UFL Team Coming To Omaha: Nighthawks

[GSG]

Per the Omaha Nighthawks twitter account: Ahman Green is now a Nighthawk!

 

http://twitter.com/OmahaNighthawks/status/15811991232

 

Ahman Green?! Ah crap, I revoke all previous statements. I'll bite now.

 

And in more important news:

 

http://www.ufl-football.com

 

I will be seeing all of you guys at Westroads on June 26

 

This fall the Nighthawks will have 32 of the best dancers in Omaha on the sidelines as Coach Jeff Jagodzinski leads the Nighthawks into battle at Rosenblatt. The dance and cheerleading squad, headed up by Shan Stavropoulos, is holding tryouts in the near future. Information below:

 

Preliminaries

Saturday, June 12

Registration: 8:30am

Auditions: 10:30am

I Think Fit Gym

2424 South 156th Circle, Omaha, NE 68130

 

Finals

Saturday, June 26

10:30am

Westroads Mall

1000 California Street,

Omaha, NE 68114

 

Omaha Nighthawks Cheerleader/Dance Director Shan Stavropoulos

Shan started dancing when she was 4 years old in Walnut Creek, California prior to moving to Omaha, NE. She then became a member of her high school’s cheer team, and dance team. Shan accumulated several dance team awards with her Ralston Ram High School Pom Squad and was named NDA All-American, voted a NDA Superstar and was recruited to teach summer dance camps as a NDA Instructor. Shan was also selected to perform in the Aloha Bowl in Hawaii. Shan then moved on to become part of the UNK Dance Team, where she was one of the main choreographers. She has judged many tryouts and competitions along the way, as well as choreographed for various events, schools and programs such as the UNO Dance Team, Nebraska All-Star Tigers, Skutt Dance Team, Marian Cheer Team, KWAA Panthers (just to name a few). Recently, she was the Director of Tryouts for the NebraskaWesleyan University Dance Team, and a hip hop instructor for Kitty Lee Dance Studio. Currently, Shan is the Coach and Choreographer for the UDA National Champion Millard West Dance Team, where she has coached and choreographed for the past 7 years. She has accumulated 18 Best Choreography Awards, 10 Best Costume Awards, 4 UDA Coaches Leadership Awards, as well as the team placing in the top 10 at UDA Nationals since 2003. Shan is very excited about the UFL bringing the OmahaNighthawks to her home town and is proud of the way the community has embraced the league.

 

I'm betting they'll have pretty sweet dancers uniforms too!!

[Bradr]

I'm betting they'll have pretty sweet dancers uniforms too!!

 

Only if they call the cheerleaders the B-32 Bombers!!!

[GSG]

Rumor is that the Nighthawks are looking at signing Jamarcus Russell as their QB

[Bleeding Husker Red]

By all rights it should be either the Omaha Mustangs, or The River City Raiders.

 

 

Assuming of course, that the franchise could get the rights to one of those names.

[Husker_Power]

A link to the Nighthawks' Provisional Roster: http://www.ufl-footb...visional-roster

Some names to note: Daniel Bullocks, Ahman Green, Keith Eloi, Jay Moore, & Jeff Souder.

[mmmtodd]

maybe the league wont last, but anyone thinking that the team wont draw a crowd here in omaha....well, 1600 showed up for a practice at papillion lavista high school yesterday.

[mmmtodd]

uniforms unveiled. pretty snazzy.

 

 

[GSG]

I like all the teams uniforms except Sacramento's. Those gold jerseys with black sleeves are just ugly IMO

 

Omaha's look damn good. The away jerseys are really nice

[MoStateHusker]

Cory Ross modeling the new Sacramento home uniform on the right and Ahman Green in the new Omaha home uniform in the back/left

 

[GSG]

Football: Stealth is this Nighthawk's aim during Rosenblatt visit

 

By Steven Pivovar

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

 

Brian Melekian's goal in spending two days at Rosenblatt Stadium was to make sure no one knew any work had been done.

 

Melekian is the director of business management for the United Football League. He was in town overseeing the work that will transform Rosenblatt into the home of the Omaha Nighthawks this fall.

 

The field, which will run east and west, was surveyed and set up. Footings were installed for the goal posts. The gooseneck sections of the posts were installed, then removed. The holes were refilled.

 

Before leaving town, Melekian said, he was going to ask someone from the Omaha Royals' front office staff to try to find the holes.

 

“We don't think they'll be able to find them,'' Melekian said. “If they can't find the holes for the posts or know where our field is going to be, then we've done well.

 

“We want them to make the playoffs in September, and we want their season to end with a championship on Sept. 18. Then we'll have six days to convert this field into a football field.''

 

The Nighthawks play their first home game Sept. 24 against Hartford. They'll play four games at Rosenblatt in their inaugural season before moving to Omaha's new downtown stadium in 2011.

 

Rosenblatt served as a football venue throughout its first three decades. Omaha high school teams played there. The stadium hosted several National Football League exhibition games as well as serving as home for the semipro Omaha Mustangs.

 

In the past, the field was always set up to run north and south. Melekian said the Nighthawks and the league decided to go with an east-west configuration to optimize prime seating.

 

The Stadium View Club will offer the Nighthawks a chance to sell VIP seating, Melekian said. So will the third-base dugout, which sits 10 feet from the west boundary of the field.

 

“Those are 20 premium seats,'' he said.

 

The east edge of the field will be about 10½ feet from the right-field bleachers, which will allow the Nighthawks to have their own version of the “Lambeau Leap.'' Lambeau Field is the home of the Green Bay Packers, and Packer players often leap into the stands behind the goal after scoring a touchdown.

 

“I can see that being a tradition the players might want to start here,'' Melekian said. “We looked at several different scenarios in setting up the field, but this configuration is the best. It's as close as possible to the seats.''

 

Melekian said the Nighthawks and the UFL will ask the city to make alterations to the stadium, including removing the screen behind home plate as well as the poles that support it.

 

“Anything we do will be done sensitively,'' Melekian said. “We'll save it, so if anyone wants souvenirs or mementos, they'll be available.''

 

Melekian said officials are still debating whether to sod the dirt portions of the infield.

 

“The football people want it sodded,'' Melekian said. “I look at the Raiders and the Dolphins and say you can play football on dirt. We'll sit down and make some strategic decisions on whether to sod the infield.''

 

Melekian said league officials have been watching the excitement generated by the Nighthawks. He said the team passed the 6,000 mark in season-ticket sales over the weekend. About 1,600 people showed up to watch a Saturday morning workout at mini-camp.

 

“I truly believe that this market will sell more than our other four markets combined,'' Melekian said. “This is our model for the league. It's a perfect storm.

 

“I get excited every time I come here. In this business, you spend a certain amount of your time trying to drum up or manufacture interest. Not here.''

 

OWH Link

 

How cool would it be to sit in a baseball dugout to watch a football game?

 

There's a pic of the field if you follow the link

[GSG]

What's the deal with the Nighthawks schedule? All but 2 of the games are on HDNet, which is on an ultra-premium cable package where I live. One is on NESN, whatever the hell that is, with one game on Versus. This is bull

 

Week 2 | Friday 9/24/10

Hartford vs. Omaha

Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Omaha, NE

8:00 PM EDT | TV: HDNET

 

Week 3 | Saturday 10/2/10

Sacramento vs. Omaha

Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Omaha, NE

7:30 PM EDT | TV: HDNET

 

Week 4 | Friday 10/8/10

Omaha vs. Las Vegas

Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, NV

10:00 PM EDT | TV: HDNET

 

Week 5 | Saturday 10/16/10

Omaha vs. Hartford

Rentschler Field Hartford, CT

3:00 PM EDT | TV: NESN

 

Week 7 | Thursday 10/28/10

Las Vegas vs. Omaha

Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Omaha, NE

8:00 PM EDT | TV: HDNET

 

Week 8 | Friday 11/5/10

Omaha vs. Florida

Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL

8:00 PM EDT | TV: HDNET

 

Week 9 | Sunday 11/14/10

Omaha vs. Sacramento

Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA

11:00 PM EST | TV: VERSUS

 

Week 10 | Friday 11/19/10

Florida vs. Omaha

Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Omaha, NE

8:30 PM EST | TV: HDNET

[In the Deed the Glory]

HDNet: Channel 306 DirecTV available on all packages

Versus: Channel 603 DirecTV, have to order sports package to get

 

Now come on, who watches HDNet more than Versus.

 

Screw you Mark Cuban,

 

EDIT: NESN available with Sports package on channel 628

 

Dammit...

[GSG]

Apparently the Nighthawks will be wearing all camouflage for their final game of the year as a tribute to our veterans

[suh_fan93]

Updated: August 23, 2010, 1:09 PM ET

 

Maurice Clarett hopes for UFL tryout

 

Associated Press

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett has gotten back into the classroom. Now he wants to get back onto the football field.

 

Clarett filed a motion with a judge asking to be allowed to travel to try out with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. A review of the motion was tentatively set for Monday afternoon and then later pushed back to Aug. 30. Clarett cannot leave the state until he receives clearance from the court.

 

On Monday, Clarett, who led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship, finished up 4½ months in a locked-down, dormitory-style facility that serves as a transition for those getting out of prison. He has asked Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David Fais to leave the state to try out for the pro team.

 

His attorney, Michael Hoague, said Clarett was ready to make the most of the opportunity.

 

"Since he re-enrolled in summer-quarter classes at Ohio State, he's been going to school and also working out each morning at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center," Hoague said. "He looks really good."

 

 

Clarett pleaded guilty in 2006 to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon and served 3½ years in a Toledo prison. He has been attending classes at Ohio State while living in a detention facility in Columbus. Now he will either move to Nebraska to try to make the team or will find an apartment and continue his schooling.

 

"The people in Nebraska had a couple of questions about Maurice. First, was his head on straight? And it's on really straight," Hoague said. "Second, is he in shape? And the answer to that is he's in great shape."

 

Tim Jackson, Fais' bailiff, said Monday that the review of Clarett's request had to be pushed back because of scheduling problems. Clarett's case will be discussed in open court then.

 

The expansion Omaha franchise will be making its debut in the UFL's second season this fall, joining the Florida Tuskers, Hartford Colonials, Las Vegas Locomotives and Sacramento Mountain Lions. Among the players on the Nighthawks, currently going through preseason camp, are two former NFL stars, quarterback Jeff Garcia and running back Ahman Green.

 

The Nighthawks open their season Sept. 24 against the Hartford Colonials.

 

A spokeswoman for the Nighthawks declined to comment on Clarett possibly practicing with the team.

 

Omaha's player personnel director is Ted Sundquist, former general manager of the Denver Broncos, who took Clarett in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft.

 

Clarett, a former Mr. Football in Ohio, started for the Buckeyes as a freshman and quickly asserted himself as one of the premier running backs in the country. He rushed for 1,237 yards in 2002, helping Ohio State to its first national championship in 34 years. He scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime of a dramatic Fiesta Bowl victory over top-ranked Miami.

 

But he was ruled ineligible the following year for taking special benefits worth thousands of dollars. He sued to enter the NFL draft early, before he was out of high school for three years, but lost in court.

 

After he was eventually drafted by the Broncos, he was cut before the season started. He missed most of the preseason with a groin injury.

 

Then in September 2006 he pleaded guilty to having a hidden gun in his sport utility vehicle and holding up two people outside a bar.

 

Hoague said Clarett is nervous but hopeful.

 

"In his position, it's like he's in shark-infested waters and the rescue boat is coming to get him," Hoague said. "He's nervous. But he's optimistic."

 

 

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

 

[knapplc]

Following up on this, Clarett has been signed.

 

Clarett signs with Omaha team in UFL

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Wearing the same No. 13 he wore so well as an Ohio State freshman eight years ago, Maurice Clarett began his bid to return to football Monday night on a high school field where the minor-league Omaha Nighthawks practiced before a handful of onlookers.

 

Clarett signed a one-year contract with the United Football League team earlier in the day after meeting with team officials and UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue, who gave his blessing.

 

It was Clarett's first football activity since he was a bust with the Denver Broncos and spent 3 1/2 years in prison for having a hidden gun and holding up two people outside a Columbus, Ohio, bar, in 2006.

 

"I am humbled by the opportunity the Omaha Nighthawks have given me and will dedicate myself on and off the field to prove that I can be a valuable member of the team and the Omaha community," Clarett said in a statement. "I am committed to working hard to earn the right for a second chance in football and more importantly in life."

 

Clarett, who is not scheduled to meet with reporters until Wednesday, went through a private workout and physical Sunday. The Nighthawks list him at 6-foot and 220 pounds, 10 lighter than his playing weight at Ohio State.

 

"The things you can't coach you can see were there - footwork, hands, those types of things. And he's in really good physical condition," general manager Rick Mueller said. "Those were the things that jumped out more than anything else. He's done a pretty good job getting himself in condition to play football."

 

Clarett, 26, needed a judge's permission to leave Ohio to work out for the Nighthawks. He was allowed to be out of state for 30 days. Mueller said he's confident Clarett will be allowed to stay the entire season in Omaha and that he won't be barred from traveling to road games.

 

Clarett ran into trouble after that sensational freshman year at Ohio State, where he rushed for 1,237 yards and 18 touchdowns, the last one clinching a victory in the national title game against Miami.

 

He was suspended the entire 2003 season for taking gifts and lying to the NCAA. He later lost a court case challenging the NFL's rule requiring a player to be out of high school three years before becoming eligible for the draft.

 

The Broncos drafted Clarett in the third round in 2005, but he was hindered by a groin problem, never played in a preseason game and was cut before the regular season.

 

His downward spiral continued with the robbery, which landed him in prison and then, for the last 4 1/2 months, in a community-based lockdown dormitory.

 

"I was as skeptical as anyone when we first started talking about Maurice," Mueller. said. "Once you do the research and you dig in and spend time with him, you realize he has his head on straight. He made his mistakes, he acknowledges that. He deserves an opportunity to show people he's changed.

 

"I'm 100-percent comfortable that Maurice is not going to do anything to hurt this football team or city."

 

Huygue had said that he wouldn't allow Clarett to sign with the Nighthawks unless the team provided a strong support system. Ahman Green, a native of Omaha and four-time Pro Bowler with the Green Bay Packers, has agreed to serve as Clarett's mentor.

 

"He's a grown man. He paid his debt to society. Right now he just wants to play," Green said.

 

The Nighthawks practiced in shorts, helmets and shoulder pads, and Clarett walked through a few plays at the start. When he stepped the wrong direction on a play, defensive tackle Hollis Thomas bellowed, "Hey, new guy!"

 

Clarett went through station drills with the running backs, then watched from the sideline with his helmet off as the team ran seven-on-seven plays. He spent much of his down time with wide receiver Roy Hall, an Ohio State classmate and friend of Clarett who also signed Monday.

 

Hall played coy when it was suggested that the Nighthawks signed him to be part of a support system for Clarett.

 

"I don't believe in coincidences," Hall said wryly.

 

Clarett and Hall have been working out together for about seven weeks at Ohio State, since Hall was released by the New Orleans Saints.

 

"He's a good friend of mine," Hall said. "Going through the ups and downs with him early, and watching what happened, it was exciting for me to be able to help him and embrace him. We're brothers, and we preach that."

 

Clarett plays in a league where the average salary is $50,000. Besides Green, the Nighthawks feature Pro Bowl quarterback Jeff Garcia and several other players with NFL experience.

 

"We're going to be patient with him," Mueller said of Clarett. "We have to be smart about it and so does Maurice. This kid is anxious to get out there and show what he can do, but it's no good if he's hurt.

 

"He's done everything he can personally, legally and physically to put himself in condition to be successful. Now we have to find out if he can get back."