Against All Odds -- Gladiators Bring Home Championship

BRADENTON, FL -- The Southwest Florida Gladiators, an adult minor league football team, had its back against the wall in 2015, but over came all the odds by turning negatives into positives.

After all the rumbling had stopped and the fog cleared away, another failed attempt at a championship. The ownership of the Bradenton Gladiators had enough and turned its focus to its youth football team and its youth program. In Sarasota, the Millionaires decided to cease their operation also.

A group of players now set idly by, wondering what do they do next. These are players who for years would rather play against each other than play together.

So, the struggle began. No place to play, no teams to play for. A head coach had to be found,. New owners needed to continue. A concept had to be developed and a name change put into play.

In step the Greenwoods, business owners, with good management skills, but no understanding of what it takes to play in the FFA (The no.1 league in the country).

The anticipation was mind boggling, said some of the players. Their friends and other players told them this couldn't be done. Why? Because the teams that are extinct now had set standards that could not be touched. All they are doing, said a former player, is setting you up for failure.

With the noise, no one listens. But hard work and determination will take you where no other team has gone before. No matter what the odds, don't let anyone tell you that it can't be done, was the battle cry of the Southwest Florida Gladiators.

After all the struggling and against all odds, their 2015 campaign became one of the most memorable ways to begin their inaugural season in the FFA. They won their district, conference and FFA Alliance Bowl with a resounding defeat of the then-league champion.(51-27).

It's enjoyable to watch the idea, the concept and all the hard work coming together step by little step, said Gerald Perry assistant head coach/defense coordinator at Riverview High School.

They started with a bang (2015) and ended the 2018 campaign with the coveted FFA championship. The only team in Manatee-Sarasota area to bring back the prize not once, but twice.

One team, one heartbeat. www.swflglads.com