2012 UFL season

Fourth and final season of the United Football League January 2025 2012 September 26, 2012 – October 19, 2012 2012     Las Vegas Locomotives Omaha Nighthawks The 2012 UFL season was the fourth and final season of the United Football League. Four teams began what was originally scheduled to be an eight-game schedule beginning September 26, 2012.Minium, Harry (July 26, 2012). Virginia Destroyers say they'll play games this fall. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved July 26, 2012.2012 UFL Schedule The league ceased operations on October 20, 2012, after four weeks of extensive financial problems and dismal attendance figures.Katzowitz Josh http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/20618826/ufl-suspends-rest-of-2012-season UFL suspends rest of 2012 season CBS Sports 2008-06-11 2012-10-20 At the time of the cessation, the Las Vegas Locomotives had compiled a perfect season to date. The league originally stated it would resume the season some time in spring 2013, but the majority of two teams' players filed legal action against the league that winter to claim unpaid salaries, and the league did not set up the necessary agreements to continue by the time spring 2013 had come along. One of the four teams (the Virginia Destroyers) allowed its business license to lapse and folded; the assets of the other franchises were stored in a warehouse in Florida, with the league being left in limbo since the suspension. Offseason developments The league, which had coerced the resignation of commissioner Michael Huyghue after the 2011 season,Carp, Steve (January 31, 2012). UFL commissioner Huyghue steps down. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 31, 2012. had closed all of its offices and remained completely silent throughout most of winter, spring and early summer 2012, raising doubt about a potential 2012 season or even if the league, which had suffered heavy financial losses throughout its existence, would continue at all.Pivovar, Steven (July 20, 2012). https://archive.today/20130130232507/http://omaha.com/article/20120720/sports/307219987 Report: Nighthawks plan return with UFL. Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved July 26, 2012. League management rested with two of its owners, Bill Mayer and William Hambrecht, while football operations were handled by Las Vegas team president, head coach and general manager Jim Fassel. For the first time in league history, there was no expansion, contraction, or relocation of any UFL franchises, with all four teams and markets returning from the previous season. The Hartford Colonials, which had been officially "suspended" prior to the 2011 season, did not return and were removed from the league's Web site. On September 5, 2012, an anonymous source tipped The Virginian-Pilot that the start of the 2012 season, originally slated for September 19 on the schedule released July 26, would be delayed one week.Robinson, Tom (September 5, 2012). UFL pushing back start of season. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved September 5, 2012. The league confirmed the news the next day, also indicating that the championship game would be delayed two weeks instead of one. Difficulties in securing workman's compensation insurance prompted the delay.Pivovar, Steven (September 6, 2012). Nighthawks won't play first home game until October https://web.archive.org/web/20120907203818/http://www.omaha.com/article/20120905/SPORTS/120909862/1001#nighthawks-won-t-play-first-home-game-until-october September 7, 2012 . Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved September 6, 2012. Players began reporting for training camp the week of September 17,Carp, Steve (September 18, 2012).Locos set to kick off next week after UFL finds insurance. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2012. with the abbreviated camps running through the following weekend.5 former Huskers on Omaha Nighthawks roster https://web.archive.org/web/20120922002126/http://www.omaha.com/article/20120920/SPORTS/709219999/1001#nighthawks-roster-includes-several-former-huskers 2012-09-22 . Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved September 20, 2012. By Week 2 of the regular season, the league began experiencing severe financial shortfalls, sparked in part by drastically reduced attendances at all three stadiums at which the league had played to that point (the Locomotives' Week 2 attendance at kickoff was only 601 fans), as well as the UFL's continued, systemic delays in payment stemming back to at least the 2010 season. The delayed payments (players were only paid $1,000 of the $7,000 owed to them after their first two games) prompted rumors of possible strike action or walkouts from the league's players beginning in Week 3.Davidson, Joe (October 10, 2012). Unpaid player salaries add to uncertainty for Mountain Lions, UFL https://web.archive.org/web/20121013003141/http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/10/4899987/unpaid-player-salaries-add-to.html 2012-10-13 . Sacramento Bee. Retrieved October 10, 2012.Fledgling UFL struggling to pay players https://web.archive.org/web/20121226044800/http://lindyssports.com/nfl/article/headline/fledgling-ufl-struggling-to-pay-players/43241 2012-12-26 . Sports Xchange via Lindy's Sports. Retrieved October 10, 2012.Crandell, Jim (October 10, 2012). Mountain Lion’s Financial Problems Mount. KTXL. Retrieved October 10, 2012. One agent who represented three UFL players went so far as to recommend that his clients not practice or play lest they risk injury."Agent: Three UFL players haven't been paid yet," https://web.archive.org/web/20130729163210/http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/agent-three-ufl-players-havent-been-paid-yet 2013-07-29 from The Virginian-Pilot, 10/3/2012 Virginia Destroyers owner and UFL president Bill Mayer and Sacramento owner Paul Pelosi in a joint on-air interview with CBS Sports Network on October 5, confirmed that the UFL had indeed not yet issued game checks to its players for 2012, but promised that the league would fulfill its wage obligations to its players and coaches."UFL will pay coaches, players,"August 2026 InternetArchiveBot from Omaha World-Herald, 10/6/2012 The Destroyers players again threatened to not play the week 4 contest without a personal guarantee of payment, which the ownership had not yet offered, and that the team's earlier promise of a payment by October 31 would not be sufficient.Andrews, Reed. Virginia Destroyers players say ‘No pay, we won’t play’. WTKR. Retrieved October 17, 2012. After the week 4 contests were held, and attendance continued to get even worse (the Virginia Destroyers' Week 4 home game was so poorly attended that the league refused to release an attendance total), the league suspended operations and arranged to pay for all of its players to return to their homes.Smith, Michael David (October 20, 2012). UFL calls off its season. ProFootballTalk.com. Retrieved October 22, 2012. As of November 3, 2012, the UFL still had not paid the players for their time; several players set a deadline for November 8 before pursuing legal action against the league.Florio, Mike (November 3, 2012). UFL players still waiting for payment. profootballtalk.com. Retrieved November 4, 2012. Postseason litigation On January 16, 2013, a coalition of approximately 70 players from the Nighthawks and Locomotives served papers to league owner William Hambrecht in order to file a class-action lawsuit to claim their pay.Omaha Nighthawks players take legal action. KETV. Retrieved January 21, 2013. The Destroyers players also have not received any additional pay apart from the $1,000 they received during the season; player liaison Chris Greisen lost contact with Destroyers owner Bill Mayer shortly after the season ended. The Mountain Lions' players have been paid in full for their work.Robinson, Tom (January 16, 2013). Players, fans still taking hit for collapse of UFL. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved January 30, 2013. Hambrecht later demanded that the lawsuit be thrown out on a contract technicality that stated all pay disputes be resolved through a committee that, according to the players' attorney, does not even exist. A hearing on the lawsuit was scheduled for June 2013,United Football League founder attorney wants lawsuit seeking back pay for players thrown outNovember 2024 medicmedic. Associated Press (May 6, 2013). Retrieved May 6, 2013. at which point a Nevada judge turned the case over to a third-party arbiter.Nevada judge orders UFL pay dispute to arbitration https://web.archive.org/web/20140517120750/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nevada-judge-orders-ufl-pay-dispute-arbitration May 17, 2014 . Associated Press (June 4, 2013). Retrieved May 14, 2014. The players won the lawsuit and were awarded a combined $2.4 million in back pay in 2014, money that as of 2016 remained unpaid. A separate lawsuit involves four assistant coaches of the Las Vegas Locomotives, who are also suing for unpaid salary. That lawsuit was also filed in January and is being handled by the same attorneys.Heitner, Darren (March 7, 2013). Seventy-eight football players file lawsuit against United Football League. Forbes. Retrieved June 10, 2013. Yet another lawsuit was filed in July 2013, this one against Paul Pelosi. The five litigants in that case include former Mountain Lions defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan, who says he was not paid $250,000.Garofoli, Joe (July 15, 2013). Employees of UFL Sacramento team sue Paul Pelosi. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 15, 2013. Bresnahan eventually won the lawsuit and was paid for his services. Rule changes for 2012 Prior to the season, the UFL made two notable on-field rule changes: The league expanded each team's roster from 50 to 54 players, four of whom were designated as practice squad players. The league also moved its kickoffs back up from the 30-yard-line to the 35-yard-line, consistent with changes made by the NFL (in 2011) and NCAA (also in 2012). Stadium changes The Sacramento Mountain Lions, on August 6, announced that they would be moving to Raley Field, a baseball park in West Sacramento, California. The Mountain Lions, 2011's attendance leader, played their previous two seasons at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento but chose not to extend their two-year lease on that stadium.A sign of things to come: another team playing at Raley Field?August 2026 InternetArchiveBot KTXL. Retrieved July 22, 2012. The Virginia Destroyers returned to the Virginia Beach Sportsplex while the Omaha Nighthawks again played in TD Ameritrade Park.Nighthawks tickets not yet on sale: Omaha football team ironing out agreement with TD Ameritrade Park. KETV. Retrieved August 31, 2012. The Las Vegas Locomotives (which had previously contemplated a move to Salt Lake City) remained in Las Vegas despite poor attendance for its lone home game in 2011; the team ultimately played its two home games at University of Nevada, Las Vegas's Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney after discussion and negotiations with Cashman Field, a Triple-A baseball stadium formerly home to the Las Vegas 51s (rebranded as the Las Vegas Aviattors and left Cashman Field in 2019.Forster, Chad (August 1, 2012). The Las Vegas Locos to return for a 4th season. KXNT. Retrieved August 21, 2012. Only after the Locos paid back rent from the 2011 season did Sam Boyd Stadium agree to host the team for the 2012 season, but only for the first two games.Carp, Steve (September 22, 2012). Locos settle debt, hastily prepare for UFL opener. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 22, 2012. Coaching changes Team 2012 Coach 2011 Coach Reason for leaving Story/AccomplishmentsOmaha NighthawksBart AndrusJoe MogliaResignedMoglia, who led the Nighthawks to a 1–4 (.200) record in his lone season as head coach (his first since leaving coaching to pursue a business career in the mid-1980s), left the league after the 2011 season to become head coach of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team. Andrus, who was Moglia's offensive coordinator in 2011, had previously served as head coach of the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 2009 and the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe from 2001 to 2007.Sacramento Mountain LionsTurk SchonertDennis GreenContract disputeGreen, who coached the Mountain Lions from their founding as the California Redwoods in 2009 and accrued a record of 8–11 (.421) in those three seasons, sued the UFL and the Mountain Lions for breach of contract on October 7, 2011.Dale Kasler, Ex-NFL coach fighting owners of defunct Sacramento team over $1 million in back pay, Sacramento Bee (January 14, 2016). It was speculated that Green, who previously proposed using legal action to try and take control of the Minnesota Vikings in 1997, may have used the legal maneuver to wrest control of the team away from the Paul Pelosi-led consortium that owned it.Florio, Mike (July 30, 2012). Dennis Green sues the UFL. ProFootballTalk.com. Retrieved August 1, 2012. Green had previously won a $990,000 arbitral award for work during the 2011 season, and a San Francisco Superior Court judge upheld this award in February 2014. However, Green has not collected on the award because the league lacked the assets to cover the debt. Green then sued two investors in the UFL, Bill Hambrecht and Paul Pelosi. Both denied personal responsibility on account that neither had personally guaranteed Green's salary (unlike the other coaches), and the judge in the case sided with the owners. Green was appealing the lawsuit and also suing Hambrecht and Pelosi for fraud and emotional damages; he died before a ruling on those lawsuits could be made. This was Schonert's first ever head coaching position; his prior coaching positions have been almost exclusively at the level of quarterbacks coach.Virginia DestroyersKurt SchottenheimerMarty SchottenheimerContract disputeIn 2011, Marty Schottenheimer led the Destroyers to a 4–1 (.800) season and a UFL title, the only professional championship of his coaching career. Marty abruptly resigned shortly before the start of the 2012 season and handed the head coaching reins to his younger brother Kurt, who served as the team's defensive coordinator in 2011.Frankenberry, Jamie (September 18, 2012). Schottenheimer's brother to coach Virginia Destroyers. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved September 19, 2012. Marty was, at the time of his resignation, said to be on good terms with the teamRobinson, Tom (September 20, 2012). Coach: I won't go 'deep into' reasons for leaving Destroyers https://web.archive.org/web/20120923210735/http://hamptonroads.com/2012/09/coach-i-wont-go-deep-reasons-leaving-destroyers 2012-09-23 . The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved September 20, 2012. but would, like Green, later file legal action against the league for failure to pay.Harris, Joe (October 18, 2012). Marty Schottenheimer Sues UFL Founder. Courthouse News Service. Retrieved October 18, 2012. Marty eventually was paid $800,000 in a settlement. Marty was also diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at the same time.http://www.espn.com/blog/cleveland/post/_/id/2310/alzheimers-disease-wont-prevent-marty-schottenheimer-from-attending-30th-reunion-of-browns-1986-season Alzheimer's disease won't prevent Marty Schottenheimer from attending 30th reunion of Browns 1986 season Grossi Tony 28 October 2016 ESPN.com Kurt is in his first ever head coaching position, having spent most of his 30-year career as a defensive assistant. He agreed to work for the league for free in order to continue collecting his NFL pension.Robinson, Tom (October 24, 2012). Destroyers coach unsure league can continue. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved October 25, 2012. Media changes In 2011, the UFL lacked national exposure for its games after two-year deals with Versus and HDNet expired, with the league relying instead on limited regional TV coverage. On July 26, 2012, the league announced a broadcast deal with CBS Sports Network that would see the network carry all of the league's games in 2012.Dougherty, Pete (July 26, 2012). CBS Sports Network to air UFL games. Times Union (Albany, NY). Retrieved July 26, 2012. Though the deal with CBSSN returned the UFL to national TV exposure (albeit generally on less widely distributed premium cable and satellite tiers than the regional sports networks that the UFL had utilized in 2011), the league received no rights fee from the network and in fact paid the network upfront for production costs (roughly $150,000 per telecast). An additional caveat of the CBSSN deal prevented live games from being simulcast online, in contrast to the previous three seasons where all televised games had been carried on the Internet (the league's Webmaster had left the league after 2011 as well, which may have also been a factor in the discontinuation of both the Webcasts and the league's centralized Web site). Local radio broadcasts were abandoned in VirginiaRobinson, Tom (September 26, 2012). Champion Virginia Destroyers open season tonight. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved September 26, 2012. and Las Vegas for 2012; radio deals for Omaha and Sacramento continued, however, with Nighthawks games airing on KOZN and the Mountain Lions being split between KHTKSource: Sacramento Mountain LionsSeptember 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes and KTKZ.Brian Banks, UFL linebacker wrongly convicted in 2002, in Sacramento for game, news conference https://web.archive.org/web/20121024055655/http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/10/4899540/brian-banks-ufl-linebacker-wrongly.html 2012-10-24 . Sacramento Bee. Retrieved October 10, 2012. Schedule The eight-week 2012 UFL schedule (4 home and away games for each team) was originally announced on August 1, 2012."UFL Sets 2012 Schedule," press release from UFL via OurSportsCentral, 8/1/2012 Due to the above mentioned delay, the league released a revised schedule (shown below) on September 6, essentially moving the original Week 1 games, which would have been played on September 19 and 21, to the end of the schedule (November 14 and 16)."UFL Announces Revised Schedule for 2012," press release from UFL via OurSportsCentral, 9/6/2012 The Championship Game, which was originally scheduled for November 16, was also moved to December 1, skipping over the crowded Thanksgiving rivalry weekend (which the UFL had not done in 2009 or 2010) and allowing teams to have a two-week break between the end of the regular season and the title game, which would have been a first for the UFL. Two other firsts were also included in the schedule: no bye weeks were scheduled during the regular season, and each team was given an unbalanced schedule (3 games with two teams and 2 games with the third team). Because of the suspension of the season on October 20, 2012, no games were played beyond that date. As of that date, each team had played every other team once and one team twice, with two home games and two away games. WeekDateKickoffVisitorHomeResultSiteAttendanceTV1Wednesday September 266:00 pm (PT)Virginia DestroyersLas Vegas Locomotives VA 6, LV 19Sam Boyd Stadium 2,500Fast start lifts Locos in opener. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2012.CBS Sports NetworkFriday September 288:00 pm (PT)Omaha NighthawksSacramento Mountain Lions OMA 24, SAC 20Raley Field 8,023Jones, Jason. It's take me out to the ballpark for football https://web.archive.org/web/20121002024833/http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/29/4864932/its-take-me-out-to-the-ballpark.html 2012-10-02 . Sacramento Bee. Retrieved September 30, 2012.2Wednesday October 36:00 pm (PT)Omaha NighthawksLas Vegas LocomotivesOMA 6, LV 41Sam Boyd Stadium601Dewey, Todd (October 4, 2012). Sparse crowd sees Las Vegas Locos roll over Omaha. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved October 4, 2012.Friday October 57:00 pm (ET)Sacramento Mountain Lions Virginia Destroyers SAC 29, VA 37Virginia Beach Sportsplex5,316 Robinson, Tom (September 6, 2012). UFL defending champs win their first home game. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved October 6, 2012.3Wednesday October 106:00 pm (PT)Las Vegas LocomotivesSacramento Mountain Lions LV 20, SAC 9Raley Field5,210"Pair undaunted by missing game checks," https://web.archive.org/web/20130824191127/http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/11/4901171/pair-undaunted-by-missing-game.html 2013-08-24 from Sacramento Bee, 10/11/2012Friday October 127:00 pm (CT)Virginia DestroyersOmaha Nighthawks VA 10, OMA 38TD Ameritrade Park 3,563Pivovar, Steven (October 13, 2012). Nighthawks dominate in front of 3,563 https://web.archive.org/web/20121017140435/http://www.omaha.com/article/20121012/SPORTS/710129864 October 17, 2012 . Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved October 13, 2012.4Wednesday October 178:00 pm (CT)Las Vegas LocomotivesOmaha NighthawksLV 38, OMA 23TD Ameritrade Park 2,234Pivovar, Steven (October 18, 2012). Nighthawks again grounded by Locos https://web.archive.org/web/20121021235734/http://www.omaha.com/article/20121017/SPORTS/710179831/1001#nighthawks-again-grounded-by-locos 2012-10-21 . Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved October 18, 2012.Friday October 199:00 pm (ET)Sacramento Mountain LionsVirginia DestroyersSAC 20, VA 17Virginia Beach SportsplexNot ReleasedSparse crowd sees Destroyers lose to Sacramento. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved October 20, 2012. Had the season continued as scheduled, the remaining games would have been played as follows: WeekDateKickoffVisitorHomeSiteTV5Tuesday October 238:00 pm (CT)Sacramento Mountain LionsOmaha NighthawksTD Ameritrade ParkCBS Sports NetworkThursday October 256:00 pm (ET)Las Vegas LocomotivesVirginia DestroyersVirginia Beach Sportsplex6Wednesday October 316:00 pm (PT)Omaha NightawksLas Vegas LocomotivesSam Boyd StadiumFriday November 26:00 pm (PT)Virginia DestroyersSacramento Mountain LionsRaley Field7Wednesday November 76:00 pm (PT)Las Vegas LocomotivesSacramento Mountain LionsRaley FieldFriday November 99:30 pm (ET)Omaha NighthawksVirginia DestroyersVirginia Beach Sportsplex8Wednesday November 146:00 pm (PT)Sacramento Mountain LionsLas Vegas LocomotivesSam Boyd StadiumFriday November 166:00 pm (CT)Virginia DestroyersOmaha NighthawksTD Ameritrade Park The 2012 UFL Championship Game would have been played on December 1 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. No venue had been chosen for the game at the time of the cessation. Attendance figures are based on gate draw, not ticket sales. The Locomotives sold 5,277 tickets for their Week 1 game and 3,500 for Week 2."Locomotives steamroll Nighthawks,"August 2026 InternetArchiveBot from Omaha World-Herald, 10/4/2012 Standings References 30em