Michigan Panthers (2022) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Michigan Panthers |
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 Current season |
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| Established November 22, 2021 Play in Ford Field (Detroit, Michigan) |
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| League/conference affiliations | |
United States Football League (2022–2023)
United Football League (2024–present)
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Current uniform
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| Team colors | Royal plum, champagne silver, light blue |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | Fox Corporation (50%), Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, RedBird Capital Partners (50%) |
| Head coach | Mike Nolan |
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| Championships | |
| League championships (0) |
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| Conference championships (0) |
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| Division championships (0) |
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| Playoff appearances (2) | |
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| Home stadium(s) | |
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The Michigan Panthers are a professional American football team. They are based in Detroit, Michigan. The Panthers play in the United Football League (UFL). The team is partly owned by Dwayne Johnson's company and Fox Corporation. They play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. This stadium is also home to the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).
| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
About the Michigan Panthers
Team History
The Michigan Panthers were one of eight teams created for the new USFL. This was announced on November 22, 2021. On January 27, 2022, Jeff Fisher, a former NFL Head coach, became the Panthers' first head coach and general manager.
The Panthers chose Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson as their first pick in the 2022 USFL draft. In their first two games of 2022, they lost to the Houston Gamblers and New Jersey Generals. On May 1, 2022, the team won its first game ever. They beat the Pittsburgh Maulers 24–0. After that, they lost more games. Their only other win that season was also against the Maulers.
In October 2022, Steve Kazor became the new general manager. In 2022, all USFL teams played in Alabama. But in 2023, the Panthers moved to Michigan. They announced that Ford Field would be their home stadium. On February 3, 2023, Mike Nolan replaced Jeff Fisher as head coach.
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In September 2023, news came out that the XFL and USFL leagues might join together. On September 28, 2023, they officially announced their plan to merge. They would share more details later. The new league would be called the "United Football League." On November 30, 2023, it was confirmed that the merger was approved. The new "combined season" started on March 30, 2024. The merger became official on December 31, 2023.
Key Players and Coaches
Current Roster
This section shows the players currently on the team.
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Roster updated March 23, 2024 50 active, 2 reserve(s) |
Coaching and Front Office Staff
This section lists the people who manage and coach the team.
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Panthers Players in the NFL
Some players who played for the Michigan Panthers have gone on to play in the NFL.
| Season | Pos | Name | NFL team |
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| 2023 | CB | Josh Butler | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2023 | WR | D. J. Montgomery | Indianapolis Colts |
| 2024 | K | Jake Bates | Detroit Lions |
| 2024 | CB | Nate Brooks | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2022–2024 | DT | Walter Palmore | Carolina Panthers |
| 2024 | RB | Nate McCrary | Green Bay Packers |
| 2023–2024 | QB | E. J. Perry | Jacksonville Jaguars |
Notable Players
Here are some other well-known players who have been on the Panthers team.
| Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
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| 2023 | DT | Robert Nkemdiche | Former Arizona Cardinals Defensive Tackle, 2016 1st Round Pick |
| 2024 | WR | Corey Coleman | Former Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver, 2016 1st Round Pick |
Defensive Player of the Year Awards
These players won the Defensive Player of the Year award while playing for the Panthers.
| Year | Player | Position | Selector |
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| 2023 | Frank Ginda | LB | USFL |
| 2024 | Breeland Speaks | DE | UFL |
Head Coach History
Here is a list of the head coaches for the Michigan Panthers.
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
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| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Michigan Panthers | ||||||||||
| 1 | Jeff Fisher | 2022 | 10 | 2 | 8 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Mike Nolan | 2023–present | 20 | 11 | 9 | .550 | 1 | 0 | 2 | *2024 UFL Coach of the Year |
Team Records
This table shows the all-time leaders for the Michigan Panthers in different categories.
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Panthers |
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| Passing Yards | Josh Love | 1,630 passing yards | 2022–2023 |
| Passing Touchdowns | Josh Love | 15 passing touchdowns | 2022–2023 |
| Rushing | Reggie Corbin | 809 rushing yards | 2022–2023 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Wes Hills | 5 rushing touchdowns | 2024–present |
| Receiving Yards | Trey Quinn | 731 receiving yards | 2022–2023 |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Cole Hikutini | 6 receiving touchdowns | 2023–present |
| Receptions | Joe Walker | 66 receptions | 2022–2023 |
| Tackles | Frank Ginda | 230 tackles | 2022–present |
| Sacks | Breeland Speaks | 18.5 sacks | 2023–present |
| Interceptions | Frank Ginda
Kai Nacua |
3 interceptions | 2022–present
2023–present |
| Coaching wins | Mike Nolan | 11 wins | 2023–present |
Season Highlights
This table shows how the Panthers have performed each season.
| UFL champions† (2024–present) | USFL champions§ (2022–2023) | Conference champions* | Division champions^ | Wild Card berth# |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | Head coaches | Pct. | ||
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| Finish | W | L | |||||||||
| 2022 | 2022 | USFL | North | 3rd | 2 | 8 | Jeff Fisher | .200 | |||
| 2023 | 2023 | USFL | North | 2nd # | 4 | 6 | Lost Division Finals (Maulers) 27–31 (OT) | Mike Nolan | .550 | ||
| 2024 | 2024 | UFL | USFL | 2nd # | 7 | 3 | Lost USFL Conference Championship (Stallions) 18–31 | Mike Nolan COTY
Breeland Speaks DPOTY |
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| Total | 13 | 17 | All-time regular season record (2022–2024) | .433 | |||||||
| 0 | 2 | All-time postseason record (2022–2024) | .000 | ||||||||
| 13 | 19 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2022–2024) | .406 | ||||||||
