Anaheim Piranhas | ||
| ||
Year founded | 1994 | |
Year folded | 1997 | |
Prior names | Las Vegas Sting | |
Divisional championships | none | |
ArenaBowl championships | none |
The Anaheim Piranhas were a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League from 1994 - 1997. They played their home games at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The team was originally known as the Las Vegas Sting, prior to moving to Anaheim in 1996. The team was owned by future Arena Football League commissioner C. David Baker.
The Sting hosted the Cleveland Thunderbolts in a nationally-televised game on June 17, 1994, the same day O.J. Simpson led Los Angeles police on the most closely watched pursuit in American history.
History[]
Las Vegas Sting (1994 - 1995)[]
The Las Vegas Sting was a team which competed in the Arena Football League during the 1994 and 1995 seasons. Their home games in 1994 were played in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and they were moved to the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for the 1995 season. The team was relocated to Anaheim, California prior to the start of the 1996 season, at which time it was renamed the Anaheim Piranhas.
Anaheim Piranhas (1996 - 1997)[]
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 season. The team's folding is partially because the team's owner, C. David Baker, became commissioner, and had to focus on running the league as a whole.
Notable players[]
- Mark Grieb - QB
- John Kaleo - QB
- Mike Wilpolt - WR/DB