The Tampa Bay Rowdies were an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

team based in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, that competed in the original North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1984. They enjoyed broad popular support in the Tampa Bay area until the NASL folded in 1984, after which the team played in various minor indoor and outdoor leagues before finally folding on January 31, 1994. The Rowdies played nearly all of their outdoor home games at

Tampa Stadium Tampa Stadium (nicknamed The Big Sombrero and briefly known as Houlihan's Stadium) was a large open-air stadium (maximum capacity about 74,000) located in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The fac ...

and nearly all of their indoor games at the Bayfront Center Arena in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida. Although

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

played indoors until 1996, the Rowdies were the last surviving NASL franchise that played outdoor soccer on a regular basis.

NASL: 1975–1984

On June 19, 1974 George Strawbridge and Beau Rogers, IV purchased an expansion franchise in North American Soccer League for the sum of $25,000 and by July 24 they named Eddie Firmani their coach. In October 1974, Alex Pringle becomes the first player to sign with the team. On November 21, 1974, the ''Tampa Bay Professional Soccer Club'' announced that they would henceforth be known as the ''Tampa Bay Rowdies''. The Rowdies played ten seasons at

and won their only Soccer Bowl championship in their 1975 inaugural season, defeating the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

2–0 on August 24. The Rowdies also finished as runners-up in

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 ...

and

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. The team showcased international stars such as midfielder, and team captain Rodney Marsh (England), 1979 league scoring leader Óscar Fabbiani (Chile), swift and forward Steve Wegerle (South Africa), rock-solid defenseman Arsene Auguste (Haiti), 1976 NASL goal scoring champion Derek Smethurst (South Africa), who was also the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer with 57 tallies in 65 games, as well as forward Clyde Best (Bermuda). Coached along the way by Firmani, John Boyle, Gordon Jago, Al Miller, and Marsh after his retirement, their catch phrase and marketing slogan was "The Rowdies arrrre...a kick in the grass!" While no NASL team ever captured a treble, in 1975–76 Tampa Bay came the closest by winning the three different NASL titles available at the time ( Soccer Bowl '75, 1976 Indoor Title, 1976 Regular Season title) in succession within twelve months. On and off the pitch, the Rowdies would prove to be one of the league's most recognizable brands. At one three-year point in their history, the team regularly drew crowds of well over 25,000 a night. In 1979 three different matches were attended by over 40,000 people, and the following year two more surpassed the 50,000 mark. The Rowdies had long-standing rivalries with both the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers and 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 Indepen ...

. Following the 1981 season the Dallas Tornado merged with Tampa Bay. At the time, Dallas principals

Lamar Hunt Lamar Hunt Sr. (August 2, 1932 – December 13, 2006) was an American businessman most notable for his promotion of football, soccer, and tennis in the United States. With his brothers, he also attempted to corner the silver market. He was t ...

and Bill McNutt retained a minority stake in the Rowdies. Two years later after the 1983 season, Strawbidge, Hunt and McNutt sold the team outright to local investors Stella Thayer, Bob Blanchard and Dick Corbett.

Year-by-year

Home attendance records

''*playoff game''

NASL Indoor Soccer

In the winter of

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, the NASL ran a two-tiered, 16 team indoor tournament with four regional winners meeting in a "final-four" style championship. The Rowdies defeated the

13–5 in the semi-final, before losing 8–5 to the host

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...

in the finals on March 16 at the Cow Palace. The Rowdies again reached the final-four in

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, but that year were the host team. This time Tampa Bay would not be denied, as they followed up a 6–2 semi-final win over

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

with a 6–4 finals triumph over the Rochester Lancers on March 27 in the Bayfront Center. Over the next few years, the Rowdies (and a handful of other NASL teams) played indoor friendlies and invitationals as preparation for the start of the outdoor season. The NASL did not sanction a full indoor season until 1979–80, when the Rowdies won the championship by defeating the

Memphis Rogues The Memphis Rogues were a professional soccer team in the former North American Soccer League (1968–1984), North American Soccer League. They operated in the 1978 in sports, 1978, 1979 in sports, 1979, and 1980 in sports, 1980 seasons and p ...

2 games to 1. The 1980–81 campaign marked the first time Tampa Bay had ever missed the playoffs, indoor or outdoor. In the 1981–82 season they lost the finals to the San Diego Sockers 2 games to 0. Once again the NASL chose not to sanction a full indoor season in 1982–83, but (in addition to a few friendlies) Tampa Bay and three other teams participated in the Grand Prix of Indoor Soccer. The Rowdies finished second in the round-robin stage and subsequently went on to defeat

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

for the championship in a double overtime thriller at the

Montreal Forum Montreal Forum () is a historic building located facing Cabot Square, Montreal, Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the home o ...

; 5–4. The final NASL indoor season took place in 1983–84 and the Rowdies finished last out of the seven teams. Due to scheduling issues that season, the Rowdies played five games at the Bayfront Center, eight at the State Fairgrounds'

Expo Hall Expo Hall is an indoor arena located at the Florida State Fairgrounds in East Lake-Orient Park, Florida. It is used primarily as an exhibition hall during the Florida State Fair, but has also hosted concerts and sporting events. The South Flo ...

in Tampa, and three in the Lakeland Civic Center. Tampa Bay regularly drew home crowds of over five thousand "fannies" to the Bayfront Center, despite the arena's limited seating capacity and relatively remote location.

Indoor home attendance records

''*playoff game''

Players, coaches, and honors – NASL era

Honors

NASL championships (1) *

* runner-up:

NASL Indoor championships (3) *

, 1979–80,

1983 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 TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

br>
* runner-up:

, 1979 NASL Budweiser Indoor Soccer Invitational, 1979, 1981–82 Regular Season Premiership (1) *

(18–6 -154 points) * runner-up:

Division titles (6) *

Eastern Division *

Eastern Division, Atlantic Conference *

Eastern Division, American Conference *

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

Eastern Division, American Conference * 1979–80 Eastern Division Playoffs (indoor) Conference Titles (3) *

American Conference *

American Conference * 1981–82 Atlantic Conference (indoor) Regional Titles (2) *

Indoor Region 3 *

Indoor East Region League scoring champion * 1979 Óscar Fabbiani (25 goals, 8 assists, 58 points) League goal scoring champion * 1976 Derek Smethurst (20 goals) Indoor Grand Prix Assists Leader * 1983 Wes McLeod (13 assists) Finals MVP * 1975 Stewart Jump * 1976 Clyde Best (indoor) * 1979–80 ???? (indoor) Regionals MVP * 1975 Ringo Cantillo (indoor) * 1976 Stewart Scullion (indoor) Coach of the Year * 1976 Eddie Firmani Rookie of the Year * 1982 Pedro DeBrito * 1983 Gregg Thompson * 1984 Roy Wegerle North American Player of the Year * 1976 Arnie Mausser FIFA World Cup players * Adrian Alston (1974) * Carlos Babington (1974) * Clodoaldo (1970) * Antônio Lima dos Santos (1966) * Mirandinha (1974) * Terry Moore (1986) ''did not play'' * Eduardo Bonvallet (1982) *

Manny Rojas Manuel Antonio "Manny" Rojas Zúñiga (born 13 June 1954) is a retired football (soccer), football midfielder from Chile, who represented his Chile national football team, native country at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. His professional caree ...

(1982) *

Arsène Auguste Arsène Auguste (3 February 1951 – 20 March 1993) was a Haitian international association football, footballer who represented Haiti national football team, Haiti in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. He played professional club football with Racing Club ...

(1974) * Hugo Pérez (1994) * Roy Wegerle (1994, 1998) NASL All-time Leaders * Consecutive regular season starts: Mike Connell (179) * Career games by a US-born player: Arnie Mausser (224) All-Star first team selections * 1975 Farrukh Quraishi * 1976 Rodney Marsh, Arnie Mausser, Tommy Smith * 1977 Derek Smethurst * 1978 Rodney Marsh * 1979 Mike Connell * 1980 Mike Connell * 1981 John Gorman * 1982 Peter Nogly All-Star second team selections * 1975 John Boyle, Stewart Jump, Stewart Scullion * 1976 Stewart Jump, Stewart Scullion, Derek Smethurst * 1977

, Rodney Marsh, Steve Wegerle * 1978

, Steve Wegerle * 1979 Óscar Fabbiani, John Gorman * 1980 Steve Wegerle All-Star honorable mentions * 1975 Clyde Best, John Sissons, Derek Smethurst * 1979 Rodney Marsh, Steve Wegerle * 1980 John Gorman * 1982 Mike Connell * 1983 Gregg Thompson * 1984 Gregg Thompson Indoor All-Stars * 1975 Doug Wark (All-Tournament Team) * 1976 Clyde Best (All-Tournament Team) * 1976 Derek Smethurst (All-Tournament Team) * 1976 Stewart Scullion (All-Tournament Team) * 1976

(All-Eastern Regional Team) * 1976 Rodney Marsh (All-Eastern Regional Team) * 1976 Stewart Scullion (All-Eastern Regional Team) * 1980–81 Steve Wegerle (All-East Team) * 1981–82 Tatu (Atlantic) * 1981–82 Mike Connell (Atlantic) * 1981–82 Jürgen Stars (Atlantic) * 1981–82 John Gorman (2nd team) * 1983–84 Frantz Mathieu (reserve) * 1983–84 Mike Connell (reserve) U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame members * 1992

(owner/executive) * 1995 Al Miller * 2003 Arnie Mausser * 2008 Hugo Pérez * 2015 Glenn Myernick * 2024 Francisco Marcos (executive) Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame members * 2004 Bob Bolitho * 2005 Wes McLeod * 2005 Terry Moore * 2008 Jack Brand Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame members * 2012 Tatu * 2013 Gordon Jago Other National Halls of Fame * 2000 Adrian Alston (

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

)

Head coaches

''*Excludes friendlies.'' ''^Cup includes playoff games and mini-games.''http://www.nasljerseys.com

Team captains

''*due to Connell injury''

Most appearances in club history

''*Excludes friendlies and indoor matches.'' ''^Includes playoff games.''

Retired numbers

In a ceremony held before the final home game of the 1989 regular season, Steve Wegerle became the first Tampa Bay Rowdies player to have his number retired by the team. That night he assisted on all three Rowdies' goals in a 3–0 victory over arch-rival Fort Lauderdale. He went on to appear in several home matches during the 1990 season as well. While Mike Connell's and Perry Van der Beck's numbers have since been retired by the current franchise, Wegerle's #7 continues to be reissued each season. ;Notes

Club culture

As part of a name-the-team contest, on November 21, 1974, the franchise announced that the name ''Tampa Bay Rowdies'' had been selected. Out of nearly 12,500 entries it was Clearwater attorney, Bill Wilhelm's suggestion that won. That suggestion earned Wilhelm a vacation to Acapulco for his efforts, along with a lifetime pass to all home games. The Rowdies' fans were known as "Fannies". Advertisements for the club declared that "Soccer is a kick in the grass" and encouraged their supporters to "Get up, get out, and get Rowdy!" and to "make a fanny of yourself!". The calls were answered by fans who threw confetti, drank beer, chanted during games, and generally "let the guys know we're behind them." One memorable fan named Bob Rogers won a "Rowdiest Fan" contest by donning a giant soccer head and throwing himself into the Tampa Stadium goal. The club gave "Soccer Head" complimentary tickets to future games so that he could continue his antics for the crowd, even bringing him along when the Rowdies played in Soccer Bowl '79. While anyone who supported the club could call themselves a Fanny, members of the official Rowdies Fan Club particularly claimed the moniker as their own. The fan club held regular meetings and social events and published a newsletter. The "Wowdies" were the Rowdies' cheerleaders. The team also had a pep band known as the "Loudies" that sat in the south endzone and attended local pep rallies.

Post-NASL: 1985–1993

The NASL folded in 1984, but the Rowdies continued to play for several more years. Tampa Stadium continued to be used as their home ground for outdoor games except during the

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

and 1992 seasons in the APSL. Those two years were spent at the USF Soccer Stadium, before returning to Tampa Stadium in 1993 for the team's final season in existence.

Independent: 1985–1987

With Rodney Marsh staying on as coach (through 1987), the Rowdies operated as an independent team for two years before joining the American Indoor Soccer Association for one season (1986–87). Cornelia Corbett, Dick Corbett's wife and a businesswoman in her own right, became sole owner of the team in 1986. As a footnote, in 2011 the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...

opened the new Corbett Soccer Stadium for their

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

men's and women's teams, after the Corbetts had made a $1.5 million donation to the project. The stadium features several display cases that highlight the history of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Since 2005, the USF Bulls and the crosstown rival University of Tampa Spartans men's squads have competed annually for the preseason Rowdies Cup, which celebrates the city's rich soccer history. To date the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

Spartans have only captured the trophy once, back in 2012.

1985 Outdoor

As an independent club, the Rowdies played only one match in 1985. It was against the U.S. Men's team on the

Fourth of July Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing th ...

in front of 30,038 fans.

1986 Outdoor

In the summer of 1986 the Rowdies staged a four-game series at Tampa Stadium called the ''Coca-Cola Classic International Soccer Series'', which culminated with a

match, and also included a post-game fireworks display and laser light show. Since Tampa Bay had only a handful of players under contract at the time, their roster was composed mostly of guest players from Queens Park Rangers F.C. The only NASL-era Rowdies on this roster were Roy Wegerle, Steve Wegerle, Dave Power (soccer), Dave Power, and the head coach, Rodney Marsh. Four former Rowdies played in the final game of this series for the opposing NASL All-Stars. These included Mike Connell, Winston DuBose, Wes McLeod and Tatu. They also played a pair of friendlies against the newly established Orlando Lions on February 22 and July 2 at Lake Brantley High School, using their regular players. Tampa Bay won the matches by scores of 1–0 and 2–1''Penalty shoot-out (association football)#North American experiments, (SO)'' respectively.

1987 Outdoor

In 1987 Tampa Bay played twice against the Orlando Lions, on May 16 at the Florida Citrus Bowl, and then again on May 23 at Pepin-Rood Stadium. The Rowdies lost the first encounter, 2–0, with the teams tying, 2–2, in the return leg.

1985–87 Outdoor results

AISA: 1986–1987

The Rowdies played one season of indoor soccer in the American Indoor Soccer Association, once again using the Bayfront Center as their home. After a strong start they finished third in their division and eventually lost in the first round of the playoffs. Steve Wegerle was selected as a starter in the AISA All-Star game and scored the game's first goal. Arnie Mausser, Rubén Astigarraga, and Glenn Ervine also made the Southern Division team. Ervine added a goal in the fourth quarter. Tim Walters was a late All-Star addition, because Astigarraga was unable play in the match.

Year-by-year

1986–1987 roster

*1 – Arnie Mausser 35 Apps 0 Goals *2 –

*3 – David Dodge (soccer), David Dodge *4 – Dave Power (soccer), Dave Power *5 – Steve Savage (soccer), Steve Savage *5 – Wim Suurbier (player/asst. coach) *6 – Peter Roe (soccer), Peter Roe *6 – Mike Balson *7 – Steve Wegerle 35 Apps 26 Goals *8 – Rodney Marsh (player/head coach) *9 – Jay White (soccer), Jay White *10 – Rubén Astigarraga *10 – Derek Sanderson (soccer), Derek Sanderson *11 – Duncan MacEwan *12 – Tony Frankovich *12 – Derek Smethurst *13 – Tim Walters *14 – Geoff Wegerle *15 – Mark Lindsay (footballer), Mark Lindsay *16 – Karim Murabet *17 – Paul Roe *18 – Nathan Sacks *19 – Nick Mangione *20 – Soloman Hilton *21 – Tim Borer *22 – Mike Fall *23 – Glenn Ervine * Rui Farias

ASL/APSL: 1988–1993

In the summer of 1988 American Soccer League, 1988, the Rowdies joined the third incarnation of the American Soccer League (1988–89), American Soccer League. They would stay in this league and its successor (the American Professional Soccer League, APSL) until the team folded after the 1993 American Professional Soccer League, 1993 season. During this six year stretch they achieved moderate success, winning one division title and making the playoffs four times. In 1992 American Professional Soccer League, 1992 they finished as runners-up to Colorado in the regular season, in the Professional Cup final, and in the APSL final as well.

Year-by-year

Players, coaches, and honors – post-NASL era

Honors – post-NASL

Championships * 1992 American Professional Soccer League, 1992: American Professional Soccer League, ASPL (runner-up) * 1992: Professional Cup (runner-up) Division titles * 1989 American Soccer League, 1989: American Soccer League (1988–89), ASL Southern Division Leading Scorer * 1992: Jean Harbor (13 g, 4 a) Top Goalkeeper * 1988: Winston DuBose (0.75 gaa) Assists Leader * 1992: Kevin Sloan (6 a) Coach of the Year * 1992: Ricky Hill * 1993: Ken Fogarty FIFA World Cup players *

(1974) * Wim Suurbier (1974, 1978) * Steve Trittschuh (1990) * Peter Vermes (1990) First Team All Star * 1988: Winston DuBose, Steve Wegerle * 1989: Winston DuBose, Steve Trittschuh, Steve Wegerle * 1990: David Byrne (footballer, born 1960), David Byrne * 1992: Bill Andracki, Steve Trittschuh, Ricky Hill, Kevin Sloan, Jean Harbor * 1993: Steve Trittschuh Second Team All Star * 1986–87: Arnie Mausser * 1991: Marcelo Carrera * 1993: Paul Dougherty (footballer), Paul Dougherty, Pierre Morice Honorable Mention * 1986–87: Steve Wegerle AISA All-Star Game selections * 1986–87: Steve Wegerle (starter) * 1986–87: Arnie Mausser (reserve) * 1986–87: Glenn Ervine (reserve) * 1986–87: Rubén Astigarraga (injured) * 1986–87: Tim Walters (reserve) U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame members * 2013 Peter Vermes Other National Halls of Fame * 2016 Mark Lawrenson (English Football Hall of Fame, England)

Coaches – post-NASL

* Rodney Marsh: 1984–1987 * Wim Suurbier: 1986–87 * Ken Fogarty: 1989–1992 * Steve Wegerle: 1991–1992 * Ricky Hill: 1992 * Ken Fogarty: 1993

Team captains – post-NASL

* Dave Power (soccer), Dave Power: 1986–1989 * Derek Backman: 1990 * David Byrne (footballer, born 1960), David Byrne: 1991 * Ricky Hill: 1992 * Terry Rowe: 1993

Legacy

Tampa Bay Mutiny: 1996–2001

Due in large part to the Rowdies' historical success on and off the pitch, in 1994 MLS selected the Tampa Bay Mutiny as one of its original ten teams. The Mutiny won the first ever Supporters' Shield and qualified for the playoffs in four of their six seasons. Several former Rowdies, including Perry Van der Beck, Farrukh Quraishi, Roy Wegerle and Steve Trittschuh among others, were involved with the Mutiny as players, coaches, or front office staff. They also played for three seasons on the Rowdies' home pitch, Tampa Stadium. While the Mutiny have no connection to either Rowdies franchise, the team often paid tribute to the former Rowdies by wearing jerseys of their colors, and even wearing the logo of both the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Rowdies on the same shirt. MLS initially operated the team with the hope of selling to a private local owner. That became difficult after Malcolm Glazer bought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League in 1995 and demanded that the community build a new stadium. Raymond James Stadium was completed in 1998 and Tampa Stadium was demolished soon thereafter, forcing the Mutiny to move to the new facility. The Bucs' lease agreement in their new home allowed them to keep most non-ticket revenues from all events at the facility, including Mutiny matches, severely damaging the financial viability of the soccer club. As financial losses mounted (up to $2 million a year), MLS desperately courted Glazer to buy the Mutiny. Glazer declined, so the league opted to fold the Mutiny, along with other Florida-based MLS team of that era, the Miami Fusion, in early 2002.

New Rowdies: 2010–present

In 2008, it was announced that a new incarnation of the Tampa Bay Rowdies would play in a new second division North American Soccer League (2010), NASL. They wore striped green and gold kits similar to the old Rowdies, and a star reflecting the 1975 championship. After several changes to the league, Tampa Bay finally kicked off in the summer of 2010, but they took the pitch as "FC Tampa Bay" due to a licensing dispute over the Rowdies name and trademarks. Beginning in 2012, the team reached an agreement to officially use the Rowdies name along with logos and other intellectual property of the original team, and won Soccer Bowl 2012. To date, the new Rowdies have honored both Mike Connell's and Perry Van der Beck's significant contribution to soccer, both on and off the field in the community at large, by retiring their jerseys. The Rowdies won the Soccer Bowl 2012, 2012 NASL Championship. As of 2017 they are currently members of the second division, United Soccer League, and have announced their intention to gain entry into MLS's next wave of expansion.

Rowdies Cup

The South Florida Bulls men's soccer, South Florida Bulls annually face their crosstown rivals, the Tampa Spartans, in an NCAA men's preseason soccer match which celebrates the Tampa Bay area, Tampa Bay Area's rich soccer history. In addition to holding the Rowdies Cup trophy for the next 12 months, the winning side also get to hoist the actual Soccer Bowl trophy that was won originally by the Rowdies in

. The trophy is currently housed at Corbett Soccer Stadium on the University of South Florida, USF campus. Formerly called the Mayor's Cup from 1979 until 2005, as of the 2019 edition, USF holds a 24–10–3 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to 1972.

Tampa Bay Terror & Florida Tropics SC

Indoor soccer by the Rowdies had officially ended when the team played in the American Indoor Soccer Association for one season (1986–87 American Indoor Soccer Association season, 1986–87). For two seasons, another Tampa Bay area team played in the same league, from 1995 to 1997, called the Tampa Bay Terror; however, the team did not last more than two seasons, despite having some members of the Rowdies on the roster. It was not until 2016 that a stable indoor soccer team played in the region. Another unrelated indoor soccer team called the Florida Tropics SC have played in the Major Arena Soccer League since 2016. The team eventually began outdoor competition, also competing in the developmental United Premier Soccer League. Despite being unrelated to the Rowdies, these two teams succeed the Tampa Bay region in indoor soccer since the original Rowdies had folded.

References

External links

Tribute website
*
"superfan" Ian Morris' site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975-1993) Tampa Bay Rowdies, Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Soccer clubs in Tampa, Florida Soccer clubs in Florida Defunct soccer clubs in Florida Association football clubs established in 1974 Association football clubs disestablished in 1993 American Soccer League (1988–89) teams National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) teams North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams American Professional Soccer League teams Sports in St. Petersburg, Florida 1974 establishments in Florida 1993 disestablishments in Florida