New Orleans Thunder Explained

The New Orleans Thunder were a professional American football team that played during the 1999 season as part of the Regional Football League. They played their home games at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park in New Orleans.

The team was announced as one of the league's charter members on November 12, 1998.[1] For their lone season, Rex Stevenson would serve as head coach for the preseason and first two games before being replaced with former New Orleans Saints player Buford Jordan.[2] The team was quarterbacked by Doug Coleman, who had played for the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds of NCAA Division II.[3]

Although the team was scheduled to play a 12-game regular season,[4] poor attendance and sagging revenues would prove too much for the new league. The Thunder lost each of their first six games,[5] then had a game cancelled due to financial constraints, before winning their final game. As a result, the team finished with a record of 1–6 for its lone season. After the season, the team looked at relocating to Birmingham, Alabama,[6] however the move never came to fruition as both the team and the league were disbanded.

The Thunder played in the only RFL game ever televised, on May 8, 1999, in Alabama against the eventual-champion Mobile Admirals. The contest was shown on WHNO, a mainly-religious station in New Orleans.

1999 season schedule

Date Opponent Site W/L Score Attnd. Ref.
April 18 Home L 14–42 500 [7]
April 25 Away L 0–34 [8]
May 2 Home L 14–30 4,000 [9]
May 8 Mobile Admirals Away L 6–23 10,146 [10]
May 16 Home L 14–31 125 [11] [12]
May 22 Away L 12–31 1,500 [13]
May 29 Ohio Cannon Home — cancelled — [14]
June 5 Mississippi Pride Away W 12–7 2,700 [15]
The June 5 game was originally scheduled to be against the Shreveport Knights, in Shreveport.[16]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: League . Remember the RFL . January 25, 2019 . Google Sites.
  2. News: Williams . Darrell . Former Saint Jordan to coach Thunder . The New Orleans Times-Picayune . D4 . April 28, 1999.
  3. News: Set in stone: Coleman to be inducted into American Football Association Hall of Fame . Peter Silas . Pasqua . postsouth.com . June 27, 2014 . January 28, 2019.
  4. News: Shreveport Knights schedule . . . 23 . April 5, 1999 . January 26, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  5. News: RFL Standings . . . 50 . May 28, 1999 . January 28, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  6. Web site: Crowley . Gene . Will Birmingham join the Regional Football League?. July 1999 . birminghamprosports.com . 2007-03-26.
  7. News: Admirals silence Thunder . . . 27 . April 19, 1999 . January 25, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  8. News: New Orleans replaces coach with former Saints running back . John . McCloskey . . . 28 . April 28, 1999 . January 25, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  9. News: Pride pounces on Thunder for 1st RFL victory . . . 17 . May 3, 1999 . January 25, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  10. News: Admirals run past Thunder . Nathan . Dominitz . . . 44 . May 9, 1999 . January 25, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  11. News: Philyaw, Knights struggle early but finish strong . John . McCloskey . . . 15 . May 17, 1999 . January 24, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  12. News: Knights Report . John . McCloskey . . . 17 . May 17, 1999 . January 24, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  13. News: Santa Fe's Wylie finds a football home with the Outlaws . Joey D. . Richards . . . 22 . May 27, 1999 . January 25, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  14. News: Knights fall to Houston . . . 14 . June 1, 1999 . January 23, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  15. News: Thunder rumbles past Pride . Henry . Goolsby . . . 27 . June 6, 1999 . January 26, 2019 . newspapers.com.
  16. News: Pride relishes change to apprehend Outlaws . Henry . Goolsby . . . 23 . June 9, 1999 . January 23, 2019 . newspapers.com.

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