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St. Louis Battlehawks

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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)
  • East Division (2020)
  • North Division (2023)

United Football League (2024–present)

  • XFL Conference (2024–present)
Current uniform
Team colorsRoyal blue, silver[1]
   
Personnel
Owner(s)Fox Corporation (50%), Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, RedBird Capital Partners (50%)
Head coachAnthony Becht
Team history
  • St. Louis Battlehawks (2020–present)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Playoff appearances (1)
Home stadium(s)

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.

History

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McMahon era (2020)

[edit]

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)

[edit]
Steven Mitchell carries the ball for the Battlehawks during a 2023 game against the DC Defenders

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]

Current roster

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Players

[edit]
St. Louis Battlehawks roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

  • 25 Kevon Latulas
  • 15 Jacob Saylors

Wide receivers

  • -- Jelani Baker
  • -- James Bostic

Tight ends

  • 80 Kemari Averett
  • 84 Jake Sutherland
 Offensive linemen
  • -- Bradley Ashmore T
  • 77 Eric Magwood T

Defensive linemen

  • -- Isaiah Coe DT
  • 93 T. J. Pesefea DT
 Linebackers
  • 33 Drew Lewis OLB
  • 59 Callahan O'Reilly ILB
  • 26 Carson Wells OLB
  •  6 Lakiem Williams ILB

Defensive backs

  • 20 Nico Bolden FS
  • 31 Mike Hampton CB
  • -- Myles Jones CB
  •  2 Keylon Kennedy CB
  • -- D'Angelo Mandell CB
  • -- Myles Sims CB
  • -- Avery Young FS

Special teams

  • 47 Alex Matheson LS
 Reserve lists

Unsigned draft picks

  • -- Jadon Janke WR
  • -- Carl Jones Jr. ILB



Roster updated November 6, 2024

63 active, 5 unsigned

Staff

[edit]
St. Louis BattleHawks staff
Front office
  • Director of team operations – Anastasia Ali
  • Director of media relations – Brian Stull
  • General manager – Dave Boller
Head coach
Offensive coaches
  
Defensive coaches
Team operations
  • Athletic trainer – Eric Avila
  • Equipment manager – Todd Hewitt
  • Video manager – Sean Hollister

Player history

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Current NFL players

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Season Pos Name NFL team
2020 QB Taylor Heinicke Los Angeles Chargers
2023 DT LaCale London Atlanta Falcons

Notable players

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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
2025–present WR Denzel Mims Former New York Jets Wide Receiver, 2020 2nd Round Pick
2025–present LB Kemoko Turay Former Indianapolis Colts Linebacker, 2018 2nd Round Pick

Offensive Player of the Year award winners

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Battlehawks XFL OPOY winners
Year Player Position Selector
2024 Hakeem Butler WR UFL

Special Teams Player of the Year award winners

[edit]
Battlehawks XFL STPOY winners
Year Player Position Selector
2023 Darrius Shepherd WR XFL
2024 Chris Garrett LB UFL

Coach history

[edit]

Head coach history

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# 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 20 14 6 .700 1 0 1

Offensive coordinator history

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# 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 20 14 6 .700 1 0 1

Defensive coordinator history

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# 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 20 14 6 .700 1 0 1

Rivalries

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DC Defenders

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The Battlehawks have a rivalry against the DC Defenders.[19] The Defenders have won three of the four matchups between the two teams, every game except for one 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.[20] A week later, the Battlehawks' quarterback, A. J. McCarron, called their competition the "first XFL rivalry."[21]

Birmingham Stallions

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With the merger of the XFL and USFL, the Battlehawks and Birmingham Stallions emerged as rivals, both because each had reached the top of their division at the time of their Week 7 meeting in the 2024 UFL season and because both of the Battlehawks' quarterbacks, Alabama alumnus McCarron and Troy alumnus Brandon Silvers, played college and high school football in the state of Alabama.[22][23]

Franchise matchup history

[edit]
Team Record Pct.
San Antonio Brahmas 3–1 0.750
Orlando Guardians 2–0 1.000
Vegas Vipers 2–0 1.000
Houston Roughnecks (2024) 1–0 1.000
Memphis Showboats 1–0 1.000
Arlington Renegades 3–1 0.750
Seattle Sea Dragons 2–1 .667
Houston Roughnecks (2020) 1–1 .500
DC Defenders 2–3 .400
Birmingham Stallions 0–1 .000
Michigan Panthers 0–1 .000
  • Defunct teams in light gray.

Records

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All-time Battlehawks leaders
Leader Player Record Years with Battlehawks
Passing Yards A. J. McCarron 3,732 passing yards 2023–present
Passing Touchdowns A. J. McCarron 34 passing touchdowns 2023–present
Rushing Yards Jacob Saylors 461 rushing yards 2024–present
Rushing Touchdowns Jacob Saylors 5 rushing touchdowns 2024–present
Receiving Yards Hakeem Butler 1,251 receiving yards 2023–present
Receiving Touchdowns Hakeem Butler 13 receiving touchdowns 2023–present
Receptions Hakeem Butler 96 receptions 2023–present
Tackles Willie Harvey Jr. 112 tackles 2023–present
Sacks Travis Feeney 10.0 sacks 2023–present
Interceptions Brandon Sebastian 4 interceptions 2023–present
Coaching wins Anthony Becht 14 wins 2023–present

Attendance

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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
2024 4 St. Louis Battlehawks 31,757
2020 3 St. Louis Battlehawks 29,554
2020 2 Seattle Dragons 29,172

Year by year

[edit]
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 34,365 5-0

Market overview

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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] Such was the Battlehawks' strength in ticket sales that the UFL gave the Battlehawks an extra home game for the 2025 UFL season, with what would have been the team's in-conference away game against the San Antonio Brahmas moved to St. Louis due to schedule conflicts at San Antonio's home stadium, the Alamodome.[37][38]


The Battlehawks lead the league in followers on Twitter, Instagram, and in fan attendance.[39][40] 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.[41] 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 week 5 of the 2024 season, the Battlehawks have hosted just 9 home games. However, 8 of those 9 games all rank in the top 9 for attendance in XFL/UFL history. The lone exception is the 2020 Seattle Dragon's week 2 home game. Additionally, the Battlehawks also hold the top 8 spots in most attended XFL/UFL games.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "St. Louis BattleHawks' uniforms, helmet". XFL.com (Press release). December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "XFL picks Houston as an inaugural city, announces stadiums". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  3. ^ Smith, Michael David (April 18, 2019). "XFL hires Jonathan Hayes as St. Louis head coach". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  4. ^ Spedden, Zach (August 21, 2019). "XFL Team Names and Logos Unveiled". Football Stadium Digest. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  5. ^ Florio, Mike (October 15, 2019). "XFL announces its eight allocated quarterbacks". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  6. ^ van Beethoven, Ludwig. Symphonie Nr. 5 c-Moll = Symphony no. 5 in C minor, op. 67. OCLC 994793754.
  7. ^ "The Rock Buys the XFL for $15 Million". RingsideNews.com. August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "XFL Announces Head Coaches: Reggie Barlow, Anthony Becht, Terrell Buckley, Jim Haslett, Wade Phillips, Bob Stoops, Hines Ward and Rod Woodson". www.xfl.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "XFL Unveils Team Markets and Venues: Arlington, Houston, Orlando, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Seattle, St. Louis, Washington D.C." www.xfl.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Perry, Mark (July 9, 2023). "XFL's Russ Brandon Talks League Expansion, Playoff Revamp, and Shattering the Spring League Curse". xflnewshub.com. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Schneider, Joey (January 3, 2024). "'St. Louis was all in' – UFL leader Daryl Johnston speaks on Battlehawks and new merger". FOX 2. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  13. ^ Baysinger, Tim; Primack, Dan; Fischer, Sara (September 19, 2023). "Scoop: Football leagues XFL and USFL in merger talks". Axios. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  14. ^ TSN ca Staff (September 28, 2023). "XFL, United States Football League announce intention to merge". TSN. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  15. ^ Schad, Tom (September 28, 2023). "XFL, USFL confirm intention to merge into single spring football league". USA Today. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  16. ^ Moyle, Nick (October 18, 2023). "XFL files trademark applications for 'United Football League' and 'UFL'". San Antonio Express-News.
  17. ^ "We are pleased to have completed the antitrust review process in connection with the proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30. We are now finalizing terms of the definitive agreement and will share more about this new League in the coming weeks". Instagram.
  18. ^ "USFL, XFL announce merger, formation of new spring football league: The UFL". Yahoo Sports. December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  19. ^ Lyons, Joe (March 17, 2023). "Battlehawks look for better result against XFL rival D.C. Defenders". STLtoday.com. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  20. ^ "XFL brawl: Three players ejected during Defenders-BattleHawks showdown in final minute of game". CBSSports.com. March 6, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  21. ^ Inabinett, Mark (March 17, 2023). "AJ McCarron, Battlehawks part of 'a little XFL rivalry'". al. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  22. ^ McNanna, Cole (May 10, 2024). "Battlehawk quarterbacks McCarron, Silvers set for Alabama homecoming at St. Louis' UFL game against Birmingham Stallions on Saturday". Gulf Coast Media. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  23. ^ Inabinett, Mark (May 10, 2024). "Battlehawks vs. Stallions: 'The makings to be a great game'". AL.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  24. ^ "XFL Attendance". XFL News and Discussion. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  25. ^ "If Corrupt NFL Wants the Chargers In STL, Here Are Our Terms: Pay Up, For Everything". 101Sports.com. October 23, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  26. ^ "'St. Louis has the Tigers': How Missouri football used 'hometown' environment to remain perfect". themaneater.com. September 29, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  27. ^ "Dome at America's Center officials say turf is 'safe' despite criticism of appearance". www.audacy.com. September 28, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  28. ^ "St. Louis Left Out As AAF City With Dome Unavailable For Games". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. June 21, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  29. ^ "Fox2 obtains agreement between XFL, St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission". FOX2now.com. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  30. ^ Rubbelke, Nathan (August 1, 2022). "As XFL returns to St. Louis, its rent for The Dome won't change". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  31. ^ 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 November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2021 – via Twitter.
  32. ^ 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 April 29, 2023.
  33. ^ "St. Louis Battlehawks looking to add seats". www.audacy.com. March 1, 2020.
  34. ^ "Battlehawks open up 400-level tickets to fill the Dome". FOX 2. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  35. ^ Gould, Andrew (March 12, 2023). "Look: Football World Reacts To The XFL Attendance News". TheSpun.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  36. ^ "St. Louis Battlehawks, citing demand, open 10 more sections to ticket sales". ksdk.com. February 16, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  37. ^ Luca, Greg (October 5, 2024). "City, UFL see benefits of spring football's continued push in San Antonio". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  38. ^ Schneider, Joey (August 21, 2024). "St. Louis Battlehawks to host extra sixth home game in 2025 season". KTVI. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  39. ^ Fulk, Konnor (November 30, 2019). "XFL Momentum: Social Media, A Look At The Numbers". XFLNewsHub. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  40. ^ Barrabi, Thomas (February 24, 2020). "XFL attendance on the rise through 3 weeks". FOX Business. FOXBusiness.
  41. ^ Caesar, Dan (February 11, 2020). "St. Louis draws XFL's best TV rating in the nation". stltoday.com. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
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