Are you ready for some Spring Football?

I remember waiting for the March 1983 debut of the old USFL. I was fifteen. That spring league lasted three years and died because one of the team owners wanted to weasel his way into the NFL and sold the league’s soul in the process. I was so upset when the old USFL folded. I was a Breakers fan. Boston Breakers. Portland Breakers. New Orleans Breakers. Johnnie Walton playing QB. Marcus Marek playing linebacker. Dan Ross, my all-time favorite tight end, left the Cincinnati Bengals for the Breakers in 1984. He played for the Breakers for two springs. He returned to the Bengals in the fall of 1985.

There was nothing about the USFL not to like. The huge crowds the Denver Gold drew were most impressive in the early going. I remember late nights of listening to AM radio and tuning in to any team I could. I remember listening to the San Antonio Gunslingers with Rick Neuheisel at quarterback. The Oklahoma Outlaws with Doug Williams playing in Skelly Stadium for one season before they moved on to Arizona to become the Wranglers. Every team pilfered someone from an NFL team. Brian Sipe going to Jacksonville. Jim Kelly proving himself to be a cannon while playing for the Houston Gamblers leading him the Buffalo Bills. For a football guy, this was fun.

Fast forward to 2026. This spring we have the third season of the UFL. Change is a constant feature when it comes to these spring leagues. This year the UFL sports new teams in Orlando, Columbus, and Louisville. Gone are the Michigan Panthers, Memphis Showboats, and the San Antonio Brahmas.

The 2026 UFL:

The Birmingham Stallions. The Stallions will be coached this year by first time coach and former UFL standout quarterback A.J. McCarron. A.J. led the Alabama Crimson Tide to National Championship wins in 2012 and 2013. He then spent ten years playing in the NFL and the UFL. Ole Miss Football fans like me will be glad to watch Matt Corral back under center for the Stallions.

The Columbus Aviators. The Aviators are coached by former Ohio State legend Ted Ginn Jr.

The Dallas Renegades. My sentimental favorite. Their coach is Rick Neuheisel. The former head coach at UCLA, Washington, and Colorado, Neuheisel brings back those memories that go back more than 40 years, when I was listening to USFL games late into the night and enjoying every snap.

The D.C. Defenders. Their QB is a former Ole Miss Rebel. Jordan Ta’amu will be taking snaps for D.C.

The Houston Gamblers. Their head coach is former University of Houston Cougars coach Kevin Sumlin. The Gamblers, like the Stallions, are the only two teams that still hold onto the 1980s USFL names and locations.

The Orlando Storm. Former St. Louis Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht, he had a 22-8 record in StL, is the leading the Storm.

The St. Louis Battlehawks.

Seeing wide receiver Hakeem Butler play in person was worth heading over in Interstate 64 to see the Battlehawks a couple years ago. A.J. McCarron was playing QB. Butler is still on the squad at press time. Watch him bring those passes in. He can do it. Their head coach this year will be Ricky Proehl. He was a WR on the 1999 St. Louis Rams team that won the Super Bowl that season. You might remember that Rams team as “The Greatest Show on Turf”.

The Louisville Kings. Finally. A team close to home. The Kings’ head coach is no stranger to Louisville Football lore. Chris Redman, the U of L Cardinal great will be leading the Kings this season. In the backfield, we expect to see former Kentucky Wildcat and Pittsburg Steeler Benny Snell toting the mail. This will be fun. Fun. That is one of the elements that make a spring football league special. We don’t have some lifetime investment in these teams. We just want to root for our local team and have a good time doing it, as we don’t have to pay NFL prices to see a game. This is affordable family fun compared to a day in an NFL stadium. Let’s enjoy it. The season opens this Friday Night at Louisville’s Lynn Family Stadium.