| St. Louis Battlehawks | |||||||||||
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 Current season | |||||||||||
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| Basic info | |||||||||||
| Established | December 5, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-12-05) | ||||||||||
| Stadium | The Dome at America's Center St. Louis, Missouri | ||||||||||
| Colors | Royal blue, silver[1] | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Personnel | |||||||||||
| Owner(s) | League owned | ||||||||||
| General manager | Dave Boller | ||||||||||
| Head coach | Anthony Becht | ||||||||||
| Team history | |||||||||||
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| Home fields | |||||||||||
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| League / conference affiliations | |||||||||||
XFL (2020–2023)
United Football League (2024–present)
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| Championships | |||||||||||
| League championships: 0 | |||||||||||
| Conference championships: 0 | |||||||||||
| Division championships: 2 | |||||||||||
| Playoff appearances (2) | |||||||||||
TheSt. Louis Battlehawks (stylized asBattleHawks prior to2023) are a professionalAmerican football team based inSt. Louis, Missouri. The Battlehawks compete in theUnited Football League (UFL). The team was a founding member of theXFL. The Battlehawks were founded byVince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and are owned and operated byDwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico andFox Corporation. The Battlehawks play their home games atThe Dome at America's Center. The team has a franchise regular season record of 25–10 (.714), as of its2025 season.
On December 5, 2018, St. Louis was announced as one of eight cities that would join the newly reformed XFL, as well asSeattle,Houston,Los Angeles,New York,DC,Tampa Bay, andDallas.[3] On April 18, 2019, the team hiredJonathan Hayes, who most recently was tight ends coach for theCincinnati Bengals, as their first head coach. Hayes is an alumnus of theUniversity of Iowa.[4] The team name and logo were revealed on August 21, 2019, as well as the team’s uniforms on December 3, 2019.[5]
On October 15, 2019, The Battlehawks announced their first player in team history, being assigned formerOle Miss Rebels QuarterbackJordan Ta'amu.[6]
The Battlehawks won their first game in team history on February 8, 2020, defeating theDallas Renegades 15–9. On March 12, 2020, The XFL announced that the remainder of the2020 XFL season had been cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The team finished with a 3–2 record. On April 10, 2020, The XFL suspended operations, with all employees, players and staff terminated.
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On August 3, 2020, it was reported that a consortium led byDwayne "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.[7][8] The XFL hiredAnthony Becht as a Head Coach on April 13, 2022, with the expectation that he would be coaching the St. Louis team.[9] On July 24, 2022, the return of a St. Louis XFL franchise was confirmed, as well as the hiring of Anthony Becht.[10] On October 31, 2022, the XFL officially announced that the Battlehawks name would be returning, with the logo having slight alterations.
The Battlehawks finished tied for second place in their division in the2023 regular season with theSeattle Sea Dragons with a 7–3 record. The Sea Dragons were granted the playoff position after several rounds of tiebreakers[11] (and the lack of anywild card, at-large or crossover process, which ensured the eventual championArlington Renegades, three games behind St. Louis in overall league standings, got into the playoffs instead). In an offseason showcase in St. Louis, league presidentRuss Brandon indicated that the Battlehawks would continue in St. Louis "obviously [...] for the very long haul."[11]United States Football League presidentDaryl Johnston noted that St. Louis would be an ideal team to keep in a merger with the league he presided over, not only for its strong fan support (which he noted was far above and beyond any in the USFL) but because of its central location, making travel expenses affordable.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14] The merger would also require regulatory approval.[15] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name"United Football League".[16] On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via herInstagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a "combined season" to begin March 30, 2024.[17] The merger was made official on December 31, 2023.[18]
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB)
22 Jeffrey Perlmutter Wide receivers(WR)
Tight ends(TE)
| Offensive linemen(OL)
| Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
| Reserve lists Roster updated October 3, 2025 49 active |
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| Season | Pos | Name | NFL team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | DT | LaCale London | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2024 | K | Andre Szmyt | Cleveland Browns |
| 2024–2025 | RB | Jacob Saylors | Detroit Lions |
| 2025 | DT | Kyler Baugh | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2025 | CB | Nick Whiteside | Detroit Lions |
| Season | Pos | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | RB | Matt Jones | FormerWashington Redskins Running Back, 2015 3rd Round Pick |
| 2020 | RB | Christine Michael | FormerSeattle Seahawks Running Back, 2013 2nd Round Pick |
| 2020 | P | Marquette King | FormerOakland Raiders Punter |
| 2023–2024 | QB | A. J. McCarron | FormerCincinnati Bengals Quarter Back, 2014 5th Round pick |
| 2024 | RB | Wayne Gallman | FormerNew York Giants Running Back, 2017 4th Round Pick |
| 2025 | WR | Andy Isabella | FormerArizona Cardinals Wide Receiver, 2019 2nd Round Pick |
| 2025 | WR | Denzel Mims | FormerNew York Jets Wide Receiver, 2020 2nd Round Pick |
| 2025 | LB | Kemoko Turay | FormerIndianapolis Colts Linebacker, 2018 2nd Round Pick |
| 2025–present | K | Rodrigo Blankenship | FormerGeorgia Bulldogs andIndianapolis Colts Kicker |
| Battlehawks XFL OPOY winners | |||
| Year | Player | Position | Selector |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Hakeem Butler | WR | UFL |
| Battlehawks XFL DPOY winners | |||
| Year | Player | Position | Selector |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pita Taumoepenu | LB | UFL |
| Battlehawks XFL STPOY winners | |||
| Year | Player | Position | Selector |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Darrius Shepherd | WR | XFL |
| 2024 | Chris Garrett | LB | UFL |
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| St. Louis Battlehawks | ||||||||||
| 1 | Jonathan Hayes | 2020 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Anthony Becht | 2023–present | 30 | 22 | 8 | .733 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| St. Louis Battlehawks | ||||||||||
| 1 | Doug Meacham | 2020 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Chuck Long | 2020 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | – | – | |
| 3 | Bruce Gradkowski | 2023–2024 | 20 | 14 | 6 | .700 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 4 | Phil McGeoghan | 2025 | 10 | 8 | 2 | .800 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | Win % | GC | W | L | ||||
| St. Louis Battlehawks | ||||||||||
| 1 | Jay Hayes | 2020 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | – | – | |
| 2 | Donnie Abraham | 2023–present | 30 | 22 | 8 | .733 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
The Battlehawks have a rivalry against the DC Defenders.[19] The Defenders have won three of the four matchups between the two teams, every game except for one has been decided by one possession and has determined who is the top team in the division at that point in the season.
At the end of their first meeting of the 2023 season, three players were ejected after a brawl broke out.[20] A week later, the Battlehawks' quarterback,A. J. McCarron, called their competition the "first XFL rivalry."[21]
With the merger of the XFL and USFL, the Battlehawks andBirmingham Stallions emerged as rivals, both because each had reached the top of their division at the time of their Week 7 meeting in the2024 UFL season and because both of the Battlehawks' quarterbacks,Alabama alumnus McCarron andTroy alumnusBrandon Silvers, played college and high school football in the state of Alabama.[22][23]
| Team | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Brahmas | 3–1 | 0.750 |
| Orlando Guardians | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Vegas Vipers | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| Houston Gamblers | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Memphis Showboats | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| Dallas Renegades | 3–1 | 0.750 |
| Seattle Sea Dragons | 2–1 | .667 |
| Houston Roughnecks (2020) | 1–1 | .500 |
| DC Defenders | 2–3 | .400 |
| Birmingham Stallions | 1–1 | .500 |
| Michigan Panthers | 0–1 | .000 |
| UFL champions† (2024–present) | XFL champions§ (2023) | Conference champions* | Division champions^ | Wild Card berth# |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | Head coaches | Pct. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | W | L | |||||||||
| 2020 | 2020 | XFL | — | East | 2nd | 3 | 2 | Season Suspended after 5 games due toCOVID-19 | Jonathan Hayes | .600 | |
| 2021 | — | ||||||||||
| 2022 | |||||||||||
| 2023 | 2023 | XFL | — | North | 3rd | 7 | 3 | Darrius Shepherd (STPOY) | Anthony Becht | .733 | |
| 2024 | 2024 | UFL | XFL | — | 1st# | 7 | 3 | Lost XFL Conference Championship (Brahmas) 15–25 | Hakeem Butler (OPOY) Chris Garrett (STPOY) | ||
| 2025 | 2025 | UFL | XFL | — | 1st# | 8 | 2 | Lost XFL Conference Championship (Defenders) 18–36 | |||
| Total | 25 | 10 | All-time regular season record (2020–2025) | .714 | |||||||
| 0 | 2 | All-time postseason record (2020–2025) | .000 | ||||||||
| 25 | 12 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2020–2025) | .676 | ||||||||
| All-time Battlehawks leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | Player | Record | Years with Battlehawks | |
| Passing Yards | A. J. McCarron | 3,732 passing yards | 2023–2024 | |
| Passing Touchdowns | A. J. McCarron | 34 passing touchdowns | 2023–2024 | |
| Rushing Yards | Jacob Saylors | 960 rushing yards | 2024–present | |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Jacob Saylors | 10 rushing touchdowns | 2024–present | |
| Receiving Yards | Hakeem Butler | 1,551 receiving yards | 2023–present | |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Hakeem Butler | 17 receiving touchdowns | 2023–present | |
| Receptions | Hakeem Butler | 109 receptions | 2023–present | |
| Tackles | Willie Harvey Jr. | 196 tackles | 2023–present | |
| Sacks | Travis Feeney | 12.5 sacks | 2023–present 2024–present | |
| Interceptions | Brandon Sebastian | 5 interceptions | 2023–present | |
| Coaching wins | Anthony Becht | 22 wins | 2023–present | |
Regular season –As of June 9, 2025
| Season(s) | Quarterback(s) | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jordan Ta'amu(3–2) | [24] | |
| 2021–2022 | Suspended operations | ||
| 2023 | A. J. McCarron(6–3) /Nick Tiano(1–0) | [25] | |
| 2024 | A. J. McCarron(6–2) /Manny Wilkins(1–1) | [26] | |
| 2025 | Max Duggan(5–0) /Manny Wilkins(2–2) /Brandon Silvers(1–0) | [27] |
Postseason
| Season(s) | Quarterback(s) | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | A. J. McCarron(0–1) | [28] | |
| 2025 | Max Duggan(0–1) |
Most games as starting quarterback
| Name | Period | GP | GS | W | L | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. J. McCarron | 2023–2024 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 5 | .706 |
| Manny Wilkins | 2023–2025 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 |
| Jordan Ta'amu | 2020 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 |
| Max Duggan | 2025 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Nick Tiano | 2023 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Brandon Silvers | 2024–2025 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| XFL/UFL Attendance Records[29] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Week | Team | Attendance |
| 2024 | 2 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 40,317 |
| 2023 | 4 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 38,310 |
| 2023 | 5 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 35,868 |
| 2023 | 8 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 35,167 |
| 2023 | 9 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 33,142 |
| 2023 | 10 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 33,034 |
| 2024 | 4 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 31,757 |
| 2020 | 3 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 29,554 |
| 2020 | 2 | Seattle Dragons | 29,172 |
| Season | Head Coach | League | Avg. Crowd | Home Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jonathan Hayes | XFL | 28,541 | 2–0 |
| 2023 | Anthony Becht | 35,104 | 3–2 | |
| 2024 | UFL | 34,365 | 5–0 | |
| 2025 | 32,115 | 4–1 |
During the 2020 season, the Battlehawks were the only XFL team that was founded in a market that lacked a currentNational Football League franchise. St. Louis hosted NFL football in 1923 with theAll-Stars, 1934 with theGunners, 1960 to 1987 with theFootball Cardinals, and again from 1995 to 2015 with theRams, which moved toLos Angeles in the 2016 season. There is a significant negative sentiment against the NFL in St. Louis,[30] as the owners of the Cardinals and Ramsmoved to other markets, with the Cardinals saying thecity andcounty governments of St. Louis declined to provide an adequate new stadium and the Rams saying the Dome at America's Center was unacceptable andrejecting the offer of a new stadium in the market in favor of relocating back to Los Angeles. As St. Louis was one of the most recent cities to lose an NFL team, with acceptable facilities by XFL standards, the dome was seen as a good choice.
St. Louis has hosted one alternative professional football team: theArena Football League'sSt. Louis Stampede of 1995 and 1996. None of the major alternative outdoor leagues of the late 20th and early 21st centuries had a team there. Someindoor football teams have played atFamily Arena in suburbanSt. Charles, Missouri, including theRiverCity Rage andRiver City Raiders. UntilLindenwood University (located in St. Charles) joined theOhio Valley Conference in 2022, St. Louis had also been devoid ofNCAA Division I football at both theFBS andFCS levels since 1949, when theSaint Louis University Billikens dropped football as an intercollegiate sport; the nearest FBS football squad, theMissouri Tigers, play inColumbia, and since 2023 with the return of the Battlehawks, the Tigers have played occasional home games at the Dome,[31] sharing an aging roll-away turf surface with the Battlehawks that proved to be unsightly when relined for the Tigers' use.[32]
The St. Louis Battlehawks share the Missouri winter sports market with one other major professional team, theNational Hockey League'sSt. Louis Blues, and with the Billikens', Lions' and Tigers'college basketball teams. In the spring the Battlehawks share the pro sports market withMajor League Soccer'sSt Louis City SC and the always well-supportedMajor League BaseballSt Louis Cardinals.
The Dome at America's Center was built for a future National Football League expansion team or relocation and as an addition to the adjoiningSt. Louis Convention Center. In 1995, the under-construction dome lured theLos Angeles Rams to St. Louis. After the Rams left in 2016, the Dome continued to host a plethora of other events, enough that the stadium was unable to host a team in the formerAlliance of American Football for the 2019 season.[33] The XFL rented the Dome for $800,000 per season (a $300,000 flat fee plus $100,000 for each game) in exchange for keeping all of the revenue from ticket sales; the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission keeps concession and parking revenue.[34] As part of the agreement to return in 2023, the XFL signed a three-year lease on the Dome with similar terms to its 2020 lease.[35] For XFL games, the Dome has a reduced capacity, similar to theSan Antonio Brahmas use of theAlamodome and theOrlando Guardians atCamping World Stadium.[36] The terms of the lease offer a per-ticket rebate if a sufficient number of tickets are sold in a given game, the proceeds from which covered the majority of the XFL's cost to rent the facility.[37] After two consecutive sellouts of the lower bowl, city officials began planning to open up some sections of the upper decks to accommodate more fans while still maintaining the up-close intimate atmosphere the league seeks.[38] This carried over into the 2023 season, with an estimated 35,000 tickets sold for the team's March 11 home opener and the upper decks of the dome being opened to accommodate the high demand.[39] The game drew an XFL record 38,310 attendance, eclipsing the previous record St. Louis set in 2020 and record of 38,253 set by theSan Francisco Demons of theoriginal XFL in 2001.[40] Season ticket sales remained robust heading into the 2024 season as the team opened up more seating in the middle decks of the stadium to season ticket sales.[41] Such was the Battlehawks' strength in ticket sales that the UFL gave the Battlehawks an extra home game for the2025 UFL season, with what would have been the team's in-conference away game against theSan Antonio Brahmas moved to St. Louis due to schedule conflicts at San Antonio's home stadium, theAlamodome.[42][43]
The Battlehawks lead the league in followers onTwitter,Instagram, and in fan attendance.[44][45] The St. Louis media market led the nation in television viewership for the opening week, posting a 7.4 Nielsen rating for the Battlehawks' first game.[46] Thousands of fans could be heard chanting “Kroenke sucks!” during the first Battlehawks home game, in reference toLos Angeles Rams ownerStan Kroenke who controversially moved theSt. Louis Rams back toLos Angeles, California following the2015 NFL season.
Through week 5 of the 2024 season, the Battlehawks have hosted just nine home games. However, eight of those nine games all rank in the top 9 for attendance in XFL/UFL history. The lone exception is the 2020 Seattle Dragon's week 2 home game. Additionally, the Battlehawks also hold the top 8 spots in most attended XFL/UFL games.
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