New York/New Jersey Hitmen

New York/New Jersey Hitmen
New York/New Jersey Hitmen logo
Founded	2001
League	XFL
Team History	New York/New Jersey Hitmen 2001
Arena	Giants Stadium
Based in	East Rutherford, New Jersey
Team colors	Blue, Black, & Silver
Head Coach	Rusty Tillman
Championships	–
Division Titles	–
Dancers	-
Mascot	-

The New York/New Jersey Hitmen (later shortened simply to the New Jersey Hitmen) were a short-lived American football team based in the Giants Stadium of the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of the World Wrestling Federation and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. Its general manager was former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, and New Jersey native, Drew Pearson.

They were part of the Eastern Division with the Birmingham Thunderbolts, Orlando Rage and Chicago Enforcers. They finished in 3rd place with a 4-6 record. The head coach was former NFL assistant Rusty Tillman, who was not a fan of the league's gimmicks or personalities - specifically commentator Jesse Ventura, who called him "Gutless Rusty" on a regular basis.

NBC dropped the XFL concept after the first season 2001 due to dismal ratings, and the league folded shortly afterwards.

The name "Hitmen," which implies a hired criminal, was one of the icons of the XFL's short life and the butt of many jokes about the league (quips of teams such as the fictional "Kansas City Shoplifters" coined by Saturday Night Live, for instance). The name was taken from former World Wrestling Federation star Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Season-By-Season

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

NY-NJ Hitmen players

• 24 Dino Philyaw RB college (Oregon): Philyaw saw playing time in the NFL for New England, Carolina, New Orleans and St. Louis as well as NFL Europe

• 22 Keith Elias FB college (Princeton): Elias played six seasons in the NFL three each with the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts

• 11 Corte McGuffey QB college (Northern Colorado): spent the 2000 season with the NFL's St. Louis Rams

• 80 Zola Davis WR college (South Carolina): Davis saw playing time in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns before joining the XFL.

• 95 Dwayne Sabb DE college (New Hampshire): Sabb saw playing time in the NFL with the New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers and the Buffalo Bills before joining the XFL

• 87 Marcus Hinton TE college (Alcorn State): Hinton saw playing time in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and the Oakland Raiders before joining the XFL

• 43 Jon Rucini WR college (Alcorn State): Played with the Hitmen before launching a campaign for the Office of New Jersey State Comptroller.

• 27 Michael Blair RB college (Ball State): Blair saw playing time with a number of teams in the NFL The New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers. Blair also played in NFL Europe with the Frankfurt Galaxy before joining the XFL

• 85 Kirby Dar Dar WR college (Syracuse): Dar Dar saw playing time with the NFL's Miami Dolphins before joining the XFL

• 36 Brad Trout Safety (Valdosta State University) Made the All-XFL team as a Free Safety. Also played for the following NFL teams: Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, and the KC Chiefs. Spent a year with the NFL Europe Barcelona Dragons.

• 2 Leo Araguz P college (Stephen F. Austin): Araguz had brief stints in the NFL as a kicker with the Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and the Seattle Seahawks.

• 84 Anthony DiCosmo, WR college (Boston College) native of New Jersey, pre-season standout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1999-2000, also saw time in the AFL on a number of teams, including New England Seawolves and Los Angeles Avengers

Team leaders

Hitmen Alternate Logo

Rushing Yards: 328, Joe Aska.

Receiving Yards: 404, Kirby Dar Dar.

Passing Yards: 804, Wally Richardson.

External links