Denver Avalanche

Major Indoor Soccer League (1980-1982)

Tombstone

Born: February 27, 1980 – MISL expansion franchise
Folded: August 1982

First Game: November 14, 1980 (L 10-4 @ Buffalo Stallions)
Last Game: April 30, 1982 (L 7-6 vs. St. Louis Steamers)

MISL Championships: None

Arena

McNichols Arena (16,500)
Opened: 1975
Demolished: 2000

Branding

Team Colors: Kelly Green & Royal Blue¹

Ownership

Owners: Ronald Maierhofer, Howard Maierhofer, et al.

Attendance

Tap (mobile) or mouse over chart for figures. Tilting your mobile device may offer better viewing.

Source: Kenn.com Attendance Project

Background

The Denver Avalanche were a short-lived franchise that played two seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League. The Avalanche faced a tough landscape in Denver in the early 80’s, competing head-to-head with the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and NHL’s Colorado Rockies for fans, sponsors and decent dates at McNichols Arena during the winter time.

The team was mediocre on the floor, finishing below .500 in both years of operation. Head Coach Dave Clements inexplicably won the MISL’s Coach-of-the-Year award for the 1981-82 season, despite the fact that the Avalanche had a losing record and were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the St. Louis Steamers.

The Avalanche drew moderately well, at least according to published attendance figures. Average crowds of 7,699 per match ranked 4th in the 12-team MISL in 1980-81. The Avalanche claimed 7,653 per match in their sophomore season, good for fifth in the league. Regardless, the team was out of money by the spring of 1982 and entered bankruptcy soon afterwards.

Demise & Aftermath

The MISL granted the bankrupt club a leave of absence during the 1982-83 season, but did not formally terminate the Avalanche’s league membership. On June 29, 1983, investors from Tacoma, Washington purchased the few remaining assets of the Avalanche through the bankruptcy court. The franchise was re-admitted to the MISL for the 1983-84 season as the Tacoma Stars. The Stars would go on to play for nine seasons from 1983 to 1992.

In 2009, nearly three decades after the demise of the team, former owner Ronald Maierhofer published a memoir about his experiences running the Avalanche (with no money). No Money Down! How to Buy a Sports Franchise is available through Amazon in both hard copy and Kindle formats.