San Diego Fleet

The San Diego Fleet was a professional American football franchise based in San Diego, California, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019, with the team playing its home games at SDCCU Stadium.[1] They were coached by former NFL head coach Mike Martz.[1] The team was one of the two professional football teams playing in San Diego, along with the San Diego Strike Force of the Indoor Football League, and the first since the former San Diego Chargers moved to Los Angeles in 2017.[2]

San Diego Fleet
Team logo
Established2018
Folded2019
Based inSan Diego, California
Home stadiumSDCCU Stadium
Head coachMike Martz
General managerDave Boller
Team presidentJeff Garner
LeagueAlliance of American Football
DivisionWestern Conference (2019)
ColorsBattleship Gray, Gray, Yellow, White
       

In April 2019 the league suspended football operations and allowed players to break their contracts. On April 17 the league filed for bankruptcy, cutting the season short and putting all eight teams out of business, since under the AAF organizational plan all teams were funded by the central organization.[3]

History

The Alliance San Diego team and head coach, Mike Martz, was announced by the Alliance of American Football on May 29, 2018.[1] Early reports had Rick Neuheisel coaching the team before he instead agreed to take the coaching job in Phoenix.[4] Alliance San Diego's name, logo and colors were revealed on September 25, 2018, as the San Diego Fleet (battleship gray, yellow and silver gray) along with the other three western teams. The name indicates the city's ties to the United States Navy.[2]

The team pays $25,000 per game in rent to use SDCCU Stadium and covers an additional $160,000 per game in other game-related expenses the city incurs.[5]

The Fleet held the first-overall pick in the league's 2019 AAF QB Draft,[6] which was used to protect Josh Johnson.[7] Johnson, who signed with the NFL's Washington Redskins before the end of the 2018 season, never played for the Fleet.[8] The final 52-man roster was set on January 30.[9]

Dre Bly, who had played cornerback for Martz with the St. Louis Rams, was originally slated to coach defensive backs, but stepped down to take a similar position at the University of North Carolina.[10] Former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna was also announced as the team's offensive coordinator in June 2018.[11] However, he did not coach a game for the Fleet as he was hired by the Dallas Cowboys in January 2019 to become their quarterbacks coach.[12]

The team's first game was a loss at the Alamodome against the San Antonio Commanders on Saturday, February 9, 2019, with the game broadcast live on CBS.[13] The Fleet won its first three home games before enthusiastic crowds and was third in attendance among the eight-team league.[14]

On April 2, 2019, the Alliance for American Football suspended football operations,[15][16] and on April 4 the league allowed players to leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams.[17] The effect was to cancel the final two regular season games and the scheduled post-season playoffs.[14] The Fleet athletes and coaches, who were in Orlando getting ready for a game against the Orlando Apollos, suddenly "found themselves paying their own hotel bills and buying their own plane tickets home."[3]

The league filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 17, 2019.[18] The Fleet's final record for the abbreviated season was 3-5.

Final Roster
2019 San Diego Fleet final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists

Rights list

  • Vacant


51 Active, 8 Inactive

Allocation pool

The team's assigned area, which designates player rights, includes the following:[19]

Staff
San Diego Fleet staff

Front office

  • President – Jeff Garner
  • General manager – Dave Boller

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

2019 season
2019 San Diego Fleet season
General managerDave Boller
Head coachMike Martz
Home fieldSDCCU Stadium
Results
Record3–5
League place3rd (tie), Western Conference

Final standings
2019 Alliance of American Football standings
Eastern Conference
Club W–L PCT CONF PF PA DIFF SOS SOV STK
(x) – Orlando Apollos 7–1 .875 5–0 236 136 100 .406 .375 W2
(x) – Birmingham Iron 5–3 .625 3–2 165 133 32 .406 .300 W1
(e) – Memphis Express 2–6 .250 1–4 152 194 -42 .578 .500 L1
(e) – Atlanta Legends 2–6 .250 1–4 88 213 -125 .609 .438 L3
Western Conference
Club W–L PCT CONF PF PA DIFF SOS SOV STK
San Antonio Commanders 5–3 .625 3–2 158 154 4 .516 .450 L1
Arizona Hotshots 5–3 .625 3–2 186 144 42 .469 .500 W3
San Diego Fleet 3–5 .375 2–3 158 161 -3 .469 .417 L3
Salt Lake Stallions 3–5 .375 2–3 135 143 -8 .547 .417 W1
(x)–clinched playoff berth; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention

Preseason
Date Opponent Results Location
Score Record
January 27Orlando ApollosL 28–310–1Alamodome

Regular season

All times Pacific

Week Date Opponent Results Location Attendance
Score Record
1 February 9 at San Antonio Commanders L 6–15 0–1 Alamodome 27,857
2 February 17 Atlanta Legends W 24–12 1–1 SDCCU Stadium 20,019
3 February 24 San Antonio Commanders W 31–11 2–1 SDCCU Stadium 14,789
4 March 2 at Memphis Express L 23–26 2–2 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium 13,621
5 March 9 Salt Lake Stallions W 27–25 3–2 SDCCU Stadium 20,823
6 March 17 Birmingham Iron L 29–32 3–3 SDCCU Stadium 20,986
7 March 24 at Arizona Hotshots L 15–32 3–4 Sun Devil Stadium 9,760
8 March 30 at Salt Lake Stallions L 3–8 3–5 Rice–Eccles Stadium 8,405
9 April 6 at Orlando Apollos Not played Spectrum Stadium
10 April 14 Arizona Hotshots SDCCU Stadium

[20]

Week 1: at San Antonio
Week 1: San Diego Fleet at San Antonio Commanders – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Fleet 0 6 006
Commanders 0 6 0915

at Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

Game information

Week 2: vs. Atlanta
Week 2: Atlanta Legends at San Diego Fleet – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Legends 9 0 0312
Fleet 0 6 31524

at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Week 3: vs. San Antonio
Week 3: San Antonio Commanders at San Diego Fleet – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Commanders 8 0 3011
Fleet 6 16 6331

at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Week 4: at Memphis
Week 4: San Diego Fleet at Memphis Express – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Fleet 14 6 0323
Express 3 12 01126

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

Game information

Week 5: vs. Salt Lake
Week 5: Salt Lake Stallions at San Diego Fleet – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Stallions 8 0 31425
Fleet 3 3 12927

at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Week 6: vs. Birmingham
Week 6: Birmingham Iron at San Diego Fleet – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Iron 6 9 61132
Fleet 3 6 14629

at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Week 7: at Arizona
Week 7: San Diego Fleet at Arizona Hotshots – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Fleet 9 6 0015
Hotshots 9 14 0932

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

Game information

Week 8: at Salt Lake
Week 8: San Diego Fleet at Salt Lake Stallions – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Fleet 0 0 033
Stallions 0 8 008

at Rice–Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah

Game information

Media

On February 7, 2019, the Fleet announced that KLSD and KOGO would be the team's flagship radio stations.[29] Jon Schaeffer handled play-by-play with former Charger Rich Ohrnberger doing color commentary. KOGO also airs in greater L.A.[30]

References
  1. Krasovic, Tom. "AAF confirms San Diego is getting football team; what should it call itself?". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  2. 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.
  3. Curlee, Doug (May 10, 2019). "The Fleet's fleeting success in San Diego". Mission Times Courier. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  4. "Rick Neuheisel: "Nothing has been finalized" with coaching return". Pro Football Talk. April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  5. Schrotenboer, Brent (February 18, 2019). "Pro football returns to San Diego: Here's what it's like at an AAF Fleet game". USA Today. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  6. Scott, Dana (October 31, 2018). "Alliance of American Football league to hold 'Protect or Pick' quarterback draft". AZ Central. USA Today Network. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  7. Wilson, Ryan (November 27, 2018). "Alliance of American Football QB Draft: Aaron Murray, Christian Hackenberg highlight QBs taken". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  8. "Redskins Sign Josh Johnson, Three Others; Place Quinton Dunbar, Trey Quinn And Jonathan Cooper On Injured Reserve". Redskins.com. December 5, 2018.
  9. "San Diego Fleet sets final roster". Alliance of American Football. January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  10. "New coach Dré Bly, a former star cornerback, remembers his UNC 'rude boy' days (it's a mindset)". Charlotte News & Observer. December 11, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  11. Crabtree, Curtis (June 1, 2018). "San Diego AAF team to have coaching staff filled with NFL names". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  12. "Cowboys to hire Jon Kitna as quarterbacks coach". ESPN. January 20, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  13. "Alliance of American Football schedule released for Arizona Hotshots, other 7 teams". AZ Central. USA Today Network. October 16, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  14. Krasovic, Tom (April 2, 2019). "Alliance of American Football pulls the plug, taking San Diego Fleet down with it". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  15. Kercheval, Ben (April 2, 2019). "AAF operations suspended, league's future in doubt after eight games of first season". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  16. "AAF to immediately suspend operations". ESPN. April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  17. 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.
  18. "AAF files for bankruptcy, officially closes down", USA Today, AP, April 17, 2019, retrieved April 17, 2019
  19. 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.
  20. "2019 San Diego Fleet Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  21. Filipe, Cameron (February 9, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 1, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  22. Filipe, Cameron (February 13, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 2, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  23. Filipe, Cameron (February 22, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 3, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  24. Filipe, Cameron (February 27, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 4, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  25. Filipe, Cameron (March 9, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 5, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  26. Filipe, Cameron (March 14, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 6, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  27. Filipe, Cameron (March 21, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 7, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  28. Filipe, Cameron (March 28, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 8, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  29. Goldberg, Jeff (February 6, 2019). "XTRA 1360 to be Fleet's flagship station in 2019". aaf.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  30. "Fleet and IHeartMedia Announce Flagship Agreement". Our Sports Central. February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.

Further reading
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