Alabama Vipers Ready For 2010 Arena Football One Season
December 8, 2009 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Alabama Vipers News Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Huntsville's arena football team has a new first name, a new league and a new look.
The Vipers announced Tuesday that the former Tennessee Valley arenafootball2 franchise will compete as the Alabama Vipers in the inaugural 2010 Arena Football One season.
The team also unveiled its new logo and coach Dean Cokinos announced the signing of the team's first players, highlighted by former NFL and All-AFL veteran fullback/linebacker Dan Alexander and Viper defensive veterans Demetrius Derico and Eric Scott.
"It's a historic day for this franchise, for Huntsville and the state of Alabama,'' Vipers team president Ron Evans said. "We are now competing at the highest level of arena football in the country. It will be a challenge, but we have the coaching and front office staff to get the job done."
AF1 currently includes 13 teams, the majority coming from former Arena Football League markets along with six former af2 clubs that made the jump to the highest competitive level of arena football.
League franchises are the Arizona Rattlers, Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings, Chicago Rush, Dallas Desperados, Iowa Barnstormers, Jacksonville Sharks, Milwaukee Iron, Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, Orlando Predators, Spokane Shock, Tulsa Talons and Utah Blaze.
"I think it's tremendous for the Vipers to take the next step and compete at the highest level,'' Cokinos said. "Attraction will be great to get players in here to play in the next biggest thing outside NFL and CFL, and we are off to a great start."
It was an impressive 10-year run for the Vipers in af2. In 2000, they played for the ArenaCup championship against the Quad City Steamwheelers and - in 2008 - won the ArenaCup with a thrilling 56-55 overtime road victory over the Spokane Shock before a national television audience.
The Vipers head to a new frontier after posting a 102-56 all-time af2 mark that includes seven playoff appearances, five division titles and a pair of conference championships.
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Arena Football League Stories from December 8, 2009
- Court Approves Sale of AFL Assets to AF1 - AFL
- Alabama Vipers Ready For 2010 Arena Football One Season - Alabama Vipers
- Cleveland Gladiators Set To Play In Arena Football One League - Cleveland Gladiators
- Shock Add DL Save, QB Crane, And DB Phillips - Spokane Shock
- Yard Dawgz Add Arena League Star - Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
- Barnstormers Add Linebacker Stanley Smith to Roster - Iowa Barnstormers
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