Fargo Oilers

2024 Fargo Oilers Season
The Fargo Oilers are a virtual American football franchise that play in the Valiant Football League, and they are a part of the Atlantic Conference, as well as a member of the Atlantic Conference Central Division. From their inception in 2017 until the end of the 2019 season, the Oilers were known as the Detroit Stingers, relocating to Fargo, North Dakota after the conclusion of the 2019 UFL season. The team was one of the first four expansion franchises into the UFL, alongside the Orlando Crusaders, Tampa Silverstars and Vancouver Outlaws.
The team has never won either a league championship or Atlantic Conference championship since their inception, and have never made the postseason in the Atlantic Conference in their existence.
The team is currently coached by Tyler Roehl and currently plays their home games at the Fargodome.
== History ==
=== Detroit Stingers (2017-2019) ===
During the UFL Expansion Draft in 2017, the Stingers would sign quarterback Brett Rypien to lead the offense going into the team's first year. As soon as the team was confirmed as to be joining the league, financial struggles were made a concern as the city of Detroit, Michigan had recently filed for bankruptcy. Despite these financial struggles, the Stingers would go into their inaugural season, competing as a part of the Atlantic Conference in a season that would see the Stingers finish with a league-worst 1-5 record, finishing at the bottom of the UFL along with the 1-5 Vancouver Outlaws and the 1-5 Los Angeles Bolts. In the 2017 UFL offseason, the Stingers would re-sign Brett Rypien to a one year extension to continue playing quarterback for the team going into the 2018 season, with financial concerns and attendance concerns continuing to plague the franchise.
Despite rumors of the league announcing plans to relocate the franchise due to low attendance and poor financial support, the Stingers would continue into the 2018 UFL season with Rypien leading the offense, this time only managing to finish with a 2-4 record. With the UFL adding divisions into the league that year, the Stingers would be added into the newly-created Atlantic Conference Central Division, alongside the Kansas City Core, Atlanta Bravehearts, and the St. Louis Eagles. This 2-4 record would find the Detroit Stingers at the bottom of the Atlantic Conference Central Division, and would give them the second-worst record in the Atlantic Conference, tied with the 2-4 St. Louis Eagles, the 2-4 Orlando Crusaders and the 2-4 New York Sentinels, only ahead of the 1-5 Baltimore Capitals. Going into the 2019 UFL offseason, the league would confirm that the Stingers were being held under close watch with two consecutive years of being the least-profitable and least fan-supported franchise in the league. Also during the 2019 offseason, the Ufl would expand the season schedule from six games per team to sixteen games per team, thus making a more fleshed-out dynamic during the season. With head coach Elijah Carrington on the hot seat, the Stingers would start the season with an 0-3 record, thus being the final straw for team owner Victor Haggard, who would fire Elijah Carrington after the team's third consecutive loss to start the season, promoting previously hired offensive coordinator Dawson Jack to become the team's interim head coach. With Drew Coin beginning to set the pieces into building an improved Stingers team, he would sign former Holy Cross quarterback Alfons Fecanji following Carrington's firing as coach, thus setting in motion the team's plans for the future of the quarterback position for the Stingers.
Despite Jack taking over control of the team, and defensive coordinator Christian Oerp taking over coordinator duties on both sides of the ball, as well as rookie starting quarterback Alfons Fecanji looking promising in his first starts as a Stinger, the UFL would announce following a Week 10 victory that the Detroit Stingers would be relocated to Fargo, North Dakota following the 2019 UFL season. During the Stingers' final game in Detroit during the 2019 UFL season, fans in attendance would bring signs reading, "Detroit is bankrupt on talent, thanks to the UFL for taking away the biggest stain on the city." The Stingers would finish the 2019 campaign with a 5-11 record, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season whilst finishing in third place in the Atlantic Conference Central Division, ahead of the fourth place St. Louis Eagles, who finished the season with a 3-13 record, earning the top pick in the 2019 UFL Draft.
=== Relocation to Fargo, Dawson Jack and the Alfons Fecanji Era (2019-2022) ===
After a promising rookie campaign from quarterback Alfons Fecanji, the now-Oilers seemed to be on the right track for the first time in franchise history after having watched fellow expansion franchises the Orlando Crusaders have early playoff success and the Tampa Silverstars win a league championship. The team would hire Dexter Voe to become the team's offensive coordinator during the 2019 UFL offseason, whilst also promoting Dawson Jack from the team's interim head coach to full-time head coach after a 5-8 record in relief of Elijah Carrington the previous year. With the third pick in the first round of the 2019 UFL Draft, the Oilers would select former Kansas City Core linebacker Reuben Foster. However; Foster would be involved in a number of legal disputes, finding himself arrested on multiple occasions, forcing the Oilers to release him before the end of August 2019. With their following picks, the Oilers would nab outside linebacker Jerrod Davis in the second round before trading out of the third round for an additional fifth round pick, which they would use to select cornerback Terrence Alexander. Following other additions like earlier-fifth round pick receiver Darreus Rogers and sixth round pick defensive end Corey Liuget, the Oilers would be ranked as having had the best draft by multiple UFL experts, including then-recently retired former Connecticut Stampede quarterback Zachary Serra, who would go onto predict the Oilers as being the most improved team in the UFL's Atlantic Conference going into the 2020 season. Following a 7-12 record in the 2021 United Football League Season, Dawson Jack would be fired as the head coach of the franchise after two years. 
=== Tyler Roehl-Ty Gangi Era (2022-present) ===
One month after Jack's termination, Oilers' ownership would announce that they had hired North Dakota State Offensive Coordinator Tyler Roehl to serve as the third head coach in the franchise's history. Following the 2021 Season, the Oilers would opt not to re-sign quarterback Alfons Fecanji, officially ending his tenure with the team upon his signing with the Arizona Copperheads. With his first major move as the franchise's head coach, Roehl would trade for league championship-winning quarterback Ty Gangi from the Seattle Avengers in return for heavy draft compensation.