Oakland Stompers
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Full name | Oakland Stompers | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | Stompers | ||
Founded | 1978 | ||
Dissolved | 1978 | ||
Stadium | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | ||
Capacity | 50,000 | ||
Chairman | Milan Mandarić | ||
General Manager | Dick Berg[1] | ||
League | NASL | ||
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The Oakland Stompers were a soccer team 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.
Team history[]
At the end of the 1977 NASL season, Silicon Valley businessman (and former owner of the San Jose Earthquakes) Milan Mandarić bought the Connecticut Bicentennials and relocated them to Oakland.[2] The club, renamed the Stompers, hired Mirko Stojanović as head coach and signed a 10-year lease at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum,[3] previously home of the NASL's Oakland Clippers in 1967–68.[4] The team signed Shep Messing for $100,000 making him the highest-paid American soccer player at the time.[5][6]
The club drew 32,104 in their home opener against San Jose Earthquakes on April 2, 1978 with about half of those in attendance being supporters of the visiting team.[7][5] After eight games and a record of 4-4, the team fired Stojanović and replaced him on an interim basis with Jack Hyde.[1] Hyde was in turned replaced by Ken Bracewell who had previously coached the Denver Dynamos.[8] In July, the team was averaging 12,200 fan in attendance,[9] but ended the season in third place and with a slight dip in attendance 11,929 fans at seasons end.[10]
Following the season, the team moved to Edmonton, Alberta where they was renamed the Edmonton Drillers.[11]
Year-by-year[]
Year | League | W | L | Pts | Regular Season | Playoffs | Avg. Attend. | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1978 | NASL | 12 | 18 | 103 | 3rd, American Conference, Western Division | Did Not Qualify | 11,929 | [10] |
Honors[]
U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame
- 1997: Johnny Moore[12]
Canada Soccer Hall of Fame
- 2008: Bruce Twamley
Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame
- 2019: Shep Messing[13]
Coaches[]
References[]
- ^ a b "Messing faces former mates". St. Petersburg Times. 17 May 1978. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Slater, Matt (16 March 2015). "Milan Mandaric: Football's Mr Fixit says farewell". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Stojanovic Will Coach Stompers". Gettysburg Times. 8 November 1977. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Chazaro, Alan. "The Forgotten Legacy of Oakland's 'Outlaw' Soccer Team". thebolditalic. Medium. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Messing Has Summer In the Right Place(s)". Observer-Reporter. 4 April 1978. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "People". TIME. Time Inc. 20 March 1978. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Messing faces former mates". Lewiston Morning Tribune. 21 July 1978. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Cosmos rally past Kicks 4-2". St. Petersburg Times. 14 June 1978. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Soccer attendance up, but figures misleading". Lewiston Morning Tribune. 8 July 1978. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b "North American Soccer League". Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Stompers turn into Drillers". Lewiston Morning Tribune. 9 March 1979. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Hall of Fame selects 6". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 21 May 1997. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Hall of Famers". indoorsoccerhall.com. September 1, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
External links[]
- Oakland Stompers
- Defunct soccer clubs in California
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams
- Sports teams in Oakland, California
- 1978 establishments in California
- 1978 disestablishments in California
- Soccer clubs in California
- 1978 North American Soccer League season
- Association football clubs disestablished in 1978
- Association football clubs established in 1978