# 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. They were coached by former NFL head coach Mike Martz. 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.
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.

## History

The Alliance San Diego team and head coach, Mike Martz, was announced by the Alliance of American Football on May 29, 2018. Early reports had Rick Neuheisel coaching the team before he instead agreed to take the coaching job in Phoenix. 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.
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.
The Fleet held the first-overall pick in the league's 2019 AAF QB Draft, which was used to protect Josh Johnson. Johnson, who signed with the NFL's Washington Redskins before the end of the 2018 season, never played for the Fleet. The final 52-man roster was set on January 30.
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. Former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna was also announced as the team's offensive coordinator in June 2018. 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.
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. The Fleet won its first three home games before enthusiastic crowds and was third in attendance among the eight-team league.
On April 2, 2019, the Alliance for American Football suspended football operations, and on April 4 the league allowed players to leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams. The effect was to cancel the final two regular season games and the scheduled post-season playoffs. 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."
The league filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 17, 2019. The Fleet's final record for the abbreviated season was 3-5.

## Final Roster
### Allocation pool

The team's assigned area, which designates player rights, includes the following:

## 2019 season
### Final standings

2019 Alliance of American Football standingsvte :
| 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 | Results | Location |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record | Location |
| January 27 | Orlando Apollos | L 28–31 | 0–1 | Alamodome |

#### Regular season

All times Pacific
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Results | Location | Attendance |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Record | Location | Attendance |
| 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 | Not played | Spectrum Stadium | |
| 10 | April 14 | Arizona Hotshots | Not played | Not played | SDCCU Stadium | |

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: at San Antonio

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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. Jon Schaeffer handled play-by-play with former Charger Rich Ohrnberger doing color commentary. KOGO also airs in greater L.A.