Memphis Showboats (2022)
American football team in Memphis, Tennessee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Memphis Showboats were a professional American football team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Showboats competed in the United Football League (UFL) and the United States Football League from 2023 to 2025.[1]
| Memphis Showboats | |||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||
| Founded | November 15, 2022 | ||||||||||
| Folded | 2025 | ||||||||||
| Stadium | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium | ||||||||||
| Colors | Navy blue, yellow, white | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Personnel | |||||||||||
| Owners | Fox Corporation (50%), Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, RedBird Capital Partners (50%) | ||||||||||
| General manager | Jim Monos | ||||||||||
| Head coach | Jim Turner | ||||||||||
| Team history | |||||||||||
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| Home fields | |||||||||||
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| League / conference affiliations | |||||||||||
United States Football League (2023)
United Football League (2024–2025)
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| Owners | |||||||||||
| Fred Smith (personal sponsor, 2023–2025) | |||||||||||
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History
The Showboats name and branding is based on the original Memphis Showboats of the original United States Football League. On November 15, 2022, it was announced that the Showboats were joining the United States Football League (USFL) to fill the Tampa Bay Bandits' spot after the team announced their hiatus for the 2023 USFL season.[2] On the same day, Todd Haley was announced as the Showboats' inaugural head coach. Players and coaches from the existing Bandits team were transferred to the Showboats.[3]
The Showboats finished the 2023 USFL season with a 5–5 record, placing third in the USFL South Division. They did not make the playoffs in 2023.
After the 2023 season, the showboats fired Head Coach Todd Haley.[4]
In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons.[5] On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge,[6] pending regulatory approval.[7] The merger was made official on December 31, 2023, and the league intends to begin its combined season on March 30, 2024.[8]
On January 3, 2024, the Showboats hired former New Orleans Breakers Head Coach and NFL Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo.[9]
The Showboats concluded the inaugural 2024 UFL season season with a 2–8 record, placing third in the USFL Conference and missing the playoffs. On June 2, 2024, the Showboats played the Houston Roughnecks, who were tied for last place with the showboats. It was announced that the winner of the game would receive the number one overall pick in the 2024 UFL draft. The Showboats would win 19–12, earning the number one pick.[10] The Showboats would be unable to capitalize on that first overall draft pick, as Jason Bean, whom the Showboats selected, chose not to sign with the team and stayed with the Indianapolis Colts.[11]
On August 2, 2024, the Showboats General manager Dennis Polian stepped down from his position.[12]
On August 9, 2024, DeFilippo and the Showboats parted ways after a 2–8 season in 2024.[13]
On September 23, 2024, the Showboats hired Former Tennessee Titans Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt. This came after the departure of Head Coach John DeFilippo. The Showboats also hired Jim Monos as their new General Manager on the same day.[14]
On March 24, 2025, Jim Turner was named the Interim head coach for the Showboats after Ken Whisenhunt took an indefinite leave of absence to tend to an unidentified personal matter.[15] On March 31, 2025, Whisenhunt returned,[16] but resigned permanently 16 days later.[17] Turner again assumed head coach duties; Noel Mazzone assumed the offensive playcalling duties that Whisenhunt had been handling.[18]
The Showboats have had among the UFL's lowest attendances. League vice President Daryl Johnston noted that the city had a small core of deeply passionate fans, the Yacht Club,[19] which he compared to the early 2010s-era Bills Mafia in his own home area of Western New York, a fan base that had likewise emerged in a time when its team was in a prolonged period of on-field malaise. Johnston had hoped on using the Bills Mafia as a template to build the Showboats fan base by word-of-mouth.[20]
The league had initially indicated that the Showboats, despite its poor attendance and on-field performance, would return at least for 2026. The Showboats benefited from an unusual sponsorship arrangement with FedEx, whose founder and chairman Fred Smith had long been involved in professional football efforts in the city. FedEx's sponsorship deal with the UFL and the Showboats runs through the end of the 2026 season.[21] Smith's unexpected death in June 2025 jeopardized those plans.[22] By August, incoming UFL co-ownership had indicated it would be moving between two and four teams,[23] reportedly all from the USFL Conference;[24] the Birmingham Stallions were eventually spared from relocation,[25] and the league was "trying" to save the Michigan Panthers with a more ideal stadium, effectively guaranteeing that Memphis and the Houston Roughnecks would be the two minimum teams relocating, one of them to Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.[24]
In August 2025, the Showboats signed the starting quarterback, both top receivers, and an offensive lineman from the Albany Firebirds, the champions of Arena Football One.[26]
The Showboats were formally discontinued on October 3, 2025.[27] Players under contract were transferred to the Louisville Kings.[28]
Player history
Current NFL Players
| Season | Pos | Name | NFL team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–2025 | C | Alec Lindstrom | New England Patriots |
| 2025 | RB | Deneric Prince | New England Patriots |
Notable players
| Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | RB | Alex Collins | Former NFL running back, 2016 NFL draft, 5th-round pick |
| 2025 | TE | Ryan Izzo | Former New England Patriots Tight End, 2018 7th Round Pick |
| 2025 | S | Obi Melifonwu | Former New England Patriots Safety, 2017 2nd Round Pick |
| 2025 | CB | Cameron Dantzler | Former Minnesota Vikings Cornerback, 2020 3rd Round Pick |
Coaches history
Head coaches
| No. | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Memphis Showboats | ||||||||||
| 1 | Todd Haley | 2023 | 10 | 5 | 5 | .500 | – | – | – | |
| 2 | John DeFilippo | 2024 | 10 | 2 | 8 | .200 | – | – | – | |
| 3 | Ken Whisenhunt | 2025 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | – | – | – | |
| 4 | Jim Turner | 2025 | 8 | 2 | 6 | .250 | – | – | – | |
Offensive coordinators
| No. | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Memphis Showboats | ||||||||||
| 1 | Bob Saunders | 2023 | 10 | 5 | 5 | .500 | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Doug Martin | 2024 | 10 | 2 | 8 | .200 | – | – | – | |
| 3 | T.J. Vernieri | 2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | – | – | – | |
| 4 | Ken Whisenhunt | 2025 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | – | – | – | |
| 5 | Noel Mazzone | 2025 | 7 | 2 | 5 | .287 | – | – | – | |
Defensive coordinators
| No. | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Memphis Showboats | ||||||||||
| 1 | Carnell Lake | 2023–2024 | 20 | 7 | 13 | .350 | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Jarren Horton | 2025 | 10 | 2 | 8 | .200 | – | – | – | |
Records
| All-time Showboats leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Showboats | |
| Passing yards | Cole Kelley | 1,534 passing yards | 2023 | |
| Passing touchdowns | Cole Kelley | 7 passing touchdowns | 2023
2024 | |
| Rushing yards | Darius Victor | 391 rushing yards | 2024 | |
| Rushing touchdowns | Darius Victor | 4 rushing touchdowns |
2024 | |
| Receiving yards | Jonathan Adams | 884 receiving yards | 2024–2025 | |
| Receiving touchdowns | Vinny Papale | 8 receiving touchdowns | 2023–2024 | |
| Receptions | Vinny Papale | 69 receptions | 2023–2024 | |
| Tackles | Kyree Woods | 86 tackles | 2024–2025 | |
| Sacks | Greg Reaves | 8.0 sacks | 2023–2024 | |
| Interceptions | Delrick Abrams
Kyee Woods |
2 interceptions | 2023–2024
2024–2025 | |
| Coaching wins | Todd Haley | 5 wins | 2023 | |
Starting quarterbacks
Regular season – As of June 2, 2025
| Season(s) | Quarterback(s) | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Cole Kelley (5–3) / Brady White (0–2) | [29] | |
| 2024 | Case Cookus (1–5) / Troy Williams (0–3) / Josh Love (1–0) | [30] | |
| 2025 | E. J. Perry (0–4) / Dresser Winn (1–3) / Troy Williams (1–1) | [31] | |
Most games as starting quarterback
| Name | Period | GP | GS | W | L | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Kelley | 2023 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 | .625 |
| Case Cookus | 2024 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 5 | .167 |
| Troy Williams | 2024–2025 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 |
| Dresser Winn | 2025 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 |
| E. J. Perry | 2025 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 |
| Brady White | 2023 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| Josh Love | 2024 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
Statistics and records
Season-by-season records
| UFL champions† (2024–present) | USFL champions§ (2022–2023) | Conference champions* | Division champions^ | Wild Card berth# |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | Head coaches | Pct. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | W | L | |||||||||
| 2023 | 2023 | USFL | N/a | South | 4th | 5 | 5 | Derrick Dillon (STPOY) | Todd Haley | .500 | |
| 2024 | 2024 | UFL | USFL | N/a | 3rd | 2 | 8 | Darius Victor (SMOY) | John DeFilippo | .200 | |
| 2025 | 2025 | UFL | USFL | N/a | 4th | 2 | 8 | Ken Whisenhunt Jim Turner |
.000 .250 | ||
| Total | 9 | 21 | All-time regular season record (2023–2025) | .300 | |||||||
| 0 | 0 | All-time postseason record (2023–2025) | – | ||||||||
| 9 | 21 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2023–2025) | .300 | ||||||||
Rivalries
Houston Gamblers/Roughnecks
The Memphis Showboats shared Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee with the Houston Gamblers (now called the Roughnecks) during the 2023 season. In 2024, the two teams played against each other in the season finale for the number one overall pick in the 2025 UFL draft. The winner would get the number one pick,[32] the Showboats won the game 19–12 and earned the 2025 number one pick.[33] Currently the Showboats have a 3–1 record against Houston.
Franchise matchup history
| Team | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey Generals | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Pittsburgh Maulers | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Houston Gamblers/Roughnecks | 3–1 | .750 |
| New Orleans Breakers | 1–1 | .500 |
| Michigan Panthers | 1–2 | .333 |
| Arlington Renegades | 0–1 | .000 |
| DC Defenders | 0–1 | .000 |
| Philadelphia Stars | 0–1 | .000 |
| San Antonio Brahmas | 0–1 | .000 |
| St. Louis Battlehawks | 0–2 | .000 |
| Birmingham Stallions | 1–4 | .200 |
- Defunct teams in light gray