At the end of the season, there was only one UFL team left standing to hoist the trophy and claim the Championship Title. Few would have predicted that the Louisville Kings, a team that began the season ranked in last place, would be the victors.
Five Takeaways From The Louisville Kings' Outstanding Championship Victory
However, all season long, Coach Chris Redman stressed the fact that “there’s no quit in this team.” It didn’t matter that the team started 0-3 or that the Kings were ranked last in the league. He believed in the team and knew the players were talented enough to compete at the highest level.
No-Quit Attitude Ran Deep
Redman's no-quit mantra wasn’t just coaching rhetoric. He spoke from personal experience, after his son Brett’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent recovery. Going through that ordeal as a family forged a deep and abiding belief in the value of never giving up.
"No matter what happens in life, you can fight back. Don't ever doubt yourself," Redman said. "Don't ever quit.”
Redman told them to just focus on the task at hand. Do your job, support your teammates; one game at a time, one opponent at a time. Believe in yourselves and each other.
Perhaps because their coach never stopped believing in them, the team didn’t let him down. The players did as he asked, and the victories began to stack up.
In the locker room after the game, the coach thanked every player for their hard work.
“You know, we never gave up. This is something you’ll have for the rest of your life. I don’t care what happens to you. No matter what…you stay with it. You never give up in life.”
A Date With Destiny
It was only fitting that the United Bowl played out like the Kings’ entire season, with Jamie Sharper's superlative defense coming to the rescue. As the underdog playing a championship team on the road, the odds were stacked against Louisville. In the beginning, the offense struggled, unable to find a rhythm, turning the ball over twice. The ground game struggled to gain traction.
But just as it happened so often throughout the season, the Kings’ formidable defense stepped up. Safety Keaton Ellis tackled Xazavian Valladay from behind, jarring the ball loose. Scooping up the football, he ran it back for the touchdown to give the Kings a 7-3 lead.
The season-long script of Sharper’s defense creating masterful moments of chaos continued: All-UFL Team, cornerback Corey Mayfield Jr. slammed into Ty Scott just as he caught the ball, and the ball went flying. Eric Garror was right there to pick up the fumble and run it into the end zone.
All season long, Redman, the former Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl-winning quarterback, preached the importance of a strong defense.
"I said, look, if you get a chance on defense, when you get a ball, you scoop it and score. You don't just fall on it, right? We want to score when we have the opportunity."
The Defenders fought back with a stunning 60-yard field goal by Matt McCrane. D.C. wasn’t finished. They got the ball back for another possession and began moving the football. But in the closing moments of the game, Cam Dantzler made a stunning interception on an E.J. Perry desperation pass. Two plays later, James Robinson rushed into the end zone for the final score, and as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Kings won the United Bowl 27-20.
Redman Making The Tough Changes
Redman also had the foresight and the courage to trust his gut and make the tough changes the team needed to succeed; he replaced a position coach and rebuilt the offensive line from scratch. He traded Jason Bean to D.C. and handed Chandler Rogers the keys to the franchise.
As a rookie head coach whose only prior coaching experience was at the high school level, Redman showed tremendous courage and foresight in recognizing the problems and then taking the necessary steps to find the solution. Spotting the problem is only half the battle. Coming up with the solution and following through to implement it is much harder.
A Championship-Ready Offensive Line
One of the most monumental moves Redman made during the season was the overhaul of the offensive line. Firing former teammate and longtime friend offensive line coach Breno Giacomini, and hiring Charlie Eger from the University of Alabama at Birmingham as the team’s new offensive line coach, Redman set a new standard for the King O-line. Mediocrity was no longer acceptable. If a championship team was to be the goal, the offensive line had to meet that standard.
Signing Dohnovan West and replacing Leroy Watson and Nash Jenson were tough calls. But in the end, Redman got the offensive line he needed. He assembled a unit of veteran linemen from around the league and found the chemistry that was previously lacking.
Offensive line players are among the most underrated in professional football. Their stats aren’t as easy to track, and the work in the trenches isn’t as flashy. But make no mistake; behind every extraordinary long-distance run and thrilling pass play, there’s an offensive line holding strong.
A strong offensive line is crucial to the team's success. Often judged as a group rather than as individuals, the O-line is responsible for protecting the quarterback and making sure he has sufficient time to read options and make those throws. The offensive line provides superior blocking to open up running lanes. While wide receivers and running backs get all the credit for making those great plays, it's the offensive line that paves the way, allowing them to shine. Ian Wheeler earned his MVP Award, but West (C/G), Juwann Bushell Beatty (RT), Kellen Diesch (T), John Campbell Jr. (LT), and Mike McAllister (C) paved the way for that extraordinary 80-yard and game-winning performance.
UFL to NFL Bound Players
Although he’s likely to be the first signed, with Tanner Brown kicking three 60-yard-plus field goals, he won’t be the only Kings player tapped for the NFL this season. There’s a wealth of NFL-ready talent on this team, and quite a few players have distinguished themselves as the best in the league. In addition to Brown, OLB Cam Gill and Mayfield both made the All-UFL Team. Gill set a new UFL sack record with 10.0 sacks during the regular season. But besides these elite talents, several other Kings players distinguished themselves throughout the season and are deserving of an NFL team tryout.
For the latest information on which spring football standouts are headed to the NFL, check out UFLnewshub.com for the latest weekly updates on “UFL To NFL” players.