San Antonio Commanders

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.

San Antonio Commanders
Established 2018 Folded 2019
League/conference affiliations
Alliance of American Football Western Conference (2019)
Current uniform
Team colors	Maroon, red, silver & white
Personnel
President	Vic Gregovits
Head coach	Mike Riley
Team history
San Antonio Commanders (2019)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)

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 10 Dustin Vaughan 12 Marquise Williams  5 Logan Woodside Running backs 27 David Cobb 20 Kenneth Farrow 22 Aaron Green 35 Trey Williams Wide receivers 14 Demarcus Ayers 18 John Diarse 82 Mekale McKay 19 Alonzo Moore 15 Darius Prince 80 Josh Stewart 84 Greg Ward Tight ends 85 Cameron Clear 83 Cole Hunt 89 Stehly Reden 88 Evan Rodriguez

Offensive linemen 65 Dillon DeBoer C 67 Brian Folkerts C 79 Mason Gentry G 72 Jaryd Jones-Smith T 61 Fred Lauina G 69 Andrew McDonald T 73 Cyril Richardson G 76 Maea Teuhema G Defensive linemen 97 Richard Ash NT 94 Deion Barnes DE 96 Winston Craig NT 99 Matthew Godin NT 90 Joey Mbu DE 93 Arthur Miley DE

Linebackers 52 Jayrone Elliott OLB 56 Danny Ezechukwu ILB 58 Tyrone Holmes OLB 57 Joel Lanning ILB 53 Austin Larkin OLB 51 Darnell Leslie ILB 55 Nick Temple ILB 54 Shaan Washington OLB Defensive backs 41 De'Vante Bausby CB 25 Kurtis Drummond SS 30 Chase Dutra SS 33 Zack Sanchez CB 32 Derron Smith SS 28 Orion Stewart FS 21 Duke Thomas CB 23 Jordan Thomas CB Special teams 49 Scott Daly LS  9 Nick Rose K  6 Joseph Zema P

Reserve lists 31 Bryce Jones DB (IR) -- Ashaad Mabry NT (IR) 29 Darryl Morris CB (IR) 11 Riley Smith WR (IR) Rights list -- Daniel Braverman WR -- Robert Taylor DB 51 Active, 6 Inactive

Allocation pool

The team's assigned area, which designated player rights, included the following:^[18]

Colleges Abilene Christian Angelo State Baylor Houston Houston Baptist Incarnate Word Lamar Midwestern State North Texas Oklahoma Prairie View A&M Rice

Sam Houston SMU Stephen F. Austin Tarleton State TCU Texas Texas A&M Texas A&M–Kingsville UT Permian Basin Texas Southern Texas State Toledo UTSA West Texas A&M

National Football League (NFL) Dallas Cowboys Houston Texans Kansas City Chiefs Philadelphia Eagles Canadian Football League (CFL) Saskatchewan Roughriders

Staff

San Antonio commanders staff

	Front office General manager – Daryl Johnston Director of player personnel – Robert Morris Director of football operations – John Peterson Head coach Head coach – Mike Riley Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Matt Troxel Running backs – Lyle Moevao Wide Receivers – Keith Williams Tight ends – Josh Oglesby Offensive line/Run game coordinator – Jonathan Himebauch			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Inside linebackers – Jim Grobe Defensive line/Special teams – Jeff McInerney Outside linebackers – James Rodgers Defensive backs – Bill Bradley Assistant defensive backs – Kenny Watson

2019 season

2019 San Antonio Commanders season
General manager	Daryl Johnston
Head coach	Mike Riley
Home stadium	Alamodome
Results
Record	5–3
League place	1st (tie), Western Conference
San Antonio Commanders

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	Atlanta Legends	W 37–11		Alamodome

Regular season

All times Central

Week	Day	Date	Kickoff	TV	Opponent	Results		Location	Attendance
						Score	Record
1	Saturday	February 9	7:00 p.m.	CBS	San Diego Fleet	W 15–6	1–0	Alamodome	27,857
2	Sunday	February 17	3:00 p.m.	CBSSN	Orlando Apollos	L 29–37	1–1	Alamodome	29,176
3	Sunday	February 24	7:00 p.m.	NFLN	at San Diego Fleet	L 11–31	1–2	SDCCU Stadium	14,789
4	Sunday	March 3	3:00 p.m.	CBSSN	at Birmingham Iron	W 12–11	2–2	Legion Field	6,539
5	Sunday	March 10	7:00 p.m.	NFLN	at Arizona Hotshots	W 29–25	3–2	Sun Devil Stadium	9,351
6	Sunday	March 17	3:00 p.m.	CBSSN	at Atlanta Legends	W 37–6	4–2	Georgia State Stadium	10,619
7	Saturday	March 23	7:00 p.m.	NFLN	Salt Lake Stallions	W 19–15	5–2	Alamodome	30,345
8	Sunday	March 31	7:00 p.m.	NFLN	Arizona Hotshots	L 6–23	5–3	Alamodome	23,504
9	Saturday	April 6	11:00 a.m.	CBS† KMYS	Memphis Express	Not played		Alamodome
10	Friday	April 12	7:00 p.m.	B/R Live KMYS	at Salt Lake Stallions			Rice–Eccles Stadium

† 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

• Date: February 9
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CT
• Game weather: Indoors
• Game attendance: 27,857
• Referee: Jeff Heaser^[21]
• TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Trent Green, Tiki Barber, and Jamie Erdahl
• NoExtraPoints AAF

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 SD – Mike Bercovici – 15/25, 176 yards, 2 INT SA – Logan Woodside – 18/36, 255 yards, 2 INT Top Rushers SD – Ja'Quan Gardner – 8 carries, 55 yards SA – Aaron Green – 6 carries, 43 yards Top Receivers SD – Brian Brown – 5 receptions, 66 yards SA – Mekale McKay – 5 receptions, 80 yards Top Tackler SD – Damontre Moore, 5 tackles SA – Orion Stewart, 4 tackles

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

• Date: February 17
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CT
• Game weather: Indoors
• Game attendance: 29,176
• Referee: James Carter^[22]
• TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, John Schriffen
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (8:06) SA – Kenneth Farrow 15-yard rush (rush failed), Commanders 6–0 (0:00) SA – Logan Woodside 1-yard pass to Evan Rodriguez (rush failed), Commanders 12–0 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 ORL – Garrett Gilbert – 19/28, 393 yards, 2 TD SA – Logan Woodside – 20/39, 223 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT 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

Week Three: San Antonio Commanders at San Diego Fleet – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Commanders	8	0	3	0	11
Fleet	6	16	6	3	31

at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego California

• Date: February 24
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CT
• Game attendance: 14,789
• Referee: Tra Blake^[23]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Dan Hellie, Marvin Lewis, Maurice Jones-Drew
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (14:47) SA– Logan Woodside 47-yard pass to Mekale McKay (Logan Woodside pass to Evan Rodriguez), Commanders 8–0 (3:17) SD – Philip Nelson 3-yard pass to Nelson Spruce (pass failed), Commanders 8–6 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 (8:21) SD – Ja'Quan Gardner 83-yard run (pass failed), Fleet 28–8 (3:29) SA – Nick Rose 23-yard field goal, Fleet 28–11 Fourth Quarter (11:53) SD – Donny Hageman 35-yard field goal, Fleet 31–11 Top Passers SA – Logan Woodside – 12/23, 151 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT SD – Philip Nelson – 17/25, 193 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT 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

• Date: March 3
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CT
• Game weather: Storm warning^[24]
• Game attendance: 6,539
• Referee: John O'Neill^[25]
• TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, John Schriffen
• NoExtraPoints AAF

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 SA – Logan Woodside – 11/25, 44 yards BIRM – Luis Perez – 19/39, 202 yards, 2 INT Top Rushers SA – Kenneth Farrow – 30 carries, 142 yards BIRM – Brandon Ross – 9 carries, 64 yards Top Receivers SA – Greg Ward – 2 receptions, 24 yards BIRM – Wes Saxton – 3 receptions, 54 yards

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

• Date: March 10
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CT
• Game attendance: 9,351
• Referee: Brandon Cruse^[26]
• 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

First time in Commanders history with consecutive wins. Commanders improve to 3-2.

Week 6: at Atlanta

Week Six: San Antonio Commanders at Atlanta Legends – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Commanders	6	20	3	8	37
Legends	0	6	0	0	6

at Georgia State Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: March 17
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CT
• Game attendance: 10,619
• Referee: James Carter^[27]
• TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, John Schriffen
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (7:38) SA – Kenneth Farrow 13-yard rush (pass failed), Commanders 6–0 Second Quarter (13:35) SA – Logan Woodside 5-yard pass to Mekale McKay (Logan Woodside pass to Mekale McKay), Commanders 14–0 (9:55) SA – Logan Woodside 33-yard pass to Evan Rodriguez (pass failed), Commanders 20–0 (2:37) ATL – Aaron Murray 1-yard pass to Tarean Folston (pass failed), Commanders 20–6 (1:00) SA – Greg Ward Jr. 79-yard punt return (pass failed), Commanders 26–6 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 SA – Logan Woodside – 17/23, 164 yards, 2 TD ATL – Aaron Murray – 30/41, 215 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT 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

• Date: March 23
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CT
• Game weather: Indoors
• Game attendance: 30,345
• Referee: John O'Neill^[28]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Dan Hellie, Steve Mariucci, Jason Fisher
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First Quarter (9:17) SL – Taylor Bertolet 32-yard field goal, Stallions 3–0 (4:42) SA – Logan Woodside 21-yard pass to Mekale McKay (pass failed), Commanders 6–3 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 (5:25) SA – Marquise Williams 36-yard pass to Trey Williams (Marquise Williams pass to Greg Ward Jr.), Commanders 17–9 (1:54) SL – Josh Woodrum 21-yard pass to Terrell Newby (pass intercepted by De'Vante Bausby and returned for defensive 2-pt), Commanders 19–15 Top Passers SL – Josh Woodrum – 22/35, 229 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT SA – Logan Woodside – 13/19, 164 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Top Rushers SL – Joel Bouagnon – 9 carries, 35 yards SA – Marquise Williams – 6 carries, 19 yards Top Receivers SL – Nick Truesdell – 4 receptions, 74 yards SA – Evan Rodriguez – 3 receptions, 71 yards

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

• Date: March 31
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CT
• Game weather: Indoors
• Game attendance: 23,504
• Referee: Tra Blake^[29]
• 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, 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]