MAX REDEMPTION: Meylor leads Rattlers back to promised land

There was a time I didn’t play for several weeks and that was tough mentally on me. But I just kept my head down, kept working and kept believing.”

Max Meylor, Arizona Rattlers Quarterback

MAX MEYLOR VS. GREEN BAY

12-for-18 passing, 103 yards, 3 TD, O INT

18 rushes, 90 yards, 2 TD

By Matt Loeschman
Mail | X: @MattLoeschman

TUCSON — After winning his first Indoor Football League championship and earning game Most Valuable Player honors this past weekend, Arizona Rattlers quarterback Max Meylor couldn’t stop smiling.

It was a far cry from the bitter pill he was forced to swallow on the same Tucson Arena field just one year ago.

As the league’s MVP with the Green Bay Blizzard in 2025, Meylor literally came inches from delivering his team its first title. Needing a touchdown to win the National Championship game against Vegas, Meylor’s dive for glory was denied when game officials deemed he didn’t get to the goal line against the Knight Hawks.

“Last year I was an inch short,” Meylor recalled, cradling his new game MVP trophy. “In college in 2019 I lost a national championship. I had been 0-for-2 so it feels terrific to finally get it done. Honestly, it hasn’t even sunk in yet.”

Coming off that 2025 MVP campaign, Meylor left Wisconsin where he had been the Blizzard signal caller for three seasons, leading that franchise from near-irrelevance to the precipice of a championship.

It was time for a new chapter and the 6-3 signal caller who played his college ball at Wisconsin-Whitewater decided to make a big change — in culture and also in climate. He left the frozen tundra for the Sonoran desert, signing a free-agent deal with the Rattlers on Oct. 2, 2025.

“Max was sort of made out to be a bad guy because he came to us in free agency and I hated that for him,” Rattlers Head Coach Kevin Guy explained. “He worked his tail off and I’m so happy that coming to the Rattlers paid off for him. He was locked in from start to finish today.”

The 2026 season was not without some bumps in the road.

“I had to get used to the Rattlers culture,” Meylor admitted. “Coach Guy is definitely a unique cat.”

Meylor began the year as QB1 but struggled a bit around mid-season. In a six-week period between May 10 and June 20, Meylor saw only limited action in two IFL Cup games as Drew Powell took the reins as the starting quarterback.

“There was a time I didn’t play for several weeks and that was tough mentally on me,” said Meylor. “But I just kept my head down, kept working and kept believing.”

There were times in the second half of Sunday’s game when fans could tell Meylor just wasn’t going to let his team falter. He tormented his former squad time and time again, accounting for five TDs (three passing, two rushing) while using his running ability to tally 90 yards rushing — no easy feat for a quarterback in the indoor game.

As the gold and black confetti poured down from above on Sunday evening, Meylor accepted congratulations from friends, family and fans.

“It’s been a journey,” he said. “But we finished the job today and that’s all I can ask for.”

Matt Loeschman
Managing Editor | West Valley

mloeschman@iniusa.org

Meet Matt

Matt Loeschman has had two separate stints at Independent Newsmedia. He began as a reporter covering Peoria and later Surprise from 2000-2009. In 2017, he returned to Arizona and INI as the news editor of the Daily News-Sun (now the Phoenix Independent). He previously covered the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League for more than a decade.

Community: During high school football season since 2017, he contributes live postgame radio reports to the AzPreps 365 Friday Night Football Wrapup Show. He supports organizations such as Phoenix Children’s, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley and the American Cancer Society.

Education: The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Journalism-News and Public Affairs. 

Random Fact: He can sing and he has been fortunate to meet many famous people during his journalism career including First Lady Hillary Clinton, King of Country Music George Strait and Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey. Attended all 4 home games of the 2001 World Series.

Hobbies: Watching and playing a wide variety of sports, including golf, tennis, pickleball and softball. Playing PlayStation 5, working out, shopping and reading.