St._Louis_BattleHawks
St. Louis Battlehawks
UFL (2024) team based in St. Louis, Missouri
The St. Louis Battlehawks are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The Battlehawks compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a founding member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and are owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The Battlehawks play their home games at The Dome at America's Center. The Battlehawks have a franchise regular season record of 10–5 (.667), the third highest win percentage among UFL teams as of its 2024 season.
| St. Louis Battlehawks | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
| Established December 5, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-12-05) Play in The Dome at America's Center (St. Louis, Missouri) | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
XFL (2020–2023)
United Football League (2024–present)
| |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Royal blue, silver[1] |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | Fox Corporation (50%), Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, RedBird Capital Partners (50%) |
| Head coach | Anthony Becht |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
| Home stadium(s) | |
| |
McMahon era (2020)
On December 5, 2018, St. Louis was announced as one of eight cities that would join the newly reformed XFL, as well as Seattle, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, DC, Tampa Bay, and Dallas.[2] On April 18, 2019, the team hired Jonathan Hayes, who most recently was tight ends coach for the Cincinnati Bengals, as their first head coach. Hayes is an alumnus of the University of Iowa.[3] The team name and logo were revealed on August 21, 2019, as well as the team’s uniforms on December 3, 2019.[4]
On October 15, 2019, The Battlehawks announced their first player in team history, being assigned former Ole Miss Rebels Quarterback Jordan Ta'amu.[5]
The Battlehawks won their first game in team history on February 8, 2020, defeating the Dallas Renegades 15-9. On March 12, 2020, The XFL announced that the remainder of the 2020 XFL season had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team finished with a 3–2 record. On April 10, 2020, The XFL suspended operations, with all employees, players and staff terminated.[6]
Johnson and Garcia era (2023–present)
On August 3, 2020, it was reported that a consortium led by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale (through Cardinale's fund RedBird Capital Partners) purchased the XFL for $15 million just hours before an auction could take place; the purchase received court approval on August 7, 2020.[7][8] The XFL hired Anthony Becht as a Head Coach on April 13, 2022, with the expectation that he would be coaching the St. Louis team.[9] On July 24, 2022, the return of a St. Louis XFL franchise was confirmed, as well as the hiring of Anthony Becht.[10] On October 31, 2022, the XFL officially announced that the Battlehawks name would be returning, with the logo having slight alterations.
The Battlehawks finished tied for second place in their division in the 2023 regular season with the Seattle Sea Dragons with a 7–3 record. The Sea Dragons were granted the playoff position after several rounds of tiebreakers[11] (and the lack of any wild card, at-large or crossover process, which ensured the eventual champion Arlington Renegades, three games behind St. Louis in overall league standings, got into the playoffs instead). In an offseason showcase in St. Louis, league president Russ Brandon indicated that the Battlehawks would continue in St. Louis "obviously [...] for the very long haul."[11] United States Football League president Daryl Johnston noted that St. Louis would be an ideal team to keep in a merger with the league he presided over, not only for its strong fan support (which he noted was far above and beyond any in the USFL) but because of its central location, making travel expenses affordable.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[15] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League".[16] 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.[17] The merger was made official on December 31, 2023.[18]
Players
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Roster updated April 22, 2024 49 active, 3 reserve(s) |
.jpg){kind=link}
|
| |||||
Current NFL players
| Season | Pos | Name | NFL team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | QB | Taylor Heinicke | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2023 | DT | LaCale London | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2023 | OT | Jaryd Jones-Smith | Washington Commanders |
| 2023 | S | Lukas Denis | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2023 | S | Nate Meadors | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Notable players
| Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | RB | Matt Jones | Former Washington Redskins Running Back, 2015 3rd Round Pick |
| 2020 | RB | Christine Michael | Former Seattle Seahawks Running Back, 2013 2nd Round Pick |
| 2020 | P | Marquette King | Former Oakland Raiders Punter |
| 2023-present | QB | A. J. McCarron | Former Cincinnati Bengals Quarter Back, 2014 5th round pick |
| 2024-present | RB | Wayne Gallman | Former New York Giants Running Back, 2017 4th Round Pick |
XFL Special Teams Player of the Year award winners
| Battlehawks XFL STPOY winners | |||
| Year | Player | Position | Selector |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Darrius Shepherd | WR | XFL |
Head coach history
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| St. Louis Battlehawks | ||||||||||
| 1 | Jonathan Hayes | 2020 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Anthony Becht | 2023–present | 14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | – | – | – | |
Offensive coordinator history
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| St. Louis Battlehawks | ||||||||||
| 1 | Doug Meacham | 2020 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Chuck Long | 2020 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | – | – | |
| 3 | Bruce Gradkowski | 2023–present | 14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | – | – | – | |
Defensive coordinator history
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| St. Louis Battlehawks | ||||||||||
| 1 | Jay Hayes | 2020 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Donnie Abraham | 2023–present | 14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | – | – | – | |
Vegas Vipers
The Battlehawks' main rival was the Tampa Bay and Vegas Vipers. The fans of the Battlehawks constantly joked that Viper fans defecate while standing.[19] This rivalry ostensibly ended in 2024 when the Vegas Vipers franchise was discontinued, though the team social media still cracks jokes at the Vipers' expense.[20] The Battlehawks finished the rivalry with a 2–0 record against the Vipers.
DC Defenders
The Battlehawks also have a rivalry against the DC Defenders.[21] Although the Defenders have won all three matchups between the two teams, every game has been decided by one possession and has determined who is the top team in the division at that point in the season.
At the end of their first meeting of the 2023 season, three players were ejected after a brawl broke out.[22] A week later, the Battlehawks' quarterback, A. J. McCarron, called their competition the "first XFL rivalry."[23]
Overall regular-season record vs. opponents
| Team | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|
| Vegas Vipers | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Orlando Guardians | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Arlington Renegades | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| San Antonio Brahmas | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Seattle Sea Dragons | 2–1 | .667 |
| Houston Roughnecks | 1–1 | .500 |
| DC Defenders | 0–3 | .000 |
| Los Angeles Wildcats | 0-0 | N/A |
| All-time Battlehawks leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Battlehawks | |
| Passing Yards | A. J. McCarron | 3,204 passing yards | 2023–present | |
| Passing Touchdowns | A. J. McCarron | 34 passing touchdowns | 2023–present | |
| Rushing Yards | Brian Hill | 416 rushing yards | 2023 | |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Kareem Walker | 2 rushing touchdowns | 2023
2020 | |
| Receiving Yards | Hakeem Butler | 819 receiving yards | 2023–present | |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Hakeem Butler | 9 receiving touchdowns | 2023–present | |
| Receptions | Hakeem Butler | 72 receptions | 2023–present | |
| Tackles | Willie Harvey Jr. | 95 tackles | 2023–present | |
| Sacks | Travis Feeney | 8.5 sacks | 2023–present | |
| Interceptions | Brandon Sebastian | 3 interceptions | 2023–present | |
| Coaching wins | Anthony Becht | 11 wins | 2023–present | |
Attendance
| XFL/UFL Attendance Records[24] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Week | Team | Attendance |
| 2024 | 2 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 40,317 |
| 2023 | 4 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 38,310 |
| 2023 | 5 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 35,868 |
| 2023 | 8 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 35,167 |
| 2023 | 9 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 33,142 |
| 2023 | 10 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 33,034 |
| 2020 | 3 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 29,554 |
| 2020 | 2 | Seattle Dragons | 29,172 |
| 2020 | 4 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 27,527 |
Year by year
| Season | Head Coach | League | Avg. Crowd | Home Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jonathan Hayes | XFL | 28,541 | 2–0 |
| 2023 | Anthony Becht | 35,104 | 3–2 | |
| 2024 | UFL | 40,317 | 1-0 |
During the 2020 season, the Battlehawks were the only XFL team that was founded in a market that lacked a current National Football League franchise. St. Louis hosted NFL football in 1923 with the All-Stars, 1934 with the Gunners, 1960 to 1987 with the Football Cardinals, and again from 1995 to 2015 with the Rams, which moved to Los Angeles in the 2016 season. There is a significant negative sentiment against the NFL in St. Louis,[25] as the owners of the Cardinals and Rams moved to other markets, with the Cardinals saying that the city and county governments of St. Louis declined to provide an adequate new stadium and the Rams saying in a latter that the Dome at America's Center was unacceptable and rejecting the offer of a new stadium in the market in favor of relocating back to Los Angeles. As St. Louis was one of the most recent cities to lose an NFL team, with acceptable facilities by XFL standards, the dome was seen as a good choice.
St. Louis has hosted one alternative professional football team: the Arena Football League's St. Louis Stampede of 1995 and 1996. None of the major alternative outdoor leagues of the late 20th and early 21st centuries had a team there. Some indoor football teams have played at Family Arena in suburban St. Charles, Missouri, including the RiverCity Rage and River City Raiders. Until Lindenwood University (located in St. Charles) joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022, St. Louis had also been devoid of NCAA Division I football at both the FBS and FCS levels since 1949, when the Saint Louis University Billikens dropped football as an intercollegiate sport; the nearest FBS football squad, the Missouri Tigers, play in Columbia, and since 2023 with the return of the Battlehawks, the Tigers have played occasional home games at the Dome,[26] sharing an aging roll-away turf surface with the Battlehawks that proved to be unsightly when relined for the Tigers' use.[27]
The St. Louis Battlehawks share the Missouri winter sports market with one other major professional team, the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues, and with the Billikens', Lions' and Tigers' college basketball teams. In the spring the Battlehawks share the pro sports market with Major League Soccer's St Louis City SC and the always well-supported Major League Baseball St Louis Cardinals.
The Dome at America's Center was built for a future National Football League expansion team or relocation and as an addition to the adjoining St. Louis Convention Center. In 1995, the under construction dome lured the Los Angeles Rams to St. Louis. After the Rams left in 2016, the Dome continued to host a plethora of other events, enough that the stadium was unable to host a team in the former Alliance of American Football for the 2019 season.[28] The XFL rented the Dome for $800,000 per season (a $300,000 flat fee plus $100,000 for each game) in exchange for keeping all of the revenue from ticket sales; the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission keeps concession and parking revenue.[29] As part of the agreement to return in 2023, the XFL signed a three-year lease on the Dome with similar terms to its 2020 lease.[30] For XFL games, the Dome has a reduced capacity, similar to the San Antonio Brahmas use of the Alamodome and the Orlando Guardians at Camping World Stadium.[31] The terms of the lease offer a per-ticket rebate if a sufficient number of tickets are sold in a given game, the proceeds from which covered the majority of the XFL's cost to rent the facility.[32] After two consecutive sellouts of the lower bowl, city officials began planning to open up some sections of the upper decks to accommodate more fans while still maintaining the up-close intimate atmosphere the league seeks.[33] This carried over into the 2023 season, with an estimated 35,000 tickets sold for the team's March 11 home opener and the upper decks of the dome being opened to accommodate the high demand.[34] The game drew an XFL record 38,310 attendance, eclipsing the previous record St. Louis set in 2020 and record of 38,253 set by the San Francisco Demons of the original XFL in 2001.[35] Season ticket sales remained robust heading into the 2024 season as the team opened up more seating in the middle decks of the stadium to season ticket sales.[36]
The Battlehawks lead the league in followers on Twitter, Instagram, and in fan attendance.[37][38] The St. Louis media market led the nation in television viewership for the opening week, posting a 7.4 Nielsen rating for the Battlehawks' first game.[39] Thousands of fans could be heard chanting “Kroenke sucks” during the first Battlehawks home game, in reference to Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke who controversially moved the St. Louis Rams back to Los Angeles, California following the 2015 NFL season.
Through the 2023 season, the Battlehawks have hosted just 7 home games. However, those 7 games all rank in the top 8 for attendance in XFL history. The lone exception is the 2020 Seattle Dragon's week 2 home game. Additionally, the Battlehawks also hold the top 6 spots in most attended XFL games.
- "St. Louis BattleHawks' uniforms, helmet". XFL.com (Press release). December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- "XFL picks Houston as an inaugural city, announces stadiums". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- Smith, Michael David (2019-04-18). "XFL hires Jonathan Hayes as St. Louis head coach". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
- Spedden, Zach (2019-08-21). "XFL Team Names and Logos Unveiled". Football Stadium Digest. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- Florio, Mike (2019-10-15). "XFL announces its eight allocated quarterbacks". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- van Beethoven, Ludwig. Symphonie Nr. 5 c-Moll = Symphony no. 5 in C minor, op. 67. OCLC 994793754.
- "The Rock Buys the XFL for $15 Million". RingsideNews.com. August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- Kerr, Jeff (August 2, 2020). "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson buys XFL for $15 million with partners RedBird Capital and Dany Garcia". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- "XFL Unveils Team Markets and Venues: Arlington, Houston, Orlando, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Seattle, St. Louis, Washington D.C." www.xfl.com. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- Perry, Mark (2023-07-09). "XFL's Russ Brandon Talks League Expansion, Playoff Revamp, and Shattering the Spring League Curse". xflnewshub.com. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
- Schneider, Joey (2024-01-03). "'St. Louis was all in' – UFL leader Daryl Johnston speaks on Battlehawks and new merger". FOX 2. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
- 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.
- "USFL, XFL announce merger, formation of new spring football league: The UFL". Yahoo Sports. 2023-12-31. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- Hill, Daniel. ""Vipers Fans Poop Standing Up" and Other XFL Facts From BattleHawks Fans". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
- are you going to run the league and break spring football attendance records for the second year in a row?. St. Louis Battlehawks official X account. February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- Lyons, Joe (2023-03-17). "Battlehawks look for better result against XFL rival D.C. Defenders". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
- "XFL brawl: Three players ejected during Defenders-BattleHawks showdown in final minute of game". CBSSports.com. 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
- Inabinett, Mark (2023-03-17). "AJ McCarron, Battlehawks part of 'a little XFL rivalry'". al. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
- "XFL Attendance". XFL News and Discussion. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- "If Corrupt NFL Wants the Chargers In STL, Here Are Our Terms: Pay Up, For Everything". 101Sports.com. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- "'St. Louis has the Tigers': How Missouri football used 'hometown' environment to remain perfect". themaneater.com. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- "Dome at America's Center officials say turf is 'safe' despite criticism of appearance". www.audacy.com. 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- "St. Louis Left Out As AAF City With Dome Unavailable For Games". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. June 21, 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
- "Fox2 obtains agreement between XFL, St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission". FOX2now.com. 2018-12-10. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
- Rubbelke, Nathan (August 1, 2022). "As XFL returns to St. Louis, its rent for The Dome won't change". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- St. Louis BattleHawks [@XFLBattleHawks] (October 8, 2019). "Season ticket information is out 👀 Start making your plans now #ClearedToEngage #STLBornAndRaised More details here: https://t.co/OzTegnZpc0 https://t.co/Fr4SF964Jm" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2021-01-19 – via Twitter.
- Rubbelke, Nathan (April 28, 2023). "Contract clause allowed XFL to recoup much of its Dome rental fees for Battlehawks games". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- "St. Louis Battlehawks looking to add seats". www.audacy.com. March 1, 2020.
- "Battlehawks open up 400-level tickets to fill the Dome". FOX 2. 2023-03-10. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- Gould, Andrew (March 12, 2023). "Look: Football World Reacts To The XFL Attendance News". TheSpun.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- "St. Louis Battlehawks, citing demand, open 10 more sections to ticket sales". ksdk.com. 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- Fulk, Konnor. "XFL Momentum: Social Media, A Look At The Numbers". XFLNewsHub. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- Barrabi, Thomas. "XFL attendance on the rise through 3 weeks". FOX Business. FOXBusiness.
- Caesar, Dan. "St. Louis draws XFL's best TV rating in the nation". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2020-02-11.