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Birmingham Iron
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| League/conference affiliations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alliance of American Football (2019)
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| Team colors | Black, silver & white | ||||
| Personnel | |||||
| General manager | Joe Pendry | ||||
| Head coach | Tim Lewis | ||||
| Team history | |||||
| *Birmingham Iron (2019) | |||||
| Championships | |||||
| League championships (0) | |||||
| Conference championships (0) | |||||
| Division championships (0) | |||||
| Home arena(s) | |||||
| *Legion Field (2019) | |||||
The Birmingham Iron was a professional American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama, and one of the charter members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF).[1] The team began play in 2019, playing its home games at Legion Field. A new stadium at the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex was expected to be completed in 2021.[1]
On April 2, 2019, the league's football operations were reportedly suspended,[2][3] and on April 4 the league allowed players to leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams.[4] The league filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 17, 2019.[5]
History[]
The team was announced as a charter team of the Alliance of American Football on June 4, 2018.[1] The team's first head coach was announced on June 6 as Tim Lewis, his first job at the position.[1][6] On September 20, the league announced four eastern inaugural franchises' names and logos, including Birmingham as the Birmingham Iron.[7] 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.[8][9]
The final 52-man roster was set on January 30, 2019.[10] The team's first game was at home against the Memphis Express on February 10, 2019,[11] when the Iron registered their first win and the first shutout in league history.[12]
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. Part-owner Mark Jennings announced his resignation on March 29. The Iron finished at a 5–3 record.[13]
Allocation pool[]
The team's assigned area, which designates player rights, included the following:[14]
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)
Media[]
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).[15]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Johnson, Roy S.. "Birmingham lands a pro football franchise". al.com. https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/06/birmingham_lands_a_pro_footbal.html. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ↑ Kercheval, Ben (April 2, 2019). "AAF operations suspended, league's future in doubt after eight games of first season". https://www.cbssports.com/aaf/news/aaf-operations-reportedly-suspended-leagues-future-in-doubt-after-eight-games-of-first-season/. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- ↑ "AAF to immediately suspend operations". April 2, 2019. http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/26423928/source-aaf-immediately-suspend-operations. 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. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/04/aaf-keith-reaser-kansas-city-chiefs. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ↑ [citation needed]
- ↑ Johnson, Roy S. (June 5, 2018). "Long-time NFL defensive coach to be inaugural head coach of Birmingham's AAF team". AL.com. https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/06/the_head_coach_of_birminghams.html. 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. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/look-alliance-of-american-football-unveils-logos-of-four-pro-teams-that-will-debut-in-2019/. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
- ↑ Inabinett, Mark (September 20, 2018). "Birmingham's Alliance of American Football team reveals its nickname". The Birmingham News. https://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/09/birminghams_alliance_of_americ_1.html. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ↑ Yasin, Kareem (November 27, 2018). "The Alliance of American Football Unveils its Inaugural Uniforms". Alliance of American Football. https://aaf.com/the-alliance-of-american-football-unveils-its-inaugural-uniforms/. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ↑ "Birmingham Iron sets final roster". Alliance of American Football. January 30, 2019. https://aaf.com/san-antonio-texas----head-coach-tim-lewis-and-the. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ↑ "Alliance of American Football schedule released for Arizona Hotshots, other 7 teams". AZ Central (USA Today Network). October 16, 2018. https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/football/2018/10/16/alliance-american-football-arizona-hotshots-2019-schedule/1658993002/. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ↑ Dudley, Evan. "Birmingham Iron cruises in AAF debut win". al.com. https://www.al.com/sports/2019/02/birmingham-iron-cruises-in-aaf-debut-win.html%3foutputType=amp. Retrieved February 10, 2019.[dead link]
- ↑ "AAF operations suspended, future of Alliance in doubt with two weeks left in inaugural regular season". https://www.cbssports.com/aaf/news/aaf-operations-suspended-future-of-alliance-in-doubt-with-two-weeks-left-in-inaugural-regular-season/.
- ↑ Inabinett, Mark (July 12, 2018). "Alabama, Auburn players to go on Birmingham AAF team's assignment list". AL.com. https://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/07/alabama_auburn_on_birminghams.html. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- ↑ Contes, Brandon (February 7, 2019). "WERC to Serve as Flagship for Birmingham Iron". https://sportsradiopd.com/werc-to-serve-as-flagship-for-birmingham-iron/. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
Further reading[]
- Bean, Josh (April 2, 2019). "Alliance of American Football suspends operations, ending Birmingham Iron’s season". https://www.al.com/sports/2019/04/alliance-of-american-football-suspending-operations-reports-say.html. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
Template:Birmingham Iron
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