Orlando Rage

Orlando Rage

Founded	2001
League	XFL
Team history	Orlando Rage (2001)
Based in	Orlando, Florida
Arena	Citrus Bowl
Colors	Red, Navy, Gold, White [1]
Head coach	Galen Hall
Division titles	Eastern Division (2001)

The Orlando Rage was an American football team based in Orlando, Florida as part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of the World Wrestling Federation and by NBC, a major television network in the United States.

History

The team's colors were scarlet, yellow, navy blue and white with jersey numbers in a unique jagged font. They played their home games at Orlando's Citrus Bowl. The team's General Manager was Tom Veit a former Major League Soccer Vice President and were coached by former Florida Gators head coach Galen Hall. They were in the XFL's Eastern Division with the NY/NJ Hitmen, Chicago Enforcers and Birmingham Thunderbolts.

Jeff Brohm was the quarterback of the Rage for most of the regular season, amassing a 6–0 record as starter during his first time at the helm. The team looked to be the league's powerhouse franchise under Brohm and was on pace for a perfect season (coincidentally, Orlando's next professional football team, the Florida Tuskers, would also win their first six games in a row before losing the seventh). He showed his toughness after he suffered an injury from a devastating hit by at the hands of Memphis Maniax defensive end Shante Carver in Week 5. Brohm came back a week later against Las Vegas, but the following week he suffered a shoulder injury against the Los Angeles Xtreme and his season (and playing career) was done for good. It led to him being replaced by Brian Kuklick after six games. While Kuklick filled in the role of quarterback acceptably, the team lost a valuable leader on offense. The team went 2–2 in Kuklick's care; Kuklick, despite only starting four games, led the league in interceptions with 10.

The team finished their only regular season with an 8–2 record, the best in the league, but were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the 5–5 San Francisco Demons. Orlando had an early 16–0 advantage but allowed San Francisco to pull ahead and take a 26–16 lead by the fourth quarter. Using the XFL's newly introduced three-point conversion rule on a subsequent touchdown, the Rage got within one point but the Demons successfully ran out the clock and won 26–25. San Francisco would go on to lose the XFL Championship Game versus Los Angeles 38–6. Many in the league were disappointed, hoping for a match-up against the two division champions. NBC dropped the XFL after the first season (2001) due to dismal ratings, and the league folded soon afterward.

Season-by-season

Season	W	L	T	Finish	Playoff results
2001	8	2	0	1st Eastern	Lost Semifinals (San Francisco)
Totals	8	3	0	(including playoffs)

• Saturday February 3, 2001 W Chicago Enforcers 29 at Orlando Rage 33
• Saturday February 10, 2001 W San Francisco Demons 14 at Orlando Rage 26
• Sunday February 18, 2001 W Orlando Rage 18 at New York/New Jersey Hitmen 12
• Saturday February 24, 2001 W Birmingham Thunderbolts 6 at Orlando Rage 30
• Sunday March 4, 2001 W Orlando Rage 21 at Memphis Maniax 19
• Saturday March 10, 2001 W Las Vegas Outlaws 15 at Orlando Rage 27
• Sunday March 18, 2001 L Orlando Rage 6 at Los Angeles Xtreme 31
• Sunday March 25, 2001 W New York/New Jersey Hitmen 12 at Orlando Rage 17
• Saturday March 31, 2001 W Orlando Rage 29 at Birmingham Thunderbolts 24
• Sunday April 8, 2001 L Orlando Rage 6 at Chicago Enforcers 23
• Saturday April 14, 2001 L San Francisco Demons 26 at Orlando Rage 25 (Semi-Final)

Personnel

Staff

2001 Orlando Rage staff
	Front office Vice President/General Manager – Tom Veit Director of Player Personnel – Will McClay Head coaches Head Coach/Director of Football Operations – Galen Hall Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Mike Kelly Wide Receivers – Mike Jones Tight Ends – Les Moss Offensive Line – Whitey Jordan Quality Control/Offense – Matt Moore			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Charlie Bailey Defensive Line – Mickey Mays Secondary – Steve Carson Quality Control/Defense – Tom Silvanic Special teams coaches Special Teams – Andy Cox

^[2]

Roster

2001 Orlando Rage final roster
	Quarterbacks 11 Jeff Brohm 14 Brian Kuklick Running backs 21 Michael Black 43 Derrick Clark 20 Brian Shay Wide receivers  5 Mario Bailey 81 Dialleo Burks  4 Kevin Swayne Tight ends 85 Lawrence Hart		Offensive linemen 73 Jason Gamble G 68 Dan Goodspeed T Defensive linemen 99 Andre Purvis DT		Linebackers 58 Patrise Alexander 51 James Burgess 53 Joe Cummings Defensive backs 40 Omar Brown S 26 Reginald Doster CB 35 Stephen Fisher CB 41 Cory Gilliard S 23 Kelly Malveaux CB 33 Louis Riddick S Special teams 10 Jay Taylor K		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics {{{active}}} Active, {{{inactive}}} Inactive, {{{PS}}} Practice squad

Standings

Eastern Division
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Orlando Rage	8	2	0	.800	207	162	L1
Chicago Enforcers	5	5	0	.500	163	178	W1
New York/New Jersey Hitmen	4	6	0	.400	110	145	W1
Birmingham Thunderbolts	2	8	0	.200	131	217	L7

^[3]

Statistical leaders

• Rushing yards: 387, Derrick Clark
• Receiving yards: 659, Dialleo Burks
• Passing yards: 998, Brian Kuklick

Awards and honors

Awards

Season	Coach	Award
2001	Galen Hall	Coach of the Year [4]

Honors

Season	Player	Position	Honor
2001	Jeff Brohm	Quarterback	All-XFL team [5]
	James Burgess	Linebacker
	Jason Gamble	Guard

References

1. "Team Colors – XFL". SSUR.org. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
2. 2001 Orlando Rage Media Guide. XFL. pp. 4–12.
3. "XFL Standings". USA Today. May 12, 2001. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
4. "Orlando's Hall Picked As Coach Of The Year". Orlando Sentinel. April 20, 2001. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
5. "3 Rage Players Named To All-XFL Team". Orlando Sentinel. April 28, 2001. Retrieved February 18, 2011.