The Dynamic Football League is adding a new franchise in Denver, with business executive Lila Grant announcing the launch of the Denver Summit as an expansion team in the league’s National Conference.
In a press release issued Friday, Grant said she will own the new team, a move the release described as making her the first Black woman to own a franchise in DFL history. The team said roster-building plans, including draft and free-agency decisions, will be announced in the coming weeks.
The announcement introduces a new ownership figure to the league at a time when professional football remains one of the most visible institutions in the game’s sports landscape. While the DFL is the game’s professional American football league, expansion announcements can carry significance beyond the field because they affect league competition, local identity, and business investment tied to a new club.
Grant is the founder and chief executive of Grant Legacy Group. According to biographical information provided with the announcement, she built the company from a single funeral home into a larger business spanning estate law, death-care services, and a national lifestyle brand. The same materials describe her as a lawyer and mortuary science graduate who expanded her business interests from her roots in Atlanta’s West End.
In the release, Grant framed the ownership milestone in personal and competitive terms. “When I was a little girl in Atlanta’s West End, nobody would’ve believed a preacher’s daughter would one day own a professional football team,” she said. “So to every girl told to wait her turn: your turn is now. The Summit are here to win, and here to stay.”
She also said she intends to be “the best owner this league has” and pledged to bring Denver a championship. Those remarks reflect the team’s early public positioning, though no on-field results are yet available for the expansion club.
The Summit also announced their inaugural coaching staff. According to the release, Head Coach Colton Rigsbee will lead the team in his first professional role after a career described as prominent in Texas high school football. He will be joined by Offensive Coordinator Jamarcus Ellison-Bey, who was presented as the architect of a modern passing attack, and Defensive Coordinator Brock Tullis, whom the team described as a defensive coach with Colorado ties and a background in the Mountain West.
Grant said the hires were intended to establish a clear identity from the outset. “I didn’t hire a staff. I hired a mindset,” she said in the release. “Bold on offense, brutal on defense, unwilling to back down.”
No details were provided in the announcement about the team’s venue, inaugural schedule, or the mechanics of its entry into league competition beyond its placement in the National Conference. The release also did not specify the size of the ownership group beyond Grant’s role, if any additional investors are involved, or when the club will begin formal player acquisition.
Still, the launch gives Denver a new foothold in the DFL and gives the league a notable ownership first. In a sports media environment where branding, representation, and franchise identity often draw as much early attention as personnel moves, the Summit’s debut is likely to be closely watched both for its business rollout and for how quickly the team can build a competitive roster.
For now, the announcement marks the start of that process rather than its outcome. The organization’s next major steps are expected to center on player recruitment and further operational details. In her closing message in the press release, Grant emphasized the local pitch to fans: “Denver, this is your team now. The view from the Summit is worth the climb.”