The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During 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.[2]
  | |
| Founded | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2012 |
| Based in | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Home stadium |
|
| General manager | Matt Boockmeier[1] |
| Owner(s) | Zach Nelson |
| Colors | Metallic Silver, Omaha Black, Omaha Slate |
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.[3][4] 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).[5] 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.[6]
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.[7] 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.[8]
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.[9] Just nine days later, Joe Moglia was named team president and head coach.[10] He was previously announced as the head coach for the expansion Virginia Destroyers.
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 |
2011 season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Kickoff * | Opponent | Results | Game site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||
| 1 | Thursday, September 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Virginia Destroyers | L 13–23 | 0–1 | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha |
| 2 | Bye | |||||
| 3 | Saturday, October 1 | 6:00 p.m. | at Sacramento Mountain Lions | W 33–30 | 1–1 | Hornet Stadium |
| 4 | Saturday, October 8 | 7:00 p.m. | at Las Vegas Locomotives | L 10–30 | 1–2 | Sam Boyd Stadium |
| 5 | Saturday, October 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Las Vegas Locomotives | L 6–13 | 1–3 | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha |
| 6 | Friday, October 21 † | 7:00 p.m. | Sacramento Mountain Lions | L 19–25 | 1–4 | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha |
| * All times are Central Time. † Postseason Consolation Game. | ||||||
2012 season
Moglia departed the head coaching position with the Nighthawks in December 2011 to take the head coaching position at Coastal Carolina University, taking much of his staff with him.[11] General manager Rick Mueller departed for the Philadelphia Eagles in January 2012.[12]
Bart Andrus, former head coach of the NFL Europe Amsterdam Admirals, longtime NFL assistant and Moglia's offensive coordinator during the 2011 season, assumed the title of head coach and general manager on August 9, 2012.
For the 2012 season, all UFL games were slated to be broadcast by CBS Sports Network.
On October 20, 2012, the United Football League announced it would suspend all operations and intended on resuming the canceled schedule some time in spring 2013, with those games counting toward the 2012 season standings. The league never resumed in spring of 2013. In March 2013, 78 players filed suit against the league.[13]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Kickoff * | Opponent | Results | Game site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||
| 1 | Friday, September 28 | 10:00 p.m. | at Sacramento Mountain Lions | W 24–20 | 1–0 | Raley Field |
| 2 | Wednesday, October 3 | 8:00 p.m. | at Las Vegas Locomotives | L 6–41 | 1–1 | Sam Boyd Stadium |
| 3 | Friday, October 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Virginia Destroyers | W 38–10 | 2–1 | TD Ameritrade Park |
| 4 | Wednesday, October 17 | 8:00 p.m. | Las Vegas Locomotives | L 26–38 | 2-2 | TD Ameritrade Park |
| 5 | Tuesday, October 23 | 8:00 p.m. | Sacramento Mountain Lions | TD Ameritrade Park | ||
| 6 | Wednesday, October 31 | 8:00 p.m. | at Las Vegas Locomotives | Sam Boyd Stadium | ||
| 7 | Friday, November 9 | 8:30 p.m. | at Virginia Destroyers | Virginia Beach Sportsplex | ||
| 8 | Friday, November 16 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. Virginia Destroyers | TD Ameritrade Park | ||
| * All times are Central Time. | ||||||
Season-by-season records
| Season | W | L | T | Pct. | Finish | Post Season | Awards |
| 2010 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 5th | ||
| 2011 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 3rd | Lost Consolation Game (Sacramento Mountain Lions) 25-19 (OT) | |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 2nd | Season cancelled | |
| Totals | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | - | - | - |
Records vs. teams
This includes postseason games.
| Team | Record | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Locomotives | 0-4 | .000 |
| Hartford Colonials | 2-0 | 1.000 |
| Sacramento Mountain Lions | 3-1 | .667 |
| Florida Tuskers/Virginia Destroyers | 1-3 | .250 |
Home, away and neutral records
| Location | Record | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 3-6 | .333 |
| Away | 3-6 | .333 |
| Neutral | 0-0 | .000 |