Hartford Timberwolves

**Affiliations:*** **Global Football League** (2023-present)
 **Division Championships** - 0
 **Home stadia:*** **Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field** (2023-present)

The **Hartford Timberwolves** are a professional American football team based in East Hartford, Connecticut, a suburb of Hartford. They are currently members of the Atlantic Division of the Global Football League (GFL). Their chief rivals are the Boston Warlocks, New York Rockets, Philadelphia Spirit, and Virginia Beach Captains. The team has a working partnership with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.

## Team history

When the GFL was formed in 2022, American businessman James Dolan decided to invest in a GFL franchise for New York City. Once Dolan's ownership group, with him as managing general partner, was awarded the rights to a New York franchise, he named his new team the New York Rockets. Eventually, disagreements with the other investors led to him selling his shares of the Rockets franchise to foreign investors before the league even began play. In response, the league, who wanted Dolan to remain on as an investor in the GFL, placated him by giving him the rights to a franchise in nearby Hartford, Connecticut. Today, the Hartford Timberwolves are run by Dolan under the umbrella of his company, MSG Sports.

The name "Timberwolves" is in honor of the University of Connecticut's football team, the Huskies, who also play at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. Dolan also chose that name in honor one of his other sports holdings, the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.

When Dolan was set to be majority owner of the Rockets, he agreed, in principle, to a working agreement with the NFL's New York Giants. The other owners wanted the Rockets to work with the New York Jets as well, but Dolan disagreed, leading to a series of disputes between Dolan and his ownership group. The minority owners prevailed, and the Jets officially signed a working agreement with the Rockets. Shortly afterward, Dolan left the Rockets and started the Hartford franchise.

His first order of business with the Timberwolves was to try to get the Giants to transfer their working agreement to Hartford, stating that the Giants had only signed a letter of intent, not a contract, and that the letter of intent was an agreement with Dolan himself, not the New York Rockets. Eventually, the Timberwolves and Rockets reached a settlement by which the Giants (and Jets) would maintain working agreements with the Rockets, in exchange for the New York GFL club giving up its right to use the Rockettes, also managed by one of Dolan's companies, as cheerleaders. Ironically, the New York Rockets had originally been named in honor of the Rockettes, the famed Radio City Music Hall troupe.

Now having to look elsewhere for an NFL team with whom to partner, Hartford soon formed a working partnership with the Baltimore Ravens, who now conduct some of the marketing of the Timberwolves in addition to offering personnel in the form of special teams and practice squad players. One of the biggest by-products of this partnership was the signing of Ravens placekicker Justin Tucker to the T-Wolves' roster, which allows the kicker to make some extra money during the NFL offseason while still maintaining his position within the Baltimore NFL club.

## Colors

The Timberwolves' home jerseys are blue with gray numerals that have blue and dark trimming. Their away jerseys are white with dark gray numerals that have white and blue trimming. Their alternate jerseys are dark gray with blue numerals that have gray trimming. All of their jerseys are worn with dark gray pants featuring blue stripes on the sides.