Amarillo Wranglers

The Amarillo Wranglers were the first professional hockey team in Amarillo, playing in the CHL during the 1968-69 season. The Wranglers, as you might expect, had a cowboy logo which was a departure from the Penguin of their pro affiliate. After one season, the Wranglers didn't do well at the box office and suspended operations. Their pro affiliate also had a farm club closer to home in the Baltimore Clippers. Even so, the team was restarted for the 1970-71 season, one of the few times a team that suspended operations actually came back to life. Another season didn't do the Wranglers any good though, as they won only 14 of 72 games and folded.

The Wranglers name was resurrected in 1975 for the Southwest Hockey League (SWHL). This was a senior amateur development league with home bases throughout the southwest and mountain states. This time, the logo featured the horns from a steer instead of a cartoon cowboy. The team would win the league in 1975-76, with 40 wins in 72 games. The team was renamed the Amarillo Lone Stars in December 1976, but the league wasn't viable and would fold in January 1977, before completing its second season.