| Muskegon Thunder | |
| |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Folded | 2010 |
| History | Muskegon Thunder 2007-2009 West Michigan ThunderHawks 2010-future |
| League | CIFL 2007-2008 IFL 2009-present |
| Arena | DeltaPlex Arena |
| Based in | Walker, Michigan |
| Colors | navy blue, powder blue, gold
|
| Championships | 0 |
| Titles | 0 |
| President | Don Pringle |
| Head Coach | Terry Foster |
| Dancers | The Rumble Dance Team |
| Mascot | Boomer |
The West Michigan ThunderHawks are a member of the Indoor Football League L The team is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, starting in 2010 the ThunderHawks will play their home games at the DeltaPlex Arena in nearby Walker From their inception in 2007 until 2009, the ThunderHawks were known as the Muskegon Thunder and played at L.C. Walker Arena (in their first two seasons they played in the Continental Indoor Football League). In 2010 the team moved to Grand Rapids, MI. This is where the downfall of the team took place. The season started off hopeful with a 5-2 record. After week 7 the players were promised money at a later date as long as they played (money that they never received). The 2011 season will not take place for the ThunderHawks due to the bad management by Rob Preston. Mr. Preston took this great team of professional athletes and treated them like Pop Warner adolescent children . Players were expected to lived with no food, no money, and no electricity.
History[]
Muskegon Thunder logo
For their first season, the Thunder had Shane Fairfield as head coach. A well-respected figure in local high school football, he took the Holton Red Devils to a conference championship as well as two back to back district championships against Muskegon Catholic. Prior to that he coached his alma mater Muskegon Catholic Central, and Muskegon High School.
For their first season with their brand-new identity the Head Coach and defensive coordinator will be Detroit native Terry Foster, once a star for the Grand Valley State University team. Foster played in the AFL for the Grand Rapids Rampage and last year was assistant coach there. Offensive coordinator Brent White almost mirrored Fairfield's path from Muskegon to Holton, playing for the Big Reds from 1999 to 2002 and then stepping off the field as assistant JV coach at Holton. He quickly became offensive coordinator for the Holton Red Devils where he led his team to some record-breaking performances.
Season-By-Season[]
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskegon Thunder (CIFL) | |||||
| 2007 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 5th Great Lakes | Lost GLD Qualifier (Marion) |
| 2008 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2nd Great Lakes East | Lost GLD East Finals (Kalamazoo) |
| Muskegon Thunder (IFL) | |||||
| 2009 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 5th United Atlantic | -- |
| West Michigan ThunderHawks (IFL) | |||||
| 2010 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 3rd Atlantic East | -- |
| 2011* | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- |
| Totals | 15 | 39 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
* = Current Standing
2007 Season Schedule[]
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 24 | Summit County Rumble | Neutral (Steubenville) | Won 42-21 |
| March 31 | Marion Mayhem | Away | Lost 20-48 |
| April 13 | Summit County Rumble | Home | Won 54-12 |
| April 21 | Port Huron Pirates | Home | Lost 13-47 |
| April 28 | Chicago Slaughter | Home | Lost 40-57 |
| May 5 | Kalamazoo Xplosion | Away | Lost 37-41 |
| May 12 | Port Huron Pirates | Away | Lost 37-76 |
| May 19 | Springfield Stallions | Away | Won 49-25 |
| May 26 | Springfield Stallions | Home | Won 52-36 |
| June 9 | Chicago Slaughter | Home | Lost 34-58 |
| June 16 | Kalamazoo Xplosion | Home | Lost 28-34 |
| June 23 | Lehigh Valley Outlawz | Home | Lost 54-55 |
| June 29 | Marion Mayhem (Playoffs) | Away | Lost 57-68 |
2008 Season Schedule[]
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 8 | Marion Mayhem | Home | Lost 34-33[1] |
| March 21 | Rock River Raptors | Home | Won 44-36[2] |
| March 29 | Milwaukee Bonecrushers | Away | Won 60-35[3] |
| April 4 | Kalamazoo Xplosion | Home | Won 44-37 (OT)[4][5] |
| April 12 | Fort Wayne Freedom | Home | Won 39-33[6] |
| April 25 | Chicago Slaughter | Home | Lost 10-27 |
| May 3 | Kalamazoo Xplosion | Away | Lost 19-49[7] |
| May 10 | Flint Phantoms | Away | Won 55-42[8] |
| May 17 | Milwaukee Bonecrushers | Home | Lost 46-51 |
| May 24 | Fort Wayne Freedom | Away | Lost 38-42 |
| May 31 | Chicago Slaughter | Away | Lost 35-38 |
| June 6 | Saginaw Sting | Away | Lost 23-60 |
| June 14 | Kalamazoo Xplosion (Playoffs) | Away | Lost 33-50 |
Standings[]
| 2010 Atlantic East Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | GB | DIV | PF | PA | STK | |
| y-Richmond Revolution | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0.929 | --- | 10-1 | 663 | 489 | W10 |
| x-Rochester Raiders | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0.643 | 4.0 | 6-5 | 641 | 554 | L1 |
| West Michigan ThunderHawks | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0.357 | 8.0 | 4-5 | 606 | 728 | L4 |
| Maryland Maniacs | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0.071 | 12.0 | 1-10 | 370 | 644 | W1 |
Tragedy[]
On January 18, 2009, Adam Pringle, player, part-owner of the club, and son of the club's president, died from injuries sustained in a snowmobile accident.[9]
References[]
- ↑ "Mayhem open season with victory". The Marion Star (Marion, Ohio: Gannett Company). 2008-03-11. http://nl.newsbank.com/cgi-bin/ngate/MSTB?ext_docid=mri44231965&ext_hed=Mayhem+open+season+with+victory&s_site=marionstar&ext_theme=gannett&pubcode=MSTB&usefield=sqn. Retrieved 2008-04-23.Archived 2008-04-23.
- ↑ "Raptors fall on the road". WREX TV. http://www.wrex.com/Sports/index.php?ID=27439. Retrieved 2008-04-28.[dead link]
- ↑ Nickel, Lori (2008-). "'Just atrocious' loss". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwalkee, Minnesota: Journal Sentinel Inc.). http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=733645. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- ↑ Kendra, Tom (April 5, 2008). "XplosionD-fused". Kalamazoo Gazette (Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/sports/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/120737100645400.xml&coll=7. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- ↑ "Kalamazoo vs Muskegon (Apr 04, 2008)". CIFL Statistics. http://www.ciflstats.com/leaguestats/2008/games/week5/MUS0404.HTM. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
- ↑ Clardie, Stacy (April 13, 2008). "Freedom's offensive woes spell doom in loss". Journal Gazette. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080413/SPORTS0602/804130340/-1/SPORTS. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- ↑ "Xplosion get payback vs. Thunder". Kalamazoo Gazette (Booth Newspapers). May 4, 2008. http://www.mlive.com/sports/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/120987840626570.xml&coll=7. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ↑ "After slow start, Thunder explode in CIFL win over Phantoms". Muskegon Chronicle (Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/muskegon/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1210500922198100.xml&coll=8. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
- ↑ Muskegon Thunder rocked by Adam Pringle's death MLive.com article. Retrieved on 19 January 2009.