The Utah Football League was created in 1998 and by Erik Johnsen, of Salt Lake City, Utah. The league has undergone a series of changes over the course of the past years and below is a chronological review of the history of this league. After this, take a look at the history of each team to view each team's all time won-loss records, team names, coaches, and postseason accomplishments.

1998

January - League is formed. Recruitment of owners begins.

April - League holds it's first "college" draft. Peyton Manning, QB is the first recorded player drafted in the league. The Roswell Visitors lay claim to this future star.

July - League holds it inaugural draft. Teams began drafting "active" players for their roster. The Atlanta Thrashers pick Brett Favre, QB with the #1 overall pick.

September - Inaugural season begins. The league's charter teams are: Atlanta Thrashers, Battle Mtn. Stars, Cleveland Hedgehogs, Detroit Rolling Thunder, Northern Arizona Lightning, Orem Panthers, Racine Arsenal, Reese Restrictors, Roswell Visitors, South Florida Sharks, Springville Sidewinders, Thurman Thundering Herd, Tri-City Revolution, Toledo Rocks, Wauwatosa Wolves, and Wisc. Rapids Red Raiders.

January 1999 - Super Bowl I takes place, finishing the 1998 season. The surprising Tri-City Revolution (now the Las Vegas Aces), #8 seed in the playoffs, complete a remarkable surge in the postseason and defeat the Orem Panthers 16-3.

Tri-City Revolution - 1998 Champions

1999

February - The UFL expands to 20 teams. Introduced are: Fresno Fighting Chickens, MidState Fighting Farmers, Provo Pythons, and Saginaw Trojans.

April - College draft of the UFL season #2. First pick, belonging to the Wauwatosa Wolves, is Ricky Williams, RB.

July - Reese wrangles the top pick from expansion Provo and takes Charlie Batch, QB with the #1 overall pick.
September - UFL begins their second season with the four new teams.

January 2000 - Toledo races to victory in Super Bowl II with a decisive 59-10 win over the Springville Sidewinders.

Toledo Rocks - 1999 Champions

2000

January - Tribulation period for the UFL, league is forced to cut down to 16 teams again due to several owners leaving or being removed.

April - Third college draft sees LaVar Arrington, LB go to the Ypsilanti Screaming Eagles (formerly Racine) with the #1 overall pick in the draft.

July - Ricky Williams becomes the first player to be drafted twice. This time as a rookie (active) player who became eligible for the draft again when his former team Wauwatosa folded. Since he was never an active player, he then was eligible to be in the draft. Again, Williams goes #1 overall, this time to the Eisenhower Hell-Cat's (formerly Wisc. Rapids Red Raiders).

August - Kurt Warner becomes the "richest" player in UFL history, signing a 4 year $32M contract with the Reese Restrictors.

September - After a long offseason, the UFL finally begins their third campaign.

January 2001 - Led by Kurt Warner, Reese wins Super Bowl III over the Roswell Visitors, 41-34.

Reese Restrictors - 2000 Champions

2001

April - No surprise here, but Michael Vick, QB is drafted #1 overall by the Springville Sidewinders, who traded up to get him. College draft extends from 3 rounds to eight as the "fall" draft is done away with after this offseason.

July - Running Back Mike Anderson is drafted #1 overall in the final fall draft. Through "shrewd" trading (i.e. taking advantage of the low intelligence of former members) the Roswell Visitors claim the NFL's "Rookie of the Year."

September - The league and the entire world is rocked by the news of Terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center in New York, and the Pentagon in Washington D.C on September 11th. The World Trade Centers are destroyed as they collapse hours after they are hit by hijacked airliners. The Utah Football League and the rest of the United States and world mourn the losses inflicted. Prayers go out to the victims and their families.

December - The Fresno Fighting Chickens, one of the 1999 expansion teams, clinch the Csonka division. Becoming, not only the first team from that expansion group to enter the playoffs, but also the first clinch a division title.

January - Reese Restrictors become the first team to return to the Super Bowl. Until this season, no team who had even participated in a Super Bowl had made it back. They were closely followed by the Roswell Visitors who were also in last year's Super Bowl. The results were different as the Visitors stomped the Restrictors 52-26, and claimed the Tristan Trophy.

Roswell Visitors - 2001 Champions

2002

April - Julius Peppers makes his mark into the UFL as he is chosen number one overall in the draft by the Eisenhower Hell-Cats.

January - The Roswell Visitors set a new UFL record with their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance. The Visitors then went on to become the first team in UFL history to repeat, defeating the Eisenhower Hell-Cats, 30-7.

Roswell Visitors - 2002 Champions
First ever Back-to-Back Champs

2003

February - The Utah Football League expands. 4 new teams are added to the league: Bliss Street Bulldogs, Yukon Jacks, Peninsula Ronin, and Winnemucca Outlaws.

April - Charles Rogers gets the top pick nod from the expansion Yukon Jacks.

January - The Toledo Rocks lock up another playoff run. Toledo is the only team to make the playoffs in every year of the UFL's existence.

Roswell completes the first ever perfect regular season record at 16-0. However, their goal of a complete perfect season was ruined by a loss in the Desert Conference Championship to the Golden State Bears, 34-24.

Super Bowl VI in Houston, Texas features last year's Mountain Conference Champion, Eisenhower Hell-Cats and the Golden State Bears, who are making their first appearance in the title game. Eisenhower wins Super Bowl VI defeating the Bears 38-10.

Eisenhower Hell-Cats - 2003 Champions

2004

April - Eli Manning, QB follows in his big brother's footsteps and is the Number 1 pick of the 2004 season. Manning is headed to the Yukon Jacks to begin his career.

Although they were restricted from the NFL's April draft, Mike Williams (WR, USC - 13th overall pick by Las Vegas) and Maurice Clarett (RB, Ohio State - 50th overall pick by Provo) were granted eligibility for the draft in 2004. Based on recent decisions in court, this appears to be a one-time event at this time.

January - Toledo once again makes a run to the postseason, Toledo is the lone remaining team to advance to the postseason in all seven years of the UFL's existence.

The Peninsula Ronin fall one game short of their bid to be the fastest expansion team to make the postseason in just their second year. (The Fresno Fighting Chickens clinched their first playoff appearance in their third year.)

The Roswell Visitors won their fifth consecutive divisional title. The Madera Crusaders and Austin Vipers each won their first divisional titles this season.

February - The league sees a changing of the guard as two teams, the Austin Vipers, and the Wisc. Rapids Rage both advance to their first Super Bowl appearances. Since Super Bowl III at least one of the participants in the Super Bowl has returned to play in the league title game the next season. Last year's teams, Eisenhower and Golden State were both eliminated in the first round this year.

Behind a great performances from Duante Culpepper and LaDainian Tomlinson, the Austin Vipers finish on top of the UFL with a 37-16 victory over the Wisc. Rapids Rage.

Austin Vipers - 2004 Champions

2005

April - Derrick Johnson, the Linebacker from Texas is taken with the number 1 overall selection by the Bliss Street Bulldogs.

March - The league realigns the divisions for greater ease of play between divisional opponents.

June - Ken Leiser and Tony Fenton join the ranks of the Utah Football League. Ken's St. Louis Cyclones and Tony's Cache Valley Panthers hope to make a good impression on the league.

January - Division Winners are Roswell Visitors (Six in a row), Golden State Bears (3rd), Austin Vipers (2nd), and first time division winner Bay City Brawlers.

Wild Cards are the Toledo Rocks, extending their record to eight consecutive playoff appearances, Wisc. Rapids Rage, Las Vegas Aces, and the Peninsula Ronin make their first appearance in the postseason, also becoming the first team from the 2003 expansion class to make it to the playoffs.

Matt Kreamer becomes the first UFL coach to reach 100 career wins in the league.

Toledo, Austin, and Roswell all advance, with each team/coach having Super Bowl experience (winning) and what it takes to get there. The Peninsula Ronin, a 2003 expansion team, advances as well upsetting the #2 seed Golden State Bears.

Toledo upsets the Vipers on the road, 13-10 to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl since 1999 (Super Bowl II). There they will meet up with the Roswell Visitors, who were 15-1 for the season. Their one loss? To the Toledo Rocks.

Roswell picks up their 3rd championship with a resounding 45-14 win over the Rocks.

Roswell Visitors - 2005 Champions

2006

Toledo Rocks coach Larry Loiselle joins Matt Kreamer in the 100 win club. These two coachs have been in the league for all nine years of the UFL's existence, and while there are a couple of coaches hot on the heels of these two future Hall-of-Fame coaches, these two will stand out as a couple of the best coaches in the league for years to come.

January - In a rematch from Super Bowl V against the Hell-cats, the Roswell Visitors picked up their SECOND back-to-back title. Winning Super Bowls IV, V,and now VII, and IX, the Roswell Visitors lay claim to the title of most dominating team in the first decade of the UFL. Roswell also achieved the UFL's first undefeated season, rolling to a 19-0 record including the playoffs. Roswell defeated the Eisenhower Hell-cats again in the Super Bowl, this time with a 38-17 thumping. Eisenhower was also unbeaten up to the Super Bowl and now carries the prestigious honor of the most successful team (18-1 including the playoffs) to not win the big game.

Roswell Visitors -2006 Champions
Back-to-Back Champions Again!