Anaheim Piranhas

Arena Football League (1996-1997)

Piranha Wear

Order at Old School Shirts

Anaheim Piranhas
Logo T-Shirt

This short-lived Arena Football club had fun and meticulously executed branding from colors to logo to mascot design to print campaigns. Unfortunately, after a promising debut in 1996, the Piranhas suffered an astoundingly rapid collapse of on-field competence and box office support in their second season and disappeared after two seasons.

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Background

The Anaheim Piranhas were a short-lived entry in the Arena Football League. The club played two seasons at Arrowhead Pond (now known as the Honda Center) in the summers of 1996 and 1997.

The Piranhas’ debut season was promising. The team sold a reported 3,000 season tickets. Anaheim’s reported average attendance of 13,225 for 7 home dates ranked 6th in the 15-team AFL. On the carpet, the team got off to a 7-0 start under the direction of Head Coach Babe Parilli. Despite a late season slump, the team finished 9-5 and made the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Storm, the same team that snapped Anaheim’s seven-game season-opening winning streak, eliminated the Piranhas in the first round.

Lineman Sam Hernandez and Defensive Specialist Rodney Mazion earned First Team All-Arena honors for the 1996 season.

Second Season Collapse

The sophomore jinx hit the Piranhas hard in 1997. Babe Parilli departed, along with starting quarterback Scooter Molander. The new-look Piranhas got off to a 1-7 start as Molander’s replacement John Kaleo struggled. Anaheim finished last in their division with a 2-12 record.

One bright spot was the play of rookie quarterback Mark Grieb out of Cal-Davis. Grieb threw 20 touchdowns against only four interceptions in limited playing time. Grieb would go on to win three Arena Bowls as the starting quarterback of the San Jose SaberCats during a 13-year AFL career.

At the box office, the story of the 1997 season was equally grim. The Piranhas lost half of their season ticket holder base from year one to year two, per The Los Angeles Times. Crowds dipped by nearly a third to 9,091 (11th out of 14 AFL clubs).

Closure & Aftermath

Majority owner Robert Zinngrabe, a 69-year old Orange County developer and operator of senior care facilities, folded the team in November 1997. Zinngrabe later filed for personal and corporate bankruptcy protection in 1998.

Piranhas Defensive Specialist Carleton Johnson, who moved with the team from Las Vegas, murdered his brother, 6-year old niece and his own 5-year old son in 2005.  He was diagnosed with a delusional disorder and convicted on three counts of second degree murder in 2007. Johnson is currently serving a 20-60 year sentence.

In 2012, the Arena Football League released a ranking of its 25 Greatest Players of all-time, in honor of the league’s 25th anniversary. Former Piranhas QB Mark Grieb was ranked #18, two spots behind Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Kurt Warner.

The Arena Football League returned to Anaheim and the Pond/Honda Center in 2014 with the arrival of the Los Angeles KISS. The KISS were owned by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the eponymous rock band. The KISS lasted three seasons, folding in late 2016.

Trivia

During the Piranhas’ final season in 1997, the AFL had a $285,000 salary cap for a 24-man roster. Players earned approximately $800 – $1,200 per week for the 14-week season, or an average of just under $12,000 per man.

In Memoriam

Head Coach Babe Parilli (Piranhas ’96) passed away from cancer on July 15, 2017 at age 87. New York Times obituary.

Links

Arena Football League Media Guides

Arena Football League Programs

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