The Pittsburgh Maulers are joining the club. Like virtually the rest of the professional Pittsburgh sports teams, the USFL Maulers will wear black and gold this season, the team making the announcement Tuesday morning.
The Maulers had a red, white, and blue color and purple/orange schemes last year. Now, they’re joining the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates to don the black and gold, Pittsburgh the rare city to match colors across all major sports. There’s no question this new color scheme is a serious upgrade.
The decision has been well-received and as the Maulers showed in their video, something many fans have asked for. Fans will also be asking for a better on-field product this year. The Maulers were the league’s worst team in 2021, winning just one game, and rolling through several quarterbacks during the year. Their most memorable moment occurred when RB De’Veon Smith was cut after allegedly disrespectfully asking for a slice of pizza.
Along with new uniforms, the Maulers will be led by a new head coach. Ray Horton replaces Kirby Wilson, who left his job earlier this year. Horton is a longtime NFL coach who served as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive backs coach from 2004 to 2010, winning two Super Bowls with the team.
Here’s Horton reacting to the color change, rooted in his days with the Steelers.
The USFL hasn’t released a team-by-team official schedule but the season kicks off on April 15th. Last year, the entire league played in Birmingham, Alabama. This year, the league is spreading out but the Maulers won’t be playing in Pittsburgh. The exact location for their home games isn’t yet known but they’re likely to take place in Michigan, not Pennsylvania. So those Maulers die-hard fans will still have to make a long trek to see their favorite team play.
