The 2014 Cleveland Gladiators season was the 15th season for the franchise in the Arena Football League, and their fifth while in Cleveland. The team was coached by Steve Thonn and plays their home games at Quicken Loans Arena. By finishing the regular season with a 17–1 record, the Gladiators set a league record for wins in a single season (this record was tied one year later by the San Jose SaberCats).
| 2014 Cleveland Gladiators season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head coach | Steve Thonn |
| Home field | Quicken Loans Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 17–1 |
| Division place | 1st AC East |
| Playoff finish | Won American Conference Semifinals 39-37 (Soul) Won American Conference Championship 56-46 (Predators) Lost ArenaBowl XXVII (Rattlers) 32–72 |
Standings
edit| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | DIV | CON | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z-Cleveland Gladiators | 17 | 1 | .944 | 991 | 782 | 7–1 | 12–1 | 9–0 | 8–1 | |
| x-Pittsburgh Power | 15 | 3 | .833 | 1015 | 778 | 6–2 | 11–2 | 8–1 | 7–2 | |
| x-Philadelphia Soul | 9 | 9 | .500 | 1021 | 949 | 2–5 | 7–7 | 7–2 | 2–7 | |
| Iowa Barnstormers | 6 | 12 | .333 | 848 | 1046 | 0–7 | 2–10 | 3–6 | 3–6 | |
x - Clinched playoff berth
z - Clinched division and conference's best record
Schedule
editRegular season
editThe Gladiators began the season by visiting the Pittsburgh Power on March 15. Their final regular season game was on July 26, on the road against the Tampa Bay Storm.[1]
| Week | Day | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Location | Attendance | Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | ||||||||
| 1 | Saturday | March 15 | 5:00 p.m. EDT | at Pittsburgh Power | W 63–53 | 1–0 | Consol Energy Center | 7,742 | [2] |
| 2 | Bye | ||||||||
| 3 | Saturday | March 29 | 8:00 p.m. EDT | at New Orleans VooDoo | W 37–26 | 2–0 | Smoothie King Center | 5,695 | [3] |
| 4 | Friday | April 4 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | Iowa Barnstormers | W 54–47 | 3–0 | Quicken Loans Arena | 10,255 | [4] |
| 5 | Saturday | April 12 | 10:00 p.m. EDT | at Los Angeles Kiss | W 40–30 | 4–0 | Honda Center | 10,570 | [5] |
| 6 | Saturday | April 19 | 10:00 p.m. EDT | at Spokane Shock | W 52–50 | 5–0 | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | 8,752 | [6] |
| 7 | Saturday | April 26 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | Pittsburgh Power | W 55–28 | 6–0 | Quicken Loans Arena | 11,083 | [7] |
| 8 | Bye | ||||||||
| 9 | Saturday | May 10 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | Los Angeles Kiss | W 45–42 | 7–0 | Quicken Loans Arena | 10,472 | [8] |
| 10 | Saturday | May 17 | 8:05 p.m. EDT | at Iowa Barnstormers | W 63–46 | 8–0 | Wells Fargo Arena | 7,156 | [9] |
| 11 | Friday | May 23 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | Philadelphia Soul | W 54–52 | 9–0 | Quicken Loans Arena | 10,659 | [10] |
| 12 | Saturday | May 31 | 5:00 p.m. EDT | at Pittsburgh Power | L 34–48 | 9–1 | Consol Energy Center | 5,348 | [11] |
| 13 | Saturday | June 7 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | Iowa Barnstormers | W 86–49 | 10–1 | Quicken Loans Arena | 9,857 | [12] |
| 14 | Saturday | June 14 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | New Orleans VooDoo | W 62–46 | 11–1 | Quicken Loans Arena | 9,404 | [13] |
| 15 | Saturday | June 21 | 6:00 p.m. EDT | at Philadelphia Soul | W 69–68 | 12–1 | Wells Fargo Center | 8,033 | [14] |
| 16 | Friday | June 27 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | Tampa Bay Storm | W 48–41 | 13–1 | Quicken Loans Arena | 10,855 | [15] |
| 17 | Saturday | July 5 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | Portland Thunder | W 61–40 | 14–1 | Quicken Loans Arena | 9,840 | [16] |
| 18 | Saturday | July 12 | 8:00 p.m. EDT | at San Antonio Talons | W 50–47 (OT) | 15–1 | Alamodome | 8,217 | [17] |
| 19 | Saturday | July 19 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | Jacksonville Sharks | W 62–20 | 16–1 | Quicken Loans Arena | 13,064 | [18] |
| 20 | Saturday | July 26 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | at Tampa Bay Storm | W 56–49 | 17–1 | Tampa Bay Times Forum | 14,770 | [19] |
Playoffs
edit| Round | Day | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Location | Attendance | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC Semifinals | Saturday | August 2 | 7:00 p.m. EDT | Philadelphia Soul | W 39–37 | Quicken Loans Arena | 12,648 | [20] |
| AC Championship | Sunday | August 10 | 3:00 p.m. EDT | Orlando Predators | W 56–46 | Quicken Loans Arena | 14,543 | |
| ArenaBowl XXVII | Saturday | August 23 | 8:00 p.m. EDT | Arizona Rattlers | L 32–72 | Quicken Loans Arena | 18,410 |
- If Cleveland would have won ArenaBowl XXVII, they would have ended a 50+ year championship drought in the city of Cleveland. However, this feat would later be accomplished by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 after coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA finals to win over the Golden State Warriors.[21]
Final roster
edit| 2014 Cleveland Gladiators roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Fullbacks
Wide receivers
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs Kickers |
Injured reserve
Other league exempt
Refused to report
League suspension
Inactive reserve
Recallable reassignment
Rookies in italics → More rosters | |||
References
edit- ^ "2014 Arena Football League Schedule". ArenaFan.com. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators Victorious in Opener". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
- ^ "Second half rally keeps Gladiators unbeaten". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators roll past Barnstormers in home opener". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. April 5, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators maintain perfection with win over KISS". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ "Touchdown as Time Expires Keeps Glads Perfect". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. April 20, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators trounce Pittsburgh 55-28, Stay perfect on season". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
- ^ "Last-second field goal keeps Gladiators undefeated". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. May 10, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators remain undefeated with 63-46 comeback win in Iowa". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators top Soul 54-52 on final play, Improve to 9-0 on season". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. May 23, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators suffer first loss of season in Pittsburgh, 48-34". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. May 31, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators score team-record 86 points, top Iowa". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. June 8, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ "Austin's eight touchdown passes lead Gladiators to 62-46 win over VooDoo". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators win thriller in Philadelphia on final play, clinch playoff berth". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. June 21, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators Win Fourth Straight, Top Tampa Bay 48-41". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. June 27, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators Win Fifth Straight, Top Portland 61-40". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators win East Division, Lock up first place in American Conference with overtime win". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators Win 7th Straight, Top Jacksonville 62-20". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. July 20, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators Set AFL Record with 17th Win, Clinch home-field advantage throughout playoffs with win". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ^ "Gladiators Beat Soul on Last Play, Again". Cleveland Gladiators. Arenafan.com. August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
- ^ "LeBron James's Cleveland Cavaliers make history with NBA Finals win over Golden State". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-08-31.