College Veteran Larry Fedora to Guide New Orleans Breakers

Former Super Bowl Head Coach Jeff Fisher Will Lead Michigan Panthers

LOS ANGELES, JANUARY 27, 2022 — The United States Football League (USFL) announced filling its final two head coach positions today. Veteran college coach Larry Fedora will serve as head coach of the New Orleans Breakers, and long-time NFL head coach Jeff Fisher will lead the Michigan Panthers. 

Fisher spent 22 seasons as an NFL head coach with two franchises, leading the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV, while Fedora has 32 years of experience as a college coach, 11 at the head coach level. They complete the USFL’s roster of head coaches joining Bart Andrus (Philadelphia Stars), Todd Haley (Tampa Bay Bandits), Skip Holtz (Birmingham Stallions), Mike Riley (New Jersey Generals), Kevin Sumlin (Houston Gamblers) and Kirby Wilson (Pittsburgh Maulers).

“Today is another huge day in the evolution and development of the new USFL as we welcome Larry and Jeff to the fold,” said Brian Woods, USFL President, Football Operations. “We now have eight unbelievably qualified head coaches leading USFL teams. They’re all looking forward to putting together staffs, evaluating talent, and planning the player selection strategies they’ll need to build championship-caliber football teams. The anticipation is growing as we reach each major milestone on the road to kick-off in April.”

Yesterday, the USFL made several significant announcements. First, the league announced that it reached agreements with the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority and the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board to play all 2022 regular-season games in Birmingham, Alabama. The league will play its games at Protective Stadium and a number of games at historic Legion Field. The USFL’s agreements also provide team practice and training facilities, office space, event staff, and other amenities to operate the league from Birmingham. 

The USFL also revealed that the first game of the season comes Saturday, April 16 (7:30 PM ET) at Protective Stadium and features the New Jersey Generals against the Birmingham Stallions. It will be televised live on NBC and FOX, making it the first scheduled sports competition to air at the same time on two competitive broadcast networks since Super Bowl I aired on NBC and CBS, January 15, 1967.

Lastly, the league unveiled tickets for the inaugural game between the Generals and Stallions on sale at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets, all general admission, are $10 for adults, and kids under the age of 15 are free, with a limit of three (3) per ticketed adult. The league will announce its full schedule and details regarding the availability of tickets for the remainder of the season shortly.

Larry Fedora

Head Coach, New Orleans Breakers

“I’m very passionate about the game of football. I love everything about it, and there’s nothing better than when your team goes out and executes the game plan you put together. So, getting involved on the ground floor of the USFL is a tremendous opportunity, and I hope that fans jump in too because it’s going to be exciting and a lot of fun.” Larry Fedora, 1/27/22

Larry Fedora comes to the USFL with 32 years of experience as a college coach and 11 years as a head coach, winning 79 games, including 45 at North Carolina (2012-18). After serving as an analyst at Texas in 2019, Fedora spent the last two seasons (2020-21) as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Baylor University. His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Austin College in 1986. He then served as an assistant coach at Garland (Texas) High School (1987-90). Fedora returned to the collegiate ranks, serving as the tight ends, wide receivers, and running backs coach at Baylor (1991-96). He then spent two seasons (1997-98) at Air Force coaching the passing game and wide receivers. Next, Fedora was the offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee (1999-2001) before moving to the University of Florida where, in addition to coaching running back and receivers, he served as run game coordinator (2002), perimeter game coordinator (2003), and offensive coordinator (2004). Fedora then became offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State (2005-07) before landing at Southern Mississippi, his first position as a head coach (2008-11). After four seasons in Hattiesburg, Fedora moved to North Carolina, where he compiled a 34-19 overall record, including a 12-2 mark in 2012, advancing to four consecutive bowl games. UNC had its best season in nearly two decades in 2015, posting an 11-1 regular-season mark, making the school’s first appearance the ACC Championship Game. Fedora was named the 2015 Fellowship of Christian Athletes Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year Award. Fedora was a wide receiver at Austin College (1981-84), winning an NAIA championship in 1981 and earning academic All-America honors in 1983. He graduated from Austin College in 1985, where he also received his master’s degree in 1986. Born in College Station, Texas, Fedora, and his wife Christi, have a son and three daughters.

Jeff Fisher

Head Coach, Michigan Panthers

“I’ve been out of coaching for a few years now, but I’ve watched it at every level, and I’ve come to realize that I miss it. During my time away, I was blessed to do a lot of cool things, and I’ve caught plenty of fish, but there’s a void there. So, I’m excited about the opportunity to fill that void by coaching in the USFL and getting back to the sideline.” Jeff Fisher, 1/27/22

Jeff Fisher, who spent 30 years as a position coach, coordinator, and head coach in the NFL, began his coaching career in 1986 with the Philadelphia Eagles as an assistant under head coach Buddy Ryan, whom he had played for as a member of the Chicago Bears. Fisher coached defensive backs for three seasons before becoming the NFL’s youngest defensive coordinator in 1988. In 1991, he became defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, working for his college coach, John Robinson. Fisher moved to the San Francisco 49ers in 1992, coaching defensive backs, then became defensive coordinator of the Houston Oilers in 1994. Ten games into that season, he was named Oilers’ head coach and remained with the Houston/Tennessee franchise through the 2010 season. Fisher went 142-120 in 17 years with the Oilers/Titans, with six playoff appearances, three division titles, two AFC Championship games, and a trip to Super Bowl XXXIV. In 2012 he was named head coach of the St. Louis Rams, serving through Week 14 of the 2016 season, the team’s first after moving to Los Angeles. A seventh-round draft selection of the Bears in 1981, Fisher played in five NFL seasons, appearing in 49 games as a defensive back and kick returner. Despite spending the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury that would eventually end his career, he earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 1985 Bears. While on IR, Fisher assisted living defensive coordinator Ryan, a precursor to his future as a coach. He played college football as a defensive back at the University of Southern California, where his teammates included future NFL standouts Ronnie Lott, Dennis Smith, and Joey Browner. A native of Southern California, Fisher was a high-school All-America wide receiver at Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Calif. He has three children.