Rocky Mountain Thunder

Rocky Mountain Thunder
Founded	1999
Arena	World Arena
Based in	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colors	Royal blue, silver and black
League	Indoor Professional Football League
Head coach	Collins Sanders

The Rocky Mountain Thunder was an indoor football team in the Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) during the 1999 season. The Thunder was owned by Scott Riddell and played their home games at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Riddell, the CEO of Colorado Springs based Internet company U.S. Telnet, Purchased the team half way through the season when the original owners declared bankruptcy. U.S. Telnet had designed the current logo and website for the team. The team's official colors were: Royal Blue, Silver and Black. The head coach for the Thunder was Collins Sanders, who also served as head coach for the 1998 PIFL Colorado Wildcats and currently is head coach/director of football operations for the Colorado Ice of the UIF.

Headlined by former Denver Broncos wide receiver Mark Jackson, a member of John Elway's "Three Amigos" receiving corps, the Thunder had high hopes coming into the 1999 campaign. They won four out of their first five games, none by more than seven points, before a seven-game slide all but ended their playoff hopes and left them with a 5-11 record. The Thunder was later sold to Mark Jackson and moved to the Magnus Arena in Denver^[1]

Thunder staff & team information

Majority Owner: Scott D. Riddell

General Manager/Minority Owner: Pat Beard

Director of Public Relations: Jason Clark

VP of Football Operations/Head Coach: Collins Sanders

Director of Inside Sales and Executive Producer: Frank J Helisek III

Offensive Coordinator: David Graham

Defensive Coordinator: David Sidwell

Line Coach: Rick Manzanares

Defensive Backs Coach: Steve Chavez

Assistant Defensive Coach: Jim Cobb

1999 IPFL Rocky Mountain Thunder schedule

Saturday, April 10 - Rocky Mountain Thunder 38, Idaho Stallions 37

Wednesday, April 14 - Rocky Mountain Thunder 44, Idaho Stallions 37

Sunday, April 25 - Louisiana Bayou Beast 34, Rocky Mountain Thunder 32

Saturday, May 8 - Rocky Mountain Thunder 36, Texas Terminators 29

Saturday, May 15 - Rocky Mountain Thunder 39, Louisiana Bayou Beast 38

Sunday, May 23 - Hawaii Hammerheads 57, Rocky Mountain Thunder 40

Friday, May 28 - Hawaii Hammerheads 37, Rocky Mountain Thunder 18

Saturday, June 5 - Mississippi Fire Dogs 36, Rocky Mountain Thunder 27

Saturday, June 12 - Texas Terminators 58, Rocky Mountain Thunder 15

Saturday, June 19 - Hawaii Hammerheads 48, Rocky Mountain Thunder 44

Saturday, June 26 - Hawaii Hammerheads 28, Rocky Mountain Thunder 17

Sunday, July 4 - Louisiana Bayou Beast 37, Rocky Mountain Thunder 9

Saturday, July 10 - Rocky Mountain Thunder 56, Idaho Stallions 54

Sunday, July 18th - Idaho Stallions 43, Rocky Mountain Thunder 40 (OT)

Friday, July 30th - Mississippi Fire Dogs 44, Rocky Mountain Thunder 34

Saturday, August 7th - Mississippi Fire Dogs 35, Rocky Mountain Thunder 28

References