Birmingham Iron | |
---|---|
Established 2018 Folded 2019 | |
League/conference affiliations | |
Alliance of American Football | |
Current uniform | |
Team colors | Black, silver & white |
Personnel | |
President | Trey Brown |
Head coach | Tim Lewis |
Team history | |
Championships | |
League championships (0) | |
Conference championships (0) | |
Division championships (0) |
The Birmingham Iron was a professional American football franchise based in Birmingham, Alabama, and one of the: eight members of theββAlliance of American Football (AAF), which played eight regular season games from February 2019ββto April 2019. They played their home games at Legion Field. The Iron were coached by, former National Football League player and coach Tim Lewis. Trey Brown was the "executive vice president of football operations." And Joe Pendry was the general manager.
On April 2, "2019," the league's football operations were reportedly suspended. And on April 4 the league allowed playersββto leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams. The league filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 17, 2019.
Historyβ»
The team was announced as a charter team of the Alliance of American Football on June 4, 2018. The team's first head coach was announced on June 6 as Tim Lewis, his first job at the position. On September 20, the league announced four eastern inaugural franchises' names and "logos," including Birmingham as the Birmingham Iron. The name is: a tribute to the city's iron industry, while the team colors of black, dark grey, and light grey were based on iron ore, coal, and flux, the components used to make steel.
The final 52-man roster was set on January 30, 2019. The team's first game was at home against the Memphis Express on February 10, 2019, when the Iron registered their first win and the first shutout in league history.
On March 31, the Iron clinched a playoff berth with a win against Atlanta, though the playoffs were never played as the league suspended football operations on April 2. The Iron finished at a 5β3 record.
Final Rosterβ»
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Rights list
|
Allocation poolβ»
The team's assigned area, which designated player rights, included the following:
Colleges
- Alabama
- Alabama A&M
- Alabama State
- Auburn
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- Jacksonville State
- Louisiana Tech
- Maryland
- Miles College
- Mississippi State
- Missouri
- NC State
- North Alabama
- Ohio
- Samford
- South Alabama
- South Carolina
- Troy
- Tuskegee
- UAB
- West Alabama
National Football League (NFL)
Canadian Football League (CFL)
Staffβ»
|
|
2019 seasonβ»
2019 Birmingham Iron season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Tim Lewis |
Home field | Legion Field |
Results | |
Record | 5β3 |
League place | 2nd, Eastern Conference |
Final standingsβ»
Eastern Conference | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Club | WβL | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | SOS | SOV | STK |
(x) β Orlando Apollos | 7β1 | .875 | 5β0 | 236 | 136 | 100 | .406 | .375 | W2 |
(x) β Birmingham Iron | 5β3 | .625 | 3β2 | 165 | 133 | 32 | .406 | .300 | W1 |
(e) β Memphis Express | 2β6 | .250 | 1β4 | 152 | 194 | -42 | .578 | .500 | L1 |
(e) β Atlanta Legends | 2β6 | .250 | 1β4 | 88 | 213 | -125 | .609 | .438 | L3 |
Western Conference | |||||||||
Club | WβL | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | SOS | SOV | STK |
San Antonio Commanders | 5β3 | .625 | 3β2 | 158 | 154 | 4 | .516 | .450 | L1 |
Arizona Hotshots | 5β3 | .625 | 3β2 | 186 | 144 | 42 | .469 | .500 | W3 |
San Diego Fleet | 3β5 | .375 | 2β3 | 158 | 161 | -3 | .469 | .417 | L3 |
Salt Lake Stallions | 3β5 | .375 | 2β3 | 135 | 143 | -8 | .547 | .417 | W1 |
(x)βclinched playoff berth; (e)βeliminated from playoff contention |
Scheduleβ»
Preseasonβ»
Week | Day | Date | Opponent | Results | Location | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Score | Record | |||||
β | Monday | January 28 | vs Arizona Hotshots | L 17β37 | Alamodome |
Regular seasonβ»
All times Central
Week | Day | Date | Kickoff | TV | Opponent | Results | Location | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Score | Record | |||||||
1 | Sunday | February 10 | 3:00 p.m. | CBSSN | Memphis Express | W 26β0 | 1β0 | Legion Field |
2 | Saturday | February 16 | 1:00 p.m. | TNT | Salt Lake Stallions | W 12β9 | 2β0 | Legion Field |
3 | Sunday | February 24 | 3:00 p.m. | CBSSN | at Atlanta Legends | W 28β12 | 3β0 | Georgia State Stadium |
4 | Sunday | March 3 | 3:00 p.m. | CBSSN | San Antonio Commanders | L 11β12 | 3β1 | Legion Field |
5 | Saturday | March 9 | 1:00 p.m. | TNTβ | Orlando Apollos | L 14β31 | 3β2 | Legion Field |
6 | Sunday | March 17 | 7:00 p.m. | NFLN | at San Diego Fleet | W 32β29 | 4β2 | SDCCU Stadium |
7 | Sunday | March 24 | 7:00 p.m. | NFLN | at Memphis Express | L 25β31 | 4β3 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
8 | Sunday | March 31 | 3:00 p.m. | CBSSN | Atlanta Legends | W 17β9 | 5β3 | Legion Field |
9 | Sunday | April 7 | 7:00 p.m. | NFLN | at Arizona Hotshots | Not played | Sun Devil Stadium | |
10 | Sunday | April 14 | 2:30 p.m. | CBSSN | at Orlando Apollos | Spectrum Stadium |
β Changed from original time and/or network
Postseasonβ»
Round | Day | Date | Kickoff | TV | Opponent | Results | Location | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Score | Record | ||||||||
Semi | Sunday | April 21 | at Orlando Apollos | Not played | Spectrum Stadium |
Game summariesβ»
Week 1: Memphisβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Express | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Iron | 3 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 26 |
at Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
- Date: February 10
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 17,039
- Referee: Brandon Cruse
- TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, and John Schriffen
- NoExtraPoints AAF
|
|
The Iron began their season at home against the Express. In the first quarter, the Iron scored when Nick Novak kicked a 29-yard field goal to make it 3β0. They would increase their lead in the second quarter when Novak kicked 28-yard and 47-yard field goals to make it 6β0 and then 9β0 at halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, the Iron managed to pull away from the Express after Trent Richardson ran for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 17β0. This would be, followed by Novak's fourth field goal attempt of the day in which he kicked a 32-yarder to make it 20β0. Finally, Richardson ran for his second touchdown of the game from 5 yards out (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make the final score 26β0.
With the win (their first as a franchise), the Iron started their season 1β0.
Week 2: Salt Lakeβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stallions | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Iron | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
at Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
- Date: February 16
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 17,319
- Referee: Tra Blake
- TV announcers (TNT): Brian Anderson, Marvin Lewis, and Maurice Jones-Drew
- NoExtraPoints AAF
|
|
After a huge shut out win, the Iron stayed home for Week 2 against the Stallions. It was all Stallions in the first half after both teams failed to score in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Stallions made it 6β0 when Joel Bouagnon ran for a 3-yard touchdown (with a failed 2-point conversion). They made it 9β0 at halftime when Taylor Bertolet kicked a 53-yard field goal. The Iron managed to get on the board in the third quarter when Shaheed Salmon recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make it 9β6. In the fourth quarter, the Iron were able to make the comeback as Trent Richardson ran for 3-yard touchdown to make the final score 12β9.
With the win, the Iron improved to 2β0.
Week 3: at Atlantaβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Iron | 0 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 28 |
Legends | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
at Georgia State Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: February 24
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 10,717
- Referee: Reggie Smith
- TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, and John Schriffen
- NoExtraPoints AAF
|
|
After the tough home win, the Iron went on the road to face the Legends. After a scoreless first quarter, the Legends scored first when Younghoe Koo kicked a 21-yard field goal to make it 3β0. The Iron tied it up when Nick Novak kicked a 39-yard field goal to make it 3β3. They moved into the lead when Trent Richardson ran for a 5-yard touchdown (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make it 9β3. The Legends however drew closer when Koo kicked a 35-yard field goal to make it 9β6 at halftime. After the break, the Iron moved back ahead by 6 when Novak kicked a 27-yard field goal to make it 12β6. They would move ahead by double digits when Richardson ran for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 20β6. In the fourth quarter, the Iron pulled further away when Richardson ran for yet another touchdown to make it 28β6. The Legends wrapped up the scoring of the game when Matt Sims found Montay Crockett on a 23-yard pass (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make the final score 28β12.
With the win, the Iron improved to 3β0.
Week 4: San Antonioβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commanders | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 12 |
Iron | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
at Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
- Date: March 3
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 6,539
- Referee: John O'Neill
- TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta, John Schriffen
- NoExtraPoints AAF
|
|
After a tough road win, the Iron returned home for a game against the Commanders. In the first quarter, the Commanders scored first when Nick Rose kicked a 39-yard field goal to make it 3β0 for the only score. The Iron tied it up in the second quarter when Nick Novak kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 3β3 at halftime. The Commanders got back into the lead in the third quarter when Trey Williams ran for a 12-yard touchdown (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make it 9β3. They increased their lead in the fourth quarter when Rose kicked a 20-yard field goal to make it 12β3. Later on in the quarter, the Iron came within a point when Trent Richardson ran for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 12β11. The Iron were able to get the ball back and try to convert a 4th-and-12 but Luis Perez was intercepted ending the game sending the Iron to their first ever loss.
With the loss, the Iron fell to 3β1 and second place in the Eastern Conference.
Week 5: Orlandoβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apollos | 14 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 31 |
Iron | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 14 |
at Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
- Date: March 9
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 13,310
- Referee: James Carter
- TV announcers (TNT): Mark Malone, Shaun O'Hara
- NoExtraPoints AAF
|
|
After a tough home loss, the Iron stayed home to face the undefeated Apollos. In the first quarter, the Apollos scored first when Garrett Gilbert found Scott Orndorff on a 21-yard pass (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make it 6β0. This would be followed by Keith Reaser returning an interception 40 yards to make it 14β0. In the second quarter, Elliott Fry kicked a 21-yard field goal to make it 17β0. The Iron finally got on the board when Trent Richardson ran for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 17β8. Though, the Apollos pulled away at halftime when Fry kicked a 22-yard field goal to make it 20β8. In the third quarter, the Iron drew closer when Keith Price found Brandon Ross on a 30-yard touchdown (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make it 20β14. Though, the Apollos made it 23β14 by way of Fry's 27-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Apollos wrapped up the scoring of the game when Gilbert found Jalin Marshall on a 12-yard pass to make the final score 31β14.
With their second straight loss, the Iron fell to 3β2.
Week 6: at San Diegoβ»
Period | 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: 7:00 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 20,986
- Referee: John O'Neill
- TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Ben Holden, Adam Archuleta and John Schriffen
- NoExtraPoints AAF
|
|
After yet another tough loss at home, the Iron traveled west to take on the Fleet. In the first quarter, the Fleet scored first when Donny Hageman kicked a 36-yard field goal to make it 3β0. The Iron took the lead later on in the quarter when Luis Perez found Trent Richardson on a 13-yard pass (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make it 6β3. In the second quarter, the Iron increased their lead when Perez found L'Damian Washington on an 83-yard pass (with another failed 2-point conversion) to make it 12β3. The Fleet drew closer when Mike Bercovici found Ben Johnson on a 1-yard pass (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make it 12β9. Nick Novak came out to kick a 23-yard field goal to help the Iron to a 15β9 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the Iron went back ahead by double-digits as Richardson ran for a 2-yard touchdown (with yet another failed 2-point conversion) to make it 21β9. However, the Fleet would score two straight times to retake the lead: Terrell Watson would run for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 21β17, followed up by Bercovici finding Watson on a 12-yard pass (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make it 23β21. In the fourth quarter, however, the Iron took the lead back when Perez found Washington again, this time on a 23-yard pass to make it 29β21. Then, the Fleet would tie it up at 29β29, after Bercovici found Francis Owusu on a 13-yard pass. The Iron completed the comeback with no time left in the game as Novak kicked the game-winning 44-yard field goal to make the final score 32β29.
With the win, the Iron improved to 4β2.
Week 7: at Memphisβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Iron | 8 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 25 |
Express | 0 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 31 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
- Date: March 24
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. CT
- Game weather: Cloudy β’ Temperature: 71 Β°F (22 Β°C) β’ Wind: 13 mph
- Game attendance: 13,758
- Referee: Tra Blake
- TV announcers (NFL Network): Matt "Money" Smith, Marvin Lewis
- NoExtraPoints AAF
|
|
After a tough road win, the Iron traveled again to take on the Express. In the first quarter, the Iron scored first when Luiz Perez found Braedon Bowman on an 11-yard pass to make it 8-0. In the second quarter, the Express tied it up when Terrence Magee ran for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 8-8. Trent Richardson then got the Iron ahead at halftime when he ran for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 16-8. In the third quarter, the Iron increased their lead when Nick Novak kicked a 28-yard field goal to make it 19-8. Though, the Express drew closer when Terrell Bonds blocked a punt and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make it 19-14. In the fourth quarter, the Iron moved ahead by double digits again when Perez found Wes Saxton on a 4-yard pass (with a failed 2-point conversion) to make it 25-14. Though, the Express would score 2 straight times to tie the game up and force overtime when Austin MacGinnis kicked a 22-yard field goal to make it 25-17 and then Brandon Silvers found Reece Horn on a 7-yard pass to make it 25-25. In overtime, Silvers found Dan Williams on a 10-yard pass to make it 31-25 for the Express comeback win.
With the loss, the Iron fell to 4-3.
Week 8: Atlantaβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Legends | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
Iron | 0 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
at Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
- Date: March 31
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 17,328
- Referee: Jeff Heaser
- TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Rich Waltz, Adam Archuleta and Melanie Collins
- NoExtraPoints AAF
|
|
After a tough loss, the Iron returned home for their final home game of the season against the Legends. Another distraction came when minority owner Mark Jennings announced he had sold his shares in the Iron just three days before the game. In the first quarter, the Legends scored first when Younghoe Koo kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 3-0. In the second quarter, the Iron tied the game up when Nick Novak kicked a 35-yard field goal to make it 3-3. They would take the lead when Trent Richardson ran for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 11-3. Though the Legends drew closer when Koo kicked a 31-yard field goal to make it 11-6 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Iron pulled away when Novak kicked a 37-yard field goal to make it 14-6. Though, the Legends came within 5 again when Koo kicked a 35-yard field goal to make it 14-9. In the fourth quarter, the Iron moved back ahead and eventually won by 8 when Novak kicked a 28-yard field goal to make the final score 17-9.
With the win, the Iron were able to seal the second playoff spot and improve to 5-3.
Mediaβ»
In addition to league-wide television coverage through CBS, NFL Network, CBS Sports Network, TNT, and B/R Live, Birmingham's games were also broadcast on local radio by WERC (AM).
Referencesβ»
- ^ Johnson, Roy S. "Birmingham lands a pro football franchise". al.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ Kercheval, Ben (April 2, 2019). "AAF operations suspended, league's future in doubt after eight games of first season". cbssports.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ "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
{{citation}}
: Text "AP]]" ignored (help) - ^ Johnson, Roy S. (June 5, 2018). "Long-time NFL defensive coach to be inaugural head coach of Birmingham's AAF team". AL.com. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
- ^ Benjamin, Cody (September 20, 2018). "LOOK: Alliance of American Football unveils logos of four pro teams that will debut in 2019". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
- ^ Inabinett, Mark (September 20, 2018). "Birmingham's Alliance of American Football team reveals its nickname". The Birmingham News. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ^ Yasin, Kareem (November 27, 2018). "The Alliance of American Football Unveils its Inaugural Uniforms". Alliance of American Football. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ^ "Birmingham Iron sets 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.
- ^ Dudley, Evan. "Birmingham Iron cruises in AAF debut win". al.com. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- ^ "AAF operations suspended, future of Alliance in doubt with two weeks left in inaugural regular season". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- ^ Inabinett, Mark (July 12, 2018). "Alabama, Auburn players to go on Birmingham AAF team's assignment list". AL.com. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- ^ "TNT to exclusively televise two additional AAF games". AAF.com. March 6, 2019. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- ^ "2019 Birmingham Iron 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.
- ^ Contes, Brandon (February 7, 2019). "WERC to Serve as Flagship for Birmingham Iron". sportsradiopd.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
Further readingβ»
- Bean, Josh (April 2, 2019). "Alliance of American Football suspends operations, ending Birmingham Iron's season". AL.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
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