On Saturday, the Louisville Kings defeated the DC Defenders 27-20 to win the 2026 UFL Championship.
The Kings, trailing 16-7 at halftime, rallied dramatically in the second half and held on to win the game, forcing a turnover on downs on 4th and 5 to seal the UFL Championship.
With that win, four former Pittsburgh Steelers captured the title. WR Tarik Black, OT Kellen Diesch and safeties Quindell Johnson and Kenny Robinson Jr. all had stops in Pittsburgh en route to winning the UFL title.
WR Tarik Black caught one pass for 40 yards in the win, making a great catch down the sideline. During the Kings’ regular season, he caught 27 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns while chipping in three catches for 31 yards in the Kings’ postseason win over the St. Louis Battlehawks.
The Steelers originally signed Black at the end of July in 2024 to help address injury issues at the wide receiver position, namely WR Roman Wilson with his ankle injury early in training camp. Unfortunately, he sustained a hamstring injury that led the Steelers to put him on injured reserve before they waived him with an injury settlement mid-August.
OT Kellen Diesch joined the Kings during the 2026 season and started two games for them. The Steelers signed Diesch to the practice squad on the eve of the 2023 regular season. He spent the entire season on the practice squad, never appearing in a game, and the Steelers signed him to a reserve/future contract after the 2023 season. However, the Steelers waived him right after the team’s rookie minicamp in May.
Johnson didn’t have any stats in the UFL Championship, nor did Robinson, who is on injured reserve. During the regular season, Johnson had 17 total tackles and one pass breakup, along with two tackles against the Battlehawks in the postseason. The Steelers signed Johnson in June of 2025 as the team was finishing OTAs and prepping for mandatory minicamp. He stuck around through training camp but was released in late August.
Robinson appeared in one game for the Kings, registering three total tackles.
The Steelers added Robinson to their practice squad in 2022, then signed him to a reserve/future contract after the season. However, the Steelers released the Western Pennsylvania native in August of 2023.
The Kings picked up the win over the Defenders, who had four former Steelers in guard Tykeem Doss, wide receiver Cornell Powell, running back Xazavian Valladay and kicker Matt McCrane. Valladay had a 51-yard rushing touchdown in the loss, while Powell had three catches for 40 yards.
McCrane connected on four field goals, including another 4-point field goal.
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