NEWS ARCHIVE: October 2000
31
October 2000
Maniax
- Coming Together
Things
are finally starting to take shape for the XFL and the Memphis
Maniax. They now have a coach in Kippy Brown, uniforms, and over
the weekend they were able to get some players. Axman,
our Maniax Team Reporter lets us know how things are in Memphis.
[Read
Entire Article: Link to Maniax Team Page]
31
October 2000
QBs
- Top of the Draft
The
management of all eight XFL teams sent out the same message on draft
day: If you want to win a football game you need a good quarterback.
This
is why the first seven out of nine selections were quarterbacks.
Scott Milanovich, a 6-3, 220-pound quarterback, was the first player
taken by the XFL. He was the all-time leading passer at Maryland
and spent four seasons as a backup for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Last year, he played for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe.
[Read
Entire Article]
31
October 2000
Criner Sings a Happy Tune
Las
Vegas Outlaws coach Jim Criner sang the same tune for a third
day in a row Monday. If he is right, the Outlaws could be celebrating
at the end of the first XFL season. Criner was ecstatic about
the Outlaws' haul in the first XFL Draft, which completed with
34 rounds Monday. "We feel very, very good about the kind of team
we have," Criner said. "Starting defensively, it's a very physical
group of guys with a lot of big, strong guys to push the pocket
and run stoppers who have the lateral movement to squeeze things
off. We've got what I consider to be very good team speed defensively
and a lot of very smart football players." [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
30
October 2000
Report Card Day - Bolts Draft Review
The
Bolts are 3 months away from a furious thrashing of the Memphis
Maniacs at Legion Field. At this point a first semester report
card would be in order. Our Birmingham Bolts Team Co-reporter
Bamaslammer has provided us with one. Our other Bolts reporter,
Sonny Sanders, also provides us with a review of the Bolts
draft.
[Read
Both Articles: Link to Bolts Team Page]
|
West
Division
|
East
Division
|
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Click
on each icon above to view the roster.
|
|||
Team Lineups are Set at 70
The draft is over. Each XFL team now has a training camp roster set at 70 players. Congratulations to all players who made it through the draft. Also, good luck to all the players who did not get drafted - from the postings that many of you have made in our message board, we know that there are many of you.
30
October 2000
The XFL Makes a Mark
The XFL Draft was hyped at halftime of NBC's
Notre Dame-Air Force game. NBC's Mike Adamle promised ''smash-mouth
football'' in a league with team nicknames such as the Demons
and Maniax. And the XFL will be free to skip some of football's
tiresome traditions, such as getting rid of extra-point kicks
after touchdowns. On Sunday, without actually mentioning the XFL,
Fox's Cris Collinsworth commented on the extra point play: ''It's
the most boring play in football. Can't we just line up the regular
players and just watch more football?'' We think that Mr. Collinsworth
may be a future XFL fan!
30
October 2000
Draft Results
> Territorial
Draft Results
> Day 1 Results
> Day 2 Results
> Day 3 Results
27 October 2000
Draft Schedule
Don't miss the XFL draft this weekend:
Saturday 28 Oct: 11AM Eastern - Announcement of the territorial
picks from each team plus the first 10 rounds of the draft.
Sunday 29 Oct: 5 PM Eastern - 15 more rounds of draft action
will take place by teleconferencing.
Monday 30 Oct: 9AM Eastern - The final 34 rounds of the
draft.
Tune in to XFL.COM for
all draft results. Visit
our message board to discuss the picks.
On Monday this site will have extensive coverage
of the draft picks - with comments by many of our Team Reporters
and more.
26 October 2000
Xtreme Will Draft First on Saturday
With the help of the Illinois State Lottery, the league has determined
the order for this Saturday's draft:
1. Los Angeles Xtreme
2. Birmingham Thunderbolts
3. Memphis Maniax
4. Orlando Rage
5. Las Vegas Outlaws
6. San Francisco Demons
7. New York / New Jersey Hitmen
8. Chicago Enforcers
25
October 2000
The
XFL Draft
The
XFL draft may prove to be one of the more exciting events that
the XFL has staged on the road to its inaugural game on the 3rd
of Feb 2001. Over the weekend of 28-30 October, 2000, a total
of 560 players will be picked from a draft pool reported to be
over 1500. [Read
Entire Article]
24
October 2000
Demons and Giants to Overlap at Pac Bell?
The
San Francisco Demons will play their home games at Pac Bell, the
home of the SF Giants. The Demons final home game is scheduled
for 24 March, only six days before the Giants are scheduled to
play an exhibition game against the Seattle Mariners. If the Demons
make the playoffs, they could be hosting a game at Pac Bell the
second weekend in April, right before the Giants return home for
a 12-game homestand that begins with three against the Dodgers
(April 17-19). And if the Demons were to host the XFL title game
the weekend of April 21-22, they would have to find an alternate
site because the Giants will be in town. The Giants are concerned
about the possible condition of the grass field at Pac Bell.
24
October 2000
XFL Tickets are On Sale
Don't start on this
one... no, we do not get any part of XFL ticket sales. What we
do get is a lot of inquiries from fans of this site about XFL
tickets. The good news is that tickets are now available for all
teams except for Chicago (25 Oct) and San Francisco (31 Oct).
For more information, including seating charts and descriptions
of services, go to the http://www.xfl.com
site or... [Click
Here]
24
October 2000
The CFL May Give Its Best, Yet...
CFL players under contract
are not eligible to play in the XFL until their contracts expire.
It has been confirmed by the XFL that they will honor CFL contracts.
But, CFL contracts end in February, so the XFL is preparing a
supplemental draft, on Dec 1st, 2000, to assign potential CFL
players to teams who might pick them up after their CFL contract
expires. One notable potential QB which may be drafted is Winnipeg's
29 year old phenom, Khari Jones. It is reported that Jones has
been looked at by 6 XFL teams so far (LA, SF, LV, BHAM, CHI and
NY+NJ). There are many other CFL players in Jone's shoes. It only
remains to be seen whether these players will simply use the XFL
as a bargaining chip for their CFL contract negotiaions, or if
we will see them in the XFL some day soon.
23
October 2000
Thanks for Throwing Us a Bone
If you watched WWF Raw
this evening you probably saw "The
King" Jerry Lawlor
interviewing potential cheerleaders for the Las Vegas Outlaws.
Needless to say the whole thing was a shameful, sex-filled piece...
and we enjoyed it! Also this evening, on a totally unrelated issue,
an XFL press release named Robert Riordan vice president
for sales and Eric Schulz vice president for event marketing.
21
October 2000
All Good Things Must Come to an
End... Should It Really?
When
Dick Butkus was announced as head coach of the enforcers in June,
everyone in the city of Chicago was ecstatic. Everyone from former
Enforcers GM Ken Valdiserri, to Vince McMahon, to the media in
Chicago, and most importantly future and current Enforcers fans.
Butkus said that he wanted to coach. Vince and Ken gave him that
opportunity to "fulfill" the rest of his extraordinary career
by coaching. But recently, Butkus felt that the job of coaching
was too hard.... to quote Tom Hanks from A League Of Their Own,
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, then everyone would
do it. The hard is what makes it great."
[Read
Entire Article: Link to Chicago Team Page]
20
October 2000
"Butkus Proves It"
Many
fans stepped forward to support the Chicago Enforcers. Some even
bought season tickets simply because Dick Butkus was going to
be on the sidelines. Most XFL fans bought into the whole concept
of Dick Butkus as a Head Coach. Were they lied to? [Read
Entire Article]
20
October 2000
Birmingham
Uniform Photo
This is the kind of
thing we have been waiting for. Our Bolts team co-reporter, Sonny
Sanders, has a link for you all. To a news article with an excellent
large color photo of the Bolts uniforms. [Link
to External News Article]
19 October 2000
Maniax: Ready for Today's Territorial Draft
Today,
the Maniax will draft 11 players from their three territorial
schools - Memphis, Tennessee and Mississippi State. "We're anxious
to get going," said Steve Ortmayer, the team's player personnel
director, who revealed earlier this week that Tennessee receiver
Marcus Nash will be one of the picks. "We think 10 of these guys
should make the football team, and five or six should be starters."
[Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
19
October 2000
Rage
Fans Blow Up Phone Lines
Season
tickets for the Orlando Rage went on sale Wednesday and
fans blew up the phone lines. No, really they did. So many phone
calls came in at one of the teams' temporary offices that the
system crashed. The repairs were made and orders continued to
roll in.
(Note: At this link you can also view a video of the Rage uniforms)
[Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
18
October 2000
Meyer
named head coach of XFL's Enforcers
Ron
Meyer, who has spent nine seasons as a head coach is returning
to the sidelines -- as head coach of the XFL's Chicago Enforcers.
Meyer is a two-time AFC Coach of the Year in the NFL. He coached
the New England Patriots (1982-84) and Indianapolis Colts (1986-91)
as well as the CFL's Las Vegas Posse. Originally approached in
September, Meyer accepted an offer to coach the Enforcers during
the weekend. "I actually gave my wife the courtesy of informing
her first before accepting," he said. [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
18
October 2000
Finally A Photo of a XFL Uniform
Thanks go out to Gulf Coast Tiger who
finally posted a link to a photo of the Las Vegas Outlaws uniform
in our Message board.
[Link
to Message Board Item]
18 October 2000
Butkus Moves Up, New Enforcers
Head Coach Named
Dick Butkus has been elevated to the
position of XFL Director of Football Competition, Basil V. DeVito,
Jr., XFL President, announced today. DeVito also announced that
Ron Meyer, a two-time NFL AFC Coach of the Year and current
TV analyst, will replace the legendary Butkus at the helm of the
Chicago Enforcers. [XFL
Press Release]
17
October 2000
The Very First Maniac
At
a glorified fashion show on Monday, former University of Tennessee
receiver Marcus Nash modeled the new uniforms of XFL's Memphis
Maniax during a Memphis press conference. Nash is the first official
Maniax player since he's part of 11 players that will be protected
by the Maniax in Wednesday's territorial draft. The Maniax also
announced the hiring of its first three assistants on the staff
of head coach Kippy Brown. They are offensive coordinator/offensive
line coach Rich McGeorge, defensive line coach Craig Boller and
receivers coach Gerald Brown, Kippy's brother. [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
17
October 2000
Wanna Chat XFL?
We now have a
java based chat room. Come on in to chat with other XFL
fans about the new league. A Java enabled browser is required.
[Visit
the Chat Room]
16
October 2000
Got
Balls?
Need
a new football for the backyard game, or a collector's item for
the mantle? The XFL game balls are now for sale. If you want to
buy one we suggest Justballs.com. Prices are well below
manufacturer's suggested price.
[Visit
the XFLBoard.com Team Store]
16
October 2000
The Final XFL Player Selection
Process
The
XFL draft is coming up in two weeks. It is time to take a breather
and reflect on how the final months of preparation will be for
the XFL teams. The
question that many people have been asking is this: How will the
XFL go from where they are now to having eight fully staffed teams?
[Read
Entire Article]
14
October 2000
Playmate Cheerleader
Sometimes the XFL comes up with a great idea, like hiring Dick
Butkus to be a head coach. Or, according to the latest media report,
hiring 1998 Playboy Playmate of the Year™ Karen McDougal
to be one of their new cheerleaders. Now that's hot news!
13
October 2000
Article: McMahon's new, X-citing
league has NFL worried
Vince McMahon is collecting players for his new XFL, and the league
is going to be everything the real game is not. The XFL is going
to have total access, with cameras in the helmets, cameras in
the huddle, cameras in the locker rooms at halftime. If the XFL
could figure out a way to put cameras in the showers, it would
do that, too. Pity the NFL, locked into its archaic traditions
of doling out information on a need-to-know basis. America's professional
football league has thrived solely because its challengers have
accepted the same rules upon which the NFL was made. [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
12
October 2000
Go Get 'Em Vince
Vince
McMahon, speaking out against anti-violence activists in Hollywood
had this to say about his new football league: "It's about time
someone took on those National Football League suits. The NFL
is extremely corporate. It's successful, but I think they've forgotten
the middle class. They've forgotten why the game is played. XFL
football is a game of aggression, a game where big men play (with)
passion. There may be a few expletives here and there, but it's
a bloody war out there." Vince also had a few more interesting
things to say. Visit the linked article for more. [Link
to External News Article]
12
October 2000
Birmingham Uniforms Public Release?
The local Birmingham press has reported that the
Bolts will release their uniforms at a press conference today
at Noon (Central Time). The uniforms are reported to be of "traditional"
appearance and consist of a purple and gold jersey with white
pants for home games and white jerseys with purple pants for away
games.
11
October 2000
XFL Hires Officials
Carl Paganelli,
the Arena Football League's supervisor of officials the last 11
years, has been hired by the XFL to do the same job. He has been
in officiating for 33 years, having worked for NFL Europe, the
USFL, the Big Ten and the Mid-America Conference. Paganelli will
now be responsible for recruitment, supervision and evaluation
of all XFL officials. James Augustyn, a Big Ten and Arena
Football League official, has also been hired as Paganelli's chief
assistant.
10
October 2000
A QB for the
Demons?
The
Demon's Director of Player Personnel, Greg Mohns, was
in Vancouver, his old stomping grounds, on Monday checking out
a game between the BC Lions and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Mohns
is one of three XFL executives scouting CFL games over the next
several weeks.... [Link
to SF Demons Team Page]
10
October 2000
Giant Football Player Planned
For XFL HQ
A
really big football player is coming to Stamford, but he's not
human. The player - 9 feet, 6 inches tall, made out of aluminum
and lit by fluorescent lamps - is a 152-square-foot sign for the
XFL. The sign will sit atop WWF's headquarters, next to the WWF
logo. It will be visible from Interstate 95. The sign was approved
last week by Stamford's Zoning Board of Appeals. We're not sure
who the league used as a model for this sign. We'd like to recommend
this "famous" player on the right. Hint: He played for
Polk High. 
10
October 2000
News from the Xtreme
The
Xtreme's playing corp is starting to take shape. The Xtreme have
been taking a long look at former UCLA star Tommy Maddox,
former New York Giant wide receiver Thomas Lewis, former
BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian and Rashaan Salaam.
[Link
to LA Xtreme Team Page]
4
October 2000
2001 Schedule Released
The XFL has released it's 2001 schedule. Click
here to view the schedule. It doesn't look like the Memphis-Birmingham
rivalry will get much fuel for the fire, with only one match-up,
in the first week. It also looks like Memphis is in the western
division and Chicago is in the East.
[XFL
2001 Schedule]
3
October 2000
More on the William Morris Lawsuit
The WWF acknowledges that it signed a contract
with William Morris in 1997 to come up with creative projects
to compete with rival WCW. But the WWF says it was dissatisfied
with William Morris' performance and advised the agency it wanted
to terminate the contract in March, 1999. After that, WWF says
it came up with several ideas William Morris had "absolutely nothing"
to do with, one being the XFL.
[Link
to External News Article]
2 October 2000
WWF Sues William Morris Agency
The World Wrestling Federation sued the William
Morris Agency on Monday, saying it was duped by the talent and
booking firm to give away a slice of revenues from the XFL. [Link
to External News Article]