Orlando predators vs tampa bay storm pro#
Orlando predators vs tampa bay storm series#

The Cleveland Arena Football League franchise now bears the Gladiators name, however, the two organizations share no link in history nor records. The team moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Tampa, FL in 1991, with the team taking on the 'Storm' nickname.

The Gladiators participated in ArenaBowls I and III, losing both. They originally played their home games at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team was named by Robert Ninehouser whose entry for the team name was selected in 1987.

The franchise was originally known as the Pittsburgh Gladiators, and was one of the original four AFL teams formed in 1987. Home games were played at Amalie Arena in Tampa. The club was last owned by Jeffrey Vinik, also the owner of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. After the team dissolved in 2017, indoor football in the Tampa Bay area was succeeded by the Tampa Bay Tornadoes who began to play in 2021 in the American Arena League. With 241 wins, the Storm had won far more games than any other team in AFL history. During its tenure the franchise won five ArenaBowl championships. During their tenure they have won five ArenaBowl championships. Together with the Orlando Predators they had been in their city for longer than any other AFL team. They played in Tampa from 1991–2008, after which point the AFL folded, and resumed operations for the 2010 season following the league's restructuring. They relocated to Tampa in 1991 and adopted their current name. The team began play in 1987 as the Pittsburgh Gladiators, one of the AFL's four charter franchises, and the only one still operating. They played their home games in the Amalie Arena (formerly the Tampa Bay Times Forum) in downtown Tampa. The Tampa Bay Storm were an Arena Football League (AFL) team which was based in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. The Jungle - the nickname for the Preds’ home field - came to life because of fans who exposed their loyalty (and, in the early days, sometimes more) at every game.1997–2017 Tampa/St. A smile, an electric personality and a joy for football were Walls’ winning combination. One of the most popular Preds ever, McCurey Hercules Walls caught three touchdowns for the team in its first game and never stopped. All of Orlando’s ArenaBowl berths came in a 15-year stretch, ensuring its place in league history long before the final second expired. The Preds first played for their league’s biggest prize after their second season, losing 56-38 to the Detroit Drive at Amway Arena in 1992. They grieved with their community, and they were in the early stages of healing. The team honored victims and first responders that night, and coach Rob Keefe was emotional in his postgame comments about how the shooting affected his team and him. The Preds beat the Storm 56-33 in their first game at Amway Center since the Pulse tragedy that claimed 49 lives.

While the rivalry was one-sided in Orlando’s favor at the end, the passion, intensity and respect (at least from the players’ perspective) when the 81 miles between the teams was bridged seldom waned.

Orlando predators vs tampa bay storm series#

The Preds led the all-time series with the Tampa Bay Storm 34-27. It was easy for Central Florida to develop a rooting interest because of that. Relationships were built, whether it was with Wagner, Gruden, Kenny McEntyre or Herkie Walls - or players whose names are long forgotten. They mingled with the fans, whether it was after a game or in the community. Long before his current gig as the Washington Redskins’ coach, Gruden coached the Preds to both of their ArenaBowl titles in nine seasons, a stint interrupted when Gruden focused on being the team’s quarterback for two years. At times, it was like a football game played inside a pinball machine. A 50-yard playing surface with smaller end zones. The Hall of Fame wide receiver-defensive back was the AFL’s all-time Ironman. No player in AFL history affected a game as much as Wagner, who spent more than half of his 16-year career in the arena league with the Preds.

Orlando predators vs tampa bay storm pro#

They were Central Florida’s most successful pro football franchise since the Orlando Panthers, who captured two Continental Football League championships in the late 1960s.īarry Wagner. Here are 10 reasons they won’t be forgotten: The Preds were a big part of the Central Florida sports scene. Twenty years of football can’t be wiped away by a 211-word statement posted to the Preds’ website Wednesday, announcing the team was suspending operations. 6, 2016, in what could be the last game the franchise ever plays, the Preds dropped a 69-68 overtime decision to the Jacksonville Sharks in a first-round playoff matchup. On June 1, 1991, the Orlando Predators lost 51-38 to the host Tampa Bay Storm in their first Arena Football League game.