OKC Wranglers Inaugural Season Starts In April

Football fans in the state can look forward to adding another team to cheer for in Oklahoma City. 

Some new announcements were made Wednesday about the Oklahoma City Wranglers.

The Wranglers are part of the United Football League (UFL) and will be playing a spring season from April through July. The temporary stadium will be outside Crossroads Mall, and the first game of the season kicks off on April 1.

This is the first UFL team in Oklahoma. Their head coach said they’re hoping the Wranglers will continue the high standard for football in the state. 

The new head coach of the team will be J.D. Runnels, a member of the OU football team in the early 2000s, who went on to play in the NFL and UFL. 

Runnels then went on to coach in the UFL for their team in Houston and most recently was back in Oklahoma, coaching the UCO Bronchos.

“I played 23 years of football, and the most fun I ever had was in the UFL," Runnels said.

Runnels said as they work to fill the roster and coaching staff, they’re looking at local talent right off the bat.

“We will find the best talent around here locally, around Texas, around Kansas and then guys nationally who just wanna play the game of football," Runnels said.

He said he wants to look at players from OU, OSU, Tulsa and other colleges across the state. 

“Some of the players I've been in contact with are real deal and they're really good football players who didn't make the NFL, the XFL, USFL, and I'm gonna shine the light on those guys," Runnels said.

He said he knows the rules and game are different from what most people are used to with college and NFL, but he hopes people will embrace the new team.

“I'm just excited. I know a lot of people may think 'Oh it's 8 man' 'Oh it's this, it's that'- Give it a chance, just give it a chance," Runnels said.

The UFL is made up of 14 teams. The game is played with eight players instead of 11 and has slightly different rules than other leagues.

The commissioner of UFL, Joe McClendon, also traveled to OKC Wednesday to attend the news conference. He said he has high hopes for the UFL in Oklahoma.

“We know this is football country, we know there's a great opportunity for sports entertainment for residents here in Oklahoma City," McClendon said.

He said he wants this team to become a staple in OKC and hopes that it stays here for the long run. “I want our teams to be long standing, committing franchises to the communities that they are in," McClendon said.

To learn more about the OKC Wranglers, see their schedule or buy tickets, click here.