| Omaha Nighthawks | |||||
| Year founded: 2010 | |||||
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| City | Omaha, Nebraska | ||||
| Head coach | Joe Moglia | ||||
| Owner(s) | Zach Nelson | ||||
| General manager | Rick Mueller | ||||
| Affiliations | |||||
| United Football League (2010–present) | |||||
| Current uniform | |||||
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| Team colors | Metallic Silver, Omaha Black, Omaha Slate
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| Team history | |||||
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| Championships | |||||
| League championships (0) | |||||
| Home fields | |||||
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The Omaha Nighthawks are a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which plays in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. For their first season, the Nighthawks played their home games at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium before moving to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha for 2011 and beyond. Zach Nelson, CEO of Internet software provider NetSuite, was announced as lead owner in August 2010.[1]
Franchise history[]
2010 season[]
On April 15, 2010, Omaha was granted an expansion team in the UFL, with former Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski being named the team's head coach.[2][3] The team allowed fans to name the new team by either writing in a name or choosing from a preselected list (Mustangs, Spirit, Navigators or Stags).[4] The Nighthawks name was officially unveiled on May 5, 2010 and won based on a strong write-in campaign. It was partially derived from the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the retired stealth fighter used in the United States Air Force.[5]
On September 21, the Tuesday before the team's first ever game, it was announced that a sellout crowd of 24,000 tickets were sold for the first time in UFL history, to watch the Nighthawks take on the Colonials in the franchise's first ever game.[6] Omaha defeated the Colonials, 27–26.
On November 19, the Omaha Nighthawks played Florida in the UFL's first alternate uniform: a camouflage jersey was worn in honor of the Armed Forces.[7]
On January 3, 2011, Jagodzinski was fired by the Nighthawks. Omaha chose to not renew his contract for the 2011 season as he led the Nighthawks to four straight losses to close out the season at 3-5, tied for last place in the league for 2010.[8] Just nine days later, Joe Moglia was named team president and head coach.[9] He was previously announced as the head coach for the expansion Virginia Destroyers. However, Jay Gruden will instead coach the Destroyers and Moglia will coach in a stadium that bears the name of a company he still serves on the board of.
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Game site | Attendance | TV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||||
| 1 | Bye | |||||||
| 2 | Friday, September 24 | 7:00 p.m. CT | Hartford Colonials | W 27–26 | 1–0 | Rosenblatt Stadium | 23,067 | HDNet |
| 3 | Saturday, October 2 | 7:30 p.m. CT | Sacramento Mountain Lions | W 20–17 | 2–0 | Rosenblatt Stadium | 23,416 | HDNet |
| 4 | Friday, October 8 | 9:00 p.m. CT | at Las Vegas Locomotives | L 10–22 | 2–1 | Sam Boyd Stadium | 9,767 | HDNet |
| 5 | Saturday, October 16 | 2:00 p.m. CT | at Hartford Colonials | W 19–14 | 3–1 | Rentschler Field | 14,056 | NESN |
| 6 | Bye | |||||||
| 7 | Thursday, October 28 | 7:00 p.m. CT | Las Vegas Locomotives | L 10–24 | 3–2 | Rosenblatt Stadium | 23,554 | HDNet |
| 8 | Friday, November 5 | 7:00 p.m. CT | at Florida Tuskers | L 14–31 | 3–3 | Citrus Bowl | 9,203 | HDNet |
| 9 | Saturday, November 13 | 10:00 p.m. CT | at Sacramento Mountain Lions | L 3–41 | 3–4 | Hornet Stadium | 20,000 | Versus |
| 10 | Friday, November 19 | 7:30 p.m. CT | Florida Tuskers | L 10–27 | 3–5 | Rosenblatt Stadium | 21,106 | HDNet |
Season-by-season records[]
| Season | W | L | T | Pct. | Finish | Post Season | Awards |
| 2010 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 5th | ||
| Totals | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | - | - | - |
Records vs. teams[]
This includes postseason games.
| Team | Record | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Locomotives | 0-2 | .000 |
| Hartford Colonials | 2-0 | 1.000 |
| Sacramento Mountain Lions | 1-1 | .500 |
| Florida Tuskers/Virginia Destroyers | 0-2 | .000 |
Home, away and neutral records[]
| Location | Record | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 2-2 | .500 |
| Away | 1-3 | .250 |
| Neutral | 0-0 | .000 |
Current personnel[]
Current staff[]
Omaha Nighthawks staff
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
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Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
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Current roster[]
Omaha Nighthawks roster
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
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References[]
- ↑ Jordan, Steve (2010-08-07). "Nighthawks investor returns to his Nebraska roots". Omaha World-Herald. http://www.omaha.com/article/20100807/SPORTS/708079817/0. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
- ↑ Robb, Jeffrey (2010-03-31). "New sport for new stadium?". Omaha World Herald. http://www.omaha.com/article/20100331/NEWS01/703319896. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
- ↑ Livingston, Thad (2010-04-13). "UFL plans announcement". Omaha World Herald. http://www.omaha.com/article/20100413/NEWS01/100419825#ufl-plans-announcement. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
- ↑ Robb, Jeffrey (2010-04-15). "UFL kicks off in Omaha". Omaha World Herald. http://www.omaha.com/article/20100415/NEWS/100419728. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
- ↑ "Omaha Welcomes the Nighthawks". United Football League. 2010-05-05. http://www.ufl-football.com/news/omaha-welcomes-nighthawks. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- ↑ "Nighthawks announce first ever sellout in UFL history home opener". United Football League. 2010-09-21. http://www.ufl-football.com/news/omaha-nighthawks-announce-first-ever-sellout-united-football-league-history-home-opener. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
- ↑ http://www.ufl-football.com/news/nighthawks-honor-armed-forces-camouflage-jerseys-auction
- ↑ Black Monday in the UFL, Too, USA Today, published January 3 2011, retrieved January 3, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.ufl-football.com/news/joe-moglia-named-president-and-head-coach-omaha-nighthawks-united-football-league