| |
| Established | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2001; 23 years ago (2001) |
| Based in | Whitney, Nevada |
| Home stadium | Sam Boyd Stadium |
| Head coach | Jim Criner |
| League | XFL |
| Division | Western |
| Colors | Red, black, sand[1] |
| League titles | 0 |
| Division titles | 0 |
The Las Vegas Outlaws were an American football team in the XFL. They played in the Western Division with the Los Angeles Xtreme, San Francisco Demons and Memphis Maniax. They played their home games at Sam Boyd Stadium. On February 3, 2001, The Outlaws hosted the first nationally televised XFL game on NBC against the New York/New Jersey Hitmen.[2][3]
Before the 2001 season began there was already question if Las Vegas could support a professional sports team due to past failed attempts with: Las Vegas Americans (Soccer-MISL- 1984-85), Las Vegas Dustdevils (Soccer-CISL-1994-1995), Las Vegas Posse (Football-CFL-1994) Las Vegas Quicksilvers (Soccer-NASL-1976-1978), Las Vegas Seagulls (Soccer-ASL-1979), Las Vegas Sting (Football-Arena Football League-1994-1995) and Las Vegas Thunder (IHL-1993-1999)[4] The Outlaws were sponsored by Cox Communications, New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Station Casinos, PacifiCare Health Systems and Findlay Toyota. Just like the Posse (and the later Locomotives), the Outlaws had a difficult time selling tickets. For the home opener against the Hitmen 13,700 tickets were sold for a stadium that seats 36,000. There were only 7,000 estimated season ticket holders. Compared to the rest of the league, the Outlaws' attendance was about average, at 22,000 fans per game. They were one of two teams (the league-leading San Francisco Demons being the other) to consistently play in a stadium that was more than half full. The league-leading defense, led by Defensive Coordinator Mark Criner, was nicknamed "The Dealers of Doom."
Among the team's players were the XFL's most well-known, Rod Smart (later with the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, and the Oakland Raiders), who went by the nickname of "He Hate Me", which appeared on the back of his jersey. (He was originally going to put "They Hate Me", but there wasn't enough room.) Coached by former Boise State and Scottish Claymores head coach Jim Criner, the Outlaws competed in the XFL's only season, held in the spring of 2001. The team encouraged their fans to come up with a nickname. They selected the "Dealers of Doom Defense". After a strong start, the Outlaws suffered repeated injuries to their quarterbacks (by the midpoint of the season they were on their fourth-string quarterback) and lost their last three games to finish in last place in the division with a record of 4-6-0, just one game out of a playoff spot.
Despite having a two-year contract, NBC announced shortly after the season that it was getting out, as the season's later games had garnered the lowest ratings for a major American television network since the Nielsen ratings had begun tracking them, and the league folded shortly afterwards.
The team was the centerpiece of the 2003 book about the XFL, Long Bomb: How the XFL Became TV's Biggest Fiasco. It was written by Brett Forrest of Details magazine.
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 4th Western | -- |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 3 | New York/New Jersey Hitmen | W 19–0 | 1–0 | Sam Boyd Stadium |
| 2 | February 11 | atMemphis Maniax | W 25–3 | 2–0 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| 3 | February 17 | Los Angeles Xtreme | L 9–12 | 2–1 | Sam Boyd Stadium |
| 4 | February 25 | atSan Francisco Demons | W 16–9 | 3–1 | Pacific Bell Park |
| 5 | March 4 | atChicago Enforcers | L 13–15 | 3–2 | Soldier Field |
| 6 | March 10 | atOrlando Rage | L 15–27 | 3–3 | Florida Citrus Bowl |
| 7 | March 17 | Birmingham Thunderbolts | W 34–12 | 4–3 | Sam Boyd Stadium |
| 8 | March 24 | at Los Angeles Xtreme | L 26–35 | 4–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| 9 | April 1 | San Francisco Demons | L 9–14 | 4–5 | Sam Boyd Stadium |
| 10 | April 7 | Memphis Maniax | L 3–16 | 4–6 | Sam Boyd Stadium |
| 2001 Las Vegas Outlaws staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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| Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Los Angeles Xtreme | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 235 | 166 | W1 | ||
| San Francisco Demons | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 156 | 161 | L1 | ||
| Memphis Maniax | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 167 | 166 | W2 | ||
| Las Vegas Outlaws | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 169 | 143 | L3 | ||
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| Eastern Division |
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| Western Division |
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| Related articles |
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