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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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 based in Detroit, Michigan. The Panthers compete in the United Football League (UFL). The team is owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit, which also hosts the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).
Contents
History
The Michigan Panthers were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021. On January 27, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NFL Head coach Jeff Fisher was named the head coach and general manager of the Panthers.
The Panthers selected Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson with the first overall pick in the 2022 USFL draft. In the first two games of 2022, the Panthers lost to the Houston Gamblers and New Jersey Generals. On May 1, 2022, the team won their first ever game with a 24–0 win at Protective Stadium against the Pittsburgh Maulers. Losses resumed after that, the Panthers' only other win of the season was against the Maulers, a 33–21 with the winner assuming the rights to the first overall pick in the 2023 USFL draft.
In October, 2022, the Panthers hired Steve Kazor as general manager. After all eight USFL teams played their home games in Birmingham, Alabama, the Panthers moved to the state of Michigan in 2023, announcing Ford Field as their home stadium. On February 3, 2023, the USFL announced that Fisher had been replaced as head coach by Mike Nolan, citing only "personal reasons."
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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. 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. The merger would also require regulatory approval. In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League". 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. The merger was made official on December 31, 2023.
Current roster
Players
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) |
Staff
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Player history
Current NFL players
| 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
| 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 award winners
| Year | Player | Position | Selector |
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| 2023 | Frank Ginda | LB | USFL |
| 2024 | Breeland Speaks | DE | UFL |
Coach history
Head coach history
| # | 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 |
Offensive coordinator history
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
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| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Michigan Panthers | ||||||||||
| 1 | Eric Marty | 2022-2023 | 20 | 6 | 14 | .300 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | Marcel Bellefeuille | 2024–present | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Defensive coordinator history
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
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| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Michigan Panthers | ||||||||||
| 1 | Daniel Carrell | 2022 | 10 | 2 | 8 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Steve Brown | 2023 | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | Collin Bauer | 2024–present | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Records
| 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 |
Statistics and records
Season-by-season record
| 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 | ||||||||
