 | |||
| Full name | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 (PreviouslyMiami Toros) | ||
| Dissolved | 1983 (rebranded asMinnesota Strikers) | ||
| Stadium | Lockhart Stadium Fort Lauderdale,Florida West Palm Beach Auditorium (indoor 1980–81) Pembroke Pines, Florida | ||
| Capacity | 20,450/15,532 (indoor) | ||
| Owner | Elizabeth Robbie | ||
| League | North American Soccer League | ||
TheFort Lauderdale Strikers were a professional soccer team based in theMiami metropolitan area. They competed in theNorth American Soccer League (NASL) from 1977 to 1983. They played their home matches atLockhart Stadium.
Founded in 1967 as theWashington Darts, the team relocated toFlorida in 1972. They were known as theMiami Gatos (1972) and theMiami Toros (1973–1976) before moving to nearbyFort Lauderdale. In addition to their time in the NASL outdoor league, the Strikers also played two indoor seasons while in Fort Lauderdale, at theWest Palm Beach Auditorium for the1979–80 season and theHollywood Sportatorium for the1980–81 season. After the 1983 season, the Strikers moved toMinneapolis and became theMinnesota Strikers. Among their players during its time in Fort Lauderdale were football legendsGeorge Best andGerd Müller.
Founded in 1963 as the amateur club Washington Britannica and eventually rebranding as theWashington Darts, the team joined theNorth American Soccer League in 1970[1] after playing three seasons in theAmerican Soccer League and winning two consecutive ASL championships.[2] After the 1970 season, the team was sold toJohn Bilotta, former part owner of theRochester Lancers, andArthur Bant a hotel owner, who relocated and rebranded as the team as theMiami Gatos.[3][4] After one season, the team was sold to a group of 25 local business leaders[5] includingMiami Dolphins ownerJoe Robbie and his wife Elizabeth and renamed theToros.[6] In December 1976 and after five seasons in Miami, the team announced it was moving toFort Lauderdale.[7] The team played its first game, anindoorfriendly, on February 27, 1977, against theTampa Bay Rowdies, the first meeting in what was to become one of the most enduring rivalries in North American soccer, theFort Lauderdale–Tampa Bay rivalry.[8]
The Strikers won their debut match 2–1 atLockhart Stadium against theSt. Louis Stars on April 10, 1977.[9] They finished the1977 season in first place of the Eastern Division American Conference with a record of nineteen wins and seven losses, tying the league record for most wins in a season.[10] The team drew an average 8,148 fans for the season, a 165% increase over the team's last season as the Toros, and head coachRon Newman, who had been hired before the team announced its move to Fort Lauderdale,[11] was named NASL coach of the year.[10] In the first match of the Division Championship, the Strikers lost to thePelé ledNew York Cosmos 8–3 atGiants Stadium in a match which drew 77,691 fans, a record for a non-exhibition domestic league soccer game.[12] In the return leg played in Fort Lauderdale, the Strikers lost 3–2 in an overtime shootout.[13] Finishing the1978 season in third place with a record of sixteen wins and fourteen losses, the Strikers made it to the third round of the playoffs, losing the Conference Championship to theTampa Bay Rowdies.[14] The team was one of four to participate in the1979 NASL Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational, losing both games the played[15] The1979 North American Soccer League season ended with the Strikers in second place of the Eastern Division behind the Rowdies with a record of seventeen wins, thirteen losses and averaging 13,774 attendance per game.[14] The Strikers were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by theChicago Sting, losing both games without scoring a goal.[16] The day before the second game, it was announced that the team had relieved Ron Newman as head coach and offered him a job in the team management.[17]
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After Newman declined the front office position, the Strikers hiredBob Lemieux who had been working as an executive for theDetroit Red Wings as the team's General Manager.[18]In December 1979, the Strikers announced thatCor van der Hart had been hired as head coach.[19] During the1980 NASL Season there were several reports of arguments between van der Hart and the players as well as publicity referencing a drinking problem, both issues led to difficulties with the head office.[20][21] Finishing with a record of eighteen wins and fourteen loses, the team ended the season in second place of the Eastern Division, behind theTampa Bay Rowdies again.[14] The Strikers advanced toSoccer Bowl '80 against theNew York Cosmos after defeating theCalifornia Surf,Edmonton Drillers, andSan Diego Sockers in the first three rounds of the playoffs.[22] On September 21, 1980, atRFK Stadium inWashington, DC the Strikers lost to the Cosmos 3–0.[23] In mid October, Lemieux was fired from his position as General Manager with Tim Robbie, son of owners Joe and Elizabeth Robbie, taking over the position.[24] Then in late December 1980 with the team 0–6 in the1980–81 NASL Indoor season and after having announced just after the Soccer Bowl that he would return as head coach for the following outdoor season, van der Hart was fired. Team spokesman stated "personal issues" and "team morale" as the primary reason and that AssistantBill Nuttall was named caretaker for the remainder of the indoor campaign.[25] GermanEckhard Krautzun who had coached theHouston Hurricane during the 1980 season, was named head coach for the 1981 Outdoor season.[20] The 1981 season saw the team's first decline in average attendance since it had moved to Fort Lauderdale with 13,345 fans per game seeing them finish second in the Southern Division with a record of eighteen wins and fourteen losses, rather than the 14,360 who attended each game during the 1980 season.[14] After defeating theCalgary Boomers andMinnesota Kicks in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Strikers lost in the Semifinals to the Cosmos.[26] The day after the Strikers were eliminated from contention forSoccer Bowl '81, theNorth American Soccer League announced that the team would not participate in the upcoming1981–82 NASL Indoor season, but would return for 1982 outdoor season.[27]
The Strikers ended the1982 North American Soccer League season with an identical eighteen wins and fourteen losses from the previous season which won them the Southern Division title with another decline in attendance of 12,345 average attendance.[14] After defeating theMontreal Manic in the first round of the playoffs, the Strikers failed to qualify forSoccer Bowl '82 when they lost the semifinals toSeattle Sounders.[28] After two seasons, Krautzun was fired as head coach with former Striker player and head coach of the recently foldedGeorgia GeneralsDavid Chadwick rumored to be interested in the position.[29] His hiring was confirmed a week later.[30] In addition to compiling a record of one win and seven losses in the1983 NASL Grand Prix of Indoor Soccer, the Strikers played two indoor friendlies during the offseason. The team's attendance continued decline in the1983 outdoor season and the team recorded their first losing record in an outdoor NASL season with fourteen wins and sixteen losses.[14] Finishing second in the Southern Division, the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by theTulsa Roughnecks.[31]
Following the conclusion of the1983 outdoor season season long rumors that the team was looking to move were confirmed when General Manager Tim Robbie met with officials inMinneapolis[32] On November 30, 1983, team owner Elizabeth Robbie,Minnesota GovernorRudy Perpich, and NASL presidentHoward Samuels officially announced the team was moving and indicated the team had lost around $1 million in the last year.[33] In 1984 the team began play as theMinnesota Strikers. The team survived the NASL folding after the 1984 season and competed in theMajor Indoor Soccer League for an additional four seasons before going out of business.[34]
| Year | Record | Regular season finish | Playoffs | Avg. Attend. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 19–7 | 1st, Eastern Division, American Conference | Divisional Playoff | 8,148 |
| 1978 | 16–14 | 3rd, Eastern Division, American Conference | American Conference Finals | 10,479 |
| 1979 indoor | 0–2 | 4th, Budweiser Invitational[35] | n/a | |
| 1979 | 17–13 | 2nd, Eastern Division, American Conference | American Conference Quarterfinals | 13,774 |
| 1979–80 indoor | 3–9 | 4th, Eastern Division | n/a | 2,069 |
| 1980 | 18–14 | 2nd, Eastern Division, American Conference | Runners-up | 14,360 |
| 1980–81 indoor | 1–17 | 4th, Eastern Division | n/a | 1,699 |
| 1981 | 18–14 | 2nd, Southern Division | Semifinals | 13,345 |
| 1982 | 18–14 | 1st, Southern Division | Semifinals | 12,345 |
| 1983 indoor | 2–8 | 4th, Indoor Grand Prix | n/a | |
| 1983 | 14–16 | 2nd, Southern Division | Quarterfinals | 10,823 |
NASL championships[36]
Regular Season Titles[36]
Division titles[36] Coach of the Year[36]
U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame[37] Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame[38]
Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame[39] | All-Star first team selections All-Star second team selections All-Star honorable mentions
|
Ron Newman (1977–1979)
Cor van der Hart (1980)
Eckhard Krautzun (1981–1982)David Chadwick (1983–1984)
