War on I-4 (arena football)
First meeting | June 1, 1991 Predators 51, Storm 38 |
---|---|
Latest meeting | June 24, 2016 Predators 56, Storm 33 |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 61 |
All-time series | Predators, 34–27 |
Regular season series | Predators, 30–23 |
Postseason results | Tied, 4–4 |
Largest victory | Predators, 76–25 (2016) |
Smallest victory | Predators, 44–43 (2000) Storm 63–62, (2010) Storm 35–34, (2014) Predators, 63–62 (2015) |
Longest win streak | Predators, 6 (2015–2016) |
Playoff and Championship Success | |
ArenaBowl Championships (7)
ArenaBowl Appearances (14) |
The War on I–4 was a
Although the Tampa Bay and Orlando markets, separated by an 80-mile stretch of
The games were played either at the teams' respective home arenas. At the time the series ended, these arenas were
The Predators led the overall series 34–27 in regular season and playoff games combined. The sides met eight times in the AFL playoffs, with each team winning four times, twice being in the ArenaBowl, with each team winning once. Their final playoff meeting was on August 14, 2010 in the American Conference Championship game, in which Tampa Bay won 63–62 as a long field goal attempt by the Predators fell short as time expired.[2]
The games between the teams were notable for featuring some of the highest attendances in AFL history. The ArenaBowl IX title match of September 1, 1995 drew an Arena Bowl record crowd of 25,087 to Thunderdome to see the Storm defeat the Predators by 48–35.[3] Both teams were known to organize bus trips for supporters down Interstate 4 (hence the War on I-4) to the other city to see their squad play.[4]
The series also had the top overall attendance record in league history when Orlando defeated Tampa Bay 46–45 in front of 28,745 at the Florida Suncoast Dome in week 6 of the 1993 AFL season.
In 2010, the rivalry resumed after a year off caused by the Arena Football League suspending operations in 2009. The rivalry ended when Orlando announced they would suspend operations following the conclusion of the 2016 season. Tampa Bay did the same following the 2017 season. The
Shortly after the Predators withdrew from the AFL, the University of South Florida, based in Tampa, and the University of Central Florida, based in Orlando, claimed the "War on I-4" name for their own sports rivalries.
Game-by-game results
Orlando victories | Tampa Bay victories |
No. | Date | Location | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | June 1, 1991 | Florida Suncoast Dome | Orlando | 51 | Tampa Bay | 38 | 10,354 | |
2 | July 27, 1991 | Orlando Arena | Tampa Bay | 26 | Orlando | 16 | 13,680 | |
3 | May 29, 1992 | Orlando Arena | Tampa Bay | 39 | Orlando | 32 | 11,312 | |
4 | July 2, 1992 | Florida Suncoast Dome | Orlando | 48 | Tampa Bay | 33 | 20,091 | |
5 | August 15, 1992* | Orlando Arena | Orlando | 24 | Tampa Bay | 21OT | 13,680 | |
6 | May 21, 1993 | Orlando Arena | Orlando | 46 | Tampa Bay | 34 | 13,680 | |
7 | June 19, 1993 | Florida Suncoast Dome | Orlando | 46 | Tampa Bay | 45 | 28,745 | |
8 | August 14, 1993* | Orlando Arena | Tampa Bay | 55 | Orlando | 52 | 13,680 | |
9 | July 1, 1994 | Orlando Arena | Orlando | 61 | Tampa Bay | 40 | 14,015 | |
10 | August 13, 1994 | ThunderDome | Tampa Bay | 40 | Orlando | 39 | 20,819 | |
11 | July 14, 1995 | Orlando Arena | Tampa Bay | 51 | Orlando | 34 | 15,638 | |
12 | July 29, 1995 | ThunderDome | Tampa Bay | 44 | Orlando | 20 | 24,055 | |
13 | September 1, 1995 | ThunderDome | Tampa Bay | 48 | Orlando | 35 | 25,087 | |
14 | May 18, 1996 | ThunderDome | Tampa Bay | 63 | Orlando | 42 | 16,444 | |
15 | July 19, 1996 | Orlando Arena | Orlando | 40 | Tampa Bay | 39 | 16,236 | |
16 | May 17, 1997 | Ice Palace | Orlando | 43 | Tampa Bay | 17 | 14,179 | |
17 | June 27, 1997 | Orlando Arena | Orlando | 54 | Tampa Bay | 30 | 16,529 | |
18 | June 12, 1998 | Orlando Arena | Tampa Bay | 42 | Orlando | 34 | 15,948 | |
19 | June 27, 1998 | Ice Palace | Tampa Bay | 56 | Orlando | 30 | 14,125 | |
20 | August 23, 1998 | Ice Palace | Orlando | 62 | Tampa Bay | 31 | 17,222 | |
21 | June 12, 1999 | Orlando Arena | Tampa Bay | 63 | Orlando | 37 | 15,101 | |
22 | July 11, 1999 | Ice Palace | Tampa Bay | 47 | Orlando | 28 | 11,777 | |
23 | August 7, 1999* | Ice Palace | Orlando | 41 | Tampa Bay | 19 | 10,706 | |
24 | May 12, 2000 | TD Waterhouse Centre | Orlando | 44 | Tampa Bay | 43 | 13,342 | |
25 | July 1, 2000 | Ice Palace | Tampa Bay | 50 | Orlando | 36 | 14,047 | |
26 | August 3, 2000* | TD Waterhouse Centre | Orlando | 34 | Tampa Bay | 24 | 13,122 | |
27 | June 10, 2001 | TD Waterhouse Centre | Orlando | 57 | Tampa Bay | 45 | 13,691 | |
28 | July 1, 2001 | Ice Palace | Orlando | 46 | Tampa Bay | 38 | 17,634 | |
29 | June 9, 2002 | TD Waterhouse Centre | Tampa Bay | 48 | Orlando | 45 | 12,855 | |
30 | July 7, 2002 | Ice Palace | Orlando | 55 | Tampa Bay | 48 | 11,784 | |
31 | February 9, 2003 | TD Waterhouse Centre | Orlando | 54 | Tampa Bay | 51 | 13,541 | |
32 | March 16, 2003 | St. Pete Times Forum | Tampa Bay | 52 | Orlando | 32 | 15,054 | |
33 | June 7, 2003* | St. Pete Times Forum | Tampa Bay | 60 | Orlando | 50 | 14,028 | |
34 | February 8, 2004 | St. Pete Times Forum | Tampa Bay | 52 | Orlando | 41 | 15,404 | |
35 | May 2, 2004 | TD Waterhouse Centre | Tampa Bay | 63 | Orlando | 58 | 13,714 | |
36 | February 11, 2005 | TD Waterhouse Centre | Orlando | 61 | Tampa Bay | 46 | 14,478 | |
37 | April 9, 2005 | St. Pete Times Forum | Tampa Bay | 54 | Orlando | 42 | 18,794 | |
38 | February 19, 2006 | St. Pete Times Forum | Orlando | 67 | Tampa Bay | 64OT | 14,692 | |
39 | April 22, 2006 | TD Waterhouse Centre | Orlando | 52 | Tampa Bay | 13 | 15,920 | |
40 | March 2, 2007 | St. Pete Times Forum | Orlando | 52 | Tampa Bay | 27 | 15,619 | |
41 | April 14, 2007 | Amway Arena | Orlando | 61 | Tampa Bay | 37 | 15,303 | |
42 | April 26, 2008 | Amway Arena | Tampa Bay | 48 | Orlando | 41 | 13,365 | |
43 | June 7, 2008 | St. Pete Times Forum | Tampa Bay | 71 | Orlando | 61 | 17,344 | |
44 | May 28, 2010 | Amway Arena | Tampa Bay | 62 | Orlando | 50 | 10,924 | |
45 | July 31, 2010 | St. Pete Times Forum | Orlando | 75 | Tampa Bay | 60 | 17,302 | |
46 | August 14, 2010* | St. Pete Times Forum | Tampa Bay | 63 | Orlando | 62 | 10,104 | |
47 | May 6, 2011 | Amway Center | Orlando | 63 | Tampa Bay | 61 | 12,897 | |
48 | June 17, 2011 | St. Pete Times Forum | Tampa Bay | 46 | Orlando | 44 | 11,151 | |
49 | May 5, 2012 | Tampa Bay Times Forum | Tampa Bay | 55 | Orlando | 31 | 8,488 | |
50 | June 15, 2012 | Amway Center | Orlando | 64 | Tampa Bay | 40 | 12,441 | |
51 | April 20, 2013 | Amway Center | Tampa Bay | 53 | Orlando | 35 | 11,969 | |
52 | June 8, 2013 | Tampa Bay Times Forum | Orlando | 55 | Tampa Bay | 48 | 14,041 | |
53 | March 29, 2014 | Tampa Bay Times Forum | Orlando | 56 | Tampa Bay | 52 | 10,896 | |
54 | April 19, 2014 | CFE Arena | Orlando | 77 | Tampa Bay | 65 | 5,434 | |
55 | June 21, 2014 | Tampa Bay Times Forum | Tampa Bay | 35 | Orlando | 34 | 11,890 | |
56 | May 16, 2015 | Amway Center | Orlando | 63 | Tampa Bay | 62OT | 10,973 | |
57 | July 11, 2015 | Amalie Arena | Orlando | 69 | Tampa Bay | 62 | 15,835 | |
58 | August 8, 2015 | Amway Center | Orlando | 59 | Tampa Bay | 40 | 15,188 | |
59 | April 1, 2016 | Amalie Arena | Orlando | 76 | Tampa Bay | 25 | 9,928 | |
60 | May 13, 2016 | Amway Center | Orlando | 42 | Tampa Bay | 40 | 12,971 | |
61 | June 24, 2016 | Amway Center | Orlando | 56 | Tampa Bay | 33 | 13,527 | |
Series: Orlando leads 34–27 | ||||||||
* Playoff Game |
References
- ^ Pickard, B. J. (June 14, 2011). "The War on I-4: AFL's Biggest Rivals Collide in Tampa". Arena Football League. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ^ "Storm Punch Ticket To ArenaBowl XXIII With 63-62 Win Over Predators". Arena Football League. August 14, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ Fran Stuchbury (June 6, 2005). "City reveals vision for Amway Arena area". Our Sports Central. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
- ^ "Bus Trip to Tampa Announced" Retrieved August 3, 2010