2009 was the first of four seasons for the United Football League. Unlike most rival Pro Football leagues, which schedule games during the off-season of the NFL, the UFL scheduled their games during the NFL season. The UFL consisted of four teams:  the Florida Tuskers, the Las Vegas Locomotives, the California Redwoods, and the New York Sentinels. The UFL focused on cities and areas that the NFL did not have a franchise, in order to reach football fans that did not have a local team. On the field, Florida dominated the league with a perfect 6-0 record, followed by the second place Las Vegas at 4-2, third place California at 2-4, and last place New York at 0-6.  The top two teams qualified for the 2009 UFL Championship Game. The game was played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada on Friday, November 27, 2009 (one day after Thanksgiving), and was won by the Las Vegas Locomotives, who defeated the previously unbeaten Florida Tuskers 20–17 on a 33-yard field goal in overtime.  It was a tight defensive battle throughout the first three quarters, with Florida leading 7-3, entering the fourth quarter. Ending a Locomotives' drive that carried over from a scoreless 3rd quarter, DeDe Dorsey sprinted down the right sideline for a 38-yard TD run, giving the Locos their first lead at 10–7 with 12:53 left. The Tuskers responded in quick fashion; starting from his own 20, Bollinger connected with Taye Biddle on a 15-yard pass play, followed by a 10-yard Tatum Bell run. On 2nd and 5 from the 50-yard line, Bollinger went deep and connected with Marcus Maxwell on a 40-yard throw, the longest offensive play of the game. The Tuskers regained the lead on the next play, as Bollinger threw up the middle to Frank Murphy on a 10-yard TD catch. The five-play, 80-yard drive gave Florida a 14-10 lead with 10:27 left. Later in the fourth quarter, Tusker's QB Brooks Bollinger was sacked and fumbled the ball, which was picked up by Locos lineman Ross Kolodziej and returned all the way to the
Tusker's 2-yard line. Three plays later, Dorsey snuck into the end zone up the middle for his second touchdown of the quarter, giving Las Vegas a 17-14 lead with 5:58 left. The Tuskers responded again with a drive of their own, and would tie the game at 17-17, with a 27-yard field goal by Matt Bryant. The score would remain tied and they would go into overtime. Winning the coin toss, Florida elected to receive the ball. Michael Spurlock's kickoff return was pushed back to the Tuskers' own 9-yard line after a holding penalty. Two plays later, on 3rd and 7, Bollinger escaped a sack but his pass was intercepted by Locos' defensive back Isaiah Trufant.  Trufant fumbled but the ball was immediately recovered by Locos' cornerback Trey Young. After one running play to center the ball for a field goal attempt, Graham Gano hit a 33-yard field goal, sneaking the ball just inside the right upright to give the Locomotives the first UFL title, and denying the Tuskers a perfect season, with a final score of 20-17.