Before the first ball ever bounced off the boards in Market Square Arena, the Indianapolis Twisters were nothing more than an ambitious idea.
But 30 years ago today — March 26, 1996 — that idea gained a name and an identity when the club’s moniker, colors and logo were officially announced.
The unveiling came barely two and a half months before the CISL expansion franchise was to play its first game at Market Square Arena. Everything about the organization was moving fast. Maybe too fast.
And now, three decades later, we finally know the real story behind the name.
Officially, the Twisters held a “Name the Team” contest, as many new franchises do, to give potential fans an early connection and “buy-in.” Fans submitted ideas ranging from the sensible to the bizarre. Among the 250 entries were names like Speed, Kick, and even Dentists. In the end, Marc Morrison and Dusty Pope were declared the winners for submitting “Tornados.”
But according to original marketing consultant Matt Dockstader, the organization already knew where it was heading.
“Once we had the tie-in with Warner Bros.,” Dockstader recalled on Episode 10 of ‘Let’s Twist Again1Which, sadly, will never see the light of day because of severe audio problems.,’ “that was pretty much it.”
The timing was impossible to ignore. Warner Bros.’ summer blockbuster, Twister, was scheduled for release on May 10, 1996 — just over a month before the Twisters’ home opener. Dockstader said the club was able to work with regional Warner Bros. representatives on promotional tie-ins, theater appearances, and marketing partnerships designed to capitalize on the movie’s buzz.
“If the contest had come up with something that knocked the owners’ socks off, maybe we would have considered it,” Dockstader admitted. “But once we had the tie-in…I thought ‘Twisters’ was a pretty cool name and concept.”
The tornado theme quickly became the centerpiece of the team’s identity. Posters like the one at right promised action that would “Make Your Head Spin,” and the home opener even featured an ambitious tornado-style pregame introduction involving smoke, lighting effects, and pyrotechnics.
Dockstader laughed remembering that part, which was something less than cinematic.
“The smoke came up,” he recalled, “and it was cool…but it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
While Twister became the second-highest-grossing film of 1996 (behind Independence Day) with a worldwide take of just under half a billion dollars, its namesake indoor soccer team lasted just two years and lost more than a million dollars. Still, those who lived those two years remember them vividly, and still talk about those summers fondly.
Check out all the episodes of “Let’s Twist Again” on our new YouTube channel, Indy Twisters TV, and subscribe to follow our monthly live stream/podcast series.
