San Antonio Commanders
Defunct American football franchise
San Antonio Commanders Established 2018 Folded 2019
Alliance of American Football Current uniform
Team colors Maroon, red, silver & white President Vic Gregovits Head coach Mike Riley League championships (0) Conference championships (0) Division championships (0)
The San Antonio Commanders were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas , and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF).[ 1] The league began play in February 2019. The team played their home games at the Alamodome .[ 1] [ 2] The team was led by head coach Mike Riley .
On April 2, 2019, the league's football operations were reportedly suspended,[ 3] [ 4] and on April 4 the league allowed players to leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams.[ 5] The league filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 17, 2019.[ 6] The league left debts of over $1.4 million to three local hotels and $200,000 to a catering business.[ 7]
History
The Alliance San Antonio charter team of the Alliance of American Football spring league was announced on June 21, 2018. Also, the league announced former San Diego Chargers coach Mike Riley as head coach and former Dallas Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston as General Manager of the team.[ 8] [ 9] The western four teams' names and logos were revealed on September 25 with San Antonio as the Commanders.[ 10] The name is a tribute to San Antonio's military history, with maroon and silver representing the city and the small swords carried by military officers, respectively.[ 11] [ 12]
The final 52-man roster was set on January 30, 2019.[ 13] The team's first game was a 15–6 win at home against the San Diego Fleet on Saturday, February 9, 2019.[ 14]
The Commanders, who drew an average of approximately 27,720 fans to each home game, were by far the best-attended team in the AAF.[ 7]
The league was suspended on April 2, 2019, with about 20 minutes left in the Commanders' practice. "It ended in the blink of an eye. Like that," Riley said later.[ 15]
The next year, the XFL began discussions about relocating one of its eight teams to San Antonio;[ 16] this would eventually bear fruit with the San Antonio Brahmas in 2023 .[ 17]
Final roster
2019 San Antonio Commanders final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
31 Bryce Jones DB (IR)
-- Ashaad Mabry NT (IR)
29 Darryl Morris CB (IR)
11 Riley Smith WR (IR)
Rights list
51 Active, 6 Inactive
Allocation pool
The team's assigned area, which designated player rights, included the following:[ 18]
Staff
San Antonio commanders staff
Front office
Head coach
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
2019 season
Final standings
Schedule
Preseason
Regular season
All times Central
† Changed from original time and network.[ 19]
[ 20]
Game summaries
Week 1: San Diego
Week One: San Diego Fleet at San Antonio Commanders – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Fleet
0
6
0 0 6
Commanders
0
6
0 9 15
at Alamodome , San Antonio, Texas
Game information
First Quarter
No scoring plays
Second Quarter
(10:39) SA – Nick Rose 29-yard field goal, Commanders 3–0
(3:50) SA – Nick Rose 23-yard field goal, Commanders 6–0
(1:17) SD – Donny Hageman 47-yard field goal, Commanders 6–3
(0:02) SD – Donny Hageman 28-yard field goal, Tied 6–6
Third Quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth Quarter
(14:56) SA – Kenneth Farrow II 3-yard run (run failed), Commanders 12–6
(3:34) SA – Nick Rose 28-yard field goal, Commanders 15–6
Top Passers
Top Rushers
Top Receivers
Top Tackler
With the win, the Commanders started 1–0.
Week 2: Orlando
Week Two: Orlando Apollos at San Antonio Commanders – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Apollos
0
17
3 17 37
Commanders
12
6
11 0 29
at Alamodome , San Antonio, Texas
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
(12:52) ORL – De'Veon Smith 1-yard rush (De'Veon Smith rush), Commanders 12–8
(8:20) SA – Nick Rose 50-yard field goal, Commanders 15–8
(5:37) ORL – Elliott Fry 35-yard field goal, Commanders 15–11
(1:54) ORL – Garrett Gilbert 21-yard pass to Charles Johnson (pass failed), Apollos 17–15
(0:00) SA – Nick Rose 38-yard field goal, Commanders 18–17
Third Quarter
(9:28) SA – Nick Rose 37-yard field goal, Commanders 21–17
(8:10) SA – Garrett Gilbert (ORL) fumble recovered by Joey Mbu and returned 8 yards for touchdown (Logan Woodside pass to Evan Rodriguez), Commanders 29–17
(3:12) ORL – Elliott Fry 24-yard field goal, Commanders 29–20
Fourth Quarter
(13:51) ORL – Elliott Fry 47-yard field goal, Commanders 29–23
(7:49) ORL – Garrett Gilbert 23-yard pass to Jalin Marshall (pass failed), Tied 29–29
(7:02) ORL – Keith Reaser 39-yard interception return for touchdown (Garrett Gilbert pass to Rannell Hall ), Apollos 37–29
Top Passers
Top Rushers
ORL – D'Ernest Johnson – 8 carries, 57 yards
SA – Kenneth Farrow – 13 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD
Top Receivers
ORL – Charles Johnson – 7 receptions, 192 yards, 1 TD
SA – De'Marcus Ayers – 5 receptions, 80 yards
First loss in Commanders history. San Antonio fell to 1-1.
Week 3: at San Diego
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
(11:02) SD – A. J. Tarpley 27-yard interception return (Terrell Watson rush), Fleet 14–8
(2:13) SD – Philip Nelson 18-yard pass to Nelson Spruce (Terrell Watson rush), Fleet 22–8
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Top Passers
Top Rushers
SA – Trey Williams – 7 carries, 75 yards
SD – Ja'Quan Gardner – 12 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD
Top Receivers
SA – Mekale McKay – 4 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD
SD – Nelson Spruce – 4 receptions, 50 yards, 2 TDs
First time in Commanders history with consecutive losses. Commanders drop to 1-2.
Week 4: at Birmingham
Week Four: San Antonio Commanders at Birmingham Iron – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Commanders
3
0
6 3 12
Iron
0
3
0 8 11
at Legion Field , Birmingham, Alabama
Game information
First Quarter
(2:18) SA – Nick Rose 39-yard field goal, Commanders 3–0
Second Quarter
(0:26) BIRM – Nick Novak 33-yard field goal, Tied 3–3
Third Quarter
(1:46) SA – Trey Williams 12-yard rush (pass failed), Commanders 9–3
Fourth Quarter
(3:58) SA – Nick Rose 20-yard field goal, Commanders 12–3
(1:41) BIRM – Trent Richardson 1-yard rush (Luis Perez pass to DeVozea Felton), Commanders 12–11
Top Passers
Top Rushers
SA – Kenneth Farrow – 30 carries, 142 yards
BIRM – Brandon Ross – 9 carries, 64 yards
Top Receivers
First road win in Commanders history. Commanders improve to 2-2.
Week 5: at Arizona
Week Five: San Antonio Commanders at Arizona Hotshots – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Commanders
14
12
0 3 29
Hotshots
0
0
8 17 25
at Sun Devil Stadium , Tempe, Arizona
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
(12:19) SA – Kenneth Farrow 1-yard rush (rush failed), Commanders 20–0
(3:36) SA – Logan Woodside 5-yard pass to Stehly Reden (pass failed), Commanders 26–0
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
(13:04) ARIZ – Nick Folk 23-yard field goal, Commanders 26–11
(7:52) SA – Nick Rose 21-yard field goal, Commanders 29–11
(3:30) ARIZ – John Wolford 4-yard pass to Thomas Duarte (John Wolford pass to Rashad Ross), Commanders 29–19
(1:20) ARIZ – Tim Cook 1-yard rush (rush failed), Commanders 29–25
Top Passers
Top Rushers
SA – Kenneth Farrow – 12 carries, 25 yards, 1 TD
ARIZ – Tim Cook – 12 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD
Top Receivers
SA – Mekale McKay – 5 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD
ARIZ – Rashad Ross – 5 receptions, 106 yards, 1 TD
First time in Commanders history with consecutive wins. Commanders improve to 3-2.
Week 6: at Atlanta
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
(8:39) SA – Nick Rose 23-yard field goal, Commanders 29–6
Fourth Quarter
(8:40) SA – Derron Smith 87-yard interception return (Kenneth Farrow rush), Commanders 37–6
Top Passers
Top Rushers
SA – Kenneth Farrow – 9 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD
ATL – Brandon Radcliff – 6 carries, 24 yards
Top Receivers
SA – Cam Clear – 5 receptions, 45 yards
ATL – Keith Towbridge – 5 receptions, 42 yards
Commanders improve to 4-2.
Week 7: Salt Lake
Week Seven: Salt Lake Stallions at San Antonio Commanders – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Stallions
3
3
3 6 15
Commanders
6
3
0 10 19
at Alamodome , San Antonio, Texas
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
(14:10) SL – Taylor Bertolet 53-yard field goal, Tied 6–6
(0:05) SA – Nick Rose 23-yard field goal, Commanders 9–6
Third Quarter
(9:20) SL – Taylor Bertolet 52-yard field goal, Tied 9–9
Fourth Quarter
Top Passers
Top Rushers
Top Receivers
Commanders improve to 5-2. Also, this game marks the first time in league history that single game attendance was above 30,000.
Week 8: Arizona
Week Eight: Arizona Hotshots at San Antonio Commanders – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Hotshots
6
9
0 8 23
Commanders
0
3
3 0 6
at Alamodome , San Antonio, Texas
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
(14:06) ARIZ – Nick Folk 25-yard field goal, Hotshots 9–0
(6:56) ARIZ – Tim Cook 6-yard rush (pass failed), Hotshots 15–0
(0:47) SA – Nick Rose 54-yard field goal, Hotshots 15–3
Third Quarter
(9:16) SA – Nick Rose 35-yard field goal, Hotshots 15–6
Fourth Quarter
(4:10) ARIZ – Tim Cook 20-yard rush (John Wolford pass to Connor Hamlett ), Hotshots 23–6
Top Passers
Top Rushers
ARIZ – Justin Stockton – 4 carries, 34 yards
SA – David Cobb – 9 carries, 59 yards
Top Receivers
In addition to league-wide television coverage through NFL Network , CBS Sports Network , TNT , and B/R Live , Commanders' games were also broadcast on local radio by KZDC , an ESPN Radio affiliate.[ 30] The team also had a television agreement with local station KMYS of the Sinclair Broadcast Group to carry all Commanders' games that were not broadcast nationally.[ 31]
References
^ a b Bailey, W. Scott (June 20, 2018). "New pro football league to add San Antonio franchise" . San Antonio Business Journal. Retrieved June 20, 2018 .
^ Marquez, RJ (June 21, 2018). "San Antonio's newest pro football team to be introduced on..." www.ksat.com . Retrieved June 21, 2018 .
^ Kercheval, Ben (April 2, 2019). "AAF operations suspended, league's future in doubt after eight games of first season" . cbssports.com . Retrieved April 2, 2019 .
^ "AAF to immediately suspend operations" . ESPN . April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019 .
^ Schwartz, Nick (April 4, 2019). "AAF star Keith Reaser becomes first player to sign NFL deal after league shutdown" . USA Today . Retrieved April 4, 2019 .
^ "AAF files for bankruptcy, officially closes down" , USA Today , April 17, 2019, retrieved April 17, 2019
^ a b Marquez, RJ (April 17, 2019). "San Antonio businesses at risk of losing big, AAF bankruptcy filings show" . KSAT-TV . Retrieved April 20, 2019 .
^ "San Antonio is 8th AAF franchise; Riley to coach" . ESPN.com . Retrieved June 21, 2018 .
^ "San Antonio set to get Alliance of American Football team, but history is stacked against them" . San Antonio Express-News . Retrieved June 21, 2018 .
^ Benjamin, Cody (September 25, 2018). "LOOK: Here's a full list of team names and logos from the Alliance of American Football" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved October 3, 2018 .
^ Blietz, Lena (September 26, 2018). "New pro football team honor's San Antonio's military legacy" . Spectrum News San Antonio. Retrieved December 4, 2018 .
^ Yasin, Kareem (November 27, 2018). "The Alliance of American Football Unveils its Inaugural Uniforms" . Alliance of American Football . Retrieved December 4, 2018 .
^ "San Antonio Commanders set final roster" . Alliance of American Football . January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019 .
^ "Alliance of American Football schedule released for Arizona Hotshots, other 7 teams" . AZ Central . USA Today Network. October 16, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018 .
^ Luca, Greg (April 12, 2020). "One year later, San Antonio Commanders' sudden departure remains a shock" . San Antonio Express-News . Retrieved November 27, 2020 .
^ Miketniac, Chuck (April 13, 2020). "SOURCES: XFL called about relocating team to San Antonio days before suspending operations" . WOAI-TV . Retrieved April 18, 2020 .
^ Kerr, Jeff (July 25, 2022). "XFL announces eight host cities for relaunch in 2023; no New York, California teams for first time in league" . CBS Sports .
^ Inabinett, Mark (July 12, 2018). "Alabama, Auburn players to go on Birmingham AAF team's assignment list" . AL.com . Alabama Media Group. Retrieved December 5, 2018 .
^ "CBS SPORTS ELEVATES TWO ALLIANCE GAMES TO CBS TELEVISION NETWORK" . Alliance of American Football . March 14, 2019. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
^ "2019 San Antonio Commanders Schedule" . FBSchedules.com . Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019 .
^ Filipe, Cameron (February 9, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 1, 2019" . Football Zebras . Retrieved March 22, 2019 .
^ Filipe, Cameron (February 13, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 2, 2019" . Football Zebras . Retrieved March 22, 2019 .
^ Filipe, Cameron (February 22, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 3, 2019" . Football Zebras . Retrieved March 22, 2019 .
^ @NWSBirmingham (March 3, 2019). "SEVERE STORMS LIKELY for SE Central AL Counties" (Tweet ). Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Twitter .
^ Filipe, Cameron (February 27, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 4, 2019" . Football Zebras . Retrieved March 22, 2019 .
^ Filipe, Cameron (March 9, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 5, 2019" . Football Zebras . Retrieved March 22, 2019 .
^ Filipe, Cameron (March 14, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 6, 2019" . Football Zebras . Retrieved March 22, 2019 .
^ Filipe, Cameron (March 21, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 7, 2019" . Football Zebras . Retrieved March 22, 2019 .
^ Filipe, Cameron (March 28, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 8, 2019" . Football Zebras . Retrieved March 31, 2019 .
^ "SAN ANTONIO COMMANDERS ANNOUNCE ESPN SAN ANTONIO 1250 AM/94.5 FM AS OFFICIAL RADIO PARTNER" . ESPN San Antonio . KZDC Radio. January 7, 2019. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019 .
^ "San Antonio Commanders Announce Sinclair Broadcast Group as Television Partner" . oursportscentral.com . January 24, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019 .
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