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USFL's Michigan Panthers returning to Detroit, play at Ford Field

By FOX 2 Staff
Updated  January 26, 2023 4:28pm EST
USFL
FOX 2 Detroit
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The Michigan Panthers will play their first USFL game at Ford Field on April 30. 

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The USFL is returning for a second season and the city of Detroit as it prepares to kick off another round of spring football.

The U.S. Football League's return to the Motor City comes 40 years after the Michigan Panthers won the league's first every championship. The announcement, which comes on the heels of a successful Detroit Lions season, will be the first spring football games played in Detroit in years.

Michigan Panthers return to the Motor City

Jennifer Hammond reports from Ford Field on Thursday as the USFL's Michigan Panthers are set to return to the area and play their games at Ford Field this spring.

The inaugural match between the Panthers and the Philadelphia Stars, another team Detroit will host this year, will play at Ford Field on April 30. 

"Detroit has been reborn," said Curt Menefee, who announced the league's return. He said its revival paired well with the city's own evolution. 

In its first season, the USFL played a total of 22 regular season games – all in the city of Birmingham, Alabama. The playoffs were then played at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. A total of eight teams, including the Michigan Panthers, formed the upstart league that is owned by FOX. Games were aired on both FOX and NBC in the spring of 2022.

This year, teams will play closer to their local cities. They include:

  • Detroit will host the Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars
  • Birmingham, Alabama will host the Birmingham Stallions and New Orleans Breakers
  • Memphis will host the Memphis Showboats and Houston Gamblers
  • Canton, Ohio will host the Pittsburgh Maulers and New Jersey Generals

"We’re back!" said Daryl Johnston, USFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations. "With the help of some great partners, the USFL is making history by announcing that the Michigan Panthers have returned home in 2023 to play at Ford Field."

Tickets can be purchased at www.theusfl.com.

BIRMINGHAM, AL - JUNE 19: Paxton Lynch #12 of the Michigan Panthers looks on during the game against the Pittsburgh Maulers at Legion Field on June 19, 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/USFL/Getty Images)