The Phoenix Inferno was an American
indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...
team in
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, that played in the
Major Indoor Soccer League from 1980 to 1983. In 1983 new ownership renamed the team the Phoenix Pride. The Pride folded at the end of the 1983–1984 season. Both teams played their home games at the
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a 14,870-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Phoenix, Arizona, located at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. It hosted the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association from 1968 to 1992, as well as indoor s ...
.
The Phoenix Inferno, owned by Richard Ragone and later Irv Berger, entered the
Major Indoor Soccer League in 1980. The Phoenix Inferno bumper stickers read "Our Balls Are Off The Wall." Original owner Ragone was killed in a December 1981 car crash. In January 1983, Berger filed for bankruptcy. The league approved the sale of the team to Bruce Merrill, chairman of American Cable Television, for $175,000.
Year-by-year
Phoenix Pride
When Bruce Merrill purchased the Phoenix Inferno, he brought in Ted Podleski as general manager. A devout Christian, Podleski objected to the use of the word Inferno and Merrill renamed the team the Pride. On March 3, 1984, Podleski fired the head coach and installed himself as head coach despite never playing or coaching soccer before.
[''Coach Podleski smiling on hot seat'' Evening Tribune (San Diego, CA) – Friday, March 9, 1984] The team finished the season at 18–30 and failed to qualify for the playoffs. Merrill put the team up for sale in June 1984. When he received no offers, he folded the team in July.
Year-by-year
References
{{Reflist
External links
Phoenix Inferno rosters
Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States
Sports in Phoenix, Arizona
Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) teams
Soccer clubs in Arizona
1984 disestablishments in Arizona
1980 establishments in Arizona
Association football clubs established in 1980
Association football clubs disestablished in 1984