Editing Orlando Predators (section)

==History==

===Early years (1991–1997)===
There was interest in arena football in Orlando as early as 1987, with a group looking to place an AFL team in central Florida in time for the 1988 season.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/229145037 |title=Orlando tosses hat into Arena |date=August 4, 1987 |work=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=March 27, 2021}}</ref> But more than three years would go by until the Orlando Predators franchise was finally secured by [[Davey Johnson]], Tracy Allen and [[Mike McBath]] on February 14, 1991.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-02-14/sports/9102140046_1_orlando-arena-football-suncoast |title=Arena Football Adds Orlando |date=February 14, 1991 |work=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=December 9, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20131211192151/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-02-14/sports/9102140046_1_orlando-arena-football-suncoast |archive-date=December 11, 2013 }}</ref> The Preds began play that same year but missed the playoffs, the only time the club would do so until 2012. In just their second season in 1992, they advanced to [[ArenaBowl VI]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Dt0vAAAAIBAJ&pg=3663,736084&dq=gary+mullen+detroit&hl=en |title=Predators strive for win over Drive in ArenaBowl tonight |date=August 22, 1992 |author=Arthur R. Brown Jr. |newspaper=Lakeland Ledger |access-date=February 15, 2013}}</ref> only to fall to the [[Detroit Drive]], who won their fourth title in five years. Annually among the league-leaders in attendance, they qualified for the playoffs in 18 consecutive seasons, the longest streak in the original AFL. One noted administrator for the Predators was [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] lineman, [[Jack Youngblood]], who came to the Predators in 1995 as vice-president and then later, president of the organization. He was with the team through the 1999 season.

===Gruden era / Two titles in four years (1998–2008)===
For much of their existence in the original AFL, their head coach was [[Jay Gruden]], younger brother of prominent [[National Football League]] coach [[Jon Gruden]] and who would go on to coach the NFL's [[Washington Redskins]]. Jay Gruden was formerly an outstanding Arena Football quarterback, leading the [[Tampa Bay Storm]] to four [[ArenaBowl]] championships, and then served one year as offensive coordinator for the [[Nashville Kats]] prior to becoming head coach of the Predators. Jay was the first quarterback in the AFL Hall of Fame. Orlando won the ArenaBowl in [[ArenaBowl XII|1998]] and [[ArenaBowl XIV|2000]] under Gruden's coaching. He then attempted a comeback as a player, but subsequently returned to coaching following the death of his head coach replacement, [[Fran Papasedero]], in a car accident.

The Predators were one of the premier franchises in the history of the original AFL, and had a rivalry with Tampa Bay, who moved to Tampa the same year the Predators formed. They met twice in the ArenaBowl, with Tampa Bay winning in [[ArenaBowl IX|1995]] and Orlando winning in 1998. The rivalry, nicknamed the "[[War on I-4 (arena football)|War on I-4]]" after the interstate that connects the two cities, intensified when Gruden took over as Orlando's head coach.

Orlando and Tampa Bay each lasted longer in their markets than any other AFL franchise have, {{as of|2019}}. The Predators were unique in that they had played in their previous venue, [[Amway Arena]], for 18 seasons in the AFL, longer than any other team. Amway Arena was often nicknamed "The Jungle" during Predators games due to the hostile environment from the fans, harsh smoke that filled the arena during the players intro, and a [[Guns N' Roses]] [[Welcome to the Jungle|song]] which "welcomed" other teams. They shared Amway Arena with the [[Orlando Magic]] of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] and the [[Orlando Titans]] of the [[National Lacrosse League|NLL]]. The 2010 season was the Predators' 19th and final season at Amway Arena. The team  moved to [[Amway Center]], the new arena in Orlando, for the 2011 season. A Predators game was the final sporting event ever performed at Amway Arena.

The team's mascot was a monster-like human named ''Klaw'' who looked much like the alien ([[Predator (alien)|Predator]]) from the [[Predator (film)|''Predator'']] films, with only different coloring.

The Predators played in the ArenaBowl a total of seven times. If the Pittsburgh Gladiators' two ArenaBowl games before they moved to Tampa Bay are included, the Storm was the only franchise that played in more (eight; six as the Storm).

During the 2007 season, the Predators inaugurated the "Predator Fan Hall of Fame". The inaugural inductees were Nancy Morris and Richard Grabe. Morris, was a superfan for over 20 years, was known to most of the team and the front office as "The PredMom", and was the president of the Orlando Predator In Your Face Fan Club.  Grabe, who also was a superfan (starting in 1991), was the creator of the "PredHeads" that were seen being worn by a select group of fans that sat in section 113 of the old Amway Arena. They were also known for their tailgating parties on "Predator Island" (located in the northeast corner of lot 4 of the Centroplex).  After moving to the new Amway Center, the majority of "PredHeads" sat in section 114, and tailgated under I-4 in lot 9.

===Revival of AFL (2010–2016)===
[[File:Klaw (Orlando Predators) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Predators mascot, Klaw, in 2007]]
The Predators maintained their organization and web presence after the AFL suspended operations in August 2009. On September 28, 2009, the Predators announced their return to play for the 2010 season as a member of the new Arena Football 1 league, until that league purchased the AFL's assets and assumed the AFL's history.<ref>[http://www.orlandopredators.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3700&ATCLID=204803446 Orlando Predators Back for 2010 Season] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812214212/http://www.orlandopredators.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3700&ATCLID=204803446 |date=2014-08-12 }}</ref> With Jay Gruden obligated to the [[United Football League (2009)|UFL]] by his contract with the [[Florida Tuskers|Tuskers]], eventually becoming the team's head coach, they hired former quarterback [[Pat O'Hara]] as their head coach for the 2010 season.<ref>http://www.cfnews13.com/Sports/CentralFloridaSportsReport/2009/12/22/ohara_to_coach_orlando_predators_in_2010.html{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> When the schedule for the league's season was announced on December 31, 2009, the Predators were slated to return to action on April 9, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandopredators.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=3700&ATCLID=204865599|title=2010 Schedule Released|website=orlandopredators.com|access-date=4 May 2018}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In the 2010 season, the Predators finished with an 8–8 record. They qualified for the playoffs, but lost the conference championship to the Tampa Bay Storm by a single point as a last-second field goal attempt was unsuccessful.

In [[2011 Orlando Predators season|2011]], the Predators finished the regular season 11–7, but fell to the [[Jacksonville Sharks]] in the conference semifinals by a score of 63–48.

With a 4–14 record in [[2012 Orlando Predators season|2012]] under first-year head coach [[Bret Munsey]], the Predators missed the playoffs for the first time since their inaugural season in 1991. Following the end of the season, Munsey was released as head coach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandopredators.com/news/predators-announce-the-release-of-head-coach-bret-munsey-298.php|title=Predators Announce the Release of Head Coach Bret Munsey|date=August 13, 2012|work=Orlando Predators|access-date=August 25, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821175439/http://www.orlandopredators.com/news/predators-announce-the-release-of-head-coach-bret-munsey-298.php|archive-date=August 21, 2012}}</ref>

Under [[Doug Plank]] for the [[2013 Orlando Predators season|2013 season]], the Predators lost their first five games of the season. It was then that the team acquired veteran quarterback [[Aaron Garcia (American football)|Aaron Garcia]] in a trade with the [[San Jose SaberCats]]. The Predators went on to win seven of their remaining thirteen games following the trade to finish the season with a 7–11 record, which was good enough to clinch a playoff berth. However, they were eliminated in the conference semifinals by the [[Philadelphia Soul]]. With two weeks remaining during the regular season, Brett Bouchy sold his controlling interest in the team to The Pearsall Holdings LP for an undisclosed amount.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2013/07/orlando-predators-bouchy-sells-equity.html |title=Bouchy sells equity in Orlando Predators |date=July 18, 2013 |author=Richard Bilbao |work=The Business Journals |publisher=American City Business Journals |access-date=August 16, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221045204/http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2013/07/orlando-predators-bouchy-sells-equity.html |archive-date=December 21, 2013 }}</ref> Plank retired following the season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clickorlando.com/sports/doug-plank-resigns-as-predators-head-coach/-/1636890/22865120/-/14709fj/-/index.html |title=Doug Plank resigns as Predators head coach |author=David Pingalore |date=November 7, 2013 |work=clickorlando.com |publisher=WKMG - Orlando |access-date=December 12, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126203759/http://www.clickorlando.com/sports/doug-plank-resigns-as-predators-head-coach/-/1636890/22865120/-/14709fj/-/index.html |archive-date=November 26, 2013 }}</ref>

The Predators moved to [[CFE Arena]] on the campus of the [[University of Central Florida]] in 2014,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-orlando-predators-ucf-20131205,0,2876746.story |title=Orlando Predators leaving downtown to play at UCF |author=Mark Schlueb |date=December 5, 2013 |work=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=December 12, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215071554/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-orlando-predators-ucf-20131205,0,2876746.story |archive-date=December 15, 2013 }}</ref> after the [[Amway Center]] informed the team that they had defaulted on their lease for failing to meet attendance requirements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-predators-football-default-20130904,0,2066258.story |title=Orlando Predators lose their Amway Center lease |date=September 4, 2013 |author=March Schlueb |work=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=September 5, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002122650/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-predators-football-default-20130904,0,2066258.story |archive-date=October 2, 2013 }}</ref> On December 25, 2013, the Predators announced that [[Rob Keefe]] would become the seventh coach in franchise history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/dec/25/orlando-hires-ex-shock-coach-keefe/ |title=Orlando hires ex-Shock coach Keefe |date=December 25, 2013 |work=The Spokesman-Review |access-date=December 26, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226221218/http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/dec/25/orlando-hires-ex-shock-coach-keefe/ |archive-date=December 26, 2013 }}</ref> In May 2014, it was announced that majority owner David Pearsall had sold the team to an undisclosed ownership group,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/predators/os-arena-league-takes-over-orlando-predators-20140513,0,4823711.story |title=Predators seek new ownership, deny report league has taken over team |author=Alicia DelGallo |date=May 13, 2014 |work=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=May 14, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515080520/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/predators/os-arena-league-takes-over-orlando-predators-20140513,0,4823711.story |archive-date=May 15, 2014 }}</ref> but the team was taken over by the AFL. In July 2014, reports began to surface that [[David A. Siegel]] had purchased the franchise with the intent to move the team back into the Amway Center.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/predators/os-orlando-predators-david-siegel-0709-20140708,0,187924.story |title=David Siegel reportedly buys Preds, seeks team's return to Amway Center |author=Alicia DelGallo |date=July 8, 2014 |work=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=July 9, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709005414/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/predators/os-orlando-predators-david-siegel-0709-20140708,0,187924.story |archive-date=July 9, 2014 }}</ref> On July 15, 2014, Siegel confirmed his purchase of the Predators.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/predators/os-david-siegel-orlando-predators-amway-center-lea-20140714,0,3188346.story |title=Time-share mogul David Siegel confirms purchase of Orlando Predators |author=Alicia DelGallo |date=July 15, 2014 |work=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=July 15, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719090519/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/predators/os-david-siegel-orlando-predators-amway-center-lea-20140714,0,3188346.story |archive-date=July 19, 2014 }}</ref>

On December 8, 2014, the Predators suspended head coach Rob Keefe with pay while an investigation was ongoing by the Orange County Sheriff's Office into accusations of domestic violence.<ref>[http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/82229115-132.html Orlando Predators coach Rob Keefe suspended indefinitely] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730230029/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/82229115-132.html |date=2017-07-30 }}, Orlando Sentinel</ref> The charges were since dropped.

During the week of June 18, 2016, the entire Arena Football League, including the hometown Predators, displayed patches and stickers "ORL" as a remembrance of the victims killed in the Pulse Nightclub massacre.{{Update inline|date=June 2016}}

On October 12, 2016, the Orlando Predators announced they had suspended operations due to the reduced number of teams in the AFL and other pending disagreements with the league.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orlandopredators.com/news/2016/10/12/the-orlando-predators-have-chosen-to-suspend-team-operations |title=The Orlando Predators have chosen to suspend team operations |publisher=Orlando Predators |date=October 12, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013075444/http://www.orlandopredators.com/news/2016/10/12/the-orlando-predators-have-chosen-to-suspend-team-operations |archive-date=October 13, 2016 }}</ref>

===Revival in the National Arena League (2019)===
{{main|Orlando Predators (NAL)}}
In 2019, former Predator [[Kenny McEntyre]] launched a new [[Orlando Predators (NAL)|Predators]] team in the [[National Arena League]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-predators/os-sp-hs-orlando-predators-0117-story.html |title=Kenny McEntyre revives Orlando Predators in National Arena League |author=J.C. Carnahan |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |date=January 16, 2019}}</ref> This Predators team would join the third incarnation of the Arena Football League in July 2023 with intent to play in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/PredatorsNAL/videos/109377062229698 |title=The Orlando Predators |website=Orlando Predators Facebook page |date=July 19, 2023}}</ref>

===Predator highlights===
The Predators made Arena Football League history in consecutive weeks during the 1992 season:
* On June 13, 1992, the team defeated the [[San Antonio Force]] 50–0. San Antonio kicker Matt Frantz missed six field goals. This is the first game shutout in the history of indoor football. Although there have been shutouts in [[af2]] and other indoor football leagues, it proved to be the only shutout ever recorded in the original AFL.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Force-s-50-0-loss-20-years-ago-stands-alone-3639850.php |title=Force's 50–0 loss 20 years ago stands alone |author=Richard Oliver |date=June 17, 2012 |work=mysanantonio.com |publisher=Hearst Communications Inc. |access-date=December 26, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230191256/http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Force-s-50-0-loss-20-years-ago-stands-alone-3639850.php |archive-date=December 30, 2014 }}</ref>
* On Friday, June 19, 1992, in a Week 4 road game against the [[Massachusetts Marauders|Detroit Drive]], quarterback [[Ben Bennett]] and the Predators trailed 42–32 with only 49 seconds left. In a miraculous feat of strength, wide receiver / defensive back [[Barry Wagner]] would catch two touchdown passes, get two two-point conversions, recover an onside kick, and make a game-ending tackle. With a safety added in, Orlando would win, 50–49. The comeback would become known as "The Miracle Minute". On the AFL's 20 Greatest Highlights Countdown, this comeback ranked #1.<ref>[http://www.arenafootball.com/mediaPlayer/video.dbml?DB_MENU_ID=&SPSID=38064&SPID=3172&DB_OEM_ID=3500&CLIP_ID=31848&CLIP_FILE_ID=35915&CONTENT_TYPE=ONDEMAND http://www.arenafootball.com/mediaPlayer/video.dbml?DB_MENU_ID=&SPSID=38064&SPID=3172&DB_OEM_ID=3500&CLIP_ID=31848&CLIP_FILE_ID=35915&CONTENT_TYPE=ONDEMAND]{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>