Orlando Guardians
 | |
| Established | 2018 (as the New York Guardians) |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2024 |
| Based in | East Rutherford, New Jersey (2020) Orlando, Florida (2023) |
| Home stadium | MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey (2020) Camping World Stadium (2023) |
| Head coach | Kevin Gilbride (2020)
Terrell Buckley (2023) |
| Owner(s) | Alpha Acquico, LLC[1]
|
| League | XFL |
| Division | East (2020) South (2023) |
| Colors | Green, lime, grey
|
| Website | xfl.com/teams/orlando |
The Orlando Guardians were a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. The Guardians competed in the XFL football league. The team was founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment as the New York Guardians and were owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The Guardians played their home games at MetLife Stadium in 2020 and played their home games at Camping World Stadium in 2023. The Guardians had a franchise regular season record of 4–11 (.267), the second worst win percentage among all XFL teams.
History
New York Guardians (2020, McMahon era)
New York, joined Seattle, Houston, LA, St. Louis, DC, Tampa Bay, and Dallas as the XFL's inaugural cities. On April 15, 2019, the team hired Kevin Gilbride, who most recently was the Offensive Coordinator for the New York Giants as their first head coach.[2] The team name and logo were revealed on August 21, 2019, as well as the teams uniforms on December 3, 2019.[3]
On October 15, 2019, The Guardians announced their first player in team history, being assigned former Oakland Raiders Quarterback Matt McGloin.[4]
.jpg)
The Guardians won the first game in franchise history, topping the Tampa Bay Vipers 23–3 at MetLife Stadium. Quarterback Matt McGloin scored the first touchdown in team history on their first possession, a one-yard score that put them up 6–0.[5] McGloin would later find Colby Pearson for a passing touchdown. Defensively, the Guardians forced three turnovers, including a fumble return for a touchdown by Jamar Summers. Tampa Bay reached the red zone five times, but emerged only with a field goal thanks to a standout defensive effort. The Guardians' first road game saw them become the victims of the first shutout in the new XFL's history, as they fell to the DC Defenders by a 27–0 final at Audi Field. The game became notable for a McGloin sideline interview with ABC/ESPN's Dianna Russini, in which he was very critical of the team's offensive gameplan. McGloin was eventually pulled from the game for backup Marquise Williams in the second half. On March 12, 2020, The XFL announced that the remainder of the 2020 XFL season had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team finished with a 3–2 record. On April 10, 2020, The XFL suspended operations, and all employees, players and staff would be terminated.
Orlando Guardians (2023, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia era)
As early as April 2020, the XFL was reported to have been relocating a team to Orlando. Orlando had not yet been available at the time the league chose its inaugural eight teams because of the Alliance of American Football placing the Orlando Apollos there, but it was one of the largest markets without an NFL team and had hosted the Orlando Rage, one of the most successful teams in the original XFL of 2001. The earliest reports had the league planning to move the Tampa Bay Vipers to Orlando,[6] as the Vipers had only lukewarm support (amid a league-worst 1–4 record) in Tampa, and its practice facility in Plant City[7] was located on Interstate 4 halfway between the two cities, which are 80 miles (130 km) apart. The same reports had indicated that the league had hoped to stay in the New York metropolitan area, with the main obstacle being a stadium (MetLife Stadium was one of the largest stadiums in the XFL with one of the league's poorest average attendances); discussions had begun about potentially moving to the more appropriately sized Red Bull Arena.[6] When team locations were revealed on July 25, 2022, the league (now under ownership of the Dany Garcia-Dwayne Johnson consortium) confirmed that Orlando would receive a team in 2023 and Tampa Bay would no longer have one. In the same announcement, the league also confirmed that there would also be no team in the New York area.[8] However, when team brands were leaked in September and confirmed a month later, it was instead revealed that the Vipers brand would be relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada and that Orlando would receive the branding of the former New York Guardians.[9][10]
Terrell Buckley was reported as the Orlando team's head coach on April 6, 2022;[11] the league confirmed this on July 25.[12]
Orlando Guardians finished the season 1-9 only winning against the DC Defenders
In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons.[13] On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date.[14] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[15] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League".[16] On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a "combined season" to begin March 30, 2024.[17] The merger was made official on December 31, 2023, and on January 1, 2024, it was announced the Guardians would not be part of the merger.[18][19]
Player history
Current NFL players
| XFL Season | Pos | Name | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LS | Scott Daly | Detroit Lions |
Notable players
| XFL Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | QB | Matt McGloin | Former Oakland Raiders Quarterback |
| 2023 | QB | Paxton Lynch | Former Denver Broncos Quarterback, 2016 1st Round Pick |
| 2023 | WR | Eli Rogers | Former Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver |
| 2023 | WR | Cody Latimer | Former Denver Broncos Wide Receiver, 2014 2nd Round Pick |
| 2023 | S | Matt Elam | Former Baltimore Ravens Safety, 2013 1st Round Pick |
Coach history
Head coach history
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| New York Guardians | ||||||||||
| 1 | Kevin Gilbride | 2020 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | – | – | |
| Orlando Guardians | ||||||||||
| 2 | Terrell Buckley | 2023 | 10 | 1 | 9 | .100 | – | – | – | |
Offensive coordinator history
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| New York Guardians | ||||||||||
| 1 | G. A. Mangus | 2020 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | – | – | |
| Orlando Guardians | ||||||||||
| 2 | Robert Ford | 2023 | 10 | 1 | 9 | .100 | – | – | – | |
Defensive coordinator history
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| New York Guardians | ||||||||||
| 1 | Jim Herrmann | 2020 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | – | – | |
| Orlando Guardians | ||||||||||
| 2 | Tony Carter | 2023 | 10 | 1 | 9 | .100 | – | – | – | |
Rivalries
Overall regular season record vs. opponents
| Team | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Wildcats | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| DC Defenders | 1–1 | .500 |
| Vegas Vipers | 1–1 | .500 |
| Arlington Renegades | 1–2 | .333 |
| Seattle Sea Dragons | 0–1 | .000 |
| Houston Roughnecks | 0–2 | .000 |
| San Antonio Brahmas | 0–2 | .000 |
| St. Louis Battlehawks | 0–2 | .000 |
Records
| All-time Guardians leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Guardians | |
| Passing Yards | Quinten Dormady | 1,507 passing yards | 2023 | |
| Passing Touchdowns | Quinten Dormady | 10 passing touchdowns | 2023 | |
| Rushing Yards | Devin Darrington | 294 rushing yards | 2023 | |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Quinten Dormady | 4 rushing touchdowns | 2023
2023 | |
| Receiving Yards | Cody Latimer | 593 receiving yards | 2023 | |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Cody Latimer | 4 receiving touchdowns | 2023 | |
| Receptions | Cody Latimer | 50 receptions | 2023 | |
| Tackles | Terrance Plummer | 56 tackles | 2023 | |
| Sacks | Cavon Walker | 4.5 sacks | 2020 | |
| Coaching wins | Kevin Gilbride | 3 wins | 2020 | |
Market overview
The Guardians were the first professional outdoor football team in Orlando since the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football in 2019, where they averaged over 19,000 fans per game. The Guardians joined the Orlando Magic, Orlando Solar Bears ,Orlando City SC, and the Orlando Pride as professional sports teams based in Orlando. The Guardians also joined the Orlando Predators (NAL) as professional football teams located in Orlando.
References
- ^ Perry, Mark (August 3, 2020). "More Details On The Rock Purchase Of The XFL, How Many Bidders". XFL News Hub. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "XFL lands Super Bowl Giants coach Kevin Gilbride for New York team". New York Post. 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
- ^ Spedden, Zach (2019-08-21). "XFL Team Names and Logos Unveiled". Football Stadium Digest. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ Florio, Mike (2019-10-15). "XFL announces its eight allocated quarterbacks". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ "Matt McGloin reflects on his time in XFL, as league folds". April 11, 2020.
- ^ a b Fischer, Ben (April 17, 2020). "Last Call for the XFL". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "XFL turns eyes to Plant City". August 15, 2019.
- ^ Kerr, Jeff (July 25, 2022). "XFL announces eight host cities for relaunch in 2023; no New York, California teams for first time in league". CBS Sports.
- ^ Perry, Mark (September 23, 2022). "XFL Teams Names Leaked Online, Some Old, Some New, Some Surprising Changes". xflnewshub.com. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ "Orlando's new XFL team is the Guardians". Orlando Sentinel. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
- ^ "Terrell Buckley Set to Join XFL as Head Coach of New Orlando Franchise". Pro Football Newsroom. 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
- ^ "Orlando to host XFL franchise coached by Terrell Buckley". Orlando Sentinel. 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ^ Baysinger, Tim; Primack, Dan; Fischer, Sara (September 19, 2023). "Scoop: Football leagues XFL and USFL in merger talks". Axios. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ TSN ca Staff (2023-09-28). "XFL, United States Football League announce intention to merge". TSN. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
- ^ Schad, Tom (2023-09-28). "XFL, USFL confirm intention to merge into single spring football league". USA Today. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
- ^ "XFL files trademark applications for 'United Football League' and 'UFL'". San Antonio Express-News. October 18, 2023.
- ^ "We are pleased to have completed the antitrust review process in connection with the proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30. We are now finalizing terms of the definitive agreement and will share more about this new League in the coming weeks". Instagram.
- ^ "USFL, XFL announce merger, formation of new spring football league: The UFL". Yahoo Sports. 2023-12-31. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ^ Larsen, James (2024-01-01). "United Football League Announces Their 8 UFL Teams For 2024". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved 2024-01-01.