Las Vegas Outlaws
Established 2014
Folded 2015
Played in Las Vegas, Nevada
at the Thomas & Mack Center
League/conference affiliations
Arena Football League (2015)
Current uniform
Team colorsBlack, Vegas gold
   
Personnel
Owner(s)Arena Football League
PresidentScotty Gelt
Head coachAaron Garcia
Team history
  • Las Vegas Outlaws (2015)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Home arena(s)

The Las Vegas Outlaws were a professional Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. They played in the AFL's National Conference West Division in 2015. The franchise was recently owned by Vince Neil, lead singer for Mötley Crüe and former minority owner of the Jacksonville Sharks. On September 11, 2014, it was announced that Aaron Garcia was to be the team's first head coach.

This was the third and most recent attempt at an AFL franchise in Las Vegas since two other teams played briefly, the Las Vegas Sting from 1994 to 1995 before relocating to Anaheim and becoming the Anaheim Piranhas and the Las Vegas Gladiators from 2003 to 2007 before they relocated to Cleveland.[1] Neil won approval from the league for the franchise on June 17, 2014. According to reports from ESPN, he asked to name his team the "Las Vegas Outlaws", not to be confused with the former XFL franchise from 2001 of the same name.[2] That wish was granted on August 22, 2014, when the announcement was officially made that the team would indeed be called the Outlaws.[3][4][5]

After initial rumors had the team playing at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the team actually played at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV, previous home to the Sting and Gladiators.

History

Vince Neil joined fellow musicians Jon Bon Jovi, Tim McGraw and KISS band members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley that have started AFL franchises. Bon Jovi created the Philadelphia Soul in 2004 and that team still exists today playing at the Wells Fargo Center under the majority ownership of Ron Jaworski. McGraw, a country music star, was minority owner of Bud Adams's version of the Nashville Kats from 2005 to 2007. Simmons and Stanley founded the Los Angeles KISS which existed from 2013 until 2016 and played at the Honda Center in Anaheim, former home of the Piranhas. Neil was named minority owner of the Jacksonville Sharks just two months prior to the formation of his own team.

League takeover and demise

On July 12, 2015, ArenaFan.com reported that the Outlaws and the New Orleans VooDoo were to be taken over by the league due to poor attendance and financial issues. Both teams were expected to finish the season, then commissioner Scott Butera was conduct a search for new owners.[6][7] The scheduled game between the Outlaws and the VooDoo was cancelled and declared a tie. Vince Neil was supposedly likely to have returned as majority owner, but a new ownership group would have had to be formed. However, on August 9, 2015 it was announced that the Las Vegas Outlaws would cease operations effective immediately, despite having qualified for the 2015 playoffs.[8] They were replaced as the fourth and final seed in the National Conference by the Portland Thunder.

Final roster

Las Vegas Outlaws roster
Quarterbacks

Fullbacks

  • Currently vacant

Wide receivers

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers
  • 17 Wesley Mauia

Defensive backs

Kickers

 Injured reserve

League suspension

Refuse to report

Other league exempt

  • Currently vacant

Inactive reserve

  • 42 Joe Mortensen FB
  •  3 Gerald Young WR

Recallable reassignment

  • Currently vacant
  • Rookies in italics
  • Roster updated August 12, 2015
  • 22 Active, 21 Inactive

Head coaches

Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
W L T Win% W L
Aaron Garcia 2015 5 12 1 .306 0 0

Season-by-season results

ArenaBowl Champions ArenaBowl Appearance Division Champions Playoff Berth
Season League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results
Finish Wins Losses Ties
2015 AFL American West 2nd 5 12 1
Total 5 12 1 (includes only regular season)
0 0 — (includes only the postseason)
5 12 1 (includes both regular season and postseason)

References

  1. ↑ Strip Scribbles: Vince Neil’s arena football team expansion; Jeff Dunham’s $100,000 donation, Robin Leach, Las Vegas Sun, June 18, 2014
  2. ↑ Vince Neil gets AFL approval, ESPN.com, June 20, 2014
  3. ↑ Las Vegas Outlaws To Join Arena Football League in 2015, Adam Markowitz, ArenaFan.com, August 22, 2014
  4. ↑ Rocker Vince Neil Brings Arena Football Back to Las Vegas, AFL Communications, Arena Football League mobile app, August 22, 2014
  5. ↑ Arena Football League tests Vegas waters for third time, Mark Anderson, Las Vegas Review-Journal, August 22, 2014
  6. ↑ AFL assumes control of Outlaws, VooDoo, announcement expected this week, Adam Markowitz, ArenaFan.com, July 12, 2015
  7. ↑ Steve Carp (July 15, 2015). "Arena league takes over Outlaws". www.reviewjournal.com. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Las Vegas Outlaws cease operations". Archived from the original on 2018-06-17. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
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