Gladiators to Host Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXVII AFL championship game to kickoff at 8:00PM,ET Saturday,August 23 on ESPN

Aug. 11,2014

AFL Communications
CHICAGO - After 20 grueling weeks of regular season play and a pair of postseason battles, the two best teams in the Arena Football League in 2014 are set to square off at ArenaBowl XXVII.
Ranked first and second in the League's vPower Rankings and Coaches' Poll for most of the 2014 season, the Cleveland Gladiators (17-1) will host the Arizona Rattlers (15-3) at 8:00 p.m. ET Saturday, August 23 on ESPN in the AFL's annual championship game. The Rattlers will be making their fourth consecutive ArenaBowl appearance and ninth championship game overall as they look to become just the second team in AFL history - and first since 1990 - to win three League titles in a row, while the Gladiators are entering their first-ever ArenaBowl contest with a chance to bring Cleveland its first pro sports championship in 50 years.
Cleveland - the No. 1 seed in the American Conference - knocked off the No. 2 seed Orlando Predators (11-7), 56-46, in the conference championship game to secure a berth in ArenaBowl XXVII, while the Rattlers - the top seed in the National Conference - defeated the second-seeded San Jose Sabercats (13-5) in the National Conference title game to advance.
Perhaps no team in AFL history has appeared more like a "team of destiny" than the 2014 Cleveland Gladiators, who earned the moniker of "Kardiac Kids" as a result of their penchant for dramatic finishes. Cleveland's improbable road to the ArenaBowl has featured six victories on the final play of the game and nine wins by a touchdown or less. Late-game theatrics aside, the Gladiators' miracle season has also been historic, as the team set a new AFL record for regular season victories with 17 on the year and completed one of the greatest turnarounds in League history, improving from a 4-14 record with a very similar roster a year ago.
On the other side of the spectrum, Arizona has been the "gold standard" of the AFL for nearly half-a-decade. The four-time defending National Conference champs have become a modern day dynasty, playing an astounding 83 games since 2011 and looking to become the first AFL team to three-peat as ArenaBowl champions since the Detroit Drive won three straight titles from 1988-1990. Despite having a target firmly on their backs all year, the Rattlers set an AFL record with 14 consecutive regular season wins to begin the 2014 season.
The Rattlers lead the overall series with a 12-3 record against the Gladiators in the regular season and a 1-0 mark in the postseason. However, this will be the first meeting between the two franchises since May 28, 2011 when Arizona defeated Cleveland, 63-42, in the "Snake Pit". The Rattlers have played in Cleveland just once, topping the Gladiators, 61-56, on April 3, 2010.
Kickoff for ArenaBowl XXVII from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio is set for 8:00 p.m. ET Saturday, August 23 on ESPN. Tickets can be purchased now at www.ClevelandGladiators.com.