Maulers pursue prospects from FCS level in 10-player USFL draft
After finishing with the worst record in the USFL’s rebirth season in 2022, the Pittsburgh Maulers decided to take an unconventional approach to this year’s college draft. On the heels of 1-9 season, what did they have to lose? And so it was that while other USFL teams primarily selected...
Maulers’ 10-game season announced, 1st ‘home’ game in Canton
The 2023 Pittsburgh Maulers’ season will begin with a night game Sunday, April 16. The game will technically be a road game against a team named “New Orleans” played in Birmingham, Ala. The following week, Pittsburgh’s USFL team will play its “home” opener in Canton, Ohio, against a team dubbed...
Chance to work with son brought former Steelers assistant Ray Horton to USFL as coach of Maulers
Out of football since 2019, Ray Horton wasn’t itching to return to the sideline. Horton, the former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive backs coach, was content with the life he created in Phoenix. A private pilot, he took to the air to fly his Cirrus single-engine plane as often as his free...
Pittsburgh Maulers to play home games in Canton, Ohio, for 2023 USFL season
The Pittsburgh Maulers aren’t returning home just yet, but they will play their games at a destination much closer than their venue last season. The Maulers will play games at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio, for the 2023 season, the USFL announced Wednesday. Last year, in the spring football...
Pittsburgh Maulers switch team colors to black and gold
The Pittsburgh Maulers have officially adopted Pittsburgh’ colors. On Tuesday morning, the USFL franchise announced they will switch their team colors to black and gold, matching that of the city’s other professional teams — the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and Riverhounds. We had to make a change for season 2 ????????Your...
Former Steelers Super Bowl assistant Ray Horton takes over as USFL Maulers head coach
It’s one former Super Bowl-winning Steelers assistant coach to another in regard to who’s coaching the Pittsburgh Maulers. Ray Horton, the Steelers’ secondary coach during their three most recent Super Bowl appearances, is taking over as head coach of Pittsburgh’s USFL franchise. Horton replaces Kirby Wilson, with whom he served...
Lonnie Young named Maulers general manager
As they prepare for their second season in the USFL, the Pittsburgh Maulers will be under new leadership. Lonnie Young was named the Pittsburgh Maulers’ new general manager Tuesday. After being drafted by the old USFL New Jersey Generals in 1985, Young joined the NFL and played 12 seasons as...
First Call: Steelers work out Maulers QB; ex-Steeler suffers long-term foot injury; Josh Bell traded with Juan Soto
The Steelers may have an interest in a former Pittsburgh Mauler. An ex-Steeler suffers a significant injury setback in Dallas. Another one is heading to Arizona. Ex-Pirate Josh Bell was traded. And a former Robert Morris hockey player is on the move. All that in Tuesday’s “First Call.” Pittsburgh(ish) connection...
Despite title game, USFL already focusing on next season
The USFL accomplished what the last two attempts at spring football failed to do: make it through its first season. As the league prepares for Sunday night’s championship game between the Birmingham Stallions and Philadelphia Stars at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, where it goes from...
USFL, Maulers reportedly returning in 2023 — could they start playing in Pittsburgh?
The USFL and Pittsburgh Maulers will return in 2023, according to a national report. Could the Maulers be returning to the city of Pittsburgh, too? According to the Sports Business Journal, the USFL will play a season next spring. That would be a second in this new form of a...
Maulers cap USFL season with 5th straight loss, miss out on next year’s No. 1 pick
Thanks to a 33-21 loss to the Michigan Panthers on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Maulers finished the regular season with the worst record in the rebooted USFL. Turns out the loss also will keep the Maulers from the top of next year’s draft. The league announced before the start of Sunday’s...
Safety Bryce Torneden is lone Maulers player to make all-USFL team in inaugural season
The Pittsburgh Maulers limp into their season finale tied for the worst record in the rebooted USFL, so it’s no surprise that the team had just one player selected for the inaugural all-league team. Safety Bryce Torneden is the only Maulers player represented on the all-USFL list, the league announced...
Mistakes costly as Pittsburgh Maulers fall to Philadelphia Stars
In search of the their second win of the season, the Pittsburgh Maulers took a lead into the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s USFL game against the Philadelphia Stars at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. A few crucial mistakes by the Maulers late in the game, however, helped Philadelphia earn...
Pittsburgh Maulers eliminated from playoff contention with loss to New Jersey
The first season of the second chapter of Pittsburgh Maulers football will not end with a playoff berth. Darius Victor ran for 87 yards and three touchdowns, leading the New Jersey Generals to a 28-19 victory, eliminating the 1-7 Maulers from USFL playoff contention. The Maulers turned to Slippery Rock...
Maulers fall to 1-6 after loss to Birmingham Stallions
The Pittsburgh Maulers were unable to solve the best team in the USFL on Sunday, falling to the unbeaten Birmingham Stallions, 26-16, at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. The Maulers (1-6) took a 7-3 first-quarter lead and were ahead 10-6 at halftime, but the Stallions (7-0) used a 20-6 run...
Pittsburgh Maulers fall to 1-5 after loss to New Orleans Breakers
A week after earning their first USFL victory of the season, the Pittsburgh Maulers couldn’t maintain that winning momentum Sunday in a 26-16 loss to New Orleans Breakers at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. Vad Lee completed 17 of 34 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown, as well as...
Pittsburgh Maulers earn 1st win with TD on final play
The 2022 version of the Pittsburgh Maulers earned their first victory Sunday, and they did so in dramatic fashion. Quarterback Vad Lee, signed off the street five days prior, threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Bailey Gaither on the final play of the game, leading the Maulers to a 21-20...
Pittsburgh Maulers fall to 0-4 when comeback bid falls short against New Jersey
Trailing by eight points in the final two minutes against the New Jersey Generals on Saturday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Maulers were on the verge of trying one of the USFL’s signature innovations. If the Maulers scored, coach Kirby Wilson needed to decide whether to go for the tie with a...
Maulers shut out by Michigan Panthers, fall to 0-3
The Pittsburgh Maulers remained winless on the young USFL season Sunday after a 24-0 loss to the Michigan Panthers at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. The Maulers (0-3) fell behind 16-0 in the first quarter and couldn’t get going on offense. Ramiz Ahmed missed field-goal attempts of 57, 46 and...
Pittsburgh Maulers fall short against Philadelphia Stars
The Pittsburgh Maulers scored their first touchdown of the USFL season Saturday afternoon but couldn’t quite get their first victory. Bryan Scott threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns as the Philadelphia Stars earned a 30-23 win over the Maulers at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. The Maulers (0-2), who...
U mad, bro?: Pittsburgh fans tear into the Penguins, Pirates and even… the Maulers?
You didn’t think that just because the Pittsburgh Maulers are a start-up, minor league, spring football team that plays their home games in Birmingham, Ala., they’ll escape the wrath of “U mad, bro?”, did you? Hey, if “Pittsburgh” is in their name, they are not immune. The Steelers know this....
Tim Benz: After watching the Maulers’ 1st game, the new USFL has some things going for it … and at least 1 huge challenge
The newly rebooted USFL has some things going for it. But it’s got a few major hurdles to overcome if it wants to buck the trend of failure that other startup professional football leagues (not named the NFL) have endured. Including its 1980s predecessor with the same name. A good...
First Call: Is Diontae Johnson’s contract keeping him away from workouts? Tampa Bay mocks Maulers’ chicken salad saga
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Diontae Johnson seems displeased about a tweet from a Pittsburgh radio personality. Another free agent receiver from Johnson’s draft class may be of interest to the Steelers. Sidney Crosby reached out to a former Team Canada teammate after his comeback. And Todd Haley couldn’t let the...
Pittsburgh Maulers shut down by Tampa Bay in opener
One game in, the second incarnation of the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers didn’t look any better than the first. Jordan Ta’amu threw for 185 yards and a touchdown and the Tampa Bay Bandits handled the Maulers, 17-3, Monday night at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. Tampa Bay’s head coach is former...
Pittsburgh Maulers, released running back in dispute over lunch menu incident
Before their first game kicked off, the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers found themselves in the headlines – for a truly unusual reason. In a two-minute clip from United By Football, a Fox documentary about the return of the spring football league, Maulers running back De’Veon Smith is shown being cut by...
