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And finally the full look for the 2005 Washington Federals. Notes after the image. Just a few items to highlight: 1. The numbers on the jersey try to use the same US$ style as the new wordmark. Nots sure if those work or not. 2. The new secondary is on the collar. 3. The sleeve stripes extending to the collar are from Nike's short-lived Browns look. I tested out putting the team name on the pants, but it was so horrible I could not do that to the Feds. 4. The green is slightly darker than in the past. 5. No silver, as the Feds stick closer to their 1983 look than 1984. 6. This is not the last look for the team in the league that has changed their logo and uni's most frequently. Still 1 or 2 more on the way between 2006-2024.

And here is the second new element of Washington's look, a secondary logo inspired by the logo for Homeland Security, the office created after 9/11. The Federals, along with the Generals, are both continuing to reference 9/11 on a pretty regular basis (patches, special fund raisers, salutes to the NYPD/FDNY, etc) and this logo is another way to do this. The logo appears on the uniform and in some print media. And here is the new helmet. Washington removed the wrap around element of the logo and has brought back a more traditional stripe pattern. We will see if the rest of the uniform is more traditional or does some new things.

Got to say I am not a fan compared with 2020. What happened to the use of dark navy along with the brighter blue? Now they just have the bright blue with a dark grey and a bright grey. Not liking that combo and the wings feel like a downgrade too. Guess this old curmudgeon is just gonna have to wait for the USFL in April to find a uni he likes.

A little preview of the redesign for the Federals. They retain their main logo, but incorporate some new elements like a new "monetary-influenced" wordmark, a secondary logo, and new uniforms. Here is the new primary with their new wordmark.

Our 2nd new USFL look for 2004 is a modification of the design for the Memphis Showboats. Fresh off their dabbling with a possible move to St. Louis, the Showboats reconnect with their history and bring in some new elements as they try to bond with their fanbase. After spending the better part of the 2004 season playing "home" games in Oxford, MS and Little Rock, AR, as the Liberty Bowl is refurbished, the Showboats try to evoke nostalgia for better times with their new look. Highlights include: A dropping of black as a secondary color, reverting back to the "old school" look of scarlet & silver sky. Bringing back the scarlet helmet stripe, though as a tapered stripe rather than a traditional stripe. Adding a new secondary logo which includes an M with two steamboat smokestacks and a silver sky wake. This is abou thte only black which remains in their look. (It is, as you certainly recognize, a feature of the 2023 IRL Showboats, recolored and dropped into 2004 instead). A simplified shoulder and sleeve treatment with a tapered stripe and solid color sleeves with no sleeve logo. New drop shadow numbers in 2 colors only. A new pant stripe that is a simple tapered stripe (as with the helmet and shoulders, and includes the new secondary logo on each hip.

Let's see ... Baltimore Turf New Jersey Turf Philadelphia Grass Washington Grass Boston Turf Jacksonville Grass Orlando Turf Tampa Grass Chicago Grass Michigan Turf/Dome Ohio Turf Pittsburgh Grass Birmingham Grass Memphis Grass Nashville Grass New Orleans Turf/Dome Arizona Grass Denver Grass Houston Turf/retractable Dome Texas Turf/Dome Las Vegas Turf LA Grass Oakland Grass Seattle Turf and, while I am here, our next 4 fields, the Southwest division.

And we move to the Southern DIvision. Notes: Birmingham goes the Chicago route and puts the state flag at the 20. Nashville uses both their gold and silver secondary colors with each endzone getting one. New Orleans uses their new NOLA monogram.

Avocado & Plum? Hockey or a 1970's kitchen appliance? (Sorry, not to harsh, but not sure those are the exact shades of green and purple you want.)

Several thoughts: 1. As a classic USFL diehard I am against changing team colors at all. It's fine to modernize the logos and for the most part the new USFL has done a good job of it, but I am watching out of love for the real USFL and the more they deviate from that the less interesting I find it. That and the new Memphis logo is not as cool as the original. 2. I cannot believe they are going with a black helmet, single yellow stripe, and grey facemask for the Maulers. How will the Steelers not sue or cease & desist them for such a blatant ripoff. If you are going to go black and gold, at least mix it up and use a metallic gold, or even a yellow helmet to not look like a cheap imitation of the Steelers. 3. There was no need to change from Red & Silver for Memphis because Memphis was replacing the Red & Silver Bandits. You end up with the same number of red teams as last year. So now you have 1 less red team but after converting Pittsburgh you have added another black helmet team, so again less color variation. 4. None of it really matters until all 8 teams (hopefully 12 next year) are playing in their home cities. Call them Pittsburgh if you want, but they are playing in Canton, OH.

Two things. 1. No, the USFL Alt History Pittsburgh Maulers are not going to go Black & Gold. After 20 seasons in the league with purple, orange and grey, they are not going to switch (the 2023 USFL Maulers just announced a switch to Black & Gold) 2. Here is the third set of fields, the Central DIvision. Some notes: The Machine do not have a 2nd logo, so they put the city flag of Chicago at the 20. The Panthers just added a 2nd logo for 2005, so maybe next season they will change up their fields. The Maulers also do not have a 2nd logo. That may need to change. They did put hexagonal "bolts" in the endzones. That will become more and more part of their look moving forward. The Glory went one step further, putting their 2ndary state logo at centerfield and putting the eagle primary at the 20. Something about the state logo more effectively covering up the Ohio State O.

Here is the second division of USFL 2004 fields. The Southeast (3 Florida teams and Boston, which had been Atlanta until 2003). Some notes: 1. Jacksonville becomes the first team to have no team name as they go with their 4-stripe pattern in the endzone. They also are the first team not to have logos on the 20, as they do not yet have an alternate or secondary logo to use. 2. Orlando also does not have a 2nd logo, but they struck a deal with Florida tourism, so they have a tourism logo on the 20. (use the Imgur zoomed in version to see this actual Florida tourism logo. 3. Boston uses their BC monogram on the 20s.

Hey all, we start off our look at 2004 USFL Fields with the Northeast Division. A couple of notes about this. 1. Most teams either have their own stadiums, or due to the Spring season they have full control of the look for the season. 2. The USFL mandates that the league's USFL monogram be at the 30 and that the "U" logo be on the left side of each endzone. 3. Fifty-yard line logos are allowed to stretch as far as the 43 yard line on either side, and teams can opt to put a smaller logo at the 20. I think that about covers it. I expect the USFL will get even a bit more experimental as we head into the late 2010's, but we will see. As always, you can click on the image to go to IMGUR, where it can be expanded quite large.

Working on the fields (I had only previously designed endzones because the Draft Day 2021 game I am using to simulate just puts the main logo at midfield, so I only needed endzones. I will have full fields starting soon. But for now, here is the first of the 2005 new designs... the Michigan Panthers. No change to the main logo. A new secondary logo based on the current USFL Panthers with a touch of Florida Panthers included. New uniforms with a very "back to basics" feel to them. Another team falls into the stripeless pant craze.

A good question. I actually have fields set up for all 24 clubs. I will try to publish them soon. There are only a few teams that still share stadiums with MLB (maybe none outside Oakland, I have to think about it) so most are able to do a full design for midfield and endzones. Coming soon, along with new designs for the Federals, Showboats, and Panthers.

As we get ready for the 2003 Playoffs leading up to Summer Bowl '03 in Seattle, it's time to reveal the logo for Summer Bowl '04, returning to the city where the first official Summer Bowl was played (after several years of "USFL Championship Games", Orlando. Bright and sunny is the theme, even though the game will be played at night due to late July Florida heat.

I would say that once the stadium situation in San Diego gets a bit dicier (2010's) there is a chance, especially if the Chargers move out, but they won't move to LA, because the Raiders own that town (Well, and the Express to a degree.)

Hi all, Some exciting things coming up in the next few weeks. Thought I would give you a preview. 1. The three teams that will get new designs for 2005 (revealed during the 2004 season) will be Memphis, Michigan, and Washington. Perhaps not major adjustments for all 3, but at least one will get a pretty big overhaul. 2. I am committing to updating both the Teams website as well as the League History page, so check those out from time to time. 3. I am about to announce plans for league expansion from 24 to 28 teams over the next few seasons. The expansion will feature the return of a recently relocated team, a city or 2 getting new teams, and at least 1 brand new city. 3. The two teams joining the league in 2006 will be revealed between the end of the 2004 season and midseason of 2005. I have clear identity designs for both, so no fan votes on these two, but, designs, so that is good. 4. The vote on Boston got such an amazing response that I am planning two big votes that you all can participate in. 2006: Vote on the three bids for a 2008 expansion club. 3 cities, all new to the USFL, with identities in place, so you are voting on the whole look. I can tell you now that 1 team is based on a real UFL team, one is based on a WLAF team that is in a new city (Not the WLAF city) and the third pulls its identity from deep in local history with the WFL from the 1970's. Three new locations but logos from the real world. 4. In 2007 you will have the chance to vote for the identity of the 4th expansion team, including team names, logos & uniforms. I won't reveal the city now, but I can tell you that the three identities are based on real teams and logos from other cities that come from the World Football League, the United Football League, and the Canadian Football League. I am pulling indentites from all over the map and placing them in USFL-appropriate locations. 5. Once we hit the 2010's the relocation/expansion may not be over. I am picturing 30 teams by 2020. I am also planning at least 2 potential relocations between now (2003) and 2017. One impacted by a real world crisis, the other purely ficticious. 6. Finally, one USFL team will have to decide whether or not to retain their current identity when it becomes politically (culturally) problematic. Think Washington NFL for the model. Will the team start from scratch or just change one element of their identity and keep the rest? You will also get to vote on this. Lots of chances for you to participate, and lots of posts from me as we move from 2003 closer to the present. Hard to believe I have been working on this project since November of 2020, but that is the case. By my estimation, we will reach current day sometime in 2024, which means I still have 21 seasons left to play out. Not sure what I will do after that. I kinda want to learn how to use Adobe illustrator so that I can start over in 1983 and do more photo manipulation to enhance the visuals. I want to be able to put players like Brett Favre or Brian Urlacher in USFL uniforms. We shall see. If I decide to create a 2nd Alt History, it will certainly be very different from this one (kind of like XFL 1.0 vs. 2.0 vs. 3.0). But, first things first, 21 seasons left to go. Also, as a football fan, and more specifically a fan of the Buffalo Bills since the early 1980's, I would ask you to keep Damar Hamlin in your thoughts and prayers. To support his charity's Go Fund me if you feel so inclined, but to keep him "in the light" as we say at my church. Truly shocking and tragic, but I am hopeful that he will recover, and live a long healthy life. If you have not checked out my ongoing alternate history of the 1980's league, one based on a world where they never tried to move to fall and won a massive NFL settlement in their lawsuit, you can check it out (all the way from 2003 back to 1983) at this website. Thanks to all for your support over these past 2 years. For now, I offer you an idea I gave up on, so that you at least have something to look at. 2005 designs coming soon. The Memphis Showboats almost relocated to St. Louis, and I had a contingency if they did. Had they moved, they would have largely kept the same look, but with two new logos. You can see in this mock up that I added a new StL monogram as well as a 2005 commemorative patch that combines the paddlewheel with the Gateway Arch. The uniforms also hint at St. Louis with "Arch" shoulder stripes and on the collar. This is not happening, but it could very easily have been the direction I took it. Decided to keep Memphis in Memphis (despite the questionable financial viability of having 2 teams in Tennessee) just because you all wanted it (fan poll) but also because with 20 years behind them, they certainly had the resources to survive, and Nashville is a burgeoning hotspot city so they will support their team as well. So, here is what could have been, the St. Louis Showboats.

So, the short-lived Texas Outlaws logo change is about to be published and I realized I never showed you the full uniform. When the fans reject the new logo, the older version of the Outlaw will return, but the rest of the uniform will basically stay the same. So, here is the new look (logo to be determined) for the Outlaws, with a lot of reference points to both San Antonio (Alamo) and Texas (Lone Star).

As promised, here is the full design sheet for the new look of the New Orleans Breakers. The logo and helmet are the main difference, with the jersey going back to a more traditional 3-stripe pattern.

I think if you look at my 2001 update of Philly you will see a version of this Stars logo with orange. Here it is from page 36.

Hi all, a fun feedback opportunity. Assuming that I will expand the alt history USFL between 2003 and 2023, what is one logo/identity you hope makes it into the league. It has to be a real logo/brand from a real league but could be from as far back as the WFL. So that means any logo from… WFL Arena Football WLAF/NFL Europe XFL 1.0 UFL FXFL AAF XFL 2.0 USFL 2022 XFL 3.0 post a picture of the logo you hope finds its way into the league.

The evolution of USFL identities continues with the 2004 New Orleans Breakers. The Breakers decide that their wave pattern was too 1980's and try to update the look with more of a crashing wave focus. This is not the final version we will see of a Breakers logo, but will be an intermediary stage between two looks. So, here is the new primary, a new secondary (which you will recognize from the 2022 USFL), and the new helmets. Next up, the "1 Day" Texas look followed by their final look, and then one more surprise change for 2004 (which honestly won't be very surprising). Might be until next week before I upload more, but I might produce a NOR design sheet with their new unis this week.

I am going to partially agree and partially differ on this. I think Pittsburgh is a solid look. Not the best, but solid. I miss the use of grey for steel in the older Mauler identity. I think Houston has some issues, but could easily be fixed. The Breakers, my favorite original USFL Team I see as a miss. I don't like the helmet logo, which creates a huge navy blue blob on the entire back of the helmet, and not a fan of the wave on the sleeve. Wave-inspired fine, but I think they went a bit too literal. But, I am firmly going to say that at least for me the worst New USFL uniform is still way better than the best new XFL uniform. But, that is me. I also hate country music and egg salad. Other people love them.

I am actually wondering what elements of the new XFL teams might make their way into late seasons of the USFL simulation. I would say the following elements of the new looks (which I suspect you know I am not overly fond of) could make an appearance: Textured materials (used in more moderation than the XFL is). Things like snakeskin, dragon scales, the Roughneck oil slick effect, or the DC marble/camo look could be seen in small ways like on collars, cuffs, or pant stripes. Maybe the odd number here and there. Some of the number styles I do like. I like DC's numbers. I like the use of a transitional color on Seattle's numbers (I could see the Thunder having navy numbers with a green to yellow transition in them) and I think the snakeskin black numbers on LV's white jerseys are pretty effective. Not all the fonts are great, but some of the effects could work. I could see the USFL teams around 2018 or later adopting more shoulder "swatches" and sleeve colors rather than stripes, since sleeves are really disappearing. I think the USFL will move away from a lot of the yokes, though not entirely, and you will not see a lot of Unitard looks in the USFL I design. I just hate it. Oh, and you will never, ever, see solid color socks without white bases or striping of any kind. That is a hill I am ready to die on. Sports socks are white, not black or blue, or grey. You put stripes or color at the calf, but the ankle should be white. I refuse to even buy exercise socks in any other color, no matter what Nike says. Call me an old fuddy duddy on that one, but in my day (ooh, I am old) the only team that had on black socks was the team from Accounting.

OK, revisiting this after the initial horror. Trying not to be 100% negative. Looking at the details as more images come out, there are some interesting elements that with better execution could look really good. So, here are five elements which (if done a bit better) could be a good look and 5 mortal sins the XFL has committed with this round of uniforms: INTRIGUING ELEMENTS 1. I actually am pretty impressed with some of the textured elements. The oil slick Houston pant stripe, the snakeskin pattern on the black numbers for Las Vegas, the dragon scales on the Seattle pant stripe. They overdo it by repeating the motif too much in the uniform, creating things like navy numbers on a navy Houston jersey, or snakeskin on numbers, sleeves and pants (too much), and the Seattle helmet stripe is too much. But, in small doses like just in 1 stripe or just in the numbers, this can work well. 2. The use of transitional color not on the numbers themselves, but on the piping/outline around them. They do this with Seattle very well, a bit less successful with San Antonio. I am very much against colored numbers on a dark jersey, prefering the crispness of a white number, but I like the idea of having the outline shift from one team color to another (green to blue on Seattle), as long as neither of the colors is the color of the jersey itself. I could see this working particularly when teams have 3 main colors. 3. Other than DC, all the teams have pant stripes. That is a good thing. Not all look great, but the era of plain pants we are seeing in the NCAA and even some NFL Teams (Manders, I am looking at you) is not a good trend. 4. Only DC has sleeve stripes, and that just feels like a trend, moving towards shoulder or sleeve colors instead, just seems so necessary with the new cuts of the jerseys. And where they did shoulder stripes, they avoided the mid-shoulder cutoff like the Colts and Patriots have, which look so awkward. You have to extend them down further on the front and back to at least try to show some semblance of "underarm". I am excluding whatever overalls-styled stripe the Renegades are trying for here. That is just fugly. 5. I like the idea that teams could have a light jersey set that is not necessarily white. San Antonio using yellow is an idea that should work for either LA team in the NFL. Not as sold on St. Louis's grey, mostly because grey and gold are tough when materials on the uniforms are dull/matte and the helmet is glossy or metallic. KINDER NO BUENO 1. Unitards. Vegas in particular is over the top. Black helmet, black facemask, black jersey with black striping, black pants with black textured stripe, black socks. It's just not a good look. I guess "the kids" like it, and I am just an old man who likes white socks with stripes, pants with stripes, contrasting helmet, jersey, pants, socks, etc. But if so, I can only say what I think. 2. Trying too hard to be edgy: Whether it is Arlington's overalls, Houston's helmet, Seattle's chrome helmet with weird fractile attempt at dragon scales, or Houston's unecessary yoke, there is just a lot of trying too hard to do something different for the sake of being different. 3. Some of the number fonts just do not work. I like what they are doing with DC, and even Houston's and Seattle's work for me, but the Arlington one is just bad, especially on the white jersey, and some of the fonts just don't seem to mesh with the rest of the look. 4. Overemphasized chest logos. When you have the team name on the front of they jersey, having large league and brand logos as well just makes it look messy, like a Mexican soccer league kit with 17 sponsors on it. Houston is particularly bad with this since their use of a yoke just makes it so much more obvious that they are making space for those logos with cutouts. 5. Whatever Arlington's helmet is trying to do. I am just not sold on the huge, wide stripe thing. Add to that the all white logo awkwardly placed beneath it. It is easy to complain about Houston's ludicrous Texas flag concept, but Arlington's helmet may be even worse. I remember Indiana U. did a similar thing and it really did not work for them either. I get that the new helmets, with all the cutouts and holes in them make life difficult for using standard decals, but this is not the answer.