Arizona Rattlers leaving mark as greatest dynasty nobody knows

As the summer heats up, so do the Arizona Rattlers.

They practice outside in triple-digit temperatures, and take their game indoors on Saturdays, lighting up scoreboards.

Quarterback Nick Davila tosses another touchdown pass. There goes another one-play Rattlers scoring drive. Rod Windsor hauls in a pass one-handed for a touchdown. Jeremy Kellem intercepts the ball again.

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Rattlers' touchdowns are followed by big booms over the PA system inside US Airways Center, a place the diehards who filled it in the 1990s called "the Snake Pit." Coupled with noise created by the fans, it has become a deafening summertime sports experience.

Since 1992, when the Rattlers joined the Arena Football League, the team has played in nine ArenaBowls, winning five, including the past three. They are trying to make this a fifth consecutive 21-game season by reaching the championship game. No pro football team has ever played that many games in a five-year span.

Since 2011, they've gone 80-16.

No team has reached five consecutive ArenaBowls. Nobody has ever won four in a row.

But the Rattlers play mostly in obscurity, trying to find their place in a saturated pro sports market. They play in a league that football purists have yet to embrace since the eight-man, 50-yard, indoor game began in 1987. Along the way the AFL went bankrupt and canceled its 2009 season, and has had to try to reinvent and reintroduce itself all over again this decade.

The Rattlers are the best "unknown" pro sports dynasty in the country.

"I had someone tell me the other day that the AFL is full of NFL rejects, and I was like, 'Wow, that's their perspective,' '' Kellem said. "But once you step into this league, you realize there is a lot of NFL talent here. We are in the league for a reason.

"My mindset is to be great on the level you are on, strive to be the best, strive to achieve the ultimate goal."

That goal every year under coach and General Manger Kevin Guy, and under the ownership of Ron Shurts, is to win a championship.

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It starts with Shurts, who supplies the parts, the infrastructure, the marketing.

The mechanic is Guy, a fireball of a man who soaks up everything and admits he hates to lose, even at marbles.

The cool, calm engineer is Davila, who came within one play from already having four championship rings since he began leading the Rattlers in 2010.

Ownership commitment

When then-Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo decided to buy an AFL franchise to help fill summer dates in the city's new downtown arena, which opened in 1992 as America West Arena, little did he know that his first championship ring would come two years later with the Rattlers rather than his NBA team.

Danny White was the coach. Colangelo had his son, Bryan, basically run the Rattlers, and they were drawing 15,505 fans for each home game, including preseason, the first two seasons. Suns star Dan Majerle was a regular at games. Bryan Colangelo was passing out victory cigars at the post-game team party at the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando, after the Rattlers pulled out a stunning win over the heavily favored Predators. Three years later, they won another championship, this time at home, against future NFL MVP quarterback Kurt Warner.

The Rattlers were the beloved pro summer team in the Valley, led by quarterback Sherdrick Bonner and receiver Hunkie Cooper, before the Diamondbacks began playing in 1998.

But after Colangelo sold the Suns to a group led by Robert Sarver in 2004, the Rattlers' future was clouded with uncertainty. After the Rattlers lost in a third consecutive ArenaBowl appearance in 2004, White and the Rattlers parted ways.

Then came four ownership changes in seven years. The Rattlers became a Suns' tenant in 2005 after Sarver sold the team to Robert Hernreich, who had a partnership with the Sacramento Kings. Attendance continued to slide as losses on the field mounted.

When Brett Bouchy became managing partner in 2008, he quickly guaranteed the Rattlers would make the playoffs or season-ticket holders would get a full refund. The Rattlers hadn't been to the playoffs for three years and Guy, also the general manager, had completely overhauled the roster.

Fortunately for Bouchy, Guy had maybe his best year as a coach, leading the team to an 8-8 record and into the playoffs.

Bouchy boasted that the Rattlers would be profitable, but the league was in the midst of a collapse, unable to keep up with paying the high salaries (more than $100,000 a year) for the league's stars.

The AFL filed for bankruptcy and canceled the 2009 season.

Bouchy was among a group that helped restart the league in 2010.

But when the league started back up in 2010 with a new single-entity economic model, Bouchy was running both the Rattlers and the Predators, his former team.

After the 2010 season, Bouchy decided to focus on the Predators, and Mike Galloway took over as managing partner.

Meanwhile, the Rattlers were about to lose Guy in September 2010, before Galloway, a retired Phoenix police officer who was part of an ownership group called Sidewinders Investments, intercepted Guy at the airport and got him to re-sign.

Guy was about to board a plane to Pittsburgh to interview for head coach of the then-expansion Power. The New Orleans VooDoo also coveted Guy, whose roots run deep in the South.

"Kevin is one of the top coaches in the league," Galloway told The Arizona Republic at the time. "We would be foolish to let him slip away."

Guy said at the time that he liked the new group's vision, but it wasn't until Shurts came in after a 7-1 start to the 2011 season and became majority owner that Guy felt completely secure with the Rattlers. He hit it off immediately with Shurts, who is co-founder of Annexus Group LLC, a private financial company in Scottsdale.

"At the time, they were 7-1, but, off the field, it was complete train wreck," Shurts said. "There was no infrastructure. There was no business plan. There was no marketing strategy at all."

Shurts rolled out a big marketing plan, put a banner promoting the team on one of the downtown buildings, got local TV involved to broadcast home games.

"We've definitely spent some money on the infrastructure to really drive this and take advantage of the momentum," Shurts said.

Last year, the Suns formed a marketing partnership with the Rattlers, joining forces again after a nine-year void. The Suns have helped the Rattlers with ticket sales.

Shurts was one of the first season-ticket holders when the Rattlers began playing in '92. He felt the timing of the Arena football season makes it work, because it doesn't try to go up against the NFL and fills a football void for fans.

"I'm a football guy," Shurts said. "I'm a huge basketball fan, more importantly a Suns fans. When I had season tickets, I got to watch football in May, June and July. That's why I like it. Our players for the most part are NFL players."

In Shurts' first year as majority owner, the Rattlers reached the ArenaBowl at home, losing to the Jacksonville Sharks 73-70 on the last play of the game -- an Aaron Garcia touchdown pass as time expired.

It was considered one of the greatest ArenaBowls, and became the driving force behind Guy that started this dynasty.

Best coach in the game

Kevin Guy remembers as far back as when he was 5 when he had a competitive spirit, playing football on fields in Alabama. He caught the coaching bug after finishing a solid if not great AFL career as a receiver/defensive back for the New Jersey Red Dogs and the Predators.

He was defensive coordinator of the San Jose SaberCats in 2007 when they beat the Chicago Rush in the ArenaBowl. But he has established himself as the best coach in AFL during this run of success with the Rattlers, a team with which he had to start over twice – in 2008 when he released almost everybody, and in 2010 when the league was rebooted.

"In 2010, we were basically an expansion team," Guy said.

The loss to Jacksonville before 14,320 fans who suddenly went silent after Garcia found Jeron Harvey on a 10-yard TD with no time left, led Guy to make changes in the off-season. It fueled his fire to work non-stop.

With star receiver Rod Windsor joining the Cleveland Browns in the NFL, Guy and Shurts both flew to Nebraska to recruit former Cornhuskers star Maurice Purify, who caught five touchdown passes from Davila – just in the second half – in the Rattlers' 72-54 rout of Philadelphia Soul in the 2012 ArenaBowl. Davila threw nine TD passes in that game.

"I felt like losing that ArenaBowl set the tone for what we were going to do the next three years," Guy said. "We got some mileage out of them. We developed a core group of guys and found good perimeter players to put around them.

"I'm still not happy about it (the 2011 ArenaBowl loss). It's my name on the job. Whatever went down, I'm responsible. I felt like I let the organization down. It drove me to really make some tough decisions and get this organization back. And when we got there (to the championship game), I knew there was no way we'd come back without the championship trophy."

Guy stays on top by constantly reading up on what other coaches do, what other organizations do, whether it is in the AFL or the NFL.

"I've learned from my mistakes," Guy said. "I've tried to be a sponge and pay attention to my moves and critique them. I pay attention to other coaches' moves, other owners' moves. You can learn from other people's successes and mistakes.

"Right now, people are trying to catch us. What I've done, I've read everything out there about the New England Patriots, how they've stayed on top. (Coach Bill) Belichick is one of the greatest. And, yes, he has Tom Brady. But nobody took Brady until the sixth round. He identified that, and developed that."

With a great relationship with Shurts, who has provided the resources, such as a strength and conditioning coach, Guy doesn't ache to be a college or NFL coach.

"I played the (Arena) game," Guy said. "I have a passion for it. It doesn't mean I don't love the outdoor game. It doesn't mean I can't coach the outdoor game. We all grew up in the outdoor game. Loving Arena football was different for me. This is a great sport.

"We put in a day's work every day. We're working hard. We're trying to be perfect at our craft, develop our craft. I've been lucky to work with a great group of guys with a work ethic that is relentless."

Buying in

The league restructuring reduced players' salaries to back to the level of the 1990s, before there was a players union and free agency and it was an ironman game with everybody but the quarterback going both ways.

Back then, players were making about $500 a game with a little extra kicked in for wins.

Today, with help from the players union, players are given almost double that for a game with quarterbacks making much more. Some wonder how much goes undetected by the league with owners wanting to make sure their players are taken care of.

Every football player leaving college with pro aspirations shoots for the NFL.

There is the Canadian Football League as an option. Other than that, there are few pro football jobs outside of the Arena Football League if they don't make it in the NFL.

Kellem, who has emerged this season as arguably the greatest safety in the game, said it was easy for him to buy into the Rattlers three years ago when he signed as a free agent after playing for the VooDoo.

"I think a lot of people think winning starts on the field," Kellem said. "Growing up, I've always heard and felt that winning starts off the field. But I really understood that when I came to this organization. I got an email, saying that we had to pass a 100-yard shuttle time to be part of camp. I thought, 'OK, that's a little different here.' That puts the pressure on you to make sure you're in tip-top shape, ready to go to camp for the conditioning test."

Davila and linebacker Tyre Glasper both say they've felt a desire to stay with the Rattlers since Shurts took control of the team in 2011.

"They treat us like professionals," Glasper said. "He's like a blue-collar guy who will hang out with you.

"With Coach Guy, I'd do anything for him. He's a great leader. It just trickles down. And how we carry ourselves. We carry ourselves very professionally. They treat us like professionals."

Shurts has the players involved in community service throughout the calendar year. During the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale each January, the Rattlers bring in a makeshift, 50-yard AFL field, where coaches, players, the mascot and cheerleaders greet spectators and talk about their game.

"We got to the point where the players felt off the field that we became more of an organization and they want to come back," Shurts said. "It's one thing to win a championship. But they want to come back because they like what they're seeing off the field.

"We do take care of our players. We give them a nice place to live. They have opportunities in the off-season."

Davila, closing in on 30, knows his NFL window has nearly closed. He doesn't see himself being in another AFL uniform other than the Rattlers. He wears the role of franchise face with pride.

He missed four games this season because of an injury, the only time he has ever missed games since he signed with the Rattlers in 2010.

"We've got a good thing going here and we have to stay humbled," Davila said.

Guy is quick to get rid of players who aren't buying into the program.

"I try to teach them this is a business and what you have to do to stay in this business," Guy said. "When I played, I didn't feel there was always the best communication between the player and the coach. I kind of over-communicate. I look at them in the eye and say, 'Here's your situation.' I think players respect that. They may not like my decision, but they respect it. You have to be straightforward and honest. Two things you have to have in an organization to be successful – communication and trust. If you develop those two areas, then you're going to have a really good organization."

This has been Guy's most difficult year in terms of making personnel moves.

After losing Davila with the injury, B.J. Coleman took over at quarterback. But after leading the Rattlers to a 2-1 record as the starter, he left the team during the bye week to take a promotion in a job outside of football he had back home in Tennessee.

Guy wasn't ready to play Davila, and Shane Boyd, a journeyman quarterback, led the Rattlers to a win in Spokane, before Davila returned as starter.

"When you have a plan and you execute a plan and do things right, the wins and losses will take care of itself," Guy said. "I feel we've had that here.

"Nick is so in sync with me mentally. Ron, me and Nick, we're so in sync with each other. We know how we think. We want the same from the players. (Davila) really puts his work in and I appreciate that. He is perfect for me, because I'm the opposite in personality. I'm a fireball. I coach them hard. Nick is even keeled and he should be even keeled."

The Rattlers mystique

Undoubtedly, with success, there will be envy. But there also is a healthy dose of respect from the rest of the league on what the Rattlers have accomplished.

"I think there is both," Shurts said. "I think they look at us as a model. My first owners meeting, I didn't know any of the owners. But we got into some topics I was vocal about. Now that we've won, there's no question they're looking at us.

"If you're a competitor, you're going to have a pit in your stomach that we're not there, that we want to be like those guys. I think we've done some great things from a league perspective. To have a three-peat championship only helps the league."

The game is brutal, played basically on a padded carpet laid out on a concrete floor with walls for sidelines and nowhere to hide.

So to sustain success is difficult with so many players laid up with injuries.

Earlier this season, the Rattlers lost wide receiver Markee White for the season with a broken back he suffered while hitting the sideline wall headfirst in Spokane. It was a scary moment for White, who is thankful he is able to walk.

"In a game where injuries are more common, it says a lot about them to stay healthy and to be as dominant in a league where players are often not as consistently healthy during an entire season," said Cleveland Gladiators wide receiver Andrae Thurman, who had a short stint with the Rattlers.

Scott Butera, who replaced Jerry Kurz as AFL commissioner this year, calls the Rattlers the signature team among the 12 that are playing this year.

Attendance this year has risen. The Rattlers drew 10,130 fans on May 16 for the Las Vegas Outlaws on what Shurts called the team's biggest revenue night since he took over as majority owner. On June 6, when the Rattlers played the Tampa Bay Storm, they drew 12,304 fans.

"They really understand how to run a football program from the top down," Butera said. "They're a great example of what we're trying to support.

"I don't think they're appreciated how well they've done. The quarterback is the best in the league. Their success exemplifies what we're trying to do in the league. We have a number of high-quality teams, but we're very proud of what the Rattlers have accomplished."

Raising awareness

The league has struggled with respect, notoriety, relevance and credibility since it began in 1987 and franchises have come and gone.

It doesn't annoy Guy that radio sports personalities say on the air that there hasn't been a major sports championship in the Valley since the Diamondbacks won the World Series in 2001.

"I'm not going to change that," he said. "All I have control over is what I do. At the end of the day, the Rattlers and the (WNBA) Mercury have brought championships to this market (in recent years). I'm proud of that. This franchise has won five over the years and played in several more. We're proud of that."

Money leads to exposure, which leads to household names, which leads to their place at the table with the four majors – NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball.

Every year there is another story written about the league's novelty. Guy said he gets tired of hearing how the AFL combines elements of football, basketball and hockey.

"My feeling is if Arena football was invented first, human nature would be, 'Arena football is the way to go,' '' Guy said.

Kellem hopes some day to see Arena football rise above the "niche" category.

"I think a lot of people disrespect this league because they don't really understand it," he said. "I think if you play in it, you have greater respect. Once you enter this league, you realize how much respect you have for it.

"It's not easy. People sit on the couch and see a dude running in motion or a dude covering the guy in motion and the quarterback throwing a touchdown, and they think that it's easy."

Fan interaction is part of the appeal. They are close to the action. They get to go home with footballs that quarterbacks throw into the crowd to not get sacked. They get to spend almost an hour on the field after games to interact with the players. It can feel like being at a rock concert with the music blaring between plays and then hanging out afterwards backstage.

Bill Skaug, a Rattlers season-ticket holder since he moved from the Midwest in 2002, was raised in Chicago, rooting for the Bears. He also cheers for the Arizona Cardinals.

But, if the Cardinals and Bears were playing here at the same time the Rattlers had a game, Skaug said he would choose the Rattlers.

"I would probably DVR the Bears-Cardinals, but in person, the Rattlers have my heart," he said.

The AFL is trying to expand globally.

Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, part-owner of the AFL Philadelphia Soul, was part of a group that went to China two years ago to show off the game.

Guy said he believes Arena football will be an Olympic sport some day.

"Our society equates everything to money," Guy said. "This is a great sport. This can be a world-wide sport if the right people get involved.

"There's a lot of fans that are interested in Arena football. I don't look at as a niche sport. This is our NFL."