William Cobb (designer)

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."^[1]

William Cobb designed 11 roller coasters around the world.^[2]

Name	Model	Park	Country	Opened	Status	Ref
Great American Scream Machine	Wood support structure	Six Flags Over Georgia	United States	1973	Operating	[3]
Screamin' Eagle	Wood support structure	Six Flags St. Louis	United States	1976	Operating	[4]
Texas Cyclone	Wood support structure	Six Flags AstroWorld	United States	1976	Removed	[5]
Tornado	Wood support structure	Adventureland	United States	1978	Operating	[6]
Rolling Thunder	Wood support structure	Six Flags Great Adventure	United States	1979	Removed	[7]
Judge Roy Scream	Wood support structure	Six Flags Over Texas	United States	1980	Operating	[8]
Cyclone Formerly Riverside Cyclone	Wood support structure	Six Flags New England	United States	1983	Converted Now known as Wicked Cyclone	[9]
Monstre	Wood support structure	La Ronde	Canada	1985	Operating	[10]
Roller Coaster Formerly Tree Topper	Wood support structure	Upper Clements Park	Canada	1989	Removed	[11]
Anaconda	Wood support structure	Walygator Parc	France	1989	Operating	[12]
Sierra Tonante	Wood support structure	Mirabilandia	Italy	1992	Removed	[13]