San Diego Fleet

The San Diego Fleet was a professional American football team based in San Diego, California, that competed in 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 San Diego Chargers moved to Los Angeles in 2017.^[2]

San Diego Fleet
Established 2018 Folded 2019
League/conference affiliations
Alliance of American Football Western Conference (2019)
Current uniform
Team colors	Battleship Gray, Gray, Yellow, White
Personnel
President	Jeff Garner
Head coach	Mike Martz
Team history
San Diego Fleet (2019)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)

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 11 Mike Bercovici  4 Alex Ross  8 Alek Torgersen Running backs 31 Paul James 20 Bishop Sankey 39 Terrell Watson Wide receivers 83 Brian Brown 16 Shay Fields 10 Laquvionte Gonzalez 80 Kyle Lewis 82 Francis Owusu 81 Nelson Spruce Tight ends 85 Marcus Baugh 88 Ben Johnson 46 Darryl Richardson

Offensive linemen 75 Daniel Brunskill T 69 Brett Boyko T 74 Chris Gonzalez G 72 Darrell Greene G 62 Jeremiah Kolone C 68 Gerard Kough T 71 Damien Mama G 67 Beau Nunn T 79 Terry Poole T Defensive linemen 93 Alex Barrett DE 97 Meffy Koloamatangi DE 94 Damontre Moore DE 91 Myles Nash DE 98 Gelen Robinson DT 92 Shakir Soto DT 92 Andrew Stelter DT 90 Tani Tupou DT 99 Aaron Jackson DT

Linebackers 41 Travis Feeney OLB 58 Frank Ginda MLB 53 John Lotulelei OLB 51 Kenneth Olugbode OLB 42 Eric Pinkins OLB 59 A. J. Tarpley MLB Defensive backs 33 Ron Brooks CB 36 Xavier Coleman CB 26 Greg Ducre CB 37 Kendall James CB 24 Kameron Kelly CB 22 Jordan Martin FS 28 Curtis Mikell CB 25 Ryan Moeller SS 27 Damarius Travis SS 34 Demetrius Wright FS Special teams 49 Ryan DiSalvo LS  1 Donny Hageman K  2 Sam Irwin-Hill P

Reserve lists 21 Jude Adjei-Barimah CB (IR) 18 Isaiah Burse WR (IR) 89 Wayne Capers Jr. WR (IR) 89 Gavin Escobar TE (IR) 12 Dontez Ford WR (IR) 32 Ja'Quan Gardner RB (IR) 60 John Montelus G (IR)  9 Philip Nelson QB (IR) Rights list Vacant 52 Active, 8 Inactive

Allocation pool

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

Colleges Arkansas Azusa Pacific Cal Poly Colorado Fresno State Hawaii Humboldt State Sacramento State San Diego

San Diego State San Jose State Stanford UC Davis UNLV USC Washington

National Football League (NFL) Detroit Lions Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Rams Oakland Raiders Canadian Football League (CFL) BC Lions

Staff

San Diego Fleet staff

	Front office President – Jeff Garner General manager – Dave Boller Head coaches Head coach – Mike Martz Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Mike DeBord Running backs – LaMont Jordan Wide receivers – Az-Zahir Hakim Tight ends – Anthony Becht Assistant offensive line – Matt Kitna			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Larry Marmie Defensive line – Vince Amey Defensive backs – Eric Allen Special teams coaches Special teams/Linebackers – Larry Mac Duff

2019 season

2019 San Diego Fleet season
General manager	Dave Boller
Head coach	Mike Martz
Home stadium	SDCCU Stadium
Results
Record	3–5
League place	3rd (tie), Western Conference
San Diego Fleet

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

Date	Opponent	Results		Location
		Score	Record
January 27	Orlando Apollos	L 28–31	0–1	Alamodome

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]

Game summaries

Week 1: at San Antonio

Week 1: 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: 5:00 p.m. PT
• 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 SA – Nick Rose 29-yard field goal, 10:39. Commanders 3–0. SA – Nick Rose 23-yard field goal, 3:50. Commanders 6–0. SD – Donny Hageman 47-yard field goal, 1:17. Commanders 6–3. SD – Donny Hageman 28-yard field goal, 0:02. Tied 6–6. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter SA – Kenneth Farrow II 3-yard run (run failed), 14:56. Commanders 12–6. SA – Nick Rose 28-yard field goal, 3:34. 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

Week 2: vs. Atlanta

Week 2: Atlanta Legends at San Diego Fleet – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Legends	9	0	0	3	12
Fleet	0	6	3	15	24

at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: February 17
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. PT
• Game attendance: 20,019
• Referee: Brandon Cruse^[22]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Andrew Siciliano, Marvin Lewis, Maurice Jones-Drew
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First quarter ATL – Younghoe Koo 29-yard field goal, 7:17. Legends 3–0. ATL – Malachi Jones 19-yard pass from Matt Simms (pass failed), 3:21. Legends 9–0. Second quarter SD – Donny Hageman 46-yard field goal, 1:39. Legends 9–3. SD – Donny Hageman 43-yard field goal, 0:08. Legends 9–6. Third quarter SD – Donny Hageman 26-yard field goal, 12:10. Legends 9–9. Fourth quarter ATL – Younghoe Koo 26-yard field goal, 14:54. Legends 12–9. SD – Ja'Quan Gardner 8-yard run (pass failed), 9:04. Fleet 15–12. SD – Ja'Quan Gardner 7-yard run (run failed), 4:00. Fleet 21–12. SD – Donny Hageman 33-yard field goal, 0:35. Fleet 24–12. Top passers ATL – Matt Simms – 17/25, 160 yards, TD, INT SD – Philip Nelson – 14/30, 142 yards, INT Top rushers ATL – Lawrence Pittman – 9 carries, 42 yards SD – Ja'Quan Gardner – 15 carries, 104 yards, 2 TD Top receivers ATL – Akrum Wadley – 8 receptions, 70 yards SD – Nelson Spruce – 4 receptions, 58 yards

Week 3: vs. San Antonio

Week 3: 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: 5:00 p.m. PT
• 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 SA – Mekale McKay 47-yard pass from Logan Woodside (Logan Woodside–Evan Rodriguez pass), 14:47. Commanders 8–0. SD – Nelson Spruce 3-yard pass from Philip Nelson (pass failed), 3:17. Commanders 8–6. Second quarter SD – A. J. Tarpley 27-yard interception return (Terrell Watson run), 11:02. Fleet 14–8. SD – Nelson Spruce 18-yard pass from Philip Nelson (Terrell Watson run), 2:13. Fleet 22–8. Third quarter SD – Ja'Quan Gardner 83-yard run (pass failed), 8:21. Fleet 28–8. SA – Nick Rose 23-yard field goal, 3:29. Fleet 28–11. Fourth quarter SD – Donny Hageman 35-yard field goal, 11:53. Fleet 31–11. Top passers SA – Logan Woodside – 12/23, 151 yards, TD, 2 INT SD – Philip Nelson – 17/25, 193 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers SA – Trey Williams – 7 carries, 75 yards SD – Ja'Quan Gardner – 12 carries, 122 yards, TD Top receivers SA – Mekale McKay – 4 receptions, 91 yards, TD SD – Nelson Spruce – 4 receptions, 50 yards, 2 TD

Week 4: at Memphis

Week 4: San Diego Fleet at Memphis Express – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fleet	14	6	0	3	23
Express	3	12	0	11	26

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

• Date: March 2
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PT
• Game attendance: 13,621
• Referee: James Carter^[24]
• TV announcers (B/R Live): Mark Malone, James Jones
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First quarter SD – Ron Brooks 57-yard punt return for touchdown (run failed), 12:22. Fleet 6–0. MEM – Austin MacGinnis 46-yard field goal, 3:21. Fleet 6–3. SD – Dontez Ford 6-yard pass from Philip Nelson (Terrell Watson run), 0:57. Fleet 14–3. Second quarter MEM – Austin MacGinnis 40-yard field goal, 10:58. Fleet 14–6. SD – Marcus Baugh 30-yard pass from Alex Ross (run failed), 5:41. Fleet 20–6. MEM – Austin MacGinnis 35-yard field goal, 1:55. Fleet 20–9. MEM – Zach Mettenberger 1-yard run (pass failed), 0:18. Fleet 20–15. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter SD – Donny Hageman 46-yard field goal, 14:03. Fleet 23–15. MEM – Terrence Magee 6-yard pass from Zach Mettenberger (Zach Mettenberger run), 6:01. Tied 23–23. MEM – Austin MacGinnis 45-yard field goal, 2:42. Express 26–23. Top passers SD – Philip Nelson – 9/12, 110 yards, TD MEM – Zach Mettenberger – 18/25, 174 yards, TD Top rushers SD – Terrell Watson – 10 carries, 43 yards MEM – Zac Stacy – 18 carries, 39 yards Top receivers SD – Dontez Ford – 3 receptions, 71 yards, TD MEM – Reece Horn – 4 receptions, 63 yards

Week 5: vs. Salt Lake

Week 5: Salt Lake Stallions at San Diego Fleet – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Stallions	8	0	3	14	25
Fleet	3	3	12	9	27

at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: March 9
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. PT
• Game attendance: 20,823
• Referee: Jeff Heaser^[25]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Dan Hellie, Steve Mariucci, Marvin Lewis
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First quarter SD – Donny Hageman 39-yard field goal, 4:56. Fleet 3–0. SL – Joel Bouagnon 3-yard run (Josh Woodrum run), 0:27. Stallions 8–3. Second quarter SD – Donny Hageman 34-yard field goal, 13:15. Stallions 8–6. Third quarter SL – Taylor Bertolet 44-yard field goal, 8:15. Stallions 11–6. SD – Jordan Martin 41-yard fumble return (run failed), 3:06. Fleet 12–11. SD – Ben Johnson 18-yard pass from Mike Bercovici (run failed), 2:15. Fleet 18–11. Fourth quarter SD – Kameron Kelly 23-yard interception return (run failed), 9:26. Fleet 24–11. SL – Joel Bouagnon 4-yard run (run failed), 4:02. Fleet 24–17. SL – Nick Truesdell 6-yard pass from Josh Woodrum (Josh Woodrum–Kenny Bell), 0:51. Stallions 25–24. SD – Donny Hageman 44-yard field goal, 0:00. Fleet 27–25. Top passers SL – Josh Woodrum – 31/48, 380 yards, TD, 3 INT SD – Mike Bercovici – 22/43, 304 yards, TD, INT Top rushers SL – Joel Bouagnon – 11 carries, 36 yards, 2 TD SD – Terrell Watson – 5 carries, 14 yards Top receivers SL – De'Mornay Pierson-El – 8 receptions, 130 yards SD – Dontez Ford – 3 receptions, 94 yards

Week 6: vs. Birmingham

Week 6: Birmingham Iron at San Diego Fleet – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Iron	6	9	6	11	32
Fleet	3	6	14	6	29

at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: March 17
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. PT
• Game attendance: 20,986
• Referee: John O’Neill^[26]
• TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, John Schriffen
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First quarter SD – Donny Hageman 36-yard field goal, 6:54. Fleet 3–0. BIRM – Trent Richardson 13-yard pass from Luis Perez (pass failed), 0:27. Iron 6–3. Second quarter BIRM – L'Damian Washington 83-yard pass from Luis Perez (run failed), 8:43. Iron 12–3. SD – Ben Johnson 1-yard pass from Mike Bercovici (pass failed), 7:27. Iron 12–9. BIRM – Nick Novak 23-yard field goal, 0:15. Iron 15–9. Third quarter BIRM – Trent Richardson 2-yard run (pass failed), 10:38. Iron 21–9. SD – Terrell Watson 2-yard run (Mike Bercovici–Brian Brown pass), 8:56. Iron 21–17. SD – Terrell Watson 12-yard pass from Mike Bercovici (run failed), 4:57. Fleet 23–21. Fourth quarter BIRM – L'Damian Washington 23-yard pass from Luis Perez (Luis Perez–L'Damian Washington pass), 14:10. Iron 29–23. SD – Francis Owusu 13-yard pass from Mike Bercovici (pass failed), 4:32. Tied 29–29. BIRM – Nick Novak 44-yard field goal, 0:00. Iron 32–29. Top passers BIRM – Luis Perez – 27/49, 359 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT SD – Mike Bercovici – 17/34, 311 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers BIRM – Trent Richardson – 16 carries, 46 yards, TD SD – Terrell Watson – 8 carries, 38 yards, TD Top receivers BIRM – L'Damian Washington – 4 receptions, 83 yards, 2 TD SD – Dontez Ford – 3 receptions, 72 yards

Week 7: at Arizona

Week 7: 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. PT
• Game weather: Sunny, 77 °F (25 °C)
• Game attendance: 9,760
• Referee: Reggie Smith^[27]
• TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, Melanie Collins
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First quarter SD – Terrell Watson 3-yard run (pass failed), 11:03. Fleet 6–0. ARIZ – Trevor Knight 7-yard run (run failed), 6:55. Tied 6–6. SD – Donny Hageman 47-yard field goal, 2:31. Fleet 9–6. ARIZ – Nick Folk 54-yard field goal, 0:32. Tied 9–9. Second quarter ARIZ – Thomas Duarte 36-yard pass from John Wolford (Richard Mullaney–Marquis Bundy pass), 6:27. Hotshots 17–9. ARIZ – Deion Holliman 15-yard pass from John Wolford (pass failed), 2:19. Hotshots 23–9. SD – Marcus Baugh 38-yard pass from Mike Bercovici (pass failed), 0:07. Hotshots 23–15. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter ARIZ – John Wolford 35-yard run (pass failed), 6:08. Hotshots 29–15. ARIZ – Nick Folk 20-yard field goal, 3:52. Hotshots 32–15. Top passers SD – Mike Bercovici – 22/43, 310 yards, TD, 2 INT ARIZ – John Wolford – 15/19, 212 yards, 2 TD, 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 Salt Lake

Week 8: San Diego Fleet at Salt Lake Stallions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fleet	0	0	0	3	3
Stallions	0	8	0	0	8

at Rice–Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah

• Date: March 30
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. PT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 49 °F (9 °C)
• Game attendance: 8,405
• Referee: Brandon Cruse^[28]
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Matt "Money" Smith, Marvin Lewis, Jason Fisher
• NoExtraPoints AAF

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter SL – Joel Bouagnon 4-yard run (Josh Woodrum–Jordan Leslie pass), 1:18. Stallions 8–0. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter SD – Donny Hageman 29-yard field goal, 10:45. Stallions 8–3. Top passers SD – Mike Bercovici – 22/47, 210 yards, 2 INT SL – Josh Woodrum – 21/32, 155 yards, 2 INT Top rushers SD – Bishop Sankey – 11 carries, 42 yards SL – Terron Ward – 18 carries, 47 yards Top receivers SD – Nelson Spruce – 8 receptions, 79 yards SL – Anthony Denham – 4 receptions, 32 yards

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]