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Orlando Predators
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The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 17 seasons in a row, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000.
Orlando Predators franchise was awarded by the AFL to Davey Johnson, Tracy Allen and Mike McBath on February 28, 1991, and began play that same year, the only year so far that they missed the playoffs.
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Encyclopedia
The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 17 seasons in a row, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000.
History
The Orlando Predators franchise was awarded by the AFL to Davey Johnson, Tracy Allen and Mike McBath on February 28, 1991, and began play that same year, the only year so far that they missed the playoffs. Annually among the league-leaders in attendance, they have qualified for the playoffs 16 consecutive years and they even posted 15 consecutive winning seasons from 1992-2006, the longest active streak in the AFL. One noted administrator for the Predators was Hall of Fame lineman Jack Youngblood who came to the Predators in 1995 as vice-president and then later, president of the organization. He was with the team through the 1999 season. They are currently coached by Jay Gruden, younger brother of prominent National Football League coach Jon Gruden. Jay Gruden was formerly an outstanding Arena Football quarterback, leading the Tampa Bay Storm to four ArenaBowl championships, and then served one year as offensive coordinator for the Nashville Kats prior to becoming head coach of the Predators. Jay was the first quarterback in the AFL Hall of Fame. Orlando won the ArenaBowl in 1998 and 2000 under Gruden's coaching. He then attempted a comeback as a player, but subsequently returned to coaching following the death of his head coach replacement, Fran Papasedero, in a car accident.
The Predators are undoubtedly one of the premier franchises in the history of the Arena Football League, and have a legendary rivalry with Tampa Bay, who moved to St. Petersburg the same year the Predators formed. They have met twice in the ArenaBowl, with Tampa Bay winning in 1995 and Orlando winning in 1998. The rivalry, nicknamed the "War On I-4" after the interstate that connects the two cities, intensified when Jay Gruden, a legend in Tampa Bay's history as their quarterback, became Orlando's head coach. Orlando is tied with Tampa Bay for the longest tenure in a market by a team, and are unique in that they are now (2006) in their sixteenth season of playing in the same venue, Hummer Field at Amway Arena (formerly T.D. Waterhouse Centre), or, as it's called on game days, The Jungle due to the hostile environment from the fans, harsh smoke that fills the arena during the players intro, and a Guns N' Roses song which "welcomes" other teams followed by their impending death. They share Amway Arena with the Orlando Magic of the NBA. The Predators have played in the ArenaBowl a total of seven times, more than any other current team. If you include the Pittsburgh Gladiators' two ArenaBowl games before they moved to Tampa Bay, the Storm is the only team that has more (eight; six as the Storm). The Predators currently compete in the Southern Division of the National Conference.
The team's current mascot is a monster-like human named Klaw whom looks much like the alien (Predator) from the Predator films, with only different coloring.
The Predators will move to the new Orlando Events Center beginning in the 2011 AFL season.
During the 2007-2008 Season, the Predators inaugurated the "Predator Fan Hall Of Fame". The sole inductee is Nancy Morris, who has been a superfan for almost sixteen years, is known to most of the team and the front office as "The PredMom", and is currently the president of the Orlando Predator In Your Face Fan Club.
Predator highlights
The Predators made Arena Football League history in consecutive weeks during the 1992 season:
- On June 13, 1992, the team defeated the San Antonio Force 50-0. San Antonio kicker Matt Frantz missed six field goals. This is the first game shutout in the history of indoor football. Although there have been shutouts in af2 and other indoor football leagues, it is still the only shutout in Arena League history to date.
- On Friday, June 19, 1992, in a Week 4 road game against the Detroit Drive, quarterback Ben Bennett and the Predators trailed 42-32 with only 49 seconds left. In a miraculous feat of strength, Wide receiver / Defensive back Barry Wagner would catch two touchdown passes, get two two-point conversions, recover an onside kick, and even make the game-winning tackle. Orlando would win 50-49. The comeback would become known as "The Miracle Minute". On the AFL's 20 Greatest Highlights Countdown, this comeback ranked #1.
Current roster
Coaches
| Head coach | Tenure | Regular season
record (W-L) | Post season
record (W-L) | Most recent coaching staff | Notes |
|---|
| Perry Moss | 1991 - 1997 | 59-25 | 8-8 | | | | Jay Gruden | 1998 - 2001 | 35-21 | 8-2 | | Re-signed as head coach to
become starting quarterback.
Arena Football League Hall
of Fame (1999)
All-ArenaBowl Team - QB (1999)
Second-team 15th
Anniversary Team - QB (2001)
2x ArenaBowl winning
coach (XII, XIV) | | Fran Papasedero | 2002 - 2003 | 19-11 | 3-2 | | | | Jay Gruden | 2004 - present | 47-33 | 3-5 | Assis. Head Coach:
Les Moss (1991 - present)
Line Coach:
Willie Fears (2004 - present)
WR Coach:
Sean Beckton (2008 - present) | Arena Football League 20
Greatest Players - #4 (2006) | |
Notable players
AFL Hall of Famers
Season-by-season
|-
|1991 || 3 || 7 || 0 || 7th || --
|-
|1992 || 9 || 1 || 0 || 1st Southern || Won Week 1 (Cleveland)
Won Semifinals (Tampa Bay)
Lost ArenaBowl VI (Detroit)
|-
|1993 || 10 || 2 || 0 || 1st NC || Won Week 1(Miami)
Lost Semifinals (Tampa Bay)
|-
|1994 || 11 || 1 || 0 || 1st NC || Won Week 1 (Fort Worth)
Won Semifinals (Massachusetts)
Lost ArenaBowl VIII (Arizona)
|-
|1995 || 7 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NC Southern || Won Week 1 (San Jose)
Won Semifinals (Iowa)
Lost ArenaBowl IX (Tampa Bay)
|-
|1996 || 9 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NC Southern || Lost Week 1 (Arizona)
|-
|1997 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 1st NC Southern || Won Week 1 (New Jersey)
Lost Semifinals (Iowa)
|-
|1998 || 9 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NC Southern || Won Week 1 (Nashville)
Won Semifinals (Arizona)
Won ArenaBowl XII (Tampa Bay)
|-
|1999 || 7 || 7 || 0 || 3rd NC Southern || Won Week 1 (Tampa Bay)
Won Semifinals (Iowa)
Lost ArenaBowl XIII (Albany)
|-
|2000 || 11 || 3 || 0 || 1st NC Southern || Won Quarterfinals (Tampa Bay)
Won Semifinals (Arizona)
Won ArenaBowl XIV (Nashville)
|-
|2001 || 8 || 6 || 0 || 3rd NC Southern || Lost Week 1 (Chicago)
|-
|2002 || 7 || 7 || 0 || 1st NC Southern || Won Week 1 (Buffalo)
Won Quarterfinals (New Jersey)
Lost Semifinals (San Jose)
|-
|2003 || 12 || 4 || 0 || 2nd NC Southern || Won Quarterfinals (New York)
Lost Semfinals (Tampa Bay)
|-
|2004 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NC Southern || Lost Week 1 (Chicago)
|-
|2005|| 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NC Southern || Won Week 1 (New York)
Lost NC Championship (Georgia)
|-
|2006 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 1st NC Southern || Won Week 2 (Philadelphia)
Won NC Championship (Dallas)
Lost ArenaBowl XX (Chicago)
|-
|2007 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 3rd NC Southern || Lost Week 1 (Philadelphia)
|-
|2008 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd NC Southern || Lost Wild Card (Cleveland)
|-
!Totals || 182 || 105 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
External links
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