Tennessee Valley Vipers
Encyclopedia
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 their home games at the Von Braun Center
. They were coached by Dean Cokinos who was the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers
in 2003 and the Nashville Kats
Offensive Coordinator
and Director of Player Personnel from 2005–2007.
The team is to move to Gwinnett County
, Georgia
for the 2011 AFL season and become the reincarnated version of the Georgia Force
.
(UIF) league.
in 2005 and became the Rock River Raptors
.
(who also owns the local hockey team), was granted the rights to the Vipers name, trademarks, and history that had been vacated by the previous ownership. Prior to the 2007 season, controlling interest in the team was sold to Texas AF2 Holdings, LLC. The team still operated in conjunction with HSV Sports, LLC, now a minority partner with the team.
After the season the team's owners announced it was leaving Huntsville and moving to Duluth, Georgia, where it will take the name Georgia Force
.
Largest Home Crowd
Arena Cup IX
Win 100
| colspan="6" align="center" | Tennessee Valley Vipers (af2)
|-
|2000 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NC || Won Round 1 (Tulsa
)
Won Semifinal (Augusta
)
Lost ArenaCup I (Quad City
)
|-
|2001 || 14 || 2 || 0 || 1st NC South Central || Won Round 1 (Tallahassee
)
Lost NC Championship (Richmond
)
|-
|2002 || 13 || 3 || 0 || 1st NC South || Lost NC Round 1 (Birmingham)
|-
|2003 || 14 || 2 || 0 || 1st AC South || Won AC Semifinal (Mohegan
)
Lost AC Championship (Macon
)
|-
|2004 || 12 || 4 || 0 || 1st AC Mid-South || Lost AC Semifinal (Florida)
|-
|2005 || colspan="6" align="center" | played as Tennessee Valley Raptors
(UIF)
|-
|2006 || 3 || 13 || 0 || 6th AC South || –
|-
|2007 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 4th NC South || –
|-
|2008 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd AC South || Won AC Round 1 (Florida)
Won AC Semifinals (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
)
Won AC Championship (Manchester
)
Won ArenaCup IX
(Spokane
)
|-
|2009 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st AC South || Lost AC Round 1 (Green Bay
)
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Alabama Vipers (Arena Football League)
|-
|2010 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 4th AC South || --
|-
!Totals || 109 || 65 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
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, 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
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...
, the minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
for the original AFL, where they won the 2008 ArenaCup
ArenaCup
The ArenaCup is the af2's championship game. For the league's first five years, it was held at the arena of the higher seeded team. However, the 2005 ArenaCup was the first to be played at a neutral site in Bossier City, Louisiana. The 2006 ArenaCup was played in Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San...
championship. They play their home games at the Von Braun Center
Von Braun Center
The Von Braun Center , known as the Von Braun Civic Center until 1997, is a multi-purpose indoor arena, meeting, and performing arts complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 10,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama...
. They were coached by Dean Cokinos who was the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers were a minor league arena football team that played in the AF2. The team was part of the East Division in the American conference. The Pioneers were an expansion team for the league's 2002 season, and were the runner-ups in ArenaCup VIII and ArenaCup X.-2001:The...
in 2003 and the Nashville Kats
Nashville Kats
The Nashville Kats were an Arena Football League team, located in Nashville, Tennessee. They were last coached by Pat Sperduto, who coached the team's original incarnation to two ArenaBowl appearances prior to the original franchise's move to Atlanta in 2002...
Offensive Coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
and Director of Player Personnel from 2005–2007.
The team is to move to Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County, Georgia
, Gwinnett County had a population of 805,321. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 53.3% white , 23.6% black , 2.7% Korean, 2.6% Asian Indian, 2.0% Vietnamese, 3.3% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.8% some other race and 3.1% from two or more races...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
for the 2011 AFL season and become the reincarnated version of the Georgia Force
Georgia Force
The Georgia Force are an Arena Football League team based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States that plays in the South Division of the American Conference. The team is owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn Jennings...
.
af2
The team played in af2 for five seasons, from 2000–2004, and during that period was one of the league's most competitive teams. The then owner and operator of the team was Art Clarkson. Then following the 2004 season the team left the af2 and joined the United Indoor FootballUnited Indoor Football
United Indoor Football was a United States indoor football league that started in 2005. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion and two from arenafootball2 took their franchises and formed their own league...
(UIF) league.
United Indoor Football (UIF)
The team joined the United Indoor Football league as the Tennessee Valley Pythons. But after legal threats from the AF2 for using the "snake" motif, the team changed its name again, this time to the Tennessee Valley Raptors. The Raptors, after an attendance decline in Huntsville, moved operations to Rockford, IllinoisRockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
in 2005 and became the Rock River Raptors
Rock River Raptors
This page is for the Continental Indoor Football League team, for the National Premier Soccer League team also based in Rockford, see Rockford Raptors....
.
Return to af2
Meanwhile, the af2 returned to Huntsville in 2006. The new team, owned by HSV Sports, LLCHSV Sports, LLC
HSV Sports, LLC is a sports management company located in Huntsville, Alabama. It borrows its name from the IATA airport code for the Huntsville International Airport....
(who also owns the local hockey team), was granted the rights to the Vipers name, trademarks, and history that had been vacated by the previous ownership. Prior to the 2007 season, controlling interest in the team was sold to Texas AF2 Holdings, LLC. The team still operated in conjunction with HSV Sports, LLC, now a minority partner with the team.
Alabama Vipers of the Arena Football League
For the 2010 season, the Vipers played in the new Arena Football League and changed their name to the Alabama Vipers.After the season the team's owners announced it was leaving Huntsville and moving to Duluth, Georgia, where it will take the name Georgia Force
Georgia Force
The Georgia Force are an Arena Football League team based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States that plays in the South Division of the American Conference. The team is owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn Jennings...
.
Highlights
First Game- On March 31, 2000, the Tennessee Valley Vipers traveled to Birmingham to play the Birmingham Steeldogs in the inaugural game in af2 league history. The Vipers won the game 59–18 before a crowd of 14,781 at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center.
Largest Home Crowd
- On July 15, 2000, the Tennessee Valley Vipers beat the Birmingham Steeldogs 61–50 in front of 7,042 fans at the Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville.
Arena Cup IX
- The Vipers won Arena Cup IX by defeating the Spokane Shock 56–55 in overtime at Spokane Arena on August 25, 2008. On the road to the championship, the Vipers beat both conference #1 seeds, a league first. In addition, Arena Cup IX was the first championship game to go into overtime and it was also the first time that the road team had won the championship game. The attendance of Arena Cup IX was 10,662, which is the largest attended championship game in af2 history. In 2009, this game was voted by the league at the greatest game in af2 league history.
Win 100
- The Vipers became the third franchise in af2 history to reach the 100 win mark after defeating the Florida Firecats 54–29 on June 20, 2009 at the Von Braun Center.
Season-by-season
|-| colspan="6" align="center" | Tennessee Valley Vipers (af2)
|-
|2000 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NC || Won Round 1 (Tulsa
Tulsa Talons
The San Antonio Talons are a professional arena football franchise in San Antonio, Texas that plays in the Arena Football League.The Talons began in 2000 in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the Tulsa Talons, a charter member of the defunct minor league Arena Football 2, also known as af2...
)
Won Semifinal (Augusta
Augusta Stallions
The Augusta Stallions were one of the 15 original teams to join the inaugural 2000 AF2 season. They started off in the American Conference, before switching to the Southeast Division in 2001, and then the Eastern Division in 2002. In their first year, Augusta went 13-3, made the playoffs, and...
)
Lost ArenaCup I (Quad City
Quad City Steamwheelers
The Quad City Steamwheelers were a professional arena football team. They were a charter member of the af2. They play their home games at i wireless Center in Moline, Illinois....
)
|-
|2001 || 14 || 2 || 0 || 1st NC South Central || Won Round 1 (Tallahassee
Tallahassee Thunder
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...
)
Lost NC Championship (Richmond
Richmond Speed
The Richmond Speed were one of the original 15 teams to join the inaugural 2000 AF2 season. They started off in the American Conference in 2000, before going over to the Northeast Division in 2001, then to the Atlantic Division from 2002-2003. In 2000, Richmond went 7-9 and missed the playoffs. ...
)
|-
|2002 || 13 || 3 || 0 || 1st NC South || Lost NC Round 1 (Birmingham)
|-
|2003 || 14 || 2 || 0 || 1st AC South || Won AC Semifinal (Mohegan
Manchester Wolves
The Manchester Wolves were a professional arena football team, based at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, which folded at the end of the 2009 season along with the rest of the league...
)
Lost AC Championship (Macon
Macon Knights
The Macon Knights were a professional arena football team, playing in the af2 league. They were a 2001 expansion member of af2. They played their home games at Macon Coliseum. The Knights were owned and operated by Beverly Olson. The Knights were formerly coached by Derek Stingley, who was a...
)
|-
|2004 || 12 || 4 || 0 || 1st AC Mid-South || Lost AC Semifinal (Florida)
|-
|2005 || colspan="6" align="center" | played as Tennessee Valley Raptors
Rock River Raptors
This page is for the Continental Indoor Football League team, for the National Premier Soccer League team also based in Rockford, see Rockford Raptors....
(UIF)
|-
|2006 || 3 || 13 || 0 || 6th AC South || –
|-
|2007 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 4th NC South || –
|-
|2008 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd AC South || Won AC Round 1 (Florida)
Won AC Semifinals (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers were a minor league arena football team that played in the AF2. The team was part of the East Division in the American conference. The Pioneers were an expansion team for the league's 2002 season, and were the runner-ups in ArenaCup VIII and ArenaCup X.-2001:The...
)
Won AC Championship (Manchester
Manchester Wolves
The Manchester Wolves were a professional arena football team, based at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, which folded at the end of the 2009 season along with the rest of the league...
)
Won ArenaCup IX
ArenaCup IX
ArenaCup IX was the 2008 edition of the af2's championship game, played on Monday, August 25, 2008, in which the American Conference Champions Tennessee Valley Vipers defeated the National Conference Champion Spokane Shock in Spokane, Washington by a score of 56-55 in overtime.-Notable...
(Spokane
Spokane Shock
The Spokane Shock is a professional arena football team of the Arena Football League from Spokane, Washington, USA. They play their home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena...
)
|-
|2009 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st AC South || Lost AC Round 1 (Green Bay
Green Bay Blizzard
The Green Bay Blizzard is a professional indoor football team, which was founded in 2003. The Blizzard began play in the Indoor Football League in 2010, after having played the previous seven seasons in af2, in the now defunct the minor league of the Arena Football League. The Blizzard play in...
)
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Alabama Vipers (Arena Football League)
|-
|2010 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 4th AC South || --
|-
!Totals || 109 || 65 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
Coaching victories
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses| Seasons | Coach | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Tom Luginbill | 12 | 7 |
| 2001 | Bret Munsey | 15 | 3 |
| 2002–2004 | Kevin Guy | 40 | 12 |
| 2006 | Chris Williams | 2 | 8 |
| 2006–2007 | Milt Theodosatos | 8 | 14 |
| 2008–2010 | Dean Cokinos | 32 | 21 |
Coaching staff
- Dean Cokinos – Head Coach
- John Kirk – Offensive Line Coach
- Demetrius Derico - Defensive Backs Coach