- Cleveland Thunderbolts
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Cleveland Thunderbolts 
Year founded 1991 Year folded 1994 Prior names Columbus Thunderbolts Divisional championships none ArenaBowl championships none The Cleveland Thunderbolts were a professional American football team in the Arena Football League.
Contents
History
Columbus Thunderbolts
Established as the Columbus Thunderbolts and playing its home games at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum, the team relocated to Cleveland after a winless single season in the Arena Football League in 1991.
Perhaps the highlight of the team's one year in Columbus was the play of quarterback Major Harris, who rushed for 429 yards during that season, an achievement given the predominance of passing in the play of the AFL. His record was broken however in 2005 when Michael Bishop ran for 459 yards.
Cleveland Thunderbolts
They operated in the Cleveland area for three subsequent seasons, playing their home games in the suburban Richfield Coliseum, a considerable distance from downtown Cleveland, sharing it with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association and the Cleveland Crunch of the National Professional Soccer League. The team did somewhat better than it had in Columbus and qualified for the playoffs in the 1992 season, but was disbanded after the 1994 campaign.
For 13 years, the city of Cleveland, Ohio was without an arena football team. For 2008, the Las Vegas Gladiators franchise moved to Cleveland and became the city's newest team.
Season-by-season
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
Season W L T Finish Playoff results Columbus Thunderbolts 1991 0 10 0 8th -- Cleveland Thunderbolts 1992 4 6 0 4th Northern Lost Week 1 (Orlando 50-12) 1993 2 10 0 4th AC -- 1994 2 10 0 5th AC -- Totals 8 37 0 (including playoffs) Notable players
- George Cooper, Fullback/Linebacker 1991-92
- Major Harris, Quarterback 1991-94
- Anthony Howard, Wide Receiver/Linebacker 1994
- John Kaleo, Quarterback 1994
- Cedric McKinnon, Fullback/Linebacker 1992-94
- Tony Missick, Wide Receiver/Linebacker 1991-92
- Brian Mitchell, Kicker 1994
- Todd Samardzija, Fullback/Linebacker 1992
External links
Defunct Arena Football League teams Alabama Vipers · Anaheim Piranhas · Austin Wranglers · Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings · Carolina Cobras · Charlotte Rage · Chicago Bruisers · Chicago Politicians · Cincinnati Rockers · Cleveland Thunderbolts · Colorado Crush · Columbus Destroyers · Connecticut Coyotes · Dallas Desperados · Dallas Texans · Denver Dynamite · Detroit Fury · Florida Bobcats · Fort Worth Cavalry · Grand Rapids Rampage · Houston Thunderbears · Indiana Firebirds · Los Angeles Avengers · Los Angeles Cobras · Massachusetts Marauders · Miami Vise · Milwaukee Mustangs · Minnesota Fighting Pike · Nashville Kats · New England Steamrollers · New Orleans Night · New York Dragons · New York Knights · Oklahoma Wranglers · Rockford Metros · San Antonio Force · St. Louis Stampede · Toronto Phantoms · Washington CommandosRelated Articles: Arena Football League · af2 (2000-2009) · ArenaBowl · AFL Arenas · Arena football · Indoor American football · Arena Football video gamesCategories:- Defunct Arena Football League teams
- American football teams in Cleveland, Ohio
- Sports in Columbus, Ohio
- Arena Football League in Cleveland, Ohio
- Sports clubs established in 1991
- Sports clubs disestablished in 1994
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