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Sports
Feb. 04, 2009
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Fassel to coach Las Vegas UFL club

New football league starts making moves

By MARK ANDERSON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
More Info


Jim Fassel
Coached the Giants to the Super Bowl following the 2000 season and a seven-year record of 60-56-1

Las Vegas hasn't officially been given a team in the upstart United Football League, but it has a coach who has been to the Super Bowl.

Former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel will guide the Las Vegas franchise, according to a source who provided the information on the condition he was not named.

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    • UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue said he would not confirm or deny Fassel's hiring, but said announcements regarding the league's future are forthcoming.

    Attempts to contact Fassel and his agent were unsuccessful Tuesday.

    UFLAccess.com, a Web site not affiliated with the league, reported Monday that Fassel would be hired by the Las Vegas franchise. An independent source confirmed that to the Review-Journal.

    Including a 2-3 playoff record, Fassel had a 60-56-1 mark with the Giants from 1997 to 2003. He coached New York to the Super Bowl following the 2000 season, which it lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

    The Las Vegas team, which has not been named, will play on Thursdays and Fridays at Sam Boyd Stadium this fall.

    Other details about the UFL, such as franchise cities, length of the season and team owners and coaches, will be answered in the coming months.

    According to the league Web site, other potential cities include Hartford, Conn.; Los Angeles; Monterrey, Mexico; Orlando, Fla.; New York; Salt Lake City; and San Francisco.

    Billionaire Bill Hambrecht and Google executive Tim Armstrong are driving forces behind the UFL. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also is believed to be involved.

    Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.

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    scott wrote on February 05, 2009 07:03 AM: Yes the UFL is real!
    Great investors and a learned methodology- even in a recession- from other leagues before them.
    This will be a GREAT alternative football league! NO XFL gimmicks!
    www.uflfanstore.blogspot.com


    LV football! wrote on February 04, 2009 11:14 PM: This is not XFL, CFL or AFL. Read up on it a bit before bashing it. Jeez, Vegas cynicism at it's finest. Wall Street Journal even said this league's plan has everything right that other leagues had wrong. Hopefully there are some decent football fans still living in LV. If you ever want to be considered a legit sports market, become legit sports fans. I already have season tix reserved. But I'm not a cynical cretin either. This league is going to have TALENT on the field and sidelines. Great for LV.


    Dave wrote on February 04, 2009 04:34 PM: UFL? God, another football failure in Las Vegas. Will they ever learn?? Remember the Posse? Yea, that worked out well....


    Mike wrote on February 04, 2009 04:15 PM: Try to market this to thousands of workers in this town - service and otherwise - who are either out of work or have their backs to the wall.


    Ken wrote on February 04, 2009 03:58 PM: Steve -- do you think employees got two tickets each and nearly every host in town didn't get any? I know I got them from my host. I have no idea who paid and never really cared. The league barely lasted a couple months.

    The point is, no one cares about a minor league football team. The curiousity factor will work in a tourist town like Vegas but let's not kid ourselves. This league will not last two years.


    Sure wrote on February 04, 2009 12:52 PM: The ghost of desert inn gives it 2 years? I'll take the under. Hell, if he gives if 1/2 a game I'll still take the under.


    Steve wrote on February 04, 2009 11:57 AM: And you know half the seats were filled as comps how?
    As a former employee I know this was not the case...players/staff were given 2 tickets each that's it! The Vegas team had the best profit margin in the entire league!


    Ken wrote on February 04, 2009 11:48 AM: Arena took the year off because of lack of interest and they are owned by the best sports marketers out there -- ESPN.

    This will flop miserably unless they have topless cheerleaders and a rollerball-esque mentality. Give us a Jonathan E and some blood and you might have something. But if it is merely has-beens and players who suck too much to make it into the NFL, it will go nowhere.

    Oh and Steve, half of the XFL seats were filled as comps. You can never compare sports attendance in Vegas to any other city.


    Steve wrote on February 04, 2009 09:59 AM: Yea remember Vince's XFL league that sold out every game in Las Vegas? Oh yea I do remember that!
    It did not work in the bigger cities that have NFL teams...if they are smart they keep this league out of NFL cities


    the ghost of desert inn wrote on February 04, 2009 08:16 AM: i give it two seasons before this league disappears. Remember Vince's XFL league?


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