Continental Indoor Soccer League (1997)
Tombstone
Born: May 1997 – Re-branded from Detroit Neon
Folded: December 23, 1997
First Game: June 13, 1997 (L 9-2 vs. Indiana Twisters)
Last Game: September 28, 1997 (L 8-3 @ Anaheim Splash)
CISL Championships: None
Arena
The Palace of Auburn Hills (17,960)11997 Continental Indoor Soccer League Official Guide
Opened: 1988
Demolished: 2020
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owner: Palace Sports & Entertainment (William Davidson)
Our Favorite Stuff
Detroit Safari CISL
Logo T-Shirt
Super-saturated 90’s color and vibes on this throwback Tee celebrating the Detroit Safari indoor soccer team. The Safari, who took their name from the line of mini-vans produced by automaker GMC, played just one season at the suburban Palace of Auburn Hills in 1997.
This design is also available as a Hooded or Crewneck Sweatshirt today from Cincinnati’s Old School Shirts!
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Background
There have been countless pro sports teams named for race cars and race car drivers over the years. But the short-lived Detroit Safari stand alone as the only team named for a minivan…
Palace Sports & Entertainment, owners of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, also owned a stabled of second tier pro sports ventures that operated out of the Palace during the 1990’s and 2000’s. Owner William Davidson bankrolled minor league hockey (the Vipers), Arena Football (the Fury), women’s basketball (the Shock), and indoor soccer’s Detroit Neon/Safari.
The Detroit Neon began play in 1994 as an expansion franchise in the Continental Indoor Soccer League. The CISL played a 28-game summer schedule, mostly in NBA and NHL arenas. Like Davidson, many of the league’s owners were NBA and NHL franchise owners looking to fill summer dates in their buildings. The Neon derived their name from a corporate sponsorship deal with Chrysler for their Neon sub-compact car. When that deal elapsed after three seasons, Palace Sports & Entertainment struck a new naming rights deal with General Motors and their Safari mini-van line just prior to the 1997 CISL campaign.
The End
The Safari were a truly terrible team. The club posted a 3-25 record in 1997, tied with the 1994 Carolina Vipers for the worst mark in CISL history. The club quietly vanished from the Detroit sporting scene when the CISL went out of business on December 23, 1997.
Detroit Safari Video
The Safari host the Indiana Twisters at the Palace of Auburn Hills. June 13, 1997
In Memoriam
Forward Ken Snow (Safari ’97) died on June 21, 2020 at age 50 from COVID-19 complications. ESPN.com obituary.
Links
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