Portland Steel

For the defunct World Football League team known as the "Thunder" in 1975, see Portland Storm.

Portland Steel
Current season
Established 2013 Play in Moda Center in Portland, Oregon PDXSteel.com
Portland Steel helmet Portland Steel logo Helmet Logo
League/conference affiliations
Arena Football League (2014–present) National Conference (2014–present) Pacific Division (2014–2015)
Team colors	Navy blue, Royal blue, Silver
Personnel
Owner(s)	Arena Football League
President	Vacant
Head coach	Ron James
Team history
Portland Thunder (2014–2016) Portland Steel (2016–present)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Playoff appearances (2)
2014, 2015
Home arena(s)
Moda Center (2014–present)

The Portland Steel are a professional arena football team based in Portland, Oregon. They are a member of the National Conference of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team started as the Portland Thunder, joining the AFL in 2014 as an expansion team along with the Los Angeles Kiss. They are currently owned by the AFL and are seeking new ownership. Since their inception, the team have played their home games at the Moda Center. The franchise became the Steel on February 24, 2016.

History

Expansion/Birth of the Portland Thunder (2013)

File:PortlandThunder.PNG

Portland Thunder logo (2014-2016)

On October 2, 2013, a press conference was held at the Moda Center where it was announced that sports investor Terry Emmert had purchased the membership rights to an AFL franchise. Emmert purchased the Milwaukee Mustangs, which had been a defunct franchise since the 2012 season. This essentially gave Emmert the right to an expansion franchise, since none of the team's Milwaukee roots, such as players, front office staff or coaches, remained. When asked what the biggest challenge to running a new franchise was, team president Jared Rose said, "Getting new fans to buy into something that the market really hasn’t seen before. Any new product launch is difficult, but we’ve got an exciting product that once people see it, they are hooked."

File:Portland Thunder vs. San Jose SaberCats (3) -- Moda Center, Portland, OR -- April 18, 2014.jpg

The Thunder's home field at the Moda Center during a game against the San Jose SaberCats in 2014.

On November 8, 2013, the franchise announced that the nicknames, "Thunder", "Enforcers", "Sasquatch", "Growlers" and "Stomp" were the finalist for the team. Six days later, Emmert revealed the team's nickname would be the "Thunder." The Thunder nickname has history in Portland dating back to the 1975 Portland Thunder, who played at Civic Stadium as members of the World Football League (WFL). John Canzano, sports columnist for The Oregonian, wrote that a "team source" indicated that team owner Terry Emmert selected the team's nickname himself, despite claiming that fans would have the ultimate say. According to Canzano's source the "Growlers" nickname was the most popular among voters followed by the "Sasquatch".

Inaugural season (2014)

Main article: 2014 Portland Thunder season

File:Portland Thunder AFL helmet 2014.png

Helmet logo from the first season (2014)

The Portland Thunder began their training camp and held a media day on February 25, 2014. On March 1, the team held an intra-squad scrimmage for season ticket holders at Tualatin Indoor Soccer in Tualatin, Oregon. Their first game occurred on March 17 against the San Jose SaberCats at the Moda Center.

On February 12, 2014 it was announced that the Thunder had signed former Portland State Vikings wide receiver Justin Monahan, who is a native of West Linn, Oregon. The Thunder have former Oregon Ducks quarterback Darron Thomas on their inaugural roster. When asked about being assigned to Portland, Thomas said, "That was one of the main reasons I came back and accepted this opportunity to come here, just for the fans and I know people are behind me [...] I'm coming in to compete and be the starter and that's what I came out here for."

The Thunder played their first game on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, as 8,509 people came to the Moda Center to see the team lose 64-34 to the San Jose SaberCats. The team started 0-5 before beating the Jacksonville Sharks 69-62 on the road in week 7. After starting 0-4 at home, the Thunder won their first game in Portland in week 11, beating the San Antonio Talons 55-40. Despite finishing 5-13, including an 0-6 divisional record and an even more ghastly 2-11 conference record, the National Conference was so weak, the Thunder slipped into the playoffs. In the conference semifinals, the Thunder actually led 48-45 with less than a minute left, before a miracle finish caused them to lose to the 2-time reigning champion Arizona Rattlers, 52-48. On September 23, 2014, the Thunder fired head Coach Matthew Sauk. Days later, the team announced the hiring of former Iowa Barnstormers head coach Mike Hohensee.

Second season (2015)

Main article: 2015 Portland Thunder season

File:Portland Thunder helmet logo 2015.png

Helmet logo from the second season (2015)

The team finished with the same results in 2015, finishing 5-13. Originally the team finished behind Las Vegas in the playoff race. However, as the AFL folded Las Vegas after the season, they had amazingly slipped into the playoffs again. They lost to the San Jose SaberCats. On August 24, 2015, head coach Mike Hohensee and his coaching staff mutually agreed to part ways.

On September 11, 2015, the Thunder agreed to terms to hire former Spokane Shock head coach Andy Olson as its third head coach in three years.

Third season (2016): League takeover, end of the "Thunder" and enter the "Steel"

On January 6, 2016, the AFL announced that they took over operations of the Portland Thunder from owner Terry Emmert. Emmert told the Portland Tribune newspaper that the future of the team was up in the air because he was concerned with the league's medical insurance policies and was hoping to try and attract more investors to help fund the team. This prompted league officials and the board of directors to take control of the franchise and look for new owners. The league also decided to fire Andy Olson and his entire coaching staff before Olson could even coach a down for the Thunder and replaced them on January 30, 2016, with former Las Vegas Gladiators, Utah Blaze and Pittsburgh Power head coach Ron James. James was also named the team's general manager.

In 2014, Emmert had trademarked the Thunder name, logo, color scheme and identity (similar to what Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did with the identity of the now-defunct Dallas Desperados in the early 2000's). As of February 3, 2016, Emmert still legally owns the trademarks of the team, despite reports to the contrary, and has no intentions of selling them to the league. Because Emmert owns the rights to the name, there is a possibility of a return of the Thunder name to the AFL or a new team named Thunder joining the Indoor Football League, but only if the Portland AFL franchise fails in 2016.

On February 24, 2016, the franchise was given a new name, re-branded the Portland Steel by the AFL. The name is derived from the region's steel industry and rich history. According to the AFL's website, the steel industry has been a backbone of the Portland working culture for over 150 years. Steel is an overtly visible part of the Portland landscape, with foundries decorating both the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, and is seen in several of the city's 12 iconic bridges.

Notable players

Current roster

Portland Steel roster
Quarterbacks 10 Shane Austin  1 Darron Thomas Fullbacks 66 Deveric Gallington Wide receivers  5 Tom Gilson 12 Tyrone Goard  6 Jared Perry 80 James Shaw 84 Darryl Thompson		Offensive linemen 79 John Collins 55 Mark Jackson 77 Kevin Myers 72 Duke Robinson 59 Visesio Salt, Jr. Defensive linemen 91 Brandon Sesay 23 Reggie Wilson		Linebackers 11 Dexter Davis 99 Robert Hayes Defensive backs  9 Sergio Gilliam 13 Arness Ikner  4 Mike McMillan 20 Bryce Peila 21 Tim Shelley  2 Christian Wise Kickers 17 Ernesto Lacayo		Injured reserve 36 Bryson Kelly DL  2 Colt Lyerla WR 64 Jarien Moreland OL -- Dakarai Pecikonis WR  1 Jabin Sambrano WR 81 Nick Truesdell WR Other league exempt -- Delano Johnson DL  8 Douglas McNeil III WR  4 Osagie Odiase DB 13 Eric Rogers WR -- Joshua Stangby WR League suspension 15 Perez Ashford WR -- Larry Banks OL -- Leonardo Bates OL 45 Adrian Hamilton DL -- Darius Savage OL 14 Maurice Williams WR Inactive reserve  3 Rashaad Carter WR  8 Terrence Mitchell DB Team suspension Currently vacant Refused to report  8 K. C. Obi DL -- Oliver Davis DB Recallable reassignment Currently vacant Rookies in italics Roster updated May 26, 2016 24 Active, 19 Inactive → More rosters

All-Arena players

The following Thunder/Steel players have been named to All-Arena Teams:

• C John Collins (1)
• LB Bryce Peila (1)
• DB Varmah Sonie (1)
• KR Duane Brooks (1)

Staff

Portland Steel staff
	Front Office Owner – Arena Football League President/CEO – Vacant General Manager - Ron James Director of Player Personnel - Vacant Director of Scouting - Vacant Director of Ticket Sales - Dave Livingston			Head Coach Head Coach – Ron James Offensive Coaches Offensive Line Coach - Ron McBride Wide Receivers - Kirk Broussard Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator - Will Mulder Defensive Lineman - Vacant	Sports Medicine Head Athletic Trainer – Vacant Team Physician – Vacant Team Physician – Vacant Team Internist – Vacant Team Neurologist – Vacant

Head coach

On October 8, 2013, Matthew Sauk was named the Thunder's inaugural head coach. Sauk had previously worked for the Utah Blaze, where he served as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator. Following the team's inaugural season, in which Sauk led Portland to a 5–13 record, Sauk was dismissed as head coach and replaced by Mike Hohensee. On August 24, 2015, Hohensee suffered the same exact fate as he and his staff mutually agreed to part ways after he coached the team to an identical 5-13 record and a second trip to the playoffs. On September 11, 2015, Andy Olson was named the team's third head coach in franchise history. On January 30, 2016, Ron James replaced Olson as head coach.

Coaching record

Name	Term	Regular Season				Playoffs		Awards
		W	L	T	Win%	W	L
Matthew Sauk	2014	5	13	0	.278	0	1
Mike Hohensee	2015	5	13	0	.278	0	1
Andy Olson	Did not coach	0	0	0	–	0	0
Ron James	2016	0	5	0	–	0	0

Season-by-season

Main article: List of Portland Steel seasons

Media

On March 11, 2014, the Thunder came to a local television deal with Comcast SportsNet Northwest. Scott Lynn did play-by-play, Jordan Kent was color analyst and Megan Berrey served as sideline reporter. (CSNNW is not carried on DirecTV or Dish Network.) Periodically, Portland Trail Blazers TV broadcaster Mike Barrett filled in on play-by-play. They also announced a radio deal with KXTG Sports Radio 750 AM with Jeremy Scott on the play-by-play and Brian Perkins as color analyst.

It is unclear who will broadcast Portland games in the future.

Media Coverage for the Steel is provided by the sports-news website SportsCoasttoCoast (SCtoC), which has covered the team since its inception in October 2013. The site features news, commentary and game conversations on the team.

See also

• Portland Rockets
• Portland Thunderbirds
• Portland Loggers
• Portland Breakers
• Milwaukee Mustangs

External links

• Official Website
• Official Facebook
• Official Twitter
• Official Instagram