Houston will have a football team in the newly created United Football League after a merger between the United States Football League and the XFL. It will be called the Houston Roughnecks but the coaching staff is all USFL and will be headed up by Curtis Johnson — so no Houston fan favorite Wade Phillips on the sidelines.
“Having three Texas teams in the UFL is just awesome, but being able to represent Houston and the Roughnecks is a dream come true. H-Town has such an incredible and passionate fan base, and I can’t wait to get there and be with our fans,” said. Johnson, who was head football coach at Tulane University from 2012 to 2015 and was a wide receivers coach and senior offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints at two different times.
The eight teams that survived the merger are:
Houston Roughnecks
Arlington Renegades
Birmingham Stallions
DC Defenders
Memphis Showboats
Michigan Panthers
San Antonio Brahmas
St. Louis Battlehawks
A dispersal draft will be held at the end of the week to allow teams to draft up to 20 players. This means that Coach Johnson and his staff will be able to select players from the four folded teams (New Jersey Generals, New Orleans Breakers, Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Maulers).
Along with the shifts in the spring football landscape, it is also undetermined as to where the Roughnecks will play this season. Their former home TDECU Stadium on the University of Houston campus is currently under renovation to add upgrades like premium seating and the football operations center. Rumors suggest that Rice Stadium will be called home. Team representatives stated they are in the final stages of deciding on a venue and an official announcement will come soon.
The league will begin play will kickoff on March 30. Season tickets are available at theufl.com/tickets
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
