San Antonio Marks Latest Pro Football Chapter in UFL Merger
The city of San Antonio has been home to so many pro football teams it’s hard to keep track.
Their latest entry, the San Antonio Brahmas, was one of the four XFL teams to emerge from the USFL merger with a place in the new UFL, which kicks off in 2024.
The Brahmas will play in the XFL Conference with the Arlington Renegades, D.C. Defenders and St. Louis Battlehawks. The Brahmas have a new coach with deep Texas ties in former Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips.
The Brahmas are the latest chapter in San Antonio’s football legacy, one that has seen it play in the WFL, CFL and XFL, among others.
Below is a recap of how the Brahmas did last season and its history in the XFL.
San Antonio In 2023
The Brahmas were a first-year franchise in the XFL in 2023 and went 3-7 overall under the leadership of coach Hines Ward, the former Pittsburgh Steelers player and Super Bowl MVP.
The Brahmas were third in the South Division, behind their two in-state rivals — the Houston Roughnecks (7-3) and Renegades (4-6). San Antonio finished 3-7 in spite of just a minus 14-point differential for the season.
Quarterback Jack Coan threw for more than 1,500 yards for San Antonio.
Modern XFL History
San Antonio was not a part of the eight teams that took their bow with the XFL in 2020, when Vince McMahon attempted to re-start the league he first formed in 2001.
After the league folded due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of investors led by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson bought it from McMahon for $15 million.
When the league returned in 2023, San Antonio was one of two new franchises to join the league, the other being the Las Vegas Vipers. They joined the six holdovers — Arlington, Houston, Orlando Guardians (moved from Tampa Bay), St. Louis, Seattle Dragons and D.C.
San Antonio Football History
San Antonio wasn’t a part of the original XFL in 2001. But the city has featured entries in several other non-NFL football leagues.
The San Antonio Wings was the city’s first professional team and it played in the World Football League in 1975. The Wings went 7-6, but the league folded before the playoffs.
Since then the city has hosted teams from just about every league one could think of.
That list includes the San Antonio Charros (American Football Association, 1977-83), San Antonio Gunslingers (USFL, 1984-85), San Antonio Riders (World League of American Football, 1991-92), San Antonio Texans (Canadian Football League, 1995), San Antonio Matadors (Spring Football League, 2000) and San Antonio Commanders (Alliance of American Football, 2020).
Also, during the 2005 season the city’s Alamodome served as one of the home stadiums for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, who were displaced due to Hurricane Katrina. The city has also been home to NFL exhibition games and Cowboys training camp.
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.