Tears, Cheers, and Accolades at 2025 UFL Awards

Sports stats



UFL United Football League

Tears, Cheers, and Accolades at 2025 UFL Awards

June 14, 2025 - United Football League (UFL) News Release


ST. LOUIS - Plenty of emotion was on display Friday night at the Four Seasons St. Louis, as the United Football League celebrated its UFL Awards night for the 2025 season.

The league's top players and coaches were honored for their performances throughout the season. ESPN/ABC football analyst Sam Acho served as master of ceremonies, with UFL President & CEO Russ Brandon and Executive Vice President Daryl Johnston also taking the stage to present honors.

Michigan Panthers head coach Mike Nolan somewhat unsuccessfully fought back tears as he accepted both the UFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards on behalf of quarterback Bryce Perkins, who was unable to attend. St. Louis Battlehawks outside linebacker Pita Taumoepenu was also nearly overcome by emotion after receiving his Defensive Player of the Year Award.

DC Defenders head coach Shannon Harris spoke passionately about faith and family in accepting his Coach of the Year Award and while also accepting the Assistant Coach of the Year honor for his offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss.

Brandon displayed his gratitude for everyone involved with the UFL in his remarks at the end of the evening, also with emotion in his voice.

UFL Owner Dany Garcia, who was watching from the audience and took part in photos with the award winners, said she was deeply moved by the evening's event."It was beautiful to see everyone so emotional. I'm emotional. I just have so much gratitude for our partners, our players, our athletes, our coaches," Garcia said. "When I started the league, it was about drive and passion-what we wanted to deliver to the players and the fans. Then you have these moments where we all come together and we honor the people who are making this game so spectacular and we honor our partners and it just fuels you for the next 20 years."

Acho, who was on stage when all that joy was expressed through tears, has been broadcasting XFL and UFL games since 2023. He said he was truly honored to be part of those "intimate, moving" moments.

"As much as this is an awards celebration, the emotion that came through showed that it was much more than that," Acho said. "It shows me that you can actually build things from the ground up - you can do it your way. I look at Danny Garcia and what she stands for. She's providing this opportunity for so many players, coaches, staff, announcers. When you listen to her talk, you realize this is just the tip of the iceberg, that there's so much more depth there Bigger isn't always better, right? Better is better and this league is better. It's gotten better from when I started and it's an honor to be a part of this event."

Friday night's heartfelt celebration set the stage for the biggest moment of the season-the 2025 UFL Championship Game Presented by Underdog. The title clash kicks off Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT from The Dome at America's Center, live on ABC.

Check out the United Football League Statistics



United Football League Stories from June 14, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central