Los Angeles Cobras
Encyclopedia
History
The Los Angeles Cobras played in the 19881988 in sports
1988 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland** Women's overall season champion: Michela Figini, Switzerland-American football:...
Arena Football League season only. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, which they shared with the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. The team's logo was unusual in that it 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 Cobras, who featured former NFL all-pro receiver Cliff Branch
Cliff Branch
Cliff Branch is a retired American football wide receiver who spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, winning three Super Bowl rings in Super Bowl XI, Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII...
, managed only a 5-6-1 record and drew dismal crowds. They did manage to grab the fourth and final playoff spot in the then-six-team AFL, but lost in the semifinals to the Chicago Bruisers
Chicago Bruisers
The Chicago Bruisers were a charter member of the Arena Football League, playing in the four-team "demonstration season" of 1987. They played their home games in the former Rosemont Horizon, now the Allstate Arena, home of the Chicago Rush.-History:...
. It turned out to be their last game ever as the Cobras (as well as the New York Knights and the New England Steamrollers
New England Steamrollers
The New England Steamrollers were a former Arena Football League team that 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.The Steamrollers were based out...
) folded after the 1988 season, temporarily cutting the league down to just three teams.
The Cobras are also featured in the film Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects is an action/drama film starring Charles Bronson and directed by J. Lee Thompson. Being Thompson's final film, it was the last project he and Bronson did together.-Premise:...
starring Charles Bronson. One scene takes place during a Cobras/Bruisers game, presumably the final regular season contest played July 14, 1988 (this game also had the distinction of ending 37-37, making it the first tie game in arena football history). The film was released in early 1989.
The Arena Football League returned to Los Angeles in 2000 when a new team called the Los Angeles Avengers
Los Angeles Avengers
The Los Angeles Avengers was an Arena Football League team based in Los Angeles, California from 2000 through 2008. They folded on April 19, 2009.-History:...
began play. The Avengers later folded in 2009.
Los Angeles Cobras Roster - 1988
- 1 Gary Mullen WR/DB
- 2 Marty Zendejas K
- 2 Ken Olson K
- 2 Nick Mike-Mayer K
- 5 Eric Beavers QB
- 10 Matt Stevens QB
- 18 Mike Mendoza QB
- 20 Joe Kelly WR/DB
- 22 Cliff Branch WR/DB
- 25 Richard Rodgers DB/WR
- 26 Derrick Donald DS
- 32 Ed Zeman DB/RB
- 32 Darren Arbet WR/DB
- 34 Richard Prather RB/LB
- 40 Yepi Pauu LB/RB
- 42 Rob DeVita LB/RB
- 42 Mike Benson DS
- 46 Wes Walton OL/DL
- 50 Patrick Cain OL/DL
- 55 Brian Clark OL/DL
- 60 Chuck Harris OL/DL
- 64 Dexter Stowers OL/DL
- 65 Larry Banks OL/DL
- 65 Paul Green OL/DL
- 66 Wes Walton OL/DL
- 72 Dwayne Jackson OL/DL
- 80 Tony Palamara OL/DL
- 82 Lou Sorrentino OL/DL
- 84 Michael Jones LB/OL
- 92 Wade Lockett DB/WR
- 93 Matt McKnight DB/WR
HEAD COACH: RAY WILLSEY
ASSISTANT COACH: LEW ERBER
RUNNING BACK & SPECIAL TEAMS COACH: RUSS STEELE
FOOTBALL OPERATIONS COORDINATOR: LARRY WESTBROOK
TRAINER: NICK ORTENZO
EQUIPMENT MANAGER: MARTY HOPKINS
Season-by-season
|-|1988 || 5 || 6|| 1 || 4th || Lost Week 1 (Chicago
Chicago Bruisers
The Chicago Bruisers were a charter member of the Arena Football League, playing in the four-team "demonstration season" of 1987. They played their home games in the former Rosemont Horizon, now the Allstate Arena, home of the Chicago Rush.-History:...
29-16)
|-
!Totals || 5 || 7 || 1
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
|}