Tornado Foosball Table History
History of the Company
1970-1976: Since the brand was founded in Dallas, Texas, the brand name was originally inspired by two elements: a weather phenomena that is common within the plains states and also the name of the Dallas Tornado soccer franchise that played from 1967 to 1981. The original owners of Tornado, Bob Hayes and Bob Furr, wanted to make a nod to their local pro soccer team and used the "D" for Dallas Tornados since foosball is inspired by the sport. Hayes then solicits and receives permission from multi-millionaire Lamar Hunt, owner of the Dallas Tornado pro soccer team, to use the Dallas Tornado logo and name.
Lamar Hunt (also the owner of the NFL Dallas Texans which later became the Kansas City Chiefs) owned the Dallas Tornados and after a few years in business he approached Bob Hayes and Bob Furr, and asked them to change their logo to avoid brand confusion. After that, the letter T appeared behind the soccer ball and the logo has been similar with some color improvements to modernize it over the years. If you find one of the original high end tables you may be able to find a serial number marking "Bob Hayes Sports Systems, Inc. Suite 333, 6008 Ridgecrest, Dallas, Texas 75231."
1970-1976: Since the brand was founded in Dallas, Texas, the brand name was originally inspired by two elements: a weather phenomena that is common within the plains states and also the name of the Dallas Tornado soccer franchise that played from 1967 to 1981. The original owners of Tornado, Bob Hayes and Bob Furr, wanted to make a nod to their local pro soccer team and used the "D" for Dallas Tornados since foosball is inspired by the sport. Hayes then solicits and receives permission from multi-millionaire Lamar Hunt, owner of the Dallas Tornado pro soccer team, to use the Dallas Tornado logo and name.
Lamar Hunt (also the owner of the NFL Dallas Texans which later became the Kansas City Chiefs) owned the Dallas Tornados and after a few years in business he approached Bob Hayes and Bob Furr, and asked them to change their logo to avoid brand confusion. After that, the letter T appeared behind the soccer ball and the logo has been similar with some color improvements to modernize it over the years. If you find one of the original high end tables you may be able to find a serial number marking "Bob Hayes Sports Systems, Inc. Suite 333, 6008 Ridgecrest, Dallas, Texas 75231."
Evolution of the Tornado Brand Logo
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History of Tornado Foosball Tables
1977-1995: When Hayes sold the company to Ed McCloud in 1977, he renamed it Tornado Table Soccer. Ed was responsible for all the later design changes (split bearings on high end tables in 1981, three man goalie in 1981, updated player design in 1986, bumpers without a washer in 1986, new ball in 1991). Their second generation after the tables with the "D" logos were the CO2000, TP2000, and HM2000 models. The third generation tables were named after the intensity of actual tornado and natural storm weather. Starting off with the Zephyr, Thunder and Whirlwind as their lower level entry options for home usage all the way through to the more intense storms like the Hurricane, Twister, Twister II, Storm, Storm II, Cyclone, Cyclone II, and ultimately, the F-5.
1996-1997: Ed McCloud sold Tornado to Valley Recreational Products in 1996.
1998-2002: In 1998 Valley Recreation Products and Dynamo Corporation merged creating Valley-Dynamo.
2003-2008: Brunswick Billiards purchased the Tornado from 2002-2009. During 2007-2009 there was a two year period where the Thunder, Whirlwind, Storm, F5 and Cyclone home models were imported. You can definitely tell just by looking at their different cabinet color finishings that these were a different product. The other interesting fact is that Brunswick released very similar table models under their logo during this time period. The Thunder is similar to their Kicker, the Whirlwind is like the Scorer and the Storm is their Champion model.
2009-Present: Champion Shuffleboard bought Valley-Dynamo from Brunswick in 2009 and immediately moved all manufacturing back to Richland Hills, TX USA. In 2012, they decided to take all their brands back together under one roof in Richland Hills, TX to create the largest Billiard, Air Hockey, Foosball, Shuffleboard and accessories manufacturer in the world, Valley-Dynamo L.P.
They have deviated from this naming convention in more recent years with the addition of the latest models when they added the Sport, Classic, Elite, Madison, Reagan, Venetian, Arch, and Rustic. Regardless of the naming convention, we recommend all of these tables as this company makes the best tables on the market.
We would say that if you are planning to have a table for a long time and get a lot of use out of it, you should spend more for the better features. These options are nice to have like adjustable leg levelers, counterbalanced men, better handles, and a thicker, more sturdy cabinet design. One key element of almost all design changes ever made even to date is the ability to retro-fit to previous models. This gives Tornado a complete competitive advantage over other manufacturers to be able to service customers after a purchase. These tables are built to last, but finding a replacement part from other companies is nearly impossible so you might as well throw it away. With Tornado, you get a quality product you can find parts for and even upgrade them to the latest innovation down the road. Plus, one of the biggest benefits of owning one of their products is you can easily find branded replacement parts. If you purchase from a different manufacturer you run the risk they will go out of business or have to source universal parts that won't fit because actual table parts can be extremely hard to find.
Today, they are the only American-style manufacturer that makes an International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF) professional table that is approved to be played on any world circuit. The model that is approved is their Tournament 3000 and it gets our stamp of the best that money can buy.
1977-1995: When Hayes sold the company to Ed McCloud in 1977, he renamed it Tornado Table Soccer. Ed was responsible for all the later design changes (split bearings on high end tables in 1981, three man goalie in 1981, updated player design in 1986, bumpers without a washer in 1986, new ball in 1991). Their second generation after the tables with the "D" logos were the CO2000, TP2000, and HM2000 models. The third generation tables were named after the intensity of actual tornado and natural storm weather. Starting off with the Zephyr, Thunder and Whirlwind as their lower level entry options for home usage all the way through to the more intense storms like the Hurricane, Twister, Twister II, Storm, Storm II, Cyclone, Cyclone II, and ultimately, the F-5.
1996-1997: Ed McCloud sold Tornado to Valley Recreational Products in 1996.
1998-2002: In 1998 Valley Recreation Products and Dynamo Corporation merged creating Valley-Dynamo.
2003-2008: Brunswick Billiards purchased the Tornado from 2002-2009. During 2007-2009 there was a two year period where the Thunder, Whirlwind, Storm, F5 and Cyclone home models were imported. You can definitely tell just by looking at their different cabinet color finishings that these were a different product. The other interesting fact is that Brunswick released very similar table models under their logo during this time period. The Thunder is similar to their Kicker, the Whirlwind is like the Scorer and the Storm is their Champion model.
2009-Present: Champion Shuffleboard bought Valley-Dynamo from Brunswick in 2009 and immediately moved all manufacturing back to Richland Hills, TX USA. In 2012, they decided to take all their brands back together under one roof in Richland Hills, TX to create the largest Billiard, Air Hockey, Foosball, Shuffleboard and accessories manufacturer in the world, Valley-Dynamo L.P.
They have deviated from this naming convention in more recent years with the addition of the latest models when they added the Sport, Classic, Elite, Madison, Reagan, Venetian, Arch, and Rustic. Regardless of the naming convention, we recommend all of these tables as this company makes the best tables on the market.
We would say that if you are planning to have a table for a long time and get a lot of use out of it, you should spend more for the better features. These options are nice to have like adjustable leg levelers, counterbalanced men, better handles, and a thicker, more sturdy cabinet design. One key element of almost all design changes ever made even to date is the ability to retro-fit to previous models. This gives Tornado a complete competitive advantage over other manufacturers to be able to service customers after a purchase. These tables are built to last, but finding a replacement part from other companies is nearly impossible so you might as well throw it away. With Tornado, you get a quality product you can find parts for and even upgrade them to the latest innovation down the road. Plus, one of the biggest benefits of owning one of their products is you can easily find branded replacement parts. If you purchase from a different manufacturer you run the risk they will go out of business or have to source universal parts that won't fit because actual table parts can be extremely hard to find.
Today, they are the only American-style manufacturer that makes an International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF) professional table that is approved to be played on any world circuit. The model that is approved is their Tournament 3000 and it gets our stamp of the best that money can buy.
WHen was my tornado Table made?
Unfortunately, while the original high end split table models (both home and coin-op) are both marked with serial numbers, there are no serial records that provides the dates when they were originally manufactured. The original mid to lower end tables don't even have serial numbers so that makes it even more difficult to determine its age. Once the company became more sophisticated with their record keeping, this led to retiring the “Weather phenomena” names of the tables (Thunder, F-5, Storm, Cyclone, Whirlwind, Hurricane and Twister). Someone could have a Storm that was 2 weeks old, 2 years old, or 2 decades old due to the lack of serial numbers.
If you do find an old table that has sloped corners on both sides of the goalie box and men with squared legs instead of the pointed toe, you likely have an original first generation model from the 1970s.
If you do find an old table that has sloped corners on both sides of the goalie box and men with squared legs instead of the pointed toe, you likely have an original first generation model from the 1970s.
Where are Tornado Tables Built?
Since 2009, all tables are built in the U.S. in Richland Hills TX. During 2007-2009 there was a two year period where coin and T-3000 tables were built in Grand Prairie, TX and other non-coin models were imported from Asia. This is because the company was owned by Brunswick from 2002-2009. At various times prior, a few entry-level models like the Hurricane and Zephyr were imported, but more upscale home models and all split-cabinet tables were always US built.
