Pittsburgh Maulers (2022)
The Pittsburgh Maulers are a professional American football team based in Canton, Ohio. The Maulers compete in the United States Football League (USFL) North division. Founded in 2021, the Maulers are one of the eight inaugural teams for the re-launch of the original United States Football League, which ceased operations in 1986.
Pittsburgh Maulers | |
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Established 2021 Play in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio https://twitter.com/USFLMaulers | |
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League/conference affiliations | |
United States Football League (2022–present)
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Current uniform | |
Team colors | Black, gold, white |
Mascot | Marty the Mauler |
Personnel | |
Owner(s) | National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports) |
General manager | Lonnie Young |
Head coach | Ray Horton |
Team history | |
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Championships | |
League championships (0) | |
Conference championships (1) 2023 | |
Division championships (1) 2023 | |
Playoff appearances (1) | |
2023 | |
Home stadium(s) | |
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They currently play their home games at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, which also hosts the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. Prior to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, the Maulers had played their home games in Protective Stadium and at Legion Field.
The Maulers ironically posted a 3–15 record through their first 18 games, identical to the original Maulers franchise during its lone season in 1984. However, the Maulers then won their final two games of the 2023 season to clinch the USFL North division title, and then won their first playoff game to advance to the 2023 USFL Championship Game.
History
The Pittsburgh Maulers were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021,[1] Their first head coach was announced on January 20, 2022, when it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NFL running backs coach Kirby Wilson was named the Head Coach and General Manager of the Maulers.[2] Wilson revealed on February 9, 2022, that UConn Defensive Coordinator Jarren Horton would become the Defensive Coordinator for the Maulers, while Wilson would call the offense.[3] They made their first draft pick in franchise history, selecting quarterback Kyle Lauletta 7th overall.[4] They drafted 35 players from February 22–23 in 2022.
The team begun the season 0–4, the worst in the league, but defeated the Houston Gamblers 21–20 behind an off the bench effort by newly signed quarterback Vad Lee.[5] Finishing with a record of 1–9, the worst record in the league, the team did not win the rights to the first overall pick in the 2023 USFL draft, after the league decided that the winner of the Week 10 game between the 1–8 Maulers and 1–8 Michigan Panthers, would win the first overall pick. The Panthers were victorious 21–33.[6]
On October 18, 2022, the Maulers named Lonnie Young as the team's new general manager.[7] In early January, 2023, Wilson stepped down as the head coach of the Maulers, citing personal reasons. He was replaced on January 17, 2023, by Ray Horton.[8]
Logo and Uniforms
The team's 2022 colors of orange and purple were slightly different from what was used by the Pittsburgh Maulers team in the original USFL, as they used red and purple. In any event, the colors were a radical departure from the city's traditional sporting colors of black and gold and are more or less of an ode to the original Maulers franchise.
The logo depicts a worker swinging a large hammer, as an ode to the steel workers that Pittsburgh's history is known for. The current jerseys were a different design than the originals, with the home being purple with an orange bar across the shoulders and the away being white with a purple bar along the shoulders.
In 2023, the Maulers changed their teams colors to the traditional city colors of black, gold, and white.[9]
Current Roster
Players
Initially, each team carried a 38-man active roster and a 7-man practice squad, but the rosters were increased to 40 active players and 50 total in May, 2022.[10][11]
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
Unrestricted FAs
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Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Player History
Current NFL players
USFL Season | Pos | Name | NFL Team |
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2022 | LS | Mitchell Fraboni | Denver Broncos |
2022 | DT | Jeremiah Pharms Jr. | New England Patriots |
2023 | S | Arnold Tarpley III | Atlanta Falcons |
Notable players
USFL Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
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2023 | LB | Reuben Foster | Former San Francisco 49ers 1st Round Pick |
Coach History
Head Coach history
# | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
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GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
Piitsburgh Maulers | ||||||||||
1 | Kirby Wilson | 2022 | 10 | 1 | 9 | .100 | – | – | – | |
Pittsburgh Maulers | ||||||||||
2 | Ray Horton | 2023–present | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Offensive Coordinator history
# | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
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GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
Piitsburgh Maulers | ||||||||||
Pittsburgh Maulers | ||||||||||
1 | John Tomlinson | 2022–2023 | 20 | 5 | 15 | .250 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Defensive Coordinator history
# | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
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GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
Piitsburgh Maulers | ||||||||||
Pittsburgh Maulers | ||||||||||
1 | Jarren Horton | 2022–present | 20 | 5 | 15 | .250 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Championships
North Division championships
Season | Coach | Location | Opponent | Score | |
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2022 | Ray Horton | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio) | Michigan Panthers | 31–27 | |
Total North Division Championships won: 1 |
Statistics and records
Season-by-season record
Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.
USFL champions† | Division champions^ | Wild Card berth# |
Season | Team | League | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | ||||||
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Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct | ||||||||
2022 | 2022 | USFL | North | 4th | 1 | 9 | 0 | .100 | – | – | ||
2023 | 2023 | USFL | North | 1st^ | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | Won Division Finals (vs. Panthers) 31–27 (OT) Lost USFL Championship (vs. Stallions) 12–28 | Jarren Horton (Assistant Coach of the Year) | ||
Totals | 5 | 15 | 0 | .250 | (2022–2023, regular season) | |||||||
1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | (2022–2023, playoffs) | ||||||||
6 | 16 | 0 | .273 | (2022–2023, regular season and playoffs) |
Records
All-time Maulers leaders | ||||
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Leader | Player | Record | Years with Maulers | |
Passing | Troy Williams | 1,414 passing yards | 2023 | |
Rushing | Madre London | 669 rushing yards | 2022–2023 | |
Receiving | Bailey Gaither | 698 receiving yards | 2022–2023 | |
Coaching wins | Ray Horton | 4 wins | 2023 | |
Sacks | Olive Sagapolu | 6.0 sacks | 2022–2023 | |
Interceptions | Mark Gilbert Arnold Tarpley III | 4 interceptions | 2023 2022–2023 |
References
- "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames, and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- "What you need to know for USFL in 2022:Two more head coaches revealed". Fox Sports. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- "Jarren Horton Tapped as Defensive Coordinator for Pittsburgh Maulers". Pro Football Newsroom. 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
- Kevin Gorman (February 22, 2022). "Pittsburgh Maulers select QB Kyle Lauletta with 1st-round pick in USFL Draft". www.triblive.com. Trib Total Media. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- Austin Bechtold (May 15, 2022). "Pittsburgh Maulers Get First Win, Beat Houston on Final Play". www.steelersnow.com. Pittsburgh Sports Now. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- Jeff Kerr (June 19, 2022). "USFL Week 10 takeaways: Panthers earn first pick in 2023 draft by winning matchup of two worst teams". www.cbssports.com. CBS Sports Interactive. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- "Lonnie Young named Maulers general manager". www.triblive.com. Trib Total Media. October 18, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- "Ray Horton named Pittsburgh Maulers head coach in USFL". www.wtae.com. Hearst Television Inc. January 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- Alan Saunders (January 24, 2023). "USFL Maulers Get New Look, Move Closer to Pittsburgh". www.steelersnow.com. Pittsburgh Sports Now. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- "USFL to have a "player selection meeting" on February 22–23". ProFootballTalk. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
- "USFL expands game-day rosters by two, total rosters by five". ProFootballTalk. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-06-01.