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.

This article is about the team in the second edition of the USFL. For the team in the original USFL from the 1980s, see Pittsburgh Maulers (1984).
Pittsburgh Maulers
Current season
Established 2021
Play in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
in Canton, Ohio
https://twitter.com/USFLMaulers
League/conference affiliations
United States Football League (2022–present)
  • North Division (2022–present)
Current uniform
Team colorsBlack, gold, white
     
MascotMarty the Mauler
Personnel
Owner(s)National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports)
General managerLonnie Young
Head coachRay Horton
Team history
  • Pittsburgh Maulers (2022–present)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (1)
2023
Division championships (1)
2023
Playoff appearances (1)
2023
Home stadium(s)

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]

Pittsburgh Maulers roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

  • 80 Matt Seybert
 Offensive linemen
  • -- Sean Brown C
  • 74 Myron Cunningham T
  • 52 Xavier Dampeer C
  • 67 Jon Dietzen G
  • 69 Tre'Quan Dorsey T
  • 51 Justin Evans G
  • -- Brodarious Hamm T
  • 62 Leon Johnson T
  • -- Austin Myres T
  • 58 Brayden Patton C
  • 68 Terry Poole T
  • 50 Colby Thomas G

Defensive linemen

  • 91 Terry Beckner DT
  • 99 Izayah Green-May DE
  • 92 Will Miles DT
  • 90 Christopher Okoye DT
  • 95 Nasir Player DE
  • 56 Vaughn Taylor DE
  • 98 Savion Williams DT
 Linebackers

Defensive backs

  • 20 Malcolm Elmore S
  •  5 Keith Gipson Jr. CB
  • 29 Sedevyn Gray CB
  • 23 Ferlando Jordan CB
  • 34 Shedrick Kirk CB
  • 22 Xavier Lewis CB
  • 27 Beau Tanner S
  •  3 Eli Walker S
  • 25 Tre Wortham CB

Special teams

  • 40 Luke Barnes LS
  •  7 Chris Blewitt K
  • 48 Riley Lovingood LS
  • 19 Matt Mengel P
 Reserve lists

Unrestricted FAs

  • 85 Artayvious Lynn TE
  • 13 Jalen McCleskey WR
  • 37 Garrett Groshek RB
  •  6 Malcolm Howard OLB
  •  8 Boogie Roberts DT
  •  1 Bryce Torneden S


Rookies in italics

Roster updated October 18, 2023

51 active, 6 free agent(s)

→ USFL rosters

Staff
2023 Pittsburgh Maulers staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – John Tomlinson
  • Tight ends/running backs – Bill Khayat
  • Wide receivers – Alex Wood
  • Offensive line – Vacant
 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive line/run game coordinator – Rick Courtright
  • Linebackers coach/special teams coordinator – Marc Hull
  • Defensive backs – Steve Meyer



Player History

Current NFL players
USFL Season Pos Name NFL Team
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
2023 LB Reuben Foster Former San Francisco 49ers 1st Round Pick

Coach History

Head Coach history
# Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
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
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
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
2022Ray HortonTom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio)Michigan Panthers31–27
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.

Legend
USFL champions† Division champions^ Wild Card berth#
Pittsburgh Maulers season-by-season records
Season Team League Division Regular season Postseason results Awards
Finish Wins Losses Ties Pct
20222022 USFLNorth4th190.100––
20232023 USFLNorth1st^460.400Won 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
LeaderPlayerRecordYears with Maulers
PassingTroy Williams1,414 passing yards2023
RushingMadre London669 rushing yards2022–2023
ReceivingBailey Gaither698 receiving yards2022–2023
Coaching winsRay Horton4 wins2023
SacksOlive Sagapolu6.0 sacks2022–2023
InterceptionsMark Gilbert
Arnold Tarpley III		4 interceptions2023
2022–2023

References
  1. "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames, and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  2. "What you need to know for USFL in 2022:Two more head coaches revealed". Fox Sports. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  3. "Jarren Horton Tapped as Defensive Coordinator for Pittsburgh Maulers". Pro Football Newsroom. 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. "Lonnie Young named Maulers general manager". www.triblive.com. Trib Total Media. October 18, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  8. "Ray Horton named Pittsburgh Maulers head coach in USFL". www.wtae.com. Hearst Television Inc. January 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  9. Alan Saunders (January 24, 2023). "USFL Maulers Get New Look, Move Closer to Pittsburgh". www.steelersnow.com. Pittsburgh Sports Now. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  10. "USFL to have a "player selection meeting" on February 22–23". ProFootballTalk. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  11. "USFL expands game-day rosters by two, total rosters by five". ProFootballTalk. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
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