The Fort Wayne Flames were an indoor soccer

Indoor soccer

Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...

 club based in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...

, that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association, playing home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is a 13,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Fort Wayne, Indiana, initially built in 1952 for nearly $3 million in Fort Wayne's Johnny Appleseed Park. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum was originally designed to seat 8,000 for hockey or 10,240 for basketball...

 from 1986-1989.

The team was founded in by a group of four investors: Bob Britt, Fred Mathews, Jr., James Speed, and William Fahlsing and began play in the 1986-87 season of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA). The team reached out to experience by hiring away Pete Mahlock from the Louisville Thunder

Louisville Thunder

Louisville Thunder was an indoor soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association. In their debut season of 1984-1985, goalkeeper Rick Schweizer won the 'Goalkeeper of the Year' award, and made it on to the All-Star team.-Players: Paul DiBernardo ...

 to be the team General Manager. Former Seattle Sounders

Seattle Sounders (NASL)

The Seattle Sounders were a U.S. professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1974, the team belonged to the North American Soccer League where it played both indoor and outdoor soccer. The team folded after the 1983 NASL outdoor season.-Stadium:The Sounders played at Memorial...

 (NASL

North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

), Cleveland Force

Cleveland Force (1978 – 1988)

The original Cleveland Force was one of the six charter franchises in the original Major Indoor Soccer League . The team played from 1978 to 1988 at the Richfield Coliseum, the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and occasionally drew crowds in excess of 20,000 in the mid-80's.Akron businessman Eric J...

 (MISL

Major Soccer League

The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...

), & Wichita Wings

Wichita Wings

This article is about the original team. For the current team, see Wichita Wings .The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979...

 (MISL

Major Soccer League

The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...

) goalkeeper and University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

 coach Cliff Brown

Cliff Brown (soccer)

Cliff Brown was an American soccer goalkeeper who is currently the head coach of the Newman University soccer team. Brown played in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League, Lone Star Soccer Alliance and USISL...

 was brought in to be the first Head Coach of the franchise.

The inaugural season was one of struggle for the fledgling team. Just five games into the season, Brown was fired and replaced by defenseman Tom Alioto who continued his on field duties as a player/coach. As the team struggled on field, finishing last in the Southern Division with a 13-29 record, it also struggled off field. Despite finishing the season with the fourth-best attendance in the league, the season ended with the franchise having racked up huge losses that left the future in jeopardy.

The franchise would return for the 1987-88 season as remaining investors Mathews & Speed were joined by local businessman Craig Hartman, who with a huge influx of his own money, assumed the role as team President. Retaining Mahlock as GM, the team hired former three-time Indiana University

Indiana University

Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...

 All American, 1978 Hermann Trophy

Hermann Trophy

The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...

 winner, NASL player, and United States Olympian Angelo DiBernardo

Angelo DiBernardo

Angelo DiBernardo is a retired Argentine-American soccer player who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He also represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics...

 to become the third Head Coach of the franchise. Although the on field play improved under new leadership, the team suffered and incredible 10 one-goal losses (the rest of the league had 13 one-goal losses combined) en route to a 9-15 record and a last-place finish in the regular season.

Abandoning a traditional playoff format, the AISA instituted a six-team, home-and-away, round robin “Challenge Cup” Series to crown the 1988 post-season champion. Living up the promise they showed in the regular season, the Flames became dominant during the Cup Series, outscoring their opponents 67-46 through the first 11 games and posting an 8-3 record. The final game of the “Challenge Cup” was scheduled for April 1, 1988, with the Flames playing host to the 1984-85 & 1985-86 AISA Champion Canton Invaders

Canton Invaders

The Canton Invaders was an indoor soccer club based in Canton, Ohio that competed in the National Professional Soccer League.After the 1995/96 season, the team became the Columbus Invaders.- Canton Invaders :...

. With each team hosting an 8-3 record, the game would be winner-take-all for the Cup. In front of a sellout (and franchise record) crowd of 8,028, the Flames would fall behind early and stage a furious rally late, only to fall to the Invaders 5-4.

Despite gains in the regular season attendance and league-leading playoff attendance, the 1988 off-season was again troublesome for the franchise. Looking to stem the flow of red ink, Hartman restructured the Flames into the only registered not-for-profit sports franchise in the nation. The off-season saw an intense fund-raising operation that included GM Mahlock and players Alan Bodenstein and Bobby Poursanidis living atop a billboard in the heart of downtown to raise both team awareness and funding. The results were impressive as hundreds of fans purchased stock in the team and 27 prominent local business leaders invested in the team to make up the new Board of Directors.

When DiBernardo decided to leave coaching, the team turned to former MISL standout defenseman Dave MacKenzie to be the fourth Head Coach of the franchise. Entering the position as the (then) all-time leader in MISL games played and with a reputation as a hard-nosed, physical player, the team showed marked improvement under MacKenzie, but continued to struggle in close games. Looking to add some extra spark, MacKenzie became the second player/Coach of the franchise as he activated himself and played in 27 games. Despite improving to a .500 record (20-20) the team missed the playoffs by one game.

The team folded following the 1989 season. Under separate ownership, Fort Wayne was awarded an expansion franchise Indiana Kick, which lasted one additional season (1989-1990).

Year-by-year

Year	GP	W	L	%	GB	GF	GA	ATT	AVE	PLAYOFFS
1986/87	42	13	29	.325	14	157	218	47,647	2,269	Did not qualify
1987/88	24	9	15	.375	7	99	112	29,521	2,460	N/A
1988 (Chall. Cup)	12	8	4	.667	1	71	51	25,307	4,218	Challenge Cup runner-up
1988/89	40	20	20	.500	5	337	299	74,840	3,742	Did not qualify

Head coaches

FORT WAYNE FLAMES HEAD COACHES
NAME	SEASON	RECORD
Cliff Brown Cliff Brown (soccer) Cliff Brown was an American soccer goalkeeper who is currently the head coach of the Newman University soccer team. Brown played in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League, Lone Star Soccer Alliance and USISL...	1986-87	2-3
Tom Alioto Tom Alioto Tom Alioto is a retired American soccer defender who played in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Indoor Soccer Association.-Player:...	1986-87 (5 games into 1986-87 season)	11-26
Angelo DiBernardo Angelo DiBernardo Angelo DiBernardo is a retired Argentine-American soccer player who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He also represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics...	1987-88	9-15
Angelo DiBernardo Angelo DiBernardo Angelo DiBernardo is a retired Argentine-American soccer player who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He also represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics...	1988 Challenge Cup	8-4
Dave MacKenzie Dave MacKenzie (soccer) Dave MacKenzie is a retired Scottish-Canadian soccer defender who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League.-Professional:MacKenzie attended Colgate University where he played both hockey and soccer. He was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1978, he began his...	1988-89	20-20

Players statistics (regular season)

FORT WAYNE FLAMES PLAYERS (regular season)
NAME	SEASONS	GAMES	GOALS *	ASSIST	POINTS *	SHOTS	BLOCKS	FOULS	PIM
Tom Alioto	1986-87	42	9	15	24	92	51	54	6
Ricardo Alonso Ricardo Alonso Ricardo Alonso was a soccer player who began as a forward before moving to defender later in his career. Alonso spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, four in Major Indoor Soccer League, at least three in the American Indoor Soccer Association, one in the American Soccer League and...	1988-89	19	13	12	25	88	14	54	4
Lenny Armuth	1986-87	22	4	2	6	17	19	32	10
Todd Barrett	1986-87	13	1	1	2	21	12	32	12
Ron Basile	1986-87	22	12	9	21	83	3	50	10
Bill Becher	1987-89	32	6	3	9	34	7	40	1
Steve Boardman	1988-89	21	2	3	5	12	16	26	1
Alan Bodenstein	1986-89	103	23	25	48	210	117	147	32
David Caetano	1987-88	9	0	0	0	8	2	5	0
Paul DiBernardo Paul DiBernardo Paul DiBernardo is a retired Argentine-American soccer midfielder who coaches youth soccer. He played professionally in the American Indoor Soccer Association and earned one cap with the United States men's national soccer team.-Youth:...	1986-89	83	50	27	77	305	55	143	33
Dean Duerst	1986-87	14	2	0	2	21	9	13	6
Mike Farmer	1988-89	8	1	0	1	2	0	5	0
Horst Fleps	1986-87	7	0	1	1	7	2	1	0
Kevin Flynn	1986-87	7	0	1	1	18	12	10	4
Peter Forde	1986-87	5	0	2	2	13	3	10	0
Chance Fry Chance Fry Chance Fry is a retired U.S. soccer forward who began his career straight out of high school with the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League. With the collapse of the NASL, he moved to indoor soccer as well as U.S. minor leagues. Since retiring from playing, Fry has become a college...	1986-87	18	7	5	12	32	14	45	8
Keith Fulk	1987-89	39	11	9	20	88	48	65	12
Frank Gallo	1986-87	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jon Gardner	1988-89	8	0	0	0	1	2	5	0
Oscar Gomez	1987-88	5	0	1	1	1	1	5	0
Manuel Gorrity	1986-88	35	6	4	10	45	25	60	16
Chris Hellenkamp Chris Hellenkamp Chris Hellenkamp is a retired American soccer midfielder who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.Hellenkamp attended Seattle Pacific University where he played on the men's soccer team in 1979 and 1980...	1987-89	62	30	33	63	206	46	68	8
Jamie Hutchins	1986-87	4	1	0	1	2	2	7	0
Peter Jecker	1988-89	26	7	4	11	34	19	30	3
Larry Julius	1987-88	16	2	7	9	52	17	27	8
Paul Kato	1987-88	8	2	1	3	21	26	22	4
Ken Killingsworth	1986-88	49	27	27	54	136	23	62	10
Kris Klassen	1986-87	3	0	0	0	0	0	1
Tim Larkin	1988-89	19	4	3	7	19	16	23	2
Warren Lipka	1986-89	60	0	4	4	4	1	9	21
Keith Loeffler	1986-87	5	1	2	3	12	2	6	4
Mark Lugris	1986-87	42	11	22	33	129	37	64	6
Dave MacKenzie	1988-89	27	4	5	9	22	11	17	3
Tom Mollerup	1986-87	36	3	5	8	35	25	35	2
Jorge Montoya	1987-89	50	6	9	15	54	83	125	8
Mike Noonan Mike Noonan Mike Noonan is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the American Indoor Soccer Association and is currently the head coach of the Clemson University men's soccer team.-Player:...	1986-88	37	2	5	7	19	74	65	8
Dan O’Keefe Dan O'Keefe (soccer) Dan O’Keefe is a retired American soccer forward who played over ten seasons in the U.S. indoor leagues. He led the American Indoor Soccer Association in scoring in 1989.-Youth:...	1986-88	65	49	18	67	257	9	70	2
Otto Orf Otto Orf Otto Orf is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in the United Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League and National Professional Soccer League. He played one game for the U.S...	1986-89	59	1	7	8	8	0	12	26
Carlos Pena	1988-89	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bronn Pfeiffer	1987-89	36	1	3	4	33	27	30	4
Bob Poursanidis	1986-89	104	28	20	48	208	58	114	11
Randy Prescott	1987-89	60	15	13	28	152	111	93	12
Ed Puskarich Ed Puskarich Ed Puskarich is a retired U.S. soccer defender who had an extensive career which began in 1984 in the United Soccer League and ended in the Premier Development League. In between, he played in the American Indoor Soccer Association, National Professional Soccer League, USISL and Major League Soccer...	1986-87	17	2	0	2	8	18	21	2
Bob Ramsey	1986-87	21	6	8	14	68	6	42	4
Neil Ridgway	1987-89	62	46	21	67	169	39	80	9
Martin Rincon	1987-89	14	3	3	6	34	28	26	8
Rob Ryerson Rob Ryerson Rob Ryerson is a retired U.S. soccer forward who played professionally, both indoor and outdoor soccer, for at least seven years. He is currently the Mount Saint Mary's University soccer coach.-Youth:...	1988-89	26	6	5	11	28	6	40	2
Carlos Salguero Carlos Salguero Carlos Salguero was an Argentine professional soccer forward. He died aged 51 from cancer in 2007. He spent one season in the North American Soccer League, one in the United Soccer League and nearly ten in various indoor leagues...	1987-89	60	35	25	60	290	28	109	12
Joe Schmid	1986-87	7	0	1	1	1	11	7	2
Todd Smith	1988-89	39	4	8	12	33	39	91	9
Mike Sotello	1987-88	4	0	1	1	0	1	1	0
Bill Stallings	1986-87	10	1	0	1	9	3	9	2
Chris Tolken	1986-87	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Graham West	1986-87	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Players statistics (playoffs)

FORT WAYNE FLAMES PLAYERS (1988 Challenge Cup)
NAME	GAMES	GOALS *	ASSIST	POINTS *	SHOTS	BLOCKS	FOULS	PIM
Bill Becher	11	4	1	5	7	4	7	0
Bruce Bellenger	7	0	0	0	6	0	4	2
Alan Bodenstein	12	1	4	5	18	14	19	4
David Caetano	2	1	0	1	5	0	2	0
Paul DiBernardo Paul DiBernardo Paul DiBernardo is a retired Argentine-American soccer midfielder who coaches youth soccer. He played professionally in the American Indoor Soccer Association and earned one cap with the United States men's national soccer team.-Youth:...	12	7	8	15	45	2	20	4
Keith Fulk	12	8	6	14	26	16	17	6
Chris Hellenkamp	11	5	5	10	35	7	6	2
Larry Julius	12	7	5	12	40	21	21	4
Paul Kato	8	2	2	4	16	15	16	6
Warren Lipka	9	0	1	1	0	0	0	2
Joe Mihaljevic Joe Mihaljevic Joe Mihaljevic is a retired soccer forward. He runs a reputable year-round soccer school in Folsom, California since September 2003 and in March 2008, established the Mihaljevic Soccer Club - Top Gun, a champion competitive youth soccer club.-Youth:His father, Djuro George Mihaljevic, a native...	12	2	1	3	17	4	15	2
Jorge Montoya	6	0	0	0	1	2	6	4
Dan O’Keefe Dan O'Keefe (soccer) Dan O’Keefe is a retired American soccer forward who played over ten seasons in the U.S. indoor leagues. He led the American Indoor Soccer Association in scoring in 1989.-Youth:...	11	14	7	21	59	0	8	2
Otto Orf	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Bronn Pfeiffer	4	0	0	0	1	1	1	0
Bob Poursanidis	5	1	0	1	7	1	2	0
Randy Prescott	12	2	7	9	32	8	16	6
Neil Ridgway	12	12	6	18	34	4	11	4
Martin Rincon	11	2	2	4	15	14	16	2
Carlos Salguero	6	3	7	10	29	1	5	0

• Starting in 1989, the AISA began assigning different point values to goals. All 3-pt., 2-pt, & 1-pt. goals count as one in these stats.