Houston Gamblers (2022)
The Houston Gamblers are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The Gamblers compete in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member club of the South division, and play their home games at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.
| Houston Gamblers | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
| Established 2021 Play in Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee https://twitter.com/USFLGamblers | |
 | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
United States Football League (2022–present)
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Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Black, Gambler red, yellow, white |
| Mascot | Ace |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports) |
| General manager | Robert Morris |
| Head coach | Curtis Johnson |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
| Home stadium(s) | |
| |
History
The Houston Gamblers were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021.[1] On January 6, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NCAA Football Head coach Kevin Sumlin was named the Head coach and General manager of the Gamblers.[2] Houston is the only city in the USFL nominally based west of the Mississippi River and the only team that has a representative team in both professional spring football leagues, the USFL (the Gamblers) and the XFL (the Houston Roughnecks), though the Gamblers have never set foot in Houston, instead playing as a traveling team under the USFL's hub model.
On January 6, 2022, from college head coach, Kevin Sumlin was named the head coach and general manager for the Houston Gamblers.[3] The Gamblers' first season game was on April 17, 2002, against the Michigan Panthers at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. Kicker Nick Vogel made a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter (the first points for the franchise). The Gamblers defeated the Panthers 17–12, winning their first game in franchise history. The Gamblers lost their next seven games before winning for their final two games of the season, and failing to qualify for the USFL playoffs.[4]
In September, 2022, the Gamblers announced that Robert Morris was named their new general manager.[5] In November 2022, the USFL announced that the Gamblers will play at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee for the 2023 season.[6] In February, 2023, Sumlin announced his plans to join the coaching staff of the Maryland Terrapins, this led to the Gamblers hiring former New Orleans Saints assistant coach, Curtis Johnson as their new head coach.[7]
Players of note
Current roster
Initially, each team carried a 38-man active roster and a 7-man practice squad, but the rosters were increased to 40 active players and 50 total in May, 2022.[8][9]
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Inactive roster
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USFL Defensive Player of the Year award winners
| Gamblers USFL DPOY winners | |||
| Year | Player | Position | Selector |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Chris Odom | DE | USFL |
Staff and head coaches
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
| |||||
Head coaches
| Name | Tenure | Seasons | Record | Division titles | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | ||||
| Kevin Sumlin | January 6, 2022 – February 16, 2023 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Curtis Johnson | February 16, 2023 – present | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Statistics and records
Season-by-season record
Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.
| USFL champions | Division champions | Wild Card berth |
| Season | Team | League | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct | ||||||||
| 2022 | 2022 | USFL | South | 4th | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | – | Chris Odom (DROY) | ||
| 2023 | 2023 | USFL | South | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | – | – | |||
| Totals | 6 | 9 | 0 | .400 | (2022–2023, regular season) | |||||||
| 0 | 0 | — | – | (2022–2023, playoffs) | ||||||||
| 6 | 9 | 0 | .400 | (2022–2023, regular season and playoffs) | ||||||||
Records
| All-time Gamblers leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Gamblers | |
| Passing | Clayton Thorson | 987 passing yards | 2022 | |
| Rushing | Mark Thompson | 463 rushing yards | 2022 | |
| Receiving | Isaiah Zuber | 322 receiving yards | 2022 | |
| Coaching wins | Kevin Sumlin | 3 wins | 2022 | |
| Sacks | Chris Odom | 12.5 sacks | 2022 | |
| Interceptions | William Likely | 4 interceptions | 2022 | |
References
- "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- Stephan Rachuk (January 6, 2022). "USFL Officially Reveals the First Four Head Coaches on The Herd". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- Gaydos, Ryan (2022-01-06). "4 USFL teams reveal their head coaches for upcoming season". Fox News. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- Stephan Rachuk (June 19, 2022). "Houston Gamblers Conclude USFL Season with Defensive Win Over New Orleans Breakers". www.usflnewroom.com. USFL Newsroom. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- "USFL hires new general managers for two teams". foxsports.com. Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. October 18, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ""We're Home" – Professional Football Returns To Memphis With Iconic USFL Showboats". www.memphistn.gov. City of Memphis. November 15, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- Sam Young (February 16, 2023). "USFL's Houston Gamblers hire Curtis Johnson as head coach". houstonchronicle.com. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- "USFL to have a "player selection meeting" on February 22–23". ProFootballTalk. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
- "USFL expands game-day rosters by two, total rosters by five". ProFootballTalk. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-06-01.