And here in 2011, they’re still around. Of the 18 teams currently in the league, only the Tampa Bay Storm (1987) and the Orlando Predators (1991) have been around longer than the Rattlers.

And one thing has been constant for the Rattlers through their existence at “The Snakepit”. Their unique copper helmets.

And now they’re gone.

The Rattlers opened up their 19th season in the Valley on Saturday night at U.S. Airways Center against the Jacksonville Sharks, and when they took the field, they were wearing (gasp!) black helmets.

Is nothing sacred?

The Rattlers were the only team in all of professional football that wore copper helmets–making them unique while tipping their cap to the state’s vital copper industry. Now, they’ve become just another team wearing black helmets. In fact, at least 6 teams (33%) of the league wears black helmets.

Now, his year-round football trek has taken him to Cleveland. Windsor was signed on Tuesday to the Browns practice squad.

With the Rattlers, Windsor led the AFL with 193 catches and 2372 yards (505 more than the 2nd place finisher) and finished tied for 2nd in the league with 47 touchdown catches.

In Sacramento, Windsor caught 25 passes (3rd in the league) for 379 yards and three touchdowns for the 4-4 squad of head coach Denny Green.

AFL Rookie of the Year Rod Windsor (193 catches, 2,372 yards, 43 touchdowns) has signed on with the Sacramento Mountain Lions–as have kicker Fabrizio Scaccia and linebacker Dale Robinson, who is a former GCC Gaucho and Arizona State Sun Devil.

And a pair of offensive lineman have also landed in the UFL. Center Kyle Young inked a deal with the Florida Tuskers and lineman Matt Spanos hooked on with the Omaha Nighthawks.

Season two of the UFL begins on September 18th, when Hartford hosts Sacramento and Florida visits Las Vegas.

So that’s what they did, shutting down operations for the 2009 seasons, and coming back with a new business model, a new look and a new roster of teams (for the most part) in 2010.

And that formula worked in the Valley. The Arizona Rattlers were third in league attendance during the just completed “rebound season” of the AFL.

With the win, the Shock completed a 3-game sweep of the Rattlers this season, and move on to the AFL semifinals where they will face the winner of the Chicago-Milwaukee game.

Instead, the Rattlers hit the road to play the top-seeded Spokane Shock next weekend. The Shock have beaten the Rattlers twice already this season.

Windsor, who leads the AFL with 174 catches and 2,067 yards this season, will be working out for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Richard Obert of AZcentral.com has more…

With his first catch of the night, rookie receiver Rod Windsor broke the league record for most catches in a season with 167. Windsor finished with 8 catches for 136 yards on the night, and also eclipsed Calvin Schexnayder’s team record for most receiving yards by a rookie.

Quarterback Nick Davila also got in on the record-breaking act. On the night, the left-hander from Cincinnati completed 14 of 19 passes for 199 yards and 5 touchdowns, shattering AFL rookie records for passing yardage and touchdown passes and a Rattlers’ record for most passing yards. That record had been held by Bonner, who was honored at halftime with speeches from his former head coach and current vice president and offensive coordinator Danny White, and former teammate Hunkie Cooper.

Bonner’s #13 now hangs in the rafters at U.S. Airways Center along with Cooper’s #14 and Randy Gatewood’s #17.

The game itself was never in doubt, unless you were tricked by Utah leading 3-0 after the first quarter following a 18-yard field goal by Ben Scott. From there, it was all Rattlers. Early in the second quarter, Davila found J.J. McKelvey on a 7-yard touchdown strike to give Arizona a lead they would never relinquish. That touchdown sparked a 34-point second quarter barrage that was capped on the final play of the half when Rattlers’ defensive lineman Anttaj Hawthorne fell on a Utah fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.

With the win, the Rattlers clinched a berth in the upcoming Arena Football League playoffs and pushed their record to 9-5 on the season. Utah fell to 1-13 with the loss. In their two meeting this season, the Rattlers outscored the Blaze 131-78.

Players of the Game
Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game – Nick Davila (AZ)
JLS Ironman of the Game – Tod Devoe (AZ)
Riddell Defensive Player of the Game – Alex Guerrero (AZ)
Spalding Highlight of the Game – Tod Devoe’s monster hit on a kickoff
Nifty Playmaker of the Game – Rod Windsor (AZ)
Cutters Catch of the Game – JJ McKelvey’s leaping one-handed catch

For a league that many refer to as “The 50-yard Indoor War”, Bonner was a general on the field. He navigated the Rattlers and their aerial assault with his accurate spirals to two Arena Bowl championships (1994 and 1997) and five overall appearances in the league’s championship game.

Along with leading his team to successful seasons and league titles, Bonner had quite a prolific individual career. His name is next to almost every major passing record in team history and he ranks in the top five in Arena Football League history for yardage (42,246), touchdowns (855) and pass completions (3350).

This weekend Bonner adds one more accomplishment to that list. When the Arizona Rattlers take on the Utah Blaze Friday evening, the signal caller will have his number 13 black, turquoise and copper jersey raised to the rafters–an honor the team’s managing partner Brett Bouchy feels Bonner has more than earned

“No Arizona Rattler is more deserving of this honor,” said Bouchy.

Having his jersey retired is an honor that Bonner says ranks up there with winning his first Arena Bowl.

Although the honor he is receiving is an individual one, Bonner realizes he couldn’t have made it to this moment without great teammates to throw to and a fantastic coach to guide him. In fact, he views them as the secret to his success.

“I was blessed to be around a core group of guys with amazing skill level,” Bonner said. “Coach White mentored me in a way that I will never forget, just having him with me all those years really shaped me as a professional. Little things matter and that’s what he helped me understand.”

While Bonner was blessed to play with numerous great players, he’s not willing to say who his favorite target was on the field.

“In no particular order Randy Gatewood, Hunkie Cooper, Calvin Schexnayder, Chris Horn and Siaha Burley,” Bonner expressed. “To pick one favorite would have been an injustice to the rest. They all made me better.”

Since leaving the game after the 2008 season, Bonner has kept himself busy. He’s coached high school students in Colorado while also pursuing his degree in broadcasting. A degree he will complete in September. Although, he’s been focused on something much more important than his schooling and second career since leaving Arena Football behind him.

“The coolest thing that I’ve been doing since 2008 is being home and watching my son Mason grow and grow”

Don’t confuse his retirement for a loss of desire for the game of football though. Bonner still feels that he could play in the league at 41-years old if it weren’t for his bad knee. We won’t seem him on the field again as a player but there is a chance that we will see him patrolling sidelines of an AFL game some time in the future.

“If my knee was in better shape I absolutely could still play!” Bonner exclaimed before saying he’d like to end up on the sidelines in a different capacity. “But I’d love to coach. The game is still in me. I miss it!”

For fourteen seasons, Bonner brought the crowd at the U.S. Airways Center to its feet with his play. On Friday night he’ll do it with his presence. Even if it is the last time fans see Sherdrick Bonner on the field at “The Snakepit”, no matter what he does in the future, they’ll always remember him as an Arizona Rattler. A distinction that is more than alright with him.

“My time with the team meant more to me than anything,” Bonner said.”I’m still proud to be an Arizona Rattler.”

The Rattlers stand at 8-5 on the season as they return home to host the 1-12 Utah Blaze at U.S. Airways Center this Friday night.

Bonner is one of the most successful quarterbacks in league history with 42,246 passing yards, 855 touchdowns, and a career passer rating of 115.9 over 15 seasons. A fan favorite, Bonner played for Arizona for 14 seasons, helping the team to five Arena Bowls and two championships.

“No Arizona Rattler is more deserving of this honor,” said Brett Bouchy, the team’s Managing Partner. “I hope every one of our fans comes out to honor one of the greatest players to ever put on the pads in Arena Football.”

Bonner was born on October 19, 1968 in Azusa, CA. He attended California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where he started at quarterback and led the team to the 1990 Western Football Conference co-championship. A multi-sport star, Bonner also competed in basketball, volleyball and track & field on the collegiate level. He was inducted into the CSUN’s Matador Hall of Fame on October 2, 1998.

Courtesy of the Arizona Rattlers

Arizona had a chance at an improbable last-second win after trailing by 17 points heading into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get it done in a 55-50 loss to the Rush.

The loss drops the Rattlers’ record to 8-5 on the season with just three regular season games remaining. They’ll return home to U.S. Airways Center to host the Utah Blaze on Friday night.

The only team in the league that’s hotter than the Rattlers? Yep, it’s the Shock, who have won 7 straight–a streak that began on May 7th when Spokane beat the Rattlers in Phoenix 63-56.

And they’re pumped in Eastern Washington for this matchup, as evidenced by the video that’s featured on the Shock’s official website.

Nick Davila was tossed from the Rattlers win in Jacksonville on Saturday, and he explains why to AZcentral’s Richard Obert.

The win was the Rattlers’ 6th straight, and pushes their record to 8-3 on the season, and keeps them one game behind the Spokane Shock in the National Conference’s West Division. Spokane went to 9-2 with a win in Milwaukee.

The Rattlers will visit Spokane next Friday night with first place in the division on the line.

Photo Credit: John Pemberton/The Times-Union

That was the case again on Friday night as an Oklahoma City 2-point conversion attempt with no time remaining was batted away by defensive back Riley Swanson in a 56-55 win over the Yard Dawgz (yes, that’s really their name) at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix.

The Rattlers are now 6-3 on the season, just a half game behind the Spokane Shock in the Western Division.

That’s what the Arizona Rattlers had to be saying after walking off the field at U.S. Airways Center with a 68-67 overtime win over the Milwaukee Iron in front of 10,031 fans on Saturday night.

McKelvey had 11 catches for 187 yards and 5 touchdowns, including 3 in the 4th quarter, and Windsor scored on a touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Davila in overtime, and gave the Rattlers the win by scoring on a two-point conversion run.

Windsor leads the Arena Football League with 101 catches for 1,170 yards and 26 touchdowns, and is on pace to shatter all AFL single-season receiving records.

It looked bleak for Arizona, who trailed by 10 points with 9:00 to go. But the door opened with about 3:00 to play, when leading by 3 at the Arizona 5-yard line, Milwaukee quarterback and former Arizona Cardinal Chris Greisen tried to throw a pass from his backside after tripping over his center’s foot. Rattlers defender Brandon Freeman stepped in front of the pass giving the Rattlers the ball, and new life.

A few plays later, Davila found McKelvey on a 34-yard touchdown strike to give the Rattlers a 60-57 lead (kicker Fabrizio Scaccia missed the point after). The Rattlers defense then held Milwaukee, and Terrence Sanders intercepted a Greisen 4th down pass in the end zone with :24 left to seemingly ice the game.

But the Rattlers committed costly offensive penalties, and found themselves needing to attempt a long Scaccia field goal from deep in their own territory with :06 left on the clock. But Scaccia’s kick missed, and more importantly didn’t kill the remaining time, giving Milwaukee one more chance from their own 5-yard line with :02 remaining following the touchback.

Greisen threw over the middle to Tiger Jones, and after a series of laterals, the ball ended up in the hands of fullback Tyree Young, who was grabbed by the facemask by Rattlers DB Riley Swanson. The personal foul gave Milwaukee one untimed down, and Robert Forstrom booted a 29-yard field goal to send the game to overtime.

Davila continued his stellar recent play, completing 37 of 52 for 420 yards and 8 touchdowns. Greisen, who entered the game with only one interception on the season for Milwaukee, threw three on the night, but finished with 397 yards and 8 touchdown passes, to bring his season total to 63.

With the win, the Rattlers improve their record to 5-3, just one game behind the Spokane Shock in the West Division. Milwaukee falls to 7-3 on the year, and their lead over the Chicago Rush in the Midwest Division is down to one game.

The Rattlers continue a three-game homestand next Friday night with a date against the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (3-6) at U.S. Airways Center.

Other accounts:
• Arizona Rattlers top Milwaukee Iron with 2-point conversion in overtime(Arizona Republic)

• Gamble pays off in win for Rattlers vs. Milwaukee (Examiner.com)

• Rattlers win overtime thriller (AZRattlers.com)

ASU fans may remember the name Michael Affleck– a one-time ASU recruit who ended up playing at Utah State. Affleck got some action at QB for the Blaze, and coughed the ball up six times in their loss.

Photo: Justin Hayworth/Des Moines Register

The Iowa Barnstormers, the Arena Football League team that had Kurt Warner at quarterback from 1995 to 1997, will retire his number in a ceremony on Friday night when the ‘Stormers host the Arizona Rattlers.

Warner threw for 10,465 yards and 183 touchdowns in three seasons, and led Iowa to back-to-back Arena Bowl appearances in 1996 and 1997.