football: Las Vegas defeats California Redwoods, 16-10; will face Florida Tuskers in championship game
By Anthony Fenech
Before the season, Las Vegas Locomotives coach Jim Fassel told his team that the inaugural United Football League championship would go through Las Vegas. Saturday night, Fassel’s words proved true. The Locomotives defeated the California Redwoods, 16-10, at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, setting up a date with the Florida Tuskers on Nov. 27 at Sam Boyd Stadium for the UFL’s first championship game.
Las Vegas to face California Redwoods on Nov. 14 for chance to clinch spot in championship game against Florida Tuskers
By Case Keefer
Despite their best player sitting out with an injury, the Las Vegas Locomotives chugged right over the New York Sentinels Wednesday in a 41-10 blowout victory. Las Vegas scored on its first five possessions in New York. Quarterback J.P. Losman led the offense with 277 yards and two touchdowns on 27-for-37 passing.
From the day the United Football League issued the schedule for its inaugural season, this week’s game was the one Las Vegas coach Jim Fassel looked forward to. The Las Vegas Locomotives will travel to take on the New York Sentinels at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Hofstra University’s football stadium. It’s a homecoming of sorts for Fassel, who coached the New York Giants from 1997-2003.
UFL football: Las Vegas comes up short against Florida for the second time
By Case Keefer
Las Vegas Locomotives coach Jim Fassel and his players described their loss to the Florida Tuskers two weeks ago as “embarrassing” and “disappointing.” In the two weeks since the defeat, the Locomotives re-focused and practiced with a renewed vigor. They were determined to travel to St. Petersburg, Fla., tonight and avenge their only loss of the season.
Jason Capizzi is the envy of nearly every player in the United Football League because of one simple possession — a Super Bowl ring. Problem is, Capizzi, left tackle for the Las Vegas Locomotives and member of the last year’s NFL champion Pittsburgh Steelers, can’t exactly show the ultimate football prize off. He left it some 2,000 miles behind in a Pittsburgh bank to continue to chase his football dreams.
From the moment Las Vegas quarterback J.P. Losman signed on to play in the UFL, the league hailed him as its top player. But Florida Tuskers quarterback Brooks Bollinger apparently has something to say about that. Through two games, Bollinger has put up the league’s most impressive statistics.
Both teams enter matchup undefeated, but Tuskers quarterback dominates game
By Case Keefer
The United Football League is only three games into its inaugural season and an elite team has emerged. The undefeated Las Vegas Locomotives and Florida Tuskers met Wednesday night at Sam Boyd Stadium, but it was the Tuskers that came out with their unblemished record intact.
DeDe Dorsey has captivated a wide range of audiences lately. Dorsey starred two months ago on the HBO reality series Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals. In the show’s final episode, Dorsey became the final player to make the Bengals roster.
Anyone who doubted Las Vegas could show fan spirit for the Locomotives must have not seen the row directly behind the home team’s bench. Five friends dressed up in full train conductor gear — overalls, conductor caps and bandanas — cheered on the Locomotives.
Quarterback J.P. Losman picks apart California Redwoods defense on way to 30-17 victory
By Case Keefer
As far as first tests go, the United Football League certainly didn’t fail in Thursday’s inaugural game. As promised, the quality of football was high in the Las Vegas Locomotives’ 30-17 victory over the California Redwoods at Sam Boyd Stadium. Las Vegas quarterback J.P. Losman, the UFL’s marquee player, picked apart the California defense for 226 yards and two touchdowns on 21-for-31 passing.
Q & A: United Football League Vice President Rick Mueller:
By Case Keefer
Rick Mueller, vice president and general manager of the upstart United Football League, says it won’t hit him until Thursday when he sees the teams take the field at Sam Boyd Stadium for the league's initial game.
Tony Parrish signed to play in the United Football League under one condition: He wanted to be assigned to the Las Vegas franchise. Parrish, a 33-year old NFL veteran safety, had a simple reason for the request. “I was looking for some familiarity,” Parrish said. “Las Vegas definitely had that for me.”
The upstart American Football League succeeded, forcing a merger with the NFL in 1970. Since then, the gridiron has been littered by failed professional leagues — the World Football League, the USFL and WWE magnate Vince McMahon’s XFL.
Marcel Shipp can laugh about it now. At the beginning of the year when the upstart United Football League began hiring its coaching staffs, Las Vegas Locomotives coach Jim Fassel contacted him to set up an interview. Fassel thought Shipp, a six-year veteran NFL running back, could make a quality running backs coach for the Locomotives. Shipp met with Fassel and listened intently to his proposal. Then, Shipp threw out an idea of his own. “After a while, I was like OK, I want to be on the field,” Shipp said.
