The Tulsa Tornado's were a professional outdoor soccer team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played in the 2nd division United Soccer League during the partially completed 1985 season.
The team was created when the owner of the Oklahoma City Stampede, David Fraser, announced that he was moving the franchise to Tulsa and changing their name in December 1984. [1] The previous September, the North American Soccer League's Tulsa Roughnecks had announced that they were folding, and Fraser may have been hoping to take advantage of a fairly well-established fanbase that had enjoyed a championship run just one year prior. [2] Before the team could begin playing in Tulsa, though, the situation for the team and the league changed drastically. Virtually all of the teams in the one-year-old USL had lost money in 1984, and most of them failed to post a performance bond to guarantee their return for 1985. [3] In February a last-ditch set of USL/NASL merger discussions that hoped to bring a financial boost to the USL and a boost in membership to the flagging NASL ended without an agreement. In short order the NASL announced that there would be no 1985 outdoor season, and six of the nine USL teams either ended operations or withdrew from the league. Only Dallas and Fort Lauderdale (renamed South Florida) along with an expansion team in El Paso/Juarez joined Tulsa to attempt the USL's 1985 outdoor season. [4] Further compounding the challenges of attracting fans and sponsors in a new town on short notice, the Roughnecks' former general manager, Noel Lemon, announced in January that he had been authorized to revive the Roughnecks for the 1985 NASL season. When the NASL was unable to get enough teams on board and cancelled the 1985 season, the "new" Roughnecks announced a 20-game exhibition schedule that was to start in the same month as the USL season, leaving the city of Tulsa with two hastily assembled and underfunded clubs competing for the attention of the town's soccer fans. [2]
The USL re-arranged its schedule to open with a round-robin format "USL Cup" (each team was to play the other twice) beginning in late May to be followed by a twelve-game regular season. During the six games of the Cup series, reports emerged of the Tornado's owners facing lawsuits related to rent payments at their home field, Skelly Stadium, as well as missing payroll for the coaches and players. The unpaid team refused to take the field for a June 6th home exhibition game or travel to Dallas for a June 8th USL Cup game. Around this time, coach Brian Harvey resigned and some players began to take their leave. [5] [6] [2] New investors led by Jimbo Elrod and Sammie Jo Cole engaged in discussions with the league to take over principal ownership, and the Tornado's did travel to Fort Lauderdale (albeit with a "substantially different" roster) to compete in the final game of the Cup round on June 15. However, the 1-0 loss would be their final match. [7] The regular season opener scheduled for June 22 was cancelled due to still unresolved payroll and stadium rent issues, and a few days later creditors foreclosed on the USL and locked officials out of their offices. The season was suspended on June 25th. Elrod backed off his investment plan, which likely would have moved the team to Oklahoma City, when the league suspended operations. [8]
| Place | 1985 League Cup | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA | % | Avg. Att. [9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Florida Sun | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 8 | .667 | 2,195 |
| 2 | Dallas Americans | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 9 | .500 | 2,400 |
| 3 | Tulsa Tornados | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | .500 | 500 |
| 4 | El Paso/Juarez Gamecocks | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 15 | .333 | 1,430 |
| USL Rank | Scorer | GP | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Zequinha | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| USL Rank | Player | GP | W–L | Min | SH | SV | SO | GA | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delroy Allen | 5 | 3–2 | 434 | 60 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 1.24 |
Delroy Allen; 5 Apps 0 Goals
Ricardo Alonso [10] 
Mike Connell [11] 
John Dolinsky Winston DuBose [11] 
Däniel Johansson; 6 Apps 3 Goals Peter Knezic Art Kramer Jim Millinder 
Neil Ridgeway Bill Sautter Steve Sharp [10] Don Tobin [12] Tim Tyma 
Thompson Usiyan Scott Westbrook [13] 
Zequinha; 4 Apps 1 GoalFort Lauderdale/South Florida Sun was a professional U.S. soccer team which played two seasons in the United Soccer League.
The Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) were a North American Soccer League (NASL) team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. It played its home games at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The team, previously Team Hawaii, moved to Tulsa after the 1977 season. In 1983, Alex Skotarek became general manager and led one of the lowest-budgeted teams in the NASL to a championship, defeating Toronto, 2–0, at Soccer Bowl '83.
The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in 1984 and 85.
The Jacksonville Tea Men were a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four years in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, then in the lower level American Soccer League in 1983 and United Soccer League in 1984. The NASL incarnation of the club was Jacksonville's first professional soccer team, and the first major league-level sport franchise ever based in the city.
The Carolina Lightnin' was a professional American soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina that was a member of the American Soccer League from 1981-83. After the Lightnin' folded, much of the front office staff and some of the players joined a new club called the Charlotte Gold that played in the United Soccer League in 1984. Both the Lightnin' and the Gold played home matches at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
Dallas Americans was an American professional soccer club based in Dallas, Texas. The team played in the American Soccer League in 1983 and the United Soccer League in 1984 and 1985. Both leagues were unofficial 2nd division leagues. Americans home games were played at John Clark Stadium in Plano, Texas.
The Oklahoma City Slickers was the name given to two different American soccer clubs based in Oklahoma City. The first team competed in the second American Soccer League in 1982 and 1983. The club was re-organized and re-branded in 1984 as the Oklahoma City Stampede and again in 1985 as the Tulsa Tornado's to play in the short-lived United Soccer League. The second Oklahoma City Slickers competed in the USISL from 1993 to 1996. Home games were played at historical Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City.
Houston Dynamos was a U.S. soccer team that existed in various forms from 1983 to 1991. In 1991, the team's owners changed the name to Houston International, but the team lasted only through the 1992 season before folding. The Dynamos were founded by Pete Kane and John M Gaughan. The Dynamos were founded with the intention of a continued building of the sport of soccer in Houston Texas. The Dynamos were the first team to give contracts to its players based on an entire year not on a season. The Houston Dynamos players year round went to parks, schools and events promoting the sport of soccer. In 1985 the Dynamos brought Pele to Houston creating great interest in the sport and spreading goodwill.
Mike Connell is a former professional footballer who spent most of his career as a defender. He played professionally in his native South Africa as well as in the North American Soccer League (NASL), mostly with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Keith Weller was an English footballer who played as a midfielder or striker. He is considered to be one of Leicester City's greatest-ever players.
Victor "Vic" Moreland is a retired professional footballer from Northern Ireland who began his career in Northern Ireland, spent two seasons in the Football League before moving to the United States. He then played six seasons in the North American Soccer League, seven in the Major Indoor Soccer League as well as several seasons in several lower division indoor and outdoor leagues.
Delroy Allen is a retired Jamaican-American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in the North American Soccer League, American Soccer League and United Soccer League.
Barry Daniel Wallace was an English football midfielder who played professionally in the Football League, North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. After his retirement from playing, Wallace spent the rest of his life coaching youth soccer teams.
The 1984 USL season was the United Soccer League's first and only full season.
The 1985 USL season was the United Soccer League's second and final season. The season was abruptly canceled after the pre-season League Cup and one regular season game.
Todd Saldana is an American retired soccer midfielder. He played four seasons in the North American Soccer League, two in the United Soccer League and two in the Western Soccer Alliance. He was a member of the United States U-20 men's national soccer team at the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship and has coached at the collegiate level including three seasons as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins men's soccer team.
Rudy Pena is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the North American Soccer League, American Soccer League and United Soccer League.
Jim Millnder is a retired American soccer player and coach who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League and United Soccer League. He coached collegiate soccer for twenty-nine years.
The 1983 Fort Lauderdale Strikers season was the team's third season of indoor soccer in the North American Soccer League.
The 1979 NASL Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational was a four-team indoor soccer tournament held at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida on the final weekend of January 1979.