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History of the Arena Football League in Los Angeles
BornonJune8: Attribution: content in this section was copied from Sports in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Cobras, Ahaheim Piranhas, Los Angeles Avengers, Los Angeles Kiss on April 1, 2020. Please see the history of that page for full attribution
Before the [[Arena Football League]] collapsed after the 2008 season, the league included the [[Los Angeles Cobras]] and the [[Los Angeles Avengers]]. The Cobras played one season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena before folding, mostly due to lack of attendance. The Avengers played their home games at the Staples Center until they folded as well. The AFL was revived in 2010 and returned to the Los Angeles area in 2014 with a new team, the [[Los Angeles Kiss]]. The team, owned by a group that included [[Gene Simmons]] and [[Paul Stanley]], members of the rock band [[Kiss (band)|KISS]], played in Anaheim at the Honda Center until folding in 2016.<ref></ref>
The Kiss was the third AFL team to represent Los Angeles, the fourth to represent Southern California, and the second to play at the Honda Center. Los Angeles' first AFL team was the [[Los Angeles Cobras]], which called the [[Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena]] home for the team's only season of [[1988 Arena Football League season|1988]], in which they finished 5–6–1, making the playoffs but losing to the [[Chicago Bruisers]] in the first round. Eight years later, the [[Anaheim Piranhas]] moved from [[Las Vegas Sting|Las Vegas]], beginning play for the [[1996 Arena Football League season|1996 season]] at the Honda Center (known as the Arrowhead Pond at the time). Their first season saw them finish 9–5 and make the playoffs (losing to the [[Tampa Bay Storm]] in the first round), but [[1997 Arena Football League season|their second season]] saw them finish 2–12 and fold after year's end, most likely because of their owner, [[C. David Baker]], being named the AFL's commissioner and wanting to focus on that.
Los Angeles' longest-running foray in arena football was the [[Los Angeles Avengers]], which called the [[Staples Center]] home during their nine-year run from [[2000 Arena Football League season|2000]] until the league's suspension of operations in [[2008 Arena Football League season|2008]]. During that time, the team made five playoff appearances and won one division title (in [[2005 Arena Football League season|2005]]), though only winning one of those playoff games.
==Los Angeles Cobras (1988)==
On March 16, 1988, it was announced that team would be nicknamed the Cobras, as well as the introduction of head coach [[Ray Willsey]].<ref></ref> The Cobras played their home games at the [[Los Angeles Sports Arena]], which they shared with the [[Los Angeles Clippers]] of the [[National Basketball Association]]. The team's logo 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 team debuted April 30, 1988 against the [[New York Knights (arena football)|New York Knights]].<ref></ref> The Cobras started the season 0-3,<ref></ref> but finished the season 5-3-1, clinching a playoff spot.<ref name="dollar"></ref>
Despite a lineup that featured former [[National Football League|NFL]] all-pro receiver [[Cliff Branch]], ex-[[UCLA]] quarterback [[Matt Stevens (quarterback)|Matt Stevens]]<ref></ref> and future Arena Football Hall of Famer [[Gary Mullen (American football)|Gary Mullen]], Los Angeles drew dismal crowds: just 7,507 per game, second-worst in the AFL.<ref name="dollar" /> The Cobras lost in the semifinals to the [[Chicago Bruisers]], 29-16.<ref></ref> It turned out to be their last game ever as the Cobras folded after the 1988 season, temporarily cutting the league down.
==Anaheim Piranhas (1994–97)==
The Piranhas played their home games at [[Arrowhead Pond]], also the home of the [[Mighty Ducks of Anaheim]] of the [[National Hockey League]]. The team was not an overwhelmingly successful draw in the high-overhead [[Southern California]] market and folded after the conclusion of the [[1997 in sports|1997]] season.<ref></ref> The arena (now known as the [[Honda Center]]) would once again be the home of an AFL franchise with the launching of the [[Los Angeles Kiss]] in 2014.
==Los Angeles Avengers (2000–08)==
The Los Angeles Avengers played their home games at the [[Staples Center]], which is also the current home to the [[Los Angeles Kings]] of the [[National Hockey League]], the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] and [[Los Angeles Clippers]] of the [[National Basketball Association]], the [[Los Angeles Sparks]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association]]. The team began play in the 2000 season. The Avengers competed in the Western Division of the American Conference. Since its inception in 2000, the Avengers had competed in postseason play five times. The Avengers earned American Conference wildcard playoff berths in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007, and won the American Conference Western Division Championship in 2005.
The Avengers franchise was owned by [[Casey Wasserman]], grandson of the [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]] head [[Lew Wasserman]].
On April 10, 2005, Avengers defensive lineman [[Al Lucas (American football)|Al Lucas]] was injured attempting to make a tackle and later died at a nearby hospital. It is the only fatal injury incurred during a game in the history of the league. The Al Lucas Hero Award is named after him.
The Avengers announced the termination of the program on April 20, 2009 after nine years of operation. Four years later, it was announced that the [[Los Angeles KISS]] would join the AFL starting in the 2014 season making them the fourth team to set up shop in the Los Angeles area.
The Avengers' official mascot was a superhero-like character named T.D.<ref>[https://ift.tt/3bNWD8v LA Avengers: Kids] Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
==Los Angeles Kiss (2014–16)==
On August 15, 2013, it was announced that Kiss (who performed at halftime of [[ArenaBowl XXVI]]) had purchased a share of an AFL expansion team set to begin play in 2014. Kiss lead members [[Gene Simmons]] and [[Paul Stanley]], their manager Doc McGhee, and league veteran Brett Bouchy jointly own the team.<ref name="lakiss"></ref>
On September 10, 2013, Kiss began assembling their first roster, trading their first pick in the dispersal draft of [[Chicago Rush]] and [[Utah Blaze]] players, to the [[Iowa Barnstormers]] in exchange for [[quarterback]] [[J. J. Raterink]].<ref></ref> With their second and third picks, they drafted [[wide receiver]] Chase Deadder and [[linebacker]] Antwan Marsh. On September 17, 2013, they named [[Bob McMillen (American football)|Bob McMillen]], the 2013 AFL Coach of the Year, the franchise's first head coach.<ref></ref> On September 18, the Kiss hired former [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] business executive Schuyler Hoversten as its inaugural president.<ref></ref>
The games were themed to echo a Kiss music concert: games opened with an electric guitar rendition of [[The Star-Spangled Banner]]; there was "loud pyrotechnics and music" throughout the game; "the Kiss logo is plastered everywhere: on the arena football field, on the end zone and on the flame-emblazoned jerseys in the stands. ... [There is a] Kiss Girls dance-squad in black leather. ... The team's [[artificial turf]] field was also colored in a unique silver color scheme.
On Tuesday, August 12, 2014, [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] premiered ''[[4th and Loud]]'', a reality documentary series focusing on the team's inaugural season.<ref name=deadline-4thandloud></ref>
On October 30, 2015, Bob McMillen stepped down as head coach and general manager of the Kiss. <ref>[https://ift.tt/3bNWDW3 McMillen Steps Down as Head Coach of KISS], ArenaFootball.com, October 30, 2105</ref> Shortly thereafter, the Kiss hired former [[Arizona Rattlers]] team president Joe Windham as their president and also hired former [[San Jose SaberCats]] player and assistant coach [[Omarr Smith]] as their second head coach in team history.
The Kiss made their inaugural playoff appearance on August 7, 2016, facing the [[Cleveland Gladiators]] in the first round of the AFL Playoffs. The game was played at the [[Valley View Casino Center]] in [[San Diego, California]], as their home arena, the Honda Center, played host to the [[Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus]] and a [[WWE RAW]] broadcast that weekend. The Kiss lost to the Gladiators 56-52 in front of 4,692 fans in San Diego. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2R58Ldr LA KISS Eliminated From Postseason With Loss To Cleveland] Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2), LA KISS website, August 7, 2016</ref> Shortly after the game, team captain [[Donovan_Morgan_(American_football)|Donavan Morgan]] announced his retirement.
The Kiss ceased answering their phones during the 2016 offseason and its roster was liquidated that October. In a long-form piece released in ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' in April 2017, it was revealed that the band had pulled its support from the team shortly after the end of the season, privately stating they had done all they could to keep the franchise alive. Minority owners attempted to find new investors to keep the franchise afloat but were unsuccessful.<ref>https://ift.tt/3dQ6v3t>
The KISS represented the last team to attempt to fill a void in professional football that had existed for 21 years since the [[Los Angeles Rams]] left for St. Louis in 1995; the KISS's folding coincided with the Rams' return to southern California.
==References==
==External links==
* [https://ift.tt/3bJfVfh L.A. Cobras at ArenaFan.com]
* [https://ift.tt/2UScCvK Anaheim Piranhas at ArenaFan.com]
* [https://ift.tt/39APK99 Los Angeles Avengers at ArenaFan]
[[Category:Arena Football League in Los Angeles| ]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Avengers| ]]
[[Category:Anaheim Piranhas| ]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Kiss| ]]
[[Category:American football teams in Los Angeles| ]]
The Kiss was the third AFL team to represent Los Angeles, the fourth to represent Southern California, and the second to play at the Honda Center. Los Angeles' first AFL team was the [[Los Angeles Cobras]], which called the [[Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena]] home for the team's only season of [[1988 Arena Football League season|1988]], in which they finished 5–6–1, making the playoffs but losing to the [[Chicago Bruisers]] in the first round. Eight years later, the [[Anaheim Piranhas]] moved from [[Las Vegas Sting|Las Vegas]], beginning play for the [[1996 Arena Football League season|1996 season]] at the Honda Center (known as the Arrowhead Pond at the time). Their first season saw them finish 9–5 and make the playoffs (losing to the [[Tampa Bay Storm]] in the first round), but [[1997 Arena Football League season|their second season]] saw them finish 2–12 and fold after year's end, most likely because of their owner, [[C. David Baker]], being named the AFL's commissioner and wanting to focus on that.
Los Angeles' longest-running foray in arena football was the [[Los Angeles Avengers]], which called the [[Staples Center]] home during their nine-year run from [[2000 Arena Football League season|2000]] until the league's suspension of operations in [[2008 Arena Football League season|2008]]. During that time, the team made five playoff appearances and won one division title (in [[2005 Arena Football League season|2005]]), though only winning one of those playoff games.
==Los Angeles Cobras (1988)==
On March 16, 1988, it was announced that team would be nicknamed the Cobras, as well as the introduction of head coach [[Ray Willsey]].<ref></ref> The Cobras played their home games at the [[Los Angeles Sports Arena]], which they shared with the [[Los Angeles Clippers]] of the [[National Basketball Association]]. The team's logo 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 team debuted April 30, 1988 against the [[New York Knights (arena football)|New York Knights]].<ref></ref> The Cobras started the season 0-3,<ref></ref> but finished the season 5-3-1, clinching a playoff spot.<ref name="dollar"></ref>
Despite a lineup that featured former [[National Football League|NFL]] all-pro receiver [[Cliff Branch]], ex-[[UCLA]] quarterback [[Matt Stevens (quarterback)|Matt Stevens]]<ref></ref> and future Arena Football Hall of Famer [[Gary Mullen (American football)|Gary Mullen]], Los Angeles drew dismal crowds: just 7,507 per game, second-worst in the AFL.<ref name="dollar" /> The Cobras lost in the semifinals to the [[Chicago Bruisers]], 29-16.<ref></ref> It turned out to be their last game ever as the Cobras folded after the 1988 season, temporarily cutting the league down.
==Anaheim Piranhas (1994–97)==
The Piranhas played their home games at [[Arrowhead Pond]], also the home of the [[Mighty Ducks of Anaheim]] of the [[National Hockey League]]. The team was not an overwhelmingly successful draw in the high-overhead [[Southern California]] market and folded after the conclusion of the [[1997 in sports|1997]] season.<ref></ref> The arena (now known as the [[Honda Center]]) would once again be the home of an AFL franchise with the launching of the [[Los Angeles Kiss]] in 2014.
==Los Angeles Avengers (2000–08)==
The Los Angeles Avengers played their home games at the [[Staples Center]], which is also the current home to the [[Los Angeles Kings]] of the [[National Hockey League]], the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] and [[Los Angeles Clippers]] of the [[National Basketball Association]], the [[Los Angeles Sparks]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association]]. The team began play in the 2000 season. The Avengers competed in the Western Division of the American Conference. Since its inception in 2000, the Avengers had competed in postseason play five times. The Avengers earned American Conference wildcard playoff berths in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007, and won the American Conference Western Division Championship in 2005.
The Avengers franchise was owned by [[Casey Wasserman]], grandson of the [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]] head [[Lew Wasserman]].
On April 10, 2005, Avengers defensive lineman [[Al Lucas (American football)|Al Lucas]] was injured attempting to make a tackle and later died at a nearby hospital. It is the only fatal injury incurred during a game in the history of the league. The Al Lucas Hero Award is named after him.
The Avengers announced the termination of the program on April 20, 2009 after nine years of operation. Four years later, it was announced that the [[Los Angeles KISS]] would join the AFL starting in the 2014 season making them the fourth team to set up shop in the Los Angeles area.
The Avengers' official mascot was a superhero-like character named T.D.<ref>[https://ift.tt/3bNWD8v LA Avengers: Kids] Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
==Los Angeles Kiss (2014–16)==
On August 15, 2013, it was announced that Kiss (who performed at halftime of [[ArenaBowl XXVI]]) had purchased a share of an AFL expansion team set to begin play in 2014. Kiss lead members [[Gene Simmons]] and [[Paul Stanley]], their manager Doc McGhee, and league veteran Brett Bouchy jointly own the team.<ref name="lakiss"></ref>
On September 10, 2013, Kiss began assembling their first roster, trading their first pick in the dispersal draft of [[Chicago Rush]] and [[Utah Blaze]] players, to the [[Iowa Barnstormers]] in exchange for [[quarterback]] [[J. J. Raterink]].<ref></ref> With their second and third picks, they drafted [[wide receiver]] Chase Deadder and [[linebacker]] Antwan Marsh. On September 17, 2013, they named [[Bob McMillen (American football)|Bob McMillen]], the 2013 AFL Coach of the Year, the franchise's first head coach.<ref></ref> On September 18, the Kiss hired former [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] business executive Schuyler Hoversten as its inaugural president.<ref></ref>
The games were themed to echo a Kiss music concert: games opened with an electric guitar rendition of [[The Star-Spangled Banner]]; there was "loud pyrotechnics and music" throughout the game; "the Kiss logo is plastered everywhere: on the arena football field, on the end zone and on the flame-emblazoned jerseys in the stands. ... [There is a] Kiss Girls dance-squad in black leather. ... The team's [[artificial turf]] field was also colored in a unique silver color scheme.
On Tuesday, August 12, 2014, [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] premiered ''[[4th and Loud]]'', a reality documentary series focusing on the team's inaugural season.<ref name=deadline-4thandloud></ref>
On October 30, 2015, Bob McMillen stepped down as head coach and general manager of the Kiss. <ref>[https://ift.tt/3bNWDW3 McMillen Steps Down as Head Coach of KISS], ArenaFootball.com, October 30, 2105</ref> Shortly thereafter, the Kiss hired former [[Arizona Rattlers]] team president Joe Windham as their president and also hired former [[San Jose SaberCats]] player and assistant coach [[Omarr Smith]] as their second head coach in team history.
The Kiss made their inaugural playoff appearance on August 7, 2016, facing the [[Cleveland Gladiators]] in the first round of the AFL Playoffs. The game was played at the [[Valley View Casino Center]] in [[San Diego, California]], as their home arena, the Honda Center, played host to the [[Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus]] and a [[WWE RAW]] broadcast that weekend. The Kiss lost to the Gladiators 56-52 in front of 4,692 fans in San Diego. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2R58Ldr LA KISS Eliminated From Postseason With Loss To Cleveland] Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2), LA KISS website, August 7, 2016</ref> Shortly after the game, team captain [[Donovan_Morgan_(American_football)|Donavan Morgan]] announced his retirement.
The Kiss ceased answering their phones during the 2016 offseason and its roster was liquidated that October. In a long-form piece released in ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' in April 2017, it was revealed that the band had pulled its support from the team shortly after the end of the season, privately stating they had done all they could to keep the franchise alive. Minority owners attempted to find new investors to keep the franchise afloat but were unsuccessful.<ref>https://ift.tt/3dQ6v3t>
The KISS represented the last team to attempt to fill a void in professional football that had existed for 21 years since the [[Los Angeles Rams]] left for St. Louis in 1995; the KISS's folding coincided with the Rams' return to southern California.
==References==
==External links==
* [https://ift.tt/3bJfVfh L.A. Cobras at ArenaFan.com]
* [https://ift.tt/2UScCvK Anaheim Piranhas at ArenaFan.com]
* [https://ift.tt/39APK99 Los Angeles Avengers at ArenaFan]
[[Category:Arena Football League in Los Angeles| ]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Avengers| ]]
[[Category:Anaheim Piranhas| ]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Kiss| ]]
[[Category:American football teams in Los Angeles| ]]
April 02, 2020 at 03:15PM
