Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993)

*playoff game

In the winter of 1975, 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 New York Cosmos 13–5 in the semi-final, before losing 8–5 to the host San Jose Earthquakes in the finals on March 16 at the Cow Palace. The Rowdies again reached the final-four in 1976, 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 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[14] as preparation for the start of the outdoor season.[15] The NASL did not sanction a full indoor season until 1979–80, when the Rowdies won the championship by defeating the Memphis Rogues 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.[16] The Rowdies finished second in the round-robin stage and subsequently went on to defeat Montreal for the championship in a double overtime thriller at the Montreal Forum; 5–4.[17] 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 in Tampa, and three in the Lakeland Civic Center.[4] 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.[18]

*playoff game

Coach	Tenure	League	Cup^	Indoor	Indoor Cup^	Totals*
Eddie Firmani	1977–1984	41–15	3–1	4–0	3–1	51–17
Lenny Glover (interim)	1977	0–1	–	–	–	0–1
John Boyle	1977	7–8	0–1	–	–	7–9
Gordon Jago	1978–1982	81–56	17–9	28–20	11–5	137–90
Kevin Keelan (interim)	1982	0–1	–	–	–	0–1
Al Miller	1982–1983	9–30	0–0	4–2	2–0	15–32
Rodney Marsh	1983–1984	9–15	–	9–23	–	18–38

*Excludes friendlies. ^Cup includes playoff games and mini-games.[41][42]

Captain	Outdoor seasons	Indoor seasons
John Boyle	1975	1975
Derek Smethurst	-	1976
Rodney Marsh	1976, 1978, 1979	1978, 1979
Tommy Smith	1976	-
Alex Pringle	-	1977
Lenny Glover	1977	-
Jan van der Veen	1978, 1981	1979–80, 1980–81
Mike Connell	1981, 1982, 1983, 1984	1981–82, 1983–84
Wes McLeod	-	*1983

*due to Connell injury

*Excludes friendlies and indoor matches. ^Includes playoff games.[41][42]

Player	Total Apps*	League	Cup^	Tenure	Leagues
Mike Connell	277	252	25	1975, 1977–1984	NASL
Wes McLeod	211	188	23	1977–1984	NASL
Steve Wegerle	210	188	22	1977–1981, 1984, 1988–1990	NASL, ASL, APSL
Perry Van der Beck	190	171	19	1978–1982, 1984, 1989–1993	NASL, ASL, APSL
Winston DuBose	165	147	18	1977–1982, 1988–1991	NASL, ASL, APSL
Refik Kozić	134	125	9	1980–1984	NASL
John Gorman	128	111	17	1979–1982	NASL
Rodney Marsh	110	94	16	1976–1979	NASL
Derek Backman	100	90	10	1988–1993	ASL, APSL
Jan van der Veen	94	84	10	1979–1981, 1983	NASL

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.[43] That night he assisted on all three Rowdies' goals in a 3–0 victory over arch-rival Fort Lauderdale.[44] He went on to appear in several home matches during the 1990 season as well.[45]

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.[46]

No.	Player	Position	Nation	Tenure	Date Retired	Ref
6	Mike Connell	Defender	South Africa	1975–1984	August 10, 2013	[47]
7	Steve Wegerle [note 1]	Forward	South Africa	1977–1981, 1984, 1988–1990	July 22, 1989	[48]
12	Perry Van der Beck	Midfielder	United States	1978–82, 1984, 1991–93	October 1, 2010	[46][49]

Notes

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.[7][50] 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."[51] 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.[52]

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.[51]

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.[53][54]

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 opened the new Corbett Soccer Stadium for their NCAA Division I men's and women's teams, after the Corbetts had made a $1.5 million donation to the project.[56] 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 Spartans have only captured the trophy once, back in 2012.[57]

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 in front of 30,038 fans.

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 Fourth of July 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.[58][59] The only NASL-era Rowdies on this roster were Roy Wegerle, Steve Wegerle, 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.[60]

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(SO) respectively.[61][62]

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.[63][64]

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.[74][75]

[77][78][79][80]

In the summer of 1988, the Rowdies joined the third incarnation of the American Soccer League. They would stay in this league and its successor (the APSL) until the team folded after the 1993 season. During this six year stretch they achieved moderate success, winning one division title and making the playoffs four times. In 1992 they finished as runners-up to Colorado in the regular season, in the Professional Cup final, and in the APSL final as well.[81]

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

• Dave Power: 1986–1989
• Derek Backman: 1990
• David Byrne: 1991
• Ricky Hill: 1992
• Terry Rowe: 1993

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.[86]

MLS initially operated the team with the hope of selling to a private local owner.[87] 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.[88][89] 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.[90][91]

In 2008, it was announced that a new incarnation of the Tampa Bay Rowdies would play in a new second division 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.[92][93] 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 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.

The 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'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 1975. The trophy is currently housed at Corbett Soccer Stadium on the 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.[94][95][96][97]

Indoor soccer by the Rowdies had officially ended when the team played in the American Indoor Soccer Association for one season (1986–87). For two seasons, another Tampa Bay area team played in the same league, from 1995-1997, 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.