Charlotte Hounds

Franchise history

In January 2011 the MLL voted to grant expansion franchise to Charlotte and Columbus, Ohio for the 2012 MLL Season. The team is headed by Jim McPhilliamy, a former Charlotte Bobcats marketing executive. The team names had been narrowed down to the Hounds, Legion, and Monarchs with the Hounds eventually winning the fan vote by a mere 21 votes over the Legion. The Name the Team Campaign was heavily supported by OrthoCarolina, the official team physician of the Hounds, and was heavily run via Facebook. First, fans pitched in ideas for the team name and location identity (Charlotte, Carolina, Queen City, etc.) Then, fans voted on the location ID, choosing Charlotte easily over Carolina. The next stage was mostly on the team staff, in choosing 6 finalists for team names and logo prototypes. Fans then voted on those, narrowing it down to the final three, Hounds, Legion, and Monarchs. A final vote was held, and Hounds won. On June 21, 2011 the team name was announced to be the Charlotte Hounds and their colors to be navy blue and tan. On September 29, 2011 the team announced the hiring of head coach Mike Cerino. On February 10, 2012, the team announced the hiring of assistant coaches J.B. Clarke, Chris Phenicie, and Brad Touma.

The Hounds announced on February 7, 2012 that they had signed a landmark deal with WMYT (MyTV12) Charlotte to broadcast 7 of the 14 scheduled games. The TV broadcasts will alternate with the Radio games on WFNZ, with the exception of the home opener and season finale, which will be covered by both stations. WFNZ will air all home games, while WMYT will broadcast the away games as well as the home opener and season finale. The local TV deal with WMYT is the first of its kind in major league lacrosse, as WMYT will be the only local broadcast station in the nation to offer Major League Lacrosse Broadcasts.

On May 12, 2012 the Charlotte Hounds beat the Ohio Machine 18-15 at American Legion Memorial Stadium to earn their first win in franchise history.

2013: Quick start

On August 3, 2013, the Charlotte Hounds clinched a playoff spot in just their second season after defeating the Hamilton Nationals, 14-11. On August 24 in the semifinals, Charlotte defeated top seed Denver, 17-14 for their first playoff win and championship berth in team history. Before that, the Denver Outlaws were the first team in league history to complete a perfect 14-0 regular season. On August 25, the Hounds took on the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the Steinfeld Cup. The Hounds lost 10-9 to the Bayhawks, who won their league-record fifth championship.

2014-15: Team struggles

The Hounds struggled out of the gate in 2014 starting 1-4. But on June 7, the Hounds defeated the Outlaws again, 18-15 at home. The loss for Denver snapped a 25 regular season game win streak for the Outlaws. Charlotte would finish 4-10 in 2014 for the worst record in the team's three-year history. Things didn't get better in 2015, the Hounds actually posted a worse record: 3-11, the worst record in 2015.

Road to recovery

Before the 2016 season, the Hounds announced head coach Mike Cerino would take more of a front office role for the team. Jim Stagnitta was announced as the team's new head coach. The Hounds would also benefit from starting the year out with three straight home games against the Boston Cannons, Rochester Rattlers, and Florida Launch. As a result, the team got off to a 3-0 start for the first time in franchise history.

On August 6, the Hounds came back from an 11-6 deficit to defeat the Chesapeake Bayhawks, 15-13 to clinch not only their second playoff berth in franchise history, but their first winning record in franchise history at 8-6. On August 13 in Minnesota, the Hounds' season would be ended after a 16-10 loss to the top-seeded Ohio Machine.

Season-by-season

Stephen Berger scored the first goal in Hounds history.

Roster

Coach of the Year

Rookie of the Year

Most Improved Player

First Round Selections