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West Michigan ThunderHawks

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West Michigan ThunderHawks
Established 2007
Folded 2010
Played in DeltaPlex Arena[1]
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
League/conference affiliations
Continental Indoor Football League (2007–2008)
  • Great Lakes Conference (2008)
    • Great Lakes Division (2007)
    • East Division (2008)

Indoor Football League (2009–2010)

  • United Conference (2009–2010)
    • Atlantic Division (2007)
    • Atlantic East Division (2010)
Current uniform
Team colorsNavy blue, powder blue, gold
     
Personnel
PresidentDon Pringle
General managerRob Preston
Head coachTerry Foster
Team history
  • Muskegon Thunder (2007–2009)
  • West Michigan ThunderHawks (2010)
Championships
League championships (0)
0
Conference championships (0)
0
Division championships (0)
0
Playoff appearances (2)
2007, 2008
Home arena(s)

The West Michigan ThunderHawks were an indoor football team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The team was most recently a member of the Indoor Football League. 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). Starting in 2010 the ThunderHawks played their home games at the DeltaPlex Arena, in nearby Walker, Michigan. The Thunderhawks did not field a team in 2011.

Franchise history

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2007

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For their first season, the Thunder had Shane Fairfield as head coach. Fairfield was an accomplished local high school football coach, as he led 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 was Detroit native, Terry Foster. Foster was once a star for the Grand Valley State University team, and played in the Arena Football League for the Grand Rapids Rampage. In 2006, Foster was an assistant coach for the Rampage. 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. Soon afterward, he quickly became offensive coordinator for the Holton Red Devils, where he led his team to some record-breaking performances.

Schedule

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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

Standings

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2007 Continental Indoor Football League
Team Overall Division
W L T PCT W L T PCT
Great Lakes Conference
Michigan Pirates-y 12 0 0 1.000 10 0 0 1.000
Kalamazoo Xplosion-x 10 2 0 .833 10 2 0 .833
Chicago Slaughter-x 9 3 0 .750 8 2 0 .800
Marion Mayhem-x 6 6 0 .500 6 5 0 .545
Muskegon Thunder-x 4 8 0 .333 4 7 0 .364
Miami Valley Silverbacks 4 8 0 .333 3 7 0 .300
Summit County Rumble 1 11 0 .083 0 7 0 .000
Springfield Stallions 0 12 0 .000 0 11 0 .000
Atlantic Conference
Rochester Raiders-y 10 2 0 .833 90 0 0 1.000
New England Surge-x 8 4 0 .667 8 3 0 .727
Lehigh Valley Outlawz-x 7 5 0 .583 5 5 0 .500
Chesapeake Tide-x 7 5 0 .583 6 5 0 .545
Steubenville Stampede 5 7 0 .417 2 6 0 .250
NY/NJ Revolution 1 11 0 .083 0 11 0 .000

2008

[edit]

Schedule

[edit]
Date Opponent Home/Away Result
March 8 Marion Mayhem Home Lost 34-33[2]
March 21 Rock River Raptors Home Won 44-36[3]
March 29 Milwaukee Bonecrushers Away Won 60-35[4]
April 4 Kalamazoo Xplosion Home Won 44-37 (OT)[5][6]
April 12 Fort Wayne Freedom Home Won 39-33[7]
April 25 Chicago Slaughter Home Lost 10-27
May 3 Kalamazoo Xplosion Away Lost 19-49[8]
May 10 Flint Phantoms Away Won 55-42[9]
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

[edit]
2008 Continental Indoor Football League
Team Overall Division
W L T PCT W L T PCT
Great Lakes Conference
East Division
Kalamazoo Xplosion-y 11 1 0 .917 5 1 0 .833
Muskegon Thunder-x 5 7 0 .417 2 2 0 .500
Fort Wayne Freedom 5 7 0 .417 2 4 0 .333
Miami Valley Silverbacks 3 9 0 .250 1 2 0 .333
West Division
Chicago Slaughter-y 8 4 0 .667 3 1 0 .750
Rock River Raptors-x 7 5 0 .583 3 1 0 .750
Milwaukee Bonecrushers 1 11 0 .083 0 4 0 .000
Atlantic Conference
East Division
New England Surge-y 8 3 0 .727 5 1 0 .833
Lehigh Valley Outlawz-x 7 5 0 .583 4 2 0 .667
New Jersey Revolution 3 9 0 .250 2 5 0 .286
Chesapeake Tide 2 10 0 .583 0 2 0 .000
West Division
Rochester Raiders-z 12 0 0 1.000 4 0 0 1.000
Saginaw Sting-y 10 2 0 .833 3 1 0 .750
Marion Mayhem-x 7 5 0 .583 0 2 0 .000
Flint Phantoms 1 11 0 .083 0 4 0 .000

2009

[edit]

On January 18, 2009, Adam Pringle, a former player who started at Nose Guard, part-owner of the club, and son of the club's president, died from injuries sustained in a snowmobile accident.[10]

2010

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Main article: 2010 West Michigan ThunderHawks season

Season-by-season results

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League Champions Conference Champions Division Champions Wild Card Berth League Leader
Season Team League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results
Finish Wins Losses Ties
2007 2007 CIFL Great Lakes 5th 4 8 Lost Great Lakes Division Qualifier 57-68 (Marion)
2008 2008 CIFL Great Lakes East 2nd 5 7 Lost Divisional 33-50 (Kalamazoo)
2009 2009 IFL United Atlantic 5th 1 13
2010 2010 IFL United Atlantic East 3rd 5 9
Totals 15 37 All-time regular season record (2007–2010)
0 2 - All-time postseason record (2007–2010)
15 39 All-time regular season and postseason record (2007–2010)

Notable players

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References

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  1. ^ "West Michigan ThunderHawks win DeltaPlex debut". 27 February 2010.
  2. ^ "Mayhem open season with victory". The Marion Star. Marion, Ohio: Gannett Company. 2008-03-11. Retrieved 2008-04-23.Archived 2008-04-23.
  3. ^ "Raptors fall on the road". WREX TV. Retrieved 2008-04-28. [dead link]
  4. ^ Nickel, Lori (2008). "'Just atrocious' loss". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Journal Sentinel Inc. Archived from the original on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  5. ^ Kendra, Tom (April 5, 2008). "XplosionD-fused". Kalamazoo Gazette. Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  6. ^ "Kalamazoo vs Muskegon (Apr 04, 2008)". CIFL Statistics. Archived from the original on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  7. ^ Clardie, Stacy (April 13, 2008). "Freedom's offensive woes spell doom in loss". Journal Gazette. Archived from the original on 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  8. ^ "Xplosion get payback vs. Thunder". Kalamazoo Gazette. Booth Newspapers. May 4, 2008. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  9. ^ "After slow start, Thunder explode in CIFL win over Phantoms". Muskegon Chronicle. Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2012-09-14. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  10. ^ Muskegon Thunder rocked by Adam Pringle's death MLive.com article. Retrieved on 19 January 2009.
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