USFL Michigan Panthers Ready For First UFL Season After Merger
The Michigan Panthers have played in every iteration of the USFL. The Panthers survived the merger with the XFL, too.
In the new UFL, the Panthers will play in the USFL Conference, along with three holdovers from their league — Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks and Memphis Showboats. (The Houston franchise took on the name of the XFL franchise sharing the city.)
The Panthers will now shoot to win the first UFL crown. However, the franchise already has a successful history in the USFL, which includes a championship.
Below is a recap of how the Panthers did last season and its history in the USFL.
Michigan in 2023
The Panthers went 4-6 last season, finishing second in the North Division. In spite of the record, the Panthers earned a spot in the North Division Championship against the Pittsburgh Maulers. The Maulers won an overtime thriller 31-27.
Linebacker Frank Ginda was the USFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. He led the league with 104 tackles, including 18 in his Week 6 performance against Birmingham, which tied the modern USFL record for most tackles in a game. He had 11 tackles in the North Division Championship. Ginda parlayed that into a roster spot with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
Mike Nolan, who formerly guided the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, is returning as head coach in 2024.
Modern USFL History
The Panthers played in the new USFL’s first season in 2022 with Jeff Fisher as their head coach and, like the rest of the league, played all of their games in Birmingham. The Panthers went 2-8 in their first season and finished in third place in the North Division.
In two combined seasons, the Panthers were 6-14 and lost their lone postseason game. The Panthers made progress in 2023. Along with the win improvement and Ginda’s DPOY performance, the Panthers sent four more players to the NFL.
Legacy USFL History
The Michigan Panthers were part of the original USFL, which was played as a spring/summer league from 1983-85. Those Panthers won the inaugural title game in 1983, a season in which they started 1-4 and rallied to an 11-2 finish to win the Central Division title.
After beating Oakland in the semifinals, the Panthers beat the Philadelphia Stars to win the title. The Stars also won the final two league championships.
Most pivotal to the 1983 title was a preseason trade with the Washington Federals, who dealt linebacker John Corker to the Panthers for a fifth-round pick. Corker led the USFL in sacks that season. He was the Defensive Player of the Year with 28 1/2 sacks in 18 games.
Corker is on the USFL All-Time Team and is a member of the Arena Football League Hall of Fame.
UFL Provides Last Hope For Long-Term Viability
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Matthew Postins writes about baseball for Fan Nation/SI and covers Big 12 basketball for Heartland College Sports. He formerly covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and USports football for the College Football America Yearbook.