Pacific Pro Football, also called Pacific Pro League (Pac Pro), was a planned professional

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

development league. The league was to be a single entity, owning all the teams, and have played during summers from July to August. The league was planning to start play in July 2020. As of January 2019, the league's advisory board consisted of

Mike Shanahan Michael Edward Shanahan ( ; born August 24, 1952) is an American football coach, best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. During his fourteen seasons with the Broncos, he led th ...

Jim Steeg Jim Steeg (born November 29, 1950, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American sports executive."San Diego Chargers Management Profile: Jim Steeg" http://www.chargers.com/team/staff/jim-steeg/f18de4c1-eea2-46a2-93fb-4d22c He is considered throughou ...

Mike Pereira Mike Pereira (born April 13, 1950) is a former American football official and later vice president of officiating for the National Football League (NFL) and currently the head of officiating for the United Football League (UFL). Since 2010, he h ...

, Baron Flenory, and

Steve Schmidt Stephen Edward Schmidt (born September 28, 1970) is an American political and corporate strategist. He is best known for working on Republican political campaigns, including those of President George W. Bush, California Governor Arnold Schwarze ...

. League plans were abandoned as of May 2020, and reformatted to a scouting event called HUB Football.

Background

Don Yee Donald H. Yee (born 1960) is an American lawyer and sports agent. He is a partner of Yee & Dubin, a sports talent agency. He represents National Football League players and coaches, including former quarterback Tom Brady, Los Angeles Rams quarte ...

, best known as the

sports agent A sports agent is a legal representative (hence agent (law), agent) for professional sports figures such as athletes and coaches. They procure and negotiate employment and Testimonial, endorsement contracts for the principal (commercial law), at ...

for

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...

, has advocated for years for college football players to be paid, particularly via a 2010

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...

in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. Yee would have "football corporations" purchase college football programs through bids leading to the end of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

, with colleges focusing on education. Yee and other sports agents saw that young players were not being served by the existing

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

system.

History

The league was announced by Yee on January 11, 2017. The league had planned to start recruiting in 2017 and then play in the summer of 2018 with four teams. The league's COO Bradley Edwards indicated that they had closed a round of

angel investing An angel investor (also known as a business angel, informal investor, angel funder, private investor, or seed investor) is an individual who provides capital to a business or businesses, including startups A startup or start-up is a company or p ...

; although as of May 2017, the league was looking for additional investors. By February 2018, the league pushed its start back to the summer of 2019, and signed on

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

as a major sponsor. Jamie Hemann was hired in December 2018 as CEO, to start on January 1, 2019. Also revealed at the time was that the league start had been pushed back to July 2020. On January 7, 2019, it was announced that former NFL player

Ed McCaffrey Edward Thomas McCaffrey (born August 17, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and Denver Broncos. He ...

would serve as commissioner. The July 2020 date for launch of the league was also reaffirmed. On September 25–27, 2019 the Pac Pro held their official event, a three-day workout called "Scrimmage" an invitation-only camp. On May 4, 2020, Sports Business Journal reported that Yee abandoned current business-to-consumer model for the league while drawing up a new business-to-business model for the renamed league.

Players

The league would only hire non-NFL eligible players, thus focused on high school graduates not going to college nor out of school for over three years. Average pay would be $50,000 plus optional

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

tuition and books for a year. Benefits would also be a part of compensation, including career-ending injury coverage. A set of programs and internships, academic and vocational, would be made available through the league. The players, as professionals, would be able to enter into sponsorship deals. The league would train the players in pro-style play. All players would get playing time, with players assigned to the team closest to their high school.

Structure

The four teams of 50 players each would be based in

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

four major counties

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, Ventura, Orange County and

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, playing in mid-size municipal or college stadiums on Sundays. The league may use only two venues. The season would consist of eight games for each team, plus a two-round playoff. The league plans to have eight full-time coaches and eight part-time assistant coaches per team. The league would also serve as a training ground for future NFL staff. The league's plans were to expand to 12 teams by 2025, first by four teams on the East Coast after year three, and later to four more teams on a different location.

Pacific Pro Scrimmage

On September 25–27, 2019 the Pac Pro held their first official event, a three-day workout called "Scrimmage" an invitation-only camp, at

Whittier College Whittier College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic-serving institution, Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of spring 2024, had 815 ...

Whittier, California Whittier () is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and is part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 United States census, 2010 census figure. Whittier ...

. The scrimmage was targeted to scouts from the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that dissolved after playing a single season * XFL (2020–2023), a defunct American football league that merged with the United States Football League Vehicles * Bell XFL ...

and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

. Four NFL teams, Browns, 49ers, Rams and Chargers, were confirmed as attending. They featured "approximately 20" players with no punters, kickers or long snappers. Yee envisions it being a yearly event then growing into an ongoing regular season combine. In the inaugural camp, players received coaching from former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer and longtime NFL and college coaches

Dwaine Board Dwaine P. Board (born November 29, 1956) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a defensive end, primarily for the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1988. He was later a d ...

(defensive line), Dave Magazu (offensive line),

Geep Chryst George Patrick "Geep" Chryst (born June 25, 1962) is an American football coach and scout. He is currently a pro scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Previously he served as the tight ends coach and offensive ...

(Wide Receivers),

Steve Logan Steve Deontay Logan (born March 20, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats. He became a star point guard in his collegiate career, and was named a first team All-Ameri ...

(Quarterbacks), Jimmy Williams (Defensive Backs) and

Rick Minter Richard Minter (born October 4, 1954) is an American football coach who is the senior defensive analyst for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the linebackers coach for the Michigan Wolverines ...

(Linebackers). Notable Attendees: *

Chad Kanoff Charles "Chad" Kanoff (born October 6, 1994) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Princeton. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. College career After missing the 2014 seas ...

, QB, Signed by

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

and later by the

. * Devin Ross, WR, Signed by

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. *

Darion Clark Darion Clark (born April 9, 1994) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college basketball at the University of Southern California. Early years Clark attended Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. He played ...

, TE, Signed by

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. * Jordan Harold, DL, Signed by

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

. * Kenneth Olugbode, LB, Signed by

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

. *

Malcolm Washington Malcolm Washington (born April 10, 1991) is an American filmmaker. A son of actor Denzel Washington, he made his feature film directorial debut with ''The Piano Lesson'' (2024). Early life and background Washington was born and raised in Los Ang ...

, DB, Signed by

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

. * Logan Tulley-Tillman, OL, Drafted by

DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...

in the 2020 XFL Draft.

HUB Football

After league plans were abandoned, Yee announced his initiative will be reformatted to a scouting event called HUB Football. It was later announced that he teamed with former ESPN and NFL Network executive Jamie Hemann. The scouting event will be divided to two separate events: The ''CAMP'', a invitation-only non-contact football camp for street free agents, and the ''GAME'', a game week practice with an exhibition game at the end (modeled after the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

). Players will not be compensated, in attempt to attract college players and allow them to retain

eligibility. Per HUB website, they "maintained direct relationships with professional football league offices and teams and will share player data, video and whatever is necessary to enhance the exposure of The CAMP players and provide an additional platform to secure their next professional football opportunity". On October 13, 2022, HUB Football signed an exclusive partnership agreement with the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

. In June 25, 2023 Yee announced that he pulled the plug on current HUB Football operations, while Senior Vice President of Football Operations, Tom Goodhines, will start his own scouting event called GRID Camps. By the end, HUB Football did not conduct games, while players participated in non-contact football camps only, as each player paid $750 to participate.

Coaches

*Head coach:

*Quarterbacks coach: Ty Detmer *Quarterbacks coach:

Seneca Wallace Seneca Sinclair Wallace (born August 6, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He currently serves as the quarterbacks coach for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the U ...

*Wide Receivers Coach: Wendell Davis *Wide Receivers Coach:

Az-Zahir Hakim Az-Zahir Ali Hakim (born June 3, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs. He was selected ...

*Running backs coach:

Wayne Moses Wayne Moses (January 11, 1955 – March 7, 2024) was an American football coach. He later served as running backs coach under head coach Robb Akey at Idaho. Playing career College playing career Moses was a starter at the University of Washing ...

*Offensive line coach: Eugene Chung (formerly Dave Magazu) *Defensive line coach:

*Linebackers/Defensive line coach: Marvin Jones *Linebackers coach:

Sam Anno Sam Scott Anno (born January 26, 1965) is an American former professional football linebacker, and currently a defensive assistant coach for the San Diego Strike Force of the Indoor Football League (IFL). Early life Anno prepped at Saint Mo ...

*Linebackers coach: Junior Bryant *Defensive backs coach: Tim McTyer *Defensive backs coach:

Derrick Gardner Derrick Gardner (born June 3, 1965) is an American jazz trumpeter from Chicago, Illinois. Gardner began playing trumpet at the age of 9 in his hometown of Chicago. In 1991, he moved to New York City and played with groups such as the Count Ba ...

*Special teams coach:

Nick Novak Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is an American former professional football placekicker. He played college football at Maryland and was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Novak was a member of the Dallas ...

Portal ''CAMP'' coaches

* Head coach: Eugene Chung (also Offensive line) *Quarterbacks coach: John DeFilippo *Running backs coach:

Kirby Wilson Kirby Keyes Wilson (born August 24, 1961) is an American football coach who was previously a running backs coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He coached for the New England Patriots, Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccane ...

*Wide Receivers Coach: DJ McCarthy *Defensive line coach:

Phillip Daniels Phillip Bernard Daniels (born March 4, 1973) is the defensive line coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Hs is also a former American football defensive end who played for 15 seasons in the National Footba ...

*Linebackers coach:

*Defensive backs coach: John Guy

Pro "CAMP" events

According to their records since its inception in 2019, as 47 players out of 212 participants have signed with professional teams, and since 2021 seven attendees signed with NFL teams. *September 2020 "CAMP" -

, Graham Adomitis, Devonte Williams and Xavier Smith. *November 2020 "CAMP" - 59 players were invited to the 2nd. "CAMP" including:

Brian Lewerke Brian Lewerke (born October 24, 1996) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Early life Lewerke attended Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona. During his career he had ...

, Shane Ray,

Deondre Francois Deondre Francois (born February 12, 1997) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Hampton University and Florida State University. He also played for the Orlando Guardians and DC Defenders of the XFL. Early li ...

and

Connor Davis Connor Westley Davis (born October 20, 1994) is an American football tight end and offensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Stony Brook and was signed before the 2019 AAF season by the Birmingham Iron. Early career ...

. *March 2021 "CAMP" - 57 players were invited to at Maranatha Christian Schools in

including:

McLeod Bethel-Thompson McLeod John Baltazar Bethel-Thompson (born July 3, 1988) is an American professional football quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was a member of the Toronto Argonauts, winning two Grey Cup champions ...

, Josh Love, Ryan Willis,

Ade Aruna Ade Aruna (born April 27, 1994) is a Nigerian former professional American football defensive end. He played college football at Tulane, and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He has also been a membe ...

, Ahmad Gooden, Nigel Harris,

Quentin Poling Quentin Poling (born August 17, 1994) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football at Ohio. Early life Poling attended Elida High School in Elida, Ohio. College career Poling played college football at Ohio Univ ...

, Prince Charles Iworah,

Brandon Aubrey Brandon Scott Aubrey (born March 14, 1995) is an American multi-sport athlete who plays as a placekicker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He has played professional association football, soccer as a center back. In ...

and Tadhg Leader. *April 2021 "CAMP" - More than 50 prospects participated at "THE CAMP" in

La Mesa, California La Mesa () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, located east of downtown San Diego in Southern California. The population was 61,121 at the 2020 census, up from 57,065 at the 2010 census. Its civic motto is "the Jewel of ...

including:

Tyler Bray Tyler Ian Bray (born December 27, 1991) is an American former professional football quarterback. After playing his college football at the University of Tennessee, he declared himself eligible for the 2013 NFL draft, in which he went undrafted. ...

Quinton Flowers Quinton Lenard Flowers (born December 2, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the South Florida Bulls. Early years Flowers attended Miami Jackson High School in Miami, Flori ...

, Miles Shuler and Kai Higgins. *July 2021 "CAMP" - 67 prospects participated at "THE CAMP" in

Helix High School Helix High School, or Helix Charter High School, is a charter high school in La Mesa, California, built in 1952. It received its charter in 1998. Helix is part of Grossmont Union High School District, and serves a mid-level socioeconomic co ...

including:

Jordan Matthews Jordan Armand Matthews (born July 16, 1992) is an American professional football tight end. He played college football for the Vanderbilt Commodores and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. Matthew ...

and

Rahim Moore Rahim Shaheed Moore (born February 11, 1990) is an American professional football safety. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, earning first-team All-American honors. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2 ...

. *September 2021 "CAMP" - 71 players participated at "THE CAMP" in

Dignity Health Sports Park Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...

Carson, California Carson is a city in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and the Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor regions of Los Angeles County, California, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International ...

including:

Case Cookus Stephen Case Cookus (born October 6, 1995), nicknamed "the Chef", is an American professional football quarterback for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). As a true freshman at Northern Arizona University, he was name ...

Johnathan Cyprien Johnathan Ken Cyprien (born July 29, 1990) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Safety (gridiron football position), safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the FIU ...

and

Brandon Marshall Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was selected by ...

. *October 2021 "CAMP" - 52 prospects participated at "THE CAMP" in

including: Anthony Gordon, Patrick Carr, Trevor Davis and

David Irving David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author and Holocaust denier who has written on the military and political history of World War II, especially Nazi Germany. He was found to be a Holocaust denier in a British court ...

. *December 2021 "CAMP" - The event took place at Southwestern College in

Chula Vista, California Chula Vista ( ; , ) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is the second-most populous city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the Largest cities in Southern California, seventh-most populous city in Southern California ...

with: QB Zachary Smith, QB Richard Stammetti, OL

Cordel Iwuagwu Cordel Iwuagwu (born September 4, 1996) is an American former professional football guard. He played college football at TCU. Early life Iwuagwu attended Westfield High School, where he starred as an offensive guard on the Mustangs' football ...

, DE Deshon Cooper and LS

Ryan Navarro Ryan Navarro (born July 5, 1994) is an American football long snapper who is a free agent. He also played for the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) and Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL. He played college football at Rive ...

. *March 2022 "CAMP" - The event, officially titled ''"‘CAMP’ 11"'' took place at Southwestern College in

with: RB

Derrius Guice Derrius Guice ( ; born June 21, 1997) is an American former professional American football, football running back. He played college football for the LSU Tigers football, LSU Tigers, where he was the first player in Southeastern Conference (SEC ...

, RB Pete Guerriero and S

Alijah Holder Alijah Holder (born January 26, 1996) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Stanford. College career Holder played as a cornerback for the Stanford Cardinals. He did not play during his freshman year i ...

. *May 2022 "CAMP" - The event, officially titled ''"‘CAMP’ 12"'' took place at Helix Charter High School stadium in

with: OL Luke Juriga and LB Ty Schwab. *June 2022 "CAMP" - The event, officially titled ''"‘CAMP’ 13"'' took place in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

with: RB Rakeem Boyd and S

Javon Jackson Javon Anthony Jackson (born June 16, 1965) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, bandleader, and educator. He first became known as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 1987 until Blakey's death in 1990. and went on to release 22 recor ...

. *November 2022 "CAMP" - The event, first since announcing a new Scouting Data Partnership with the USFL, took place in

with: QB Chris Barrett, TE

, TE

Stephen Carlson Stephen Carlson (born December 12, 1996) is an American professional football tight end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams ...

, TE Cameron Butler and S Glenn Harris. *February 2023 "CAMP" - The 58-players "CAMP" took place in

with: QB

Roland Rivers III Roland Rivers III is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Valdosta State and Slippery Rock and was the 2019 winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy. He played for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United Stat ...

, RB Marcel Dancy, WR Trevon Sidney, TE Josh Ealy, LB Patrick Isbell, CB Anthony Blue and DB Traveon Beck. *April 2023 "CAMP" - The 42-players "CAMP" took place in

with: QB Zach Smith, TE

, OT Henry Hattis, DL Devin Drew and DB Ezekiel Brown.

External links

Official website

Pacific Pro Scrimmage

HUB Football

References

{{Professional American football leagues 2017 establishments in the United States Sports leagues established in 2017 American football leagues in the United States Professional sports leagues in the United States