Reunion Night in Orlando
Marc Viquez
Thursday May 17, 2001
Conell Maynor will be returning to a city where he led the Predators to the franchise’s second Arena Bowl Championship last season. Maynor had a breakout performance against Detroit and looks for nothing more than an encore in the Sunshine State. Maynor will be seeing some old friends, but said that once the game starts he will have no friends.
"I will probably get a couple of boos and a couple of cheers", he said about the loud and rambunctious fans of Orlando.
It should be a very interesting night in Orlando, as another reunion of sorts will occur between Gladiators` coach Larry Kuharich and Predators` coach Jay Gruden. Kuharich used to coach Gruden while the two were with the Tampa Bay Storm during the championship years of the 1990`s. The Storm played for crowds of over 20,000 at the Suncoast Dome (now Tropicana Field) in those days. (I’m lucky that I was able to attend the first of many back in July 1991.)
"I can`t predict what the feeling will be like going against him as coach,” Kuharich said on his former signal caller. He also added that he respects Gruden a lot and that he will have his team prepared.
It will definitely be a night of seeing old friends and proving oneself to old nemeses. It’s also a night the Gladiators would like to bring home a win. New Jersey has not beaten Orlando since 1998, when the Red Dogs took down the Predators with an impressive 60-49. The next two meetings between the two teams saw Orlando outscore New Jersey 89-59. If the New Jersey team that showed up in Detroit last week shows up Friday, Orlando can expect a spanking.
If you are history buff, you may side with the Predators, since they have dominated the series so far. There is one thing certain, and that’s that the jungle will be rocking as usual, and the Gladiators will have a perfect opportunity to give the struggling Orlando Predators their 4th loss of the season.
A fan of the sport since 1990 Marc has covered both the New Jersey Gladiators and Cincinnati Swarm (Af2) for Arenafan Online. Marc now resides in Indianapolis after graduating with a Masters in Sports Management from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind. When not at a Firebirds game Marc can be found traveling the Midwest covering sports for various Internet and print publications.
