No Punts Intended: A Quick Look at Past Arena Football League Playoffs

The 2006 Arena Football League playoffs kick off Saturday (May 20) as the expansion Utah Blaze travels to Western Division rival Arizona for a 5 p.m. (EST) matchup against the Rattlers. Three more games follow on Sunday.

But, before we begin this AFL postseason, let’s take a quick – and fun – look back at some past moments in Arena Football playoff history.

1987: The Denver Dynamite claim the first-ever ArenaBowl championship by defeating the homestanding Pittsburgh Gladiators 45-16 in front of 13,232 fans. Denver did not have an AFL franchise in 1988.

1988: Wide receiver/defensive back Steve Griffin was named the first-ever ArenaBowl MVP as the Detroit Drive defeated the now-defunct Chicago Bruisers 24-13 in ArenaBowl II.

1990: Gary Mullen of the Detroit Drive sets an AFL playoff record with a 57-yard missed field-goal return against the Pittsburgh Gladiators.

1991: The Tampa Bay Storm win the first of their AFL-record five ArenaBowl titles, defeating the Detroit Drive 48-42 in front of a then-record 20,357 fans at Joe Louis Arena. Tampa Bay would defeat Detroit again in ArenaBowl VII. The Storm have appeared in a record seven ArenaBowls (twice as the Pittsburgh Gladiators).

1993: The Detroit Drive rout the Dallas Texans 51-6 in the most lopsided playoff game in AFL history.

1999: The Iowa Barnstormers advance into the second round the AFL playoffs a season after finishing 5-9. Iowa’s 14-4 record in 1999 tied the Orlando Predators (1991) and Milwaukee Mustangs (1994) for best single-season turnaround in league history.

2001: The Grand Rapids Rampage defeat the Indiana Firebirds 83-70 in the highest-scoring playoff game in Arena Football League history.

2005: The Colorado Crush and San Jose SaberCats combine to set an new AFL playoff record by recording a combined 32 first downs. Colorado, owned by former Denver Broncos great John Elway, would go on to win ArenaBowl XIX.

Past ArenaBowl champions and results:

ARENABOWL I (Aug. 1, 1987)
Pittsburgh Civic Arena, Pittsburgh
Attendance: 13, 232
DENVER DYNAMITE 45, PITTSBURGH GLADIATORS 16

ARENABOWL II (July 30, 1988)
Rosemont Horizon, Chicago
Attendance: 15,018
DETROIT DRIVE 24, CHICAGO BRUISERS 13

ARENABOWL III (Aug. 18, 1989)
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit
Attendance: 19,875
DETROIT DRIVE 39, PITTSBURGH GLADIATORS 26

ARENABOWL IV (Aug. 11, 1990)
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit
Attendance: 19,875
DETROIT DRIVE 51, DALLAS TEXAN 27

ARENABOWL V (Aug. 17, 1991)
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit
Attendance: 20,357
TAMPA BAY STORM 48, DETROIT DRIVE 42

ARENABOWL VI (Aug. 22, 1992)
Orlando Arena, Orlando, Fla.
Attendance: 13,680
DETROIT DRIVE 56, ORLANDO PREDATORS 38

ARENABOWL VII (Aug. 21, 1993)
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit
Attendance: 12,989
TAMPA BAY STORM 51, DETROIT DRIVE 31

ARENABOWL VIII (Sept. 2, 1994)
Orlando Arena, Orlando, Fla.
Attendance: 14,368
ARIZONA RATTLERS 36, ORLANDO PREDATORS 31

ARENABOWL IX (Sept. 1, 1995)
Thunderdome, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Attendance: 25,087 (league record)
TAMPA BAY STORM 48, ORLANDO PREDATORS 35

ARENABOWL X (Aug. 26, 1996)
Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, Des Moines, Iowa
Attendance: 11,411
TAMPA BAY STORM 42, IOWA BARNSTORMERS 38

ARENABOWL XI (Aug. 25, 1997)
America West Arena, Phoenix
Attendance: 17,436
ARIZONA RATTLERS 55, IOWA BARNSTORMERS 33

ARENABOWL XII (Aug. 23, 1998)
Ice Palace, Tampa, Fla.
Attendance: 17,222
ORLANDO PREDATORS 62, TAMPA BAY STORM 31

ARENABOWL XIII (Aug. 21, 1999)
Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY
Attendance: 13,652
ALBANY FIREBIRDS 59, ORLANDO PREDATORS 48

ARENABOWL XIV (Aug. 20, 2000)
TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, Fla.
Attendance: 15,989
ORLANDO PREDATORS 41, NASHVILLE KATS 38

ARENABOWL XV (Aug. 19, 2001)
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Attendance: 11,217
GRAND RAPIDS RAMPAGE 64, NASHVILLE KATS 42

ARENABOWL XVI (Aug. 19, 2002)
Compaq Center at San Jose, San Jose, Calif.
Attendance: 16,942
SAN JOSE SABERCATS 52, ARIZONA RATTLERS 14

ARENABOWL XVII (June 22, 2003)
St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Fla.
Attendance: 20,469
TAMPA BAY STORM 43, ARIZONA RATTLERS 29

ARENABOWL XVIII (June 27, 2004)
America West Arena, Phoenix
Attendance: 17,391
SAN JOSE SABERCATS 69, ARIZONA RATTLERS 62

ARENABOWL XIX (June 12, 2005)
Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas
Attendance: 10,822
COLORADO CRUSH 51, GEORGIA FORCE 48

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