History of the Arena Football League in Los Angeles

Last updated

Before the Arena Football League collapsed after the 2008 season, the league included the Los Angeles Cobras and the Los Angeles Avengers. The Cobras played one season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena before folding, mostly due to lack of attendance. The Avengers played their home games at the Staples Center until they folded as well. The AFL was revived in 2010 and returned to the Los Angeles area in 2014 with a new team, the Los Angeles Kiss. The team, owned by a group that included Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, members of the rock band KISS, played in Anaheim at the Honda Center until folding in 2016. [1]

The Kiss was the third AFL team to represent Los Angeles, the fourth to represent Southern California, and the second to play at the Honda Center. Los Angeles' first AFL team was the Los Angeles Cobras, which called the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena home for the team's only season of 1988, in which they finished 5–6–1, making the playoffs but losing to the Chicago Bruisers in the first round. Eight years later, the Anaheim Piranhas moved from Las Vegas, beginning play for the 1996 season at the Honda Center (known as the Arrowhead Pond at the time). Their first season saw them finish 9–5 and make the playoffs (losing to the Tampa Bay Storm in the first round), but their second season saw them finish 2–12 and fold after year's end, most likely because of their owner, C. David Baker, being named the AFL's commissioner and wanting to focus on that.

Los Angeles' longest-running foray in arena football was the Los Angeles Avengers, which called the Staples Center home during their nine-year run from 2000 until the league's suspension of operations in 2008. During that time, the team made five playoff appearances and won one division title (in 2005), though only winning one of those playoff games.

Los Angeles Cobras (1988)

On March 16, 1988, it was announced that team would be nicknamed the Cobras, as well as the introduction of head coach Ray Willsey. [2] The Cobras played their home games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, which they shared with the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association. The team's logo consisted of an interlocking "LA" in which the left upright of the "A" was formed by the hooded head and "neck" of a cobra.

The team debuted April 30, 1988 against the New York Knights. [3] The Cobras started the season 0-3, [4] but finished the season 5-3-1, clinching a playoff spot. [5]

Despite a lineup that featured former NFL all-pro receiver Cliff Branch, ex-UCLA quarterback Matt Stevens [6] and future Arena Football Hall of Famer Gary Mullen, Los Angeles drew dismal crowds: just 7,507 per game, second-worst in the AFL. [5] The Cobras lost in the semifinals to the Chicago Bruisers, 29-16. [7] It turned out to be their last game ever as the Cobras folded after the 1988 season, temporarily cutting the league down.

Anaheim Piranhas (1994–97)

The Piranhas played their home games at Arrowhead Pond, also the home of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim of the National Hockey League. The team was not an overwhelmingly successful draw in the high-overhead Southern California market and folded after the conclusion of the 1997 season. [8] The arena (now known as the Honda Center) would once again be the home of an AFL franchise with the launching of the Los Angeles Kiss in 2014.

Los Angeles Avengers (2000–08)

The Los Angeles Avengers played their home games at the Staples Center, which is also the current home to the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The team began play in the 2000 season. The Avengers competed in the Western Division of the American Conference. Since its inception in 2000, the Avengers had competed in postseason play five times. The Avengers earned American Conference wildcard playoff berths in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007, and won the American Conference Western Division Championship in 2005.

The Avengers franchise was owned by Casey Wasserman, grandson of the MCA head Lew Wasserman.

On April 10, 2005, Avengers defensive lineman Al Lucas was injured attempting to make a tackle and later died at a nearby hospital. It is the only fatal injury incurred during a game in the history of the league. The Al Lucas Hero Award is named after him.

The Avengers announced the termination of the program on April 20, 2009 after nine years of operation. Four years later, it was announced that the Los Angeles KISS would join the AFL starting in the 2014 season making them the fourth team to set up shop in the Los Angeles area.

The Avengers' official mascot was a superhero-like character named T.D. [9]

Los Angeles Kiss (2014–16)

On August 15, 2013, it was announced that Kiss (who performed at halftime of ArenaBowl XXVI) had purchased a share of an AFL expansion team set to begin play in 2014. Kiss lead members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, their manager Doc McGhee, and league veteran Brett Bouchy jointly own the team. [10]

On September 10, 2013, Kiss began assembling their first roster, trading their first pick in the dispersal draft of Chicago Rush and Utah Blaze players, to the Iowa Barnstormers in exchange for quarterback J. J. Raterink. [11] With their second and third picks, they drafted wide receiver Chase Deadder and linebacker Antwan Marsh. On September 17, 2013, they named Bob McMillen, the 2013 AFL Coach of the Year, the franchise's first head coach. [12] On September 18, the Kiss hired former Los Angeles Dodgers business executive Schuyler Hoversten as its inaugural president. [13]

The games were themed to echo a Kiss music concert: games opened with an electric guitar rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner; there was "loud pyrotechnics and music" throughout the game; "the Kiss logo is plastered everywhere: on the arena football field, on the end zone and on the flame-emblazoned jerseys in the stands. ... [There is a] Kiss Girls dance-squad in black leather. ... The team's artificial turf field was also colored in a unique silver color scheme.

On Tuesday, August 12, 2014, AMC premiered 4th and Loud , a reality documentary series focusing on the team's inaugural season. [14]

On October 30, 2015, Bob McMillen stepped down as head coach and general manager of the Kiss. [15] Shortly thereafter, the Kiss hired former Arizona Rattlers team president Joe Windham as their president and also hired former San Jose SaberCats player and assistant coach Omarr Smith as their second head coach in team history.

The Kiss made their inaugural playoff appearance on August 7, 2016, facing the Cleveland Gladiators in the first round of the AFL Playoffs. The game was played at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California, as their home arena, the Honda Center, played host to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus and a WWE RAW broadcast that weekend. The Kiss lost to the Gladiators 56-52 in front of 4,692 fans in San Diego. [16] Shortly after the game, team captain Donavan Morgan announced his retirement.

The Kiss ceased answering their phones during the 2016 offseason and its roster was liquidated that October. In a long-form piece released in Sports Illustrated in April 2017, it was revealed that the band had pulled its support from the team shortly after the end of the season, privately stating they had done all they could to keep the franchise alive. Minority owners attempted to find new investors to keep the franchise afloat but were unsuccessful. [17]

The KISS represented the last team to attempt to fill a void in professional football that had existed for 21 years since the Los Angeles Rams left for St. Louis in 1995; the KISS's folding coincided with the Rams' return to southern California.

Related Research Articles

Los Angeles Avengers Arena football team

The Los Angeles Avengers were an Arena Football League team based in Los Angeles, California, from 2000 through 2008. They folded on April 19, 2009.

New York Knights (arena football) Arena football team

The New York Knights were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in New York City. They played in the league for one season, 1988. They played their home games at Madison Square Garden. After going 2–10 overall in their only season the team ceased operations. The league then went several years before attempting to re-enter the nation's largest media market with the New York CityHawks.

New England Steamrollers Arena football team

The New England Steamrollers were a former Arena Football League based in Providence, Rhode Island. The team played in the AFL's 1988 season. The Steamrollers were one of four teams to enter the AFL in 1988, and along with the New York Knights and Los Angeles Cobras were folded following the season.

Los Angeles Cobras Arena football team

The Los Angeles Cobras were a professional arena football team based in Los Angeles, California that played one season (1988) in the Arena Football League.

Anaheim Piranhas Arena football team

The Anaheim Piranhas were a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League from 1994 to 1997. They played their home games at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The team was originally known as the Las Vegas Sting, prior to moving to Anaheim in 1996. The team was owned by future Arena Football League commissioner C. David Baker.

Florida Bobcats Arena football team

The Florida Bobcats were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Sunrise, Florida. They were previously known as the Sacramento Attack and the Miami Hooters, and played in the AFL for a total of ten seasons, the last seven in West Palm Beach and Sunrise in the Miami metropolitan area.

The Western Division was one of four divisions that previously made up the Arena Football League. The Western Division was formed in 1992 when the AFL first split into three divisions. The League used only conferences in 1993 and 1994, but returned to division play in 1995. Because the number of active AFL teams has decreased greatly in recent years, the league no longer uses divisions.

Mike Wilpolt is a former American football wide receiver/defensive back for the Charlotte Rage (1992–1993), the Las Vegas Sting (1994–1995), and the Anaheim Piranhas (1996) in the Arena Football League (AFL). He also coached for 10 years in the AFL with the Indiana Firebirds, Los Angeles Avengers and Cleveland Gladiators.

Sports in Los Angeles Competitive physical activities in the Los Angeles metropolitan area

The Greater Los Angeles area is home to many professional and collegiate sports teams. The metropolitan area has twelve major league professional teams: the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Angels, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy, the Los Angeles Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Sparks, the Los Angeles Rams, and Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League. The Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to 9 universities whose teams compete in various NCAA Division I level sports, most notably the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans. Between them, these Los Angeles area sports teams have won a combined 105 championship titles. Los Angeles area colleges have produced upwards of 200 national championship teams.

Omarr Ali Hasan Smith is a former American football defensive back who was most recently the head coach of the Baltimore Brigade of the Arena Football League (AFL). He played professionally for the San Jose SaberCats of the AFL, and played college football at San Jose State.

The 1988 Los Angeles Cobras season was the first and only season for the Cobras.

The 1988 New York Knights season was the first and only season for the Arena Football League franchise.

Los Angeles Kiss Arena football team

The Los Angeles Kiss were a short-lived professional arena football team based in Anaheim, California, and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The Kiss joined the AFL as an expansion team after Los Angeles' previous franchise did not return as a part of Arena Football 1. The team's ownership was a group of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, members of rock band Kiss, as well as their manager Doc McGhee. The team played its home games at the Honda Center in nearby Anaheim, which they shared with the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. The team was featured in the AMC series 4th and Loud.

The 2014 Los Angeles Kiss season was the franchise's first season in the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was coached by Bob McMillen and played their home games at the Honda Center.

The 2014 Arena Football League season was the 27th season in the history of the league. The regular season began on March 14, 2014 and ended on July 26, 2014.

Sports in Orange County, California

Sports in Orange County, California includes a number of sports teams and sports competitions. Within Orange County, the city of Anaheim currently hosts two major league sports teams — MLB's Los Angeles Angels and the NHL's Anaheim Ducks — and used to host two others.

Las Vegas Outlaws (arena football) Arena football team

The Las Vegas Outlaws were a professional Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. They played in the AFL's National Conference West Division in 2015. The franchise was recently owned by Vince Neil, lead singer for Mötley Crüe and former minority owner of the Jacksonville Sharks. On September 11, 2014, it was announced that Aaron Garcia was to be the team's first head coach.

The 2015 Los Angeles Kiss season was the second season for the arena football franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Bob McMillen and played their home games at Honda Center. After a disappointing 0-9 start, the Kiss won four out of their last nine games, including a road upset of the Sabercats, who had entered the game 11-0. Despite the strong finish to improve to 4-14, the Kiss failed to make the playoffs.

In 1988, the New York Knights played for one season as part of the Arena Football League, and then ceased operations. In 1997, the AFL added two expansion franchises, the New York CityHawks, who played at Madison Square Garden, and the New Jersey Red Dogs, who played in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The CityHawks moved to Hartford, Connecticut and were renamed the New England Sea Wolves in 1999, and then relocated to Toronto in 2001, and renamed the Toronto Phantoms. The Red Dogs were renamed the New Jersey Gladiators in 2001, then relocated and became the Las Vegas Gladiators in 2003, before relocating again and being renamed the Cleveland Gladiators. When the Sea Wolves, who were owned by the Madison Square Garden Company and had their games televised in New York City on MSG Network, relocated to Toronto, the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers relocated to Long Island and were renamed the New York Dragons. The Dragons played in New York until 2008, when the league suspended operations; no team from New York played in the league from its 2010 revival until the Albany Empire, based in the state's capital, joined the AFL in 2018.

References

  1. ↑ Rovell, Darren (August 15, 2013). "KISS brings football to Los Angeles". ESPN . Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  2. ↑ White, Lonnie (March 17, 1988). "Arena Football : Ray Willsey Will Coach L.A.'s Cobras". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  3. ↑ White, Lonnie (April 30, 2013). "Cobras, Arena Football Make L.A. Debut Tonight". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  4. ↑ White, Lonnie (May 21, 1988). "Now, Matt Stevens' Job Is to Turn the Cobras Around". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  5. 1 2 White, Lonnie (July 23, 1988). "L.A. Is a Tough Arena for Indoor Football : Cobras Are Still Making Some Gains Despite Competition for Sports Dollar". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  6. ↑ White, Lonnie (April 6, 1988). "Branch, Stevens Head Cobra Picks". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Box Score LA @ Chicago July 23, 1988". www.arenafan.com. ArenaFan. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  8. ↑ McKibben, Dave (November 20, 1997). "After Two Seasons, Piranhas Are Folding". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  9. ↑ LA Avengers: Kids Archived 2006-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "Arena Football League, KISS Bring Pro Football Back to Los Angeles". Arena Football League. August 15, 2013. Archived from the original on February 9, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Iowa Barnstormers trade key offensive piece as part of Arena League shuffle". www.desmoinesregister.com. www.desmoinesregister.com. September 10, 2013. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  12. ↑ "LA Kiss hires Bob McMillen as coach of AFL team". www.sacbee.com. The Sacramento Bee. September 17, 2013. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  13. ↑ "KISS Hire Former Dodgers Executive as Inaugural President". Arena Football League . September 18, 2013. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  14. ↑ "TCA: Kiss Originals Shout It Out Loud — AMC's '4th And Loud' Is Arena Rock That Will "Pummel You"". Deadline Hollywood. July 11, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  15. ↑ McMillen Steps Down as Head Coach of KISS, ArenaFootball.com, October 30, 2105
  16. ↑ LA KISS Eliminated From Postseason With Loss To Cleveland Archived 2016-08-16 at the Wayback Machine , LA KISS website, August 7, 2016
  17. ↑ Bledsoe, Neal (April 7, 2017). "KISS the Team Goodbye". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.