Baltimore Mariners

The Baltimore Mariners were an indoor football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The team was a member of American Indoor Football. The team was founded when the American Indoor Football Association expelled the Baltimore Blackbirds for negotiating with another league. The AIFA maintained the lease rights to 1st Mariner Arena, so the Mariners were the league's replacement. On September 3, 2010, team owner Dwayne Wells was arrested on charges of wire fraud from an engineering firm he partially owned, allegedly using embezzled money from the firm to buy stakes in the Mariners franchise.[1] Wells forfeited his ownership of the team, causing the Mariners to fold after the 2010 season. The Southern Indoor Football League, as successor to the eastern half of the AIFA, held the lease on the arena, now called Baltimore Arena, until it folded in 2011. The Mariners, after three seasons out of play, returned for one final season in 2014, winning the league championship before folding again. The Mariners were succeeded by the Baltimore Brigade of the Arena Football League in 2017, until the league folded in 2019.

Baltimore Mariners
Established 2007
Folded 2014
Played in Baltimore, Maryland
at the Baltimore Arena
League/conference affiliations
Current uniform
Team colorsNavy blue, Gold, and White
     
Personnel
Owner(s)C & G Sports Management
General managerScott Garrity
Head coachRon Meehan
Team history
  • Baltimore Mariners (2008–2010, 2014)
Championships
League championships (2)
AIFA: 2010
AIF: 2014
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Playoff appearances (2)
2010, 2014
Home arena(s)

History

2009 season schedule
Date Opponent Home/Away Result [2]
March 15 Erie RiverRats Home Won 60-32
March 22 Reading Express Home Won 59-44
March 28 Harrisburg Stampede Away Lost 37-43
April 4 Columbus Lions Away Lost 82-19
April 18 Reading Express Away Won 40-36
April 24 Florence Phantoms Home Lost 52-58
May 2 Harrisburg Stampede Away Won 37-27
May 10 Erie RiverRats Away Lost 50-53
May 23 Columbus Lions Home Won 52-32
May 30 D.C. Armor Home Won 57-24
June 6 D.C. Armor Away Won 57-28
June 14 Harrisburg Stampede Home Won 58-55
June 20 South Carolina Force Away Loss 62-38
June 27 D.C. Armor Home Won 70-22
July 2^ Reading Express Away Lost 50-20

First Championship and collapse (2010)

On March 21, 2010, the Mariners became the first team in AIFA history to earn a shutout win, as they won over the Fayetteville Guard 59–0.[3]

On April 24, 2010, Baltimore continued its record-setting performances during a 91–19 home win over the Guard. They would set the team record for most points in one half (59) and the most points in one game (91).[4]

On June 26, 2010, Baltimore became the first team in AIFA history to finish the regular season undefeated with a record of 14–0.[5] Baltimore went on to win the AIFA Championship and complete their undefeated season with a 57–42 victory on July 25, 2010 over the Western Conference champions, the Wyoming Cavalry. In winning AIFA Bowl IV, the Mariners not only brought the city of Baltimore its first pro indoor football title, but also increased the city's number of overall pro football championships to eight (Baltimore Colts (NFL) in 1958, 1959, 1968, and 1970; Baltimore Stars (USFL) in 1985; Baltimore Stallions (CFL) in 1995;Baltimore Ravens (NFL) in 2000 and 2012; and, Baltimore Mariners (AIFA) in 2010).

2010 season schedule
Date Opponent Home/Away Result [2]
March 6 Harrisburg Stampede Away Won 55-48
March 14 New Jersey Revolution Home Won 68-23
March 21 Fayetteville Guard Home Won 59-0
March 28 Richmond Raiders Home Won 49-45
April 11 New Jersey Revolution Away Won 61-27
April 17 Reading Express Away Won 51-27
April 24 Fayetteville Guard Away Won 91-19
May 2 Harrisburg Stampede Home Won 50-17
May 13 Fayetteville Guard Away Won 63-34
May 29 Richmond Raiders Away Won 57-39
June 5 Erie Storm Home Won 51-34
June 13 Erie Storm Away Won 39-37
June 19 New Jersey Revolution Home Won 84-6
June 26 Reading Express Home Won 69-35
July 10^ Harrisburg Stampede Home Won 63-15
July 25^ Wyoming Cavalry Home Won 57-42

^ - indicates playoff game

The coach of the undefeated 2010 Mariners, Chris Simpson, would move to the Richmond Raiders for the 2011 season.

In October 2011, the AIFA announced that it would include a team from Maryland, presumably the remains/continuation of the Mariners, in its 2012 relaunch; the league more explicitly stated that the Mariners would be revived for the 2014 season.

Rebirth (2013–2014)

In September 2013, the AIF announced that Baltimore would be re-joining the league in 2014.[6] On October 9, 2013, the Mariners announced Ron Meehan would be returning as head coach.[7] In 2014, they won the AIF Championship against the Cape Fear Heroes.

2014 season schedule
Date Opponent Home/Away Result [2]
March 20 [A.S.I. PANTHERS Preseason] Home W 56-46
April 4 Rochester Raiders Away W 52-28
April 19 Atlanta Sharks Home W 65-18
May 3 York Capitals Away W 40-31
May 9 York Capitals Home W 61-26
May 17 Cape Fear Heroes Away L 47-57
May 24 Atlanta Sharks Home L Forfeit
May 31^ Rochester Raiders Away W 46-40
June 14^ Cape Fear Heroes Away W 45-44

^ - indicates playoff game

Statistics and records

Season-by-season results

Note: The finish, wins, losses, and ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.

League Champions Conference Champions Division Champions Wild Card Berth League Leader
Season Team League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results
Finish Wins Losses Ties
2008 2008 AIFA North Eastern 3rd 4 10 0
2009 2009 AIFA North 2nd 9 5 0 Lost North Division Playoff (Express) 20-50
2010 2010 AIFA Eastern 1st 14 0 0 Won Eastern Divisional Championship (Stampede) 63-15
Won AIFA Championship Bowl VI (Cavalry) 57-42
2014 2014 AIF 2nd 4 2 0 Won Wild Card Playoff (Raiders) 46-40
Won AIFA Championship Bowl IX (Heroes) 45-44
Totals 31 17 0 All-time regular season record (2008–2014)
4 1 - All-time postseason record (2008–2014)
35 18 0 All-time regular season and postseason record (2008–2014)

* Season currently in progress

References
  1. Sarah Beth Hensley (January 3, 2011). "Potomac Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Embezzling $1.7 Million". Potomac Patch. Archived from the original on 2011-08-25. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  2. "Baltimore Mariners". Baltimore Mariners. 2010-09-03. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  3. "American Indoor Football - MARINERS REEL IN RECORD SHUTOUT, WIN 59-0". Aifaprofootball.com. 2010-03-21. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  4. "American Indoor Football - RECORDS FALL AS MARINERS DROP GUARD 91-19". Aifaprofootball.com. 2010-04-27. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  5. "Baseball: Severna Park's Banks takes loss in his Astros debut". Baltimore Sun. 2010-06-27. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  6. "Indoor Football returns to Baltimore". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. September 6, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  7. Sarah Meehan (October 9, 2013). "Baltimore Mariners bring in familiar face to coach, build excitement".
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