The Tampa Bay Rowdies were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team based in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough ...

, that competed in the original

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league ba ...

(NASL) from 1975 to 1984. They enjoyed broad popular support in the Tampa Bay area until the NASL folded in 1984, after which the team played in various minor indoor and outdoor leagues before finally folding on January 31, 1994. The Rowdies played nearly all of their outdoor home games at

Tampa Stadium Tampa Stadium (nicknamed The Big Sombrero and briefly known as Houlihan's Stadium) was a large open-air stadium (maximum capacity about 74,000) located in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The faci ...

and nearly all of their indoor games at the Bayfront Center Arena in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida. Although

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

played indoors until 1996, the Rowdies were the last surviving NASL franchise that played outdoor soccer on a regular basis.

NASL: 1975–1984

On June 19, 1974 George Strawbridge and Beau Rogers, IV purchased an expansion franchise in

for the sum of $25,000 and by July 24 they named Eddie Firmani their coach. In October 1974,

Alex Pringle Alex Pringle (born 8 November 1948) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender. Active in Scotland and the United States, Pringle made over 100 appearances in a 10-year career. Career Born in Edinburgh, Pringle play ...

becomes the first player to sign with the team. On November 21, 1974, the ''Tampa Bay Professional Soccer Club'' announced that they would henceforth be known as the ''Tampa Bay Rowdies''. The Rowdies played ten seasons at

and won their only

Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League, which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's founding ...

championship in their 1975 inaugural season, defeating the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at ...

2–0 on August 24. The Rowdies also finished as runners-up in

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...

and 1979. The team showcased international stars such as midfielder, and team captain

Rodney Marsh Rodney William Marsh (born 11 October 1944) is an English former footballer and football coach; he later worked as a broadcaster. A forward, he won nine caps for England between 1971 and 1973, scoring one international goal. Brought up in th ...

(England), 1979 league scoring leader Óscar Fabbiani (Chile), swift and forward Steve Wegerle (South Africa), rock-solid defenseman Arsene Auguste (Haiti), 1976 NASL goal scoring champion Derek Smethurst (South Africa), who was also the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer with 57 tallies in 65 games, as well as forward Clyde Best (Bermuda). Coached along the way by Firmani, John Boyle,

Gordon Jago Gordon Harold Jago (born 22 October 1932) is an English former football player and manager, and the former director of the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup international youth tournament. Playing career Born in Poplar, London, Jago began his professiona ...

, Al Miller, and Marsh after his retirement, their catch phrase and marketing slogan was "The Rowdies arrrre...a kick in the grass!" While no NASL team ever captured a treble, in 1975–76 Tampa Bay came the closest by winning the three different NASL titles available at the time ( Soccer Bowl '75, 1976 Indoor Title, 1976 Regular Season title) in succession within twelve months. On and off the pitch, the Rowdies would prove to be one of the league's most recognizable brands. At one three-year point in their history, the team regularly drew crowds of well over 25,000 a night. In 1979 three different matches were attended by over 40,000 people, and the following year two more surpassed the 50,000 mark. The Rowdies had long-standing rivalries with both the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers and the New York Cosmos. Following the 1981 season the

Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. T ...

merged with Tampa Bay. At the time, Dallas principals Lamar Hunt and Bill McNutt retained a minority stake in the Rowdies. Two years later after the 1983 season, Strawbidge, Hunt and McNutt sold the team outright to local investors Stella Thayer, Bob Blanchard and Dick Corbett.

Year-by-year

Home attendance records

''*playoff game''

NASL Indoor Soccer

In the winter of

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, the NASL ran a two-tiered, 16 team indoor tournament with four regional winners meeting in a "final-four" style championship. The Rowdies defeated the New York Cosmos 13–5 in the semi-final, before losing 8–5 to the host

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

in the finals on March 16 at the Cow Palace. The Rowdies again reached the final-four in 1976, but that year were the host team. This time Tampa Bay would not be denied, as they followed up a 6–2 semi-final win over

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

with a 6–4 finals triumph over the Rochester Lancers on March 27 in the Bayfront Center. Over the next few years, the Rowdies (and a handful of other NASL teams) played indoor friendlies and invitationals as preparation for the start of the outdoor season. The NASL did not sanction a full indoor season until 1979–80, when the Rowdies won the championship by defeating the

Memphis Rogues The Memphis Rogues were a professional soccer team in the former North American Soccer League. They operated in the 1978, 1979, and 1980 seasons and played their home games in Memphis' Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. They also played indoor ...

2 games to 1. The 1980–81 campaign marked the first time Tampa Bay had ever missed the playoffs, indoor or outdoor. In the 1981–82 season they lost the finals to the San Diego Sockers 2 games to 0. Once again the NASL chose not to sanction a full indoor season in 1982–83, but (in addition to a few friendlies) Tampa Bay and three other teams participated in the Grand Prix of Indoor Soccer. The Rowdies finished second in the round-robin stage and subsequently went on to defeat

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

for the championship in a double overtime thriller at the

Montreal Forum Montreal Forum (french: Le Forum de Montréal) is a historic building located facing Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by '' Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as t ...

; 5–4. The final NASL indoor season took place in 1983–84 and the Rowdies finished last out of the seven teams. Due to scheduling issues that season, the Rowdies played five games at the Bayfront Center, eight at the State Fairgrounds' Expo Hall in Tampa, and three in the Lakeland Civic Center. Tampa Bay regularly drew home crowds of over five thousand "fannies" to the Bayfront Center, despite the arena's limited seating capacity and relatively remote location.

Indoor home attendance records

''*playoff game''

Players, coaches, and honors – NASL era

Honors

NASL Championships (1) *

* runner-up:

, 1979 NASL Indoor Championships (3) * 1976, 1979–80, 1983br>
* runner-up:

, 1979 NASL Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational, 1979, 1981–82 Regular Season Premiership (1) * 1976 (18–6 -154 points) * runner-up:

Division Titles (6) *

Eastern Division * 1976 Eastern Division, Atlantic Conference *

Eastern Division, American Conference * 1979 Eastern Division, American Conference *

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

Eastern Division, American Conference * 1979–80 Eastern Division Playoffs (indoor) Conference Titles (3) *

American Conference * 1979 American Conference * 1981–82 Atlantic Conference (indoor) Regional Titles (2) *

Indoor Region 3 * 1976 Indoor East Region League Scoring Champion * 1979 Óscar Fabbiani (25 goals, 8 assists, 58 points) League Goal Scoring Champion * 1976 Derek Smethurst (20 goals) Indoor Grand Prix Assists Leader * 1983

Wes McLeod Wes McLeod (born October 24, 1957) is a retired Canadian soccer player who earned eighteen caps with the Canadian national soccer team. Club career Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, McLeod spent his youth career with Coquitlam Blue M ...

(13 assists) Finals MVP * 1975 Stewart Jump * 1976 Clyde Best (indoor) * 1979–80 ???? (indoor) Regionals MVP * 1975

Ringo Cantillo Julio "Ringo" Cantillo is a former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He played five seasons in the American Soccer League where he was the league MVP as a rookie. He won MVP honors a total of three times in the ASL. Cantill ...

(indoor) * 1976

Stewart Scullion Stewart McNab Adam Scullion (born 18 April 1946) is a Scottish former footballer, who played as a winger. Born in Bo'ness, Scotland, he started his professional career in the Football League, helping Watford to the Third Division title, and t ...

(indoor) Coach of the Year * 1976 Eddie Firmani Rookie of the Year * 1982

Pedro DeBrito Pedro Guilherme DeBrito (May 25, 1959 – July 5, 2014) was a soccer player who played as a midfielder. His career took him through multiple U.S. leagues including the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer L ...

* 1983 Gregg Thompson * 1984

Roy Wegerle Roy Wegerle (born March 19, 1964) is a former United States international soccer player who appeared for the national team 41 times between 1992 and 1998. Born and raised in South Africa, he was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1991. Since retiri ...

North American Player of the Year * 1976 Arnie Mausser FIFA World Cup players * Adrian Alston (1974) * Carlos Babington (1974) * Clodoaldo (1970) *

Antônio Lima dos Santos Antônio Lima dos Santos, known as Lima (born 18 January 1942) is a Brazilian former professional footballer. Widely known for his versatility, he played mainly as a defensive midfielder, but also acted as a full-back at either sides and as a c ...

(1966) * Mirandinha (1974) * Terry Moore (1986) ''did not play'' *

Eduardo Bonvallet Eduardo Guillermo Bonvallet Godoy (13 January 1955 – 18 September 2015) was a Chilean footballer who played as a defensive midfielder and later developed a sportscasting career. He was best known for his strong and rather harsh commentaries ...

(1982) * Manny Rojas (1982) *

Arsène Auguste Arsène Auguste (3 February 1951 – 20 March 1993) was a Haitian international footballer who represented Haiti in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. He played professional club football with Racing Club Haïtien in Haiti and New Jersey Brewers, Tampa B ...

(1974) * Hugo Pérez (1994) *

(1994, 1998) NASL All-time Leaders * Consecutive regular season starts: Mike Connell (179) * Career games by a US-born player: Arnie Mausser (224) All-Star First Team Selections * 1975

Farrukh Quraishi Farrukh Quraishi ( fa, فرخ قریشی, born November 13, 1951, in Masjid-I-Sulaiman, Iran) is a retired Iranian-born English footballer. He spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League playing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Calgary B ...

* 1976

, Arnie Mausser, Tommy Smith * 1977 Derek Smethurst * 1978

* 1979 Mike Connell * 1980 Mike Connell * 1981

John Gorman John Gorman may refer to: *John Gorman (director) (1884–1936), American movie director * John Gorman (entertainer) (born 1936), English vocalist and musician *John Gorman (politician) (1923–2014), Northern Ireland politician *John Gorman (footb ...

* 1982

Peter Nogly Peter Nogly (born 14 January 1947) is a former German football player and coach. Club career All his 320 West German top-flight matches he made in the Hamburger SV shirt. He played in the North American Soccer League for the Edmonton Dril ...

All-Star Second Team Selections * 1975 John Boyle, Stewart Jump,

* 1976 Stewart Jump,

, Derek Smethurst * 1977

, Steve Wegerle * 1978

, Steve Wegerle * 1979 Óscar Fabbiani,

* 1980 Steve Wegerle All-Star Honorable Mentions * 1975 Clyde Best,

John Sissons John "Jack" Howard Sissons (July 14, 1892 – November 11, 1969) was a Canadian barrister, author, judge and federal politician. Early life Sissons was born in Orillia, Ontario and, at the age of four, contracted polio, which injured his leg a ...

, Derek Smethurst * 1979

, Steve Wegerle * 1980

* 1982 Mike Connell * 1983 Gregg Thompson * 1984 Gregg Thompson Indoor All-Stars * 1975 Doug Wark (All-Tournament Team) * 1976 Clyde Best (All-Tournament Team) * 1976 Derek Smethurst (All-Tournament Team) * 1976

(All-Tournament Team) * 1976

(All-Eastern Regional Team) * 1976

(All-Eastern Regional Team) * 1980–81 Steve Wegerle (All-East Team) * 1981–82 Tatu (Atlantic) * 1981–82 Mike Connell (Atlantic) * 1981–82 Jürgen Stars (Atlantic) * 1981–82

(2nd team) * 1983–84 Frantz Mathieu (reserve) * 1983–84 Mike Connell (reserve) U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame members * 1992 Lamar Hunt * 1995 Al Miller * 2003 Arnie Mausser * 2008 Hugo Pérez * 2015 Glenn Myernick Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame members * 2004

Bob Bolitho Robert "Bob" Bolitho (born July 20, 1952, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) is a former Canadian national team, North American Soccer League and Canadian Soccer League player. He is of Cornish descent. Club career Bolitho played as a tee ...

* 2005

* 2005 Terry Moore * 2008

Jack Brand Jack Brand (born 4 April 1953) is a former professional soccer goalkeeper. He holds the record for most shutouts in a season in the North American Soccer League with 15 in 1980. He was born in Braunschweig, West Germany.Tatu * 2013

Other National Halls of Fame * 2000 Adrian Alston (

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

)

Head coaches

''*Excludes friendlies.'' ''^Cup includes playoff games and mini-games.''http://www.nasljerseys.com

Team captains

''*due to Connell injury''

Most appearances in club history

''*Excludes friendlies and indoor matches.'' ''^Includes playoff games.''

Retired numbers

In a ceremony held before the final home game of the 1989 regular season, Steve Wegerle became the first Tampa Bay Rowdies player to have his number retired by the team. That night he assisted on all three Rowdies' goals in a 3–0 victory over arch-rival Fort Lauderdale. He went on to appear in several home matches during the 1990 season as well. While Mike Connell's and

Perry Van der Beck Perry Van der Beck (born November 5, 1959 in Florissant, Missouri) is an American former soccer midfielder, former coach and technical director, and the former Vice President of Competition and Operations for the United Soccer League. Van der ...

's numbers have since been retired by the current franchise, Wegerle's #7 continues to be reissued each season. ;Notes

Club culture

As part of a name-the-team contest, on November 21, 1974, the franchise announced that the name ''Tampa Bay Rowdies'' had been selected. Out of nearly 12,500 entries it was Clearwater attorney, Bill Wilhelm's suggestion that won. That suggestion earned Wilhelm a vacation to Acapulco for his efforts, along with a lifetime pass to all home games. The Rowdies' fans were known as "Fannies". Advertisements for the club declared that "Soccer is a kick in the grass" and encouraged their supporters to "Get up, get out, and get Rowdy!" and to "make a fanny of yourself!". The calls were answered by fans who threw

confetti Confetti are small pieces or streamers of paper, mylar, or metallic material which are usually thrown at celebrations, especially parades and weddings. The origins are from the Latin ''confectum'', with ''confetti'' the plural of Italian ''co ...

, drank beer, chanted during games, and generally "let the guys know we're behind them." One memorable fan named Bob Rogers won a "Rowdiest Fan" contest by donning a giant soccer head and throwing himself into the Tampa Stadium goal. The club gave "Soccer Head" complimentary tickets to future games so that he could continue his antics for the crowd, even bringing him along when the Rowdies played in

Soccer Bowl '79 Soccer Bowl '79 was the championship final of the 1979 NASL season. The National Conference champion Vancouver Whitecaps played the American Conference champion Tampa Bay Rowdies. The match was played on September 8, 1979, at Giants Stadium, in Ea ...

. While anyone who supported the club could call themselves a Fanny, members of the official Rowdies Fan Club particularly claimed the moniker as their own. The fan club held regular meetings and social events and published a newsletter. The "Wowdies" were the Rowdies' cheerleaders. The team also had a pep band known as the "Loudies" that sat in the south endzone and attended local pep rallies.

Post-NASL: 1985–1993

The NASL folded in 1984, but the Rowdies continued to play for several more years. Tampa Stadium continued to be used as their home ground for outdoor games except during the 1991 and

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

seasons in the APSL. Those two years were spent at the

USF Soccer Stadium The University of South Florida athletic facilities are the stadiums and arenas the South Florida Bulls use for their home games and training. The University of South Florida currently sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and has 11 facilities in the ...

, before returning to Tampa Stadium in 1993 for the team's final season in existence.

Independent: 1985–1987

With Rodney Marsh staying on as coach (through 1987), the Rowdies operated as an independent team for two years before joining the American Indoor Soccer Association for one season (1986–87). Cornelia Corbett, Dick Corbett's wife and a businesswoman in her own right, became sole owner of the team in 1986. As a footnote, in 2011 the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

opened the new

Corbett Soccer Stadium The University of South Florida athletic facilities are the stadiums and arenas the South Florida Bulls use for their home games and training. The University of South Florida currently sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and has 11 facilities in the ...

for their

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

men's and women's teams, after the Corbetts had made a $1.5 million donation to the project. The stadium features several display cases that highlight the history of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Since 2005, the USF Bulls and the crosstown rival University of Tampa Spartans men's squads have competed annually for the preseason Rowdies Cup, which celebrates the city's rich soccer history. To date the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

Spartans have only captured the trophy once, back in 2012.

1985 Outdoor

As an independent club, the Rowdies played only one match in 1985. It was against the U.S. Men's team on the

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

in front of 30,038 fans.

1986 Outdoor

In the summer of 1986 the Rowdies staged a four-game series at Tampa Stadium called the ''Coca-Cola Classic International Soccer Series'', which culminated with a

match, and also included a post-game fireworks display and laser light show. Since Tampa Bay had only a handful of players under contract at the time, their roster was composed mostly of guest players from Queens Park Rangers F.C. The only NASL-era Rowdies on this roster were

, Steve Wegerle, Dave Power, and the head coach,

. Four former Rowdies played in the final game of this series for the opposing NASL All-Stars. These included Mike Connell, Winston DuBose,

and Tatu. They also played a pair of friendlies against the newly established

Orlando Lions The Orlando Lions were an American soccer team from Orlando, Florida which existed from 1985 to 1996. Over the years, the Lions competed at both the amateur and professional levels including some seasons as an independent team. The Lions is a ni ...

on February 22 and July 2 at

Lake Brantley High School Lake Brantley High School (LBHS) is located in Altamonte Springs, Florida, a suburban community approximately 13 miles (20 km) north of Orlando. It is a public high school serving grade levels 9–12 in Seminole County, FL, operated by Sem ...

, using their regular players. Tampa Bay won the matches by scores of 1–0 and 2–1'' (SO)'' respectively.

1987 Outdoor

In 1987 Tampa Bay played twice against the

, on May 16 at the

Florida Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, located in the West Lakes neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, west of new sports and entertainment facilities including the Amway Center, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, an ...

, and then again on May 23 at

Pepin-Rood Stadium Plant Field was the first major athletic venue in Tampa, Florida. It was built in 1899 by Henry B. Plant on the grounds of his Tampa Bay Hotel to host various events and activities for guests, and it consisted of a large field ringed by an oval r ...

. The Rowdies lost the first encounter, 2–0, with the teams tying, 2–2, in the return leg.

1985–87 Outdoor results

AISA: 1986–1987

The Rowdies played one season of indoor soccer in the American Indoor Soccer Association, once again using the Bayfront Center as their home. After a strong start they finished third in their division and eventually lost in the first round of the playoffs. Steve Wegerle was selected as a starter in the AISA All-Star game and scored the game's first goal. Arnie Mausser, Rubén Astigarraga, and Glenn Ervine also made the Southern Division team. Ervine added a goal in the fourth quarter. Tim Walters was a late All-Star addition, because Astigarraga was unable play in the match.

Year-by-year

1986–1987 roster

*1 – Arnie Mausser 35 Apps 0 Goals *2 –

*3 – David Dodge *4 – Dave Power *5 – Steve Savage *5 – Wim Suurbier (player/asst. coach) *6 – Peter Roe *6 –

Mike Balson Michael John Charles Balson (9 September 1947 – 30 May 2019) was an English retired professional association football defender who played professionally in England, South Africa and the United States. His career brought him to the United St ...

*7 – Steve Wegerle 35 Apps 26 Goals *8 –

(player/head coach) *9 – Jay White *10 – Rubén Astigarraga *10 – Derek Sanderson *11 – Duncan MacEwan *12 – Tony Frankovich *12 – Derek Smethurst *13 – Tim Walters *14 – Geoff Wegerle *15 – Mark Lindsay *16 – Karim Murabet *17 –

Paul Roe Paul Roe (born 21 November 1959 - 5 October 2019) was a Canadian soccer player who spent five years in the North American Soccer League and one in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also played in Canada's National Soccer League, the American ...

*18 – Nathan Sacks *19 – Nick Mangione *20 –

Soloman Hilton Solomon "Solly" Hilton is a retired soccer forward who played professionally in the American Soccer League and American Indoor Soccer Association. Career Although a native of West Africa, Hilton attended high school in the United States. In 19 ...

*21 – Tim Borer *22 –

Mike Fall Mike Fall is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Indoor Soccer Association and American Soccer League. Youth Fall graduated from Bishop Moore High School in Orlando, Florida whe ...

*23 – Glenn Ervine * Rui Farias

ASL/APSL: 1988–1993

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 the team folded after the

1993 season File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The White House (Moscow), Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Cze ...

. During this six year stretch they achieved moderate success, winning one division title and making the playoffs four times. In

they finished as runners-up to Colorado in the regular season, in the Professional Cup final, and in the APSL final as well.

Year-by-year

Players, coaches, and honors – post-NASL era

Honors – post-NASL

Championships *

: ASPL (runner-up) * 1992: Professional Cup (runner-up) Division Titles *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

: ASL Southern Division Leading Scorer * 1992:

Jean Harbor Jean Harbor (born 19 September 1965 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a former Nigerian American soccer forward who played for numerous teams in Nigeria and the US He earned fifteen caps with the US national team after becoming a US citizen in 1992. Yout ...

(13 g, 4 a) Top Goalkeeper * 1988: Winston DuBose (0.75 gaa) Assists Leader * 1992: Kevin Sloan (6 a) Coach of the Year * 1992: Ricky Hill * 1993:

Ken Fogarty Ken Fogarty (born in Manchester, England) is a (naturalised) American soccer coach. Fogarty was Head Coach and Technical Director of the Cayman Islands national team from 1993 to 1994 and from 1996 to 1998. Professional career Fogarty began ...

FIFA World Cup players *

(1974) * Wim Suurbier (1974, 1978) * Steve Trittschuh (1990) *

Peter Vermes Peter Joseph Vermes (; born November 21, 1966) is an American professional soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer. As of 2022, Vermes is currently the longest-tenured head c ...

(1990) First Team All Star * 1988: Winston DuBose, Steve Wegerle * 1989: Winston DuBose, Steve Trittschuh, Steve Wegerle * 1990:

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

* 1992: Bill Andracki, Steve Trittschuh, Ricky Hill, Kevin Sloan,

* 1993: Steve Trittschuh Second Team All Star * 1986–87: Arnie Mausser * 1991: Marcelo Carrera * 1993:

Paul Dougherty Paul Dougherty (born 12 May 1966) is an English former professional soccer player and soccer coach who began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in England. He then moved to the United States where he became a journeyman player, bouncing th ...

, Pierre Morice Honorable Mention * 1986–87: Steve Wegerle AISA All-Star Game selections * 1986–87: Steve Wegerle (starter) * 1986–87: Arnie Mausser (reserve) * 1986–87: Glenn Ervine (reserve) * 1986–87: Rubén Astigarraga (injured) * 1986–87: Tim Walters (reserve) U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame members * 2013

Other National Halls of Fame * 2016 Mark Lawrenson (

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

)

Coaches – post-NASL

: 1984–1987 * Wim Suurbier: 1986–87 *

: 1989–1992 * Steve Wegerle: 1991–1992 * Ricky Hill: 1992 *

: 1993

Team captains – post-NASL

* Dave Power: 1986–1989 * Derek Backman: 1990 *

: 1991 * Ricky Hill: 1992 * Terry Rowe: 1993

Legacy

Tampa Bay Mutiny: 1996–2001

Due in large part to the Rowdies' historical success on and off the pitch, in 1994 MLS selected the Tampa Bay Mutiny as one of its original ten teams. The Mutiny won the first ever

Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since ...

and qualified for the playoffs in four of their six seasons. Several former Rowdies, including

and Steve Trittschuh among others, were involved with the Mutiny as players, coaches, or front office staff. They also played for three seasons on the Rowdies' home pitch, Tampa Stadium. While the Mutiny have no connection to either Rowdies franchise, the team often paid tribute to the former Rowdies by wearing jerseys of their colors, and even wearing the logo of both the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Rowdies on the same shirt. MLS initially operated the team with the hope of selling to a private local owner. That became difficult after Malcolm Glazer bought the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

in 1995 and demanded that the community build a new stadium. Raymond James Stadium was completed in 1998 and Tampa Stadium was demolished soon thereafter, forcing the Mutiny to move to the new facility. The Bucs' lease agreement in their new home allowed them to keep most non-ticket revenues from all events at the facility, including Mutiny matches, severely damaging the financial viability of the soccer club. As financial losses mounted (up to $2 million a year), MLS desperately courted Glazer to buy the Mutiny. Glazer declined, so the league opted to fold the Mutiny, along with other Florida-based MLS team of that era, the Miami Fusion, in early 2002.

New Rowdies: 2010–present

In 2008, it was announced that a new incarnation of the Tampa Bay Rowdies would play in a new second division NASL. They wore striped green and gold kits similar to the old Rowdies, and a star reflecting the 1975 championship. After several changes to the league, Tampa Bay finally kicked off in the summer of 2010, but they took the pitch as "FC Tampa Bay" due to a licensing dispute over the Rowdies name and trademarks. Beginning in 2012, the team reached an agreement to officially use the Rowdies name along with logos and other intellectual property of the original team, and won Soccer Bowl 2012. To date, the new Rowdies have honored both Mike Connell's and Perry Van der Beck's significant contribution to soccer, both on and off the field in the community at large, by retiring their jerseys. The Rowdies won the 2012 NASL Championship. As of 2017 they are currently members of the second division,

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

, and have announced their intention to gain entry into MLS's next wave of expansion.

Rowdies Cup

The South Florida Bulls annually face their crosstown rivals, the

Tampa Spartans The Tampa Spartans are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tampa, located in Tampa, Florida, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Spartans compete as members of the Sunshine State Conference for all sports besides beach ...

, in an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

men's preseason soccer match which celebrates the Tampa Bay Area's rich soccer history. In addition to holding the Rowdies Cup trophy for the next 12 months, the winning side also get to hoist the actual

trophy that was won originally by the Rowdies in

. The trophy is currently housed at Corbett Soccer Stadium on the USF campus. Formerly called the Mayor's Cup from 1979 until 2005, as of the 2019 edition, USF holds a 24–10–3 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to 1972.

Tampa Bay Terror & Florida Tropics SC

Indoor soccer by the Rowdies had officially ended when the team played in the American Indoor Soccer Association for one season ( 1986–87). For two seasons, another Tampa Bay area team played in the same league, from 1995-1997, called the Tampa Bay Terror; however, the team did not last more than two seasons, despite having some members of the Rowdies on the roster. It was not until 2016 that a stable indoor soccer team played in the region. Another unrelated indoor soccer team called the

Florida Tropics SC Florida Tropics SC is a professional soccer club based in Lakeland, Florida. They are owned by Central Florida Sports Ventures, LLC, led by Dr. Panos Iakovidis, and former USL commissioner and Rochester Rhinos owner Chris Economides. The orga ...

have played in the Major Arena Soccer League since 2016. The team eventually began outdoor competition, also competing in the developmental United Premier Soccer League. Despite being unrelated to the Rowdies, these two teams succeed the Tampa Bay region in indoor soccer since the original Rowdies had folded.

References

External links

"official" Tampa Bay Rowdies site

Rowdies history

"superfan" Ian Morris' site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975-1993) Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Soccer clubs in Tampa, Florida Soccer clubs in Florida Defunct soccer clubs in Florida Association football clubs established in 1974 Association football clubs disestablished in 1993 American Soccer League (1988–89) teams American Indoor Soccer Association teams North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams American Professional Soccer League teams Sports in St. Petersburg, Florida 1974 establishments in Florida 1993 disestablishments in Florida