The Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) were a

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

(NASL) team from

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. It played its home games at

Skelly Stadium Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the south central United States, located on the campus of the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Commonly known as H. A. Chapman Stadium, it is the hom ...

on the campus of the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

. The team, previously

Team Hawaii Team Hawaii was a soccer team based out of Honolulu that played in the NASL for one season, 1977. Their home field was Aloha Stadium. After two unsuccessful years as the San Antonio Thunder, the franchise moved to Hawai'i in time for the 1977 ...

, moved to Tulsa after the 1977 season. In 1983, Alex Skotarek became general manager and led one of the lowest-budgeted teams in the NASL to a championship, defeating

Toronto 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 ancho ...

, 2-0, at

Soccer Bowl '83 Soccer Bowl '83 was the 17th edition of the Soccer Bowl, the championship match of North American Soccer League (NASL), which took place on October 1, 1983. It was the final match of the 1983 North American Soccer League playoffs and was contested ...

. Shortly after the Tulsa Roughnecks victory of the 1983 Soccer Bowl, President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

sent congratulatory remarks to the team as they carried the trophy in a celebration parade through

downtown Tulsa Downtown Tulsa is an area of approximately surrounded by an inner-dispersal loop created by Interstate 244, US 64, and US 75. The area serves as Tulsa's financial and business district, and is the focus of a large initiative to draw tourism, which ...

. The Roughnecks still stands (as of 2022) as the only major professional team from Oklahoma to win a championship.

Highlights

The Roughnecks first match was a 6–5

indoor Indoor(s) may refer to: *the interior of a building *Indoor environment, in building science, traditionally includes the study of indoor thermal environment, indoor acoustic environment, indoor light environment, and indoor air quality *Built envi ...

loss on February 11, 1978, at the

Bayfront Center Bayfront Center was an indoor arena located in St. Petersburg, Florida that hosted many concerts, sporting and other events. Depending on the configuration, it could hold up to 8,600 people. The arena was opened in 1965 and demolished in 2004. It ...

versus the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

. Three nights later in their home debut, the same two teams faced off in front of the first 3,250 Roughnecks fans at the

Tulsa Assembly Center The Cox Business Convention Center (formerly the Tulsa Assembly Center, Tulsa Convention Center, and Maxwell Convention Center) is a 310,625 square foot convention center located in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Cox Business Convention Center ( ...

. A few weeks later they would capture the Skelly Indoor Invitational which they hosted. Over the years Tulsa regularly appeared in the NASL playoffs. They won the NASL title in

, defeating the

Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: *Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League *Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League *Toronto Azzurri B ...

BC Place BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located at the north side of False Creek, it is owned and operated by the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a crown corporation of the province. The venue is currently ...

Stadium (

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

) by a score of 2–0 before a paid attendance of 60,051. The team's all-time win–loss record was 104–106. The Roughnecks' home games consistently drew better-than-league-average attendance with the annual record occurring during the 1980 season when the team averaged 19,787 spectators over 16 games for a total attendance that year of 316,593 (placing the Roughnecks at No. 5 between the

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club w ...

and the

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. Arm ...

). The largest home game attendance for Tulsa occurred on April 26, 1980, when 30,822 fans watched the Roughnecks' 2–1 victory over the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independe ...

at Skelly Stadium. The highest attendance for any Roughneck game occurred on August 26, 1979, when Tulsa met the Cosmos in New York for a NASL playoff game before a crowd of 76,031.

Post-NASL

Although the NASL's final season was 1984, and the league folded in early 1985, the Roughnecks continued to operate as an independent club. They had put together an ambitious schedule of more than 20 matches stretching from May into August, against teams from the

USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

MISL The Misls (derived from an Arabic word wikt:مثل#Etymology_3, مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian ...

, WACS,

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, as well as other former NASL sides that had not folded. Excluding several cancelations along the way, the team compiled a record of 8–2–1, before suspending operations on July 17, 1985. Famous Roughnecks players include

Iraj Danaeifard Iraj Danaeifard ( fa, ايرج دانايی فرد, 11 March 1951 – 12 December 2018) was an Iranian football player who played most of his career for Taj (currently Esteghlal) and also the Iran national football team. Club career Danaeifa ...

, Alex Skotarek, Charlie Mitchell,

Billy Caskey Billy Caskey (born 10 December 1954 in Belfast) is a retired professional soccer midfielder from Northern Ireland. He played in the Irish Football League, Football League, North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He also ear ...

Victor Moreland Victor "Vic" Moreland (born 15 June 1957 in Belfast) is a retired professional footballer from Northern Ireland who began his career in Northern Ireland, spent two seasons in the Football League before moving to the United States. He then played ...

, Barry Wallace,

Alan Woodward Alan Woodward (7 September 1946 – 21 May 2015) was a professional footballer who played in the position of outside right for Sheffield United over a 16-year period between 1962 and 1978. Woodward or ''Woody'' as he was nicknamed, will be be ...

, Zeljko Bilecki,

Carmelo D'Anzi Carmelo D'Anzi (born 24 November 1956) is an Italian-American football coach and former player. Born in Messina, Italy, he began his career with the Papa Giovanni XXIII club in Providence. He played for Cruz Azul from 1981 to 1982. In 1983, he ...

Winston DuBose Winston DuBose is an American former soccer goalkeeper who spent eight seasons in the North American Soccer League, four in the American Professional Soccer League and one in the American Indoor Soccer Association. He also earned fourteen cap ...

Njego Pesa Njego Pesa ( hr, Peša; born May 30, 1958) is a former American soccer forward who played in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He earned seven caps with the U.S. national team. Youth Pesa was born in Croatia, ...

Laurie Abrahams Lawrence Adam Michael Abrahams (born 3 April 1953) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a striker in England, the United States, and Australia. In a career which lasted from 1977 to 1987, Abrahams played 283 career league ...

Chance Fry Chance Fry (born June 29, 1964, in Bellevue, Washington) is a retired U.S. soccer forward who began his career straight out of high school with the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League. With the collapse of the NASL, he moved to in ...

, Terry Moore and

David McCreery David McCreery (born 16 September 1957) is a Northern Irish former international footballer who played professionally for Newcastle United and many other clubs during his long career. He mostly played in midfield, but was very versatile, and ...

Year-by-year

Honors

NASL Championships (2) *

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

indoor tournament Division Champions (1) *

Southern Division Rookie of the Year * 1981

Joe Morrone, Jr. Joseph M. Morrone (sometimes called Joe Jr. in error) (March 19, 1959–) is a former U.S. soccer midfielder who is the son of soccer coach Joe Morrone, Joseph J. Morrone Jr. While playing for the UConn Huskies, he won the 1980 Hermann Trophy as ...

Soccer Bowl MVP * 1983

Indoor Tournament MVP * 1978

Nino Zec Ninoslav "Nino" Zec (, born 7 July 1949) is a retired Yugoslav professional footballer who played as midfielder or striker. Career Born in Miloševo, SR Serbia, Zec began his professional career in 1968 with OFK Beograd. In 1978, Zec moved to ...

& Tibor Molnar * 1983

''(offensive)'' Indoor Leading Goal Scorer * 1978

& Milan Dovedan ''(5 goals)'' * 1983

''(12 goals)'' Indoor Leading Scorer * 1978

''(5 goals, 2 assists, 12 points)'' * 1983

''(12 goals, 6 assists, 30 points)'' Indoor Assists Leader * 1979–80

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...

''(18 assists)'' All-Star First Team Selections * 1983 Barry Wallace All-Star Second Team Selections * 1981 Barry Wallace * 1982 Barry Wallace * 1984 Terry Moore &

All-Star Honorable Mentions * 1981

Duncan McKenzie Duncan McKenzie (born 10 June 1950) is an English former footballer who played as a striker in the Football League for Nottingham Forest, Mansfield Town, Leeds United, Everton, Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers in the 1970s, in Belgium for Anderl ...

* 1982

* 1984

Ron Futcher Ronald Futcher (born 25 September 1956) is an English former footballer who played as a centre-forward. He was the fourth highest career scorer of the North American Soccer League, and made over 400 appearances in total for nine different Engli ...

Indoor All-Tournament Team * 1978

, Milan Dovedan, Tibor Molnar,

Gary Allison Gary Allison is a retired German-born American soccer player. This outstanding goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper played professionally, for 12 years, from 1973-1984, in the NASL (North American Soccer League (1968-1984), North Americ ...

Indoor All-Stars * 1981–82 Barry Wallace * 1983–84 Barry Wallace ''(starter)'' &

Zequinha José Ferreira Franco (18 November 1934 in Recife – 25 July 2009), nicknamed ''Zequinha'', was a Brazilian association football player. Playing career National team He earned 16 caps and scored 2 goals for the Brazil national football ...

''(reserve)'' Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame * 2004

Bob Bolitho Robert "Bob" Bolitho (born July 20, 1952, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) is a former Canadian national team, North American Soccer League and Canadian Soccer League player. He is of Cornish descent. Club career Bolitho played as a te ...

* 2005 Terry Moore * 2008

Jack Brand Jack Brand (born 4 April 1953) is a former professional soccer goalkeeper. He holds the record for most shutouts in a season in the North American Soccer League with 15 in 1980. He was born in Braunschweig, West Germany.Kim Roentved Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

Ownership & Staff

* Carl Moore – Co-Owner (1978–83) * Mike Kimbrel – Co-Owner (1978–83) * Rick Lowenherz – Co-Owner (1978–83) * Fred Williams – Co-Owner (1978–83) * Jim Boeh – Communications Director * Noel Lemon – General Manager (1978–1981 * Alex Skotarek – General Manager (1983) * Tulsa Cable – Owner (1984)

Players

(1983–84) *

Željko Bilecki Željko Bilecki (April 28, 1950 – April 26, 2023) was a Canadian soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Club career Bilecki played at the youth level with Toronto Croatia's junior team in 1969. In 1970, he played in the National Socc ...

(1981–82) *

(1980–81) *

Kim Roentved Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

(1982) *

(1979, 1982–83) *

Colin Boulton Colin Donald Boulton (born 12 September 1945) is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Football career "Solid", "dependable", "ever present" are among the things that were said about him. Boulton was the only Derby County player to ta ...

(1978–79

* David Bradford (footballer), David Bradford (1982/1984) *

Viv Busby Vivian Dennis Busby (born 19 June 1949) is an English former professional footballer and manager. He played for Wycombe Wanderers, Luton Town, Newcastle United, Fulham Norwich City, Stoke City, Sheffield United, Tulsa Roughnecks, Blackburn R ...

(1981–82) *

Chris Dangerfield Christopher George Dangerfield (born 9 August 1955) is an English former association football, footballer who spent most of his career in the United States. He began his career in England before playing ten seasons in the North American Socce ...

(1978) * Terry Darracott (1979

* Roger Davies (footballer), Roger Davies (1979) * Alan Dugdale (1980–81) *

(1978/1980) * Lil Fuccillo (1983) *

(1983–84) *

David Irving David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author and Holocaust denier who has written on the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany. His works include ''The Destruction of Dresden'' (19 ...

(1980

* David Johnson (footballer, born 1951), David Johnson (1984) * Jimmy Kelly (1980–81) *

(1981) *

David Nish David John Nish (born 26 September 1947) is an English former footballer who played as a defender. Nish's £225,000 transfer from Leicester City to Derby County in 1972 broke the British transfer record.BBC NewsWere you there...when the Rams ...

(1979) *

Tommy Ord Tommy Ord (15 October 1952 – 15 December 2020) was an English retired professional football forward. Nearly all of his pro career was spent in North America. In 1973, Ord transferred to Montreal Olympique of the North American Soccer Leag ...

(1980) *

Colin Waldron Colin Waldron (born 22 June 1948) is an English former football defender. He spent thirteen seasons in the Football League and two in the North American Soccer League. Waldron spent his youth in Oldham, Lancashire, beginning his career with ...

(1978

* Barry Wallace (1980–85

*

(1979–81

*

Franz Gerber Franz Gerber (born 27 November 1953) is a German former professional footballer. Playing career Gerber was born in Munich. He spent most of his teenage years playing in the youth ranks at Bayern Munich, until finally making the senior squad in 1 ...

(1982) * Johannes Edvaldsson (1980–81) *

(1980–85) *

Don O'Riordan Donald Joseph O'Riordan (born 14 May 1957) is an Irish football coach and former professional player, who is the manager of Women's National League club Treaty United. O'Riordan notably played for Middlesbrough, Grimsby Town and Notts County ...

(1979–80) *

(1983) *

Thompson Usiyan Thompson Usiyan (27 April 1956 – 31 August 2021) was a Nigerian professional footballer who played as a forward. He holds the NCAA Division I career scoring record and played in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, ...

(1983–84) *

(1978–8

*

(1981–82) * Chris McGrath (footballer), Chris McGrath (1981–82) *

(1978; 1980–85) * Adam Krupa (1981–85) * Charlie Mitchell (1978) * Davie Robb (1980

* Eric Robertson (footballer), Eric Robertson (1980) *

Delroy Allen Delroy Allen (born 6 October 1958 Montego Bay, Jamaica) is a retired Jamaican-American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in the North American Soccer League, American Soccer League and United Soccer League. Early life Allen attend ...

(1980–82) *

Matt Bahr Matthew David Bahr (born July 6, 1956) is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League, and professional soccer player in the North American Soccer League. He attended Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pe ...

(1978) *

(1982–85) * Gene DuChateau (1979–81) *

(1983–85) * Billy Gazonas (1978–1980) *

(1981–1982) *

(1982–83) *

Bill Sautter Bill Sautter is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League and United Soccer League. Family Bill Sautter Sr. has three children. His oldes ...

(1978–79) * Alex Skotarek (1978–81) * Brian Shugart * Ron Davies (1979) * Clive Griffiths (1980) * Wayne Hughes (1979) *

Petar Nikezić Petar Nikezić (; 3 April 1950 – 19 July 2014) was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav and Serbian Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is best remembered for his powerful shots and set pieces. Club ca ...

(1978) *

(1978, 1983–84) ''Many former players have found employment as paid

trainers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used f ...

of youth soccer teams for clubs such as the Tulsa United, Tulsa Soccer Club (TSC), Tornado Soccer Club, and Hurricane Football Club (HFC).''

Coaches

Bill Foulkes William Anthony Foulkes ( or ; 5 January 1932 – 25 November 2013) was an English footballer who played for Manchester United in the Busby Babes teams of the 1950s, and also in the 1960s. His favoured position was centre-half. For Manchester U ...

(1978) * Alex Skotarek (1978) *

Alan Hinton Alan Thomas Hinton (born 6 October 1942) is an English former footballer who played at the top level of English football from 1961 to 1975. He famously wore white football boots. Playing career Wolverhampton Wanderers Hinton started his career ...

(1979) * Charlie Mitchell (1980–1981) *

Terry Hennessey William Terrence Hennessey (born 1 September 1942) is a Welsh former international footballer who gained 39 caps for Wales. He played as a defender and made 400 Football League appearances in the 1960s and 1970s with Birmingham City, Nottingha ...

(1981–1983, won 1983

Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League, which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's founding ...

) *

(1983–84 indoor season only) *

Wim Suurbier Wilhelmus Lourens Johannes Suurbier () (16 January 1945 – 12 July 2020) was a Dutch professional footballer and among others assistant coach of the Albania national team. He played as a right back and was part of the Netherlands national tea ...

(1984

External links

*Jimmie Tramel
"Roughnecks a colorful, talented group"
''

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...

'', June 26, 2006. *J Hutcherson
"Tulsa's Charity Case"
a
USSoccerPlayers.com
*Clive Gammon
"Blowing Out the Blizzard"

', October 10, 1983.
"Sports People; Too Rough In Tulsa"
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', November 17, 1983.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tulsa Roughnecks (1978-1984) Association football clubs established in 1977 Association football clubs disestablished in 1985 Sports in Tulsa, Oklahoma North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Defunct soccer clubs in Oklahoma Soccer clubs in Oklahoma 1977 establishments in Oklahoma 1985 disestablishments in Oklahoma

Highlights

Post-NASL

Year-by-year

Honors

Ownership & Staff

Players

Coaches

External links

See also

References