ArenaBowl XIV
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ArenaBowl XIV is widely hailed as one of the most exciting games in
ArenaBowl The ArenaBowl was the championship game of the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally hosted at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena based on home attendance during the inaugural 1987 season, save four years (2005–2008) the game was hosted by the team w ...
history, ranking alongside classics such as
ArenaBowl XVIII ArenaBowl XVIII saw the San Jose SaberCats and Arizona Rattlers competing for the 2004 Arena Football League championship. Until 2010, this game marked the last time the ArenaBowl was held at the home arena of the higher-seeded team, rather than ...
and
ArenaBowl XIX ArenaBowl XIX was the 2005 championship game of the Arena Football League (AFL), and was played at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada. The first neutral-site title game in AFL history drew 10,822 fans to see the Colorado Crush defeat t ...
. Featuring two teams from the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...
's Southern Division, the game went as a Southern Division game might be expected to: a low-scoring, largely defensive struggle. In the end, however, Orlando Predator kicker David Cool converted a 19-yard
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...
as time expired to give the
Predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...
a 41-38 victory over the
Nashville Kats The Nashville Kats were an Arena Football League team, located in Nashville, Tennessee. They were last coached by Pat Sperduto, who coached the team's original incarnation to two ArenaBowl appearances prior to the original franchise's move to A ...
and their second
ArenaBowl The ArenaBowl was the championship game of the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally hosted at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena based on home attendance during the inaugural 1987 season, save four years (2005–2008) the game was hosted by the team w ...
title in three years.


Game summary

The
Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators were a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida and member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was most recently owned by Orlando Predators LLC, a company owned by David A. Siegel, and played it ...
got out to a fast start in ArenaBowl XIV, opening the game with a safety and following with a pair of touchdowns to take a 15-0 lead. Though
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
quarterback Andy Kelly would soon connect with
Jeff Russell Jeffrey Lee Russell (born September 2, 1961) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played 14 years from 1983 to 1996. Russell played for the Cincinnati Reds of the National League and the Texas Rangers, Oakland A's, Boston R ...
to pull within 15-7,
Predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...
quarterback
Connell Maynor Connell Maynor (born January 21, 1969) is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Alabama A&M University until he was relieved of his duties December 2, 2024. Maynor previously served in the same capacity a ...
answered with two more touchdown passes of his own, putting
Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...
ahead 29-7 with 10 minutes to play in the first half. The score remained that way for nearly eight minutes until
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
's
William Gaines William Maxwell "Bill" Gaines (; March 1, 1922 – June 3, 1992) was an American publisher and co-editor of EC Comics. Following a shift in EC's direction in 1950, Gaines presided over what became an artistically influential and historically i ...
recorded a safety, seemingly awakening the
Kats Kats or KATS may refer to: * KATS, a radio station (94.5 FM) licensed to Yakima, Washington, USA * Kats, Netherlands, a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland * The Kats, a 1970s American band * Korean Agency for Technology and Standards * Kats, ...
and beginning a furious comeback.
Kelly Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Kelly'' (Kelly Price album), 2011 * ''Kelly'' (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), by Mark Charlap, 1965 * "Kelly" (song), by Kelly Rowland, 2018 * ''Kelly'' (film), Canada, 1981 * ...
threw for two touchdowns in the final minute of the first half, pulling the
Kats Kats or KATS may refer to: * KATS, a radio station (94.5 FM) licensed to Yakima, Washington, USA * Kats, Netherlands, a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland * The Kats, a 1970s American band * Korean Agency for Technology and Standards * Kats, ...
within six at halftime, and took a 30-29 lead by opening the second half with a touchdown pass to lineman
James Baron James Baron (born June 8, 1973) is a former arena football defensive lineman in the Arena Football League. He was the Arena Football League Players Association's (AFLPA) president as well. In his career, Baron has played for the Detroit Lions, ...
. A
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...
by
Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...
's David Cool was followed by a touchdown pass from Maynor to
Bret Cooper Bret Cooper (born December 16, 1970) is an American former professional football player who played twelve seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Tampa Bay Storm, Memphis Pharaohs, San Jose SaberCats, Orlando Predators, Buffalo Dest ...
(though, critically,
Cool Cool commonly refers to: * Cool, a moderately low temperature * Cool (aesthetic), an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, and style Cool or COOL may also refer to: Economics * Country of origin labelling * mCOOL - US consumer legislation to enfo ...
missed the
extra point Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...
), giving the
Predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...
a 38-30 advantage early in the fourth quarter.
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
's momentum was further slowed by the loss of
Kelly Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Kelly'' (Kelly Price album), 2011 * ''Kelly'' (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), by Mark Charlap, 1965 * "Kelly" (song), by Kelly Rowland, 2018 * ''Kelly'' (film), Canada, 1981 * ...
, who left with a knee injury and was replaced by rookie backup
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
.
Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...
threw an interception on his first possession but, after
Cool Cool commonly refers to: * Cool, a moderately low temperature * Cool (aesthetic), an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, and style Cool or COOL may also refer to: Economics * Country of origin labelling * mCOOL - US consumer legislation to enfo ...
missed a 22-yard
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...
, quickly atoned for the mistake by finding Darryl Hammond for a 45-yard score, and connected with
Cory Fleming Cory Lamont Fleming (born March 19, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Nashville Kats, Carolina Cobras and Or ...
for the
two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion, two-point convert, or two-point attempt is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that ...
, tying the game at 38 with 6:26 to play. Defense again took over as the game went scoreless until the
Predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...
drove down the field to set up a potentially game-winning 19-yard
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...
by
Cool Cool commonly refers to: * Cool, a moderately low temperature * Cool (aesthetic), an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, and style Cool or COOL may also refer to: Economics * Country of origin labelling * mCOOL - US consumer legislation to enfo ...
as time expired.
Cool Cool commonly refers to: * Cool, a moderately low temperature * Cool (aesthetic), an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, and style Cool or COOL may also refer to: Economics * Country of origin labelling * mCOOL - US consumer legislation to enfo ...
had struggled all game, having missed two extra points and three field goals, but was able to convert this one, giving
Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...
the 41-38 win.


Scoring summary

1st Quarter *ORL - Safety *ORL - Dell 16 pass from Maynor (Cool kick) *ORL - Douglass 3 run (Cool kick failed) *NASH - Russell 33 pass from Kelly (McLaughlin kick) 2nd Quarter *ORL - Hamilton 18 pass from Maynor (Cool kick) *ORL - Douglass 5 pass from Maynor (Cool kick) *NASH - Safety *NASH - Fleming 1 pass from Kelly (McLaughlin kick) *NASH - Hammond 5 pass from Kelly (McLaughlin kick) 3rd Quarter *NASH - Baron 28 pass from Kelly (McLaughlin kick) *ORL - FG Cool 38 4th Quarter *ORL - Cooper 15 pass from Maynor (Cool kick failed) *NASH - Hammond 45 pass from Brown (Fleming pass from Brown) *ORL - FG Cool 19


Trivia

*On the Arena Football League's 20 Greatest Highlights Countdown (shown on arenafootball.com during the AFL's 20th season), this game is tied at #1


External links


ArenaFan Box Score

Box Score and Summary from Arenabowl.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arenabowl Xiv ArenaBowl, 014 2000 Arena Football League season 2000 in sports in Florida 2000 in Orlando, Florida Orlando Predators American football competitions in Orlando, Florida Nashville Kats August 2000 sports events in the United States