Longtime NFL coach Jeff Fisher named head coach of Michigan Panthers in USFL reboot
The Michigan Panthers have a new head coach for the second run in the USFL.
Jeff Fisher, the longtime NFL head coach, will be the Panthers' coach and general manger as the United States Football League returns to action this spring.
Fisher, 63, was a head coach for 22 seasons for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans and St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams. He won four division titles and made six playoff appearances, including a loss in Super Bowl 34 with the Titans.
A seventh-round pick by the Chicago Bears out of USC in 1981, Fisher played defensive back and was on the 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears, though he had suffered a career-ending ankle injury before the season that put him on injured reserve, ended his playing career and kick-started his coaching days.
The USFL announced earlier this week that all 43 regular season and postseason games this year will be played at either Protective Stadium or Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Panthers won the inaugural USFL championship in 1983, playing their home games at the Silverdome. In their two seasons, they went 24-15 before merging with the Oakland Invaders after the 1984 season.
The USFL folded after 1985, but during its brief stint proved to be the closest thing to competition for the NFL. Several eventual Pro Football Hall of Famers began their careers in the league, including Jim Kelly, Reggie White and Steve Young.
Now controlled by Fox Sports, the USFL returns with an eight-team league playing a 10-game schedule. Training camps will being March 21. All of the regular season and postseason games will be on Fox, FS1, NBC, USA or Peacock. Fox and NBC will simulcast the league's first game at 7:30 p.m. April 16 between New Jersey and Birmingham.
The other head coaches: Bart Andrus (Philadelphia Stars), Larry Fedora (New Orleans Breakers), Todd Haley (Tampa Bay Bandits), Skip Holtz (Birmingham Stallions), Mike Riley (New Jersey Generals), Kevin Sumlin (Houston Gamblers) and Kirby Wilson (Pittsburgh Maulers).
Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jeff Fisher named head coach of Michigan Panthers in USFL
