The Florida Tuskers are a professional football team, and a charter member of the United Football League. They made their on the field debut in 2009, and completed the first UFL season with a 6-0 record. Ultimately they lost the first ever UFL Championship game to the Las Vegas Locos.

They are currently owned by the league, but for the 2009 season the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball owned a percentage of the team. In 2009 they played their home game at both the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida and Tropicana Field home of the Rays. http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2566-Sports-Business-Examiner~y2010m2d5-Florida-Tuskers-news-and-notes

For the second UFL season they have made Orland their permanent home, and the Citrus Bowl is undergoing major renovations in anticipation of being the Tuskers permanent facility. http://www.ufl-football.com/news/ufl-blog/tuskers-house-see-improvements

In 2009 Jim Haslett was their Head Coach, but he left to become the Defensive Coordinator of the Washington Redskins. The team promoted 2009 Offensive Coordinator Jay Gruden to be Head Coach and General Manager. Diane Clarke has also been hired to be their Director of Football Operations. http://www.ufl-football.com/florida-tuskers/front-office

Their QB, Brooks Bollinger, won the inaugural UFL MVP Honors in an online fan vote. http://www.inquisitr.com/50124/2009-ufl-season-in-review-florida-tuskers/

According to the rules of the UFL, the 2010 rosters for each team were set in the following manner:

• 20 protected players from the 2009 roster
• 12 draft picks selected in the UFL player draft
• 20 additional free agent signings

Here is a list of the 20 players the Tuskers protected for the UFL expansion draft:

• QB Brooks Bollinger Wisconsin
• DT McKinley Boykin Ole Miss
• CB Fahkir Brown Grambling State
• DE Patrick Chukwurah Wyoming
• DB Jerome Carter Florida State
• OT Anthony Davis Virginia Tech
• WR Jayson Foster Georgia Southern
• WR Chris Gessner Brown
• TE Keith Heinrich Sam Houston State
• C Enoka Lucas Oregon
• WR Marcus Maxwell Oregon
• LB Tim McGarigle Northwestern
• LB Terrance Melton Rice
• FB Andrew Pinnock South Carolina
• RB Michael Pittman Fresno State
• NT Darrion Scott Ohio State
• LB Odell Thurman Georgia
• OT Seth Wand NW Missouri State
• TE Jermaine Wiggin Georgia
• NT Claude Wroten LSU

The Tuskers also drafted the following 12 players:

• Round One- LB Weston Darcus Arkansas
• Round Two- LB Arnold Harrison Georgia
• Round Three- WR John Standeford Purdue
• Round Four- LB Erik Pendersen Portland State
• Round Five- S Tyrrell Herbert Toledo
• Round Six- OL Adrian Clarke Ohio State
• Round Seven- FB Kevin Harris Wake Forrest
• Round Eight- WR Cortez Hankton Texas Southern
• Round Nine- CB Corey Small Florida Atlantic
• Round Ten- DE Chris Perri Stony Brook
• Round Eleven- DE Greg Middleton Indiana
• Round Twelve- C Melvin Fowler Maryland http://www.ufl-football.com/Draft/2010/Team/Florida

The Tuskers have signed the following free agents in 2010:

• QB Matt Grothe South Florida http://www.inquisitr.com/74856/florida-tuskers-add-a-big-time-arm/