Many have forgotten the New York spring football teams of the New York Guardians and New Jersey Generals of the XFL and USFL. One person who is all-too familiar with them though is Arlington Renegades quarterback Luis Perez.
Luis Perez is the only player in spring football history to play at least one game for both New York spring football teams.
Perez started the 2020 XFL season as the backup to Matt McGloin, until he was elevated to starter in Week 4, after an 80% pass completion Week 3 relief performance.
Perez completed 18 of 26 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown in New York’s win over the Los Angeles Wildcats.
The Guardians kept Perez as the team’s starter going into Week 5 in their game against the Dallas Renegades. He led the Guardians to their second-straight win, completing 16 of 30 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The XFL season would then be put on hold after Week 5 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and would never resume games. The New York Guardians would then rebrand to the Orlando Guardians in the XFL’s 2.0 reboot.
Luis Perez would wind up signing with the New Jersey Generals on April 1st , 2022, as a late add-on due to an injury to the team’s starter Ben Holmes. The signing would make Perez the immediate starter with less-than three weeks to the first game of the season.
In the league's inaugural game on April 16, 2022, Perez threw the first-ever touchdown in USFL history. He would finish the game 13-for-18 passing with 143 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Generals would lose the close affair, 28–24.
Perez would then find himself on the Arlington Renegades, leading them to a championship in 2023.
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