The XFL provided forgettable football and unforgettable memories. What has become of some of the people that made the league, which only existed in 2001, so special?
Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon was the person who created the XFL and gave football fans everywhere indelible memories. The WWE honcho is heading up the second incarnation, which will kick off in the winter of 2020.
Jim Ross
Jim Ross was the Hall of Fame voice of WWE and his background working with the Atlanta Falcons made him a nice fit as one of the voice of the XFL. Good ol’ JR is working with AEW now in multiple capacities.
Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura went from pro wrestling to politics as Minnesota’s governor and eventually found his way into broadcasting with the XFL. He famously got into it with New York/New Jersey coach Rusty Tillman.
Tommy Maddox
Tommy Maddox quarterbacked the LA Xtreme to the lone XFL championship. The former UCLA star who used to pitch the football has turned into a baseball coach at Decatur High School in Texas. He has a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers as well as being on the Xtreme.
Galen Hall
Hall was head coach of the Orlando Rage, posting an 8–2 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs. He was named XFL Coach of the Year in the league’s only season. He eventually wound up on Joe Paterno’s coaching staff at Penn State. Bill O’Brien followed Paterno and let go of Hall along with the rest of Paterno’s staff. Hall has retired to Groveland, Fl.
Brian Kuklick
Brian Kuklick’s Linkedin bio says he is currently an account manager for IKON. He was a quarterback for the Orlando Rage.
Casey Weldon
Casey Weldon played at Florida State and was a fourth-round NFL pick. He played for the Birmingham Thunderbolts in the XFL. Weldon is currently in the private sector in Florida. “I also own Advanced Drying Systems,” the Heisman runnerup to Desmond Howard said a while back. “We dry out homes and businesses that flood and have water damage.
I thought I’d play ball forever and do what I wanted, but it didn’t quite work out.”
John Avery
After leaving pro football, John Avery moved with his family to Grimsby, Ontario and helped coach the Blessed Trinity Thunder Senior Boys Football Team in 2013–2015. He loves being in entertainment and writes, hosts and performs standup comedy.
Jim Druckenmiller
Jim Druckenmiller was a first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers before moving to the XFL. He currently is an area sales supervisor for AS Barboro, MillerCoors Distributor of Memphis, TN.
Stepfret Williams
Birmingham wide receiver Stepfret Williams led the XFL with 828 receiving yards. Williams caught 51 passes and returned 22 punts for a 7.5-yard average. He turned in two of the league’s longest plays, hauling in a 92-yard touchdown pass and returning a punt 95 yards for a TD. His other touchdown reception came on an 80-yard play. When last heard of, Williams was working for a plastics company.
Yo Murphy
Yo Murphy is a former wide receiver in the CFL, XFL and NFL is current co-owner of The Compound and performance coach in Tampa, Fl. Murphy is s the only player to play in the regular seasons of the CFL, NFL, XFL and NFL Europe, as well as the only player to suit up for the Super Bowl, Grey Cup and World Bowl championship games.
Charlie Puleri
Charlie Puleri was a quarterback for the New York/New Jersey Hitmen. He currently is a Production Manager at Cross Country Mortgage in Florida and works foe ESPN as a talent spotter/stage manager,
Tony Mottola
Tony Mottola is the The NV/Demarest head football coach in New Jersey. He was on the coaching staff of the New York/New Jersey Hitmen. Mottola spent five years on the coaching staff of the Oakland Raiders in the 1990s, and became the Hitmen’s linebackers coach after getting a call from the team’s head coach, Rusty Tillman, who was the special teams coach with the Raiders when Mottola was there. “I do remember thinking, ‘How in the heck are we going to get these guys lined up and put on a good product by the time we get to Vegas?’” Mottola told Northjersey.com. “I felt like it was weeks, I know it was longer than that. But it was almost like you were set up for failure because there was just no way that you could get a good product on the field at that time with the amount of time we were given.”
Gerry DiNardo
Gerry DiNardo coached the Birmingham Thunderbolts. He currently works as a studio analyst for the Big Ten Network and college football expert for WSCR’s Boers and Bernstein radio show in Chicago. DiNardo also owns DeAngelo’s Italian Restaurant in Bloomington, IN.
Kris Haines
Kris Haines played college football at Notre Dame. He also played for three NFL teams before eventually becoming receivers coach for the Chicago Enforcers. Haines is an athletic director/teaacher and coach at The Catherine Cook School in Chicago.
Al & Tom Luginbill
Al Luginbill led the LA Xtreme to the lone XFL championship. He is the director of player personnel at Arizona State. His son, Tom, was quarterbacks coach for the Xtreme. He currently works for ESPN as a CFB and sideline analyst.
Joe Paopao
Joe Paopao is a CFL legend. He was the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco Demons. Since, he has had many coaching gigs, including head coach of the Ottawa Renegades. Paopao is now running backs coach for the Ottawa Renegades.
Jeff Brohm
Jeff Brohm finished his playing career with the Orlando Rage. He became all the rage as a head coach in college football, doing a great job at Western Kentucky and then taking over at Purdue.
Scott Milanovich
Scott Milanovich was the first pick in the XFL draft. He was also the head coach for the Toronto Argonauts. The quarterback is now the quarterbacks coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rod ‘He Hate Me’ Smart
Rod Smart was a running back but became a national name for his nickname: He Hate Me. Smart also played for the Carolina Panthers. He was in the news recently because his family feared for his safety after not hearing from him for almost a week. He was found safely and TMZ reports he is with his family and getting professional treatment.
