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 | |
 | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
Alliance of American Football (2019)
| |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Green, Orange and Yellow |
| Personnel | |
| President | Scott Brubaker |
| General manager | Phil Savage |
| Head coach | Rick Neuheisel |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
| Home arena(s) | |
| |
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
editRick 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
editStaff
edit|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
| |||||
Allocation pool
editThe Hotshots owned the rights to players from designated schools:[17]
|
Colleges |
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) Canadian Football League (CFL)
|
Players not affiliated with any of the designated teams could sign with any AAF team.
Final roster
editQuarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Rights list
|
2019 season
edit| 2019 Arizona Hotshots season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Phil Savage |
| Head coach | Rick Neuheisel |
| Home field | Sun Devil Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–3 |
| League place | 1st (tie), Western Conference |
Final standings
edit| 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
editPreseason
edit| Week | Day | Date | Opponent | Results | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||||
| – | Monday | January 28 | at Birmingham Iron | W 37–17 | Alamodome | |
Regular season
editAll 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 | ||
Game summaries
editWeek 1: Salt Lake
editWeek 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at Memphis
editWeek 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
- NoExtraPoints AAF
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: at Salt Lake
editWeek 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: Atlanta
editWeek 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: San Antonio
editWeek 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 6: at Orlando
editWeek 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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
editWeek 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: at San Antonio
editWeek 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Media
editIn 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]
References
edit- ^ Brown, Brandon. "Phoenix loses Hotshots as AAF suspends operations". Phoenix Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "AAF to immediately suspend operations". ESPN. April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "AAF files for bankruptcy, officially closes down", USA Today, April 17, 2019, retrieved April 17, 2019 – via AP
- ^ "AAF bankruptcy: Defunct league owes ASU $1.2 million, report says".
- ^ Benjamin, Cody (18 May 2018). "Former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel will run Alliance of American Football's Phoenix team". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ a b c Avila, Ricardo (September 28, 2018). "Hotshots: Support, criticism follows new Arizona pro football team's name". Arizona Sports. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Dale, Shane (September 25, 2018). "'Arizona Hotshots': New AZ pro football team gets its nickname". KNXV-TV. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ^ "Arizona Hotshots Host Public Safety Salute and #19 Retirement Ceremony Sunday, March 3". Our Sports Central. February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ "Photo: Arizona Hotshots retire No. 19 in honor of Granite Mountain 19". The Daily Courier. March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- ^ Higgins, Ron (October 11, 2018). "Ex-Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze hired as offensive coordinator with Arizona AAF team". Mississippi Clarion Ledger. USA Today Network. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ Somers, Kent (November 28, 2018). "AAF draft: Arizona Hotshots think they found their man in quarterback Trevor Knight". AZ Central. USA Today Network. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ "Arizona Hotshots set final roster". Alliance of American Football. January 30, 2019. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ "Alliance of American Football schedule released for Arizona Hotshots, other 7 teams". AZ Central. USA Today Network. October 16, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "2019 Arizona Hotshots Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (February 9, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 1, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (February 13, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 2, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (February 22, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 3, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (February 27, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 4, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (March 9, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 5, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (March 14, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 6, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (March 21, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 7, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ Filipe, Cameron (March 28, 2019). "Alliance of American Football: Week 8, 2019". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- ^ "Arizona Hotshots". nbcsports1060.com. 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.[permanent dead link]
Further reading
edit- Goodykoontz, Bill (April 3, 2019). "Failed AAF's only real memory involves ex-ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. Retrieved April 3, 2019.