On Wednesday evening, September 16, 2026, Louisville Kings' fans finally had a chance to celebrate their United Bowl Championship team in style at Lynn Family Stadium. Cornerback Cam Dantzler hoisted the United Bowl Trophy and carried it around the stadium, allowing fans to see and touch it up close. Coach Chris Redman took the microphone, thanking the fans for their dedicated participation and attendance.
Looking out into the crowd, he proclaimed, “The party's just getting started!”
Louisville Kings Looking to Build On Championship Success in 2027
During the celebration, UFL President and CEO Russ Brandon announced that the Kings would have the honor of opening the season on Friday, March 26th, with the first UFL game for 2027.
The UFL has every reason to celebrate the success enjoyed by the Louisville Kings. As a new expansion location, the team was immediately welcomed and embraced by the football-hungry city. The team’s triumph in rising from a brand-new team to the UFL Champions in one season is a testament to the opportunity the league provides for talented players, coaches, and fans alike.
Ahead of the United Bowl last June, Brandon referred to the success of the Kings as a model for the league’s growth and expansion.
Brandon told reporters the UFL considers Louisville "a blueprint for the success that we look to have in new markets as we continue to grow.”
In selecting a city that lacked a professional football team but offered a venue with the desired 12,000-15,000 capacity, Louisville was the ideal location. The Lynn Family Stadium fit the bill, the city was eager to support the football team, and the weekly attendance figures of 11,195 fans ranked second in the league for the year behind St. Louis.
Pairing the Right Location With The Perfect Coach
When Mike Repole took over UFL ownership in 2026, the billionaire entrepreneur provided the league with the steady leadership and direction that had been missing. He began by hiring head coaches who had an established connection and history with the host city.
In selecting Redman, the local hometown hero, to coach the Kings, he and his staff couldn’t have done a better job. Born and raised in the city, Redman shattered University records with the Louisville Cardinals. In 1999, he was the C-USA Offensive Player of the Year and winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top senior quarterback. With many of those records still standing today, he was inducted into Louisville’s prestigious Ring of Honor in 2014.
Parlaying his college success into a third-round 2000 NFL Draft pick with the Baltimore Ravens, Redman was selected at number 75 overall. He was the third quarterback taken off the board that year and one of several quarterbacks selected ahead of Tom Brady at number 199.
In Redman’s rookie season, he was the third-string quarterback behind Tony Banks and Trent Dilfer. Although he played sparingly that year, he contributed to the Ravens’ Championship season that culminated with their 2001 Super Bowl 34-7 victory over the New York Giants.
A Championship Season
As an 11-year veteran of the NFL, Redman was able to translate that successful formula into building a championship-caliber team. He began by recruiting several of his former Super Bowl winning Raven’s teammates to become part of his coaching staff. Their familiarity with each other and intimate knowledge of what it took to become a championship-worthy team created the foundation of what would soon become the Kings’ standard.
Despite a season that began 0-3, Redman and his staff quickly identified the problems and set about correcting them. Restructuring the offensive line and hiring a new line coach, trading the starting quarterback, and promoting backup Chandler Rogers to lead the team gave the Kings the stability and leadership they needed to bounce back. From that point on, the Kings compiled a 6-1 regular season record and earned a playoff berth.
Several of the team's talented stars were named to the All-UFL Team. Nonetheless, the team was viewed as the underdogs. In the postseason, the Kings took on the two toughest teams in the league, the perennial favorite St. Louis Battlehawks and the 2025 Champion D.C. Defenders. The Kings earned hard-fought victories over both teams. Louisville was the team holding the United Bowl Trophy aloft at the end of the 2026 season.
UFL TO NFL Pipeline
Immediately following the close of the UFL season, several of the Kings players were signed by NFL teams and attended training camps. Over the course of the NFL preseason, as many as 17 Kings' players had tryouts with NFL teams. However, out of the 84 UFL players, only two made the 53-man rosters out of training camp, with several others re-signed to team practice squads. To date, Louisville and Detroit Lions' wide receiver Lucky Jackson is the only Louisville player who is currently with an NFL team.
While it is quite likely, as the NFL season continues, and player injuries begin to take their toll, other Kings' players could be recalled by the NFL teams they trained with during the preseason. However, if a UFL player doesn't sign an NFL Reserve/ Future contract for 2027, the good news is that Louisville retained the rights to team players for the 2027 season.
With many of the team's core players indicating they would return, this team is primed for success in 2027. In addition to Dantzler and Rogers, elite talents such as running back Ian Wheeler, the United Bowl MVP, UFL Defensive Player of the Year Cam Gill, and Special Teams Player of the Year Tanner Brown, could conceivably return for the 2027 season. If so, the Louisville fans have a lot to look forward to in the year ahead.