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

## 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. By September 25, Scott Brubaker and Phil Savage were named team president and general manager, respectively.
Phoenix's name and logo were revealed on September 25, 2018, as the Arizona Hotshots along with the other three western teams. 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. 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." On March 3, 2019, the team retired No. 19 to honor the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013.
On October 11, 2018, the team named Hugh Freeze as the offensive coordinator and the rest of the coaching staff. 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. The final 52-man roster was set on January 30.
In January 2019, the Hotshots held their preseason camp in San Antonio. They won their season opener at Sun Devil Stadium on February 10, 2019, against the Salt Lake Stallions.

## Personnel
### Allocation pool

The Hotshots owned the rights to players from designated schools:
Players not affiliated with any of the designated teams could sign with any AAF team.

### Final roster
## 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

| Week | Day | Date | Opponent | Results | Results | Location |
| Week | Day | Date | Opponent | Score | Record | Location |
| – | 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 | Results | Location |
| Week | Day | Date | Kickoff | TV | Opponent | Score | Record | Location |
| 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 | Not played | Sun Devil Stadium |
| 10 | Sunday | April 14 | 5:00 p.m. | NFLN | at San Diego Fleet | Not played | Not played | SDCCU Stadium |

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: Salt Lake

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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

| 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
* 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.