Denver Avalanche

Last updated
Denver Avalanche
Nickname(s)Avalanche
Founded1980
Dissolved1983
Ground McNichols Sports Arena
Denver, Colorado
Capacity16,061
Owner Flag of the United States.svg Ron Maierhofer
Head Coach Ulster Banner.svg Dave Clements
League Major Indoor Soccer League

The Denver Avalanche were an American soccer team based out of Denver, Colorado that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1980 to 1982. Their home arena was McNichols Sports Arena.

Contents

History

In February 1980, the Major Indoor Soccer League awarded a franchise to Ron Maierhofer, to be named the Denver Avalanche. The team's first three players, all signed the same day were Tony Graham, Chris Cattaneo and Adrian Brooks. The team's first draft pick Erhardt Kapp passed on the Avalanche and signed with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League instead. The team's first game, an exhibition match, took place on November 3, 1980, a 10–4 loss to the St. Louis Steamers. Coached by Dave Clements, the Avalanche finished the regular season out of playoff contention, but in 1982, they made the playoffs only to fall to the St. Louis Steamers in the first round. Clements was named the 1982 MISL Coach of the Year.

The team entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1983. The Avalanche's assets were purchased by a group led by George Best and moved to form the Tacoma Stars. [1]

Year-by-year

YearRecordRegular seasonPlayoffsAvg. attendance
1980–198116–243rd Western DivisionDid not qualify7,699
1981–198219–254th Western DivisionFirst Round7,653

Honors

All Star Game MVP

Coach of the Year

Staff

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992)</span> Indoor soccer league in the United States

The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the United States that played matches from fall 1978 to spring 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Sockers (1978–1996)</span> Defunct American soccer club

The San Diego Sockers were a soccer and indoor soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team played in the indoor and outdoor editions of the North American Soccer League (NASL) until 1984 as well as the original Major Indoor Soccer League and CISL. The franchise folded in 1996 and was the last surviving NASL franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota Kicks</span> Defunct American soccer club

The Minnesota Kicks was 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Arrows</span> Football club

The New York Arrows were an indoor soccer team that played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1978 to 1984. They won the first four MISL championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wichita Wings</span> Soccer club

The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979. They played in the Kansas Coliseum, a venue that featured a 200-by-85-foot field and seating for 9,681 fans.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Cohen</span> American professional soccer player (born 1955)

Neil Cohen is a former U.S. soccer defender. He played eight seasons in the North American Soccer League and six in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1976. In 2008, Neil was elected to the FC Dallas, "Texans Credit Union Walk of Fame" for his contributions to soccer in Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Sounders (1974–1983)</span> Former American soccer team

The Seattle Sounders were an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1974, the team belonged to the North American Soccer League where it played both indoor and outdoor soccer. The team folded after the 1983 NASL outdoor season but the name was revived in 1994 for a lower-division team and Seattle Sounders FC of the top-flight Major League Soccer, founded in 2007.

Tim Schulz is a former U.S. soccer midfielder who played two seasons in the North American Soccer League, two in the Western Soccer Alliance, two in Major Indoor Soccer League and one in the American Professional Soccer League. He was also a member of the U.S. soccer team at the 1983 Pan American Games. He coached the U.S. U-20 women's national team at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Force (1978–1988)</span>

The original Cleveland Force was one of six charter franchises in the original Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). The team played from 1978 to 1988 at the Richfield Coliseum, the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and regularly drew crowds in excess of 12,000 in the mid-1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis Steamers (1979–1988)</span> Soccer club

The original St. Louis Steamers played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1979 through 1988. Their home fixtures were held at the St. Louis Arena. The Steamers were popular for a number of years, with average attendance exceeding 12,000 for each season from 1980–81 through 1984–85, and outdrawing the NHL's St. Louis Blues for four consecutive seasons from 1980–81 through 1983–84.

Ronald P. Maierhofer is a retired American soccer forward who owned the Denver Avalanche of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Ken McDonald is a retired American soccer forward who played in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League and American Soccer League. Ken has a twin sister Maryanne. He married with wife Annie Louise McDonald after they met at Penn State. They have 3 children and his eldest son Ryan is following in his father's footsteps coaching.

Timothy Walters is a retired American soccer player. He played professionally in the Western Soccer Alliance and Major Indoor Soccer League.

The 1980–81 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the third in league history and would end with the New York Arrows repeating once again as MISL champions.

The 1981–82 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the fourth in league history and would end with the New York Arrows repeating once again as MISL champions.

The 1983–84 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the sixth in league history and ended with the Baltimore Blast winning their first MISL championship. The Blast would beat the St. Louis Steamers in the championship series, the third time in five seasons the Steamers would lose in the MISL championship round. This would be the first time the MISL finals would be a best-of-seven series, part of the league's expanded playoff format.

Tommy Lang is an Irish-American former soccer player who played as a defender.

The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the United States that played matches from fall 1978 to spring 1992.

References

  1. Smith, Craig (June 30, 1983). "The question: Would 2 teams destroy soccer?". The Seattle Times . p. B3.