War On I-4
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War On I-4 is the nickname for the rivalry between the Tampa Bay Storm and the Orlando Predators in the Arena Football League. The teams have met at least twice and up to four times a season since 1991, and both have consistently been at the top of the league standings.
The overall record in both regular and postseason has Orlando on top with a 20-19 record. The sides have met five times in the AFL playoffs, with Orlando holding a 3-2 lead, and twice in the ArenaBowl, with each team winning once.
In the 2005 season, the Predators won the first game in Orlando by a score of 61-46 on February 11, but Tampa Bay took the second meeting 54-42 in the St. Pete Times Forum on April 9.
In 2006, Orlando won the first meeting in overtime on February 19, with the score of 67-64. The second game of the year was held on April 22, Orlando won with a score of 52-13. It marked the first time since 2001 that one of the teams swept the other during regular season play. It also marked the first time that Orlando's home game out-sold Tampa's home game in the series. The first matchup that year had 14,692 in the St. Pete Times Forum, while the second held 15,920 for game two at "The Jungle".
The games between the teams are notable for featuring some of the highest attendances in AFL history. The ArenaBowl IX title match of September 1, 1995 drew a record crowd of 25,087 (for a title game)to the Thunderdome (now Tropicana Field) in St. Petersburg to see the Storm defeat the Preds' by 48-35. Both teams are known to organize bus trips for supporters down the I-4 (hence the War on I-4) to the other city to see their squad play. The series also has the top overall attendance record in league history when Orlando defeated Tampa 46-45 in front of 28,745 in week 6 of the 1993 AFL season.
| Season | Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Comp. | Atten. | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | June 1 | Tampa Bay Storm | 38 - 51 | Orlando Predators | ThunderDome | Regular Season | 10354 | 1-0-0 |
| 1991 | July 27 | Orlando Predators | 16 - 26 | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | Regular Season | 13680 | 1-1-0 |
| 1992 | May 29 | Orlando Predators | 32 - 39 | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | Regular Season | 11312 | 1-2-0 |
| 1992 | July 2 | Tampa Bay Storm | 33 - 48 | Orlando Predators | ThunderDome | Regular Season | 20091 | 2-2-0 |
| 1992 | August 15 | Orlando Predators | 24 - 21 ot | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | AFL Semifinal | 13680 | 3-2-0 |
| 1993 | May 21 | Orlando Predators | 46 - 34 | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | Regular Season | 13680 | 4-2-0 |
| 1993 | June 19 | Tampa Bay Storm | 45 - 46 | Orlando Predators | ThunderDome | Regular Season | 28745 | 5-2-0 |
| 1993 | August 14 | Orlando Predators | 52 - 55 | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | AFL Semifinal | 13680 | 5-3-0 |
| 1994 | July 1 | Orlando Predators | 61 - 40 | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | Regular Season | 14015 | 6-3-0 |
| 1994 | August 13 | Tampa Bay Storm | 40 - 39 | Orlando Predators | ThunderDome | Regular Season | 20819 | 6-4-0 |
| 1995 | July 14 | Orlando Predators | 34 - 51 | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | Regular Season | 15638 | 6-5-0 |
| 1995 | July 29 | Tampa Bay Storm | 44 - 20 | Orlando Predators | ThunderDome | Regular Season | 24055 | 6-6-0 |
| 1995 | September 1 | Tampa Bay Storm | 48 - 35 | Orlando Predators | ThunderDome | Arena Bowl IX | 25087 | 6-7-0 |
| 1996 | May 18 | Tampa Bay Storm | 63 - 42 | Orlando Predators | ThunderDome | Regular Season | 16444 | 6-8-0 |
| 1996 | July 19 | Orlando Predators | 40 - 39 | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | Regular Season | 16236 | 7-8-0 |
| 1997 | May 17 | Tampa Bay Storm | 17 - 43 | Orlando Predators | Ice Palace | Regular Season | 14179 | 8-8-0 |
| 1997 | June 27 | Orlando Predators | 54 - 30 | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | Regular Season | 16529 | 9-8-0 |
| 1998 | June 12 | Orlando Predators | 34 - 42 | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | Regular Season | 15948 | 9-9-0 |
| 1998 | June 27 | Tampa Bay Storm | 56 - 30 | Orlando Predators | Ice Palace | Regular Season | 14125 | 9-10-0 |
| 1998 | August 23 | Tampa Bay Storm | 31 - 62 | Orlando Predators | Ice Palace | Arena Bowl XII | 17222 | 10-10-0 |
| 1999 | June 12 | Orlando Predators | 37 - 63 | Tampa Bay Storm | Orlando Arena | Regular Season | 15101 | 10-11-0 |
| 1999 | July 11 | Tampa Bay Storm | 47 - 28 | Orlando Predators | Ice Palace | Regular Season | 11777 | 10-12-0 |
| 1999 | August 7 | Tampa Bay Storm | 19 - 41 | Orlando Predators | Ice Palace | AFL Round 1 | 10706 | 11-12-0 |
| 2000 | May 12 | Orlando Predators | 44 - 43 | Tampa Bay Storm | TD Waterhouse Centre | Regular Season | 13342 | 12-12-0 |
