{{Short description|Indoor American football team}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox indoor American football team | name = Charlotte Thunder | logo = | founded = 2017 | folded = 2022 | city = Bojangles' Coliseum<br>in Charlotte, North Carolina | misc = [https://www.charlottethunder.com/ CharlotteThunder.com] | colors = Black, Panther blue, silver<br />{{color box|#000000}} {{color box|#0085CA}} {{color box|#BFC0BF}} | coach = Ervin Bryson | owner = <!--PLEASE ONLY LIST SOURCED MAJORITY OWNERS HERE. THERE ARE MANY MINORITY OWNERS FOR THIS TEAM, BUT THE TEAM ITSELF DOES NOT LIST THEM ON THEIR OWN PAGE. THANK YOU-->Thomas Davis Sr.<br>Ted Ginn Jr.<br>Joe Maus<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.charlottethunder.com/front-office |title=Charlotte Thunder Front Office |website=Charlotte Thunder |access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref> | league = *American Arena League (2018–2021) **Southern Division (2019) **East Division (2021) *Arena Professional Football League (2022) | team_history = *'''Carolina Energy''' (2018–2019) *'''Charlotte Thunder''' (2020–2022) | no_conf_champs = | conf_champs = | no_div_champs = 2 | div_champs = '''AAL Southern:''' 2019<br> '''AAL East:''' 2021 | no_league_champs = | league_champs = | no_playoff_appearances = 3 | playoff_appearances = '''AAL:''' 2018, 2019, 2021 | arena_years = Bojangles' Coliseum (2018–2022) }}
The '''Charlotte Thunder''' were a professional indoor American football team based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. They played their home games at the Bojangles' Coliseum.
The team was formed prior to the 2018 season as the '''Carolina Energy''' as members of the American Arena League (AAL) and was co-owned by Daniel Rudmann and head coach Ervin Bryson.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wfae.org/post/charlotte-gets-new-arena-football-team-carolina-energy |title=Charlotte Gets A New Arena Football Team - The Carolina Energy |author=David Boraks |website=WFAE.com |date=February 15, 2018}}</ref> They are the fourth team to play in Charlotte behind the Charlotte Rage and Carolina Cobras, both formerly of the Arena Football League, and the Carolina Speed of the American Indoor Football Association.
In 2020, the team was sold to an ownership group led by former NFL players, Ted Ginn Jr. and Thomas Davis Sr. and rebranded as the Charlotte Thunder.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ugawire.usatoday.com/2020/03/06/former-georgia-football-star-thomas-davis-buys-arena-football-team/ |title=Former Georgia football star Thomas Davis buys arena football team |website=UGA Wire |date=March 6, 2020}}</ref> The team also has several other minority owners including former players Jeff Reed and Frank Garcia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/sports/2021/03/13/charlotte-thunder-roll-into-inaugural-season |title=Charlotte Thunder Roll Into Inaugural Season |website=Spectrum Local News |date=March 12, 2021}}</ref> The team left the AAL following the 2021 season and founded the Arena Professional Football League, recruiting several other teams from the AAL while it was on hiatus.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/arenaprofessionalfootballleague/videos/1512838965784650/ |title=Join us tomorrow night live on the Baller's report 8pm EST/7pm Central and hear all about the new APFL owned by NFL great Thomas Davis Snr and Charlotte businessman Joe Maus |website=Arena Professional Football League Facebook |date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> The Thunder scheduled games against the West Michigan Ironmen, Alabama Empire, Carolina Predators, and Maryland Warriors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/Charlottethunderllc/posts/pfbid02DhAov1cUh8FS5ZYMCwqv1XcZepLNt9z7Bfq3ff1Ys6WjsbUiYvfmeUWTx4ScEqiEl |title=We look forward to see you this season as we bring arena football back to the Carolina's! |website=Charlotte Thunder Facebook |date=May 4, 2022}}</ref> On October 21, 2022, the team announced on their Facebook page that the team would not be playing in the 2023 season.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/Charlottethunderllc/posts/pfbid0uMuAvqWi64irCTn1NW5MYrcS2CqPWLHGgAbS3nxdcQTYx2LunnW1GDhZ3iVq5cBQl |title=We would like to thank all our fans , players , coaches , volunteers, cheerleaders and sponsors for an incredible experience the last several years. We all fought through COVID and still was able to bring exciting Arena Football to the Queen City at Bojangles Arena! Unfortunately we have decided that we will not be playing the 2023 season. Thank you all for the love and incredible memories! We will never forget YOU!!! |website=Charlotte Thunder Facebook |date=October 21, 2022}}</ref>
==Season-by-season results== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%;" |- | style="background:#fcc;"|'''League Champions''' | style="background:#dfd;"|'''Conference Champions''' | style="background:#d0e7ff;"|'''Division Champions''' | style="background:#96cdcd;"|'''Playoff berth''' | style="background:#c8a2c8;"|'''League leader''' |}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 95%;" |- !rowspan="2" | Season !rowspan="2" | League !rowspan="2" | Division !colspan="4" | Regular season !rowspan="2" | Postseason results |- ! Finish !! Wins !! Losses !! Ties |- ! 2018 | AAL || | bgcolor=#96cdcd | 5th{{efn|Qualified for the playoffs as the fourth seed due to the Georgia Doom opting not to participate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aalfootball.com/index.php/apf-teams/35-league/220/2018-regular-season-final-standings-and-playoff-pairings |title=2018 American Arena League Final Regular Season Standings and Playoff Pairings |work=AAL |date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613022742/http://aalfootball.com/index.php/apf-teams/35-league/220/2018-regular-season-final-standings-and-playoff-pairings |archive-date=June 13, 2018}}</ref>}} || 5 || 3 || 0 || align=left | Lost semifinal (Richmond) 43–57<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wfae.org/post/carolina-energy-exits-arena-playoffs-looks-2019#stream/0 |title=Carolina Energy Exits Arena Playoffs, Looks To 2019 |work=WFAE |date=June 21, 2018}}</ref> |- ! 2019 | AAL || Southern | bgcolor=#96cdcd | 1st{{efn|The AAL counted all games played by member teams, including games against non-league members, and forfeits in the league standings for the 2019 season.}} || 6 || 0 || 0 || align=left | {{strikethrough|Division final (Peach State)}}{{efn|The Energy had scheduling issues with their arena and the league awarded the Energy a bye to the next round.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/aal-playoff-picture-set/n-5497701 |title=AAL Playoff Picture Set |website=OurSports Central |date=June 6, 2019}}</ref>}}<br>'''Won''' semifinal (Carolina) 58–38<br>Lost AAL Championship (West Virginia) 29–55 |- ! 2020 | AAL || | colspan=5; align=left|''Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic'' |- ! 2021 | AAL || East | bgcolor=#96cdcd | 1st || 10 || 0 || 0 || align=left | No official postseason held by the league; named East Division champion via regular season record<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/Charlottethunderllc/posts/1402407823458484 |title=Your AAL 2021 Eastern Champions The Charlotte Thunder!!! Here's to an undefeated 2021 Season! |website=Charlotte Thunder Facebook |date=June 7, 2021}}</ref><br>Lost league championship, 43–60 vs. (North Texas){{efn|The two teams chose to play each other after the league announced there would be no league championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/Charlottethunderllc/posts/1402433000122633 |title=Its Official!!! The championship game will take place June 26th at 6:30PM. The Charlotte Thunder go against The North Texas Bulls ALL TICKETS ONLY $25!!! |website=Charlotte Thunder |date=June 7, 2021}}</ref>}} |- ! rowspan="5" colspan="4"|Totals ! 21 !! 3 !! 0 !! All-time regular season record (2018–2021) |- | '''1''' || '''3''' ||—|| '''All-time postseason record (2018–2021)''' |- ! 22 !! 6 !! 0 !! All-time regular season and postseason record (2018–2021) |} {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.charlottethunder.com/ Official website]
Category:American football teams in Charlotte, North Carolina Category:American Arena League Category:American football teams established in 2017 Category:2017 establishments in North Carolina Category:American football teams in North Carolina