A week ago, the American Conference Championship Game was first advertised as the celebrity round of the playoffs because the Chicago and Colorado franchises each feature management groups that include an NFL Hall-of-Famer.

But, in the end, even the presence of John Elway and Mike Ditka could not match the drama that unfolded in the final minute and subsequent overtime of the Crush’s thrilling 49-43 victory over the Rush at the Pepsi Center.

That finish was produced as the Rush jumped offside and John Dutton fired an off-balance 22-yard spiral that was reeled in by a sky-high Andy McCullough with 5:16 on the clock.

Colorado will now meet the Georgia Force, the National Conference winner, next week at the Thomas and Mack Center in ArenaBowl XIX on the campus of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Today’s match-up was scheduled as the Crush, who had earned the No. 1 seed in the conference with a 10-6 regular season record, bested the San Jose SaberCats, 56-48, and the Rush, the No. 3 seed with a 9-7 record, knocked off the Los Angeles Avengers, 52-45.

The Rush, no strangers to drama, eradicated an 18-point deficit on the strength of a 35-10 tear during a 26-minute stretch in the second half. The Rush defense had held Los Angeles scoreless on its last four possessions of the game – forcing two fumbles and twice pressuring the Avengers to turn the ball over on downs.

But such momentum did not carry forth into this game as Dutton, who passed for six scores last week, directed two first quarter TD drives.

Dutton –the MVP of San Jose’s 2002 championship game- was immediately given excellent field position when Willis Marshall brought the opening kickoff back 34 yards to the Chicago 19. Two plays and 1:33 later, the 6’4", 225 quarterback hit Damian Harrell, who scored after a spectacular run. Harrell, a First Team All-Arena selection, had led Colorado with 122 catches for 1,486 yards and 41 TDs.

But Clay Rush, whose strong right leg enabled him to lead the AFL with 60 touchbacks, missed the extra point. Still, only eighteen seconds after a strong defensive stand by the Crush, Dutton [28-43, 299, 5TDs, 1 interception] spotted McCullough on a 26-yard post pattern for Colorado’s next score. After two series spanning three offensive plays, Colorado was up, 13-0.

That margin would last for the duration of the quarter and it, certainly, appeared that the road to Las Vegas was within walking distance.

Chicago did have an opportunity to get on the board with four minutes remaining in the quarter, but Keith Gispert –the AFL’s Kicker of the Month for May- was wide right with a 26-yard field goal attempt.

Colorado, then, extended their lead to 20 when Dutton capped a seven play, 45-yard drive with a two-yard run.

After Willis Marshall intercepted Raymond Philyaw’s end-zone attempt to thwart a Rush drive in the second quarter, defensive end John Moyer forced a Dutton fumble and Etu Molden recovered to give the Rush a ray of light.

Chicago -who had swept the Crush this year [51-48 in Denver on February 13 and 75-51 in Chicago on April 17] and had won four of five all-time against Colorado- then, began their comeback.

Philyaw -a 68% passer- spotted C.J. Johnson for a 36-yard TD connection; against the Avengers last week, he hauled in eight passes for 110 yards and two scores. Now, with their first points on the board, there were thoughts of a new dance.

The Crush responded with another seven play, 45-yard series when McCullough [11 receptions, 137 yards, 4 TDs] accepted Dutton’s 8-yard pass for his second TD. However, Rush missed his second PAT and Colorado settled for a 26-7 lead.

In the final minute, Philyaw [29-51-350-5-1] spotted Moyer at the goalline to halve the score. Moyer’s catch was his ninth of the season; seven have been for TDs. But, Gispert –once again proving that PAT’s are not as easy as they appear to be- shanked the extra point attempt off the left post.

When Harrell [10 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD] leaped to retrieve an onside kick, Colorado regained possession inside the Rush 5 and John Peaua brought in it for the 33-13 margin. Just one play earlier, with the seconds ticking away, Peaua carried the ball, but deliberately stopped short of the end zone. This is called a "laydown play" and is designed as a form of clock management.

If that wasn’t unusual enough, then Philyaw’s version of a Hail Mary pass –a field-length throw off the netting- which Molden nabbed at the buzzer, capped a wild final minute as Chicago reduced the deficit to 33-20.

The Rush received the opening kick in the third quarter and marched 45 yards in six plays for yet another score, as Philyaw hit a wide-open Johnson from ten yards away. Then, with 2:15 left, Philyaw-to-Johnson from the COL17 evened the score. And, though a bad snap by replacement center John Sikora could not be handled, the 20-point margin had been erased.

The Rush’s defensive unit shut down the Crush in the third quarter; it was just the third time that Colorado had been blanked and each time occurred after the half.

Now, it was a brand new game.

The Crush forged ahead on Rush’s 18-yard FG, but Chicago’s Charlie Cook, a 290-pound lineman, bulled in from the two. Gispert’s PAT extended the lead to 40-36. It was Chicago’s first lead of the afternoon and, at that point, they were seven minutes away from a trip to the title game.

McCullough’s third TD pushed Colorado ahead and Rush, who on this day played the much-maligned kicker, converted an important PAT. The margin was three and Chicago would now need a touchdown to win in regulation.

The Rush marched ten plays and 43 yards and had several opportunities for the clinching score. But, the Crush stood their ground and, on fourth down with :06 on the clock, Gispert entered with a chance to tie. Except that an offside penalty against Colorado allowed Philyaw one more shot. He was intercepted by Rashad Floyd, but an obvious pass interference call against Floyd had sustained the drive.

However, the premature release of confetti caused a 10-minute delay.

When play resumed, holder DeJuan Alfonzo, fielded yet another bad snap from Sikora and set the ball in place for Gispert, who sent the game into OT with an 18-yard FG as time expired.

Chicago won the toss, but elected to defend. In the end, it didn’t matter as Todd Howard intercepted Dutton in the end zone and Philyaw had the Rush in position for the win. Bob McMillen, one of the league’s best runners, scampered 15 yards for the apparent winning score, but the Rush were offside.

Subsequently, Gispert missed from 36 yards and, with each team fulfilling the mandatory one possession rule, Dutton took control at his own 5. Completions to Harrell, Kevin McKenzie and McCullough set up the game-winner.

Thus, Dutton –given the free play- threw deep to McCullough, who leaped high to set off the real celebration.

The Crush, in its third year of existence, was now going to its first ArenaBowl.