AFL wild card weekend quick hitters
Published on May 18, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
SNAKE BITTEN: The Arizona Rattlers are one win away from tying the AFL record for postseason wins currently held by the Tampa Bay Storm. The Rattlers can tie the Storm with a win over the Utah Blaze this Saturday at the U.S. Airways Center at 5 p.m. ET on OLN.
ALL-TIME POSTSEASON WINS
TEAM WINS
1. Tampa Bay Storm 21
2. Arizona Rattlers 20
3. Orlando Predators 20
4. Detroit Drive 12
RUSHING THE RECORD BOOK: San Jose SaberCats WR/DB BARRY WAGNER and Arizona Rattlers FB/LB BO KELLY rank among the all-time playoff leaders for rushing yards. Wagner is tied for second with LYNN BRADFORD and Kelly ranks fourth. With strong rushing performances and victories, each player has a chance to catch ANDRE BOWDEN for the all-time lead. The SaberCats have a first round bye, but Kelly has a chance to move up the list against Arizona this Saturday at the U.S. Airways Center at 5 p.m. ET on OLN.
TOP 5: ALL-TIME POSTSEASON RUSHING YARDS
NAME YARDS
1. Andre Bowden 228
2t. Lynn Bradford 189
2t. Barry Wagner* 189
4. Bo Kelly* 181
5. Les Barley 153
*Active in 2006 playoffs
Wagner is also close to breaking the all-time playoff record for receptions. He currently has 127, needing seven to surpass HUNKIE COOPER. Arizona Rattlers WR/DB RANDY GATEWOOD needs five receptions to pass EDDIE BROWN and 12 to move into third, ahead of STEVIE THOMAS.
TOP 5: ALL-TIME POSTSEASON RECEPTIONS
NAME REC
1. Hunkie Cooper 133
2. Barry Wagner* 127
3. Stevie Thomas 92
4. Eddie Brown 85
5. Randy Gatewood* 81
*Active in 2006 playoffs
QB DUEL: Three of the AFL's all-time leaders in playoff touchdown passes are active this postseason, with two, Arizona Rattlers QB SHERDRICK BONNER and Utah Blaze QB ANDY KELLY, squaring off this Saturday at the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix at 5 p.m. ET on OLN.
Kelly, the AFL regular-season career touchdown leader (768), needs six touchdown passes to move into third place, passing former QB and current Orlando Predators Head Coach JAY GRUDEN.
San Jose SaberCats QB MARK GRIEB, in his ninth AFL season, has a chance to add to his second-place total in the Divisional Round next week.
TOP 5: ALL-TIME POSTSEASON PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
NAME TDS
1. Sherdrick Bonner* 116
2. Mark Grieb* 57
3. Jay Gruden 52
4. Andy Kelly* 47
5. Kurt Warner 40
*Active in playoffs
PLAYOFF HERO: San Jose SaberCats WR/DB BARRY WAGNER has produced many playoff highlights over his prolific career. On August 19, 1995, at Iowa, while playing for Orlando, Wagner scored 38 points and scored six touchdowns in a 56-49 Semifinal victory. The 38 points is tied for the highest single-game total in playoff history with JAMES BOWDEN and Wagner shares the single-game playoff touchdown total with three other players.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Home-field advantage has always played a crucial roll in the road to the ArenaBowl. In the 19-year history of the ArenaBowl, 36 of the 38 teams to compete in the championship game started on their respective journeys with a home playoff game, including all 19 ArenaBowl Champions.
COACHING EXCELLENCE: This year's postseason features four coaches who have sustained playoff-caliber squads for over half-a-decade. Utah Blaze Head Coach DANNY WHITE leads the group with 13 consecutive trips between the expansion Blaze and the Arizona Rattlers, who he led to 12 straight appearances. San Jose SaberCats Head Coach DARREN ARBET, Chicago Rush Head Coach MIKE HOHENSEE, and Orlando Predators Head Coach JAY GRUDEN round out the quartet.
CONSECUTIVE PLAYOFF APPEARANCES
NAME APPEARANCES
Danny White, Utah Blaze/Arizona Rattlers 13
Darren Arbet, San Jose SaberCats 7
Mike Hohensee, Chicago Rush/New England Sea Wolves 7
Jay Gruden, Orlando Predators 6
HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Utah Blaze Head Coach DANNY WHITE is 16-3 all-time in Arizona during the playoffs as he tries to earn his first victory with the Blaze coaching against his former team.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 18, 2006
- Wranglers playoff game this Sunday - Austin Wranglers
- SaberCats announce date for first playoff game - San Jose SaberCats
- AFL wild card weekend quick hitters - AFL I
- AFL wild card must-see matchups - AFL I
- Colorado Crush playoff game set for May 28 - Colorado Crush
- Soul WR/DB Mike Brown named to All-Arena Ironman Team - Philadelphia Soul
- Third Eye Blind to headline ArenaBowl XX - AFL I
- Titans' 2006 Rookie Class Featured At Kats Game - Nashville Kats
- Force WR/LB Derek Lee named to AFL All-Ironman Team - Georgia Force
- Wranglers' Dane Krager named to All-Ironman team - Austin Wranglers
- Blaze re-sign Tom Pace, Steve Videtich - Utah Blaze
- Rampage's Timon Marshall named to AFL U.S. Army All-Ironman team - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Dallas Desperados and Will McClay Agree to Contract Extension - Dallas Desperados
- Gatewood Named to AFL "All-Ironman Team" - Arizona Rattlers
- Gladiators announce team awards - Las Vegas Gladiators
- Hans Olsen named to All-Ironman team - Utah Blaze
- Kats' Carter Named To All-Ironman Squad - Nashville Kats
- Rush WR/LB DeJuan Alfonzo named to AFL All-Ironman team - Chicago Rush
- 2006 AFL All-Ironman Team announced - AFL I
- 2001 Rampage selected as the 12th greatest team in AFL history - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Record-setting year for Orlando Predators - Orlando Predators
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