Carolina Cobras
| Carolina Cobras | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| General information | |||
| Founded | 2000 | ||
| Folded | 2004 | ||
| Headquartered | Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina | ||
| Colors | Red, black, and old gold | ||
| Personnel | |||
| Owner | Pete Loftin | ||
| Head coach | Ron Selesky | ||
| Team history | |||
| |||
| Home fields | |||
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| League / conference affiliations | |||
Arena Football League (2000–2004)
| |||
| Playoff appearances (2) | |||
The Carolina Cobras were an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was formed prior to the 2000 season, which endured a player strike.
The team was originally based in Raleigh, North Carolina, but moved to Charlotte following its third season.
History
They played their home games in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena, now called the Lenovo Center,[1] prior to the 2003 season. The team was based in the Charlotte Coliseum through 2004. Coaching staff included: Ed Khayat, John Gregory, Ron Selesky, Ray Jauch. On September 20, 2004, prior to the arrival of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, the league announced the termination of this franchise; its players were made available to the other AFL teams in a dispersal draft.
Legacy
The Cobras' legacy in Charlotte was actually meant to fill open dates at the Charlotte Coliseum when the original Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans. When the Charlotte Bobcats began play, the Cobras were no longer necessary.
The Cobras' name (previously used for one year by the Charlotte Cobras of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League) is now in use by the city of Charlotte for its works team in the National Public Safety Football League.
Season-by-season
| ArenaBowl champions | ArenaBowl appearance | Division champions | Playoff berth |
| Season | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | ||||||
| Carolina Cobras | ||||||||
| 2000 | AFL | National | Southern | 5th | 3 | 11 | ||
| 2001 | AFL | National | Eastern | 3rd | 7 | 7 | Lost Wild Card Round (Indiana) 58–41 | |
| 2002 | AFL | National | Southern | 2nd | 6 | 8 | Won Wild Card Round (Grand Rapids) 72–64 Lost Quarterfinals (Arizona) 61–59 | |
| 2003 | AFL | National | Southern | 4th | 0 | 16 | ||
| 2004 | AFL | National | Eastern | 2nd | 6 | 10 | ||
| Total[2] | 22 | 52 | (includes only regular season) | |||||
| 1 | 2 | (includes only the postseason) | ||||||
| 23 | 54 | (includes both regular season and postseason) | ||||||
Notable players
Arena Football Hall of Famers
| Carolina Cobras Hall of Famers | ||||
| No. | Name | Year inducted | Position(s) | Years w/ Cobras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Cory Fleming | 2013 | WR/LB | 2002 |
All-Arena players
The following Cobras players have been named to All-Arena Teams:
- WR/LB Cory Fleming (1)
All-Ironman players
The following Cobras players have been named to All-Ironman Teams:
- WR/DB Cornelius White (1)
- WR/LB Cory Fleming (1)
All-Rookie players
The following Cobras players have been named to All-Rookie Teams:
- OL/DL Silas DeMary
References
- ↑ "Arena Football League Franchise Directory". Sports Business Journal. 04/23/2000. Archived from the original on July 28, 2025. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
- ↑ "Carolina Cobras — Team History". Arena Fan. Retrieved January 14, 2010.