New Jersey Out: USFL/XFL Merger Leaves Out New York City Area
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MAY 13 : Luis Perez #12 of the Arlington Renegades looks to make a pass against DC Defenders during the second half of XFL Championship game at the Alamodome on May 13 2023 in San Antonio, Texas.
Well New Jersey and New York City football fans, take this as a diss.
The XFL and USFL formally announced the joint formation of the two leagues into one entity known as the United Football League: UFL.
The league will feature eight teams in two conferences with only four members of the USFL joining the mix. Those four members are the Birmingham Stallions, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, and Houston Gamblers who had their named changed to Houston Roughnecks.
Out are the New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars, Pittsburgh Maulers, and New Orleans Breakers.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said in a statement: “From day one, our mission has been to expand the game of football and be a league of opportunity, culture and innovation. As we come together to create the UFL, we can build something powerful, exciting and very cool for football fans — a spring league with lasting impact for all the players with a dream to play pro football and the ‘hardest workers in the room’ mentality to make their dreams come true.”
The sobering news ends football for four members of the USFL who had made a return after decades of dormancy.
Looking Back at New Jersey Generals Gen 2.0
One of the flagship franchises of the original USFL from the 1980’s, the rebranded New Jersey Generals lasted only two seasons, winning 12 games under Mike Riley, who was USFL Coach of the Year in 2022. The Generals went 9-1 in 2022, before falling to Philadelphia 19-14 in the North Division Championship game. Last season the Generals posted a 3-7 record.
The USFL teams never played in the cities they were named after, except for Birmingham. In 2022 the league was based solely out of Birmingham, Alabama for all games. Last season the league had four mid-market cities host the teams. This version of the Generals never played a down at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
XFL Teams in New Jersey?
The XFL once had teams in the tri-state area: the New York/New Jersey Hitmen in 2001, and the New York Guardians in 2020. Neither team lasted as the league folded after one season a piece.
Celebrity Deaths 2023: Musicians, Entertainers & Cultural Figures We Lost
We’ve had to say goodbye to some big names this year in the worlds of entertainment, sports, politics and beyond. To be frank, it was an absolutely brutal year.
So many giants in music died in 2023. Guitar god Jeff Beck died suddenly in January at age 78 after contracting bacterial meningitis. In February, legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach died at age 94. Singer, actor and civil rights icon Harry Belafonte died in April at age 96 from congestive heart failure. In May, the world lost Tina Turner – the Queen of Rock ‘n Roll – at age 83. Iconic pop singer Tony Bennett died in July at age 96.
The worlds of television and film were not immune to significant loss in 2023. Sitcom mastermind Norman Lear died in December at age 101. Three’s Company star Suzanne Somers died in October at age 76 from an aggressive form of breast cancer. Matthew Perry also died in October. The Friends star was only 54. Bob Barker, longtime host of The Price is Right, died in August at age 99. Paul Reubens, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman, died in July at age 70 following a private battle with cancer.
The sports world was rocked by the deaths of three major wrestling figures. In June, The Iron Sheik (Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri) died at age 81. Then, in August, there were two back-to-back deaths. First, WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk died at age 79. Funk’s hardcore style has been influential to generations of wrestlers that followed. Then, Bray Wyatt (Windham Rotunda) suddenly died at age 36. The young wrestler died after contracting COVID, which exacerbated a heart issue and led to a heart attack.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the musicians, celebrities and other cultural figures we’ve lost in 2023.
Michael Cohen is the News and Sports Director at Fox Sports Radio New Jersey and Magic 98.3 FM, as well as a radio production assistant with Fox and Magic in New Jersey. He started his career in Somerset in 2018 initially as a news fill-in at WCTC 1450 AM, and soon moved up to higher responsibilities in the ensuing years, assuming News & Sports Director title in 2021Prior to his time with Fox Sports New Jersey, Michael was play-by-play voice for New Jersey Jackals baseball, and as well as play-by-play and color for the College of Staten Island basketball (men and women), softball and baseball. Michael began his career as a news and sportswriter with the Jersey Journal of Hudson County.
