1993 Tampa Bay Storm
1993 Tampa Bay Storm
The Storm changed uniforms for the 1993 season, from the wild Zubaz striped
scheme to a more traditional royal blue and silver. Bob Gries, stating "Our
organization has really developed an obsession towards winning," announced an
interesting marketing plan. If the team failed to win ten games, including the
playoffs, he would refund 20 percent of the purchase price of season tickets.
As a result, the number of season tickets nearly tripled.
Lynn Bradford left the team and WR/LB Anthony Howard was traded to Charlotte for FB/LB Les Barley a couple games into the season. On May 7, the largest crowd to ever see an Arena Football League game came out to the Suncoast Dome. Since it was a preseason game, it is not considered a league record, however, 30,013 saw the Storm defeat Detroit.
Tampa Bay opened the season on May 15 before a home crowd of 18,546 for a game against Cleveland. Jay Gruden threw five touchdown passes, two to Anthony Howard, and finished the night 22 of 30 for 254 yards. The Storm jumped to a 22-0 first quarter lead and held a 36-12 halftime advantage. The only points they allowed in the second half came on a fumbled quarterback snap which lead to a safety. The Thunderbolts completed only seven passes and generated 109 total yards, both Storm defensive records. Andre Bowden got to the QB twice and scored a touchdown, as Tampa Bay won 50-14. Head Coach Lary Kuharich said afterwards, "It was a good way to start the season."
In week two, Corey Dowden set a team record with 79 yards in interception return yards at Orlando. The Storm lead the game at the half 14-12, but they fell apart in the second half. Orlando quarterback Ben Bennett threw 45 passes, while Jay Gruden completed just ten passes and Tampa Bay was penalized a league record twenty times for 105 yards. The Predators scored 27 points in the fourth quarter, 20 of them unanswered, and the Storm lost 46-34. The rivalry between the two teams was fueled by some unruly fans. They tossed beer on, and yelled profanities at, a group of Storm player's wives and team officials. Sherry Gruden, wife of the Storm QB, admitted "I did not feel safe."
The Miami Hooters were an AFL team that played in the Miami Arena from 1993 to 1995. It was an unusual marketing arrangement with the restaurant chain and the team adopted the restaurant's owlish logo and trademark colors.
The franchise was originally in Sacramento for the 1992 season. The team relocated to Miami and the names Miami Toros and Miami Bulls were considered before the connection with Hooters. After three seasons, the team moved to West Palm Beach and became the Florida Bobcats. The Bobcats folded in 2001. The Hooters went 11-26 in three AFL seasons with the Storm going 5-0 against Miami. |
The Storm scored 24 straight points against Charlotte before 20,532 in St. Petersburg. Tampa Bay's Eddie Brown returned the opening kickoff 56 yards for a touchdown and the rout was on. Stevie Thomas caught two touchdown passes, Andre Bowden ran for a pair of TDs and the defense forced eight turnovers. Even with sixteen penalties for 83 yards, three interceptions and three fumbles, the Storm handled the Rage 52-19. Charlotte head coach Steve Patton admitted, "We never recovered after the kickoff."
Tampa Bay went out to Arizona and the Rattlers lead 15-3 in the first quarter. Arizona threw 55 passes in the game and completed 28, both records for a Storm opponent. QB Paul Justin threw for 284 yards and hit Hunkie Cooper (19 receptions for 218 yards) on four touchdown passes. Tampa Bay trailed after three quarters 28-27, but exploded for 35 fourth quarter points. The Storm scored four TDs in the final 2:17, including three off turnovers in the last 22 seconds, to win going away 63-33. Stevie Thomas, who caught two of Jay Gruden's three TD passes, talked of the team's slow start. "We made a lot of mistakes and playing at midnight (Eastern time) took its toll."
On June 19, a new league record attendance of 28,745 filled the Florida Suncoast Dome for a game against Orlando. While Jay Gruden and Ben Bennett each threw for six touchdowns, Tampa Bay equaled the team mark for fewest total yards with 145. Stevie Thomas had four TDs and 125 yards receiving that night. After six lead changes, the visitors built a 39-24 third quarter lead. After two touchdowns, and Gruden hit Thomas on a two-point conversion, the game was tied with 10:57 remaining. Orlando answered, then Gruden threw 12 yards to Keith Browner to pull the Storm within a point with 3:22 left. They tried another two point conversion for the lead, but Gruden's pass fell incomplete. The Predators ran out the clock and escaped with a 46-45 victory. In the first one point loss in Storm history, kicker Arden Czyzewski missed four extra points and the team was unsuccessful on two of three two-point attempts. Lary Kuharich talked about the last two point conversion. "We were going for the win. Who knows if we were going to get the ball back. The man missed four extra points and I thought the odds were better."
The next week, things tightened up after 40 points were scored in the first quarter at Albany. The Storm could manage only six points in the second half, and each team only had one TD after the intermission, but Tampa Bay held on to win the game 36-33. Jay Gruden completed 20 of 30 passes and tossed three TDs against the Firebirds. Lary Kuharich said "I was happy with the defense turning them back and the way we played sixty minutes on the road."
16,236 came out to the Dome to see the Storm play Cincinnati. The home team lead 47-45 after three quarters, before touchdowns runs by Andre Bowden and Jay Gruden broke it open. Gruden threw for 293 yards and five touchdowns with Stevie Thomas (5 receptions for 102 yards) catching a pair of scoring passes. Arden Czyzewski become the first Storm place kicker to attempt five field goals in a game and six different Storm players scored TDs in the 61-51 win over the Rockers. Lary Kuharich said, "I think offensively we're really starting to kick in."
On a Friday night in Charlotte, the first quarter featured three ties and ended 17-17. Jay Gruden (19 of 36 for 280 yards with 3 interceptions) threw five TD passes and the Storm lead at one time 31-20. The Rage would score 20 of the final 27 points to post a 40-38 victory. Tampa Bay turned the ball over five times, which made Lary Kuharich comment, "We didn't play well as a team."
On July 17, Miami came to town and it was a sluggish first quarter for Tampa Bay. The Hooters lead 14-10 after the first, before the Jay Gruden to Stevie Thomas connection generated three second quarter TDs and the Storm lead 37-21 going into the locker room. Gruden (20 of 28 for 274 yards) finished with six TD passes and Thomas caught four balls, all touchdowns. The start of the third quarter was delayed about five minutes, as the Storm came out for the second half in their old Zubaz striped uniforms. An excited crowd watched the Storm win the game 65-46. Stevie Thomas said, "It just seemed that once we put the stripes on, it gave us that extra boost of energy in the second half." Lary Kuharich on the team wearing the old uniforms, "We did it for the fans."
Albany closed out the regular season home schedule. The Storm jumped to leads of 14-0 and 21-3 over the Firebirds, but during one span the visitors scored 16 unanswered points to narrow the gap. Andre Bowden rushed for three touchdowns and returned a fumble for another score. Albany quarterback John Kaleo was intercepted three times in a 48-26 Storm victory. Jay Gruden said of the game, "We played in spurts, like we did all year."
The season finale took place at the Richfield Coliseum in Cleveland. Jay Gruden rested a bruised shoulder, so Terry Karg made his first professional start at quarterback. Karg (15 of 28 for 135 yards), who played his college ball at Central Michigan, had four interceptions to go with two TD passes. Tampa Bay recorded five sacks, the first by Joe March on the game's third play for a safety. The Storm lead 29-13 after three quarters, then out scored Cleveland 21-0 in the final period of a 50-13 victory. Lary Kuharich said of the game, "Give credit to the defense. It was relentless."
The Storm finished with a 9-3 record and placed second to Orlando in the National Conference. Andre Bowden, who lead the league in rushing, set a team record for yards rushing (308), rushing touchdowns (15) and rushing attempts (85). For the second straight year, Jay Gruden (188 of 312 for 2,516 yards with 41 TDs and 14 interceptions) lead the AFL in passing. Stevie Thomas (955 yards and 17 TDs) was fourth in the league in receiving and Arden Czyzewski (92 points) was the fourth ranked kicker. Andre Bowden and lineman Deatrich Wise, who had a career high 6.5 sacks, were named to the All-Arena League team. Owner Bob Gries won the President's Award. For the third straight year, the Storm lead the league in attendance. An average of 20,469 fans came out to the games, which stands as the team and league record.
Once again, the first round of the playoffs were at home. A league playoff record 21,111 fans filled the Florida Suncoast Dome for the game against Albany. Jay Gruden (13 of 22 for 198 yards with an interception) threw three touchdown passes and Stevie Thomas hauled in two 36 yard TD passes in a 48-34 win. Storm players talked afterwards about who they would like to face in the semi-finals. Stevie Thomas said, "I sure hope it'll be Orlando." Jay Gruden agreed, "It's not going to take a whole lot for us to get fired up against those guys." The victory gave the Storm ten for the year, so Bob Gries did not have to refund any money to season ticket holders. He would not repeat the offer.
The two Florida rivals played a wild game at the Orlando Arena. Jay Gruden completed a team postseason record 24 passes out of 36 attempts for 256 yards with four touchdowns and Andre Bowden carried the ball a Storm playoff record eleven times. Two Ben Bennett touchdown passes and a Jorge Cimadevilla field goal gave the Predators a 17-0 second quarter advantage. Bennett (17 of 34 for 201 yards) threw five TDs that night and Cimadevilla set postseason kicking records against Tampa Bay with fifteen points and eight field goal attempts. The Storm went on a 21-3 run to take the lead, before the game was tied 38-38 early in the final quarter. A field goal by Arden Czyzewski put Tampa Bay up by three, then Jeff Mayes recovered the ball off the nets on the ensuing kickoff and ran it into the end zone. Czyzewski added his record seventh extra point and the Storm lead 55-45. Orlando scored a touchdown with 34 seconds left, but the Storm recovered the on-sides kick to seal the team's second Arena Bowl berth in three seasons. Stevie Thomas said of the 55-52 victory, "I can't explain it, but surges go over your body and you just know you're going to win the game."
On August 21, Tampa Bay made their second trip to Joe Louis Arena to play the Detroit Drive in the Arena Bowl. The Storm got out to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter and at one point in the second quarter lead 20-3. Jay Gruden (18 of 32 with an interception) and Drive QB Gilbert Renfroe (15 of 26 with 2 INTs) each threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns. Tampa Bay never trailed and posted their second league championship in three years with a 51-31 victory. The Storm set team postseason records with 23 first downs, 116 yards rushing and allowed 191 yards on only 26 pass attempts. Arden Czyzewski set a kicking mark with 15 points and Les Barley had an Arena Bowl record 49 yards rushing. Jay Gruden was named the Arena Bowl MVP and Keith Browner was named the Ironman of the game, as he scored a touchdown on offense and scored a touchdown on defense. Gruden said afterwards, "There were so many big plays by different people. That's why it's such a great win for us because everybody contributed." Detroit head coach Tim Marcum stated, "You got to give Tampa Bay credit. These guys came up, wanted it, did it." Almost 1,000 fans were at Tampa International Airport to welcome the team home the following morning.
A week after the Arena Bowl, the "First Arena Football League All-Star Game"
was played in Des Moines, Iowa. The game was a fund raiser for victims of that
summer's record flooding in the Midwest. AFL coaches nominated players for the
game and the players themselves voted on who would participate. Seven members
of the Tampa Bay Storm were selected, the most of any team, and the Storm staff
coached the National Conference squad. Jay Gruden (13 of 22 for 188 yards with
five TDs) threw four touchdown passes to Stevie Thomas and Andre Bowden rushed
for 47 yards with a score. In the only all-star game in league history, the
National Conference defeated the American Conference 64-40.
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| 1993 Tampa Bay Storm Results |
| 1993 AFL National Conference Standings |
| 1993 Tampa Bay Storm Statistics |
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