Quad City Thunder

The Quad City Thunder was a Continental Basketball Association (CBA) franchise that was based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. They played in the CBA from the 1987–88 season until the CBA folded in 2001. The Thunder were successful on the court, capturing CBA championships in the 1993–94 and 1997–98 seasons, and runner-up in the 1990–91 season. The Thunder played in Moline, Illinois, first at Wharton Field House before moving to the new MARK of the Quad Cities in 1993. History The Thunder first began play at the Wharton Field House in Moline, Illinois, (former home of the NBA's Tri-Cities Blackhawks) in the 1987–88 season, with 6,047 fans attending the first home game. The Thunder were the first professional basketball franchise in the Quad Cities since the Tri-Cities Blackhawks moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1953. Initially a great success in the CBA, the Thunder struggled with attendance towards the end of their existence, especially with competition from their co-tenants at the Mark, the Quad City Mallards hockey team. During their existence, the franchise was owned by Anne Potter DeLong (1987–1997), Jay Gellerman (1997–1999), Isiah Thomas (1999–2000) and a Blind Trust (2000–2001). The Thunder folded when the CBA ceased operations following the 2000–01 season. In 1992, history was made when, for the first time in the 45-year history of U.S. professional basketball, a father and son opposed one another as head coaches. Former Thunder Coach Mauro Panaggio went head to head against son Dan Panaggio when Mauro's Rockford Lightning played Dan's Quad City Thunder. Championship seasons