William Cobb

William L. Cobb (1917 – December 17, 1990) was an American designer and engineer of roller coasters, as the founder and head of William Cobb & Associates. He is particularly noted for his work on designing and relocating several major wooden roller coasters in the 1970s and 1980s. A number of these coasters were world-record holders at the time of their opening.

On the subject of roller coaster design, Cobb has been quoted as saying, "You have to be a little bit mean. Sometimes you have to be a little bit sneaky. You get them going on a nice straight track and they think 'This looks smooth,' and then you dip it down a little to give them a good jolt. Or you have it so that when they go over a hill it looks like they're going to get their heads chopped off at the bottom."

List of roller coasters

William Cobb designed 11 roller coasters around the world.

Name Model Park Country Opened Status Ref Great American Scream Machine Wood support structure Six Flags Over Georgia United States 1973 Screamin' Eagle Wood support structure Six Flags St. Louis United States 1976 Texas Cyclone Wood support structure Six Flags AstroWorld United States 1976 Tornado Wood support structure Adventureland United States 1978 Rolling Thunder Wood support structure Six Flags Great Adventure United States 1979 Judge Roy Scream Wood support structure Six Flags Over Texas United States 1980 CycloneFormerly Riverside Cyclone Wood support structure Six Flags New England United States 1983 Now known as Wicked Cyclone Monstre Wood support structure La Ronde Canada 1985 Roller CoasterFormerly Tree Topper Wood support structure Upper Clements Park Canada 1989 Anaconda Wood support structure Walygator Parc France 1989 Sierra Tonante Wood support structure Mirabilandia Italy 1992