Full name | Caribous of Colorado | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Caribous | ||
Founded | 1978 | ||
Dissolved | 1978 | ||
Stadium | Mile High Stadium | ||
Capacity | 76,000 | ||
Chairman | Booth Gardner | ||
Coach | Dave Clements Dan Wood | ||
League | North American Soccer League | ||
The Caribous of Colorado were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) during the 1978 season. The team was based in Denver, Colorado and played their home games at Mile High Stadium. After the season, the club was sold and moved to Atlanta to become the Atlanta Chiefs.
At the conclusion of the 1975 North American Soccer League season, the Denver Dynamos, playing only their second season, moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Kicks, leaving the city without a professional soccer team. [1] During the NASL league annual meetings in December 1976, Booth Gardner and James Guercio were awarded a NASL franchise for Denver for the 1978 season. Gardner, former owner of the defunct Tacoma Tides of the American Soccer League (and future governor of Washington state), partnered with music producer Guercio (owner of the Caribou Ranch recording studio), paying a cool million dollars for the franchise. [2] The team name of Caribous of Colorado was announced on May 31, 1977. [3] Dave Clements, who played for the 1977 Soccer Bowl champion New York Cosmos, was hired as a player/coach. [4] In April 1978, Dan Wood, previously coach of the Tacoma Tides and Cornell University men's soccer team, was named general manager. [5]
The Caribous opened the 1978 North American Soccer League season on the road, losing 3–0 to the Seattle Sounders at the Kingdome on April 1, 1978. [6] After 20 games and a 6-14 record, Clements was fired as head coach and replaced by Dan Woods; [7] things did not improve, as the club lost eight of their last ten matches to finish with a 8-22 mark and a league-worst 81 points. Colorado's offense was bad with only 34 goals, also last in the NASL (Clements' Cosmos teammate Jomo Sono led the Caribous with eight) and so was attendance (7,418 per match, with only one crowd in five figures all year). [8] After the season, the club was purchased and moved to Atlanta to become the (new) Atlanta Chiefs. [9]
The lasting legacy of the Caribous is one of the most unusual, infamous uniforms in soccer history. Going with a western-style motif, the players wore brown and tan jerseys that included a strip of leather fringe across the chest. In 2009, the uniforms were voted the "worst soccer uniform in history" by the readers of the Uni Watch sports design site. [10]
On April 1, 2014, the Colorado Rapids of MLS announced the club would wear Caribou "throwback" jerseys for an upcoming home game. It was quickly revealed as an April Fools joke, but not before the team was swamped with calls and e-mails from fans wondering where they could buy replicas of the infamous duds. [11]
Year | League | W | L | Pts | Regular season | Playoffs | Avg. attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1978 | NASL | 8 | 22 | 81 | 4th, National Conference, Central Division | did not qualify | 7,418 |
William Booth Gardner was an American politician who served as the 19th governor of Washington from 1985 to 1993. He also served as the ambassador of the GATT. A member of the Democratic Party, Gardner previously served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 26th district from 1971 to 1973 and served as the Pierce County Executive prior to his tenure as governor. His service was notable for advancing standards-based education and environmental protection.
The Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL). Initially known as the Denver Dynamos, the team relocated and became the Minnesota Kicks in 1976. The Kicks quickly became one of the league's more popular teams, with an average attendance of 23,120 fans per game in 1976. The Kicks won their division four years in a row from 1976 to 1979. The Kicks drew over 23,000 fans in each season from 1976 to 1979, with attendance peaking at 32,775 in 1977.
The Atlanta Chiefs were an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1968 to 1973 and again from 1979 to 1981. For the 1973 season, the team played as the Atlanta Apollos.
The California Surf was an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1981. The team was based in Anaheim, California and played their home games at Anaheim Convention Center and the Long Beach Arena during the indoor seasons and Anaheim Stadium for outdoor matches. Originally founded as the St. Louis Stars, the team relocated to Anaheim after the 1977 NASL season. The team disbanded after the 1981 NASL season.
The Denver Dynamos were a soccer team based in Denver that played in the NASL from 1974 to 1975. Their home field was Mile High Stadium. After the 1975 season, they moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Kicks.
The Oakland Stompers were a soccer team based out of Oakland, California that played the 1978 season in the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Stompers played in the Western Division of the American Conference and finished the year with a 12–18 record, in third place and out of playoff contention.
James William Guercio is an American music producer, musician, songwriter, and director. He is best known for his work as the producer of Chicago's first eleven studio albums during the Terry Kath years. Guercio also produced the early recordings of The Buckinghams and Blood, Sweat & Tears. He has worked briefly in the motion picture industry as a producer and director. In the mid-1970s, Guercio managed the Beach Boys and was a member of their backing band.
David Clements is a former football player and manager from Northern Ireland. He started his career as a left winger but also played as a defensive midfielder and left full back. During a career which lasted from 1964 to 1976, playing for Coventry City, Sheffield Wednesday and Everton, he would make a total of 392 league appearances and score 32 goals. He played 48 times for the Northern Ireland national team between 1965 and 1976 scoring two goals. He then managed the national team for two years in 1975 and 1976 before moving to the NASL in the United States.
Daniel Phillip Wood was a collegiate and professional soccer coach. He was also a professional golfer who was the top money winner on the 1996 Senior Series Golf Tour.
Gregory Makowski is a retired U.S. soccer defender. He was a three-time first team collegiate All American and was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic soccer team which was prevented from competing in the Moscow Olympics due to President Carter's boycott of the games. He also earned fourteen caps with the U.S. national team. Between 1978 and 1988, he played with multiple teams in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.
Louis "Louie" Nanchoff is a retired U.S.-Yugoslavian soccer player. He spent three seasons in the North American Soccer League and seven seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned ten caps, scoring one goal, with the U.S. national team between 1979 and 1980.
Fred "Fredy" Pereira is a former Portuguese-American soccer forward who spent three seasons in the North American Soccer League and earned six caps with the U.S. national team in 1977.
Carl Strong is a former U.S. soccer midfielder who spent seven seasons in the North American Soccer League.
The 1978 North American Soccer League season was the 66th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 11th with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada.
The 1979 North American Soccer League season was the 67th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer and the 12th with a national first-division league in the United States and Canada.
Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1981. This was the 14th season of the NASL.
Tad DeLorm is a retired German-born American football (soccer) goalkeeper who played three seasons in the North American Soccer League and three in the American Soccer League. He now works at Classical Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut. He is a soccer and baseball coach.
Bernard Fagan is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Fagan is currently active in the United States as a coach.
The 1978 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the fifth season of the Whitecaps, and their fifth year in the North American Soccer League and the top flight of Canadian soccer.
Tommy Lang is an Irish-American former soccer player who played as a defender.