Oklahoma Thunder
Encyclopedia
The Oklahoma Thunder are a minor league
American football
team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma
. Starting with the 2011 season, the team competes in the Gridiron Developmental Football League, playing in the Midwest-North Division in the GDFL's Impact Conference. Players have included Bacone College
alumni, former major college standouts, and former NFL players including Willie Ponder
. The team was founded by James "Sonny" Ashford in 2007 and the team's name pre-dates the relocation of the Seattle Supersonics
to Oklahoma City
to become the Oklahoma City Thunder
. The team's official colors are silver and blue. The team's cheerleaders are known as the Thunder Cats.
From its founding in 2008 through the 2010 season, the Thunder competed in the Central Division of the new World Football League. Team founder Sonny Ashford was also an owner of the new WFL and served as its president. Through these three seasons, the team was undefeated with a 40–0 record and three consecutive league championships. In the GDFL, the team went 9-0 in the 2011 regular season and won 4 consecutive playoff games to win the Impact Conference Championship before losing to the Chambersburg Cardinals in the 2011 GDFL Championship game in Atlanta.
on October 18, 2008, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana
. (The new minor-league WFL retained the numbering from the original 1970s WFL.) After the game, Thunder head coach Bruce Madden was presented the WFL Coach of the Year Award and linebacker Joey Crawford was named WFL Player of the Year.
41–12 in World Bowl III on August 29, 2009, at LaFortune Stadium in Tulsa.
The Team ended the season with several award winners and many players making all-star game appearances. During the Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas, Thunder players received the following awards: QB Rico Watkins took home Quarterback of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and Overall Player of the Year. Coach Bruce Madden took home Coach of the Year. Corey Curtis won Offensive Lineman of the Year. Jeremy Gray won Defensive Player of the Year and Linebacker of the Year. T.J. Covington took home the Defensive Back of the Year award.
After a 10–0 regular season in 2010 and a playoff win over the Fort Worth, Texas
-based Eagle Mountain Marauders, the Thunder competed in their third straight World Bowl
on July 31, 2010, where they faced the Des Moines Blaze at the East Tulsa Sports Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Thunder defeated the Blaze, 52–10, to claim their third consecutive league championship and extend their unbeaten streak to 40 games. Joey Crawford was named World Bowl MVP, his second such honor.
The team played its 10-game regular season in the Midwest-North Division in the GDFL's Impact Conference. The Thunder's home field was LaFortune Stadium in Tulsa. On August 7, the Thunder broke two league records in their game against the Kansas Diamondbacks. They broke the league record for points scored (96) and largest win margin (90). After the blowout win, the Thunder became the #1 ranked team in the GDFL. After defeating the St. Louis Bulldogs on August 13, the Thunder finished the 2011 regular season with a perfect 9-0 record, winning the Midwest North Division and clinching the top seed in the playoffs, and were ranked as the #1 team in the GDFL.
With home field advantage through all the preliminary playoff rounds, the Thunder defeated the North Texas Marauders (70-0) in the divisional playoff, the Dallas Diesel (24-22) in the regional playoff, the Indianapolis Tornados (48-13) in the Impact Conference South game, and the Kentucky Wolverines (42-6) in the Impact Conference Championship game. The Oklahoma Thunder travelled to Tara Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
, as the visitor to play the Xtreme Conference champion Chambersburg Cardinals in the GDFL Championship game. Suffering their first loss in franchise history, the Thunder fell 19-14 to the Cardinals.
. The Thunder played most of their 2010 home games at LaFortune Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before relocating to the East Tulsa Sports Complex. The Thunder's home field for 2011 is Lafortune Stadium in Tulsa.
-TV and Cox cable channel 7 in Tulsa on a one-hour delay.
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. Starting with the 2011 season, the team competes in the Gridiron Developmental Football League, playing in the Midwest-North Division in the GDFL's Impact Conference. Players have included Bacone College
Bacone College
Bacone College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Founded in 1880 as the Indian University by Almon C. Bacone, Bacone College is the oldest continuously operated institution of higher education in Oklahoma...
alumni, former major college standouts, and former NFL players including Willie Ponder
Willie Ponder
Willie Columbus Ponder is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for 3 seasons for the New York Giants and one season with Seattle Seahawks and St...
. The team was founded by James "Sonny" Ashford in 2007 and the team's name pre-dates the relocation of the Seattle Supersonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
to become the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
. The team's official colors are silver and blue. The team's cheerleaders are known as the Thunder Cats.
From its founding in 2008 through the 2010 season, the Thunder competed in the Central Division of the new World Football League. Team founder Sonny Ashford was also an owner of the new WFL and served as its president. Through these three seasons, the team was undefeated with a 40–0 record and three consecutive league championships. In the GDFL, the team went 9-0 in the 2011 regular season and won 4 consecutive playoff games to win the Impact Conference Championship before losing to the Chambersburg Cardinals in the 2011 GDFL Championship game in Atlanta.
2008 season
In their 2008 inaugural season, the Oklahoma Thunder finished with a perfect 16–0 regular season record under head coach Bruce Madden. After beating the previously undefeated Texas Bulldogs 84-6 in the semi-final game, the Thunder rolled to 29–6 victory over the Austin Gamebreakers in World Bowl IIWorld Bowl (WFL)
The World Bowl, also known as World Bowl 1, was the American football championship game of the short-lived World Football League. It was televised on TVS Television Network....
on October 18, 2008, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. (The new minor-league WFL retained the numbering from the original 1970s WFL.) After the game, Thunder head coach Bruce Madden was presented the WFL Coach of the Year Award and linebacker Joey Crawford was named WFL Player of the Year.
2009 season
In 2009, the team posted another unbeaten record and went on to defeat the Dallas DieselDallas Diesel
The Dallas Diesel is an American football team, founded in 1997, which plays in the Midwest Division of the Impact Conference in the Gridiron Developmental Football League. The team is also known as the DFW Diesel. The team is the 2006 NAFL champion...
41–12 in World Bowl III on August 29, 2009, at LaFortune Stadium in Tulsa.
The Team ended the season with several award winners and many players making all-star game appearances. During the Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas, Thunder players received the following awards: QB Rico Watkins took home Quarterback of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and Overall Player of the Year. Coach Bruce Madden took home Coach of the Year. Corey Curtis won Offensive Lineman of the Year. Jeremy Gray won Defensive Player of the Year and Linebacker of the Year. T.J. Covington took home the Defensive Back of the Year award.
2010 season
Fifteen Thunder players were named to the All-WFL Team in late-July 2010, more than any other team in the league. Quarterback Rico Watkins, wide receivers Marcus Pugh and Michael Swalley, tight end Clayton Froese, offensive lineman Jeremy Gray, defensive end C.B. Boyd, defensive tackle Aaron Littell, linebackers Joey Crawford and Jeremy Nethon, defensive back Quito Lightbourne, and special teams player Eli Kennard were all named to the first team. The second team included Thunder offensive linemen Josh Toops and Corey Curtis, defensive tackle Calvin Wychoff, defensive back Kurtis Dawson, and kicker Brandon Hawley.After a 10–0 regular season in 2010 and a playoff win over the Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
-based Eagle Mountain Marauders, the Thunder competed in their third straight World Bowl
World Bowl (WFL)
The World Bowl, also known as World Bowl 1, was the American football championship game of the short-lived World Football League. It was televised on TVS Television Network....
on July 31, 2010, where they faced the Des Moines Blaze at the East Tulsa Sports Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Thunder defeated the Blaze, 52–10, to claim their third consecutive league championship and extend their unbeaten streak to 40 games. Joey Crawford was named World Bowl MVP, his second such honor.
2011 season
For the 2011 season, the Thunder moved from the WFL to the larger Gridiron Developmental Football League. , the team's general manager and president is Steven Roper. Other key personnel for 2011 include Tracey Flemons as Director of Player Personnel, Ven Movva, M.D., as Director of Sports Medicine, Renita Baker as Director of Community Events, Jason Admire as Equipment Manager, Pastor Jeff Voth as Team Chaplin, and Steven Braun as Team Announcer. Coaches for 2011 include Rashid Lowe as Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator, Daniel Cornelison and Lamar Baker as Co-Defensive Coordinators, Khalid Lowe as WR and special Teams coach, Ty Forbes as RB and DL coach and Shannon Mayfield as Co-Offensive Coordinator.The team played its 10-game regular season in the Midwest-North Division in the GDFL's Impact Conference. The Thunder's home field was LaFortune Stadium in Tulsa. On August 7, the Thunder broke two league records in their game against the Kansas Diamondbacks. They broke the league record for points scored (96) and largest win margin (90). After the blowout win, the Thunder became the #1 ranked team in the GDFL. After defeating the St. Louis Bulldogs on August 13, the Thunder finished the 2011 regular season with a perfect 9-0 record, winning the Midwest North Division and clinching the top seed in the playoffs, and were ranked as the #1 team in the GDFL.
With home field advantage through all the preliminary playoff rounds, the Thunder defeated the North Texas Marauders (70-0) in the divisional playoff, the Dallas Diesel (24-22) in the regional playoff, the Indianapolis Tornados (48-13) in the Impact Conference South game, and the Kentucky Wolverines (42-6) in the Impact Conference Championship game. The Oklahoma Thunder travelled to Tara Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, as the visitor to play the Xtreme Conference champion Chambersburg Cardinals in the GDFL Championship game. Suffering their first loss in franchise history, the Thunder fell 19-14 to the Cardinals.
| Date | Visitor | Home | Kickoff | Venue | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||
| June 4, 2011 | Kansas Kaos | Oklahoma Thunder | 7:00 PM CDT | Lafortune Stadium Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Thunder 71 Kaos 0 |
| June 11, 2011 | Oklahoma Thunder | Kansas Knights | 7:00 PM CDT | Topeka, Kansas Topeka, Kansas Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was... |
CANCELLED |
| June 18, 2011 | OKC Wolverines | Oklahoma Thunder | 7:00 PM CDT | Lafortune Stadium Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Thunder 63 Wolverines 14 |
| June 25, 2011 | Oklahoma Thunder | Kansas Diamondbacks | 5:00 PM CDT | Maize South High School Wichita, Kansas Wichita, Kansas Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area... |
Thunder 80 Diamondbacks 0 |
| July 9, 2011 | St. Louis Bulldogs | Oklahoma Thunder | 7:00 PM CDT | LaFortune Stadium Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Thunder Win by Forfeit |
| July 16, 2011 | Oklahoma Thunder | Kansas Kaos | 7:00 PM CDT | Shawnee Mission South High School Shawnee Mission South High School Shawnee Mission South High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Overland Park, Kansas, USA, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of several public high schools located within Shawnee Mission, KS. Additionally, Shawnee Mission South is a two-time Blue Ribbon... Athletic Complex (Shawnee Mission, KS) |
Thunder 52 Kaos 7 |
| July 23, 2011 | Arkansas Sabers | Oklahoma Thunder | 7:00 PM CDT | LaFortune Stadium Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Thunder 27 Sabers 12 |
| July 30, 2011 | Oklahoma Thunder | Dallas Diesel Dallas Diesel The Dallas Diesel is an American football team, founded in 1997, which plays in the Midwest Division of the Impact Conference in the Gridiron Developmental Football League. The team is also known as the DFW Diesel. The team is the 2006 NAFL champion... |
7:00 PM CDT | Dallas, Texas | Thunder 31 Diesel 23 |
| August 6, 2011 | Kansas Diamondbacks | Oklahoma Thunder | 8:00 PM CDT | LaFortune Stadium Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Thunder 96 Diamondbacks 6 |
| August 13, 2011 | Oklahoma Thunder | St. Louis Bulldogs | 8:00 PM CDT | St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St... |
Thunder 51 Bulldogs 23 |
| Post-Season | |||||
| Divisional Playoff August 27, 2011 |
North Texas Marauders | Oklahoma Thunder | 7:00 PM CDT | G.W. Carver Middle School G.W. Carver Middle School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) G.W. Carver Middle School in Tulsa, Oklahoma is a magnet middle school located in the north end of Tulsa. Carver has grades 6–8 and is considered a feeder school into Booker T. Washington High School.... Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Thunder 70 Marauders 0 |
| Regional Playoff September 3, 2011 |
Dallas Diesel Dallas Diesel The Dallas Diesel is an American football team, founded in 1997, which plays in the Midwest Division of the Impact Conference in the Gridiron Developmental Football League. The team is also known as the DFW Diesel. The team is the 2006 NAFL champion... |
Oklahoma Thunder | 8:00 PM CDT | Lafortune Stadium Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Thunder 24 Diesel 22 |
| Impact Conference South September 10, 2011 |
Indianapolis Tornados | Oklahoma Thunder | 8:00 PM CDT | Lafortune Stadium Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Thunder 48 Tornados 13 |
| Conference Championship September 17, 2011 |
Kentucky Wolverines | Oklahoma Thunder | 8:00 PM CDT | Lafortune Stadium Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Thunder 42 Wolverines 6 |
| GDFL Championship October 1, 2011 |
Oklahoma Thunder | Chambersburg Cardinals | 5:30 PM EDT | Westlake High School Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in... |
Thunder 14 Cardinals 19 |
Home stadium
In 2008, the team played its home games at Booker T. Washington Stadium and S.E. Williams Stadium in Tulsa. For the 2009 season, home games were moved to Exchange Bank Stadium in nearby Skiatook, OklahomaSkiatook, Oklahoma
Skiatook is a town in Osage and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is a suburb of Tulsa. The population was 7,397 in the 2010 census, compared to 5,396 at the 2000 census.-History:William C...
. The Thunder played most of their 2010 home games at LaFortune Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before relocating to the East Tulsa Sports Complex. The Thunder's home field for 2011 is Lafortune Stadium in Tulsa.
Media affiliations
Home games are televised on KWHBKWHB
KWHB, virtual channel 47, is a television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is an owned-and-operated station of the LeSEA network. The station runs a schedule of Christian programming along with a few hours of secular general entertainment daily....
-TV and Cox cable channel 7 in Tulsa on a one-hour delay.