Pasco area businessman Charles Vannoy "purchased" the rights to a franchise in the Northwest Football League and scheduled tryouts for April 29, 1990.  However, he ran into problems finding a field in time for the July 21 opener with the Pierce County Bengals.  Wanting to average 1,000 fans per game to break even financially, Vannoy had targeted Kennewick KHS Stadium, Edgar Brown Stadium in Pasco and Fran Rish Stadium in Richland.  The new marketing director for the Continental Basketball Association team in Yakima, found adminstrators were not keen on another organization using their already over-used facilities and beer sales were a non-starter in the Heat business plan at the school-owned fields.

In May, Vannoy announced he shelved the team for the 1990 season due to lack of facilites willing to rent to the team.  The Tri-Cities would have to wait until 2004 before getting a team when the Tri City Rattlers won the Inland Northwest League title in their one season of operation.

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