Baltimore Mariners
Encyclopedia
The Baltimore Mariners were an indoor football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The team was founded when the American Indoor Football Association expelled the Baltimore Blackbirds
for negotiating with another league. The AIFA maintained the lease rights to 1st Mariner Arena
, so the Mariners were the league's replacement. On September 3, 2010, team owner Dwayne Wells was arrested on charges of wire fraud from an engineering firm he partially owned, allegedly using embezzled money from the firm to buy stakes in the Mariners franchise. Wells forfeited his ownership of the team, causing the Mariners to fold after the 2010 season. The Southern Indoor Football League
, as successor to the eastern half of the AIFA, still holds the lease on 1st Mariner Arena.
On March 21, 2010, the Mariners became the first team in AIFA history to earn a shutout win, as they won over the Fayetteville Guard
59-0.
On April 24, 2010, Baltimore continued its record-setting performances during a 91-19 home win over the Guard. They would set the team record for most points in one half (59) and the most points in one game (91).
On June 26, 2010, Baltimore became the first team in AIFA history to finish the regular season undefeated with a record of 14-0. Baltimore went on to win the AIFA Championship and complete their undefeated season with a 57-42 victory on July 25, 2010 over the Western Conference champions, the Wyoming Cavalry. In winning AIFA IV, the Mariners not only brought the city of Baltimore its first pro indoor football title, but also increased the city’s number of overall pro football championships to eight (Baltimore Colts [NFL] in 1958, 1959, 1968, and 1970, Baltimore Stars
[USFL] in 1985, Baltimore Stallions
[CFL] in 1995, Baltimore Ravens
[NFL] in 2000, and Baltimore Mariners [AIFA] in 2010).
The coach of the undefeated 2010 Mariners, Chris Simpson, would move to the Richmond Raiders for the 2011 season.
In October 2011, the AIFA announced that it would include a team from Maryland, presumably the remains/continuation of the Mariners, in its 2012 relaunch.
|2008 || 4 || 10 || 0 || 3rd EC Northern || --
|-
|2009 || 9 || 5 || 0 || 2nd Northern || Lost Divisional (Reading
)
|-
|2010 || 14 || 0 || 0 || 1st Eastern || Won Divisional (Harrisburg
)
Won AIFA Championship Bowl IV (Wyoming
)
|-
!Totals || 29 || 15 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
^ - indicates playoff game
Baltimore Blackbirds
The Baltimore Blackbirds were an indoor football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They played the 2007 season as an expansion member of the American Indoor Football Association, at the 1st Mariner Arena.-History:...
for negotiating with another league. The AIFA maintained the lease rights to 1st Mariner Arena
1st Mariner Arena
1st Mariner Arena is an arena located in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2003, it was renamed by 1st Mariner Bank, which purchased naming rights to the arena for 10 years. It was reported that 1st Mariner Bank will need to pay the city $75,000 for the next ten years to keep the naming rights to the complex...
, so the Mariners were the league's replacement. On September 3, 2010, team owner Dwayne Wells was arrested on charges of wire fraud from an engineering firm he partially owned, allegedly using embezzled money from the firm to buy stakes in the Mariners franchise. Wells forfeited his ownership of the team, causing the Mariners to fold after the 2010 season. The Southern Indoor Football League
Southern Indoor Football League
The Southern Indoor Football League was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom Hager along with Dan Blum, Robert Winfrey and Dan Ryan in...
, as successor to the eastern half of the AIFA, still holds the lease on 1st Mariner Arena.
On March 21, 2010, the Mariners became the first team in AIFA history to earn a shutout win, as they won over the Fayetteville Guard
Fayetteville Guard
The Fayetteville Force is the former name of a professional indoor football team in the Southern Indoor Football League. They debuted the SIFL following the SIFL/AIFA merger and play home games at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum....
59-0.
On April 24, 2010, Baltimore continued its record-setting performances during a 91-19 home win over the Guard. They would set the team record for most points in one half (59) and the most points in one game (91).
On June 26, 2010, Baltimore became the first team in AIFA history to finish the regular season undefeated with a record of 14-0. Baltimore went on to win the AIFA Championship and complete their undefeated season with a 57-42 victory on July 25, 2010 over the Western Conference champions, the Wyoming Cavalry. In winning AIFA IV, the Mariners not only brought the city of Baltimore its first pro indoor football title, but also increased the city’s number of overall pro football championships to eight (Baltimore Colts [NFL] in 1958, 1959, 1968, and 1970, Baltimore Stars
Baltimore Stars
The Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars were a professional American football team which played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s. They were owned by real estate magnate Myles Tanenbaum. They were the league's dominant team, playing in all three championship games and winning two of...
[USFL] in 1985, Baltimore Stallions
Baltimore Stallions
The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. They were the most successful American team in the Canadian Football League, having two winning seasons and a division title. In 1995 they became the only American team...
[CFL] in 1995, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
[NFL] in 2000, and Baltimore Mariners [AIFA] in 2010).
The coach of the undefeated 2010 Mariners, Chris Simpson, would move to the Richmond Raiders for the 2011 season.
In October 2011, the AIFA announced that it would include a team from Maryland, presumably the remains/continuation of the Mariners, in its 2012 relaunch.
Season-by-season
|-|2008 || 4 || 10 || 0 || 3rd EC Northern || --
|-
|2009 || 9 || 5 || 0 || 2nd Northern || Lost Divisional (Reading
Reading Express
The Reading Express are a professional indoor football team based out of Reading, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Indoor Football League, having begun play as a member of the American Indoor Football League 2006...
)
|-
|2010 || 14 || 0 || 0 || 1st Eastern || Won Divisional (Harrisburg
Harrisburg Stampede
The Harrisburg Stampede is a professional indoor football team in American Indoor Football. The team plays its home games at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center....
)
Won AIFA Championship Bowl IV (Wyoming
Wyoming Cavalry
The Wyoming Cavalry are a professional indoor football team of the Indoor Football League. They play their home games in Casper, Wyoming at Casper Events Center....
)
|-
!Totals || 29 || 15 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
2009 season schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home Home team In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans... /Away Home team In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans... |
Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 15 | Erie RiverRats | Home | Won 60-32 |
| March 22 | Reading Express Reading Express The Reading Express are a professional indoor football team based out of Reading, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Indoor Football League, having begun play as a member of the American Indoor Football League 2006... |
Home | Won 59-44 |
| March 28 | Harrisburg Stampede Harrisburg Stampede The Harrisburg Stampede is a professional indoor football team in American Indoor Football. The team plays its home games at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center.... |
Away | Lost 37-43 |
| April 4 | Columbus Lions Columbus Lions The Columbus Lions are an indoor football team of the Professional Indoor Football League. Based in Columbus, Georgia, the Lions play their home games at the Columbus Civic Center... |
Away | Lost 82-19 |
| April 18 | Reading Express Reading Express The Reading Express are a professional indoor football team based out of Reading, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Indoor Football League, having begun play as a member of the American Indoor Football League 2006... |
Away | Won 40-36 |
| April 24 | Florence Phantoms Florence Phantoms The Florence Phantoms was a professional arena football team based out of Florence, South Carolina, in the United States. They are a 2006 expansion member of the American Indoor Football Association, and the current AIFA Champions as of the 2008 season's end... |
Home | Lost 52-58 |
| May 2 | Harrisburg Stampede Harrisburg Stampede The Harrisburg Stampede is a professional indoor football team in American Indoor Football. The team plays its home games at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center.... |
Away | Won 37-27 |
| May 10 | Erie RiverRats | Away | Lost 50-53 |
| May 23 | Columbus Lions Columbus Lions The Columbus Lions are an indoor football team of the Professional Indoor Football League. Based in Columbus, Georgia, the Lions play their home games at the Columbus Civic Center... |
Home | Won 52-32 |
| May 30 | D.C. Armor D.C. Armor The D.C. Armor was a professional indoor football team that began play in the American Indoor Football Association in the 2009 season. The team was based in Washington, D.C., with home games at the under-renovation D.C. Armory. The Armor were the first professional football team to play within the... |
Home | Won 57-24 |
| June 6 | D.C. Armor D.C. Armor The D.C. Armor was a professional indoor football team that began play in the American Indoor Football Association in the 2009 season. The team was based in Washington, D.C., with home games at the under-renovation D.C. Armory. The Armor were the first professional football team to play within the... |
Away | Won 57-28 |
| June 14 | Harrisburg Stampede Harrisburg Stampede The Harrisburg Stampede is a professional indoor football team in American Indoor Football. The team plays its home games at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center.... |
Home | Won 58-55 |
| June 20 | South Carolina Force South Carolina Force The Greenville Force was a professional indoor football team in the Southern Indoor Football League. The team was based in Greenville, South Carolina, with home games played at the BI-LO Center. The Force was the first arena/indoor football team based in Greenville since the af2's Carolina Rhinos... |
Away | Loss 62-38 |
| June 27 | D.C. Armor D.C. Armor The D.C. Armor was a professional indoor football team that began play in the American Indoor Football Association in the 2009 season. The team was based in Washington, D.C., with home games at the under-renovation D.C. Armory. The Armor were the first professional football team to play within the... |
Home | Won 70-22 |
| July 2^ | Reading Express Reading Express The Reading Express are a professional indoor football team based out of Reading, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Indoor Football League, having begun play as a member of the American Indoor Football League 2006... |
Away | Lost 50-20 |
2010 season schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home Home team In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans... /Away Home team In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans... |
Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 6 | Harrisburg Stampede Harrisburg Stampede The Harrisburg Stampede is a professional indoor football team in American Indoor Football. The team plays its home games at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center.... |
Away | Won 55-48 |
| March 14 | New Jersey Revolution | Home | Won 68-23 |
| March 21 | Fayetteville Guard Fayetteville Guard The Fayetteville Force is the former name of a professional indoor football team in the Southern Indoor Football League. They debuted the SIFL following the SIFL/AIFA merger and play home games at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum.... |
Home | Won 59-0 |
| March 28 | Richmond Raiders | Home | Won 49-45 |
| April 11 | New Jersey Revolution | Away | Won 61-27 |
| April 17 | Reading Express Reading Express The Reading Express are a professional indoor football team based out of Reading, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Indoor Football League, having begun play as a member of the American Indoor Football League 2006... |
Away | Won 51-27 |
| April 24 | Fayetteville Guard Fayetteville Guard The Fayetteville Force is the former name of a professional indoor football team in the Southern Indoor Football League. They debuted the SIFL following the SIFL/AIFA merger and play home games at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum.... |
Away | Won 91-19 |
| May 2 | Harrisburg Stampede Harrisburg Stampede The Harrisburg Stampede is a professional indoor football team in American Indoor Football. The team plays its home games at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center.... |
Home | Won 50-17 |
| May 13 | Fayetteville Guard Fayetteville Guard The Fayetteville Force is the former name of a professional indoor football team in the Southern Indoor Football League. They debuted the SIFL following the SIFL/AIFA merger and play home games at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum.... |
Away | Won 63-34 |
| May 29 | Richmond Raiders | Away | Won 57-39 |
| June 5 | Erie Storm | Home | Won 51-34 |
| June 13 | Erie Storm | Away | Won 39-37 |
| June 19 | New Jersey Revolution | Home | Won 84-6 |
| June 26 | Reading Express Reading Express The Reading Express are a professional indoor football team based out of Reading, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Indoor Football League, having begun play as a member of the American Indoor Football League 2006... |
Home | Won 69-35 |
| July 10^ | Harrisburg Stampede Harrisburg Stampede The Harrisburg Stampede is a professional indoor football team in American Indoor Football. The team plays its home games at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center.... |
Home | Won 63-15 |
| July 25^ | Wyoming Cavalry Wyoming Cavalry The Wyoming Cavalry are a professional indoor football team of the Indoor Football League. They play their home games in Casper, Wyoming at Casper Events Center.... |
Home | Won 57-42 |
^ - indicates playoff game