United National Gridiron League
Encyclopedia
The United National Gridiron League (UNGL) was a proposed minor
professional football
league. The league was formed in August 2007 and was originally called the United National Football League.
The league's inaugural draft took place January 8–9, 2009. The league had planned to begin the season on February 8, 2009 but, after a multiple postponements of the kick-off date, the inaugural season was pushed back to March 2010, because of financing problems.
On March 10, 2010, the league announced via an email to the media, that it was canceling the 2010 season and suspending league operations indefinitely. In the statement to the media, the league said, "We were very hopeful that this announcement would not have to be made (or at the very least we might have been able to delay our season start a bit), if we had been able to secure certain assurances and arrangements from the investor group we had been working with these past 4 months. Unfortunately, as of this past Monday, we were unable to confirm these arrangements which prohibited us, in good conscience, from announcing our league start date, along with the other announcements everyone was expecting regarding our player draft, camp report date, etc.."
Salem civic facilities director Carey Harveycutter said UNGL officials have not been talking with him about getting back in business with the city. CEO Marvin Tomlin's response, to the surprise of Salem officials, was "We are very interested in coming and playing in Salem, We haven't confirmed the facility yet out there in Salem, but we are very eager to talk. I just wanted everybody to know that this is where we want to come back to play."
An August 2009 news release said there will also be teams in Miami; Columbus, Ga.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Akron, Ohio, as well as teams in unnamed cities in North Carolina, Texas and Louisiana. Tomlin refused to say how many actual facility agreements he has with those cities for 2010.
Harveycutter called UNGL president Ben Eison on Friday August 21, 2009 after learning of the league's announcement. He said Eison told him Friday, "We're not announcing facilities; we're just announcing areas, and you should not read into it that they have contracted any facilities."
Harveycutter said he told Eison, "As I left it last spring, if you will execute the contract and provide the cash deposits called for, then we will talk."
Tomlin refused to name his investors or say how much financing was in place. "Our financing is strong," Tomlin said. The league had planned to debut last February, but the start of the 2009 season was postponed because of a "dishonest commitment made by the league's primary investor," according to an announcement that used to be on the UNGL's Web site.
The league had originally turned down Salem in favor of Norfolk, but the UNGL called Harveycutter in April to say that Norfolk didn't work out and that the league would be starting its season in May.
The UNGL reached a deal with Salem, but 10 days later—on April 27—a UNGL official e-mailed Harveycutter to say the league was suspending operations for the 2009 season. April 27 had been the deadline to mail the contract back to Salem, along with a $10,000 down payment.
As of early 2010, there have been no announcements as to where the league intends on playing football games in any of the eight team cities.
, Indoor Football League
(IFL), and some from practice squads of National Football League
(NFL) franchises.
Dan Burks
from the UAB was the first running back selected in the inaugural UNGL draft by the Alabama franchise.
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
professional football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
league. The league was formed in August 2007 and was originally called the United National Football League.
The league's inaugural draft took place January 8–9, 2009. The league had planned to begin the season on February 8, 2009 but, after a multiple postponements of the kick-off date, the inaugural season was pushed back to March 2010, because of financing problems.
On March 10, 2010, the league announced via an email to the media, that it was canceling the 2010 season and suspending league operations indefinitely. In the statement to the media, the league said, "We were very hopeful that this announcement would not have to be made (or at the very least we might have been able to delay our season start a bit), if we had been able to secure certain assurances and arrangements from the investor group we had been working with these past 4 months. Unfortunately, as of this past Monday, we were unable to confirm these arrangements which prohibited us, in good conscience, from announcing our league start date, along with the other announcements everyone was expecting regarding our player draft, camp report date, etc.."
Financial struggles
The league pushed back its season three times. According to the UNGL's Web site, the start of the season had been pushed back from February to May because of a "dishonest commitment made by the league's primary investor. reported in February that the investor "suddenly withdrew its $15 million contribution." There has also been scrutiney surrounding the Salem team. The League originally struck a deal with the City of Salem for use of their Stadium in April 2009, then 10 days later canceled their season. Then in August 2009 the League announced that Salem would be home to a team in 2010. That was news to Salem officials, who learned about it when the press release was posted on roanoke.com.Salem civic facilities director Carey Harveycutter said UNGL officials have not been talking with him about getting back in business with the city. CEO Marvin Tomlin's response, to the surprise of Salem officials, was "We are very interested in coming and playing in Salem, We haven't confirmed the facility yet out there in Salem, but we are very eager to talk. I just wanted everybody to know that this is where we want to come back to play."
An August 2009 news release said there will also be teams in Miami; Columbus, Ga.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Akron, Ohio, as well as teams in unnamed cities in North Carolina, Texas and Louisiana. Tomlin refused to say how many actual facility agreements he has with those cities for 2010.
Harveycutter called UNGL president Ben Eison on Friday August 21, 2009 after learning of the league's announcement. He said Eison told him Friday, "We're not announcing facilities; we're just announcing areas, and you should not read into it that they have contracted any facilities."
Harveycutter said he told Eison, "As I left it last spring, if you will execute the contract and provide the cash deposits called for, then we will talk."
Tomlin refused to name his investors or say how much financing was in place. "Our financing is strong," Tomlin said. The league had planned to debut last February, but the start of the 2009 season was postponed because of a "dishonest commitment made by the league's primary investor," according to an announcement that used to be on the UNGL's Web site.
The league had originally turned down Salem in favor of Norfolk, but the UNGL called Harveycutter in April to say that Norfolk didn't work out and that the league would be starting its season in May.
The UNGL reached a deal with Salem, but 10 days later—on April 27—a UNGL official e-mailed Harveycutter to say the league was suspending operations for the 2009 season. April 27 had been the deadline to mail the contract back to Salem, along with a $10,000 down payment.
As of early 2010, there have been no announcements as to where the league intends on playing football games in any of the eight team cities.
League structure
The United National Gridiron League was to have the same professional rules as the NFL. The teams were named and selected by the Board of Directors. All teams were slated to be owned by the league.Inaugural draft
On January 8 and 9, 2009 the UNGL held its inaugural draft. Those selected were primarily college players, however the draft also included players from other leagues, such as the All-American Football League (AAFL), Arena Football League (AFL), American Indoor Football Association (AIFA), Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL), af2Af2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
, Indoor Football League
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
(IFL), and some from practice squads of National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) franchises.
Dan Burks
Dan Burks
Dan Burks is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at UAB....
from the UAB was the first running back selected in the inaugural UNGL draft by the Alabama franchise.
UNGL Regional Mini Camps
The UNGL held 3 regional mini camps to determine who would be invited to participate in the 2010 UNGL Draft.- Locations and Dates:
- Florida: Held on August 15, 2009 at Sperling Sports Complex in DeLand, FloridaDeLand, FloridaDeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 24,375. It is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 436,575 in 2006...
- Ohio - Held on October 18, 2009
- Texas: Held on January 17, 2010 at Tiger Stadium in Lancaster, TexasLancaster, TexasLancaster is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. The population was 25,894 at the 2000 census.Lancaster is a suburb of Dallas, Texas and is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes Lancaster, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, and Duncanville. Most of the city is in Dallas County. But a...
Teams
The teams planned for the 2010 season were:- Alabama Blackbirds (Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, AlabamaBirmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
) - Dallas Bluestorm (Dallas, TexasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
) - Georgia Slashers (Columbus, GeorgiaColumbus, GeorgiaColumbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
) - Louisiana Lancers (Shreveport, LouisianaShreveport, LouisianaShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
) - Miami Scorchers (Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
) - North Carolina Comets (Winston-Salem, North CarolinaWinston-Salem, North CarolinaWinston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
) - Ohio Marauders (Massillon, OhioMassillon, OhioMassillon is a city located in Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately 8 miles to the west of Canton, Ohio, 20 miles south of Akron, Ohio, and 50 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio. The population was 32,149 at the 2010 census....
) - Virginia Swarm (Salem, VirginiaSalem, VirginiaSalem is an independent city in Virginia, USA, bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census...
)