Alabama Vipers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alabama Vipers
Established 2000 Folded 2010 Played in Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama
League/conference affiliations
AF2 (2000–2004) National Conference (2000–2002) South Central Division (2001) Southern Division (2002) American Conference (2003–2004) Southern Division (2003) Midsouthern Division (2004) United Indoor Football (2005) Southern Division (2005) AF2 (2006–2009) American Conference (2006) Southern Division (2006) National Conference (2007) South Division (2007) American Conference (2008–2009) South Division (2008–2009) Arena Football League (2010) American Conference (2010) South Division (2010)
Team colors	Green, black, white
Personnel
Owner(s)	Doug MacGregor
President	Corey Remillard
Head coach	Dean Cokinos
Team history
Tennessee Valley Vipers (2000–2004) Tennessee Valley Raptors (2005) Tennessee Valley Vipers (2006–2009) Alabama Vipers (2010)
Championships
League championships (1) af2: 2008
Conference championships (1) American (af2): 2008
Division championships (5) South Central (af2): 2001 Southern (af2): 2002, 2003 Midsouthern (af2): 2004 South (af2): 2009
Playoff appearances (8)
af2: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 UIF: 2005
Home arena(s)
Von Braun Center (2000–2010)

The Alabama Vipers were a professional arena football team. They played in the Arena Football League. For most of their history, the team was known as the Tennessee Valley Vipers. They played in a league called af2. This league was like a minor league for the original Arena Football League.

The Vipers won a championship called ArenaCup IX in 2008. They played their home games at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Dean Cokinos was their coach. After the 2010 season, the team moved to Gwinnett County, Georgia. There, they became a new version of the Georgia Force.

Team History: From Vipers to Raptors and Back

The team had a few different names and played in different leagues. This section explains their journey.

Playing in af2 (2000-2004)

The team started in the af2 league in 2000. They played there for five seasons until 2004. During this time, they were one of the best teams in the league. Art Clarkson was the owner and operator back then. After the 2004 season, the team left af2. They decided to join a different league called the United Indoor Football (UIF) league.

Joining United Indoor Football (2005)

When the team joined the UIF, they changed their name. They became the Tennessee Valley Pythons. But the AF2 league had a problem with the "snake" theme in their name. So, the team changed its name again. This time, they became the Tennessee Valley Raptors.

After a drop in fans in Huntsville, the Raptors moved. In 2005, they went to Rockford, Illinois. There, they became known as the Rock River Raptors.

Returning to af2 (2006-2009)

Meanwhile, the af2 league came back to Huntsville in 2006. A new ownership group, HSV Sports, started a new team. They were given the right to use the Vipers name and history. This was because the old team had left. Before the 2007 season, most of the team was sold. Texas AF2 Holdings, LLC, took over. HSV Sports still owned a small part of the team.

The Alabama Vipers in the Arena Football League (2010)

For the 2010 season, the Vipers joined the new Arena Football League. They changed their name one last time to the Alabama Vipers. After this season, the team's owners announced another move. They left Huntsville and went to Duluth, Georgia. There, they became the new Georgia Force.

Team Highlights: Big Moments

The Vipers had many exciting moments during their time. Here are some of their biggest achievements.

First Game

On March 31, 2000, the Tennessee Valley Vipers played their first game. They traveled to Birmingham to play the Birmingham Steeldogs. This was the very first game in af2 league history. The Vipers won the game 59–18. Over 14,000 fans watched the game.

Largest Home Crowd

On July 15, 2000, the Vipers played the Birmingham Steeldogs again. This time, it was at their home arena in Huntsville. The Vipers won 61–50. A crowd of 7,042 fans cheered them on. This was their biggest home crowd ever.

Arena Cup IX Championship

The Vipers won the ArenaCup IX championship in 2008. They beat the Spokane Shock 56–55 in overtime. The game was played in Spokane, Washington. To win, the Vipers beat the top-ranked teams from both conferences. This was a first for the league. Arena Cup IX was also the first championship game to go into overtime. It was also the first time the visiting team won the championship. Over 10,000 fans watched this exciting game. The league later voted it the greatest game in af2 history.

Win 100

On June 20, 2009, the Vipers reached a special milestone. They became the third team in af2 history to win 100 games. They achieved this by beating the Florida Firecats 54–29. The game was played at the Von Braun Center.

Season-by-Season Records

This table shows how the team performed each season. It lists their wins, losses, and playoff results.

Head Coaches

This table lists the main coaches for the team and their win-loss records.

Notable Players

These are some of the important players who played for the Vipers.

Final Roster

This section shows the players who were on the team's roster in their final season.

2010 Alabama Vipers season

All-Arena Players

"All-Arena" means these players were chosen as some of the best in the league.

• FB Dan Alexander (1)
• DB Vince Hill (1)

Coaching Staff

This lists the coaches who helped lead the team.

• Dean Cokinos – Head coach
• John Kirk – Offensive line coach
• Demetrius Derico – Defensive backs coach