Orlando Predators
The Orlando Predators are a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida. The team is part of the American Conference (AC) of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team is currently owned by Orlando Predators LLC, a company owned by David A. Siegel, and plays its home games at Amway Center. Their head coach is Rob Keefe.
The team was founded in 1991 as an expansion team of the AFL. The team advanced to the playoffs 19 consecutive seasons between 1992 and 2011, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000 during that span. Since then, the team has failed to produce a winning season, but has still made the playoffs during the 2013 season.
History
Early years (1991–1997)
The Orlando Predators franchise was awarded by the AFL to Davey Johnson, Tracy Allen and Mike McBath on February 14, 1991, and began play that same year, the only year until 2012 that the franchise missed the playoffs. In just their second season however, they advanced to ArenaBowl VI, 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.