Stix, Baer and Fuller F.C. was a U.S. soccer club which played in the St. Louis Soccer League from 1931 to 1934. The team was known as Hellrungs from 1929 to 1931, St. Louis Central Breweries F.C. from 1934 to 1935 and St. Louis Shamrocks from 1935 to 1938. During its short existence, it won two National Challenge Cup titles and two league championships as Stix, Baer and Fuller and one National Cup and league title as St. Louis Central Breweries.
Teams in the St. Louis Soccer League depended on corporate sponsorship. As a result, the teams would frequently change names as their sponsor changed. The team, sponsored by the Hellrung & Grimm House Furnishing Company, was established as Hellrungs in 1929 as a member of the St. Louis Soccer League (SLSL).
In 1931, it came under new sponsorship from the Stix, Baer and Fuller, one of the largest St. Louis department stores. Hellrungs had finished the 1930-1931 season third out of four teams in the SLSL. Stix, Baer and Fuller (SBF) would not improve on Hellrungs’ performance, finishing third in the 1931-1932 standings. However, they found considerable success on the national level as they went to the National Challenge Cup finals. In the semifinal series, they won the first game against Chicago's Bricklayers and Masons F.C. 3-1, before losing 2-0 the second game. As the series was tied, the two teams played a deciding game, won by SBF 1-0. In the National Cup finals, SBF ran up against the New Bedford Whalers of the American Soccer League. Whalers was stocked with future Hall of Famers. Despite that, SBF played them to a 3-3 tie in St. Louis before losing 5-2 in the second game, both played in St. Louis. The Whalers folded after the National Cup series and five of its players moved west to join SBF. Bolstered by the influx of talent, SBF ran to the top of the table in the 1932-1933 SLSL season. They also won the National Cup with two victories, 1-0 and 2-1, against the New York Americans. SBF then went on to play the Toronto Scottish in the “North American Soccer Championship” and occasional game which pitted the National Challenge Cup and Canadian championship teams. Toronto won the game 2-1 despite a goal for SBF from Billy Gonsalves. SBF continued both its league and National Cup success in the 1933-1934 season. They finished at the top of the SLSL table and won the National Cup over the Pawtucket Rangers in three games, a 4-2 victory, 2-3 loss and a 5-0 third game.
Following their National Cup victory, the team again changed sponsorship, this time to St. Louis Central Breweries. The newly renamed team continued to find success, winning both the 1935 SLSL and National Cup titles.
In October 1935, the team changed sponsorship, starting the season as Democratic Country Club. In mid October the sponsors James A.Burke and John J.Dwyer dropped their connection with the team and for the next month were known simply as St. Louis soccer club. Without financial backing and some of the players otherwise unemployed they considered disbanding. It was in mid November that they withdrew from the league and began an intercity schedule out of Sportsmans Park under the name Father Dempsey's Shamrocks with the backing of Phil A.Riley who had resigned as league president to head up the management of this experimental attempt to run an independent pro team. However, the core of the team remained and the Shamrocks went to the 1936 and 1937 National Cup finals, only to fall to the Philadelphia German-Americans and New York Americans, respectively.
In April 1936 the Shamrock played two matches against the visiting Botafogo FC from Rio de Janeiro with stars like Leônidas da Silva and Carvalho Leite. The Shamrocks won the first match 1-0 and in the second one held the visitors to a 3-3 draw. [1]
In October 1936, the team was without USFA affiliation which was rectified when they joined the Illinois State FA. The Shamrocks continued to compete as an independent playing out of their new grounds at Public Schools Stadium playing their first game of the season October 11 against Oak Park Acorns of Chicago winning 4-0. In November 1936, Shamrocks played the St.Louis League All Stars in the league all star game. Shamrocks won, 3-0, with one local newspaper writing, "The series was well worth while but it only strengthened the belief that no combination of Pro League players could be put together to give the Shamrocks a real test. Even a bit off form, as the Shamrocks were yesterday, they are far superior to any team the league officials might put on the field.” In 1938, the Shamrocks folded after several players left the team to sign with St. Patrick. Shamrocks sued for player tampering, but the team collapsed and the remaining players signed with South Side Radio.
| Year | Record | League | Amateur Cup | National Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-1930 | 5-3-4 | 2nd | 2nd Round | |
| 1930-1931 | 7-7-3 | 3rd | 1st Round | |
| 1931-1932 | 6-6-3 | 3rd | Final | |
| 1932-1933 | 10-2-3 | Champion | Champion | |
| 1933-1934 | 9-2-2 | Champion | Champion | |
| 1934-1935 | 10-2-3 | Champion | Champion | |
| 1935-1936 | 3-0-1 | 1st | Final | |
| 1936-1937 | Final |
League Championship
Bertrand "Bert" Arthur Patenaude was an American soccer player who played as a forward. Although it was formerly disputed, he is now officially credited by FIFA as scorer of the first hat-trick in the World Cup history. He is a member of the United States Soccer Hall of Fame.
Adelino William Gonsalves was an American soccer player, sometimes described as the "Babe Ruth of American Soccer". He spent over 25 years playing in various American professional leagues and was a member of the U.S. squad at the FIFA World Cup in 1930 and 1934. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Stix, Baer and Fuller was a department store chain in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1892 to 1984.
Thomas Florie was an American soccer forward. He played in both the first and second American Soccer Leagues, winning two National Challenge Cup titles. Florie was also a member of the United States men's national soccer team at the 1930 and 1934 FIFA World Cup. He was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986.
Werner "Scotty" Nilsen is a former Norwegian American soccer forward. He is one of the highest scoring players in U.S. soccer history, scoring 131 goals in 239 games with the Boston Soccer Club. He won five consecutive National Challenge Cups during his career, and four doubles. He also earned two caps with the United States in 1934, one at the 1934 FIFA World Cup. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Edward Hart was a former U.S. soccer forward who was a member of the U.S. soccer team at the 1924 Summer Olympics. He spent most of his professional career in the St. Louis Soccer League with one game in the American Soccer League.
Adolph "Ed" C. Czerkiewicz(listed in some sources as Czerchiewicz) was an American soccer right fullback who spent eight seasons in the American Soccer League and was a member of the United States national team at the 1934 FIFA World Cup.
William Stewart Lang was a Scottish-born American soccer player. A dominant player through the 1930s and a member of the U.S. national team at the 1934 FIFA World Cup, McLean disappeared without a trace in 1938. His disappearance remained a mystery until June 2022, when an investigation by The Athletic's Pablo Maurer and Matt Pentz uncovered the details behind that disappearance; McLean had suffered a nervous breakdown after multiple head injuries and lived out the last 40 years of his life in a series of public mental health facilities.
Walter Dick was a U.S. soccer forward who was a member of the U.S. national team at the 1934 FIFA World Cup. He is a member of the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame.
William Lehman was an American soccer half back who was on the U.S. roster at the 1934 FIFA World Cup. He played professionally in the St. Louis Soccer League.
The St. Louis Soccer League was based in St. Louis, Missouri and existed from 1915 to 1938. At its founding, it was the only fully professional soccer league in the United States. The league was founded from two teams from the St. Louis Soccer Football League and two teams from the Federal Park Soccer League.
Alexander McNab was a Scottish-American soccer player and coach. He began his career in Scotland before moving to the United States. In the US, he won six consecutive National Challenge Cups with teams from both the American Soccer League and St. Louis Soccer League. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005.
William McPherson was a Scottish-American soccer wing half. He began his career in Scotland before moving to the American Soccer League. He also spent time in the St. Louis Soccer League, winning a total of five league titles and seven National Challenge Cups during his career.
Jimmy Roe was a U.S. soccer inside left who spent his entire career in the St. Louis leagues. He was called into the national team in 1937, but suffered a career ending knee injury before his first game with the team. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1997.
Stanley Chesney was an all around athlete best known as a U.S. soccer goalkeeper. He played in both the first and second American Soccer League and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1966. Beyond soccer Stan was signed out of Bayonne High School by the legendary Branch Rickey to play baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals organization and played Firstbase in the Three "I" League. Stan also led his semi-pro NJ basketball team in scoring and was a local handball champion.
Robert Paton Gregg was a Scottish football fullback who played professionally in Scotland, Canada and the United States, including the American Soccer League and St. Louis Soccer League.
Billy Watson was a Scottish-American soccer left half. He began his career in Scotland before moving to England and then the United States where he played in both the American Soccer League and St. Louis Soccer League.
Hellrung & Grimm was a U.S. soccer team in St. Louis, Missouri which was sponsored by the Hellrung & Grimm Furniture Company. It spent the 1935-1936 season in the St. Louis Soccer League.
Louis J. "Lou" Ahrens was an American soccer forward who spent his entire career in the St. Louis Soccer League.
| Men's national teams | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's national teams | |||||
| Men's outdoor leagues |
| ||||
| Women's outdoor leagues |
| ||||
| Men's indoor leagues | |||||
| Women's indoor leagues | |||||
| Men's futsal leagues | |||||
| Women's futsal leagues | |||||
| Men's club cup competitions | |||||
| Women's international cup competitions | |||||
| Women's club cup competitions | |||||
| Men's college soccer |
| ||||
| Women's college soccer |
| ||||
| Youth soccer |
| ||||
| Defunct men's outdoor leagues |
| ||||
| Defunct men's indoor leagues | |||||
| Defunct women's leagues | |||||
| By city | |||||
| Miscellaneous | |||||
