Tampa Bay Rowdies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tampa Bay Rowdies were a professional soccer team from Tampa, Florida, USA. The team played in the North American Soccer League until the league's dissolution and then went on to play in other leagues before finally folding in 1993.
The Rowdies played their home games at Tampa Stadium, except for their indoor games which were played at Bayfront Center Arena in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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[edit] NASL
Originally founded as a North American Soccer League expansion franchise in 1975 by George Strawbridge, the Rowdies played ten seasons at Tampa Stadium and won their only Soccer Bowl championship in their inaugural season defeating the Portland Timbers 2-0. The Rowdies lost in the finals in 1978 and 1979. The team showcased international stars such as midfield captain Rodney Marsh (England), swift and lethal forward Steve Wegerle (South Africa), rock-solid defenseman Arsene Auguste (Haiti), and popular player and high goal-scoring Derek Smethurst (South Africa). Coached by Eddie Firmani, John Boyle, and Gordon Jago, their catch phrase and marketing slogan was "The Rowdies arrrre...a kick in the grass!"
Fans of the Rowdies were dubbed Fannies. The most famous Fannies were the notorious North End Zone Gang (AKA the Ozone, the Yellow Card Section, The Mooners and the Village Idiots). The gang of college aged beer swilling fans were known for their wild antics, including throwing dead mullets dressed in mini Ft. Lauderdale Strikers uniforms onto the field.
[edit] NASL Indoor Soccer
The Rowdies also fielded an indoor soccer team from 1975-1984 and were two-time champions. After the 1983 season, the team was sold to Stella Thayer, Bob Blanchard and Dick Corbett.
[edit] Post-NASL
After the demise of the NASL in 1984, Cornelia Corbett became sole owner of the team in 1986. With Rodney Marsh as coach, the Rowdies operated as an independent team for two years before joining the American Indoor Soccer Association for one season (1986-87). In the summer of 1988, the Rowdies joined the third incarnation of the American Soccer League. They would stay in this league and its successor (the APSL) until they folded after the 1993 season.
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | Record | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs | Leading Goal Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 16-6 | 1st, Eastern Division | NASL Champions | Derek Smethurst-18, Stewart Scullion-7, John Sissons-5 |
| 1976 | 18-6 | 1st, Eastern Division, Atlantic Conference | Atlantic Conference Championship | Derek Smethurst-20, Rodney Marsh-11, Stewart Scullion-10, Clyde Best-9 |
| 1977 | 14-12 | 3rd, Eastern Division, Atlantic Conference | Divisional Playoffs | Derek Smethurst-19, Rodney Marsh-8, Steve Wegerle-5 |
| 1978 | 18-12 | 1st, Eastern Division, American Conference | Runners-up | Rodney Marsh-18, David Robb-16 |
| 1979 | 19-11 | 1st, Eastern Division, American Conference | Runners-up | Oscar Fabbiani-25, Rodney Marsh-11, |
| 1980 | 19-13 | 1st, Eastern Division, American Conference | American Conference Semifinals | Steve Wegerle-9 |
| 1981 | 15-17 | 4th, Southern Division | Quarterfinals | Frank Worthington-11 |
| 1982 | 12-20 | 3rd, Southern Division | Did Not Qualify | Luis Fernando-16 |
| 1983 | 7-23 | 3rd, Southern Division | Did Not Qualify | Manny Rojas-8 |
| 1984 | 9-15 | 4th, Eastern Division | Did Not Qualify | Roy Wegerle, Neill Roberts-9 |
[edit] Honors
NASL Championships
- 1975
Division Titles
- 1975 Eastern Division
- 1976 Eastern Division, Atlantic Conference
- 1978 Eastern Division, American Conference
- 1979 Eastern Division, American Conference
- 1980 Eastern Division, American Conference
Coach of the Year
- 1976 Eddie Firmani
Rookie of the Year
- 1982 Pedro DeBrito
- 1983 Gregg Thompson
- 1984 Roy Wegerle
All-Star First Team Selections
- 1975 Farrukh Quraishi
- 1976 Rodney Marsh, Arnie Mausser, Tommy Smith
- 1977 Derek Smethurst
- 1978 Rodney Marsh
- 1979 Mike Connell
- 1980 Mike Connell
- 1981 John Gorman
- 1982 Peter Nogly
All-Star Second Team Selections
- 1975 John Boyle, Stewart Jump, Stewart Scullion
- 1976 Stewart Jump, Stewart Scullion, Derek Smethurst
- 1977 Arsene Auguste, Rodney Marsh, Steve Wegerle
- 1978 Arsene Auguste, Steve Wegerle
- 1979 Oscar Fabbiani, John Gorman
- 1980 Steve Wegerle
All-Star Honorable Mentions
- 1975 Clyde Best, John Sissons, Derek Smethurst
- 1979 Rodney Marsh, Steve Wegerle
- 1980 John Gorman
- 1982 Mike Connell
- 1983 Gregg Thompson
- 1984 Gregg Thompson
[edit] Head Coaches
- Eddie Firmani 1975 - 1977
- John Boyle 1977
- Gordon Jago 1978 - 1982
- Al Miller 1983
- Rodney Marsh 1984
[edit] Yearly Average Attendance
- 1975 - 10,728
- 1976 - 16,452
- 1977 - 19,491
- 1978 - 18,123
- 1979 - 27,650
- 1980 - 28,345
- 1981 - 22,532
- 1982 - 22,532
- 1983 - 18,507
- 1984 - 10,932
[edit] AISA
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986/87 | N/A | AISA | 3rd, Southern | Quarterfinals | N/A |
[edit] ASL/APSL
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | N/A | ASL | 3rd, Southern | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
| 1989 | N/A | ASL | 1st, Southern | Semifinals | Did not enter |
| 1990 | N/A | APSL | 2nd, ASL South | ASL Semifinals | Did not enter |
| 1991 | N/A | APSL | 3rd, American | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
| 1992 | N/A | APSL | 2nd | Final | Did not enter |
| 1993 | N/A | APSL | 3rd | Semifinals | Did not enter |
