The Bolts Hit the Field

The XFL’s seventh charter team, the Birmingham franchise, was announced on 1 Aug 2000. Locally, the team was well received by the city, as Birmingham had been part of many a failed league- the WFL Americans and Vulcans, the USFL Stallions, the WLAF Fire, as well as the CFL's Barracudas. Shortly after, the XFL named Gerry DiNardo, a longtime LSU coach, to be the team's head Coach.

Prior to the Thunderbolts being officially named, it was actually leaked that the team was originally to be named the Blast. The leak originated from posters on this site. As soon as the Birmingham public discovered that the team was to be named "Blast" there was a general outcry, as people thought the name “Blast” could be associated with the 1963 racist church bombings. The name was quickly changed to Thunderbolts, but the uniforms and logos, which were already designed, remained the same

Birmingham suffered the most from player defections and injuries before the season began. The team was hastily assembled, and never really clicked. The Bolts were known for starting off games slowly, only to come back late. They showed promise after a comeback came up just short in Week 1, and then jumped out to a 2-1 record, as the Hitmen and Enforcers stood 2 games behind the Bolts at 0-3 each. The Bolts fell apart and never won another game, they came close to beating the Rage in week 9, but were the first team eliminated.

Optimism ran high for a better season in 2002. The Birmingham head office staff, when interviewed by staff of this web site seemed optimistic. They were completely blind-sided by the closure of the league when it was announced in May 2001.