Arizona Hotshots

The Arizona Hotshots were a professional American football franchise based in Tempe, Arizona, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which played one season from February 2019 to April 2019.^[1] They played their home games at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University. The Hotshots were one of two AAF teams based in a city that already had an NFL team (the Arizona Cardinals; the other team was the Atlanta Legends, where the NFL's Falcons are based). The Hotshots were coached by former USFL player and college head coach Rick Neuheisel. Scott Brubaker was the team president and Phil Savage was the general manager.

Arizona Hotshots
Established 2018 Folded 2019 Played in Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona aaf.com/arizona-hotshots/
League/conference affiliations
Alliance of American Football (2019) Western Conference (2019)
Current uniform
Team colors	Green, Orange and Yellow
Personnel
President	Scott Brubaker
General manager	Phil Savage
Head coach	Rick Neuheisel
Team history
Arizona Hotshots (2019)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Home arena(s)
Sun Devil Stadium (2019)

On April 2, 2019, the league's football operations were reportedly suspended,^[2][3] and on April 4 the league allowed players to leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams.^[4] The league filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 17, 2019.^[5] At the time of the bankruptcy, the Hotshots owed over $1.2 million to Arizona State University for leasing Sun Devil Stadium.^[6]

History

Rick Neuheisel was announced as the head coach of the Arizona Hotshots by the Alliance of American Football on May 18, 2018. The team was slated to play at Sun Devil Stadium.^[7] By September 25, Scott Brubaker and Phil Savage were named team president and general manager, respectively.^[8]

Phoenix's name and logo were revealed on September 25, 2018, as the Arizona Hotshots along with the other three western teams.^[9] The name is a tribute to the region's firefighters, nicknamed hotshots, while the color scheme of green, orange, and yellow are commonly worn by such fire crews. The team's logo is a pair of crossed pickhead axes, which are used by structural firefighters and not the wildland firefighters the team is named for.^[10] The branding was developed by the national office then handed off to the team staff. Reception of the name was mixed, with some arguing it "exploits the memory of the Granite Mountain Hotshots."^[8] On March 3, 2019, the team retired No. 19 to honor the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013.^[11][12]

On October 11, 2018, the team named Hugh Freeze as the offensive coordinator and the rest of the coaching staff.^[13] In the 2019 AAF QB Draft, the Hotshots did not protect the assigned (by geographical method) quarterback Mike Bercovici in the first round and instead selected Trevor Knight for his speed.^[14] The final 52-man roster was set on January 30.^[15]

In January 2019, the Hotshots held their preseason camp in San Antonio.^[8] They won their season opener at Sun Devil Stadium on February 10, 2019, against the Salt Lake Stallions.^[16]

Personnel

Staff

Arizona Hotshots staff

	Front office General manager – Phil Savage Equipment Manager - Scott Rotier Head coaches Head coach – Rick Neuheisel Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Steve Axman Running backs – Andrew Weidinger Wide receivers – Jennifer King Tight ends – Charles Arbuckle Offensive line – Chris Scelfo			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Nick Aliotti Defensive line – Ron Aiken Linebackers – Tim Hundley Defensive backs – Mike Gillhamer Defensive backs – Brandon Burton Special teams coaches Special teams/Wide receivers – Chris Reinert

Allocation pool

The Hotshots owned the rights to players from designated schools:^[17]

Colleges Arizona Arizona State Illinois Nevada New Mexico New Mexico State

Northern Arizona Northwestern Oregon State Texas Tech UCLA UTEP Wake Forest Washington State

The Hotshots also had rights to players unaffiliated with one of the designated schools, but who were most recently affiliated with professional teams: National Football League (NFL) Arizona Cardinals Baltimore Ravens Chicago Bears San Francisco 49ers Canadian Football League (CFL) Edmonton Eskimos

Players not affiliated with any of the designated teams could sign with any AAF team.

Final roster

2019 Arizona Hotshots final roster

Quarterbacks 11 Jack Heneghan 10 Trevor Knight  7 John Wolford Running backs 20 Tim Cook 26 Jhurell Pressley 30 Justin Stockton Wide receivers 87 Anthony Amos 18 Marquis Bundy 12 Deion Holliman 84 Freddie Martino 16 Richard Mullaney 15 Rashad Ross Tight ends 82 Gerald Christian 81 Thomas Duarte 89 Connor Hamlett

Offensive linemen 65 Josh Allen G 77 Alex Balducci G 79 Malcolm Bunche G 70 Pierce Burton T 66 Jacob Judd C 76 Andrew Lauderdale T 67 Patrick Lewis C 62 Jacob Ohnesorge C 72 Hugh Thornton G 71 Brant Weiss T Defensive linemen 93 Siupeli Anau NT 94 Olubunmi Rotimi DE 90 Will Sutton DE 95 Trenton Thompson DE 98 Dylan Wynn NT 92 Rykeem Yates DE

Linebackers 53 Steve Beauharnais ILB 52 Carl Bradford OLB 50 Kaelin Burnett OLB 56 Da'Sean Downey OLB 57 Obum Gwacham OLB 59 Steven Johnson ILB 55 Nyles Morgan ILB 51 Edmond Robinson OLB 54 Sione Teuhema OLB 58 Scooby Wright ILB Defensive backs 24 Erick Dargan SS 31 SaQuan Edwards CB 28 Dexter McDougle CB 45 Rahim Moore FS 25 Sterling Moore CB 21 Robert Nelson CB 35 Shaquille Richardson CB 37 Kieron Williams SS Special teams 44 James Fisher LS  2 Nick Folk K  9 Jeff Locke P

Reserve lists 25 Kamari Cotton-Moya DB (IR) 48 Nick Dooley LS (IR) 88 Josh Huff WR (IR) 63 Blake Muir G (IR) Rights list Vacant 52 Active, 4 Inactive

2019 season

2019 Arizona Hotshots season
General manager	Phil Savage
Head coach	Rick Neuheisel
Home stadium	Sun Devil Stadium
Results
Record	5–3
League place	1st (tie), Western Conference
Arizona Hotshots

Final standings

2019 Alliance of American Football standings v t e
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

Schedule

Preseason

Week	Day	Date	Opponent	Results		Location
				Score	Record
–	Monday	January 28	at Birmingham Iron	W 37–17		Alamodome

Regular season

All times local to Tempe, as Arizona does not use daylight saving time. Arizona's year-round MST is equivalent to PDT after March 9.

Week	Day	Date	Kickoff	TV	Opponent	Results		Location
						Score	Record
1	Sunday	February 10	6:00 p.m.	NFLN	Salt Lake Stallions	W 38–22	1–0	Sun Devil Stadium
2	Saturday	February 16	6:00 p.m.	NFLN	at Memphis Express	W 20–18	2–0	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
3	Saturday	February 23	1:00 p.m.	B/R Live	at Salt Lake Stallions	L 15–23	2–1	Rice–Eccles Stadium
4	Sunday	March 3	6:00 p.m.	NFLN	Atlanta Legends	L 11–14	2–2	Sun Devil Stadium
5	Sunday	March 10	5:00 p.m.	NFLN	San Antonio Commanders	L 25–29	2–3	Sun Devil Stadium
6	Saturday	March 16	5:00 p.m.	NFLN	at Orlando Apollos	W 22–17	3–3	Spectrum Stadium
7	Sunday	March 24	1:00 p.m.	CBSSN	San Diego Fleet	W 32–15	4–3	Sun Devil Stadium
8	Sunday	March 31	5:00 p.m.	NFLN	at San Antonio Commanders	W 23–6	5–3	Alamodome
9	Sunday	April 7	5:00 p.m.	NFLN	Birmingham Iron	Not played		Sun Devil Stadium
10	Sunday	April 14	5:00 p.m.	NFLN	at San Diego Fleet			SDCCU Stadium

^[18]

Game summaries

Week 1: Salt Lake

Week One: Salt Lake Stallions at Arizona Hotshots – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Stallions	0	16	0	6	22
Hotshots	8	11	16	3	38

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

• Date: February 10
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. MT
• Game attendance: 11,751
• Referee: James Carter^[19]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Dan Hellie, Marvin Lewis, Maurice Jones-Drew
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (1:03) ARIZ – John Wolford 5-yard pass to Gerald Christian (Larry Rose III rush), Hotshots 8–0 Second Quarter (10:28) SL – Matt Asiata 1-yard rush (Josh Woodrum rush), Tied 8–8 (9:30) ARIZ – John Wolford 36-yard pass to Rashad Ross (Jhurell Pressley rush), Hotshots 16–8 (3:20) ARIZ – Nick Folk 53-yard field goal, Hotshots 19–8 (0:13) SL – Josh Woodrum 2-yard pass to Jordan Leslie (Branden Oliver rush), Hotshots 19–16 Third Quarter (2:52) ARIZ – John Wolford 4-yard pass to Rashad Ross (John Wolford pass to Thomas Duarte), Hotshots 27–16 (2:36) ARIZ – John Wolford 30-yard pass to Jhurell Pressley (John Wolford pass to Richard Mullaney), Hotshots 35–16 Fourth Quarter (11:37) SL – Matt Linehan 7-yard pass to Nick Truesdell (pass failed), Hotshots 35–22 (6:07) ARIZ – Nick Folk 32-yard field goal, Hotshots 38–22 Top Passers SL – Josh Woodrum – 10/22, 103 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT ARIZ – John Wolford – 18/29, 275 yards, 4 TD Top Rushers SL – Branden Oliver – 8 carries, 40 yards ARIZ – Jhurell Pressley – 18 carries, 64 yards Top Receivers SL – Anthony Denham – 5 receptions, 59 yards ARIZ – Rashad Ross – 5 receptions, 103 yards, 2 TD

Week 2: at Memphis

Week Two: Arizona Hotshots at Memphis Express – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hotshots	0	0	6	14	20
Express	9	3	0	6	18

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

• Date: February 16
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. MT
• Game attendance: 11,980
• Referee: Reggie Smith^[20]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Dan Hellie, Brian Billick, Mike Smith, and Jenny Dell
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (8:03) MEM – Josh Jasper 38-yard field goal, Express 3–0 (5:37) MEM – Zac Stacy 9-yard rush (rush failed), Express 9–0 Second Quarter (8:36) MEM – Josh Jasper 35-yard field goal, Express 12–0 Third Quarter (1:06) ARIZ – John Wolford 16-yard pass to Rashad Ross (pass failed), Express 12–6 Fourth Quarter (13:39) MEM – Christian Hackenberg 4-yard rush (pass failed), Express 18–6 (11:31) ARIZ – Justin Stockton 45-yard rush (John Wolford rush), Express 18–14 (7:07) ARIZ – John Wolford 4-yard pass to Tim Cook (pass failed), Hotshots 20–18 Top Passers ARIZ – John Wolford – 14/22, 194 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT MEM – Christian Hackenberg – 14/25, 102 yards Top Rushers ARIZ – Tim Cook – 13 carries, 73 yards MEM – Zac Stacy – 19 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD Top Receivers ARIZ – Josh Huff – 2 receptions, 84 yards MEM – Reece Horn – 5 receptions, 56 yards

Week 3: at Salt Lake

Week Three: Arizona Hotshots at Salt Lake Stallions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hotshots	0	9	3	3	15
Stallions	3	6	6	8	23

at Rice–Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah

• Date: February 23
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. MT
• Game attendance: 10,412
• Referee: John O'Neill^[21]
• TV announcers (B/R Live): Mark Malone, Maurice Jones-Drew, Shaun O'Hara
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (9:14) SL – Taylor Bertolet 54-yard field goal, Stallions 3–0 Second Quarter (11:32) SL – Josh Woodrum 25-yard pass to De'Mornay Pierson-El (pass failed), Stallions 9–0 (6:03) ARIZ – Nick Folk 48-yard field goal, Stallions 9–3 (0:21) ARIZ – John Wolford 1-yard pass to Rashad Ross (rush failed), Tied 9–9 Third Quarter (13:51) SL – Branden Oliver 1-yard rush (pass failed), Stallions 15–9 (0:49) ARIZ – Nick Folk 35-yard field goal, Stallions 15–12 Fourth Quarter (7:24) SL – Joel Bouagnon 1-yard rush (Josh Woodrum pass to De'Mornay Pierson-El), Stallions 23–12 (0:19) ARIZ – Nick Folk 45-yard field goal, Stallions 23–15 Top Passers ARIZ – John Wolford – 14/22, 127 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT SL – Josh Woodrum – 22/31, 178 yards, 1 TD Top Rushers ARIZ – Jhurell Pressley – 10 carries, 34 yards SL – Joel Bouagnon – 12 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD Top Receivers ARIZ – Rashad Ross – 6 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD SL – De'Mornay Pierson-El – 8 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD

Week 4: Atlanta

Week Four: Atlanta Legends at Arizona Hotshots – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Legends	2	6	0	6	14
Hotshots	0	3	0	8	11

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

• Date: March 3
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. MT
• Game weather: Partly cloudy • Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Wind: 5–10 mph
• Game attendance: 8,865
• Referee: Jeff Heaser^[22]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Andrew Siciliano, Marvin Lewis, Shaun O'Hara
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (0:26) ATL – Rashad Ross tackled in end zone by Ed Reynolds for a safety, Legends 2–0 Second Quarter (1:49) ATL – Denard Robinson 9-yard rush (pass failed), Legends 8–0 (0:00) ARIZ – Nick Folk 39-yard field goal, Legends 8–3 Third Quarter No scoring plays Fourth Quarter (13:34) ATL – Younghoe Koo 27-yard field goal, Legends 11–3 (5:20) ARIZ – John Wolford 20-yard pass to Rashad Ross (John Wolford pass to Marquis Bundy), Tied 11–11 (1:03) ATL – Younghoe Koo 33-yard field goal, Legends 14–11 Top Passers ATL – Aaron Murray – 20/33, 254 yards ARIZ – John Wolford – 17/31, 185 yards, 1 TD Top Rushers ATL – Aaron Murray – 7 carries, 54 yards ARIZ – Jhurell Pressley – 14 carries, 110 yards Top Receivers ATL – Tarean Folston – 5 receptions, 66 yards ARIZ – Rashad Ross – 4 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD

Week 5: San Antonio

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

• Date: March 10
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. MST/PDT
• Game attendance: 9,351
• Referee: Brandon Cruse^[23]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Matt "Money" Smith, Marvin Lewis
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (12:07) SA – Derron Smith 66-yard interception return (pass failed), Commanders 6–0 (4:58) SA – Logan Woodside 54-yard pass to Mekale McKay (Logan Woodside rush), Commanders 14–0 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 (5:31) ARIZ – John Wolford 45-yard pass to Rashad Ross (John Wolford rush), Commanders 26–8 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 SA – Logan Woodside – 21/27, 290 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT ARIZ – John Wolford – 19/33, 246 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT 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

Week 6: at Orlando

Week Six: Arizona Hotshots at Orlando Apollos – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hotshots	3	11	0	8	22
Apollos	6	3	0	8	17

at Spectrum Stadium, Orlando, Florida

• Date: March 16
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. MST/PDT
• Game attendance: 18,358
• Referee: Tra Blake^[24]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Dan Hellie, Shaun O'Hara, Jason Fisher
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (8:13) ORL – Garrett Gilbert 5-yard pass to Charles Johnson (pass failed), Apollos 6–0 (4:54) ARIZ – Nick Folk 55-yard field goal, Apollos 6–3 Second Quarter (14:12) ARIZ – Nick Folk 53-yard field goal, Tied 6–6 (10:43) ORL – Elliott Fry 44-yard field goal, Apollos 9–6 (4:32) ARIZ – John Wolford 9-yard pass to Jhurell Pressley (John Wolford rush), Hotshots 14–9 Third Quarter No scoring plays Fourth Quarter (9:45) ORL – Garrett Gilbert 17-yard pass to Jalin Marshall (Garrett Gilbert pass to Akeem Hunt), Apollos 17–14 (5:17) ARIZ – Jhurell Pressley 1-yard rush (John Wolford pass to Marquis Bundy), Hotshots 22–17 Top Passers ARIZ – John Wolford – 16/27, 162 yards, 1 TD ORL – Garrett Gilbert – 23/48, 268 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT Top Rushers ARIZ – Tim Cook – 11 carries, 71 yards ORL – D'Ernest Johnson – 9 carries, 43 yards Top Receivers ARIZ – Richard Mullaney – 6 receptions, 73 yards ORL – Jalin Marshall – 6 receptions, 98 yards, 1 TD

In an upset, the Hotshots beat the Apollos to ruin their chances at a perfect season. (They fall to 5–1) With the win, they improve to 3–3.

Week 7: San Diego

Week Seven: San Diego Fleet at Arizona Hotshots – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fleet	9	6	0	0	15
Hotshots	9	14	0	9	32

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

• Date: March 24
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. MST/PDT
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Wind: 2–4 mph
• Game attendance: 9,760
• Referee: Reggie Smith^[25]
• TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, Melanie Collins
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (11:03) SD – Terrell Watson 3-yard rush (pass failed), Fleet 6–0 (6:55) ARIZ – Trevor Knight 7-yard rush (rush failed), Tied 6–6 (2:31) SD – Donny Hageman 47-yard field goal, Fleet 9–6 (0:32) ARIZ – Nick Folk 54-yard field goal, Tied 9–9 Second Quarter (6:27) ARIZ – John Wolford 36-yard pass to Thomas Duarte (Richard Mullaney pass to Marquis Bundy), Hotshots 17–9 (2:19) ARIZ – John Wolford 15-yard pass to Deion Holliman (pass failed), Hotshots 23–9 (0:07) SD – Mike Bercovici 38-yard pass to Marcus Baugh (pass failed), Hotshots 23–15 Third Quarter No scoring plays Fourth Quarter (6:08) ARIZ – John Wolford 35-yard rush (pass failed), Hotshots 29–15 (3:52) ARIZ – Nick Folk 20-yard field goal, Hotshots 32–15 Top Passers SD – Mike Bercovici – 22/43, 310 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT ARIZ – John Wolford – 15/19, 212 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT Top Rushers SD – Bishop Sankey – 12 carries, 54 yards ARIZ – Jhurell Pressley – 15 carries, 64 yards Top Receivers SD – Nelson Spruce – 12 receptions, 146 yards ARIZ – Rashad Ross – 3 receptions, 53 yards

Week 8: at San Antonio

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

• Date: March 31
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. MST/PDT
• Game weather: Indoors
• Game attendance: 23,504
• Referee: Tra Blake^[26]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Matt "Money" Smith, Marvin Lewis
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (9:18) ARIZ – John Wolford 58-yard pass to Rashad Ross (pass failed), Hotshots 6–0 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 ARIZ – John Wolford – 17/23, 216 yards, 1 TD SA – Marquise Williams – 17/23, 130 yards Top Rushers ARIZ – Justin Stockton – 4 carries, 34 yards SA – David Cobb – 9 carries, 59 yards Top Receivers ARIZ – Rashad Ross – 4 receptions, 78 yards, 1 TD SA – Greg Ward Jr. – 5 receptions, 48 yards

Media

In addition to league-wide television coverage through NFL Network, CBS Sports Network, TNT, and B/R Live, Hotshots' games were also broadcast on local radio by KDUS, an NBC Sports Radio affiliate.^[27]