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 their final season. For most of their history, they were known as the Tennessee Valley Vipers. They played in the af2, which was a minor league for the original Arena Football League. The Vipers won the championship, called ArenaCup IX, in 2008. Their home games were played 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.

Team History: The Vipers' Journey

Starting in af2

The team began playing in the af2 league in 2000. They were known as the Tennessee Valley Vipers. For five seasons, from 2000 to 2004, they were one of the best teams in the league. Art Clarkson was the owner and operator during this time. After the 2004 season, the team left af2. They decided to join a different league called United Indoor Football (UIF).

Moving to United Indoor Football (UIF)

When the team joined the United Indoor Football league, they changed their name. They were first called the Tennessee Valley Pythons. However, the AF2 league had rules about using "snake" names. Because of this, the team had to change its name again. They became the Tennessee Valley Raptors. After a drop in fans attending games in Huntsville, the team moved its operations. In 2005, they moved to Rockford, Illinois, and became the Rock River Raptors.

Returning to af2

Even though the original team moved, af2 football returned to Huntsville in 2006. A new ownership group, HSV Sports, started a new team. They were given the right to use the Vipers name, logos, and history. Before the 2007 season, a company called Texas AF2 Holdings, LLC, bought most of the team. HSV Sports still owned a small part of the team.

Becoming the Alabama Vipers

For the 2010 season, the Vipers joined the new Arena Football League. This was a big step up for the team. They also changed their name one last time to the Alabama Vipers. After this season, the team's owners announced another move. They left Huntsville and moved to Duluth, Georgia. There, they became the new Georgia Force.

Exciting Moments and Achievements

First Game Victory

The Tennessee Valley Vipers played their very first game on March 31, 2000. They traveled to Birmingham to play against the Birmingham Steeldogs. This game was special because it was the first game ever in af2 league history! The Vipers won the game with a score of 59–18. A large crowd of 14,781 fans watched the game.

Biggest Home Crowd

On July 15, 2000, the Tennessee Valley Vipers played the Birmingham Steeldogs again. This time, it was at their home arena in Huntsville. The Vipers won 61–50. This game had their largest home crowd ever, with 7,042 fans cheering them on.

Winning ArenaCup IX

The Vipers achieved their biggest win in 2008. They won ArenaCup IX, which is the championship game for the af2 league. They beat the Spokane Shock 56–55 in an exciting overtime game. This happened at the Spokane Arena on August 25, 2008. On their way to the championship, the Vipers beat the top-ranked teams from both conferences. This was the first time any team had done that! 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. The game had 10,662 fans, which was the largest crowd for an af2 championship game. In 2009, the league voted this game as the greatest game in af2 history.

Reaching 100 Wins

On June 20, 2009, the Vipers reached a major milestone. They became only the third team in af2 history to win 100 games! They achieved this by defeating the Florida Firecats 54–29 at the Von Braun Center.

Season-by-Season Performance

Head Coaches Through the Years

Here's a look at the coaches who led the Vipers:

Notable Players

All-Arena Players

Some Vipers players were so good they were named to the All-Arena Teams. This means they were considered among the best players in the league.

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

Coaching Staff

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