The 2009 UFL Championship Game was the concluding game of the United Football League's inaugural season. The game was staged at

Sam Boyd Stadium Sam Boyd Stadium (formerly the Las Vegas Silver Bowl) is a football stadium in the western United States, located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas Valley. It honors Sam Boyd (1910–1993), a major figure in the hot ...

Whitney, Nevada Whitney (formerly East Las Vegas) is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 38,585 at the 2010 census. Background Stowell E. Whitney, a dairy farmer from Bunkerville, Neva ...

on Friday, November 27, 2009 (one day after

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

), and was won by the

Las Vegas Locomotives The Las Vegas Locomotives (called the Locos for short) were a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada that played in the United Football League. The team played their home games at Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the Unive ...

, who defeated the previously unbeaten

Florida Tuskers Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...

20–17 on a 33-yard field goal in overtime.

Background

The United Football League originally intended to begin play in 2008, and in March of that year selected

to host its championship game on the day after that year's

holiday. (The league intended to bill the game as "The United Bowl," but was unable to gain rights from the

United Indoor Football United Indoor Football (UIF) was an indoor football league in the United States that operated from 2005 to 2008. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion (the Dayton Warbirds, which never played a game in UIF ...

or its successor, the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...

, to use the name; the IFL continues to use the United Bowl name.) When the UFL delayed its start until 2009, the game was moved to the corresponding date in 2009 and kept in Las Vegas. The Tuskers were the top team in the UFL's premiere season, finishing the regular season with a perfect 6–0 record. Coached by

Jim Haslett James Donald Haslett (born December 9, 1955) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL. He played college football for the IUP Crimson Hawks before being drafted by the Bu ...

, the Tuskers led the league in scoring, putting up 217 points behind an offense featuring quarterback

Brooks Bollinger Brooks Michael Bollinger (born November 15, 1979) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. He also was a member of the Florida Tusk ...

(the league leader in completion percentage, passing yards, and TD throws), running back

Tatum Bell Tatum Antoine Bell (born March 2, 1981) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma State. He is son of Tony and Terry Bell. H ...

, and receiver

Taye Biddle RaTavious Anton "Taye" Biddle (born February 27, 1983) is an American football wide receiver. He was previously with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent ...

(the league leader in receiving yards). The Tuskers' defense included such players as Dexter Jackson, a former Super Bowl MVP with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. The Tuskers secured a spot in the championship game with an October 30 win over the Locos at

Tropicana Field Tropicana Field (commonly known as the Trop) is a Multi-purpose stadium, multi-purpose domed stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The stadium has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) since the ...

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

. The Locomotives, victors of the first game in UFL history (30–17 over the

California Redwoods ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...

on October 8, 2009), sported a roster including quarterback

J. P. Losman Jonathan Paul Losman (born March 12, 1981) is an American football coach and former quarterback. Losman played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at UCLA and Tu ...

, running back

DeDe Dorsey DeDe Dorsey (born August 1, 1984) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Lindenwood. Dorsey was also a member of the Indianapolis Colt ...

(the league's 2nd leading rusher), linebacker

Teddy Lehman Teddy Lehman (born November 18, 1981) is an American former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and w ...

(the league leader in tackles), and lineman

Eric Henderson Eric Charles Henderson (born January 8, 1983) is an American football coach who is the defensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for ...

(who shared the regular season lead in sacks with Tuskers lineman

Patrick Chukwurah Patrick C. Chukwurah (born March 1, 1979) is a Nigerian former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wyoming Cowboys football, Wyoming. Chu ...

). Coached by

Jim Fassel James Edward Fassel (August 31, 1949 – June 7, 2021) was an American college and professional football player and coach. He was the head coach of the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) from 1997 to 2003. He was offensive coor ...

, the Locos finished with a 4–2 record after starting the season 1–2 (both losses were to the Tuskers—a 29–15 home loss on October 14 and the above-mentioned loss in St. Petersburg); they secured their berth in the title game with a 16–10 win at

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

on November 14. The game was held in Florida

Game recap

First half

Florida (the designated home team by virtue of their 1st place regular season finish) took the ball first after winning the opening coin toss, but they and Las Vegas traded punts on their opening possessions. The Tuskers' second possession saw Brooks Bollinger connect with long throws to

for 32 yards, and

Jayson Foster Jayson D. Foster (born July 22, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Georgia Southern and was the 2007 Walter Payton Award win ...

for 15 yards, and ended with Bollinger connecting up the middle with

Marcus Maxwell Marcus James Maxwell (born July 8, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon. Maxwell was also a member of the ...

on an 8-yard touchdown throw with 5:13 left in the first quarter. After scoring, Maxwell celebrated by slam dunking the ball over the crossbar, noticeably budging the goal post out of alignment and causing a minor delay for repairs before the extra point. Las Vegas moved the ball into Tuskers territory on the ensuing drive; after changing ends during the quarter break, they moved the ball to the Florida 2-yard line where, on 2nd and Goal, Tuskers linebacker

Odell Thurman Odell Lamar Thurman (born July 9, 1983) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia. Early years Odell Thurman attended Jas ...

forced a fumble by Locos running back

Marcel Shipp Marcel Cornelius Shipp (born August 8, 1978) is a former American football running back and current coach. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) from 2001 to 2008 for the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans. He was si ...

that was recovered by defensive end

. After a 3-and-out by the Tuskers' offense, the ensuing Locos drive nearly ended with a Darius Vinnett

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

, but the pick was called back due to an offsides penalty. On the next play, Losman connected with

Samie Parker Samie Jabar Parker (born March 25, 1981) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the wide receiver's coach at the University of North Alabama. Parker most recently played for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football ...

on a 16-yard completion for a 1st down before having to depart with an injury. Tim Rattay finished the drive at QB, moving the Locos to the Florida 35, where

Graham Gano Graham Clark Gano (born April 9, 1987) is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free ag ...

missed wide on a 53-yard field goal attempt. The ensuing Tuskers drive also ended on a missed field goal, as

Matt Bryant Steven Matt Bryant (born May 29, 1975), nicknamed "Money Matt", is a former American football placekicker. He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers in 2000. A ...

hooked a 51-yard try to the left. Losman returned at QB for the Locos on the next drive, connecting with John Madsen on its second play. Madsen appeared to fumble the ball away to the Tuskers, but a replay challenge determined that Madsen fumbled while his foot was on the boundary line, making him out of bounds and ending the play. The Locos drive ended two plays later in a punt. In fact, the next two drives ended in punts, the second of which featured what appeared to be a serious injury to the Locos' Josh Scobey, who leaned in with his head when tackling Tuskers return man

Willie Andrews Willie Thedric Andrews (born November 2, 1983) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Baylor. Andrews has also been a member of t ...

. Though Scobey left under his own power, he would not return due to back spasms. The Tuskers' next drive ended in an interception, which the Locos turned into a 45-yard field goal by Gano to end the half and make the score 7–3 in favor of the Tuskers.

Second half

Ending a Locomotives' drive that carried over from a scoreless 3rd quarter (when both teams had 3 possessions that ended in punts),

sprinted down the right sideline for a 38-yard TD run, giving the Locos their first lead at 10–7 with 12:53 left. Unbowed, the Tuskers responded in quick fashion; starting from his own 20, Bollinger connected with

on a 15-yard pass play, immediately followed by a 10-yard

run. On 2nd and 5 from the 50-yard line, Bollinger went deep and connected with

on a 40-yard throw, the longest offensive play of the game. The Tuskers regained the lead on the next play, as Bollinger threw up the middle to

Frank Murphy William Francis Murphy (April 13, 1890July 19, 1949) was an American politician, lawyer and jurist from Michigan. He was a Democrat who was named to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940 after a political career that included serving ...

on a 10-yard TD catch. The five-play, 80-yard drive gave Florida a 14-10 lead with 10:27 left. After a 3-and-out drive by Las Vegas that featured the Tuskers' fourth sack of the day on Losman, the Tuskers got the ball back on their 35-yard line with 8:19 remaining. One play after Bollinger connected on a 14-yard pass to

Bobby Sippio Robert Lee "Bobby" Sippio, Jr. (born December 4, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Peoria Pirates in 2002. He played college football at Western Kentucky. During Sippio's professional career, he played for t ...

, Locos defensive end Josh Mallard forced a Tatum Bell fumble that was quickly recovered by Bollinger. On the next play, Bollinger was hit just before the throw by

Adrian Awasom Adrian Awasom (born October 25, 1983) is a former American football defensive end. He was a member of the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL and the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted ...

and fumbled the ball, which was recovered and returned by Locos lineman Ross Kolodziej. The play was ruled a touchdown (Kolodziej fumbled and another Locos player recovered in the end zone), but Florida immediately challenged the call. After a replay review, Bollinger's fumble remained as called, but the ball was ruled down at the Tuskers' 2-yard line, which was moved ahead to the 1-yard line after the Tuskers' Michael Pittman was penalized for a

Horse-collar tackle The horse-collar tackle is an American football maneuver in which a defender tackles another player by grabbing the back collar or the back-inside of an opponent's shoulder pads and pulling the ball carrier directly downward violently in order to ...

that led to Kolodziej's fumble. Three plays later, Dorsey snuck into the end zone up the middle for his second touchdown of the quarter, giving Las Vegas a 17-14 lead with 5:58 left. Much in the same way as they responded after the first Locos' touchdown, Florida quickly moved the ball down the field on the next drive. Bollinger started with 2 quick completions to Biddle (18 yards) and Maxwell (15 yards). Two plays later, on 2nd and 6 from the Locos 41, Bollinger found

, who broke a tackle and sprinted 41-yards down the left sideline to the end zone. Fassel and the Locos immediately challenged the call, and after review it was determined that Foster was down by contact at the Las Vegas 35-yard line. After the reversal, the Locos' defense clamped down, despite allowing a 22-yard throw to Pittman to the Las Vegas 11-yard line. The Tuskers would settle for a 27-yard field goal by Bryant, which tied the game at 17. Florida regained possession after a Locos 3-and-out. On the 3rd play of the drive (after a Locos pass interference penalty gave the Tuskers a first down), Bollinger connected with Pittman for a 22-yard play to the Vegas 49 (Pittman was injured on the play). After three incomplete passes (the first being a

attempt at a spectacular one-handed 30-yard catch), Florida punted away to Las Vegas. Though he initially called a pass play in an attempt to drive up the field for a game-winning field goal, Las Vegas coach Jim Fassel decided on a kneel down play to run out the clock and send the Championship Game into overtime, the first OT game in UFL history.

Overtime

Winning the coin toss, Florida elected to receive the ball.

Micheal Spurlock Micheal Curtis Spurlock (born January 31, 1983) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the special teams quality control coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Arizona ...

's kickoff return was pushed back to the Tuskers' own 9-yard line after a holding penalty. Two plays later, on 3rd and 7, Bollinger escaped a sack but his pass was intercepted by Locos' defensive back Isaiah Trufant. Trufant fumbled but the ball was immediately recovered by Locos' cornerback Trey Young. After one running play to center the ball for a field goal attempt,

hit a 33-yard field goal, sneaking the ball just inside the right upright to give the Locomotives the first UFL title, and denying the Tuskers a perfect season, with a final score of 20-17.

Scoring summary

Attendance: 14,801

Most Valuable Player

Las Vegas running back

was awarded the game's Most Valuable Player award thanks to his 98 all-purpose yards (32 receiving, 66 rushing) and two 4th-quarter touchdowns that gave the Locomotives the lead on both occasions. The MVP award was chosen through a text message vote, the options of which were presented to fans in attendance and to viewers on Versus during the 4th quarter; voting was then open until the conclusion of the game.

Notes

*By virtue of their win, the Locomotives became the first recipients the William Hambrecht Trophy, the UFL's championship trophy that is named for Bill Hambrecht, the Locos' owner and a founding investor in the United Football League. The Locos are also the only recipients of the Hambrecht Trophy in its original arcing design, as the trophy was redesigned for 2010. *The game was the only one during the UFL's Premiere Season to have a daytime start (just after 12PM Las Vegas time, or 3PM Eastern). *Kicker

, who scored the first points in league history, also scored the last points in the premiere season with his championship winning field goal.

References

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

UFL Championship Game Florida Tuskers Las Vegas Locomotives UFL Championship American football in Las Vegas UFL Championship Game, 2009 Sports competitions in Las Vegas November 2009 sports events in the United States