1994 Tampa Bay Storm

On May 21, former University of Florida Gators head coach Galen Hall made his AFL debut, as the Charlotte Rage came to town for the season opener. Two of Jay Gruden's five touchdown passes gave the Storm a quick 13-0 lead. The visitors came within 13-10, then the Storm pulled away to leads of 26-17 at the half and 39-24 after three quarters. Charlotte scored three fourth quarter touchdowns, two set up by Storm fumbles, to upset Tampa Bay 44-39. Lary Kuharich talked after the game. "There was a lot of sloppy play out there. We self-destructed in the fourth quarter. But like everything else, it's not how you start but where you finish."

The next week in Albany, Mike Perez (20 of 31 for 280 yards) threw for seven touchdowns and Eddie Brown (11 receptions for 153 yards) caught five TD passes to lead the Firebirds over the Storm 71-45. It was the largest margin of defeat in team history and the Firebirds scored more points on the Storm than any team had previously. Tampa Bay had consecutive losses for the first time. With an 0-2 record, Lary Kuharich admitted, "It's not where we want to be."

The following week Fort Worth, a new expansion team, came to the Thunderdome. A Jay Gruden to Stevie Thomas TD pass gave the Storm a 7-0 lead, then the Calvary took a 13-7 advantage after one quarter. Gruden finished with four touchdown passes and the Storm ran for four TDs, including two by Les Barley. Tampa Bay had to hold off a late Calvary charge for a 58-45 victory. Lary Kuharich said of the team's first win of the season, "I believe this could be a starting point for us."

At halftime, the Storm lead 13-12 at Cleveland, before the Thunderbolts took a 25-13 advantage. Jay Gruden (18 of 35 for 295 yards with an INT) threw touchdown passes to five different receivers and the Storm scored 27 unanswered points. The 40-33 victory evened the team's record at 2-2. Lary Kuharich said of Gruden, "In my mind he is the best in the league."

When Miami came to town the next week, Travis Pearson ran for 68 yards and the Storm rushed for 108 yards. Jay Gruden threw for three touchdowns, while Bobby Byrd scored on a reception and a run. After trailing early, Tampa Bay scored three quick third quarter touchdowns to take a comfortable lead over the Hooters. The 47-32 victory was the Storm's third in a row. Lary Kuharich said of the effort, "I felt we played as a team tonight. We keep getting better and better." During the week, Lawrence Samuels was signed as a free agent.

The Storm went to the Orlando Arena and the Predators were looking for revenge for last season's playoff loss. Jay Gruden (25 of 52 for 260 yards and an interception) had four touchdown passes with Stevie Thomas on the receiving end of three scoring passes. Gruden's 52 pass attempts set a Tampa Bay record. The Storm held a 14-7 second quarter lead, then Orlando went on a 35-3 run and the rout was on. Ben Bennett (12 of 20 for 222 yards) tossed seven TDs and Herkie Walls returned a kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown. The Storm scored 21 fourth quarter points, and got to within 48-33, but lost by the score of 61-40. Orlando was 7-0 and Tampa Bay had fallen to 3-3.

The Storm rebound the following week against the winless Milwaukee Mustangs at the Thunderdome. The game featured a slew of infractions, as Tampa Bay was flagged nineteen times for 120 yards and Milwaukee fourteen times for 58 yards. Also, all six field goal attempts were missed. Jay Gruden (15 of 26 for 165 yards with 7 TDs) threw for three first quarter scores and Stevie Thomas finished the night with four touchdown receptions. The Mustangs lost four fumbles and the Storm scored the most points in team history in a 69-35 rout.

The next game was played at the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Convention Center Arena and the Cavalry jumped to a 14-3 lead. George LaFrance returned two kickoffs for 50 yard touchdowns, and caught a 19 yard pass for another, as the Storm prevailed 53-43.

The Massachusetts Marauders came to the Thunderdome in what was, even if the Drive had relocated, a re-match of the previous season's Arena Bowl. It turned out to be an exciting game, as Jay Gruden tossed five touchdowns. Stevie Thomas caught a team record 12 passes for 187 yards with three TDs. A safety by Sylvester Bembery with 22 seconds left gave the Storm a 51-50 win. The first one point victory in team history gave Tampa Bay its second three game winning streak of the season.

Jay Gruden did hit George LaFrance with a team record 49 yard touchdown pass, but that was just about the only highlight from the trip to play the Rattlers in Phoenix. Arizona QB Sherdrick Bonner threw six touchdown passes, three of them to Hunkie Cooper. The game was tied 14-14 in the second quarter, but Arizona would score the next five touchdowns to post a 48-21 victory. The Storm equaled the lowest point total in team history and broke the record for largest margin of defeat set earlier in the season.

In the next game, Jay Gruden (21 of 28 for 281 yards with an INT) threw for five touchdowns, and ran for another, but the Storm lost to the Sting at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. George LaFrance (7 receptions for 103 yards) caught three touchdown passes in the 63-58 defeat. Tampa Bay allowed a team record 365 total yards and their record fell to 6-5.

The regular season ended at the Thunderdome, as the still undefeated Orlando Predators attempted to become the first team in Arena League history to post a perfect regular season. While Barry Wagner caught two TD passes and ran for a score, Orlando QB Duke Tobin was intercepted three times by Latrod Garner and the Predators managed just seven first downs. The Storm rushed for 84 yards and Jay Gruden's (15 of 31 for 197 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception) favorite target was Bobby Byrd (7 catches for 108 yards and a pair of TDs). It was a close game throughout with Orlando leading most of the way, but Mike Lazecki kicked an 18 yard field with 31 seconds remaining to give Tampa Bay the win. The 40-39 Storm victory ended Orlando's dream of becoming the league's first undefeated team.

Tampa Bay finished with a 7-5 record and for second the year in a row was second to Orlando in the National Conference. The Storm allowed a team record 47.0 points per game and this is the only season the Storm allowed more points than they scored. They also had a losing record on the road for first time in team history. Travis Pearson (175 yards and 6 touchdowns) and Les Barley (147 yards and 6 TDs) finished first and second in the league in rushing. Jay Gruden (206 of 368 for 2,462 yards with 49 TDs and 12 INTs) was the league's fifth rated quarterback, Stevie Thomas (955 yards and 17 TDs) ranked eighth in receiving and Chris Drennan (53 points) finished tenth in the league in kicking. Bobby Byrd had career highs in receptions (49), receiving yards (536) and touchdown catches. For the fourth year in a row the Storm lead the league in attendance, averaging 18,211.

As the Storm prepared to play at Massachusetts, the news broke that team owner Bob Gries was trying to sell the team. Gries said that, while it had been a great four years, his duties with the Storm caused him to neglect his other business ventures. It was hoped that the team would stay in Tampa Bay and that the talk of an impending sale would not be a distraction as the team got ready for the playoffs.

It was a tight first half against the Marauders at the Centrum in Worcester. The playoff game was tied at 13 after one quarter and the Storm took a 32-31 lead into the locker room. Jay Gruden (19 of 31 for 208 yards with 2 interceptions) established a team postseason record with seven touchdown passes, with Bobby Byrd, Jeff Mayes and George LaFrance catching two each. The third quarter spelled doom for Tampa Bay, and ten penalties did not help as the Storm lost to Massachusetts 58-51. Postseason team records set in the game include the 109 total points. Massachusetts receiver Andre Langley scored 24 points, had four touchdowns, four touchdowns receiving, 13 catches and 163 yards receiving, which are all playoff records against Tampa Bay. Storm running back Robert Lyles ran for 52 yards, with his longest run being 41 yards, which were both team records. The worst season in Storm history was over with a 7-6 record and they failed to make it to the playoff semi-finals for the first time. Players and coaches now had time to wonder what the future would bring to the franchise.

On September 1, the sale of the Tampa Bay Storm to Texas businessman Peter "Woody" Kern became official. Kern, the owner of the Fort Worth Calvary and a good friend of Bob Gries, paid $850,000 for the Storm. Kern said, "The chances of moving the team are nil." He did announce that the Storm's colors would be changed to midnight blue and metallic gold. After Lary Kuharich took a job with a new World League franchise in Scotland, the speculation on who the team's head coach would be intensified.

Related Links

1994 Tampa Bay Storm Results

1994 AFL National Conference Standings

1994 Tampa Bay Storm Statistics

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