The Michigan Thunderbirds began July 9, 1977, when a 17 year old, Kevin Wolf, decided to ride with a friend who had been drinking. The car accident that resulted left Kevin with a spinal cord injury, a ticket out of the US Air Force, and a whole new lifestyle. During college in 1980-82, Kevin played on a wheelchair basketball team in Saginaw that was part of the Michigan Wheelchair Basketball Association (MWBA).

The MWBA included teams in Detroit, Saginaw, Flint and Lansing. After graduating from college and moving to the Ann Arbor area in 1983, Kevin joined the Oakland County Spinners. In 1985, he became employed at the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living (AACIL) and became responsible for providing services to people with new spinal cord injuries. As part of the AACIL's mission to increase recreational opportunities Kevin and a neighbor, Calvin Skalski, started a new team in Ann Arbor named after the US Air Force Thunderbirds flying team.

The Thunderbirds played in the MWBA until 1994 when we added Jerry Sarasin, Donald Moore, and several other players from local MWBA teams and joined the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA). In our first year in the Mid-American Conference, we exceeded our goal of having a .500 season and won the conference title. Kris Lenzo, a talented local player who had practiced with the team for several years but played with the Quickie team in California was one of the players who joined the TBirds in the 1996 season. The new player provided a boost to the core line-up and the Thunderbirds won the NWBA Division II National Championship.

Playing in the NWBA led to more travel, and for several years the increased costs were met through our association with Athletes Unlimited, a new wheelchair sports organization. In 2000, we connected with Boss Marketing which has led to additional opportunities for the team and the NWBA. Through door-to-door sales of coupon books, they have raised awareness of the team and provided sponsorship that has allowed us to play in the top tournaments in the country.

In 2002 we moved to the top division in the NWBA. This not only allowed us to play against the best teams in the country, but also provided the opportunity to add players from a wider area. With the addition of Audie Kemp, Chuck Badger, and all-world talent Pat Anderson the team received instant respect. Coaches Darryl Waller and Corey Bell molded a unit that improved all season. We were ranked fourth going into the national tournament in Phoenix, Arizona in March 2003. In the semi-finals we upset the top seed and defending national champions Milwaukee Bucks. The TBirds were defeated by the Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks in the championship game but were very happy to finish that high in our first season. For the 2004 season, Hall of Famer Dave Kiley has joined Corey Bell on the coaching staff and the TBirds expect to remain among the top teams nationally.

The Michigan Thunderbirds Today

The organization continues to thrive, and past and present players have had many opportunities. Jason Nelms and Mike Paye are currently starting for the University of Texas team and Glen Ashlock and Lenny Maclin traveled to South Korea as part of the first US team to participate in the Holt Cup. Denny Muha went to Australia and Matt Scott went to Brazil on the US Junior teams. Mo Phillips is the head coach, Tree Waller is an assistant coach, and Robin Ashlock the team leader for the US National men's team that won the gold medal in the 2002 World Championship in Japan. The Thunderbirds have played in the annual Spitfire tournament in Ontario and organized and participated in Gus Macker Tournaments in Port Huron and Ypsilanti . Team members frequently participate in disability awareness programs in schools and the community.

The Thunderbirds also participate in hand cycling races and rides. In addition to the 2-day Michigander ride, the team completed the 3-day "Cycle to the Sea" ride from Charlotte, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC this year. We have had riders in races in Michigan, Illinois and Florida. This season we participated in the national hand cycling championships in the criterium, road race, and time trials. Thunderbird riders took first and third in the Debates-Devos race in Detroit.