National Professional Soccer League (1992-1993)
Tombstone
Born: September 1, 1992 – The Illinois Thunder relocate to Denver, CO
Folded: 1993
First Game: November 1, 1992 (L 16-10 @ Kansas City Attack)
Last Game: March 27, 1993 (L 24-22 vs. Milwaukee Wave)
NPSL Championships: None
Arenas
1992-1993: McNichols Arena (14,700)
Opened: 1975
Demolished: 2000
1993: Denver Coliseum
Opened: 1951
Branding
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners:
- 1992: Mike Kelegian
- 1992-1993: National Professional Soccer League
Attendance
Background
This One-Year Wonder entry in the National Professional Soccer League had a handful of talented indoor players. But the 1992-93 Denver Thunder turned in an absolutely gruesome season both on the floor and off.
The franchise formed in 1990 in Rockford, Illinois as the Illinois Thunder. Original owner Mike Kelegian moved the team to the Mile High City in September 1992 after two poorly-attended seasons in Rockford. Kelegian ran out of money almost immediately upon arriving in Colorado. The National Professional Soccer League repossessed the club. The league’s remaining 12 owners had to pick up the tab to keep the team afloat for the rest of the 1992-93 season.
The roster had some potential early on. The Illinois Thunder went 20-20 and advanced to the NPSL’s playoff quarterfinals the previous spring. 36-year old player-coach Paul Kitson was a top scorer in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1980’s and still had some spring in his legs early in the season. Matt Knowles earned the NPSL’s Defender-of-the-Year honors a season earlier in Rockford. New arrival David Banks was the MISL’s Rookie-of-the-Year two years earlier as part of the San Diego Sockers indoor dynasty.
The Thunder started the season reasonably competitive at 3-5 thru mid-December. Then the wheels came off. The NPSL pulled the team out of the 15,000-seat McNichols Arena in January in favor of the cheaper Denver Coliseum. The move also required a midseason re-write of the league’s schedule. Kitson was fired and replaced by Wayne Jentas. After that 3-5 start, the Thunder lost the remaining 32 games on their schedule to finish 3-37.
The NPSL swiftly euthanized the club at the conclusion of the 1992-93 season.
Trivia
The 1992-93 Denver Thunder came in at #4 on indoor soccer guru Kenn Tomasch’s compendium of the “10 Worst Indoor Soccer Teams Ever“.
In Memoriam
Thunder player-coach Paul Kitson died of a heart attack while conducting a soccer clinic on August 25, 2005. Kitson was 49.
Downloads
1-29-1993 Denver Thunder Roster Sheet
1-29-1993 Denver Thunder Roster
Links
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2 Responses
“…lost the remaining 32 games on their schedule to finish 3-37.”
I wonder if there were any masochistical Thunder fans who witnessed all 32 consecutive losses?
The ONLY person who saw them all was Jeff Rogers. The forward was the only Thunder player to appear in all 40 games, scoring 23 goals with 21 assists. Unless some very unlikely fan had an even more unlikely bankroll (which could have purchased the team), nobody else saw all the games as the Thunder closed out the season by playing scheduled home games at the away team’s arena.