AAFA 2025 Playoffs West Divisional Round – Arizona Firebirds (10-7) @ San Antonio Wings (13-3)
[Music] Ladies and gentlemen, on your feet and welcome, Heat. Heat. number two gets set to kick it away. He’ll down it in the end zone. The offense will take over at the 20. It’s first and 10. [Applause] Short throw to the right and he’s tackled right around the 30 yd line. A number 54 First down and 10. [Applause] under heavy pressure and they get to him. Hey y So they’re looking at a second and long here after the sack. [Applause] Passes it short. He’s wrestled down right around the 28 yd line by number 51. Sixyd gain on the play. So it’s third down and they need 12 for the first ball on their own 28. He throws short. He’s dropped down right around the 38 yd line by Benson. It’s fourth down. The home team ready to putt this one away. [Applause] He will start from the 13. Gets it to the 21. Michaels was there to bring him down. That was really a good effort. There wasn’t a ton of room for him to run, but he was able to get up the field, get a few yards. You never get upset with a punt return guy like that. It wasn’t spectacular, but he got the job done. Sanders off the left side. He’s brought down around the 34 yd line by number 20. Now we have a first down and 10 to go. Here’s the give. He’s tackled at about the 35 yd line by number 98. They’re looking now at second and eight. [Applause] And he’s tackled around the 40 yd line by number 23. So, it’s third down. The offense will need about four yardds to pick up the first. The give is to the fullback. He’s wrestled down around the 43 yd line by number 57 from their own 43 yd line. [Applause] And it’s in the end zone for a touchdown. They’ll start this drive at the 20 yd line and we’ll have a first down and 10. [Applause] Flag on the plate. first of the game and this one looks like it’s going to come back. A bit of poor judgment on that play. You have to be aware of the situation and that’s a big first down. First and long now after the penalty number 33 on the inside handoff. A pick up of five. So they line up at the 18. Number 33 on the run. For me, there’s nothing more impressive in football than to see a cover cornerback able to come up and make the stops on the run. That’s a complete football player. Third down, 14 yds for the first. [Applause] He’s dropped and that’s a huge sack. So, no luck for the offense on that drive as they’ll go three and out. The quarterback’s going to have to start changing up his snap count a little bit because right now we’re seeing this defensive line getting off the ball faster than the offensive line. If he doesn’t start changing it up, it’s going to be a tough afternoon for him. The sack brings up a fourth and very long situation. Number 88 picks it up at the 46. Man, those guys were flying down the field. He didn’t have a chance on that one. His blocker’s got to do something for that poor guy out there or he’s going to get killed. They’ll go to work at the 48 yd line. First down. 10 to go. throws it up top down the left side. Caught and dropped immediately. It’s always kind of funny to think about with all the big guys that play the game of football. Sometimes it’s the little wide receivers that scare you the most. So, it’s now first and 10 after the big pass play. Hand off to the right and he’ll lose yardage on the play. You know, you can draw up any sort of protection scheme and blocking scheme that you want, but ultimately this game comes down to one big man against another big man. And that time, the defense’s big men, they won the battle. It’s second down and 11 to go. And the Pskin at the 16. throws it over the middle of the field. He’s dropped down around the seven yd line by number 57. When you’re facing a blitz, you’re forced to make a quick read. He read it right and got good yardage out of it. They set up shop on the six. Short throw to the left. He bats the ball away and the pass will fall incomplete. Fourth down coming up. Well, at the end of the game, you go back and you basically say what happened on third down and you have a pretty good indication of how that game came out. Good play by the defense. They’ll call on the field goal unit here. He splits the uprights. Number two kicks it through to put them on the board first. Arizona is ready to kick. this one off. Michaels is deep looking to return the kickoff. He’ll return it from the one. He makes it out to the 20. Number 26 was there for the stop. The offense will start at the 20. It’s first and 10. [Applause] inside handoff. Nice gain of about seven. Second down and they’re going to need just about three yards to pick up the first. He’s brought down around the 27 yd line by number 51. Third down now. Now they’ll need a couple of yards to convert for a first down. [Applause] Kane with the toss. A burst of speed and he’s in the open. He’s tackled around the 49 yd line by Vincent. [Applause] First down and 10. So the ball on the 49 [Applause] number 33 on the handoff and he’s tackled right around the 48 yd line by number 53. They line up at the 48. He’s looking towards the left side. He’s wrestled down around the 39 yd line by number 20. [Applause] They line the ball up at the 39. [Applause] passes short right side. He’s dropped down around the 32 yd line by Hunt. The play started with an excellent fake by the quarterback. He really sold the run and he never gave the defense a chance to get back into position. They’ll need about three yards here on second down. Kane gives it up the middle. He’s brought down around the 31 yd line by Spencer. And we’ve come to the end of one with the score three nothing. third and short situation now. They’ll need a couple of yards to convert and it looked like someone on the offensive line jumped. Even the slightest twitch by an offensive lineman will draw a flag. You know, defensive guys really have a bit of an advantage. As long as they don’t cross the line of scrimmage, they can jump and flinch and try and get that offensive line to react. Throws it deep to the end zone. Oh boy. Big missed opportunity that time. He had a man deep. Just put too much on the throw. And you can see he is just kicking himself now. The field goal unit is on the field. It’s up and it’s good. He really came through on the long distance attempt. You don’t make a kick like that without a perfect hold and a perfect snap. But let’s give this kicker some credit. That was an extraordinary effort. San Antonio is just about ready to kick this one away. Number 88 is back to receive the kick. It’s fielded at the two. Hold on. There is a flag down. He gets out to about the 22 yd line. Roberts was there to bring him down. Number 83 will be flagged on the play. They’ll get the ball here at the 11. Now we have a first down and 10 to go. Number eight hands it off straight ahead. He’s tackled around the 20 yd line by 37. Only a yard needed to convert here on second down. They hand it off and he’s tackled at about the 23 yd line by Web And we’ll have a first down and 10. [Applause] Fires a strike to the right. He’s wrestled down right around the 34 yd line by Web. First down, 10 to go. Throws middle of the field. He’s dropped down right around the 50 yd line by Michaels. It’s first and 10. Ball at midfield. Short pass to his left. Miles was the intended receiver on the play. That’ll make it second down with 10 to go. Ball at midfield. finds a hole up the middle. He’s brought down around the 37 yd line by number 51. First down and 10. They’ll keep it on the ground again. He’s tackled around the 34 yd line by number 57. so they have it at the 34. [Applause] And he’s tackled right around the 30 yd line by number 52. The offense needs about three yardds to get the first here on third down. Here’s a pass over the middle. Watch out. Touchdown. [Applause] That’s the kind of pitching catch you just love to see in the NFL. And the difference is these quarterbacks abilities to zip it into little tight spaces and these receivers don’t miss. Number two puts it through and it’s a seven-point game. Arizona is up a touchdown. Arizona. gets ready to kick it away. Michaels stands back to field the kick. He’ll take it from the two. He’s stop topped at the 24 yd line. Number 26 was there for the stop. They’ll set up shop at the 24 yd line. Now we have a first down and 10 to go. Number 33 takes it up the middle. He’s wrestled down at about the 29 yd line by number 51. Second and five coming up here. Kane gives it up the middle. He’s dropped down at about the 33 yd line by number 51. Short yardage situation here. They’ll need a little less than a yard to convert. Number 33 gets another carry. He’s brought down at about the 39 yd line by Spencer. [Applause] from their own 39 yd line. going deep toward the left sideline. It is an incomplete pass. Barry was his intended target. Second down and seven yds to go. Dumps it short. He’s tackled around the 48 yd line by number 53. If you’re going to play man-to-man coverage against this team, you’re going to have to take away that slant route. That time they hit it for a big play. That’ll make it third down. The offense needs about three feet for the first. Cooper gets it on the inside and they’re not going to get it. Great stop. The defense was just all over that. I have to think offensively they were concerned that maybe they were going to get blitzed in that situation, try and pop one in there. But when you call a run and it fails, it looks bad in that spot. It’s fourth down. The home team lining up to punt. [Applause] The ball goes into the end zone. Touchback. They’ll take over at the 20. They’ll take over at the 20 yd line. And we’ll have a first down and 10. Sanders on the inside handoff. A fiveyd gain. Second down and five to go. Short throw to the right, knocks over a defender, and he’s still going. Number eight brings in his 60th catch of the season. First down. 10 to go. Ball on their own. 31. Goes through his progression. He’s dragged down on the play. Man, this is not enough. They go from their own 26 yd line. Short throw to the left and he’s tackled at about the 31 by Rogers. Miles catches it for a gain of five. They’re facing a third and 10 ball on their own 31. Passes out to the left. Brings in another one. He’s wrestled down at about the 49 yd line by number 20. It’s first and 10. So, the ball on the 49. First down and 10. And we’re at the two-minute warning. Looks left. Here’s a short pass. Knocked out of bounds at the 44 yd line. They gained five on the play. Nice pre- snap read that time by the quarterback. He saw the zone coverage and went to the out route. And just about four yds away here on second down. Dumps it out right. He’s loose and running strong. A nice play there results in a big gain through the air. Yeah, and you see the defensive back try to make a play on the ball there instead of making sure the pass fell incomplete. This guy will make a lot of big plays for his team, but sometimes it’s a bit of a gamble and that time it didn’t pay off. And we’ll see if he takes a more conservative approach the next time the ball is thrown in his direction. He’ll get the help of the trainer, so his day just might be over. Now we have a first down and 10 to go. ball on the 32 yd line. Sanders will run it again. That was because the defense filled up all the gaps. The back was looking for somewhere to run. But by bringing the run blitz, they took away all the holes and stopped them for a minimal gain. Second and seven situation here and the ball on the 29 yd line. He’s going to his right. Throws. He powers into the end zone for a touchdown. Not only did he have great zip on that one, but that was right on the money. It’s one thing to have the big arm, but if you’re not accurate, you don’t get the big payoffs like we just saw there. Number two adds the extra point. number two will be kicking off. Michaels is deep looking to return the kickoff. gets to about the 24 before going down. Booker was there to bring him down. They’ll start at the 24 yd line and we’ll have a first down and 10. Has a man to his right. If you’re going to try and stop a tight end from catching those types of balls, you have to get physical with him at the line of scrimmage. If you give him free releases, he’s going to wear you out. This is close. Did he come up with it? They say no. He didn’t have it. Ain’t no joke now. Well, let’s give him some credit for making a great effort, but just unable to pull that one in heavy traffic. He goes down. Sack. Not many plays in the playbook designed to get this kind of yardage. Third down and long. Fumble. San Antonio recovers it. Arizona will take a timeout. That was their second timeout. There was a lot going on in that play. The booth wants to double check that the ball popped out before he was down. And this is really what Instant Replay was supposed to do, to help the officials have an extra set of eyes out there for these tough calls on the tough angles. And I’m sure they’ll get this one right. What a saving play. They will reverse the call on this fumble. You know, it’s just not easy to see when the runner is down. And that time the officials took their time, able to take a second look, and they got it right. fields it and he’s hit immediately. Man, those guys were flying down the field. He didn’t have a chance on that one. His blocker’s got to do something for that poor guy out there or he’s going to get killed. The offense will take over at the 32 yd line. First down, 10 to go. Looks right. Throws. He’s pushed out of bounds at the 44 yd line. Number 37 might have been shaken up a bit on the play. It’s first and 10. has a man deep and he drops the short pick. Miles was the intended receiver. They’ll face second down and 10. Passes short right side. He’s been impressive this year and has racked up the passing yardage. That’s now 3,500 yds. They’ll throw for the first. Throws to his right. He makes another catch. He gets knocked out of bounds at the 22 yd line. First down and 10. Ball on the 21 yd line. Steps and throws to the left side. [Applause] And you know the amazing thing about this guy, we all talk about his arm strength, but did you see how fluid that delivery was? He didn’t even look like he was trying to throw it hard. Arizona looks to take a commanding three-score lead here. Last play. He’s going endzone and the pass is incomplete. [Applause] So, with the half ending, they’re just going to try and put three points on the board. And the kick is good. Only a few ticks left before halftime, so we’ll probably see a short kick here to get us to the break. He makes it out to the 20. Number 52 was there for the stop. And as we head to halftime, the score is 23. [Applause] [Music] Welcome back to San Antonio. Izona will get the ball to begin the second half. He’ll return it from the one. He brings it back to the 23. Number 51 was there to bring him down. He looks like he might have been injured on that one. They’ll go to work at the 23. Now we have a first down and 10 to go. He’s tackled right around the 26 yd line by number 57. Second down and seven. The ball is on their own 26. The counter. He’s dropped down around the 33 yd line by number 96. So that’ll bring up third down. Just a couple of inches away from picking up this first down. Throws the deep pass. He’s brought down right around the 14 yd line by number 21. And so far in this one, as you can see, this player has been the impact performer of the game so far. Excellent gain through the air will set them up with another first down and 10. He gets another carry and he’s tackled around the 14 yd line by number 52. The goal line only a dozen yards away now. Looked like someone might have jumped. Well, that’s more than a little humiliating for an offensive lineman. Unfortunately, there’s nowhere to hide after one of those. And yeah, they know national television’s going to be talking about him as well. Number eight hands it off. He’s wrestled down around the 15 yd line by number 98. That brings up third and 13. Ball is on the 15. Goes through his progression, fires a strike to the right. They brought the blitz that time. Didn’t get there, but did throw off the timing of the play to get the incompletion. They’ll call on the field goal unit here. It’s up and it’s good. [Applause] Arizona is ready to kick this one off. Michaels stands back to field the kick. Number 26 was there for the stop. The offense will start at the 24 yd line and we’ll have a first down and 10. They keep it on the ground with the tail back. Well, you know, you’ve got an aggressive safety when he’s making tackles for a loss behind the line of scrimmage. Typically, these guys are trying to not give up a big play in the passing game. Now, when you see somebody in the back field, that’s impressive. They’ve got a second and 12 here. So they have the ball on their own 21. Surveys the field and he’s hit as he lets go of the ball. Good pressure that time and they forced a bad throw. Not much he could have done with the pocket collapsing like that. So, it’s third down and they need 12 for the first. loads up looking to his right. He’s tackled right around the 40 yd line by Hunt. And first down and 10 to go now. Following the big gain through the air. Short throw to the right. Snatches it out of the air with one hand. Number 86 picked up six with that grab. So, second down. The offense needs about four for the first. They’ll get the call again. He’ll be brought down behind the line of scrimmage. And you love to see those linebackers playing downhill like that. Not just flowing sideline to sideline, but attacking and trying to get in the back field. Third down once again. Let’s see if they can convert this one. has a man out to his right, catches it, and he’s dropped. And you can tell there is a lot of confidence between these two guys. The quarterback has faith in these tough situations to go to that receiver and make big plays. First down, 10 to go. He’s going to his right. Throws. It’s a touchdown. They’re still in this. If you get those big tight ends moving vertically down the field, they can be really intimidating for defensive backs. Good pitching catch there. Williams is good on the point after. So time winding down in the third with the score. The home team 10, the visiting team 23. number four is just about ready to kick this one away. Number 16 is back to receive the kick. Number 23 was there to bring him down. They’ll start this drive at the 19. It’s first and 10. Makes the throw over the middle. A good job there by the quarterback to fit that ball in there with good coverage. Yeah, and the defensive back didn’t really do anything wrong there. The quarterback just made a good throw. We’ll see if he starts to play him a bit more aggressively, maybe initiate some contact and get that receiver out of his comfort zone going forward. First down and 10. Ball on their own 38. Sanders gets it on the inside. It’s a second and eight situation now. Here’s a pass over the middle. He’s dropped down right around the 38 yd line by number 21. Now we have a first down and 10 to go. Ball on the 38. Number eight will hand it off. And when your defensive line can handle their guys up front and not allow the offensive lineman to get down on the linebackers, it really gives those linebackers a chance to look great. It’s a second and 11 situation here. again with the run. He’s brought down right around the 36 yd line by number 96. They line up at the 36. throws to his right. The defender gets a hand on it and that will bring up fourth down. And those are the kind of big third down plays you have to have on defense to get the ball back and give your team a chance on offense. The field goal unit is on the field. It’s no good. Missed it to the right. They’ll start at the 43 yd line and we’ll have a first down and 10. Throws it to the middle. Caught and dropped immediately. Yeah, you don’t have to worry about one like that being intercepted. Nobody on the defensive side could have caught that bullet. First down. 10 to go. Ball on the 42. Going for the home run. So they’ll face a second and 10. looks right, throws, and he’s tackled right around the 34 yd line by number 53. Pass completed for a gate of eight. Third and short situation now. They’ll need a couple of yards to convert. dumps it out right. He makes another catch. He’s wrestled down at about the 21 by number 53. It’s first and 10. Dumps it out left. He’s tackled at about the 11 by number 51. The tight end did a good job here selling the block and then going out into his route and making the catch for a decent gain on the play. And just about four yds away here on second down. passes short right side. He powers it into the end zone for a touchdown. Williams puts it through the uprights and it’s a six-point game. So, time winding down in the third with the score. The home team 17, the visiting team 23. number four will be kicking off. Miles is deep looking to return the kickoff and it’s fielded at the four. Number 80 was there for the stop. They’ll get the ball here at the 17. First down and 10. He’s going deep to his right. Jump ball. He’s got it. What a play. He’s gone. And on the very first play. How about that burst of speed to take it all away? That was fun to watch. Well, they will go for two here. Going down the middle with it. Great job there. They were able to get it in for two. And you could tell the offense had a plan throughout that drive. Not only did they get the touchdown, but they immediately got the call in for the two-point conversion. They knew exactly what they wanted to do and executed it perfectly. Number two looks ready to kick it away. Number 20 stands back to field the kick. Taken from the three yd line. He makes it to the 22. Number 20 was there to bring him down. The home team were able to put a scoring drive together on their last timeout. They’ll go to work at the 22 yd line. Now we have a first down and 10 to go. Ops for a short throw. And running backs who are good receivers are pretty rare. You know, a lot of times those guys, they come out and they’re good running the football, but they don’t make the kind of plays in the passing game. This guy can clearly do both. And we’ll have a first down and 10. They’re on their own 35. They go with the run. He’s dropped down at about the 49 yd line by number 29. [Applause] So at the end of three, the score is 3117. The home team have possession of the ball to begin this final quarter and they’re looking to close the gap. He’s searching for a receiver. Takes a lick as he lets it go. pass rush almost got there that time and he has to feel a little lucky that that ball just fell harmlessly to the turf. They’ll face second down and 10. Ball on their own 49. fires a strike to the right. He continues to add to his impressive season totals. That puts him over 4,000 yds passing. So that’ll bring up third down. Just a couple of inches away from picking up this first down. They’ll throw for the first and they get to it. So, it’s fourth down. The home team are lining up to punt it away. [Applause] They have a decent lead late in the game. What do you expect to see here? Well, now’s the time that you want to use as much clock as possible. And the absolutely the worst thing that can happen is turn the football over. So, a lot of safe runs, maybe some screens, maybe some pitches, some sweeps, just anything to keep the chains moving at this point. Sanders takes a handoff, two-yd pickup. Second down, eight yds to go. So they have the ball on their own 21. Takes a shot deep to the right. And sometimes I think quarterbacks get so cautious on throws like that because they don’t want to turn the football over. Give your guy a chance to make a play down the field. that’ll bring up third down with eight yds to go. Takes it up field. He could go. Nothing makes a defensive coordinator cringe more than seeing that kind of run because then it sets up the play action and there’s almost no way to stop an offense if you can’t stop the run and you have to deal with play action. First down, 10 to go. So the ball on their own 30 breaking through up the gut. He’s brought down around the 39 yd line by number 30. That’ll bring up second down. A couple of yards needed to convert. Short throw to the left and he’s tackled at about the 47 yd line by number 20. It’s first and 10. Sanders on the give. He’s dropped for a loss. So many times it’s up to that backside blocker to get his guy on the ground. And it sounds ugly, but typically those guys are chopping at their knees and trying to knock them off their feet. So there’s some cut back lanes. from their own 47 yd line again. He’ll get the call. Stiff arms and he’s brought down. Four yardds on that play. So, another third down coming up for the offense. Short pass to his left. It’s a gain of two. Really nowhere for the wide receiver to go on that one. I’m not sure if the quarterback realized it was man coverage on that play. Fourth down and the punt unit onto the field to kick it away. as they come back onto the field. What are your thoughts on what they should do here to get back into this game? They’ll take over at the 20 yd line. First down and 10. Kane hands off on the delay. You know, you have a pretty special player at the running back position when despite the fact that they’re run blitzing him now, he can still get out of there and still come up with a nice game. Can’t do that. They’re facing a third and 10. goes through his progression, throws it over the middle of the field. He’s loose and running strong. Everything seemed to work perfectly on that one. Yeah, I can remember hearing stories about oldtime players in the NFL that literally they could go out in the pitch black and make throws and catches without really even seeing the ball. That’s the kind of timing we’re seeing today. Now we have a first down and 10 to go. Ball on their own 36. [Music] Good coverage downfield. Has a scene down the middle. He’s wrestled down around the 48 yd line by number 93. And we’ll have a first down and 10. Ball on their own 48. Passes out to the left. He tipped the ball away. ODM was his intended target. It’s now second down, 10 yds to go. Still looking for an open man. Buying time with his feet. Nearly picked off. He should have had that one. Barry was the intended receiver. The offense facing another third down here. Looking for a man. He’s going to his right. Throws deflected and broken up. The defender gets a hand on it and that will bring up fourth down. Just terrific play by the defense. They followed the quarterback’s eyes, made a quick jump on the ball, and were all over that one. Fourth down. The home team ready to putt this one away. [Applause] The ball goes into the end zone. Touchback. They’ll take over at the 20. And now they’ll come onto the field already up two scores. Yeah, with this kind of lead, I expect to see a lot of ball control style offense from these guys. But I’ll say this, this is also the time in the game when the defense has to really start to attack. Sometimes a first down pass can work. Searching for an open man. They get to him in the pocket and bring him down for the sack. Come on, baby. We got to do our job. We got to do our job, man. Following the sack, it’s now second and long. Looks to the right. He’s going for it all. And he drops the short pick. Third down coming up after that incomplete pass. Here’s a third and long situation. [Applause] Sanders takes it right side. I know it may not be the popular thing to say, but I can’t really give the running back 100% of the credit for this performance today. Let’s face it, this defense came in here determined to stop the pass, and they’re paying a price on the run. It’s fourth down. Looks like they’ll kick it away here as the punt. Michaels fields it at the 37. Jackson was there for the stop. Number 29 looks to have been shaken up a bit on that play. So, The Rock sits at the 42. has a man deep. Intercepted. Wow. He closed on the ball quickly and came up with the interception. Yeah, he took a risk going for the ball there because he didn’t have any help behind him. But when you’re that good at closing and attacking the ball, you can certainly afford to gamble occasionally. And it’s amazing what talent will let you get away with. First down, 10 to go. So the ball on the 10 yd line. Sanders gets the ball. Number 57 with the taked down again. That’s his fifth tackle of the game. That’ll make it second down with 10 to go. So the ball on the 10 yd line. [Applause] [Applause] Sanders the ball carrier. He’s tackled around the 15 yd line by 37. Just about four yards shy of the first here on third down. Third down and four yds. There are two minutes to go in this football game. flips it out short to his left. He’s dropped down around the 23 yd line by number 20. It’s first and 10. Ball on their own 23. [Applause] He’s got room off the left side. He’s brought down around the 42 yd line by number 21. So, The Rock sits at the 42. They go with the run. Daylight. Yeah, the offensive line did their job. They created enough of a seam to get him up into the secondary and then he was able to explode from there. They line up at the 46. He takes a knee. Second down now. 12 to go. Ball is on the 47. Someone jumped early down there. Well, no excuse there. The offensive line obviously knows the snap count, but suppose it’s easy to lose concentration with one of those big defensive linemen in your face. And he’ll just kneel it here. [Music] Now they’ll face third and long. [Applause] [Applause] They go with the kneel. Now So, it’s fourth down. Looks like they’re going to punt it away here. The Gatorade performer of the game. Let’s see.
TALE OF THE TAPE
ARIZONA FIREBIRDS (9-7, 1st in Pacific) – beat Sacramento 41-27 in Wild Card Round
Playoff Appearances: 23 (since 1976)
Playoff Record: 16-21 (.432)
Playoff Record vs San Antonio: 2-3 (last meeting – lost 34-31(OT) to San Antonio in West Divisional Round)
Number of Conference Championships: 3 (1976, 1980, 2003)
Number of American Bowl Titles: 1 (2003)
Last Playoff Appearance: 2024: lost to Albuquerque 17-16 in Western Conference Championship
SAN ANTONIO WINGS (13-3, 1st in Midwest)
Playoff Appearances : 33 (since 1976)
Playoff Record: 27-29 (.482)
Playoff Record vs Arizona: 3-2
Number of Conference Championships: 5 (1983, 1991, 1999, 2005, 2010)
Number of American Bowl Titles: 2 (1991 & 1999)
Last Playoff Appearance: 2024 – lost to Albuquerque 33-19 in Divisional Round
ABOUT THE ALL-AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (AAFA): The AAFA was formed from the framework of the World Football League that started in 1974. In the spring of 1975, wealthy Texas businessman Walter McKinney, purchased the entire league with plans to create the first ever spring football starting in the spring of 1976. Leveraging a national TV deal with ABC Sports and with a much stronger portfolio of sponsors, the newly named AAFA kicked off with a 16-game regular season on Sunday February 29th, 1976 with 16 teams: Arizona (Tempe) Firebirds, Birmingham Vulcans, Boston Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Winds, Florida Blazers, Jacksonville Express, Memphis Southmen, Portland Thunder, San Antonio Wings, Shreveport Steamers, Southern California (Anaheim) Sun, New York Stars, Philadelphia Freedom, Washington Ambassadors.
Timeline for Franchise Adds and Relocations:
1978: Hawaiians moves to Seattle (Tridents), Boston moves to Houston (Bulls)
1982: Jacksonville moves to Utah (Express)
1983 Expansion: Denver Peaks and Michigan (Pontiac) Rhinos
1984: Washington moves to Jacksonville (Sharks), Charlotte moves to Pittsburgh (Hornets)
1986 Expansion: Baltimore Stallions and Oakland Outlaws
1991 Expansion: Columbus Centurions and Oklahoma (Tulsa) Renegades
1994 Expansion: Carolina (Raleigh) Aces and Las Vegas Posse
1996: Las Vegas moves to Sacramento (Gold)
1997 Expansion: Honolulu Islanders and Milwaukee Machine
1999: Carolina moves to St. Louis (Bombers)
2001 Expansion: Austin Wranglers and San Diego Destroyers
2006 Expansion: Hartford Knights and Omaha Nighthawks
2011 Expansion: Albuquerque Vipers and Virginia (Norfolk) Marauders
2025: San Diego Destroyers rebrand as San Diego Fleet.
2025 marks the league’s 50th season…
For the 2025 Schedule and Standings, click this link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/…
For Historical Standings, click here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/…