| Memphis Express | |
| Established: | 2018 |
| Folded: | 2019 |
| Location: | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Stadium: | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| Coach: | Mike Singletary |
| Manager: | Will Lewis |
| League: | Alliance of American Football |
| Division: | Eastern Conference (2019) |
| Colors: | Red, blue & white |
| President: | Kosha Irby |
The Memphis Express was a professional American football franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was a member of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) during its single season in 2019.[1] They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium,[2] and were coached by former NFL player and head coach Mike Singletary.
On April 2, 2019, the league's football operations were reportedly suspended,[3] [4] and on April 4 the league allowed players to leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams.[5]
The Alliance of American Football announced the awarding of the third inaugural league team, Alliance Memphis, on May 4, 2018.[6] This announcement was followed by the May 10, 2018, announcement of Mike Singletary as the team's head coach.[7]
On July 30, 2018, the Alliance announced team Memphis had signed its first 29 players.[8] On September 20, the league announced four eastern inaugural franchises' names and logos including Memphis as the Memphis Express.[9] The name is derived from Memphis' significance as a mail and cargo transport city being the "World Headquarters" of FedEx (formerly Federal Express), with an airplane being featured in the logo.[10] (FedEx CEO Frederick W. Smith had previously owned the Memphis Mad Dogs pro football team in the 1990s; as the AAF was a single-entity league that never progressed to selling individual franchises as originally planned, Smith had no involvement or investment with the Express, despite the use of the Express name and imagery.)
On January 5, 2019, training camp opened in San Antonio, Texas.[11] The final 52-man roster was released on January 30.[12] The Express' inaugural game, played against the Birmingham Iron at Legion Field on February 10, ended in a 26–0 shutout loss.[13] Their first home game was a 20–18 loss against the Arizona Hotshots during week 2.[14] Memphis notched their first win on March 2, with a 26–23 victory over the San Diego Fleet at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.[15]
On March 16, 2019, shortly after the Express fell to 1–5 in a 22–9 loss to the Salt Lake Stallions, the team announced they had signed Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel.[16]
On April 2, 2019, the league's football operations were suspended,[3] [4] and on April 4 the league allowed players to leave their contracts to sign with NFL teams.[5] On April 17, 2019, the league announced the cessation of business operations after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.[17]
The Express' assigned area, which designated player rights, included the following colleges:
Colleges
National Football League (NFL)
Canadian Football League (CFL)
| Team: | Memphis Express |
| Year: | 2019 |
| No Prevseason: | true |
| No Nextseason: | true |
| Record: | 2–6 |
| League Place: | 3rd (tie), Eastern Conference |
| Coach: | Mike Singletary |
| General Manager: | Will Lewis |
| Owner: | Alliance of American Football |
| Stadium: | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| Teamdisplay: | Memphis Express |
| Shortnavlink: | Memphis Express |
All times Central
| Week | Day | Date | Kickoff | TV | Opponent | Results | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||||||
| 1 | Sunday | February 10 | 3:00 p.m. | CBSSN | at Birmingham Iron | L 0–26 | 0–1 | Legion Field |
| 2 | Saturday | February 16 | 7:00 p.m. | NFLN | Arizona Hotshots | L 18–20 | 0–2 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| 3 | Saturday | February 23 | 7:00 p.m. | NFLN | at Orlando Apollos | L 17–21 | 0–3 | Spectrum Stadium |
| 4 | Saturday | March 2 | 3:00 p.m. | B/R Live | San Diego Fleet | W 26–23 | 1–3 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| 5 | Sunday | March 10 | 3:00 p.m. | CBSSN | at Atlanta Legends | L 20–23 | 1–4 | Georgia State Stadium |
| 6 | Saturday | March 16 | 3:00 p.m. | B/R Live | at Salt Lake Stallions | L 9–22 | 1–5 | Rice–Eccles Stadium |
| 7 | Sunday | March 24 | 7:00 p.m. | NFLN | Birmingham Iron | W 31–25 OT | 2–5 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| 8 | Saturday | March 30 | 1:00 p.m. | TNT | Orlando Apollos | L 31–34 | 2–6 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| 9 | Saturday | April 6 | 11:00 a.m. | CBS | at San Antonio Commanders | Not played | Alamodome | |
| 10 | Saturday | April 13 | 7:00 p.m. | NFLN | Atlanta Legends | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | ||
This was the first overtime game in AAF history. Despite newly signed quarterback Johnny Manziel playing a few series for the Express, starter Brandon Silvers led the team to a comeback victory, keeping its slim postseason chances alive.[21]
In addition to league-wide television coverage through NFL Network, CBS Sports Network, TNT, and B/R Live, Memphis' games were also broadcast on local radio by KWNW, an iHeartMedia station branded as 101.9 Kiss FM.[22]