The West Michigan ThunderHawks are a member of the Indoor Football League

Indoor Football League

The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...

 L The team is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

, starting in 2010 the ThunderHawks will play their home games at the DeltaPlex Arena in nearby Walker

Walker, Michigan

Walker is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Grand Rapids. The population was 23,537 at the 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city, it was known as Walker Township...

  From their inception in 2007 until 2009, the ThunderHawks were known as the Muskegon Thunder

Muskegon Thunder

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...

 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 Thunderhawks did not field a team in 2011.

History

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

Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...

 team. Foster played in the AFL for the Grand Rapids Rampage

Grand Rapids Rampage

The Grand Rapids Rampage was an Arena Football League team that began playing as a 1998 expansion team. They were coached by Steve Thonn.-History:...

 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

|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Muskegon Thunder (CIFL)
|-
|2007 || 4 || 8 || 0 || 5th Great Lakes || Lost GLD Qualifier (Marion

Marion Mayhem

Marion Mayhem was an indoor American football team. It was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League , later renamed the Continental Indoor Football League . The team folded during the 2010 season due to financial problems. They played their home games at the Veterans Memorial...

)
|-
|2008 || 5 || 7 || 0 || 2nd Great Lakes East || Lost GLD East Finals (Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo Xplosion

The Kalamazoo Xplosion are a 2007 expansion team of the Continental Indoor Football League, formerly the Great Lakes Indoor Football League. They are based in Kalamazoo, Michigan and they play their home games at Wings Stadium.-History:...

)
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Muskegon Thunder (IFL)
|-
|2009 || 1 || 13 || 0 || 5th United Atlantic || --
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | West Michigan ThunderHawks (IFL)
|-
|2010 || 5 || 9 || 0 || 3rd Atlantic East || --
|-
|2011* || 0 || 0 || 0 || -- || --
|-
!Totals || 15 || 39 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)

* = Current Standing

2007 Season Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home Home team In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans... /Away Home team In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans...	Result
March 24	Summit County Rumble	Neutral (Steubenville Steubenville, Ohio Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area... )	Won 42-21
March 31	Marion Mayhem Marion Mayhem Marion Mayhem was an indoor American football team. It was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League , later renamed the Continental Indoor Football League . The team folded during the 2010 season due to financial problems. They played their home games at the Veterans Memorial...	Away	Lost 20-48
April 13	Summit County Rumble	Home	Won 54-12
April 21	Port Huron Pirates Port Huron Pirates The Port Huron Pirates were a charter member of the Continental Indoor Football League from 2006-2007. They began their existence playing their home games at McMorran Place in Port Huron, Michigan. The logo features a fierce pirate, symbolic of the surrounding Great Lake Huron...	Home	Lost 13-47
April 28	Chicago Slaughter	Home	Lost 40-57
May 5	Kalamazoo Xplosion Kalamazoo Xplosion The Kalamazoo Xplosion are a 2007 expansion team of the Continental Indoor Football League, formerly the Great Lakes Indoor Football League. They are based in Kalamazoo, Michigan and they play their home games at Wings Stadium.-History:...	Away	Lost 37-41
May 12	Port Huron Pirates Port Huron Pirates The Port Huron Pirates were a charter member of the Continental Indoor Football League from 2006-2007. They began their existence playing their home games at McMorran Place in Port Huron, Michigan. The logo features a fierce pirate, symbolic of the surrounding Great Lake Huron...	Away	Lost 37-76
May 19	Springfield Stallions Springfield Stallions The Springfield Stallions were an indoor football team that played their home games at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. They were a 2007 expansion member of the Continental Indoor Football League....	Away	Won 49-25
May 26	Springfield Stallions Springfield Stallions The Springfield Stallions were an indoor football team that played their home games at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. They were a 2007 expansion member of the Continental Indoor Football League....	Home	Won 52-36
June 9	Chicago Slaughter	Home	Lost 34-58
June 16	Kalamazoo Xplosion Kalamazoo Xplosion The Kalamazoo Xplosion are a 2007 expansion team of the Continental Indoor Football League, formerly the Great Lakes Indoor Football League. They are based in Kalamazoo, Michigan and they play their home games at Wings Stadium.-History:...	Home	Lost 28-34
June 23	Lehigh Valley Outlawz Lehigh Valley Outlawz The Lehigh Valley Outlawz are a former professional Indoor Football League team. They played their home games at the Stabler Arena on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.- History :...	Home	Lost 54-55
June 29	Marion Mayhem Marion Mayhem Marion Mayhem was an indoor American football team. It was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League , later renamed the Continental Indoor Football League . The team folded during the 2010 season due to financial problems. They played their home games at the Veterans Memorial...  (Playoffs)	Away	Lost 57-68

2008 Season Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home Home team In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans... /Away Home team In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans...	Result
March 8	Marion Mayhem Marion Mayhem Marion Mayhem was an indoor American football team. It was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League , later renamed the Continental Indoor Football League . The team folded during the 2010 season due to financial problems. They played their home games at the Veterans Memorial...	Home	Lost 34-33
March 21	Rock River Raptors Rock River Raptors This page is for the Continental Indoor Football League team, for the National Premier Soccer League team also based in Rockford, see Rockford Raptors....	Home	Won 44-36
March 29	Milwaukee Bonecrushers	Away	Won 60-35
April 4	Kalamazoo Xplosion Kalamazoo Xplosion The Kalamazoo Xplosion are a 2007 expansion team of the Continental Indoor Football League, formerly the Great Lakes Indoor Football League. They are based in Kalamazoo, Michigan and they play their home games at Wings Stadium.-History:...	Home	Won 44-37 (OT)
April 12	Fort Wayne Freedom Fort Wayne Freedom The Fort Wayne Freedom was a team in the Continental Indoor Football League, beginning play in the 2008 season. Like the original Freedom, the team retained a red, white, and blue color scheme, and played in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum....	Home	Won 39-33
April 25	Chicago Slaughter	Home	Lost 10-27
May 3	Kalamazoo Xplosion Kalamazoo Xplosion The Kalamazoo Xplosion are a 2007 expansion team of the Continental Indoor Football League, formerly the Great Lakes Indoor Football League. They are based in Kalamazoo, Michigan and they play their home games at Wings Stadium.-History:...	Away	Lost 19-49
May 10	Flint Phantoms Flint Phantoms The Flint Phantoms were a team in the Continental Indoor Football League, playing in the 2008 season. They played their home games at the Perani Arena and Event Center, which was previously home to the Indoor Football League's Flint Flames in 2000, and the playoff home for the defunct Michigan...	Away	Won 55-42
May 17	Milwaukee Bonecrushers	Home	Lost 46-51
May 24	Fort Wayne Freedom Fort Wayne Freedom The Fort Wayne Freedom was a team in the Continental Indoor Football League, beginning play in the 2008 season. Like the original Freedom, the team retained a red, white, and blue color scheme, and played in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum....	Away	Lost 38-42
May 31	Chicago Slaughter	Away	Lost 35-38
June 6	Saginaw Sting Saginaw Sting The Saginaw Sting are a team in the Continental Indoor Football League that began play as a 2008 expansion franchise in the Continental Indoor Football League and then moved to the Indoor Football League for the 2009 season and then suspended operations after the season...	Away	Lost 23-60
June 14	Kalamazoo Xplosion Kalamazoo Xplosion The Kalamazoo Xplosion are a 2007 expansion team of the Continental Indoor Football League, formerly the Great Lakes Indoor Football League. They are based in Kalamazoo, Michigan and they play their home games at Wings Stadium.-History:... (Playoffs)	Away	Lost 33-50

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.

External links

• West Michigan ThunderHawks Official Site
• Thunder's 2007 Stats