Sacramento Mountain Lions
  | |
| Founded | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2012 |
| Based in | Sacramento, California |
| Home stadium |
|
| Owner(s) | Paul Pelosi (majority) |
| Colors | Dark Metallic Gold, Sac Black, Sac Tan, Sac Dark Gold |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The Sacramento Mountain Lions were a professional
Franchise history
California Redwoods (2009)
The team began play as the California Redwoods in October 2009. (Early trademark filings had suggested the UFL would name the team the "San Francisco Rockfish," a name that was dumped before any public announcement.)
Former NFL head coach Dennis Green was hired as the Redwoods' head coach prior to the season. He led the team to a 2–4 record in its first season, finishing in third place.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Game site | Attendance | TV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||||
| 1 | Thursday, October 8 | 9:00 p.m. ET | at Las Vegas Locomotives | L 17–30 | 0–1 | Sam Boyd Stadium | 18,187 | Versus
|
| 2 | Saturday, October 17 | 9:00 p.m. ET | New York Sentinels | W 24–7 | 1–1 | AT&T Park
|
6,341 | HDNet
|
| 3 | Thursday, October 22 | 7:00 p.m. ET | at Florida Tuskers | L 7–34 | 1–2 | Citrus Bowl | 12,021 | Versus |
| 4 | Thursday, October 29 | 7:00 p.m. ET | at New York Sentinels | W 20–13 | 2–2 | Giants Stadium | 10,818 | Versus |
| 5 | Bye | |||||||
| 6 | Saturday, November 14 | 9:00 p.m. ET | Las Vegas Locomotives | L 10–16 | 2–3 | Spartan Stadium
|
4,312 | HDNet |
| 7 | Thursday, November 19 | 9:00 p.m. ET | Florida Tuskers | L 27–34 | 2–4 | AT&T Park | 6,837 | Versus |
Sacramento Mountain Lions (2010–2012)
2010 season
League commissioner
Despite the "California Redwoods" name still being valid (as the team remained the only UFL team in the state), league officials also announced that the California Redwoods branding would be abandoned. A new name was decided through a fan vote, though the name "Redwoods" remained a possible choice.[3] On April 6, 2010, the league announced that the franchise would be known as the Sacramento Mountain Lions.[4]
Additionally, head coach Dennis Green added the title of general manager following the season; he replaced league-wide general manager Rick Mueller, who handled the duties in 2009.
On September 25, the team won their first game in
Schedule
| Week | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Game site | Attendance | TV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||||
| 1 | Saturday, September 18 | 11:30 a.m. PT | at Hartford Colonials | L 10–27 | 0–1 | Rentschler Field
|
14,384 | NESN
|
| 2 | Saturday, September 25 | 8:00 p.m. PT | Florida Tuskers | W 24–20 | 1–1 | Hornet Stadium
|
20,000 | Versus
|
| 3 | Saturday, October 2 | 5:30 p.m. PT | at Omaha Nighthawks | L 17–20 | 1–2 | Rosenblatt Stadium | 23,416 | HDNet
|
| 4 | Bye | |||||||
| 5 | Friday, October 15 | 8:00 p.m. PT | Las Vegas Locomotives | L 3–26 | 1–3 | Hornet Stadium | 19,000 | HDNet |
| 6 | Thursday, October 21 | 4:00 p.m. PT | at Florida Tuskers | W 21–17 | 2–3 | Citrus Bowl | 10,066 | HDNet |
| 7 | Saturday, October 30 | 8:00 p.m. PT | Hartford Colonials | L 26–27 | 2–4 | Hornet Stadium | 13,500 | Versus |
| 8 | Saturday, November 6 | 8:00 p.m. PT | at Las Vegas Locomotives | W 27–24 | 3–4 | Sam Boyd Stadium | 13,622 | Versus |
| 9 | Saturday, November 13 | 8:00 p.m. PT | Omaha Nighthawks | W 41–3 | 4–4 | Hornet Stadium | 20,000 | Versus |
| 10 | Bye | |||||||
2011 season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Kickoff * | Opponent | Results | Game site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||
| 1 | Saturday, September 17 | 7:30 p.m. | Las Vegas Locomotives | L 17–23 | 0–1 | Hornet Stadium
|
| 2 | Bye | |||||
| 3 | Saturday, October 1 | 4:00 p.m. | Omaha Nighthawks | L 30–33 | 0–2 | Hornet Stadium |
| 4 | Friday, October 7 | 4:00 p.m. | at Virginia Destroyers | L 6–28 | 0–3 | Virginia Beach Sportsplex |
| 5 | Saturday, October 15 | 4:00 p.m. | Virginia Destroyers | W 27–20 (OT) | 1–3 | Hornet Stadium |
| 6 | Friday, October 21 † | 6:00 p.m. | at Omaha Nighthawks | W 25–19 | 2–3 | TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
|
| * All times are Pacific Time. † Postseason Consolation Game. | ||||||
2012 season
Head coach Dennis Green left the team after the 2011 season amid dispute and legal action; he was replaced by
The UFL's financial woes, a new venue, less prominent coach, and continued on-field shortcomings hurt the Mountain Lions' attendance figures in 2012, although not nearly to the same extent as the other three UFL markets. Reports of players and staff not getting paid, as well as the 2011 season getting cut short, tested the devotion of fans, as many considered the UFL a dead product. The UFL abruptly halted the season again after four games and pledged to continue its season in 2013, a promise that never came to fruition because of lawsuits against the league.
Season-by-season records
| Team | Season | W | L | T | Avg. | Finish | Post Season | Awards | Avg. attendance |
| California Redwoods | 2009 | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 3rd | 5,830 | ||
| Sacramento Mountain Lions | 2010 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 3rd | 18,125 | ||
| Sacramento Mountain Lions | 2011 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 4th | 18,775 | ||
| Sacramento Mountain Lions | 2012 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 4th | |||
| Totals | 8 | 14 | 0 | .350 | – | – | – | 14,171 |
Records vs. teams
This includes postseason games.
| Team | Record | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Hartford Colonials | 2-2 | .500 |
| Las Vegas Locomotives | 1–4 | .200 |
Florida Tuskers/Virginia Destroyers |
3–4 | .429 |
| Omaha Nighthawks | 1–3 | .250 |
Home, away, and neutral records
| Location | Record | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 3–7 | .300 |
| Away | 4–6 | .400 |
| Neutral | 0-0 | .000 |
References
- ^ Eskenazi, Joe. "Are You Ready For Some Football? The Team Is Named 'The California Redwoods.' Still Ready?". SF Weekly. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
- United Football League. 2010-03-03. Retrieved 2010-03-03.[dead link]
- ^ Welch, Kat (April 6, 2010). "Welcome the Sacramento Mountain Lions to the United Football League". Sacramento Press. Retrieved May 22, 2020.