Arizona Rattlers

It wasn’t supposed to be this close. The San Antonio Talons limped into US Airways Center for their game against the two-time defending Arena Bowl champion Arizona Rattlers with a 1-5 record. The Rattlers, meanwhile, were 5-0 and had proven to be the most potent offense in the league behind quarterback Nick Davila. However, it […]

There wasn’t a lot of defense on display Saturday night at US Airways Center, but the Arizona Rattlers got a stop when they needed one the most. After Nick Davila hit Rod Windsor on a 16-yard touchdown pass to give the Rattlers a 67-63 lead with under nine minutes to play, Arizona attempted an onside […]

Quarterback Nick Davila threw seven touchdown passes — three each to Maurice Purify and Rod Windsor — but it was the defense that keyed the Arizona Rattlers’ 63-38 win over the Jacksonville Sharks in front of a crowd of 8,586 fans at US Airways Center. Jacksonville quarterback R.J. Archer came into the game leading the […]

PHOENIX — The Arizona Rattlers are loaded with receivers. And while Maurice Purify, Tysson Poots and Rod Windsor grab a lot of the attention — and with good reason — it’s Kerry Reed who seemingly always makes the plays that help the Rattlers win. That was the case again Sunday as Reed, the only member […]

It’s not uncommon for a league to schedule a season-opening game between the the two teams who met for the championship the previous year. It is uncommon for that matchup to live up to all the hype. Saturday night’s game between the ArenaBowl champion Arizona Rattlers and the Philadelphia Soul was that rare exception. Arizona’s […]

PHOENIX — The offseason brought change to the roster and division, along with a tweak to the schedule. What hasn’t changed — and never will — is the Arizona Rattlers’ No. 1 goal each and every season: An ArenaBowl championship. They’ve won two straight ArenaBowls and take aim at a third beginning this week. “The […]

The ArenaBowl’s format is going back to the way it used to be. The Arena Football League announced Wednesday that the 2014 ArenaBowl will be hosted by the team with the highest remaining playoff seed. This marks a change from the last two championship games, which were held at neutral sites. “We listened to our […]

Winning a championship is difficult. Defending it may be even harder. The Arizona Rattlers were able to do just that in 2013, and are heading into 2014 as the two-time defending Arena Football League champions. “I’m excited about this year,” he told Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM as part of Newsmakers Week […]

PHOENIX — The Arizona Rattlers will defend their Arena Football League Championship with an Arena Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Soul on March 15, 2014 at the US Airways Center. The back-to-back champs will host their first three games at home with Spokane and Jacksonville visiting the Snake Pit. The Rattlers became the first team […]

PHOENIX — With back-to-back-to-back third quarter defensive stops, the Rattlers make it back-to-back-to-back appearances in the AFL title game. “If I was in the NFL, I’d be rich right now,” head coach Kevin Guy said with a laugh. His Rattlers (17-3) are once again ArenaBowl-bound after defeating the Spokane Shock 65-57 in the National Conference […]

Arizona Rattlers defensive back Virgil Gray picked off a Russ Michna pass in the closing seconds of the team’s playoff win over the San Jose Sabercats August 5. Instead of drawing attention to himself or taunting his opponent, Gray simply went to the first row of the stands, kneeled and prayed, handed the ball to […]

PHOENIX — Step one is complete. Behind Nick Davila’s passing, Rod Windsor’s receiving and a defense that forced three turnovers, the defending ArenaBowl champion Arizona Rattlers opened the playoffs with a 59-49 victory against their arch rivals, the San Jose SaberCats, in front of an announced crowd of 7,932 at US Airways Center Sunday. “It […]

For the second time in three seasons, the Arizona Rattlers have finished the regular season with the best record in the Arena Football League. Arizona wrapped a 15-3 campaign with a thorough 84-45 dismantling of the Iowa Barnstormers at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Saturday night. On the first play of the game, Arizona […]

It was Throwback Night at Ak-Chin Field at US Airways Center. The Arizona Rattlers wore retro uniforms, the same ones in which the 1997 team toppled Kurt Warner and the Iowa Barnstormers for their second Arena Bowl championship. Their opponent, the Chicago Rush, bought into the theme of the evening, handing out a good, old-fashioned […]

Arizona Rattlers quarterback Nick Davila and defensive back Virgil Gray have both earned Arena Football League honors for Week 16. Davila threw for 411 yards and a season-high nine touchdowns in the Rattlers’ 84-56 win over the Orlando Predators last Saturday and was named the Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week. Gray registered five […]

Nick Davila threw for a season-high 411 yards and nine touchdown passes as the Arizona Rattlers stormed back into the win column with an easy 84-56 win over the Orlando Predators at Amway Center Saturday night. Orlando rallied from an early two-touchdown deficit and tied the score at 21-21 when quarterback Aaron Garcia hit Jarvis […]

The Arizona Rattlers found themselves in unfamiliar territory last Saturday night in San Jose. Not only did the Rattlers lose for the first time in ten games, they were blown out. Their 72-42 loss was one of the most lopsided defeats in their 21-year history. But it still wasn’t enough to knock Kevin Guy’s team […]

The Arizona Rattlers’ winning streak came to an end with a resounding thud Saturday night in San Jose. Sabercats quarterback Russ Michna completed 24-of-37 passes for 313 yards and nine touchdowns, including five to Fred Williams, and San Jose cruised to an easy 72-42 win over the Rattlers at the HP Pavilion. The game was […]

The rich get richer. The Arizona Rattlers, the defending champs and owners of the Arena Football League’s best record at 12-1, were assigned linebacker Kevin McCullough according to a press release issued by the team. McCullough was a free agent after last season, and wasn’t resigned. The three-year veteran from the University of Cincinnati was […]

The Arizona Rattlers’ defense forced seven turnovers, including six interceptions, and Nick Davila threw five touchdown passes in a 70-21 win over the San Antonio Talons at the Alamodome Saturday. The Rattlers (11-1) got on the board on their first possession, with Davila hitting Jared Perry on a six-yard touchdown pass which capped a four-play, […]