Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando , Florida that was founded in 1991 . Their playoff streak is currently 18 seasons in a row , becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000 . For many years they were coached by Jay Gruden , younger brother of Jon Gruden , but he became the UFL ' s Florida Tuskers ' offensive coordinator after the cancellation of the AFL ' s 2009 season . They are now coached by Pat O ' Hara . History . The Orlando Predators franchise was awarded by the AFL to Davey Johnson , Tracy Allen and Mike McBath on February 28 , 1991 , and began play that same year , the only year so far that they missed the playoffs . Annually among the league - leaders in attendance , they qualified for the playoffs in 17 consecutive seasons , the longest streak in the original AFL . One noted administrator for the Predators was Hall of Fame lineman Jack Youngblood who came to the Predators in 1995 as vice - president and then later , president of the organization . He was with the team through the 1999 season . For much of their existence in the original AFL their head coach was Jay Gruden , younger brother of prominent National Football League coach Jon Gruden . Jay Gruden was formerly an outstanding Arena Football quarterback , leading the Tampa Bay Storm to four ArenaBowl championships , and then served one year as offensive coordinator for the Nashville Kats prior to becoming head coach of the Predators . Jay was the first quarterback in the AFL Hall of Fame . Orlando won the ArenaBowl in 1998 and 2000 under Gruden ' s coaching . He then attempted a comeback as a player , but subsequently returned to coaching following the death of his head coach replacement , Fran Papasedero , in a car accident . The Predators are undoubtedly one of the premier franchises in the history of the original AFL , and have a legendary rivalry with Tampa Bay , who moved to Tampa the same year the Predators formed . They have met twice in the ArenaBowl , with Tampa Bay winning in 1995 and Orlando winning in 1998 . The rivalry , nicknamed the " War On I - 4 " after the interstate that connects the two cities , intensified when Gruden took over as Orlando ' s head coach . Orlando and Tampa Bay have each lasted longer in their markets than any other AFL franchise . The Predators are unique in that they had played in their previous venue , Amway Arena , for 18 seasons in the AFL , longer than any other team . Amway Arena was often nicknamed " The Jungle " during Predators games due to the hostile environment from the fans , harsh smoke that fills the arena during the players intro , and a Guns N ' Roses song which " welcomes " other teams followed by their impending death . They shared Amway Arena with the Orlando Magic of the NBA and the Orlando Titans of the NLL . The 2010 season was the Predators ' 19th and final season at Amway Arena . The team will move to Amway Center , the new arena in Orlando , for the 2011 season . A Predators game was the final sporting event ever performed at Amway Arena . The Tampa Bay Storm can surpass that record of 19 seasons in one venue if they stay at the St . Pete Times Forum until 2018 . The team ' s current mascot is a monster - like human named Klaw who looks much like the alien ( Predator ) from the Predator films , with only different coloring . The Predators have played in the ArenaBowl a total of seven times , more than any other current team . If you include the Pittsburgh Gladiators ' two ArenaBowl games before they moved to Tampa Bay , the Storm is the only team that has more ( eight ; six as the Storm ) . During the 2007 season , the Predators inaugurated the " Predator Fan Hall Of Fame " . The inaugural inductees are Nancy Morris & Richard Grabe . Morris , who has been a superfan for almost sixteen years , is known to most of the team and the front office as " The PredMom " , and is currently the president of the Orlando Predator In Your Face Fan Club . Grabe , who has been a superfan since 1991 , is the creator of the " PredHeads " that are seen worn by a select group of fans that sit in section 113 of the Amway Arena , and are also known for their tailgating parties on " Predator Island " ( located in the northeast corner of lot 4 of the centroplex ) . The Predators maintained their organization and web presence after the AFL suspended operations in August 2009 . On September 28 , 2009 , the Predators announced their return to play for the 2010 season as a member of the new Arena Football 1 league , until that league purchased the AFL ' s assets and assumed the AFL ' s history . With Jay Gruden obligated to the UFL by his contract with the Tuskers , eventually becoming the team ' s head coach , they hired former quarterback Pat O ' Hara as their head coach for the 2010 season . When the schedule for the league ' s season was announced on December 31 , 2009 , the Predators were slated to return to action on April 9 , 2010 . In the 2010 season , the Predators finished with an 8 – 8 record . They qualified for the playoffs , but lost the conference championship to the Tampa Bay Storm by a single point as a last - second field goal attempt was unsuccessful . Predator highlights . The Predators made Arena Football League history in consecutive weeks during the 1992 season :