Birmingham Thunderbolts
Team logo
Established2001
Folded2001 (2001)
Based inBirmingham, Alabama
Home stadiumLegion Field
Head coachGerry DiNardo
General managerTim Berryman
Owner(s)World Wrestling Federation
LeagueXFL
DivisionEastern
ColorsPurple, yellow, silver[1]
     
Nickname(s)Bolts
League titles0
Division titles0

The Birmingham Thunderbolts were a short-lived springtime American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States.

Opening Season

The Thunderbolts played in the Eastern Division, with the Chicago Enforcers, Orlando Rage and the New York/New Jersey Hitmen. They finished the only year of XFL play – 2001 – in last place with the worst record in the league, at 2-8.

The Thunderbolts played their home games at Birmingham's legendary Legion Field. They were coached by Brooklyn-native Gerry DiNardo, a former star player at the University of Notre Dame, and previously head coach at Vanderbilt University and Louisiana State University. Following the collapse of the XFL, he went on to coach at Indiana University. One of DiNardo's assistants with the Thunderbolts was his predecessor at LSU, Curley Hallman.

The team's colors were purple, yellow, and white. Their logo was a stylized 'B' with six lightning bolts extending from it. On the teams helmets, the logo was placed at the front, instead of the customary position on each side, with only the upper three lightning bolts visible. The team was frequently referred to by fans and the media as simply the Bolts. Team merchandise almost always used the shortened Bolts moniker.

Allegedly, the league had originally planned to name the team the Blast; the XFL had named all of its teams with references to insanity and criminal activity, and the name "Birmingham Blast" likewise invoked images of the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church and of Eric Rudolph's 1998 bombing of a local abortion clinic, two tragic events in Birmingham history. As the league soon realized that such a name would have been in extremely poor taste, at the last minute the league changed it to "Thunderbolts," or "Bolts" for short. The team's logo is said to be the same one originally designed for the Blast. The Thunderbolts were unusual in that their nickname was benign.

While XFL players were encouraged to use nicknames instead of their last names on the backs of their jerseys, DiNardo banned Thunderbolts players from doing so.

After losing the opening game to the Memphis Maniax, the Thunderbolts posted wins over the Chicago Enforcers and the New York/New Jersey Hitmen. These would ultimately become the only victories the Thunderbolts would ever see. The Bolts would finish with a 2-8 record.

Birmingham went through all 3 quarterbacks during the season. Former Florida State quarterback Casey Weldon was signed as the starter. Former University of Alabama quarterback Jay Barker was signed as the backup, despite the crowds (averaging only 17,000 fans a game, second-lowest in the league) chanting his name during the home games. Barker would become the starter after Weldon injured his shoulder. Barker suffered a concussion in Chicago when he collided with Enforcers' cornerback Ray Austin while attempting a bootleg run on a broken play. He was replaced by third string QB Graham Leigh.

NBC dropped the XFL after the first (2001) season due to dismal ratings, and the league was disbanded shortly thereafter.

Season-by-season

Season records
SeasonWLTFinishPlayoff results
20012804th Eastern--

Schedule

Regular season

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue
1 February 4 Memphis Maniax L 20–22 0–1 Legion Field
2 February 11 at New York/New Jersey Hitmen W 19–12 1–1 Giants Stadium
3 February 18 Chicago Enforcers W 14–3 2–1 Legion Field
4 February 24 at Orlando Rage L 6–30 2–2 Florida Citrus Bowl
5 March 3 at San Francisco Demons L 10–39 2–3 Pacific Bell Park
6 March 11 Los Angeles Xtreme L 26–35 2–4 Legion Field
7 March 17 at Las Vegas Outlaws L 12–34 2–5 Sam Boyd Stadium
8 March 25 at Chicago Enforcers L 0–13 2–6 Soldier Field
9 March 31 Orlando Rage L 24–29 2–7 Legion Field
10 April 8 New York/New Jersey Hitmen L 0–22 2–8 Legion Field

Personnel

Staff

2001 Birmingham Thunderbolts staff
Front office
  • Vice president/general manager – Tim Berryman
  • Director of player personnel – Bob Gates

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

   Defensive coaches
  • Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs – Curley Hallman
  • Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line – Don Wnek
  • Linebackers – Paul Arslanian
  • Personal Coach John Guimond
  • Defensive assistant – Woodrow Lowe, Jr.

[2]

Standings

Eastern Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA STK
Orlando Rage 8 2 0 .800 207 162 L1
Chicago Enforcers 5 5 0 .500 163 178 W1
New York/New Jersey Hitmen 4 6 0 .400 110 145 W1
Birmingham Thunderbolts 2 8 0 .200 131 217 L7

[3]

Birmingham Thunderbolts players

Post-XFL developments

After the league folded, head coach Gerry DiNardo joined the staff of Birmingham sports talk radio station WJOX 690, as did Jay Barker, who also did sports commentary on local CBS TV affiliate WIAT channel 42. Barker currently hosts "The Opening Drive" on WJOX 94.5 in Birmingham with Tony Kurre and former NFL kicker Al Del Greco.

DiNardo returned to his college football coaching roots in 2002 as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers football team. The team was sometimes jokingly nicknamed "The Fighting DiNardos" in his honor. He was fired at the end of the 2004 season. He is currently a studio analyst for the Big Ten Network.

The Thunderbolts were the last playing stop for defensive back Anthony Blevins, after the team folded, Blevins went into coaching at first the high school, then college and NFL levels. In 2023, Blevins was named the head coach of the Vegas Vipers of the re-established XFL becoming one of the only links between the new XFL and the original one.

Team leaders

References

  1. ↑ "Birmingham Thunderbolts Logo Sheet". SSUR.org. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010.
  2. ↑ 2001 Birmingham Thunderbolts Media Guide. XFL. pp. 4–11.
  3. ↑ "XFL Standings". USA Today. May 12, 2001. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
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