ARLINGTON, TX – June 10, 2026 – Three months ago, the Louisville Kings were 0-3 and searching for answers. Today, they’re just one win away from a title.
The Louisville Kings have authored one of the most remarkable turnarounds in UFL history, riding a five-game winning streak into the United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank in their inaugural season.
On October 7, 2025, the UFL announced the Louisville Kings as one of the league’s three expansion teams. By the end of the year, the Kings named hometown hero Chris Redman as the franchise’s first head coach.
Redman is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in Louisville Cardinals history after starring at Louisville Male High School and the University of Louisville. He went on to spend nine seasons in the NFL and was part of the Baltimore Ravens team that won Super Bowl XXXV.
Redman took his first head coaching job with the Kings and helped bring professional football to the beloved city of Louisville.
Redman wanted to build a culture. He wanted to bring his experiences from the game to the UFL, and he wasn’t afraid to make difficult decisions in pursuit of that vision.
Things didn’t begin as Redman envisioned. The Kings quickly fell into an 0-3 hole, a deficit many teams wouldn’t recover from in a ten-game season. The challenge was steep, but Redman and his staff were prepared to attack it head-on.
Even after Louisville picked up its first win in Week Four with Jason Bean under center, Redman made a blockbuster move. He traded Bean to DC for backup quarterback Mike DiLiello while making several other staff and personnel changes in an effort to reshape the team’s identity.
Few first-year head coaches would make a move that bold.
The decision signaled that culture and accountability would take priority over comfort. Redman handed the keys to backup quarterback Chandler Rogers, and the season changed almost immediately.
In Rogers’ first start, Louisville rolled into Dallas and stunned one of the UFL’s top teams 47-25. Ian Wheeler scored four touchdowns, the defense forced four interceptions, and suddenly a team searching for answers looked like a contender.
More importantly, the Kings found their identity.
Louisville developed into one of the league’s most physical rushing attacks, while its defense became the UFL’s premier takeaway unit. Rogers wasn’t asked to carry the team. He was asked to lead it.
That leadership was on full display later in the season against DC. After absorbing a crushing hit from MVP finalist Derick Roberson that quickly went viral, Rogers bounced back and helped lead Louisville to 27 unanswered points. Moments like that solidified the locker room’s belief in its quarterback.
The Kings won six of their final seven games, averaged more than 175 rushing yards per game during their closing stretch, and finished the regular season 6-4 as the UFL’s third seed.
Their biggest test came in the semifinals.
Louisville entered the Battledome as an underdog against a St. Louis team that had handled the Kings 16-3 earlier in the season. Once again, Louisville responded.
The rushing attack that became the foundation of the turnaround delivered on the biggest stage, while Tanner Brown added another chapter to his historic season. Brown became the first kicker in professional football history to make multiple 60-plus-yard field goals in the same game, including a 63-yarder that helped seal a 29-20 victory.
In a hostile road environment, the Kings played their brand of football. They ran the ball, forced key defensive stops, and punched their ticket to the United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank.
The comeback was no longer a story. It was reality.
Expansion teams aren’t expected to contend, let alone play for championships.
In American professional sports history, only a handful of expansion teams have reached a title game in their inaugural season, and even fewer have won it all. Now, the Kings have a chance to join that exclusive company.
Thanks to a remarkable turnaround, Chris Redman finds himself on the brink of history.
The story isn’t finished. One final challenge stands in their way.
Awaiting them are the defending champion DC Defenders, who will host the United Bowl at Audi Field. Louisville swept the regular-season series, but beating a team three times has historically proven to be a difficult task.
Three months ago, the Kings were staring at an 0-3 start and an uncertain future. Today, they’re one win away from completing one of the greatest turnarounds the UFL has ever seen.
From 0-3 to the United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank, the Kings have earned the right to play for the crown.