Over the years we have provided activities for boys and girls in football and cheerleading, boys and girls basketball, soccor and girls softball. The following is a brief history of the Little Loop Corporation.

 

1960  The first team was formed calling themselves the Cleveland Hill Mighty Mites. This was a 13 -14 year old group whose weight class was 112 lbs. The team entered into the TYRO Football League. This was the only football organization in Cheektowaga.

 

1962  A 90lbs weight class for boys 10 -12 year old was formed. These teams have now developed into what we presently know as the 150 and 125 lbs. teams. Our children are getting bigger!!

 

1965  The Cheektowaga Little Loop Athletic Association Inc. was formed by thirteen men from Cheektowaga with a New York State Corporation Charter. Our constitution is on file in Albany. We are bound to perform within the articles of the corporation's charter. We adopted the name Thunderbirds for our teams and for our logo. It was difficult for TYRO officals to accept that we had two teams playing in different divisions with the same name so we kept the name Thunderbirds for the 10 -12 year olds and called the 13 -14 year olds the Thunderchiefs.

 

1966  The Thunderchiefs went to the TYRO "Milk Bowl" giving the organization a feeling of great sucess in a short period of time.

We formed boys and girls basketball for ages 10 -15. The games were played at Cleveland Hill Elementary School.

In the same year the organization started up girls softball for ages 10 -15. Girls from all parts of Cheektowaga played in our league. Again we were the only league in town. Games were played on the diamonds that the Cleveland Hill Little League were not using anymore at Harlem and Genese streets. Many of these girls went on to play for their high school teams.

 

1967  The 10 to 12 year old Thunderbirds went to the TYRO "Milk Bowl" played the week before Thanksgiving. At this time the girls Cheerleading was formed. The cheerleading squad consisted of just eight girls.

 

1969  There were so many boys registered for the 10 -12 year old team(54) that another team was formed. This additional team played in the Western New York Football League which consisted mostly of city teams from Buffalo.

 

1970's  Other teams were formed in the town of Cheektowaga including St. Barnabus and latter Airlanes. These formations reduced the number of kids to draw from in the area and we were forced to dissolve the team in the W.NY. League. However a 7 -10 year old team was formed and we called them the Thunderbolts. We were still members of the TYRO Football League at this time.

 

During the 70's we were approached by both the Amherst and Kensington Football Organizations to join forces with us. They wanted us to take on both their players and board members. We explained that we were a Cheektowaga organization created as a vehicle to provide entertainment for the youth of Cheektowaga. The organization wanted to maintain a venue predominatly for the children who reside in and attend school in the town of Cheektowaga.This feeling holds true today. As stated in our constitution we are open to all participants who reside in the town of Cheektowaga but not necessarily limited to said town.

 

1980's  During this period Cheektowaga Little Loop became a member of the OATKA Football League. This was to be a strictly suburban league whose games were to be played on Saturdays instead of the traditional Sundays. We traveled out to Pembrook, East Aurora, North Collins, Evans, E.M.W., Hamburg and Carnegie Scranton to name a few. We were held in high regard by all the organizations.

 

1990's  1990 was a povital year for the organization. We finally got a home field. We played our games at Cleveland Hill H.S., at Harlem and Genese Streets, along Harlem Road in Town Park, at Maryvale Elementary School, Reim Road and finally At Town Park. It took over ten years of hard work and promotion to secure a home field for Cheektowaga Little Loop. We thank all the past Board members who devoted their time and energy in acheiving this great task. Thanks to them we had a field and concession stand we could call our own.

 

1999 to 2003  This was a very difficult period for the organization. Lack of leadership and a division among the Board of Directors as to the way the organization should be operated almost lead to its self destruction. Personal ambitions of the adults had replaced the philosophy that this was a youth organization which should run on their behalf. Long time members were forced leave the organization.  We lost our respectability not only with the Town of Cheektowaga and the other football organizations and leagues in the area but most importantly we lost our credibility with the kids and parents for whom this organization was established for. Registration of kids from the Cheektowaga area dropped dramatically and the Thunderbirds were losing their idenity as a Cheektowaga organization. We were at a crossroads ..... rebuild or dissolve the organization!!!