Columbus Comets

{{Short description|American women's football team}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{USFootball team | logo = ColumbusComets.PNG | pixels = 200px | founded = 2003 | folded = 2020 | league = NWFA (2003-2008) WFA (2009–2015) WFA Division 2 (2016–2019) | history = Columbus Flames (2003) Columbus Comets (2004–2020) | stadium = Grove City Christian School | city = Grove City, Ohio | colors = Black, Royal Blue, White | owner = HP Sports, INC. | coach = Hank 'The Hammer' Patterson | championships = 0 | titles = 3 (2008, 2009, 2010) | dancers = | mascot = }}

The '''Columbus Comets''' were a women's professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pittsburgh Passion - Columbus Comets to Play in the World Championship of Women |url=http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20070708115616300 |work=The Paramus Post |date=July 8, 2007 |access-date=January 29, 2011 }}</ref> They played in the Women's Football Alliance. The Comets played in the National Women's Football Association from their inception in 2003 until 2008 (in 2003 they were known as the '''Columbus Flames'''). Their home games were played at Grove City Christian School in Grove City, Ohio.

==History== The Columbus Comets were founded as the Columbus Flames in 2003 as part of the National Women's Football Association. The founder was Donna Ford, but she sold the team for the second year and the team name was changed to the Comets by new owner Lori Davis.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author=Staff Writer |title=Pro football comes to town |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2008/04/21/pro-football-comes-to-town/23152217007/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=The Columbus Dispatch |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2004, the Comets became the first Women's Professional Football team to play at an National Football League stadium, when they defeated the Cleveland Fusion at Cleveland Browns Stadium 20-7.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the COLUMBUS COMETS |url=https://www.htosports.com/teams/default.asp?u=COLUMBUSCOMETS&s=football&p=about |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=HomeTeamsONLINE}}</ref>

The team played in the 2007 NWFA Championship, but lost to the Pittsburgh Passion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PITTSBURGH PASSION AND COLUMBUS COMETS TO PLAY IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF WOMEN'S PRO FOOTBALL! |url=https://www.womensportreport.com/pittsburgh-passion-and-columbus-comets/wn/2120 |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Women's Sport - Women's sport news |language=EN}}</ref>

The team began playing their games at Grove City Christian School's Huffaker Community Sports Complex in 2008.<ref name=":0" />

=== Move to the WFA === The team joined the Women's Football Alliance in 2009 following the disbanding of their previous league and long-time head coach Hank Patterson, purchased the team.<ref name=":1" /> The team made the WFA Championship in 2010, but lost to the Lone Star Mustangs 12-16, in their only loss of the season.

In 2016, the team dropped to WFA Division II and remained in the division until they folded following the cancelation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stitts |first=Kellyanne |date=2023-05-08 |title='Chaos Nation;' Columbus women's football team paving path for women in football |url=https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/columbus-chao-full-tackle-womens-football-alliance-football-paving-path-football-ohio |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=WSYX |language=en}}</ref>

==Season-by-season results== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Season !League !Record !Div. Position !Playoffs |- !'''2003''' | rowspan="6" |NWFA |6-3 |3rd (Northern Mid-Atlantic) | |- !'''2004''' |7-3 |2nd (Northern Great Lakes) |'''W''' Massachusetts L Detroit |- !'''2005''' |6-3 |5th (Northern) |L Southwest Michigan |- !2006 |7-4 |2nd (Northern North Central) |'''W''' West Michigan '''W''' Pensacola L D.C. |- !2007 |9-4 |2nd (Southern North) |'''W''' Pensacola '''W''' Chattanooga '''W''' Oklahoma City L Pittsburgh |- !2008 |7-3 |1st (Northern Central) |'''W''' Fort Wayne L Philadelphia |- !2009 | rowspan="7" |WFA |9-1 |1st (National Mid-Atlantic) |L West Michigan |- !2010 |11-1 |1st (National Mid-Atlantic) |'''W''' Baltimore '''W''' Philadelphia '''W''' St. Louis L Lone Star |- !2011 |5-3 |3rd (National Mid-Atlantic) | |- !2012 |2-6 |3rd (National Mid-Atlantic) | |- !2013 |6-5 |3rd (National Mid-Atlantic) |'''W''' New York L D.C. |- !2014 |5-5 |2nd (National Mid-Atlantic) |'''W''' Toledo L D.C. |- !2015 |2-6 |3rd (National Mid-Atlantic) | |- !2016 | rowspan="4" |WFA2 |5-5 |3rd (WFA2 National Northeast) |'''W''' Indy L Philadelphia |- !2017 |4-4 |4th (WFA2 National Northeast) | |- !2018 |6-2 |3rd (WFA2 National Northeast) |'''W''' Philly L New York |- !2019 |6-3 |2nd (WFA2 National Northeast) |L Detroit |} Source<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=HostedSports.com - Automated Solutions |url=https://www.hostedsports.com/league_data_GG.asp?league=wfa |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.hostedsports.com}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060711052616/http://www.columbuscomets.com/ Columbus Comets website] *[http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wfbtalk/2009/07/05/Womens-Football-Talk Women's Football Talk Interview with Coach Patterson]

Category:National Women's Football Association teams Category:Women's Football Alliance teams Category:American football teams in Columbus, Ohio Category:American football teams established in 2003 Category:2003 establishments in Ohio Category:Women's sports in Ohio Category:Franklin County, Ohio Category:Defunct American football teams in Ohio Category:American football teams disestablished in 2020