A UL Lafayette gridiron great has had a change of heart and now hopes what happens in Vegas gets him to the NFL. Tyrell Fenroy, all-time leading rusher in Louisiana collegiate history, told The Daily Advertiser over the weekend that he has agreed to terms with the Las Vegas franchise of the start-up United Football League, which begins regular season play in October. The league is so fresh, the four teams assembled thus far don’t appear to even have mascot names yet.
The announcement is a one-80 for Fenroy, who just about a week ago had agreed to terms with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. Fenroy told The Advertiser that after being drafted by Vegas, he decided he would prefer to play in the United States and be closer to family. The running back was signed to a rookie free agent contract in the spring by the NFL's Chicago Bears but was later released.
The UFL, according to its Web site, will field four teams playing in seven cities during a two-month regular season. It’s traditional 11-on-11 football similar to the long-established National Football League, which has seen rival leagues (the XFL, the USFL and others) start up and fold over the last few decades. The other cities hosting UFL teams are New York, Orlando and San Francisco, and the four teams will also play games in Los Angeles, Hartford, Conn., and Sacramento, Calif. The league was begun and is being managed by several former executives from NFL front offices, and head coaches include NFL veterans Denny Green (San Francisco), Jim Fassel (Las Vegas), former Saints coach Jim Haslett (Orlando) and Ted Cottrell (New York).