 | |||
| Full name | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | December 11, 1973 | ||
| Dissolved | 1988; 37 years ago (1988) | ||
| Stadium | Outdoor: Spartan Stadium (18,155) Indoor: Cow Palace (11,089) Oakland Coliseum Arena (13,601) | ||
| League | NASL (1974–1984) MISL (1982–1983) WSA (1985–1988) | ||
TheSan Jose Earthquakes were a professionalsoccer club that played from 1974 to 1988. The team began as an expansion franchise in theNorth American Soccer League (NASL), and was originally set to play in San Francisco; but slow season ticket sales led to a late switch to San Jose'sSpartan Stadium. The switch to sports-starved San Jose was an immediate hit, and the Earthquakes led the league with attendance over 15,000 per game in 1974, double the league average. The team's success led Spartan Stadium to be chosen as site of the first NASLSoccer Bowl in 1975. From 1983 to 1984, the team was known as theGolden Bay Earthquakes. During this time, it also played in the originalMajor Indoor Soccer League and in the NASL's indoor circuit, winning the first ever NASL indoor tournament in 1975. Their indoor games were first played at theCow Palace and later at theOakland Coliseum Arena.
Following the collapse of the NASL in 1984, the team's name reverted to San Jose Earthquakes prior to joining theWestern Soccer Alliance in 1985, where it played until the league's folding after the 1988 season.
The nameEarthquakes was created by general managerDick Berg. While it was criticized due toSan Jose's proximity to theSan Andreas Fault, the name stayed on. In 1999, the Earthquakes name returned when San Jose'sMajor League Soccer franchise renamed themselves from the Clash to Earthquakes. A rebranding in 2014 added "1974" to the MLS team's crest, an explicit reference to the original NASL team.[1][2][3]
Outdoor:
| Season | League | W | L | T | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs | Avg. Attend. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | NASL | 9 | 8 | 3 | 43 | 38 | 2nd West | Lost Quarterfinal | 16,584 |
| 1975 | NASL | 8 | 14 | 37 | 48 | 5th West | did not qualify | 17,927 | |
| 1976 | NASL | 14 | 10 | 47 | 30 | 1st South | Lost Conference Finals | 19,826 | |
| 1977 | NASL | 14 | 12 | 37 | 44 | 2nd South | Lost in 1st round | 17,739 | |
| 1978 | NASL | 8 | 22 | 36 | 81 | 4th American West | did not qualify | 14,281 | |
| 1979 | NASL | 8 | 22 | 41 | 74 | 4th American West | did not qualify | 15,092 | |
| 1980 | NASL | 9 | 23 | 45 | 68 | 4th American West | did not qualify | 13,169 | |
| 1981 | NASL | 11 | 21 | 44 | 78 | 4th West | did not qualify | 12,400 | |
| 1982 | NASL | 13 | 19 | 47 | 62 | 5th West | did not qualify | 11,012 | |
| 1983 | NASL | 20 | 10 | 71 | 54 | 2nd West | Lost Semifinal | 11,933 | |
| 1984 | NASL | 8 | 16 | 61 | 62 | 5th West | did not qualify | 10,676 | |
| 1985 | WACS | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 1st | N/A | |
| 1986 | WSA | 3 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 6th | N/A | |
| 1987 | WSA | 6 | 7 | 21 | 13 | 3rd | Runners-up | ||
| 1988 | WSA | 7 | 5 | 20 | 19 | 3rd | Runners-up |
Note: The team played as the Golden Bay Earthquakes in the 1983 and 1984 seasons.
In the winter of1975, the NASL ran a two-tiered, 16-team indoor tournament with four regional winners meeting in a "final-four" style championship. Not only did San Jose host their region at theCow Palace, but the final four as well. The Quakes swept through the tournament unscathed, defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 8–5 in the final to the delight of their fans. San Jose teammatesPaul Child andGabbo Gavric were named co-MVPs. In1976, the Earthquakes again advanced to the final four before losing to theRochester Lancers at theBayfront Center in Florida. They would rebound the following day to win the 3rd Place match 5–2 overDallas. The NASL would not begin playing full indoor seasons until1979–80, but San Jose did not fare nearly as well in that format.[4] The NASL canceled its 1982–83 indoor season. As a result, the Earthquakes along withChicago andSan Diego played in theMISL that winter.[5]
| Season | League | W | L | GF | GA | Place | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | NASL | 4 | 0 | 37 | 17 | 1st West | NASL Champions |
| 1976 | NASL | 3 | 1 | 35 | 18 | 1st West | 3rd place |
| 1980–81 | NASL | 10 | 8 | 118 | 115 | 3rd West | did not qualify |
| 1981–82 | NASL | 5 | 13 | 83 | 141 | 3rd National West | did not qualify |
| 1982–83 | MISL | 17 | 31 | 240 | 290 | 5th West | did not qualify |
| 1983–84 | NASL | 19 | 13 | 206 | 190 | 4th | Lost Semifinal |
Note: The team played the 1982/83 and 1983/84 seasons as the Golden Bay Earthquakes.
Momčilo Gavrić (1974)Ivan Toplak (1974–1975)Momčilo Gavrić (1975–1978)
Terry Fisher (1978–1979)
Peter Stubbe (1979)
Bill Foulkes (1980)
Jimmy Gabriel (1981)Peter Short (1982)Joe Mallett (1982)Dragan Popović (1983–1984)Laurie Calloway (1985)Steve Litt (1986)Barney Boyce (1987–1988)
Tomás Boy (1988) Tony Zanotto (1988)Championships[6]
NASL Division titles[6]
NASL Most Valuable Player[6]
North American Player of the Year[7]
Coach of the Year[6]
Leading Scorer[6]
Leading Goal Scorer[6]
Assists Leader[6]
| All-Star First Team selections[9]
All-Star Second Team selections
All-Star Honorable Mentions
Indoor All-Star/All-Tournament selections
Indoor All-Star Game selections
U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame[13]
Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame[14]
Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame[15]
|
