Texas Copperheads
The Texas Copperheads were a small professional arena football team that played in AF2, the minor league for the Arena Football League. They existed from 2005 to 2008, starting as the Katy Copperheads in the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) in 2005 and 2006, then moving to Cypress, Texas, and becoming the Texas Copperheads in 2007, when they joined AF2.
Home games were held at different venues: the Merrell Center in Katy in 2006 and the Richard E. Berry Educational Support Center in Cypress for 2007–2008.
Coached by Ollie Guidry and owned by Bryan Blake and Doug McGregor, the team’s history includes several notable moments. In 2006, as the Katy Copperheads, they reached the NIFL playoffs but were eliminated by the Rapid City Flying Aces, 60–38. They gained national attention on ESPN2 in a Cold Pizza segment about “A Day In A Life Of An NIFL Team.” On June 25, 2006, they scored 132 points in a game against the West Palm Beach Phantoms, winning 132–3—an indoor football scoring record. They also became one of the early AF2 teams to suffer a shutout, losing 52–0 to the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings on April 14, 2007. In March 2006, they produced the first indoor football podcast, hosted by Chris Doelle in 2006–2007. Bam Morris, a former NFL running back, played for the Copperheads in 2006.
The team faced a rent dispute with Katy ISD over the Merrell Center, reportedly owing about $38,892.43. Owner Blake later paid the debt in February 2007 after selling part of the team to Doug McGregor, owner of the Austin Wranglers. Katy ISD gave back about $38,000 worth of supplies, and the Copperheads moved from Katy to Cypress to play at the Berry Center.
The Copperheads won a division title in 2006 and made the playoffs that year. The team folded after the 2008 season, and their former head coach later moved on to coach in the Southern Indoor Football League with the Austin Turfcats.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:58 (CET).