Inside The UFA: Vegas Bighorns Set To Launch


January 2, 2025
By Ian Toner

The news of UFA expansion into the Las Vegas market officially broke on December 18, 2024 with Ultiworld’s reporting, but owner James Shorey has been laying the groundwork for the Bighorns for years.

“I feel like the timing is really great” to bring professional ultimate to the Vegas market, Shorey said. “The UFA has gone through its pioneering phase. It’s realizing you have to do storyboarding about media and content creation to get people to care. And I can see the UFA has really stepped its game up.”

Shorey began to explore bringing professional ultimate to Nevada in an entrepreneurship class as part of his UNLV MBA curriculum in 2021. He works in sports trading at Caesars Sportsbook & Casino, and his ultimate ties run back to his days playing Cleveland summer league, through his undergraduate tenure at Oberlin College, to club experience with Lake Effect and PoNY’s practice squad and beyond.

“We want to be part of that Vegas sports renaissance,” Shorey said, referencing how other North American sports franchises, like the Vegas Golden Knights, Raiders and others, have relocated or expanded to Sin City in recent years.

As of a late December interview, Shorey had identified key targets for his coaching staff and initial signings. Richard Dana, a former USA Ultimate manager, is in talks to become the franchise’s first head coach, Shorey said.

“He’s a local, popular pick,” Shorey added. “He’s on board for it.”

Two-time UFA finalist Joel Clutton, who last suited up with the Salt Lake Shred in 2023, lives in the area, and Shorey is continuing discussions–which he characterized as “great”–to get him aboard for 2025.

“You can see why he’s a UFA hero,” Shorey said. The Bighorns would love to have the 6’5” defender, who tallied a career-high 19 blocks with Dallas in 2018, atop the depth chart.

Shorey is also eyeing talents that might commute from the St. George, Utah area–roughly two hours from Vegas by car.

“Key players on great teams in the UFA have reached out to me,” Shorey added, mentioning prospective travel players from the East Division and elsewhere. “I could not have imagined those conversations coming.”

“I’m more concerned with building a franchise that’s solid than hiring a bunch of mercenaries,” Shorey explained. “It’d be foolish to not consider travel talent.”

“We’re a great free agent destination and we represent the Southwest,” Shorey said. “It’s a very underrepresented region outside of Southern California. We want to get the best Southwest players to buy in and choose us.”

Registration is open now for the Bighorns’ February 1, 2025 tryout.