Monday, March 15, 2004 | 9:17 a.m.
Frank Haege busted out some "March Madness" worthy of any NCAA tournament game Sunday afternoon.
After being ejected and then putting on a show good enough for a Las Vegas stage, the Gladiators' coach pulled his car into the driveway just in time to listen on the radio to the end of his team's thrilling overtime win against Arizona, 65-64, at the Thomas & Mack Center in a game he and his players termed a must-win.
Haege's display upstaged the Gladiators' third victory in four games, one that kept them in a quickly developing playoff race.
"I've seen guys get kicked out of the game and I've been kicked out of the game before," Gladiators quarterback Clint Dolezel said. "But that was something special right there."
With Las Vegas (3-3) ahead by nine points midway through the fourth quarter, Haege protested what he felt was an illegal substitution by Arizona (3-3), stalking and yelling at the officials for more than a minute. He first received a sideline warning, but was eventually ejected after continuing to berate the referee and linesman
Haege thought he was being ignored, prompting him to throw his headset deep into the stands, rip off his shirt and slam it down, and run directly off the field to wild applause from the crowd of 8,273.
"I lost it," Haege said via telephone Sunday night. "I just lost it in the heat of the moment. I was so frustrated. I just snapped."
Assistant head coach Ron James took over for Haege, who is sure to hear from the Arena Football League office about disciplinary action. Arizona vice president Gene Nudo, who chairs the league's rules committee, said there was little precedent as only a handful of coaches have been ejected in the league's 18-year history.
"I'm sure (I will hear from the league) and I should," Haege said. "I lost my cool."
His team did just the opposite, clawing back in overtime after squandering a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter and falling behind in the extra session. Las Vegas gave up a Bo Kelly 1-yard touchdown run on the final play of regulation, and former UNLV star Hunkie Cooper pulled in a pass for the two-point conversion that tied the game at 58.
Each team is guaranteed a possession in overtime and Arizona struck quickly on its chance as Kelly bulled in from 4 yards out for his third touchdown. But Arizona kicker Nelson Garner pulled the extra point try wide left to give the Rattlers just a six-point lead.
Las Vegas took nearly six minutes to get its score, needing a 7-yard Dolezel-to-Marcus Nash pass on fourth-and-6 to keep the eight-play, 41-yard drive going. Dolezel found Maurice Bryant on a quick 3-yard strike for the tying touchdown and Brian Gowins converted the extra point to end the Gladiators' wildest game of the year -- on and off the field.
"We showed some fire in every aspect -- offense, defense, special teams," James said. "The coaching staff showed some fire."
Nash set team records with 16 catches and 192 yards. He pulled in four of Dolezel's eight touchdown passes and Bryant caught three scores against his former team. Dolezel went 34-for-51 for 334 yards and also ran for a touchdown.
Dolezel called it one of the craziest games he has been involved with in eight years of arena football.
"That was something to behold right there, there's no doubt about that," Dolezel said. "That's about the wildest game I've seen as far as plays, the number of penalties, our coach getting us fired up the way he did. Hey, we'll take a win any way we can get it and we got one."
The win helps the Gladiators avoid a truly desperate situation when they travel to face perennial power San Jose this weekend.
"Definitely a must-win," Nash said. "Going 2-and-4 is not fun."
Las Vegas had to grind through a slow game of nearly 3 1/2 hours, thanks in part to a slew of penalties. The Gladiators were whistled for 13 penalties and Arizona drew 10 flags -- and both teams declined many others.
Although James termed Haege's frustration "justified," he also praised the officials for controlling a heated game between teams developing a rivalry.
"They did an excellent job all game long," James said. "We would have liked a little more conversation in that situation."
Nash said Haege's outburst is a first for him, but he welcomed the coach's intensity.
"I've seen some out-of-control coaches before, but that takes the cake," Nash said. "Taking off his shirt and things ... but, you know, that's the kind of coach I can play for."
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