Malcolm Henry
The USFL is back. Kind of. It will host its first draft today, but we are not here to talk about that. We are here to talk about the merch that we may or may not buy.
First, we will acknowledge that many of these looks smack pretty hard of being Madden creatable uniforms… so there is a little bit of cheese in each of them… that said, we also love that they kept the original names and close to the same logos for all the teams.
Without further ado, the official list from best to worst.
BEST: The Houston Gamblers are sticking with a set very similar to the ones they wore in the ’80s. The Gamblers enter 2022 under head coach Kevin Sumlin, known for his time as Texas A&M head coach from 2012-17.
No. 2: The Tampa Bay Bandits, perhaps the most successful team to not win the USFL championship during the league’s original launch, looks pretty similar to our No. 1 look. The Bandits will be coached by Todd Haley, best known for his time as Chiefs head coach from 2009-11 and Steelers offensive coordinator from 2012-17.
No. 3: The Michigan Panthers take the prize for having the most unique look, with a plum, blue and gold color scheme that pops. The Panthers will be coached by the league’s most decorated coach, former Titans (1994-2010) and Rams (2012-16) head coach Jeff Fisher.
No. 4: “So fresh and so clean,” the New Orleans Breakers declared as they revealed their uniform set. Featuring a wave on the sleeves, New Orleans debuts a very vibrant “Breaker Blue” and royal blue. Former North Carolina (2012-18) head coach Larry Fedora will run the ship in the Bayou.
No. 5: The Birmingham Stallions, who will play in the first game of the season against the New Jersey Generals on Saturday, April 16 at 7:30 ET at Protective Stadium on FOX and NBC, were the first team to reveal their uniform set.
Led by head coach Skip Holtz, the Stallions are rolling with a traditional design and a red, gold and white color scheme.
No. 6: The New Jersey Generals, perhaps the USFL’s most infamous franchise, is back and going with a simple red and white color scheme. Mike Riley will coach the Generals, the former Chargers (1999-2001) and Nebraska (2015-17) head coach.
No. 7: The Philadelphia Stars will do battle every week in crimson and gold, going with their star logo on the front of the jersey, rather than on the sleeves. The Stars will be coached by Bart Andrus, the longtime NFL Europe, CFL and UFL head coach.
No. 8: The Pittsburgh Maulers revealed their uniforms, opting for a blue, orange and white set. The team has the coolest logo but the shittiest uni combo. The Maulers will be coached by Kirby Wilson, who has been a running backs coach in the NFL since 2002.
The two-day event will take place Tuesday and Wednesday in Birmingham, Alabama, the site of every regular season game this season. After drawing first in the draft lottery Thursday, the Michigan Panthers will be on the clock when Day 1 of the draft is officially open Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. The USFL will give live updates of the draft through its social media channels and FOX Sports’ digital platforms.
Teams will be drafting from a pool of 450-500 players who have already signed contracts with the USFL. The USFL announced that they would not be disclosing the list of available players beforehand.
