The Houston Gamblers were a professional American football team based in Houston. The Gamblers competed in the United Football League (UFL). The team was owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation.
The team was a founding member of the USFL, as the Houston Gamblers in 2022, named after the 1980s USFL team of the same name. Though named after the city of Houston, the 2020s Gamblers never played there under that brand, instead playing its home games as the guest of other USFL teams in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022 and Memphis, Tennessee in 2023. When the USFL and XFL merged to form the UFL in 2024, the Gamblers took over the branding of the original Houston Roughnecks that had played the 2023 season in the XFL and played in Houston at Rice Stadium. The team played at TDECU Stadium (the home of the 2020 and 2023 Roughnecks) during the 2025 season. The team returned to the Gamblers name ahead of the 2026 UFL season, coinciding with a move to Shell Energy Stadium, but folded after that season.
Contents
History
Houston Gamblers (USFL, 2022–2023)
The Houston Gamblers were one of eight teams that were officially announced as a USFL franchise on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on November 22, 2021. On January 6, 2022, it was announced on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that former NCAA Football Head coach Kevin Sumlin was named the Head coach and General manager of the Gamblers. Houston was the only city in the USFL nominally based west of the Mississippi River and the only city that had a representative team in both professional spring football leagues, the USFL (the Gamblers) and the XFL (the Roughnecks), though the Gamblers never set foot in Houston, instead playing as a traveling team under the USFL's hub model.
On January 6, 2022, former college head coach, Kevin Sumlin was named the head coach and general manager for the Houston Gamblers. The Gamblers' first season game was on April 17, 2022, against the Michigan Panthers at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. Kicker Nick Vogel made a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter (the first points for the franchise). The Gamblers defeated the Panthers 17–12, winning their first game in franchise history. The Gamblers lost their next seven games before winning for their final two games of the season, and failing to qualify for the USFL playoffs.
In September 2022, the Gamblers announced that Robert Morris was named their new general manager. In November 2022, the USFL announced that the Gamblers will play at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee for the 2023 season. In February, 2023, Sumlin announced his plans to join the coaching staff of the Maryland Terrapins, this led to the Gamblers hiring former New Orleans Saints assistant coach, Curtis Johnson as their new head coach.
Houston Roughnecks (UFL, 2024–2025)
On January 1, as part of the merger with the XFL, the Gamblers merged with their XFL counterpart, the Roughnecks. The merged team took on the Roughnecks name and identity (including history and social media presence), while maintaining the Gamblers' coaching staff, player rights and position in the USFL Conference. The team will play in Houston as the Roughnecks did, but renovations to TDECU Stadium, the Roughnecks' home in 2020 and 2023, required the use of a different venue; Rice University Stadium was approached about the possibility prior to the merger. On February 1, 2024, the Roughnecks announced an agreement to play the 2024 season at Rice Stadium. The Roughnecks announced their return to TDECU Stadium on September 13, 2024.
By August 2025, incoming UFL co-ownership had indicated it would be moving between two and four teams, reportedly all from the USFL Conference; the Birmingham Stallions were eventually spared from relocation, and the league was "trying" to save the Michigan Panthers with a more ideal stadium, effectively guaranteeing that the Roughnecks and Memphis Showboats would be the two minimum teams relocating, one of them to Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Houston was unexpectedly spared from relocation on October 3, 2025, when the league chose to relocate Memphis, Michigan and the San Antonio Brahmas.
Return to Gamblers identity (UFL, 2026)
On October 7, 2025, the UFL announced that the Roughnecks would be rebranding, returning to the Houston Gamblers name for the 2026 season. The color scheme was updated to Gamblers red and black. The UFL also announced that the team would be moving into Shell Energy Stadium in Downtown Houston.
League co-owner Mike Repole stated he chose to revert to the Gamblers name because of its "iconic" history, mentioning Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly's tenure with the 1980s incarnation of the team. Head coach Curtis Johnson was fired on November 29, 2025 in favor of bringing back the 2020s Gamblers' original head coach, Kevin Sumlin.
Following the 2026 season, the UFL announced that the Gamblers and Birmingham Stallions were folding. Repole acknowledged that in Houston's case, the instability that the merger had caused, and efforts to correct the problem by constantly changing stadiums each year, had damaged relations between Houston and the league beyond repair. On September 30, 2026, Sumlin and the Gamblers roster were summarily assigned to the Dallas Renegades, due to that teams' own roster being reassigned to Colorado.
Culture
Mascot
On April 5, 2026, Ace the Armadillo was introduced as the team's mascot following a fan vote held as part of the team's rebranding process.
Player history
Coach history
Records
Starting quarterbacks
Regular season – As of June 2, 2026
Most games as starting quarterback
Statistics and records
Rivalries
The Houston Gamblers have shared a rivalry with the Birmingham Stallions since 2022. This rivalry was called the Double Down Derby. As of 2026, the Gamblers hold a 4–6 record against the Stallions.
The Houston Gamblers / Roughnecks shared Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee with the Memphis Showboats during the 2023 season. In 2024, the two teams played against each other in the season finale for the number one overall pick in the 2024 UFL draft. The winner would get the number one pick, the Showboats won the game 19–12 and earned the 2025 number one pick. The series record is tied at 3–3.
Defunct teams in light gray.