The first time I met running back Darius Victor he was playing rock/paper/scissors with a group of kids outside a doughnut shop in Homewood, Alabama. It was the day before the New Jersey Generals and Birmingham Stallions were set to lift the lid on the new United States Football League in 2022, and he was there to hype the new spring gridiron product.
The last time I talked to him he was sitting in the postgame presser after the Generals had lost to the Stallions in the Year 2 USFL season opener, 27-10.
And next time?
Hopefully that’ll come on April 13 when the Stallions host Victor and his new team, the Memphis Showboats, at Protective Stadium. He’s one of those guys you instantly like – and cheer for even if he plays for a team you might normally cheer against.
After the Generals and seven other teams failed to make the cut in the USFL-XFL merger that created the new United Football League, Victor was one of the hottest commodities in the dispersal draft.
The man who made “Thick Thighs Save Lives” a rallying cry (and a T-Shirt slogan) during his USFL days now takes his wrecking ball running style to the land of the Delta Blues.
“It all feels pretty good,” Victor said during a training break at UFL Central in Arlington, Texas. “We’re coming together as a team and picking up the plays that are being installed. I think we’re doing pretty good. We’re meshing together. We all have the same type of common goal, and that’s always good when you’re trying to build a team and win ballgames.”
Victor – a 5-9, 209-pound dynamo – is a veteran of spring leagues. The 30-year-old has been on training camp rosters with two NFL franchises and one Canadian Football League club, but he first earned notice as a member of the New York Guardians in XFL 2.0 in 2020.
That league was cut short largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Victor returned to the new USFL in 2022.
He did not disappoint, earning Offensive Player of the Year honors with 1,131 rushing yards (1,433 rushing and receiving) and 18 total touchdowns.
Last year the Towson State product rushed for 554 yards, had 189 receiving and scored seven TDs – even managing to throw for one.
“I’ve been very grateful for these leagues,” he said. “Without these leagues I wouldn’t still be playing, so I’m just grateful for the opportunity for these leagues to pop up and for me to be able to show the world that I can still play football.
“I appreciate the opportunity, and it’s extended my football life for sure.”
Memphis offensive coordinator Doug Martin has high praise for the ‘Boats’ new ballcarrier.
“Victor’s exactly what we saw when we played against him last year,” Martin said. “He’s hard to bring down. He’s really bright, he’s really intelligent … he understands the game really well and understands past protections really well. He’s probably a little bit ahead right now because of that.”
Victor likes being in Martin’s system and he’s also a big fan of new head coach John DeFilippo, who coached the New Orleans Breakers last season and replaces Todd Haley in Memphis.
“He’s a great guy,” Victor said. “He’s a player’s coach, for sure. He always has a player’s best interests at heart no matter what’s going on and what we’re doing. And it’s crazy … he’s like a database of random plays and information. He’s very knowledgeable. He’s been around the game for a while and it’s great just to pick his brain and learn from him.”
Memphis opens the season on Sunday, March 31, when the Showboats travel to Houston to take on the Roughnecks.
It’ll be another opportunity for Victor to live up to his “Thick Thighs Save Lives” motto.
“It’s a way for me to pay homage to my lineman,” Victor said. “They have thick thighs, and I hide behind them. And I also plan to break a lot of tackles with my thighs.
“So, watch for it.”