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AAF San Antonio Commanders

Alliance Of American Football Introduces Alliance San Antonio, Final Team for Inaugural Season

June 21, 2018 - Alliance of American Football (AAF)
San Antonio Commanders News Release


SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Today, The Alliance of American Football introduced Alliance San Antonio and unveiled Mike Riley as head coach during a press conference held at the Alamodome, which will serve as home field for the city's newest professional sports team.

Former Dallas Cowboys great Daryl Johnston will serve as General Manager of the San Antonio franchise. Fans looking to secure Alliance San Antonio tickets early can purchase season ticket seat deposits for $50 on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Thursday, June 21, at 12:00 PM CT on AAF.com or by calling (833) AAF-2019.

San Antonio is the eighth and final city for The Alliance's inaugural season, joining Orlando, Atlanta, Memphis, Salt Lake, Phoenix, San Diego and Birmingham.

"San Antonio has always been on the top of our list as a city that's hungry for football, in a state that's crazy about the game. We're confident our commitment to putting high-quality football on the field, fueled by an alliance between fans, players and the game, will resonate with this community. The city of San Antonio is ready for a professional football team and we feel honored to be welcomed into their dynamic city," said Charlie Ebersol, co-founder and CEO, The Alliance.

"Not only does San Antonio have a large population of football fans, it has a first-class stadium to host them in. The Alamodome is a perfect backdrop for Alliance San Antonio, and we are eager to give this city a competitive team, led by coach Mike Riley, that they can rally around and support."

He added, "We are proud to work with eight fantastic cities. The selected cities expressed a commitment to forging a partnership and have a passion and love for the game of football.. The reception we have felt at each unveil has been tremendous, and is just a taste of what's to come."

"Early on in our process we identified markets that we felt would make ideal destinations for our first eight Alliance cities and San Antonio has always been part of that dialogue," said Tom Veit, head of business operations, The Alliance. "With so many great cities coming forward and many strong relationships being established, we are now confident that we not only have our first eight cities for year one, but a number of strong candidates for 2020."

Mike Riley has held coaching positions at the collegiate and professional level for over 40 years. In 1977, he was hired as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. His six-year tenure featured five conference titles and an undefeated NAIA Division II championship season in 1982. He became an assistant coach in the Canadian Football League in 1983 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and was a part of their 1984 Grey Cup championship team. In 1987, he became the second youngest head coach in CFL history at age 33, leading Winnipeg to two Grey Cup titles in three seasons. Riley returned to the college ranks in 1993 as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at USC before being promoted to assistant coach. After a successful three-year run, which included a Rose Bowl victory, Riley became head coach at Oregon State. After two seasons at the helm, Riley left for the NFL, becoming the head coach of the San Diego Chargers and then an assistant with the New Orleans Saints. In 2003, Riley returned to Oregon State as head coach, the beginning of an 11 year run.

Riley has the most wins by any head football coach in Oregon State history, with 112. In 2014, Riley became head coach at Nebraska, before returning to Oregon State as an assistant in 2017.

"Mike's extensive experience coaching both sides of the ball at the collegiate and professional level will greatly benefit the Alliance San Antonio football team," said Bill Polian, co-founder and head of football, The Alliance. "This is an opportunity for Mike to return to the pros and continue teaching, mentoring and leading from the sidelines."

"From top to bottom, The Alliance has assembled an impressive roster of successful, knowledgeable, highly credible executives and coaches. It's indicative of the commitment The Alliance has to putting high-quality football on the field, and I'm proud to be a part of this," said Mike Riley, head coach, Alliance San Antonio. "I want to bring a championship to this footballhungry city, and I look forward to working closely with Daryl Johnston to build a championship calibre team. This is a unique opportunity for myself and the players that will step on the field for Alliance San Antonio, and we intend on making the most of it."

"The Alliance provides an opportunity for players to begin, extend or restart their careers," said Daryl Johnston, general manager, Alliance San Antonio. "There are so many talented athletes who are right on the cusp of making an NFL roster but for one reason or another end up on a practice squad or out of football completely. We're going to give them the chance to show the football world what they can do, that they DO belong. A number of these guys are from the great state of Texas, where football is a way of life, and we look forward to having them in Alliance San Antonio uniforms."

Ticket pricing and seat locations for Alliance San Antonio home games will be released later this summer. The Alliance has committed to making a limited number of $35 sideline seats available for purchase. These will be among the best seats in the house but will not be the least or most expensive available, as there will be tickets with pricing to accommodate every budget.

About The Alliance of American Football

Led by some of the most respected football minds in the game, The Alliance of American Football is a dynamic professional football league fueled by an unprecedented Alliance between players, fans and the game. Founded by TV and film producer Charlie Ebersol and Hall of Famer Bill Polian, The Alliance will feature eight teams with 50-player rosters playing a 10-week regular season schedule in the spring beginning February 9, 2019 on CBS, followed by two playoff rounds and culminating with the championship game the weekend of April 26-28, 2019.

The eight cities and head coaches include: :

- Alliance Orlando - Steve Spurrier

- Alliance Atlanta - Brad Childress

- Alliance Memphis - Mike Singletary

- Alliance Salt Lake - Dennis Erickson

- Alliance Phoenix - Rick Neuheisel

- Alliance San Diego - Mike Martz

- Alliance Birmingham - Tim Lewis

- Alliance San Antonio - Mike Riley

Fans will be able to stream Alliance matchups live via the free Alliance app while accessing integrated fantasy options with real rewards - for themselves and the players they are cheering on. With a focus on player well-being on and off the field, The Alliance will provide players with a commitment to safety and state-of-the-art equipment as well as a comprehensive bonus system, post-football career planning, financial counseling and scholarship support for postsecondary education.

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