Jay Gruden Earns Super Bowl Ring
January 27, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
Orlando Predators quarterback JAY GRUDEN -- who has won six ArenaBowl championships as both a player and head coach, and who moonlighted as a Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach during the 2002 season -- won his seventh pro football championship yesterday when the Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Gruden will immediately begin preparations to step back on the field for Orlando. The Predators first game is at the Chicago Rush on Sunday, February 2 on NBC (3 p.m. ET). NBC Sports will broadcast up to 70 AFL games â the second-most number of games of any sports league on network-TV, behind only the NFL â including all playoff games and ArenaBowl XVII on June 22. February 2 is the first of nineteen weeks of regional coverage on NBC.
Gruden, the younger brother of Buccaneers Head Coach JON GRUDEN, finished the 2002 AFL season on August 10 after the Predators lost to the eventual ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats in the League Semifinals. He then accepted an assistant coaching position from his brother under the conditions the job would not prevent him from playing quarterback for the Predators in 2003.
Gruden won four ArenaBowls as a player with the Tampa Bay Storm from 1991-96 before retiring to become a coach. He was elected to the Arena Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1999. As head coach of the Orlando Predators from 1998-2001, Gruden won two more ArenaBowls, but returned to the field as quarterback of the Predators in 2002.
Following is a summary of Gruden's football history:
Occupation, Team, League, Years, Championships
Quarterback, Louisville, NCAA, 1985-88, None
Quarterback, Tampa Bay Storm, AFL, 1991-96, 4 ArenaBowls
Assistant Coach, Nashville Kats, AFL, 1997, None
Head Coach, Orlando Predators, AFL, 1998-2001, 2 ArenaBowls
Quarterback, Orlando Predators, AFL, 2002, None
Assistant Coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFL, 2002, Super Bowl
Quarterback*, Orlando Predators, AFL, 2003, ???
*Expected starting quarterback
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 27, 2003
- Crush Announces Practice Roster - Colorado Crush
- San Jose at Arizona Game Notes - San Jose SaberCats
- 'Birds Squad Set For Season Opener In Detroit - Albany/Indiana Firebirds
- Firebirds News and Notes - Albany/Indiana Firebirds
- Rampage News & Notes - Grand Rapids Rampage
- SaberCats reach 24-man Roster limit - San Jose SaberCats
- Desperados Finalize Roster - Dallas Desperados
- Rampage Open 2003 Season on Saturday - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Buffalo Sets Roster For Season Opener - Buffalo Destroyers
- Jay Gruden Earns Super Bowl Ring - AFL I
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
