Everyone knows the success story about how the Las Vegas Bowl grew up along with the city and is now the 16th-oldest game as it prepares to stage its 28th edition before moving along with UNLV to the new Allegiant Stadium. In addition, countless locals were part of the long tradition of high school football taking place at Sam Boyd Stadium, including multiple state championship games. However, let's see if you remember some of the other non-Rebel football events that called (usually very briefly) the facility home.
 
JULY-NOVEMBER 1994
TOUCHDOWN, EH?
The Canadian Football League, best known for its extra-long end zones and fewer downs, looked to get a stronghold south of the border in the mid-1990s -- and by golly, why wouldn't summer outdoor football work in Las Vegas? So, along with other ill-fated franchises in places like Shreveport and Sacramento, the Las Vegas Posse was born. The team's cool logo and colors couldn't sustain buzz, however, as the squad, coached by former UNLV and NFL head man Ron Meyer, started out 2-0 but wilted in the heat and ended up not even finishing out its home slate as the league soon retreated from the U.S. altogether. The Posse's one and only season produced a 5-13 mark and their final game was shifted from Sam Boyd to Edmonton. The most lasting piece of the Posse, however, was rookie quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who went on to become pro football's all-time leading passer during an amazing CFL career that spanned 20 years.


 
1996-98
WILD, WAC-KY STUFF
When UNLV Athletics finally got the invitation to move up into the Western Athletic Conference after playing in the PCAA-turned-Big West for 14 years, the overstuffed, 16-team league decided to stage a conference football championship game right here in Las Vegas. Televised by ABC, the first edition took place Dec. 7, 1996, and was a wild affair between BYU and Wyoming, both of whom were ranked in the top 20. Extra bleachers were brought in for the stadium's north end zone and a raucous crowd of 41,238 -- at the time the largest crowd in state history to watch a team sporting event -- overflowed the stands as the Cougars eked out an overtime thriller, 28-25. A crowd about one-third that size saw another battle of ranked squads the following year as Colorado State routed New Mexico. Finally, more than 32,000 were on hand to watch Air Force upend BYU in the third and final version of the game, which was discontinued when half of the WAC left to form the Mountain West Conference.

 

 
2001
THE XFL (INITIALLY) TAKES OFF
On Feb. 3, 2001, the fledgling football league co-owned by the WWE and NBC television network kicked off to much fanfare right here in our own Sam Boyd Stadium. The town's new team, the Las Vegas Outlaws, hosted the New York/New Jersey Hitmen less than a week after the NFL's Super Bowl took place. More than 14 million viewers tuned in as the Outlaws won 19-0 while the cultural phenomenon "He Hate Me" was born on the back of the jersey of running back Rod Smart. Coached by Jim Criner and featuring former UNLV receiver Todd Floyd, the Outlaws drew better than most of the eight teams but ended up losing their last three games to finish 4-6. It turned out to be the only season for the franchise as the league ceased operations after just one season.



2002
TIGER FIGHT IN THE DESERT
With city leaders hoping to branch out to non-traditional tourist markets, they looked to start a series of games between Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Las Vegas. Hence, the Silver Dollar Classic took place at Sam Boyd Stadium while the Rebels were out of town playing at Toledo on Sept. 21, 2002. Legendary HBCU powerhouse Grambling, led by head coach Doug Williams, faced off with Tennessee State for the first time in nine seasons. The battle of the Tigers was won by Grambling 49-14 in what proved to be the ONLY Silver Dollar Classic set in our city.
 
2003-05
HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR
With the demise of the beloved Blue-Gray Classic and a couple of other postseason college football all-star games, there was room for a similar startup event around the dawn of the new Millennium. For some reason, one popped up in St. George, Utah, of all places and the inexplicably named Paradise Bowl was played just up the road on the campus of Southern Utah in 2002-03. The game was moved to Sam Boyd Stadium for the 2004-06 editions under the new name Las Vegas All-American Classic and featured an East vs. West concept. With the close proximity, there were, naturally, as many Rebels appearing in the five editions of this game (16) than any other such event other than the famous East-West Shrine Game.


 
2009-12
VEGAS GOES LOCO FOR THE UFL (BEFORE IT DOESN'T)
The United Football League was another short-lived attempt at a pro football league and Las Vegas was awarded a franchise with the name Locomotives in a reported nod to something about old railroads in Southern Nevada. However, the team was largely referred to simply as the Locos and was led by former NFL head man Jim Fassel who served as coach, GM and president. On the field, the franchise was the jewel of the UFL as the Locos went to three championship games, winning two of them, including downing the Florida Tuskers 20-17 in overtime during the first title game, held at Sam Boyd Stadium Nov. 20, 2009. After wearing silver and blue in its inaugural campaign, the Locos adopted red in their color scheme to better match the surroundings at the home they shared with the Rebels. The crowds across the league continued to shrink each fall until the UFL folded during the 2012 season, leaving the Locos with an all-time record of 18-7.