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Note: Please Click on individual game scores to view match reports and scorers for those games

Report

In the first of a new series on Eirball, relive important, significant and exciting seasons from years gone by week-by-week on a daily basis. For the next Fortnight Eirball shall provide the reader each day with a weeks match reports and video footage of the XFL 2001, the brainchild of World Wrestling Federation’s Vince McMahon, which was ultimately doomed to failure but initially caught the fans attention with its message of fun and extreme football, in contrast to what was portrayed as the “boring” “No Fun League” (NFL).

Week 1 Recap

Vince McMahon was seen in Las Vegas before the Opening Kickoff of the 2001 XFL season, its’ first ever, fine-tuning details, as Las Vegas Outlaws deteated New York/New Jersey Hitmen 19-0 before 30,389 fans. The Cheerleaders in Hotpants and Push-Up Bustiers competed for the fans attention with the Football on the Field before 1000ft TV Screens inside the Stadium, and the Helmet Cam was first used to give fans a new perspective and get deep into the action. The second half of the game dragged as the teams traded punts, however and the Cheerleaders seemed to some fans to be more worth watching.

In San Francisco, the home team Demons defeated Los Angeles Xtreme 15-13 at Pacific Bell Park in a game that was most remebered for a season-ending injury before kickoff to one of the players as instead of the coin toss two players dashed 20 yards to centre field to try and gain possesion of the football which was placed there. The unfortunate player had his shoulder disclocated in the scramble for the ball, ending his season before a ball was kicked. In other matches Orlando Rage defeated Chicago Enforcers 33-29 at Citrus Field in Florida in front of 33,603 spectators and Memphis Maniax won by the slender margin of 22-20 before 35,311 at Legion Field in Birmingham Alabama, in a Deep South rivalry with the Bolts.

The TV ratings war was won, which was important for both Vince McMahon who was refused a CFL franchise, and NBC who had lost their license to broadcast the NFL, It proved shortlived, howver, as it appealed mostly to an 18-24 year old male category, in contrast to the NFL’s family friendly atmosphere. The following weeks as shall be seen the ratings and attendances dropped off for the ill-fated adventure, which was brought back in 2020 for a second season.

Week 2 Recap

Again most of the talk surrounding the XFL was about the spectacle surrounding the Football, in the stands and the cheerleaders, fireworks, blaring music and in the opening home game of the season in Los Angeles for the Xtreme a hot tub with bikini-clad women, party-tent and rowdy fans hurling beer cans at each other.

On Saturday the 10th of February, the LA game saw the Xtreme win in overtime 39-32 against the Chicago Enforcers, the nerwspaper reporter neglecting to mention all but the opening and closing touchdowns of the match as Tommy Maddox, the former UCLA Bruins star quarteback threw for four touchdowns. Also on Saturday, Orlando Rage won 26-14 at home in the Citrys Bowl versus San Francisco Demons, with the attendance noticably down on the previous weekend, by as much as 11,500.

Sunday saw the temperature drop and the attendance likewise in New Jersey as the New York / New Jersey Hitmen opened their home schedule in freezing temperatures and 22 mph winds, which made the surface like ice and contributed to five turnovers. of over 35,000 fans at the match only 5,000 braved it out until the end. The final game of the weekend was a 19-3 win for Las Vegas Outlaws in Memphis against the Maniax as Las Vegas remained only one of two teams on a 2-0 record, Orlando Rage being the other .

Week 3 Recap

Three dull games with little in the way of scores were made up for by the Sunday Night game in Giants Stadium, New Jersey, where the Football kept the 20,000 fans in the Stadium until the end unlike the previous week where the dull football, many mistakes and fireworks, gyrating cheerleaders and microphones on players failed to do. This sent a message to the XFL – the fans wanted Real Football, not gimmicks.

On Saturday Los Angeles Xtreme defeated Las Vegas Outlaws courtesy of four Jose Cortes Field Goals, winning 12-9, as Las Vegas Outlaws defense, which had only let in three points in its first twio matches failed to make up for their lack of Offensive output. Outlaws’ Back-up quarterback Mike Cawley, who stepped in for the injured Ryan Clement was sacked seven times during the match. San Francisco also had a late come-from-behind win, 13-6 versus Memphis Maniax, whicxh dropped Memphis to 1-2 and left thewe Demons on 2-1 in a three-way tie for first place in the West Conference with LA Xtreme and Las Vegas Outlaws.

Sunday’s fare was little better in Birmingham, as temperatures dropped to 40 degrees fahrenheit and the attendance did likewise, down to 17,582 from the 30,000 on the Bolts home opening night. Duane Butler scored a timely 98 yard Interception Return for a Touchdown with less than two minutes remaining to give the Bolts a 12-3 win. The final game was the game of the week in Giants Stadium, which despite a field like ice and freezing temperatures, Orlando Rage kept the fans in their seats with a fourth quarter comeback which saw them rally from 12-3 down to win 18-12.

Week 4 Recap

The Media attention was again on the XFL for all ther wrong reasons in Week 4, with TV Ratings dropping to 2.9 for the Saturday match-up between New York / New Jersey Hitmen and Chicago Enforcers, which finished 13-0 at Soldier Field in the Windy City for the visitors. On opening night in week 1, the Ratings had been 10.3, then dropped to 5.1 and 3.8 before a new low of 2.9 this week, meaning only 2.9 % of households in the 49 major markets tuned in.

The Orlando Rage continued on winning ways, defeating Birmingham Thunderbolts (a.k.a Bolts) 30-6 in Orlando, as they remained the only unbeaten team on 4-0. The win put a two-game cushion between them and the second-placed Bolts in the East Conference. Chicago remained winless after losing the battle of the two 0-3 teams.

In the West Conference, Las Vegas Outlaws took over sole ownership of first with a 16-9 win in San Francisco versus the Demons, thanks to the Quarterbacking of Mark Grieb, who had been a Masters student in Stanford University two weeks previously. Having asked his department for permission to finish his quarter of studies and play at the same time they gave him their blessing. In Los Angeles attendance was a third of what it was for their opening home game as the Memphis Maniax triumphed 18-12 to bring Maniax level with both LA and San Francisco on 2-2, one game behind the Outlaws.

Logo References

[1] Official XFL Wayback Machine (2001) Xtreme_Logo1 [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011024192051im_/http://www.officialxfl.com/images/smalllogos/Xtreme_Logo1.gif [Accessed 11 August 2021]

Logo references

[2] Las Vegas Outlaws Wayback Machine (2001) oultaws_logo1 [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20010301185743im_/http://www.lasvegasoutlaws.com/images/oultaws_logo1.gif [Accessed 11 August 2021]

[3] Official XFL Wayback Machine (2001) Xtreme_Logo1 [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011024192051im_/http://www.officialxfl.com/images/smalllogos/Xtreme_Logo1.gif [Accessed 11 August 2021]

[4] Official XFL Wayback Machine (2001) Maniax_Logo1 [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011024192051im_/http://www.officialxfl.com/images/smalllogos/Maniax_Logo1.gif [Accessed 11 August 2021]

[5] Official XFL Wayback Machine (2001) Demons_Logo1 [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011024192051im_/http://www.officialxfl.com/images/smalllogos/Demons_Logo1.gif [Accessed 11 August 2021]

[6] Birmingham Pro Sports (2021) logo birmingham thunderbolts [Internet] Available from: http://www.birminghamprosports.com/birminghamthunderbolts/logo%20birmingham%20thunderbolts.jpg [Accessed 11 August 2021]

[7] Official XFL Wayback Machine (2001) Enforcers_Logo1 [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011024192051im_/http://www.officialxfl.com/images/smalllogos/Enforcers_Logo1.gif [Accessed 11 August 2021]

[8] Official XFL Wayback Machine (2001) Hitman_Logo1 [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011024192051im_/http://www.officialxfl.com/images/smalllogos/Hitman_Logo1.gif [Accessed 11 August 2021]

[9] Official XFL Wayback Machine (2001) Rage_Logo1 [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011024192051im_/http://www.officialxfl.com/images/smalllogos/Rage_Logo1.gif [Accessed 11 August 2021]

References

Newspapers

[10] First Down (2001) XFL February 8-14, 2001. pg. 22

[11] First Down (2001) XFL February 15-21, 2001. pg. 20

[12] First Down (2001) XFL February 22-28, 2001. pg. 14

[13] First Down (2001) XFL March 1-7, 2001. pg. 14

[14] First Down (2001) XFL March 8-14, 2001. pg. 16

[15] First Down (2001) XFL March 15-21, 2001. pg. 16

[16] First Down (2001) XFL March 22-28, 2001. pg. 16

[17] First Down (2001) XFL March 29-April 4, 2001. pg. 17

[18] First Down (2001) XFL April 5-11, 2001. pg. 

[19] First Down (2001) XFL April 12-18, 2001. pg. 

REFERENCES

IMAGES

[20] Birmingham Thunderbolts (2001) XFL Logo [Internet] Available from: https://www.birminghamprosports.com/birminghamthunderbolts/logo%20xfl.jpg [Accessed 20 July 2019]

WEBSITES

[21] Remember the XFL (2017) XFL Final Standings [Internet] Available from: http://sites.google.com/site/rememberthexfl/standings [Accessed 3 February 2017]

[22] Remember the XFL (2017) Weekly Results [Internet] Available from: http://sites.google.com/site/rememberthexfl/weekly-results [Accessed 31 December 2019]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Donie, Nigs, Ian Breathnach, Alan Gray, Mark Mahon, Mark, Denis Culhane, Willie Winters

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 14 August 2021

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020-2021

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved. The Logos and Photos used in this article remain the property of the organisations and individuals which own the copyright and are used here for educational and information purposes only.