Houston Thunderbears
 Houston ThunderBears | |
| Founded | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2001 |
| League | Arena Football League (1996-2001) |
| Conference |
National (1996) American (1997-2001) |
| Division |
Southern (1996) Central (1997-2000) Western (2001) |
| Team history |
Texas Terror (1996–1997) Houston ThunderBears (1998-2001) |
| Based in | Houston, Texas |
| Arena | Compaq Center |
| Colors |
Navy, Orange, Teal |
| Owner(s) | Arena Football League |
| Head coach | Steve Thonn |
| Championships | (0) |
| Division titles |
(1) Central: 1998 |
| Playoff berths |
(1) 1998 |
The Houston ThunderBears were a professional arena football team based in Houston, Texas. The team finished the 2001 season as a member of the Western Division of the American Conference of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team joined the AFL in 1996 as the expansion Texas Terror. After their first two years of existence, the franchise changed their name to the Houston ThunderBears. Plagued with attendance problems through the majority of their existence, the team folded in 2001. Home games were played at the Compaq Center.
History
Texas Terror (1996-1997)
The Texas Terror was a franchise in the Arena Football League. The Terror played in the 1996 and 1997 Arena seasons. Their home games were played at the Summit also at that time home to the Houston Rockets of the NBA. The Terror's logo appeared to be a stylized representation of Frankenstein's monster holding a football.
The 1996 season was an unmitigated disaster, with the Terror notching only one win, coming against another first-year team, the ill-fated Minnesota Fighting Pike. The 1997 season was considerably better with a record of 6-8, but the attendance was abysmal, especially given the size of the Houston market. After the season, the decision was made to remake the franchise and scrap both the existing logo and team name, and the team was renamed the Houston ThunderBears.
Houston ThunderBears (1998-2001)
The Houston ThunderBears were a continuation of the Texas Terror franchise (1996–1997) of the Arena Football League under a new name, logo, and color scheme. The team still played its home games at the Compaq Center. 1998, the first year as the ThunderBears, was the high-water mark in team history, in which they recorded their only winning season and sole playoff appearance (a loss to Arizona). The two subsequent seasons saw a decline in both on-field performance and attendance. For the 2001 season, then owner Leslie Alexander (owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets), sold the franchise back to the Arena Football League. Although still called the Houston ThunderBears, the team played none of its home games in Houston. The league decided to use them as a showcase team to stimulate interest in new markets. Four AFL/af2 franchises (Utah Blaze, Fresno Frenzy, Central Valley Coyotes, and Lubbock Renegades) emerged from some of the markets that the ThunderBears played in.[1] The team was ultimately contracted along with three other AFL franchises in the 2001-2002 offseason.
Season-by-season
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Terror | |||||
| 1996 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 4th NC Southern | -- |
| 1997 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 3rd AC Central | -- |
| Houston Thunderbears | |||||
| 1998 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1st AC Central | Lost 1st Round (Arizona 36-50) |
| 1999 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 4th AC Central | -- |
| 2000 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 4th AC Central | -- |
| 2001 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 4th AC Western | -- |
| Totals | 25 | 60 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
Notable players
Arena Football Hall of Famers
| Houston ThunderBears Hall of Famers | ||||
| No. | Name | Year Inducted | Position(s) | Years w/ ThunderBears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Clint Dolezel[2] | 2012 | QB | 1997-1999 |
Individual awards
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All-Arena players
The following ThunderBears players have been named to All-Arena Teams:
- WR/DB Rodney Blackshear (1)
- OL/DL Carlos Fowler (1)
All-Ironman players
The following ThunderBears players have been named to All-Ironman Teams:
- WR/DB Rodney Blackshear (1), Sedrick Robinson (1)
All-Rookie players
The following ThunderBears players have been named to All-Rookie Teams:
- FB/LB Terrence Melton
- WR/DB Sedrick Robinson
Notes
- The Terror and ThunderBears both appeared on the game EA Sports Arena Football as hidden bonus teams.
References
- ↑ Dave Shelles (April 13, 2001). "Lubbock to get taste of arena football". www.lobbockoneline.com. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
- ↑ "Arena Football League Hall of Fame". www.arenafootball.com. Arena Football League. Retrieved August 6, 2014.