The Denver Dynamos were a

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team based in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

that played in the NASL from 1974 to 1975. Their home field was

Mile High Stadium Mile High Stadium (originally Bears Stadium until 1968) was an outdoor multi-purpose stadium located in Denver, Colorado from 1948 to 2001. The stadium was built in 1948 to accommodate the Denver Bears baseball team, which was a member of the ...

. After the 1975 season, they moved to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and became the

Minnesota Kicks The Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL). Initiall ...

History

Between the

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

and 1974 North American Soccer League seasons the league added eight new expansion teams, including one located in

. English full-back and NASL veteran

Ken Bracewell Ken Bracewell (born 5 October 1936) is an English former professional football player and coach. Bracewell, who played as a full-back, made over 200 league appearances in England, Canada, and the United States. Playing career Born in Colne, ...

was hired as

player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

and

Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

players

Andy Lochhead Andrew Lorimar Lochhead (9 March 1941 – 18 March 2022) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a forward. Career Lochhead was born in Milngavie, Stirlingshire, Scotland. He started his career at Burnley and made his first team de ...

and Ian Wood were brought over on loan. The team lost its first game to the

Toronto Metros Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...

3-2 and finished the 1974 season in last place of the Central Division with a record of five wins and fifteen losses. During the season, the Dynamos went 523 minutes without scoring a goal, setting a record that held until the

Philadelphia Fury The Philadelphia Fury was an American soccer team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that last competed in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). The club formerly competed in the American Soccer League and is currently owned by ...

went 524 minutes and 18 seconds without scoring during the 1978 NASL season. Following the season, GM Norman Sutherland announced that Bracewell's contract would not be renewed, effectively firing the head coach. On October 22, 1974, Sutherland, who had played for

East Fife F.C. East Fife Football Club is a semi-professional football (soccer), football club established in 1903 in Methil, Fife, Scotland. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and compete in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of ...

in Scotland and had won the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

and

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

American Soccer League titles as manager of the

Washington Darts The Washington Darts were an American association football, soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that played in the American Soccer League (1933-1983), American Soccer League from 1967 to 1969 and the North American Soccer League (1968-1984), N ...

, was named coach for the 1975 season. However, less than five months later and a week before training camp, Sutherland announced his resignation as both coach and general manager of the organization. Less than a week later, John Young, who had coached the

Miami Toros The Miami Toros was a professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League from 1972 to 1976. The club was founded in 1967 as the Washington Darts, and moved to Miami, where they played the 1972 season in the NASL's Southern Division as ...

for three seasons, was named head coach and Joe Echelle was named general manager, a position he had held previously for four years with the

Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. ...

. For the 1975 NASL season, the Dynamos finished in third place of the Central Division with a record of nine wins and thirteen losses. The team played two season at

, averaging 4,840 fans a game in 1974 and 3,654 during the 1975 season. On November 18, 1975, Jack Crocker announced that a group led by him would be purchasing the club and moving it to Minnesota for the 1976 season, the sale was completed on November 25.

Coaches

1974 *

John Young John Young may refer to: Academics * John Young (professor of Greek) (died 1820), Scottish professor of Greek at the University of Glasgow * John C. Young (college president) (1803–1857), American educator, pastor, and president of Centre Coll ...

1975

Year-by-year

Honors

NASL All-Stars * 1975: Hugh Fisher ''(honorable mention)'' U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame * 2003:

Patrick Ntsoelengoe Patrick Pule "Ace" Ntsoelengoe OIS (26 February 1952 – 8 May 2006) was a South African soccer player who is widely considered as one of the greatest the country has ever produced. Early life Ntsoelengoe was born to Daniel Ndimande and Marg ...

References

{{North American Soccer League (1966–85) Defunct soccer clubs in Colorado North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams Soccer clubs in Denver Soccer clubs in Colorado 1974 establishments in Colorado 1975 disestablishments in Colorado Association football clubs established in 1974 Association football clubs disestablished in 1975