-28). "XFL, United States Football League announce intention to merge". TSN. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
- ^ Schad, Tom (2023-09-28). "XFL, USFL confirm intention to merge into single spring football league". USA Today. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
- ^ "XFL files trademark applications for 'United Football League' and 'UFL'". San Antonio Express-News. October 18, 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "USFL, XFL announce merger, formation of new spring football league: The UFL". Yahoo Sports. 2023-12-31. Retrieved 2023-12-31.