San Antonio’s strong ties to the nation’s military are being honored by its newest professional sports team. Military City, USA‘s team in the new Alliance of American Football (AAF) league will be called the San Antonio Commanders.
The league announced the names of its eight founding teams in the past week, with four teams in the East Division revealed last week and the four West teams unveiled Tuesday.
The Commanders’ logo features an image of the Alamo and a star, a nod to the Lone Star State. The team colors are maroon, a color in the City of San Antonio’s official logo; silver, inspired by dress military swords carried by officers; and the red of the Texas state flag.
“I can’t wait to start seeing fans wearing their team colors and joining our Alliance,” AAF founder and CEO Charlie Ebersol said in a press release.
The other teams in the West Division will be: the Arizona Hotshots, which honors wildfire-fighting crews; the Salt Lake Stallions, which “honors the spirit of the region and the rumbling presence of horsepower,” according to a league statement; and the San Diego Fleet, a tip of the cap to the significant naval presence in that city.
East Division teams are the Orlando Apollos, the Atlanta Legends, the Memphis Express, and the Birmingham Iron.
The league announced earlier this year that it will hold a league-wide training camp in San Antonio in January ahead of its inaugural season, which begins Feb. 9, a week after the NFL crowns a champion in the Super Bowl.
The league primarily will feature players who have played major college football but haven’t been able to establish careers in the NFL or other professional leagues such as the Canadian Football League. The eight 52-player rosters will include players who have had some experience in the NFL.
Following a 10-week regular season, the league will have two playoff rounds. The first championship game will be played the weekend of April 26-28.
Mike Riley, who previously has coached the San Diego Chargers and college teams at Oregon State and Nebraska, is the head coach of the Commanders, who will play at the Alamodome. The general manager is former Dallas Cowboys fullback and Super Bowl champion Daryl Johnston.
The league has a television contract with CBS.
Colonel Travis’ sword? Overall that’s a pretty nice marque.
I don’t know… Maroon and red together? Just pick one or the other.
Either way, I’ll gladly accept any opportunity to watch more live sports played in San Antonio!