The franchise joined the NAHL as the Albert Lea Thunder, located in Albert Lea, Minnesota, in 2008. During the second season, issues with ownership forced the league to step in to keep the team playing.[3] On May 11, 2010, it was reported that the team had found new owners and would relocate to Texas for the 2010–11 season.[4] Their franchise and roster were officially sold to the Amarillo ownership on May 26, 2010. On June 18, the team announced the new name, logo and colors of the team after a name-the-team contest.[5]
The Amarillo Bulls announced their inaugural coach as Denis Williams, former NCAADivision I coach at Bowling Green.[6] On May 13, 2013, the Bulls captured their first Robertson Cup Championship defeating the Wenatchee Wild 5–0 in the championship game. Following the 2013–14 season, coach Williams was named as the head coach of the expansion Bloomington Thunder of the United States Hockey League, a Tier I team and a recent addition to the Consolidated Sports Holdings portfolio.
In 2019, the team was sold to F&S Management Company LLC led by majority owner Alberto Fernandez.[7] On March 5, 2021, it was announced that the team would relocate to Mason City, Iowa, starting in the 2021–22 season[8] as the North Iowa Bulls, an organization that had been operating in the North American 3 Hockey League and also owned by Fernandez.[9][10]
The Bulls were replaced in Amarillo by the Amarillo Wranglers in the 2021–22 season.[11]
