When it comes to longevity in the modern era of semi-pro football, the Oregon Thunderbolts were one of the benchmarks for the Northwest region.  One of the most decorated teams in the region, the T-bolts had 9 out of 11 years with at least one league MVP  or major award winner from 1997-2008.
 
Established in 1989 by Dick Seuss, the Thunderbolts immediately took the reigns as kings of the Northwest Football League which had just restarted in 1988 after the collapse of the Northwest Football Alliance that had been dominated by the Auburn Panthers from 1984-1987.  The T-bolts reclaimed the top spot in 1991 under new owner Dalroy Connell when Seuss left to work indoors with the PIFL. 
 
The first players signed in 1989 included QB Todd Greenough (Willamette), OL John Weeks (Linfield College), OL Rod Losier (Linfield College), LB Paul Saunders (Oregon State), S Dave Brannon (Oregon State), LB Wade Ferguson (Western Oregon), LB Mike Short (Western Oregon), S Mike Peterson (Lebanon HS),  and DL Pellom McDaniels (Oregon State) who played for 3 weeks before signing with the World League's Birmingham franchise.

Playing undefeated through the NWFL schedule during the 1989 and 1990 seasons, grumblings about the Portland franchise began, and at the close of the 1990 season, it was being reported that Dick Suess along with former NFL coach Lou Saban were exploring taking the Thunderbolts to a new United States Football Association venture just as NWFL playoffs were beginning.  The venture was pushed as the "new USFL" of which the Portland Breakers had been a part of in the 1980's.  The grumblings reached a head with the NWFL and Thunderbolts disagreeing on a site for the NWFL Championship leading to the forfeiture of the game by Oregon.  Suess would depart from the team, new ownership would take over and Oregon returned to the NWFL in 1991 and the USFA venture collapsed with Saban taking a coaching job with NAIA Peru State College in Nebraska for 1991.

Paul Saunders, one of the top defenders in the region for the past two seasons was named the Northwest Player of the Year after being named an AFA All-American in 1990.
 
The 1992 Thunderbolts were 9-0 when the NWFL battled with playoff formats and locations, which sent a disgruntled Oregon to join the American Football Association playoffs defeating the Southern California Storm, before facing the defending National Champion Fresno Bandits.  The T-Bolts would travel without 15 key players including leading rusher Tim Mitchell, nearly 3 months since their last NWFL game and two-weeks removed from a previous California trek.
 
Concerned with Calvin Griggs, the Bandits went after recent San Francisco 49ers practice squad member John Robert Holland to cover Griggs.  The Fresno Bee also reported wideout Ross Ortega of Nevada and center Myron Adams of UNLV would be signed prior to the game.  Fresno would win 27-17 with 2 FGs by a then 26-yr old Paul Assad today nicknamed "The Kick Doctor".  Starting QB Jack Stanley, a 1987 Washington Redskins strike player, was knocked out by injury after going 2-8 for 4 yards.  Mike Hasskamp came in and connected with Griggs for a 43-yard TD in the 4th Quarter.  Griggs would make it back-to-back for the Thunderbolts as he was the top player in the region winning NWFL MVP and Northwest Player of the Year honors.
 
In March of 1993, a news article reported the folding of the Thunderbolts franchise citing economic conditions and lack of support.  A sale of the franchise to a Gresham businessman reportedly fell through and the "previous owner and coach left the Thunderbolts for dead" according to one Oregonian writer, the second time in since 1990 the teams ownership abandoned ship of a winning franchise.  The Bolts would be resurrected under new management in May and take the place of the Eugene Blast on the NWFL schedule and returned to winning form. (game information is missing from 1993-1995 as well as all-league awards)
 
Heading into the 1995 AFA Playoffs against the California Dolphins, the Thunderbolts bolstered their roster with 1st Team All-NWFL selections QB Lance Westerndorf and WR Naamon Archer from the Cavaliers.

Oregon Thunderbolts versus California Dolphins

After a grueling 1998 campaign, 1999's setbacks to a 7-3 record were not completely unexpected as the Puget Sound Jets began to reascend in the league and national picture.  It did mark the debut of center Rod Wilson who was the NWFL Rookie of the Year and AFA All-American first team selection, while Clasen again earned NWFL Defensive MVP honors.  Wilson would play with the Jets in 2002 and win a National Championship and repeat in 2003 with the Eastside Hawks, before moving over to the West Sound Saints in 2004.

T-Bolt linebacker Calvin Armstead would continue Portland's steak of major award winners in 2001 as NWFL MVP and All-America selection, he would go on to earn another MVP honor in the Rocky Mountain Football League with the Magic Valley Bulldawgs in 2009.
 
The team took the 2002 season off to reorganize following three consecutive seven-win seasons and came back to a bit of struggle in 2003 when there were 4 teams in the Portland area.  The next three seasons would be mid-NWFL play for Portland, as the T-Bolts hovered just about the .500 mark but did feature NWFL Rookies of the Year in each season and quarterback Ivan McCrae earning NWFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2006.
 
2007 would be the year the Thunderbolts finally returned to the NWFL championship game.  The Jaguars mauled the T-bolts 34-0 and in 2008 the Titans (majority of Jags players) defeated Oregon 7-3 in the final once again denying Portland a return to the championship podium.
 
Late in the spring of 2009 the T-bolts announced a league change.  They would be leaving what was left of the NWFL behind to start a new venture with the Bellingham Blitz and Tacoma Cobras called the Professional Developmental Football League.  This league, which was originally supposed to be a "pro" league called the Next Level Football League announced it would be semi-pro in 2009 but "pro" in 2010 with the members scheduling non-league games with other area teams to fill gaps in the schedule.
 
The Thunderbolts won the inaugural game by beating the Cobras 12-10 on June 27, 2009, but could not top the Blitz in two matchups and lost to the Cobras later in the season.  The Thunderbolts would try the PDFL for one more season finishing 2-5 before ending one of the longest lasting franchises after 21 seasons of play and over 170 franchise wins, at the time, the most in regional history while also holding the top spot for highest winning percentage for a franchise that played over 200 games (71.9% win rate).

In 2013 a one-year franchise used the Thunderbolts inspiration as a final entrant to the PDFL as the "Portland Boltz" which was primarily made up of former Portland Monarchs coaches, staff and players along with former Portland Raiders and new recruits.  The PDFL was collapsing and after much internet hoopla, the league descended into a two-team league with only the newly minted "Boltz" and Tacoma Cobras surviving to play games.  The Boltz finished 4-0 on the field with most of the scheduled games being cancelled down the stretch.

The Boltz would shut down after the June 15th, 2013 "Championship" game with the Cobras and reunite under the Raiders banner immediately turning that franchise from a 2-8 team in 2013 to 12-1 Pacific League and 2014 Greater Northwest Regional Champions just as the majority of the team had left in 2012 as the Portland Monarchs, 11-0 Pacific League and Regional Champions.

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