Rattlers Set the Standard Year After Year
Published on August 7, 2026 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Arizona Rattlers News Release
Arizona Rattlers Head Coach Kevin Guy
(Arizona Rattlers)
For the Arizona Rattlers, playoff football has never been simply about making the postseason - it has been about owning it.
In 34 seasons of indoor football, the Rattlers have reached the playoffs 30 times, won 14 conference championships and captured seven national titles.
That winning tradition has reached another level in the years since Kevin Guy was hired as the team's head coach in 2008, and since Ron Shurts became the majority owner in 2011.
The Rattlers are 17-for-17 reaching the playoffs in Guy's tenure as head coach. There have been 13 trips to the conference championship game, including this Sunday's conference title game at San Diego. The Rattlers have reached the national championship game nine times, winning five championships.
In the Rattlers' world, the road to the championship has become less of a destination and more of an expectation.
"It starts at the top. You've got to have the resources to win," Guy said of the Rattlers ownership and its commitment to winning. "I think Ron and I have the perfect partnership; we both have the same mindset. We've been successful, and we've made a good team. That consistency is what separates the Rattlers from most indoor football franchises."
While coaches, players and leagues have changed through the years, the Rattlers have continued to find a way to remain relevant - and highly competitive - when the postseason arrives. Their 30 playoff appearances in 34 seasons represent a remarkable level of sustained success for a franchise that has played through multiple eras of indoor football.
The numbers become even more impressive when viewed through Guy's tenure.
Guy, who also serves as the team president, has built the Rattlers into a team that expects to play deep into the postseason every year. The Rattlers have played for a national title in more than half of Guy's seasons as head coach.
The championships also have come in different stages of the franchise's history, demonstrating that the organization's success has not been tied to one particular roster or one generation of players.
Guy has continually rebuilt the team while maintaining the same expectation.
"The standard is the standard," Guy has said, a philosophy reflected in the organization's ability to replace players and continue competing for championships. "I believe in my staff and our ability to recruit and develop players."
The franchise's seven national championships are the clearest measure of the overall success of the franchise, but the frequency with which the Rattlers have reached the playoffs and the conference championship may be an even better reflection of the organization's consistency.
Making the playoffs once can be the product of a talented roster or a favorable season. Doing it 30 times in 34 years requires something more - an organizational structure capable of surviving change and producing winning teams year after year.
That is the legacy the Rattlers carry into Sunday's conference championship game in San Diego.
For Guy, the opportunity is familiar. For the franchise, it is almost routine.
The Rattlers have spent much of their history playing meaningful football in the final weeks of the season. And with seven national championships already in the franchise record book, five of those under Guy, the expectation remains the same.
Get to the playoffs. Win the conference. Play for a championship.
Images from this story
 Arizona Rattlers Head Coach Kevin Guy |
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