| Houston ThunderBears | |
|---|---|
| Established 1996 Folded 2001 Played in Compaq Center in Houston, Texas | |
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| League/conference affiliations | |
Arena Football League (1996–2001)
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Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Navy, orange, teal |
| Personnel | |
| Head coach | Steve Thonn |
| Team history | |
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| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) Prior to 2005, the AFL did not have conference championship games | |
| Division championships (1) Prior to 1992, the AFL did not have division | |
| Playoff appearances (1) | |
| Home arena(s) | |
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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.
The six seasons in which the team played coincided with the absence of the National Football League from the Houston market; the Houston Oilers had announced their departure from the city after the 1996 season, and the Houston Texans began play in 2002. Many of the same issues that led to the Oilers' departure, including poor attendance and a decline in the price of oil that drove Houston's economy, also affected the Thunderbears.