The Los Angeles Xtreme was a professional American football team based in Los Angeles, California. The team was a member of the XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. The team played its home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the spring of 2001. They were in the XFL's Western Division with the San Francisco Demons, the Memphis Maniax and the Las Vegas Outlaws. The team had the league's best passing offense and was nicknamed "L.A.X." as a pun on the IATA code for Los Angeles International Airport. They finished the season in 1st place with a 7-3 record and defeated the Chicago Enforcers in the Playoffs and the San Francisco Demons in the Million Dollar Game with a score of 38-6 to win the league's sole Championship.
The LA Xtreme were the only champions of the XFL because NBC dropped the XFL concept after the first season due to dismal ratings. Shortly after this, McMahon announced that the league would be dissolved. However, the Xtreme's quarterback, Tommy Maddox, subsequently caught on with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League, later leading them into the playoffs in 2002. Maddox also won the XFL's Most Valuable Player award. Jeremaine Copeland has achieved success in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes, the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts.
Coaches
Al Luginbill, Head Coach (2001)
Los Angeles Xtreme players
82 Latario Rachal, WR — College: Fresno State. Rachal played two seasons with the San Diego Chargers from 1997–1998. After a summer in NFL Europa, he joined the XFL.
80 Darnell McDonald, WR — College: Kansas State. McDonald played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2000.
8 Tommy Maddox, QB — College: UCLA. Maddox, a former first round draft pick, played five seasons in the NFL seeing playing time with the Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons. Maddox was named the XFL Player of the Year and the championship game's MVP. After the XFL Maddox played with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his return, Maddox was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year for the 2002 NFL season. Maddox is currently the only player to win both an XFL Championship and a Super Bowl (Super Bowl XL).
86 Jeremaine Copeland, WR — College: Tennessee. Copeland played in NFL Europe before the XFL. Currently the wide receivers coach with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL.
22 Rashaan Shehee, RB — College: Washington. Shehee played two seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs 1999–2000 before joining the XFL.
69 Jerry Crafts, OT — College: Louisville. Crafts is a seasoned vet having played in the old World League with the Orlando Thunder. He saw playing time in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills. Crafts kept himself busy playing for the Arena Football League's New Jersey Red Dogs, then played for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts in 2000 before joining the XFL's LA Xtreme.
Tinker Keck, DB — College: Cincinnati. Keck signed with the New York Giants in 2000 but was cut during the preseason. Keck is now a fitness trainer and appeared on the new Fox reality show, The Moment of Truth.
15 Damon Dunn, WR — College: Stanford. Dunn became a real estate developer after retiring from the NFL and was a candidate for California Secretary of State in 2010.
1 José Cortéz, K — College: Oregon State. Cortez, the XFL's leading scorer (60 points), spent the next four seasons as a journeyman and backup kicker in the NFL.
14 Noel Prefontaine, P — College: San Diego State. Prefontaine, the XFL's lone punting specialist (and, for payment purposes, the Xtreme's third-string quarterback), was moonlighting for the Xtreme while his regular team, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, was in its offseason. Prefontaine was an Argonaut from 1998 to 2006 and, after a stint with the Edmonton Eskimos, re-signed with the Argos in 2010. Incidentally, the Xtreme's other backup quarterback, Scott Milanovich, would go on to coach Prefontaine in Toronto.
Other notable figures
Bonnie-Jill Laflin - One of the team's cheerleaders is now a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers and a co-general manager of a minor league affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
Super Dave Osborne - The actor and stuntman was the sideline reporter on the radio broadcasts of the team on KLSX. The booth announcers were Geoff Nathanson and Craig Fertig (Fertig died in 2008).
Team leaders
Rushing yards: 310, Saladin McCullough
Receiving yards: 656, Jeremaine Copeland
Passing yards: 2186, Tommy Maddox (also league leader)
