 | |||
| Founded | 1975 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1976 | ||
| Stadium | North East Stadium (1975) Alamo Stadium (1976) San Antonio, Texas | ||
| Owner | Herman Warden "Ward" Lay, Jr. | ||
| League | NASL | ||
The San Antonio Thunder were an American soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 1975 as a member of the North American Soccer League, the team played two seasons in San Antonio before the franchise rights were moved to Hawaii. The team was owned by Herman Warden "Ward" Lay Jr., son of the founder of the Frito-Lay potato chip empire.
On June 25, 1974, San Antonio, Texas was announced as the location of the North American Soccer League's 17th franchise for the following season, [1] with Herman Warden "Ward" Lay Jr. paying a reported fee of $250,000 to join the league. [2] In late September, the team name of Thunder was chosen from 1,500 suggested [3] and the team hired former Rochester Lancers and Los Angeles Aztecs head coach Alex Perolli to manage the team. [4] Originally slated to play at Alamo Stadium, the team and San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) could not come to a rental agreement and the team signed a lease to play their home games at North East Stadium. [5] In Late January 1975 the Thunder traded the contract rights to Sergio Velazquez and their 1976 and 1977 first round draft picks to the Los Angeles Aztecs in return for seven players including Luis Marotte and Renato Costa. [6] The next week the team traded Costa to the Dallas Tornado for Bob Ridley, [7] before acquiring two more Aztec players by trade a few weeks later, [8] and cutting Ridley by the end of the month. [9] By mid March it was reported that the team had sold 775 season tickets, [10] but would end up being fourth in the league in season ticket sales. [11] Before the season began, the team added Jado Hasanbegović, Chris Carenza, Dan Counce, and Mark Stahl to the roster. [12]
The Thunder opened their season at home defeating the Dallas Tornado 2–1 in front of 5,142 fans. [13] It was the first game in NASL history to be decided by a sudden death goal. [14] In mid May, it was reported that defender Dan Califano quit the team due to a personality conflict with coach Perolli and the team had made a total of eight roster changes, including releasing all of the team's goalkeepers, after just four matches. [15] On May 22, 1975, team owner Ward Lay announced he was assuming full control of the team and would be responsible for all player decisions. [16] A few weeks later, with the team having lost eight straight games, on June 9 Perolli was replaced as head coach by California State University, Chico Wildcats coach Don Batie . [17] After winning four games in six, including a three games in a row, [18] the team won only one more game the rest of the season, ending the season with a six-game losing streak. [11] The Thunder ended the 1975 North American Soccer League season with 6 wins and 16 losses and in last place in the Central Division. [19] For the team's eleven home games they averaged 4,411 fans, about 2,000 less than the Thunder had expected. [11]
Shortly after the conclusion of the season, it was announced that Don Batie would return to coach the team for the 1976 season having signed a one-year contract. [20] On September 10, the team posted its performance bond with the league confirming it would participate in the 1976 season with team owner Ward Lay stating they team had lost money the previous season, but was on a solid financial footing. [21] On December 10, 1975, Jim Smith, General Manager of the Houston Aeros replaced Mike Boyle as Thunder GM. [22] In late January 1976, Scottish forward Jim Forrest was signed as a player-coach to assist Batie, [23] the first of several Scottish players who would join the team before the season including Aberdeen F.C. goalkeeper Bobby Clark, [24] Billy Semple, [25] and captain of the 1966 FIFA World Cup winning England national team Bobby Moore. [26] In February 1976 it was announced that the team would play its home matches at Alamo Stadium [27]
Two weeks before the season, the Thunders hosted the New York Cosmos led by Pelé who had signed with the New York team the previous year for $2.8 million for two years, [28] with the San Antonio team reportedly paying $25,000 for the visit. [29] In what was considered an upset, the Thunder defeated the Cosmos 1–0, with rookie goalie Peter Mannos saving a shot made by Pelé. [30] On July 13, 1976, GM Jim Smith stated that unless the SAISD gave the club a say in marketing and concessions at Alamo Stadium that it needed financially that the team would abandon the stadium and probably leave San Antonio. [31] The Thunder finished the season with a record of 12 wins and 12 losses, finishing fourth in the Pacific Conference Southern Division and missing out on qualifying for the playoffs by one point. [32] Attendance for the season averaged 5,064 [19]
Less than a week after the season had concluded, Don Batie announced his resignation as head coach of the Thunder to return to coaching the California State University Chico Wildcats. [33] It was reported the Thunder has lost $600,000 during its two seasons of operations and was considering relocation with Atlanta mentioned as a possible destination for the franchise. [34] During a press conference on September 16, 1976, owner Ward Lay announced that GM Jim Smith had resigned and that due to lack of local support were considering a move to Hawaii. [35] The following week it was reported that Lay was looking for an investment of $500,000 for a 50% share of the team. [36] In late October, team owner Ward Lay said that he had been approached by governor of Hawaii and the Mayor of Honolulu about moving the team to the island state. [37] League sources also stated that, pending the Thunder relocating the owners of the Philadelphia Atoms were interested in relocating their franchise to Texas city. [38] On November 18, 1976, the move to Hawaii was made official with the team public relations director and Ward Lay appearing at an event in Honolulu [39] and posting a sign in its San Antonio office window stating "Mahola, San Antonio. Aloha, Hawaii" (English "Thank you, San Antonio. Hello Hawaii). [40]
| Year | League | W | L | Pts | Reg. season | Playoffs | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | NASL | 6 | 16 | 59 | 5th, Central Division | did not qualify | 4,412 |
| 1976 | 12 | 12 | 107 | 4th, Pacific Conference, Southern Division | 4,794 |
Bob McNab (1976) Bobby Moore (1976)
Tommy Callaghan (1976) Bobby Clark (1976) Derek Currie (1976) Jim Forrest (1975,1976) Jim Henry (1976) Harry Hood (1976) Neil Martin (1976) Billy Semple (1976) Eddie Thomson (1976)
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the United States. The league final was called the Soccer Bowl from 1975 to 1983 and the Soccer Bowl Series in its final year, 1984. The league was headed by Commissioner Phil Woosnam from 1969 to 1983. The NASL laid the foundations for soccer in the United States that helped lead to the country hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the set-up of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996.
Aloha Stadium is a closed multi-purpose stadium located in Halawa, Hawaii, a census-designated place that is a western suburb of Honolulu. It is the largest stadium in the state of Hawaii. As of December 2020, the stadium ceased fan-attended operations indefinitely, and placed a moratorium on the scheduling of new events. It is located next to the Hālawa station of the Skyline rail system.
The Los Angeles Aztecs were an American professional soccer team based in Los Angeles, California that existed from 1974 to 1981. The Aztecs competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 to 1981 as well as the 1975 NASL Indoor tournament, the 1979–80 and 1980–81 NASL Indoor seasons, and won the NASL Championship in 1974. During their eight years of existence, the Aztecs played at four different venues and were controlled by four different ownership groups, European soccer legends George Best and Johan Cruyff played for the team, and from 1975 to 1977 English singer Elton John was a part-owner.
The Rochester Lancers were an American soccer team that competed in the American Soccer League (ASL) from 1967 until 1969, and in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1970 to 1980. The team was based in Rochester, New York, and played home games at Holleder Memorial Stadium. The Lancers won the 1970 NASL Championship and was the only NASL team to compete in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The Lancers could not sustain their early success, posting two winning records and a few playoff appearances before folding after the 1980 season.
The Las Vegas Quicksilvers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) during the 1977 season. The team was based in Las Vegas, Nevada and played their home games at Las Vegas Stadium. After the 1977 season, the team relocated to San Diego and became the San Diego Sockers.
The San Diego State Aztecs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I, as a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW). San Diego State University sponsors 17 teams at the varsity level.
Robert Brown Clark is a Scottish football player and coach. Clark, who played as a goalkeeper, spent most of his playing career with Aberdeen. He also played for Queen's Park, Washington Whips, San Antonio Thunder and Clyde. Clark played 17 times for Scotland and represented the Scottish League. He later became a coach, mainly working in New Zealand and the United States.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1977. This was the 10th season of the NASL.
Jim Zylker is a retired American soccer player who spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League. He was also a member of the United States soccer team at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
The San Diego Jaws were a professional soccer team based in San Diego, California, playing their home games at the Aztec Bowl on the campus of San Diego State University. Founded in 1976, the team was a member of the North American Soccer League, and was the league's second attempt to place a franchise in San Diego with the Toros having folded in 1968 after two seasons. The franchise lasted only one season and relocated to Las Vegas for the 1977 NASL season.
Charlie Mitchell is a Scottish American former soccer defender and coach. He played ten seasons in the North American Soccer League from 1970 to 1979.
Chuck Carey is a retired American soccer defender who played professionally in the North American Soccer League.
The 1975 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the second season of the Whitecaps, and their second season in the North American Soccer League and the top flight of Canadian soccer.
Juan Sergio Velazquez is a Mexican retired footballer who played as a forward in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.
The 1975 Tampa Bay Rowdies season was the first season of the club's existence.
Alex Perolli was an Albanian football coach best known for coaching the Los Angeles Aztecs to a North American Soccer League championship in 1974. The following season, he coached the San Antonio Thunder for 9 games before being fired, having won only one match.
The Philadelphia Fury were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. The team was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and played their home games at Veterans Stadium. Included in the team's ownership group were rock musicians Rick Wakeman, Peter Frampton, Mick Jagger, and Paul Simon. During the team's three years of play in Philadelphia it never had a winning record, but qualified for, and advanced to the second round, of the 1979 playoffs. After the 1980 NASL season, the team was sold and moved to Montreal, rebranding as the Montreal Manic.
The Buffalo Blazers were a soccer team in Buffalo, New York. They competed in the National Soccer League in 1976–1978 and 1980. They were one of only four American teams to have competed in the National Soccer League which was based in Canada.
The 1976 season was the original Tampa Bay Rowdies second season of existence, and their second season in the North American Soccer League, the top division of soccer in the United States and Canada at that time. Tampa Bay entered the season as the defending Soccer Bowl champions.
Luis Marotte is an Uruguayan former footballer who played as a midfielder.
