Louisville Thunder

The Louisville Thunder is a professional Hybrid Football team located in Louisville, Kentucky. They currently compete in the North American Association of Football as a member of the West Division. They play their home games at Thunder Stadium in Louisville.

The Thunder were founded in 1957 and joined the NAAF as an expansion team. The team was originally planned to be headed to Cincinnati, Ohio, but the Great Lakes Football League prevented the NAAF from entering the market. Vince Forsyth, the leader of the Cincinnati bid, would come up with a new bid out of Louisville which would earn him the team. The Thunder's name comes from Forsyth's childhood memory of going to the Kentucky Derby. The sound of the horses was like thunder. Forsyth also had a horse as a kid to which he named "Lucky Thunder". The horse is now the team's mascot and is depicted in the team's primary logo. Vince Forsyth remains the owner of the team in 1969.

The Thunder started with a couple of rough seasons, but they eventually would become a contender during the early 1960s, winning the McCallister Cup in 1962 and making a 2nd appearance in 1965. 

STADIUM

Thunder Stadium was opened in 1958 and seats 46,250. The Thunder played their first season at Louisville State University but moved to their new stadium in their second season. Thunder Stadium is pretty run-of-the-mill with seats all around the field and then higher grandstands on either sideline.

Thunder Stadium has hosted a single McCallister Cup, which was in 1962. The Thunder did play in that game and won their first McCallister Cup over the Montreal Rouge.

NAAF HISTORY

HISTORIC INFORMATION

Head Coaches
Perry Powell - 1957-1958
Emil Riddle - 1959-1966
Malachi Knowles - 1967-1969
Lou Granger - 1970-Pres.

Captains
OL Aaron Spears - 1957-1958
QB Leonidas Dumont - 1959-1966
DB Jayden Mills - 1967-1969
WR Casey Coleman - 1970-Pres.

Hall of Famers
K Thomas McFadden - 1967
OL Cliff Strautzenberger - 1970
LB Scotty Williams - 1971
RB Johnnie Stafford - 1971*
HC Emil Riddle - 1972

Seasons
1957: 3-9 - 5th West Division - Missed Playoffs
1958: 1-10-1 - 5th West Division - Missed Playoffs
1959: 4-8 - 3rd West Division - Lost West Division Semi-Final
1960: 7-5 - 3rd West Division - Missed Playoffs
1961: 9-3 - 2nd West Division - Lost West Division Final
1962: 9-3 - 2nd West Division - Won McCallister Cup
1963: 7-5 - 2nd West Division - Lost West Division Final
1964: 7-5 - 3rd West Division - Lost West Division Final
1965: 8-4 - 2nd West Division - Lost McCallister Cup
1966: 1-11 - 6th West Division - Missed Playoffs
1967: 6-5-1 - 3rd West Division - Lost West Division Final
1968: 4-8 - 6th West Division - Missed Playoffs
1969: 0-12 - 6th West Division - Missed Playoffs
1970: 7-5 - 4th Central Division - Missed Playoffs
1971: 9-5 - 2nd Central Division - Won McCallister Cup
1972: 10-4 - 1st Central Division - Lost Quarter-Finals 

Awards
Most Valuable/Outstanding Player
1962: LB Scotty Williams

Offensive Player of the Year
1970: WR Casey Coleman

Defensive Player of the Year
1959: DB Alexander Bradley

Coach of the Year
1962: Emil Riddle

Rookie of the Year
1959: WR Piers Key
1970: LB Ricky Wildgoose

Breakout Player of the Year
1959: QB Leonidas Dumont
1967: QB Buck Murphy

Playoff MVP/MOP
1971: WR Casey Coleman

McCallister Cup MVP/MOP
1962: LB Silas O'Brien
1971: WR Casey Coleman

DESIGN

1957

The thunder's original design featured their mascot, Lucky Thunder the horse, with lightning bolt imagery also added in. The Jerseys would feature lightning bolts on the shoulders and pants, as well as the helmet stripe. The Helmet also featured a silhouette version of their horse logo.

1958-1961

The team didn't make many changes when the league added in TV numbers and nameplates.

1962-1969

The team made some slight adjustments to their look before the 1962 season. A more detailed helmet logo was put into place, while the white pants were dropped from the look.

1970

With the partnership with Patterson Athletics, the Thunder made a major change to their logos for the first time. They would have a new more cartoonish version of Lucky Thunder and a new lightning bolt. the uniforms overall would keep most of the same design, but the bolt was removed from the helmet and the bolts on the road shoulders would be changed to red.