Tallahassee Thunder
Encyclopedia
The Tallahassee Thunder is a now-defunct charter member af2
arena football
team from Tallahassee, Florida
. The Thunder played from 2000 until 2002, playing their home games at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center
in Tallahassee. The team made the playoffs during their final two seasons but first-round losses to the Tennessee Valley Vipers
and the Florida Firecats (respectively) contributed to the disbanding of the franchise after the 2002 season.
The team's mascot
was the Thunder King, a big fuzzy brown lion
who has found other work since the dissolution.
After the dissolution of the Thunder, Tallahassee would be without an arena or indoor football team until they were granted the Tallahassee Titans
franchise by the American Indoor Football Association in 2006.
|2000 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 7th NC || --
|-
|2001 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st AC Southeastern || Lost Round 1 || Tennessee Valley
70, Tallahassee 52
|-
|2002 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 1st AC Southern || Lost Round 1 || Florida 43, Tallahassee 31
|-
!Totals || 25 || 25 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
Af2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
arena football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
team from Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
. The Thunder played from 2000 until 2002, playing their home games at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center
Donald L. Tucker Center
Donald L. Tucker Center is a multi-purpose arena in Tallahassee, Florida, located within the Leon County Civic Center. The arena has the biggest capacity of any arena in the Florida Panhandle. The arena opened in 1981 and was built at a cost of $33.8 million, financed by the city. It has had WCW...
in Tallahassee. The team made the playoffs during their final two seasons but first-round losses to the Tennessee Valley Vipers
Tennessee Valley Vipers
The Alabama Vipers was a professional arena football team, that played in the Arena Football League. For most of their history, the Vipers played as the Tennessee Valley Vipers in the now-defunct af2, the minor league for the original AFL, where they won the 2008 ArenaCup championship. They play...
and the Florida Firecats (respectively) contributed to the disbanding of the franchise after the 2002 season.
The team's mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
was the Thunder King, a big fuzzy brown lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
who has found other work since the dissolution.
After the dissolution of the Thunder, Tallahassee would be without an arena or indoor football team until they were granted the Tallahassee Titans
Tallahassee Titans
The Tallahassee Titans were an American Indoor Football Association team that began play as a 2007 member. The team played its home games at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida.-History:...
franchise by the American Indoor Football Association in 2006.
Record Season-By-Season
|-|2000 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 7th NC || --
|-
|2001 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st AC Southeastern || Lost Round 1 || Tennessee Valley
Tennessee Valley Vipers
The Alabama Vipers was a professional arena football team, that played in the Arena Football League. For most of their history, the Vipers played as the Tennessee Valley Vipers in the now-defunct af2, the minor league for the original AFL, where they won the 2008 ArenaCup championship. They play...
70, Tallahassee 52
|-
|2002 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 1st AC Southern || Lost Round 1 || Florida 43, Tallahassee 31
|-
!Totals || 25 || 25 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)