Extended Coverage

It was supposed to be the culmination of one of the greatest seasons ever by an Arena Football team. A win at home in ArenaBowl XXVII would have brought the city of Cleveland its first pro sports championship since the Cleveland Browns won the NFL title in 1964.

The Arizona Rattlers defense intercepted four passes, as Arizona defeated the Cleveland Gladiators 72-32 in ArenaBowl XXVII. A Quicken Loans Arena crowd of 18,410 witnessed the game; a crowd that is the largest in the AFL this season and the largest home crowd in Gladiators history. Arizona won the ArenaBowl for the third straight season.

CLEVELAND - The Arizona Rattlers have beaten the Cleveland Gladiators 72-32 to win ArenaBowl XXVII for their third straight championship. The crack staff at ArenaFan.com has amassed all of the records and factoids from the game.

The James F. Foster Trophy is going nowhere. As it has for the past two seasons, the Arena Football League’s symbol of excellence will stay right here in the Valley, where it will continue to sparkle and shine in the desert sun.

CLEVELAND- The dynasty is officially continuing. The Arizona Rattlers have completed their three-peat. They knocked off the Cleveland Gladiators 72-32 to win ArenaBowl XXVII in the biggest blowout in ArenaBowl history. The Rattlers are now the second team to win three straight ArenaBowl titles.

Tonight the Arizona Rattlers defeated the Cleveland Gladiators 72-32 in the Arena Football League's (AFL) ArenaBowl XXVII at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

CLEVELAND - Let the disappointment sink in. Cleveland's golden night was anything but. A sellout crowd? Not quite. The free shirts cleverly masked empty seats, but make no mistake about it, the place wasn't full. A no-fly zone? Not even close. No big hits. In its place, plenty of broken coverages. A backup quarterback turned ArenaBowl winner? Shane Austin forced throws he never had.

After a season of heart-stopping finishes and miracle comebacks, the luck ran out and the clock struck midnight for the Cleveland Gladiators on Saturday night as the Arizona Rattlers ascended to dynasty status with a dominating 72-32 victory in ArenaBowl XXVII at Quicken Loans Arena.

Playing for a championship, no matter the sport or the level, seems to bring out the best of those that are participating in it. Whether it’s a recreational softball, little league baseball, or professional (insert sport) team, playing for a championship takes things to a level that is hardly matched in regular season games.

CLEVELAND -- All of the talking is said and done with, and the boot is about set to get put to leather. ArenaBowl XXVII will kick off tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena between the Cleveland Gladiators and the Arizona Rattlers. Our staff at ArenaFan weighs in on what we all think will happen in the biggest game of the season…

CLEVELAND – Dynasty will meet destiny tonight with the James F. Foster Trophy on the line when the Cleveland Gladiators (17-1) host the Arizona Rattlers (15-3) at 8:00 p.m. ET in ArenaBowl XXVII on ESPN.

Destiny against Dynasty. Everything is on the line when the Cleveland Gladiators face the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXVII on Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena. Can the Glads continue their magical run and become the first Arena Football League team to win 20 games in one season while delivering Cleveland's first pro title in 50 years? Or will Arizona stake its claim as the best franchise in AFL history by winning a third consecutive championship in four ArenaBowl appearances?

Dominic Jones was going to be in the ArenaBowl no matter what, apparently. With Orlando, his former team. With Cleveland, his current team. Both of whom played August 10 for an ArenaBowl berth. But Cleveland wasn’t going to be. Not without Jones.

The Arena Football League office announced today that San Jose SaberCats kicker Nich Pertuit has been named Smitty USA Kicker of the Year and LA KISS quarterback J.J. Raterink has been awarded the Al Lucas AFL Pulse Hero Award for his philanthropic efforts throughout the 2014 season.

The Cleveland Gladiators coaching staff came away with two postseason honors, the Arena Football League Office announced at the AFL Awards Ceremony tonight in Cleveland. Gladiators head coach Steve Thonn was named NET10 Wireless Marcum-Moss Head Coach of the Year, while assistant head coach Ron Selesky earned NET10 Wireless Assistant Coach of the Year honors.

At the 2014 AFL Awards Ceremony in Cleveland on Thursday, the Arena Football League announced the winners of its most coveted individual honors.

ArenaFan.com's pictures from ArenaBowl XXVII

At some point in the late-90s, the term walk off became big in baseball. It's where a team wins a game on the final at bat of the game, meaning the home team has to score the winning run in the ninth inning or in extra innings. It's not a term that you hear all that often in football, but for all intents and purposes, it's what the Cleveland Gladiators have been doing all season long.

What would an ArenaBowl mean to Cleveland? "I keep saying LeBron James is the second biggest story in town after us," coach Steve Thonn joked. Remember when Barry Bonds passed Hank Aaron? When a once sleek-suddenly brawny San Francisco Giant stole baseball’s home-run mark? He had that mark, still has that mark, but always with an asterisk.

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