This is a list of seasons completed by the Cleveland Gladiators. The Gladiators were a professional arena football franchise of the Arena Football League (AFL) based in Cleveland, Ohio. The franchise was originally known as the New Jersey Red Dogs formed as an expansion team in 1997 and based in East Rutherford, New Jersey as a member of the Arena Football League (AFL). Before the 2001 season, the franchise was sold to Jim Ferraro, who changed the team's name to the New Jersey Gladiators.[1]
In 2003, Ferraro moved the team to Las Vegas, Nevada with a few weeks to the start of the season.[2] The league had already devised the schedules; therefore, the Gladiators would play their 2003 season in the Eastern Division of the National Conference, before shifting in 2004 to the American Conference's Western Division. The team went 31–50 in five years in Las Vegas, making the playoffs once. After the 2007 season, the franchise relocated to Cleveland, Ohio. The team was also moved back to the National League's Eastern Division. In the 2008 season, the franchise went to their first Conference Championship game which they lost to Philadelphia Soul.
In 2009, the AFL announced that it had suspended operations indefinitely and canceled the 2009 season. Later in 2009 the Gladiators announced they would return to play in 2010, as a part of the league's relaunching.[3]
The Gladiators reached the ArenaBowl, the league's championship game, for the first time in franchise history in . However, they were defeated in ArenaBowl XXVII by the Arizona Rattlers.----
| ArenaBowl Champions | ArenaBowl Appearance | Division Champions | Playoff Berth |
| Season | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | |||||||
| New Jersey Red Dogs | |||||||||
| AFL | National | Eastern | 2nd | 9 | 5 | Lost Quarterfinals (Orlando) 45–37 | Steve Videtich (Kicker of the Year) | ||
| AFL | National | Eastern | 2nd | 8 | 6 | Won Quarterfinals (Albany) 66–59 Lost Semifinals (Tampa Bay) 49–23 | |||
| AFL | National | Eastern | 2nd | 6 | 8 | Robert Stewart (Lineman of the Year) Latish Kinsler (HERO Award) | |||
| AFL | National | Eastern | 4th | 4 | 10 | ||||
| New Jersey Gladiators | |||||||||
| AFL | National | Eastern | 4th | 2 | 12 | ||||
| AFL | National | Eastern | 1st | 9 | 5 | Lost Quarterfinals (Orlando) 49–46 | Steve Videtich (Kicker of the Year) | ||
| Las Vegas Gladiators | |||||||||
| AFL | National | Eastern | 3rd | 8 | 8 | Lost Wild Card Round (Arizona) 69–23 | |||
| AFL | American | Western | 4th | 8 | 8 | Marcus Nash (Offensive Player of the Year) | |||
| AFL | American | Western | 3rd | 8 | 8 | ||||
| AFL | American | Western | 4th | 5 | 11 | ||||
| AFL | American | Western | 5th | 2 | 14 | ||||
| Cleveland Gladiators | |||||||||
| AFL | National | Eastern | 3rd | 9 | 7 | Won Wild Card Round (Orlando) 69–66 Won Divisional Round (Georgia) 73–70 Lost Conference Championship (Philadelphia) 70–35 | |||
| 2009 | The league suspended operations for the 2009 AFL season.[4] | ||||||||
| AFL | National | Midwest | 3rd | 7 | 9 | ||||
| AFL | American | East | 1st | 10 | 8 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Georgia) 50–41 | |||
| AFL | American | East | 2nd | 8 | 10 | John Dutton (Al Lucas AFL Hero Jason Foundation Award) | |||
| AFL | American | East | 2nd | 4 | 14 | ||||
| AFL | American | East | 1st | 17 | 1 | Won Conference Semifinals (Philadelphia) 39–37 Won Conference Championship (Orlando) 56–46 Lost ArenaBowl XXVII (Arizona) 32–72 | |||
| AFL | American | East | 2nd | 8 | 10 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Philadelphia) 28–55 | |||
| AFL | National | align="center" | - | 3rd | 7 | 9 | Won Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles) 56-52 Lost Conference Championship (Arizona) 41-82 | Marvin Ross (Rookie of the Year) | |
| AFL | – | – | 4th | 5 | 9 | Lost Semifinals (Tampa Bay) 59-73 | |||
| Total | 144 | 172 | (includes only regular season) | ||||||
| 6 | 10 | (includes only the postseason) | |||||||
| 150 | 182 | (includes both regular season and postseason) | |||||||