Seattle Sea Dragons
The Seattle Sea Dragons were a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The Sea Dragons competed in the second incarnation of the XFL. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment as the Seattle Dragons, and were owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The Sea Dragons played their home games at Lumen Field.
| Established | 2018 (as the Seattle Dragons) |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2024 |
| Based in | Seattle, Washington |
| Home stadium | Lumen Field Seattle, Washington |
| Head coach | Jim Zorn (2020) Jim Haslett (2023) |
| Owner(s) |
|
| League | XFL |
| Division | West (2020) North (2023) |
| Colors | Orange, navy, green[2] |
| Website | xfl.com/teams/seattle |
History edit
McMahon Era (2020) edit
On December 5, 2018, Seattle was announced as one of eight cities that would join the newly reformed XFL, as well as St. Louis, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, DC, Tampa Bay, and Dallas.[3] Former Seahawks quarterback Jim Zorn, who was the first quarterback to start for the Seahawks,[4] was named the team's first head coach on February 25, 2019.[5] The team name and logo were revealed on August 21, 2019, as well as the team's uniforms on December 3, 2019.[6]
On October 15, 2019, The Dragons announced their first player in team history, being assigned former Memphis Express Quarterback Brandon Silvers.[7]
The Dragons won their first game in team history on February 16, 2020, defeating the Tampa Bay Vipers 17-9. On March 12, 2020, The XFL announced that the remainder of the 2020 XFL season had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team finished with a 1–4 record. On April 10, 2020, the XFL suspended operations, with all of the league's employees, players and staff being terminated.[8]
Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia Era (2023) edit
On August 3, 2020, it was reported that a consortium led by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale (through Cardinale's fund RedBird Capital Partners) purchased the XFL for $15 million just hours before an auction could take place; the purchase received court approval on August 7, 2020.[9][10] The XFL hired Jim Haslett as a Head Coach on April 13, 2022, with the expectation that he would be coaching the Seattle team.[11] On July 24, 2022, the return of the Seattle XFL franchise was confirmed, as well as the hiring of Jim Haslett.[12] Haslett brought on June Jones, who had been head coach of the undefeated Houston Roughnecks the previous XFL season, in as the offensive coordinator to run the Run and Shoot offense. On October 31, 2022, the XFL officially announced that the Dragons would be changing their name to "Sea Dragons", as well as unveiling a brand new logo.
The newly rechristened Sea Dragons' 2023 season saw the team earn their first playoff berth and clinch second place in the North Division with a 7–3 record. The Sea Dragons would be eliminated by the DC Defenders in the North Division title game in the playoffs.[13]
In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons.[14] On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date.[15] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[16] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League".[17] On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a "combined season" to begin March 30, 2024.[18] The merger was made official on December 31, 2023, and on January 1, 2024, it was announced the Sea Dragons would not be a part of the merger.[19][20] Geographic concerns were a substantial factor in the Dragons being excluded, as the newly merged league had a reduced geographic footprint (concentrated mostly in the midwestern and southern United States) compared to the XFL in an effort to limit travel expenses.[21]
Coach history edit
Head coach history edit
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Seattle Dragons | ||||||||||
| 1 | Jim Zorn | 2020 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | – | – | – | |
| Seattle Sea Dragons | ||||||||||
| 2 | Jim Haslett | 2023 | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Offensive coordinator history edit
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Seattle Dragons | ||||||||||
| 1 | Mike Riley | 2020 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | – | – | – | |
| Seattle Sea Dragons | ||||||||||
| 2 | June Jones | 2023 | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Defensive coordinator history edit
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| Seattle Dragons | ||||||||||
| 1 | Clayton Lopez | 2020 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | – | – | – | |
| Seattle Sea Dragons | ||||||||||
| 2 | Ron Zook | 2023 | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Player history edit
Current NFL Players edit
| XFL Season | Pos | Name | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | G | Michael Dunn | Cleveland Browns |
| 2020 | RB | Godwin Igwebuike | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2023 | QB | Ben DiNucci | Denver Broncos |
| 2023 | DE | Austin Faoliu | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2023 | OT | Barry Wesley | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2023 | DE | Niko Lalos | New Orleans Saints |
Notable players edit
| XFL Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | LB | Steven Johnson | Former Denver Broncos Linebacker |
| 2023 | WR | Josh Gordon | Former Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver, 2012 2nd Round Pick, 2013 Pro Bowler |
| 2023 | RB | Phillip Lindsay | Former Denver Broncos Pro Bowl Running Back |
| 2023 | LB | Jordan Evans | Former Cincinnati Bengals Linebacker |
Rivalries edit
Overall Regular Season Record vs. Opponents edit
| Team | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|
| Vegas Vipers | 3-0 | 1.000 |
| Orlando Guardians | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| San Antonio Brahmas | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| Houston Roughnecks | 1-1 | .500 |
| Arlington Renegades | 1-1 | .500 |
| St. Louis Battlehawks | 1-2 | .333 |
| DC Defenders | 0-3 | .000 |
Records edit
| All-time Sea Dragons leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Sea Dragons | |
| Passing Yards | Ben DiNucci | 2,671 passing yards | 2023 | |
| Passing Touchdowns | Ben DiNucci | 20 passing touchdowns | 2023 | |
| Rushing Yards | Ben DiNucci | 305 rushing yards | 2023 | |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Ben DiNucci | 3 rushing touchdowns | 2023 | |
| Receiving Yards | Jahcour Pearson | 670 receiving yards | 2023 | |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Juwan Green | 6 receiving touchdowns | 2023 | |
| Receptions | Jahcour Pearson | 60 receptions | 2023 | |
| Tackles | Steven Johnson Qwynnterrio Cole | 48 tackles | 2020 2023 | |
| Sacks | Tuzar Skipper | 6.0 sacks | 2023 | |
| Interceptions | Qwynnterrio Cole | 3 interceptions | 2023 | |
References edit
- ^ Perry, Mark (August 3, 2020). "More Details On The Rock Purchase Of The XFL, How Many Bidders". XFL News Hub. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "Seattle Dragons' uniforms, helmet". XFL.com (Press release). December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ "XFL picks Houston as an inaugural city, announces stadiums". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ Hanson, Scott. "'It really is something to savor': QB Brandon Silvers to lead XFL Dragons in franchise's first game". Seattle Times. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
- ^ "Seahawks legend Jim Zorn named coach and GM of Seattle's XFL franchise". February 25, 2019.
- ^ Spedden, Zach (August 21, 2019). "XFL Team Names and Logos Unveiled". Football Stadium Digest. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ Florio, Mike (October 15, 2019). "XFL announces its eight allocated quarterbacks". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ Seifert/Yates, Kevin/Field (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, lays off employees and has no plans for 2021 season". www.ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "THE ROCK BUYS THE XFL FOR $15 MILLION". RingsideNews.com. August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- ^ Kerr, Jeff (August 2, 2020). "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson buys XFL for $15 million with partners RedBird Capital and Dany Garcia". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- ^ "XFL Announces Head Coaches: Reggie Barlow, Anthony Becht, Terrell Buckley, Jim Haslett, Wade Phillips, Bob Stoops, Hines Ward and Rod Woodson". www.xfl.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ "XFL UNVEILS TEAM MARKETS AND VENUES: ARLINGTON, HOUSTON, ORLANDO, LAS VEGAS, SAN ANTONIO, SEATTLE, ST. LOUIS, WASHINGTON D.C." www.xfl.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ "Sea Dragons see season end in XFL North Division title game". The Seattle Times. April 30, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ Baysinger, Tim; Primack, Dan; Fischer, Sara (September 19, 2023). "Scoop: Football leagues XFL and USFL in merger talks". Axios. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ TSN ca Staff (September 28, 2023). "XFL, United States Football League announce intention to merge". TSN. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ Schad, Tom (September 28, 2023). "XFL, USFL confirm intention to merge into single spring football league". USA Today. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ^ "XFL files trademark applications for 'United Football League' and 'UFL'". San Antonio Express-News. October 18, 2023.
- ^ "We are pleased to have completed the antitrust review process in connection with the proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30. We are now finalizing terms of the definitive agreement and will share more about this new League in the coming weeks". Instagram.
- ^ "USFL, XFL announce merger, formation of new spring football league: The UFL". Yahoo Sports. December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ Larsen, James (January 1, 2024). "United Football League Announces Their 8 UFL Teams For 2024". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ Schneider, Joey (January 3, 2024). "'St. Louis was all in' – UFL leader Daryl Johnston speaks on Battlehawks and new merger". FOX 2. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
External links edit
- Official website