Jacksonville Tea Men
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Jacksonville Tea Men 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
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level
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) from 1980–1982, then in the lower level American Soccer League and
United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...
from 1982–1984. The NASL incarnation of the club was Jacksonville's first professional soccer team, and the first major league-level sport franchise ever based in the city. The team originated as the
New England Tea Men The New England Tea Men were an American professional soccer team based in Greater Boston. They played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. Their home venues for outdoor play were Schaefer Stadium (shared with the NFL's ...
, based in
Foxborough, Massachusetts Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, about southwest of Boston, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island and about northwest of Cape Cod. Foxborough is part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 18,618 at ...
, retaining their
Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to sell tea ...
-themed name after moving to Jacksonville. They played both outdoor and
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 ...
, with the
Gator Bowl Stadium The Gator Bowl was an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, all but a small portion was razed in 1994 in preparation for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars' inaugural season; the reconstructed stadium became Jac ...
and the
Jacksonville Coliseum The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum (originally and still commonly known as the Jacksonville Coliseum) was a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. Built in 1960 and known as "northern Florida's most historic concert venue ...
serving as their home fields. Though they performed well on the field in their first year, they were ultimately unable to overcome the financial difficulties that had plagued them since New England, and were disbanded by the NASL after the 1981–1982 season. A new owner brought the Tea Men into the minor league-level American Soccer League the next season, where they won the 1983 ASL Championship. They moved into the new United Soccer League in 1983, but financial pressures caused the team to fold after the end of the season.


History

The team originated as the
New England Tea Men The New England Tea Men were an American professional soccer team based in Greater Boston. They played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. Their home venues for outdoor play were Schaefer Stadium (shared with the NFL's ...
, who joined the
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) as an
expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...
for the 1978–1979 season. Their owner was the tea company
Lipton Lipton is a British brand of tea, owned by Ekaterra. Lipton was also a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, later sold to Argyll Foods, after which the company sold only tea. The company is named after its founder, Sir Thomas Lipton, who fo ...
, who gave the team its unusual name in reference to the
Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to sell tea ...
. In their first season the Tea Men had a contract to play at
Foxboro Stadium Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England Pa ...
in
Foxborough, Massachusetts Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, about southwest of Boston, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island and about northwest of Cape Cod. Foxborough is part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 18,618 at ...
, home of the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) team. The team made the league playoffs and sold well in their first season, but were forced out of their stadium the next year, and sales declined precipitously. They were able to return to Foxboro 1980, but under a new, restrictive lease that forced them to play many games at off times. Ticket sales plummeted even further, and Lipton decided to relocate the team to
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
. As such, Jacksonville got its first ever professional soccer team, as well as its first major league-level team in any sport. Lipton, which had already lost $1 million on its franchise, decided to retain the Tea Men name, not wanting to lose the marketing tie-in or spend any further money on rebranding. Many commentators, and even the players themselves, noted the name made no sense in a Florida city with no connection to tea, but it stuck regardless. The team's
indoor games Indoor games and sports are a variety of structured games or competitive physical exercises, typically carried out either at home, in a well-sheltered building, or in a specially constructed sport venue such as a gym, a natatorium, an arena or a roo ...
were played at
Jacksonville Coliseum The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum (originally and still commonly known as the Jacksonville Coliseum) was a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. Built in 1960 and known as "northern Florida's most historic concert venue ...
, while their outdoor games were played at the
Gator Bowl Stadium The Gator Bowl was an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, all but a small portion was razed in 1994 in preparation for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars' inaugural season; the reconstructed stadium became Jac ...
. The Tea Men entered the playoffs in their first year in Jacksonville, advancing to the conference semifinals. However, despite drawing strong crowds to their first games, peaking with a crowd of 17,128 at their first outdoor game, attendance waned later in the season, eventually dropping to around 10,000. Lipton, which announced that it had lost $2 million since the relocation decided to pull out. At the urging of mayor
Jake Godbold Jake Maurice Godbold (March 14, 1933 – January 23, 2020) was an American politician who served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1978 to 1987. Godbold was elected to the Jacksonville city council in 1967 and served until 1979; he was cit ...
, a group of Jacksonville investors raised funds to lease the team from Lipton and keep it operating the next season. However, the team struggled through the year on and off the field, finishing dead last in the NASL and drawing an average of only 7,160 fans per game, the second worst in the league. The NASL disbanded the struggling franchise. However, Jacksonville businessman Ingo Krieg took over the Tea Men, with the intention of keeping the club alive in the minor leagues. The Tea Men joined the American Soccer League (ASL) for the 1983 season. There they found immediate success, going on to win the 1983 league championship. However, Krieg became concerned about that the ASL was not financially solvent, and withdrew the team to join the new
United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...
. The Tea Men played through the season, but were unable to overcome their lingering financial difficulties. They folded before the beginning of the 1985 season, marking the end of the franchise. During their time in the NASL the Tea Men's coach was
Irishman The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been co ...
Noel Cantwell Noel Euchuria Cornelius Cantwell (28 February 1932 – 8 September 2005) was an Irish footballer player and sometime cricketer. Club career Cantwell was born in Cork, Ireland, and was educated at the Roman Catholic Presentation Brothers College ...
, former manager of
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
(1967–1972) and
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
(1972–1977). The assistant coach was
Dennis Viollet Dennis Sydney Viollet (20 September 1933 – 6 March 1999) was an English footballer who played for Manchester United and Stoke City as well as the England national team. He was famous as one of the Busby Babes and survived the Munich air disa ...
, former player for
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. Viollet remained in Jacksonville, where he coached the minor league Tea Men and later, the
Jacksonville University Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida. Located in the city's Arlington (Jacksonville), Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College u ...
Dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...
men's college soccer team. Notable players include goalkeeper
Arnie Mausser Arnold "Arnie" Mausser (born February 28, 1954) is an American former soccer goalkeeper who played with eight different NASL teams from 1975 to 1984. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Mausser may be considered one of the fin ...
, midfielder
Archie Gemmill Archibald Gemmill (born 24 March 1947) is a Scottish former footballer. During his career, he won the European Cup and three English league titles, and captained his national side. Gemmill scored the third Scotland goal in a 3–2 win agai ...
and strikers Alan Green and
Ricardo Alonso Ricardo Alonso was a soccer player who began as a forward before moving to defender later in his career. Alonso spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, four in Major Indoor Soccer League, at least three in the American Indoor Soc ...
.


Year-by-year


All-time results

*NASL regular Season: 29–35–0 *NASL Playoffs: 3–2


Honors

League Goal Scoring Champion *1982
Ricardo Alonso Ricardo Alonso was a soccer player who began as a forward before moving to defender later in his career. Alonso spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, four in Major Indoor Soccer League, at least three in the American Indoor Soc ...
''(21 goals)'' League Leading Goaltender * 1981
Arnie Mausser Arnold "Arnie" Mausser (born February 28, 1954) is an American former soccer goalkeeper who played with eight different NASL teams from 1975 to 1984. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Mausser may be considered one of the fin ...
''(GAA: 1.21)'' NASL All-Stars *1981 Alan Green, ''Honorable Mention'' *1982
Ricardo Alonso Ricardo Alonso was a soccer player who began as a forward before moving to defender later in his career. Alonso spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, four in Major Indoor Soccer League, at least three in the American Indoor Soc ...
, ''1st Team'' U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame *2003
Arnie Mausser Arnold "Arnie" Mausser (born February 28, 1954) is an American former soccer goalkeeper who played with eight different NASL teams from 1975 to 1984. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Mausser may be considered one of the fin ...
*Participations in
CONCACAF Champions' Cup The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
:
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...


ASL/USL


Year-by-year


Honors (ASL)

ASL MVP *1983 –
Peter Simonini Peter Simonini (born January 19, 1957, in Somerville, Massachusetts) was an American soccer goalkeeper who was the 1983 American Soccer League MVP. He spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League, one in the American Soccer League, o ...
ASL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR *1983 –
Matt English Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...


Players (ASL)

*
Ringo Cantillo Julio "Ringo" Cantillo is a former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He played five seasons in the American Soccer League where he was the league MVP as a rookie. He won MVP honors a total of three times in the ASL. Cantil ...
(1984) *
Matt English Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...
(1983) 11 Goals *
Poli Garcia Jose “Poli” Garcia (born in San Diego, California) is an American former soccer player. He spent at least four seasons in the American Soccer League, three in the North American Soccer League and four in the Major Indoor Soccer League. H ...
(1983) 9 Goals *
John Lignos John Lignos (born in Chios, Greece) was a U.S. soccer player who spent four seasons in the North American Soccer League, one in the American Soccer League and one in the United Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the U.S. national team ...
(1984) *
Peter Ioanou Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
(1983) 2 Goals * Robert Maum (1983) *
Steve Ralbovsky Steve Ralbovsky is a Yugoslav-American former soccer player. He was the 1975 Hermann Trophy winner as the outstanding collegiate soccer player of the year. He then had an extensive professional career including time in the North American Soccer L ...
(1983) *
Peter Simonini Peter Simonini (born January 19, 1957, in Somerville, Massachusetts) was an American soccer goalkeeper who was the 1983 American Soccer League MVP. He spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League, one in the American Soccer League, o ...
(1983) 24 Apps 0 Goals *
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 ...
(1983) 6 Goals *
Micky Zivaljevic Micky or Mickie can be a given name, but it is most often a nickname for Michael or non-Anglo Saxon equivalents, such as "Mikhail". People with the name include: Men * Micky Adams (born 1961), English football manager and former player * Micky Ari ...
(1983) 16 Goals


References


External links


The Year in American Soccer – 1983
{{United Soccer League (1984–85) American Soccer League (1933–1983) teams Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Defunct soccer clubs in Florida North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams Sports teams in Jacksonville, Florida United Soccer League (1984–85) teams 1980 establishments in Florida 1984 disestablishments in Florida Soccer clubs in Florida Association football clubs established in 1980 Association football clubs disestablished in 1984 U.S. clubs in CONCACAF Champions' Cup