Utah Jynx Explained

The Utah Jynx is a team of the Women's Football Alliance that began play in 2011 and joined the WFA in 2012. Following their successful 2011 season as an independent team, they were placed at

  1. 7 in the WFA preseason rankings
by EZ Football Rankings. Based in West Valley City, Utah, the Jynx play their home games on the campus of Taylorsville High School.

In their inaugural season, the Jynx played as an independent team.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] For the 2012 season, they join the Utah Blitz as the second WFA team in the Beehive State.

In 2012, in their first season as a member of the WFA, the Jynx finished as the undefeated division champions of the American Conference Division 14, (7 - 0 overall, 4 - 0 in the division). They clinched the division after defeating the Portland Fighting Fillies 33 - 13 in Portland. The Fillies were the division champions the last two season previous, in 2010 and 2011. The Jynx suffered an early loss in the playoffs by losing to the Central Cal War Angels at home, 26 - 36. The Jynx also had six players receive WFA All American honors: 3 first team, and 3 second team. The 3 first team All Americans flew out to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to participate in the All Star Game held on August 4, 2012, the same day as the WFA National Championship game held at Heinz Field. The two teams playing in the National Championship were the San Diego Surge and the Chicago Force. The Surge won the game 40 - 36, thanks to a last second interception.

Going into the 2013 season, the Jynx changed divisions, and are now with the Las Vegas Showgirlz and Utah Blitz. On June 8, 2013, the Utah Jynx wrapped up their second season in the WFA, having acquired a 6 - 2 record for the regular season and a second consecutive division championship. They averaged 54 points per game in the regular season and amassed over 3,500 yards of offense.

On June 15, 2013, the Jynx traveled to Seattle, Washington to play in a rematch vs. the undefeated Seattle Majestics, who had defeated the Jynx in week one of the WFA season 47 - 18. Going into the playoff game, the Jynx were predicted to lose by 11 points, but after taking the lead 14 - 13 going into halftime, the Jynx won 36 - 26, earning their first playoff victory in the team's 3-year history. The following week, the Jynx traveled to Fresno, California to face the Central Cal War Angels, for another rematch of last year's first round. The Jynx fell behind 21 - 0 after the first quarter, and ended up losing 65 - 6 to the War Angels.

Move to the IWFL

On March 4, 2014, KUTV News program "Get Gephardt" raised questions about what the owner and head coach of the Utah Jynx, Coach Greg Cover, had done with the approximately $1,150 per player fees he received from multiple players to play football[7] The Jynx were released from the Women's Football Alliance, per the WFA league's founder, "We just don't want this type of person or this type of team in our league anymore." The Jynx have since joined the IWFL. The report revealed that over half the team and most of the team's coaches quit halfway through the 2013 season in protest of Cover's actions.[7]

New field location

The Jynx have selected Herriman High School as their new home field with the full consent of the Jordan School District. Jynx will play its first IWFL game at Herriman on April 19, 2014, against the California Quake.[8] Jynx have struggled to find a field this year, after being banned from Taylorsville High because of the owner's inability to pay for the field last year.[7] Taylorsville is in the Granite School District.

2014 season results

The Jynx have struggled in the IWFL this season, losing their first game against the California Quake 20–15.[9] The Jynx lost their second IWFL game 40–12 to the Phoenix Phantomz, where the game was called in the third quarter due to injuries.[10] The Jynx cancelled/forfeited their third game against the Tucson Monsoon, making their record 0–3 in IWFL.[11] Finally, the Jynx forfeited their game against the Rocky Mountain Thunderkatz with speculation that the Jynx team is folding for the season (or indefinitely), making their record 1–5 overall in the 2014 season.[12]

Media attention

The Jynx organization was the subject of an investigation launched by Salt Lake City's Channel 2 News as part of its Get Gephardt program, regarding the Jynx organization's questionable fundraising practices.[13] This was the second investigation launched of the Utah Jynx by Channel 2's Get Gephardt program. In the first case, players questioned the disappearance of their player fees by the team's ownership.[14] In the latter case, a fan paid $30 up front for cookie dough to the Utah Jynx, but after months of waiting she got word that she would not be getting the product.[13]

Banned from the IWFL

After being banned from the WFA in 2014, the Jynx were subsequently removed from the IWFL prior to the 2015 season.[15] The Jynx were replaced with another team from the Rocky Mountain region, the Thunderkatz. The Jynx owner has been "in hiding" since the removal of his team from the IWFL. With no further prospects for league play, the Jynx organization has been permanently dissolved.

Season-by-season

|-| colspan="6" align="left" | Utah Jynx (Independent)|-|2011 || 5|| 3 || 0 |||||-| colspan="6" align="left" | Utah Jynx (WFA)|-|2012 || 8 || 1 || 0 || 1st WFA American Conference Division 14 || 0 - 1, 6/23: vs. Central Cal War Angels, Loss 26 - 36 (WFA American Conference Playoffs, First Round)|-|colspan="6" align="left" | Utah Jynx (WFA)|-|2013* || 10 || 3 || 0 || 1st WFA American Conference Division 11 || 1 - 1, 6/15: at Seattle Majestics, Win 36 - 26 (WFA American Conference Playoffs, First Round) 6/22: at Central Cal War Angels, Loss 6 - 65 WFA American Conference Playoffs, Quarterfinals)|-|Totals || 23 || 7 || 0

* = Current standing

2011

Season schedule

DateOpponentHome/AwayResult
March 26Las Vegas Showgirlz (WFA)AwayL 8 - 12
April 16Sacramento Sirens (IWFL)AwayL 20 - 45
April 23Ventura Black Widows (WSFL)AwayW 51 - 6
May 28Las Vegas Showgirlz (WFA)HomeW 43 - 22
June 11Houston Energy (IWFL)AwayL 17 - 22
July 9Ventura Black Widows (WSFL)HomeW 60 - 0
July 16Nevada Storm (WSFL)HomeW 33 - 12
July 23Arizona Assassins (WFA)HomeW 34 - 20

2012

Season schedule

DateOpponentHome/AwayResult
March 31Silver State Legacy (Preseason)HomeW 28 - 27
April 21Utah Blitz (Division 14 Game)AwayW 49 - 23
April 28Portland Fighting Fillies (Division 14 Game)HomeW 20 - 13
May 12Las Vegas ShowgirlzHomeW 38 - 28
May 19Los Angeles AmazonsAwayW 62 - 22
June 2Portland Fighting Fillies (Division 14 Game)AwayW 33 - 13
June 9Utah Blitz (Division 14 Game)HomeW 50 - 0
June 16Colorado Sting (IWFL)HomeW FORFEIT
June 23Central Cal War Angels (WFA American Conference Playoffs, First Round)HomeL 26 - 36

2013

Season schedule

DateOpponentHome/AwayResult
March 16Everett Reign (Preseason)AwayW 54 - 6
March 23Phoenix Phantomz (Preseason)HomeW 38 - 10
March 30Colorado Sting (Preseason)HomeW 55 - 18
April 6Seattle MajesticsAwayL 18 - 47
April 13Tacoma TraumaHomeW 73 - 6
April 20Las Vegas Showgirlz (Division 11 game)AwayW 38 - 28
May 4Arizona AssassinsAwayW 80 - 6
May 11Utah Blitz (Division 11 game)AwayW 66 - 22
May 18Nevada StormHomeW 47 - 22
May 25Las Vegas Showgirlz (Division 11 game)HomeL 50 - 56
June 8Utah Blitz (Division 11 game)HomeW 60 - 6
June 15Seattle Majestics (WFA American Conference Playoffs, First Round)AwayW 36 - 26
June 22Central Cal War Angels (WFA American Conference Playoffs, Quarterfinals)AwayL 6 - 65

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Women's football gaining popularity in Utah . KSL-TV . KSL.com . August 30, 2010 . December 31, 2011 . Butterfield, Amanda.
  2. Web site: Gevvy Gets Tackled by the Utah Jynx . Nike, Inc. . Nike Women . December 15, 2010 . December 31, 2011 . Seferaj, Gevrina.
  3. Web site: Touchdown! Utah Jynx women's football holds tryouts . Salt Lake Magazine . November 15, 2011 . December 31, 2011 . Leach, Kelsey . https://web.archive.org/web/20111219092340/http://www.saltlakemagazine.com/blog/2011/11/touchdown-utah-jynx-womens-football-holds-tryouts/ . December 19, 2011 . dead . mdy-all .
  4. Web site: Utah women battle it out on the gridiron . Salt Lake Tribune . December 10, 2011 . December 31, 2011 . Wharton, Tom.
  5. Web site: Utah Jynx all-female football team . KSTU . FOX13Now.com . October 19, 2011 . December 31, 2011.
  6. News: Jynx football out to make presence felt . South Salt Lake Journal . July 29, 2011 . December 31, 2011 . Cusumano, Anthony . https://web.archive.org/web/20120426082246/http://www.southsaltlakejournal.com/pages/full_story/7520/Jynx-football-out-to-make-presence-felt/ . April 26, 2012 . dead . mdy-all .
  7. News: Semi-Pro Football Players Question the Disappearance of League Fees. Louise Bean. KUTV.com. 8 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140706070638/http://www.kutv.com/news/features/gephardt/stories/vid_597.shtml. 6 July 2014. dead. dmy-all.
  8. Web site: Utah JYNX vs. California Quake. Facebook. 8 September 2014.
  9. Web site: Quake shakes up Utah. The Official Website of the Independent Women's Football League: News. Catherine B. Vivo. 8 September 2014.
  10. Web site: Utah JYNX - Utah's Premier Women's Football Team. Facebook. 8 September 2014.
  11. Web site: Tucson Monsoon. Facebook. 8 September 2014.
  12. Web site: Rocky Mountain Thunder Katz. Facebook. 8 September 2014.
  13. Web site: Gephardt . Matt . Women's football league leaves supporters hungry, for cookies . kutv.com . 12 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140911002210/https://kutv.com/news/features/archive-12/stories/vid_371.shtml . 2014-09-11 . en . September 11, 2014.
  14. Web site: Semi-Pro Football Players Question the Disappearance of League Fees . KUTV.com. 2014-03-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20140307184248/http://kutv.com/news/features/gephardt/stories/vid_597.shtml. 2014-03-07. dead.
  15. Web site: IWFL Sports » Automotive Resources . www.iwflsports.com . 12 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230312042322/https://www.iwflsports.com/ . March 12, 2023 . en . live.