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Gladiators' Game Notes vs. New York Dragons

February 19, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Las Vegas Gladiators News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Game: Las Vegas Gladiators (1-2) vs. New York Dragons (0-3)
Date: Saturday, February 22, 2003
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
National Anthem: TBA
Coin Toss: TBA
Officials: Referee: Bill Athan, Umpire: Rick Nelson Head Linesman: Tim Podroza, Line Judge:Thomas Symonnette, Back Judge: Rob Vernatchi
Radio: ESPN Radio 920 (Las Vegas) – Andrew Siciliano (play-by-play), Mike Pritchard (color commentary)
Coaches: Frank Haege, Las Vegas Gladiators (10-7, 2nd year); John Gregory, New York Dragons, (66-47, 9th year)

THE SERIES: The series between the Gladiators and the Dragons dates back to 2001 with the Gladiators winning the last meeting 76-50 to even the series at a two games a piece (Both clubs also met three times since 1997 when the Gladiators were the New Jersey Red Dogs and the Dragons were the Iowa Barnstormers).

Last Meeting: Jay McDonagh threw six touchdowns to help beat New York 76-50. Game MVP Mike Horacek caught two touchdowns in the first quarter to give New Jersey a 14-10 lead. Chris Pope added a 1-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter to extend the Gladiators lead to 69-36. McDonagh was 17 of 26 for 220 yards and six touchdowns. A fumble on the goal line by the Dragons Aaron Garcia, allowed the Gladiators to extend their lead as McDonagh threw his third TD pass to Horacek from 18-yards giving the Gladiators a 21-10 lead. The Gladiators had taken the lead 35-24 late in the second quarter when McDonagh carried it in from 1-yard out to close out the scoring in the first half. It was McDonagh's sixth rushing touchdown of the season. The Gladiators opened their lead to 52-24 behind a stingy defense that forced two second half interceptions. Gladiators Carl Greenwood picked off Garcia and returned it for a touchdown. The Gladiators 76 points tied their season high that was set in the overtime contest earlier in the season against the Dragons.

THE IFs:

If the Gladiators win, it would...
Give Las Vegas a 3-2 series record with New York
Give Las Vegas a 2-2 record in 2003
Give Las Vegas a 1-2 record on the road

LAS VEGAS GLADIATORS, Head Coach: Frank Haege Second Season (10-7, 0-1 in playoffs with Gladiators)

The Las Vegas Gladiators second-year head coach can look back upon his rookie year in the AFL and boast about his wide array of accomplishments. Haege led the Gladiators to the fourth-best record in the AFL and their first-ever playoff berth in franchise history. Haege believes that there is still a lot of work to do and will not rest until the job is complete. Haege also serves as the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks, and wide receivers coach.

The Gladiators 9-5 record and first place finish in the Eastern Division of the National Conference was the biggest turnaround in AFL history. The Gladiators finished the 2002 regular season with seven more victories than the previous season.

The Gladiators set franchise marks in almost all offensive categories and earned five road victories in seven tries. In all five victories, New Jersey came back to win after entering the fourth quarter either tied or trailing their opponent. In one of the wildest games of the season, the Gladiators scored 34 points against the New York Dragons in the fourth quarter to tie the game before winning in OT.

Haege was named the second head coach of the New Jersey Gladiators on August 23, 2001. Haege brought with him six players and an assistant coach from the Steamwheelers.

Previously, he spent two years as the head coach and director of football operations with the Quad City Steamwheelers (af2) in 2000 and 2001. Haege posted a remarkable 37-1 record, including an undefeated 2000 season. The Steamwheelers became the first AFL or af2 team to have an undefeated season.

On August 10, 2001, Frank Haege made his mark in the af2 record books by leading the Quad City Steamwheelers to a 55-51 win over the Richmond Speed to secure a second-straight championship.

In 2000, his 19-0 Steamwheelers defeated the Tennessee Valley Vipers 68-59 to win the first-ever ArenaCup, played on August 10, 2000. This completed the perfect season.

Haege will enter his ninth season in Arena Football in 2003, when the Gladiators open the season in February. Haege is no stranger to the Garden State; he coached in the AFL with the New Jersey Red Dogs (1997-99) under John Hufnagel (1997-98), now the quarterbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Prior to joining the Red Dogs in New Jersey, Haege was the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Fighting Pike, a former AFL franchise in 1996. In 1994, while with the Milwaukee Mustangs, he served as the team's special teams coordinator and FB/LB coach.

Haege has also coached on the collegiate level. He was the offensive coordinator from 1996-1998 at Augsburg College(MN), a Division III school, while coaching Arena Football in the spring.

Prior to his time at Augsburg College, he also coached from 1992-1995 with Bemidji State University (MN), a Division II program, where he directed the secondary. His playing career included one year (1987) as a wide receiver for Vermillion Community College (MN) and three years as a tight end at the University of Wisconsin-Stout (1989-1991).

Haege earned a bachelor's degree in marketing education from UW-Stout in 1992, before completing his master's degree in physical education at Bemidji in 1995.

Haege was born on Oct 11, 1968 in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. He is married (Michele) and resides in Nutley, NJ.

New York Dragons , Head Coach: John Gregory Ninth Season (66-47, 6-6 in post season) John Gregory has been the only head coach in the franchise's eight-year history, standing at the helm since the Iowa Barnstormers' inception in 1995 and continuing with their re-birth as the New York Dragons in 2001.

Under Gregory, the franchise has won four Central Division championships and qualified for the playoffs six times compiling an overall record of 69-39. The Barnstormers played in the ArenaBowl title game twice, losing in 1996 and 1997. In his first year in New York, Gregory led the team to an 8-6 record and qualified for the playoffs. Gregory has twice been named Arena Football League Coach of the Year, winning the award in 1995 and 1996.

Gregory earned nation-wide attention when former Barnstormer QB Kurt Warner earned SuperBowl MVP honors leading the St. Louis Rams to vicory in 2000. Gregory recruited Warner while the star-to-be was stocking shelves in a grocery store in Iowa. Warner was the starting quarterback for the Barnstormers from 1995-1997. Gregory has also developed NFL players wide receiver Kevin Swayne and defensive back Kevin Kaesviham of the Cincinnati Bengals. Dragons starting quarterback Aaron Garcia, the AFL's all-time leading passer, signed with the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL following a record-setting 2001 season.

Prior to joining the Barnstormers, Gregory spent 12 seasons in the Canadian Football League. After four seasons as offensive line coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (including a Grey Cup championship in 1984), Gregory was head coach for four seasons each with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1987-90) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1991-94). Gregory's greatest CFL achievement came on Nov. 26, 1989 when he won the Grey Cup championship with Saskatchewan, a team that had posted one winning record in the previous decade and had not won a Grey Cup title in 22 years. For this accomplishment, Gregory was named CFL Coach of the Year in 1989. Gregory was voted into Saskatchewan's Plaza of Honor in 1996.

Gregory's resume includes four seasons (1967-70) as an assistant coach and athletic director with Iowa Central Community College, two seasons as defensive coordinator (1970-71) and 10 seasons as head coach (1972-81) of South Dakota State, one season (1981) as offensive coordinator at Northern Iowa, five seasons (1961-65) as assistant coach of Fort Dodge (Iowa) High and three seasons (1965-67) as head coach of Lake City (Iowa) High.

Gregory was born in Webster City, Iowa. He graduated Webster City High in 1957, where he earned 11 letters in football, basketball, baseball and track. He then graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1961 as a three-year letterman and earned a B.A. in Science and Physical Education. Gregory earned his master's degree in Physical Education from Mankato State in 1970. Gregory is married to Carolyn, a native of Waterloo, Iowa. Mrs. Gregory holds a Ph. D in molecular genetics from the University of Manitoba and works as a research scientist. The couple has three children: daughter Sonya and sons Todd and Boyd. The Gregory's also have a grandson, Cole.

2002 REVIEW:

With new players and an even newer coaching staff, the Gladiators took great strides in 2002. New Jersey, led by head coach Frank Haege, finished the season with the fourth best record in the AFL and a first round bye in the playoffs. The Gladiators 9-5 record and first place finish in the Eastern Division of the National Conference was the best turnaround in AFL history. New Jersey finished the 2002 regular season with seven more victories than the previous season.

The Gladiators named Mike Horacek the MVP of the 2002 season and Dennison Robinson as the Ironman. With one season under his belt in New Jersey, Frank Haege will look to build on an already solid foundation.

Steve Videtich was selected as the Kicker of the Year for his efforts during the 2002 season. Videtich, who won the same award in 1997, had a stellar year for the Gladiators. Videtich scored 130 points (No. 5 amongst kickers). He converted 88-91 PAT's this season and his accuracy percentage (96.7) on extra points ranks him No. 1 all-time in that category among kickers to play in every regular season game. He was also 14 of 25 (56.0%) on field goal attempts. A seven-year veteran, Videtich has scored 861 career points, ranking him 10th on the all-time AFL scoring list.

On opening day in Buffalo, New Jersey QB Jay McDonagh threw for six touchdowns and ran for another, but it was his only turnover that did him in, as the Buffalo Destroyers defeated the Gladiators 53-51. The next weekend, New Jersey defeated the expansion Dallas Desperados 45-44 after McDonagh connected with Alvin Ashley on an 18-yard scoring pass to give New Jersey a come back win in their home opener.

The next week on a Saturday night in Orlando, Damon Mason led his new team to his old hometown and took a game from the Predators, 45-44. It was the second straight week that New Jersey won by a single point and by the same score, but it was the first time a Gladiators team boarded a plane for the return trip home, victorious. The Gladiators then lost their next game to a former Gladiator, Connell Maynor, who came back to East Rutherford and out-did his former team. The Gladiators stood at 2-2 and needed a shot in the arm. The shot in the arm would come from a player named Sedrick Robinson, last season's Rookie of the Year runner-up was given the ball against the New York Dragons. Robinson was a little red blur on the Meadowlands carpet as he willed his team to a 76-69 overtime victory against New York. He returned six kickoffs for 208 yards, three touchdowns; catching 10 passes for 116 yards, two touchdowns and rushing for a four-yard score. His six-touchdown, 36-point, performance helped the Gladiators achieve their first Offensive Player of the Week award and gave New Jersey their first victory within their division and first defeat of the archrival Dragons, 76-69. With the help of Robinson, New Jersey achieved their highest point total (76) ever. The previous team high was 62 points in an overtime victory over the Indiana Firebirds on July 8, 2001. It also doubled the Gladiators previous record of 18 points in one game by any one player. The Gladiators had won a football game, and Haege had found a new secret weapon.

New Jersey then headed north of the border to take on their division rivals, the Toronto Phantoms. McDonagh's four touchdown passes and Horacek's 10 receptions, powered New Jersey to a 45-38 nail-biting win over the Phantoms at the Air Canada Centre, giving them sole possession of first place in the Arena Football League's Eastern Division for the first time in team history.

The following week the Chicago Rush pounded the New Jersey Gladiators 44-14 at the Allstate Arena, handing the Gladiators their worst loss of the season. New Jersey bounced back the following week by routing the defending ArenaBowl champion Grand Rapids Rampage, 70-42 to remain in first place. After outclassing the AFL champions the Gladiators visited a few old friends in Tampa the following week to defeat the Storm and win their second straight game, 55-33 and open up a 6-3 overall record. After losing to Buffalo 52-45 for the second time in as many tries New Jersey then went on a three game winning streak, defeating the Fury in Detroit 62-45 for the first victory. New Jersey continued their road dominance by defeating the Dragons 76-50 to clinch their first playoff berth in franchise history. The Gladiators closed their streak with a 57-55 overtime victory against the Phantoms at Continental Airlines Arena. The Gladiators, who clinched the Arena Football League's Eastern Division title before they had even played a down, needed a safety in overtime to defeat Toronto and sweep the season series. During the winning streak Gladiators OS Mike Horacek was selected as the Offensive Player of the Month in June for his performances.

Horacek secured the Offensive Player of the Month award by starting in all five games in June and was named game MVP in two of those contests (vs. Grand Rapids and at Detroit). Over that span, Horacek caught 36 passes for 401 yards, and 12 touchdowns. His five-touchdown, 30-point, performance against the Fury helped the Gladiators achieve their first Offensive Player of the Month award.

New Jersey finished the regular season 4-2 against the Eastern Division. The Rattlers came to the swamps of New Jersey to defeat the Gladiators 53-45 and put an end to the Gladiators winning streak.

The Gladiators 9-5 record earned them the No. 4 seed in the Arena Football League Playoffs. New Jersey ranked second in total defense by allowing only 245.1 yards per game. The first AFL playoff game at Continental Airlines Arena against the Orlando Predators was a back and forth struggle that wasn't decided until the final minutes of regulation. Orlando defeated New Jersey 49-46 to end the Gladiators otherwise successful season. The Gladiators, winners of the National Conference Eastern Division, finished the campaign with a 9-5 record.

GLADIATORS NEXT WEEK: The Gladiators will retrun to the Thomas & Mack Center on Sunday, March 2, to play their second home game of the 2003 season as they take on the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 pm PT.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

Jeriod Johnson: Johnson was a one-man wrecking crew with two game-altering interceptions including a 32-yard return for a defensive score that paved the way for a 21-point fourth-quarter rally against Tampa Bay. He was named the games Most Valuable Player.

Jay McDonagh: Last week, McDonagh was 19 of 26 passing for 189 yards and threw for three scores, he also rushed for a pair of touchdowns. In addition to a strong offensive effort McDonagh didn't turn the ball over against the Storm (02/17/03).

-- With his 381 yards passing in the first game of the season against LA, McDonagh set a Gladiators' single-game record for passing yards in a game. Mike Horacek: The outstanding WR/DB from Iowa State was on fire again against the Tampa Bay Storm. The five-year veteran grabbed 10 passes for 105 yards including a pair of touchdowns bringing his season total to nine.

Sedrick Robinson: Robinson was named Ironman of the Game for his outstanding performance against Tampa Bay. Robinson recovered a fumble on defense in the 2nd quarter and after the Storm failed to score on their possession in overtime, the Gladiators drove the length of the field with Robinson plunging in from two-yards out for the game-winner.

--Robinson also had his second straight kickoff return in as many weeks, this week he streaked down the middle for an electrifying 56-yard return in the first quarter.

Steve Videtich: With the Gladiators staging a 21-point rally, Videtich continued his kicking brilliance by making all three of his PATs attempted in the fourth-quarter with the last one sending the game into overtime.

Defense Hangs Tough

After a dominating third quarter, the Tampa Bay Storm seemingly were in control of the ball game with a 55-34 lead just minutes into the fourth. But the Gladiators responded with 27-straight points to claim victory in OT. Sparked by two key fourth-quarter turnovers the Gladiators debut in Las Vegas was a success.

Reunion Time

AFL record-holder and 2001 Offensive Player of the Year Aaron Garcia will be under center for the Dragons. Garcia, the former San Francisco 49er, had a tremendous year in 2001 in which he passed for an Arena League record 4,515 yards. After spending time with the Gladiator franchise during the 1997 and 1998 seasons (when the club was then-known as the New Jersey Red Dogs), Garcia has established himself as one of the most accurate passers in league history, owning the AFL's single-season completion percentage record. Garcia's stellar 2001 campaign also featured the hurler throwing a record 104 touchdowns including a league record 11 against the Carolina Cobras on July 7, 2001

Familiar Face for Horacek

Gladiators' OS Mike Horacek knows what it is like to be on the end of passes thrown by Dragon QB Aaron Garcia. In 2000, when Horacek was named AFL Offensive Player of the Year while playing for Iowa, Garcia was his quarterback. The duo connected 119 times that year for with 46 of those catches resulting in touchdowns.

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