Jump to content

New Jersey Generals (2022)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Jersey Generals
Current season
Established 2021
Folded 2023
Played in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio
League/conference affiliations
United States Football League (2022–2023)
  • North Division (2022–2023)
Current uniform
Team colorsScarlet red, navy blue, gold, white
       
MascotGeneral Jersey
Personnel
Owner(s)National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, (Fox Sports)
Head coachMike Riley (2022-2023)
Team history
  • New Jersey Generals (2022–2023)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (1)
2022
Playoff appearances (1)
2022
Home stadium(s)

The New Jersey Generals were a professional American football team. The Generals competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member club of the league's North division. Though named after the 1980s USFL team of the same name, which played at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Generals never played in New Jersey nor the New York metropolitan area the original Generals represented, instead playing its home games at the USFL's hub at Protective Stadium and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022, and at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio (shared with the Pittsburgh Maulers) in 2023 under the USFL's stadium sharing model. The Generals were one of eight teams that joined the USFL in 2022.

On December 19, 2023, the USFL informed its players union that the Generals would not be among four USFL teams to be contracted as part of the league's upcoming merger with the XFL.

History

[edit]

The New Jersey Generals were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021.[1] USFL co-founder Brian Woods had been using the Generals brand for teams in The Spring League since 2019.[2] On January 6, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NFL, AAF, and NCAA Football Head coach Mike Riley was named the Head coach and General manager of the Generals.[3]

The team was placed to select fourth overall in the 2022 USFL draft, where they selected Ben Holmes. Holmes was injured in training camp and ultimately released, but this allowed for the Generals to sign Luis Perez,[4] who impressed during the season, starting only 6 games, finishing in the top 5 in passing yards and touchdowns. The Generals also selected KaVontae Turpin as their top receiver, who lead the USFL in receiving yards (540), coupled with 4 touchdowns. He was also selected as to the All-USFL Team, alongside teammates Darius Victor, Terry Poole, Garrett McGhin, Toby Johnson and Shalom Luani in addition to winning USFL Most Valuable Player Award.[5][6] The Generals won the top seed in the North Division with a 9–1 record.[7] Despite the top seed in the North Division, the Generals were upset by the Philadelphia Stars, 19–14 in the North Division Championship Game.[8]

On October 18, 2022, the team hired Billy Devaney as the team's general manager.[9]

On December 19, 2023, the USFL informed its players union that the Generals would not be among four USFL teams to be contracted as part of the league's upcoming merger with the XFL.[10]

Player history

[edit]

Current NFL Players

[edit]
USFL Season Pos Name NFL Team
2022 WR KaVontae Turpin Dallas Cowboys

USFL MVP award winners

[edit]
Generals USFL MVP winners
Year Player Position Selector
2022 KaVontae Turpin WR USFL

USFL Offensive Player of the Year award winners

[edit]
Generals USFL OPOY winners
Year Player Position Selector
2022 Darius Victor RB USFL

Coach history

[edit]

Head coach history

[edit]
# Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
GC W L Win % GC W L
New Jersey Generals
1 Mike Riley 2022-2023 20 12 8 .600 1 0 1 *2022 USFL Coach of the Year

Offensive coordinator history

[edit]
# Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
GC W L Win % GC W L
New Jersey Generals
1 Steven Smith 2022-2023 20 12 8 .600 1 0 1

Defensive Coordinator history

[edit]
# Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
GC W L Win % GC W L
New Jersey Generals
1 Cris Dishman 2022 10 9 1 .900 1 0 1
2 Ted Cottrell 2023 10 3 7 .300

Championships

[edit]

Division championships

[edit]
Year Coach Record
2022 Mike Riley 9–1
Total Division Championships won: 1

Records

[edit]
All-time Generals leaders
Leader Player Record Years with Generals
Passing Yards De'Andre Johnson 1,712 passing yards 2022–2023
Passing Touchdowns Luis Perez 9 passing touchdowns 2022
Rushing Yards Darius Victor 1,127 rushing yards 2022-2023
Rushing Touchdowns Darius Victor 13 rushing touchdowns 2022-2023
Receiving Yards Alonzo Moore 713 receiving yards 2022-2023
Receiving Touchdowns Alonzo Moore 8 receiving touchdowns 2022-2023
Receptions Alonzo Moore 51 receptions 2022-2023
Tackles Chris Orr 159 tackles 2022-2023
Sacks Hercules Mata'afa 6.0 sacks 2022-2023
Interceptions Shalom Luani 6 interceptions 2022-2023
Coaching wins Mike Riley 12 wins 2022-2023

Statistics and records

[edit]

Season-by-season record

[edit]

Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.

Legend
USFL champions Division champions^ Wild Card berth#
New Jersey Generals season-by-season records
Season Team League Division Regular season Postseason results Awards
Finish Wins Losses Ties Pct
2022 2022 USFL North^ 1st^ 9 1 0 .900 Lost Division finals (Stars) 14–19 KaVontae Turpin (MVP)
Darius Victor (OPOY)
Mike Riley (COY)
2023 2023 USFL North 4th 3 7 0 .300
Totals 12 8 0 .600 (2022–2023, regular season)
0 1 .000 (2022–2023, playoffs)
12 9 0 .571 (2022–2023, regular season and playoffs)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "USFL unveils team cities, nicknames and logos for 2022 debut". FOX Sports. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "The Spring League Brands Team as Austin Generals in Homage to Host City". The Spring League. March 18, 2019. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  3. ^ Stephan Rachuk (January 6, 2022). "USFL Officially Reveals the First Four Head Coaches on The Herd". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  4. ^ Mike Mitchell (April 1, 2022). "USFL: New Jersey Generals Release Injured First Round QB Ben Holmes, Sign Luis Perez". www.usflnewshub.com. USFL News Hub. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  5. ^ Clinton, Bryan (June 22, 2022). "Former TCU WR KaVontae Turpin Wins USFL MVP". Heartland College Sports – An Independent Big 12 Today Blog | College Football News | Big 12 Today. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "USFL Awards 2022: Generals WR KaVontae Turpin named MVP". USFL. June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  7. ^ "USFL Week 7: Generals top Bandits, clinch playoff spot". www.foxsports.com. Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. May 28, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  8. ^ Josh Frketic (June 25, 2022). "Stars pull upset on Generals to punch ticket to USFL Championship". www.wkbn.com. Nexstar Media Inc. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  9. ^ "USFL Hires New General Managers for Two Teams". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 18, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  10. ^ "Four USFL teams survive merger with XFL". NBC Sports. December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.