That was the Kings' last year in Kansas City. I don't know if they had announced the move already or if the drop was the last straw. Don't know about the Comets, but the leaguewide downturn was on its way by that point.
Didn't the MISL have some labor issues 'round about 1984 or 1985? I don't remember the details. I don't recall a strike, though. Maybe it's just the fog of my mind and nothing happened at all!
The Kings were a lame-duck franchise by that time. Actually, they were just plain lame, and no one was crying in their beer over their departure from KC. Their front office was so clueless about how to market that team, and totally failed to capitalize on the NBA's resurgence generated by the whole Larry Bird/Magic Johnson thing, and the Kings left town before Michael Jordan took over. KU more or less replaced the Kings as KC's "pro" basketball team, anyway. As for the Comets, I think it had more to do with the novelty of indoor soccer wearing off at that point, league-wide. If you'll notice, the Steamers' attendance had dropped off similiarly by that time.
30 years ago today, February 4, 1982: Zoran Savic scored two goals and Gino Schiraldi and Yilmaz Orhan added two assists each as the Comets edged Mike Dowler and the Wichita Wings 6-5 at Kemper Arena. Emilio Romero also scored the first shorthanded goal in Comets history in the 4th quarter.
30 years ago today, 2/13/82: The Comets played the Buffalo Stallions for the first time ever, and won 9-4 at Kemper Arena. Yilmaz Orhan had 3 goals and two assists (2nd hat trick in team history), Zoran Savic and Kevin Handlan added 2 goals each and Iubo Petrovic became the 6th player in MISL history to score 100 regular season goals.
Even better... Holland's "30 years ago today" pieces have become part of the Comets game presentation. Thank you for all of the hard work.
Glad to do it, and glad to know the database I started like 15 years ago, long after the Comets' demise, is getting some mileage now...
"Holland's 30 years ago today" segments are outstanding and we are happy that he has allowed us to feature them in our games. Thank you HC for all your hard work and for being such a great fan!
I'm a few hours early for this one, but what the hey? 2/19/82: Comets lost a wild one to the Wichita Wings, 12-7 at Kansas Coliseum, allowing the 2nd-most goals ever in a regular season game in team history. Iubo Petrovic and Yilmaz Orhan both had hat tricks for KC, as did Andy Chapman of the Wings. Frank Rasmussen, Kevin Kewley and Terry Nicholl all scored 2 goals each for Wichita. Oh, and just for Joey T, 8,920 Wichitans (Wichitonians? Wichitites?) attended that night.
30 years ago today, 2/20/82: The Comets defeated the Memphis Americans for the first time ever at home, 4-3 before a good crowd of 13,065 at Kemper Arena. Zoran Savic scored his first hat trick as a Comet and Victor Petroni was credited with the win in goal, after starter Enzo DiPede left the match with stomach flu. It was also the team's 6th straight home victory.
2/25/82: Arch-rival St. Louis defeated the Comets for the 5th straight time, 9-4 at Kemper Arena. Yilmaz Orhan had his 3rd hat trick as a Comet, but the Steamers were just too much, scoring 4 goals in both the 3rd and 4th quarters, led by future Comet John Hayes with 2 goals and 1 assist. Attendance: 10,545.
30 years ago today, 2/27/82: The Comets defeat the Phoenix Inferno for the first time ever, 6-4 at Veterans Coliseum in Arizona. Yilmaz Orhan scored twice and Iubo Petrovic added two assists as KC handed goalie Scott Manning his first career loss ever vs. the Comets. Decent crowd (for Phoenix) of 8,475 attended.
I'm a little late to your party Dave, but here is the Wichita Eagle-Beacon write-up of the Comets' first game, November 29, 1981.
I'm a day late with this one, but 30 years ago yesterday, 3/6/82--rough night in K.C.'s first appearance at The Aud in Buffalo, as the Comets lost to the Stallions 9-5 in front of 10,186. The Staillions scored seven 2nd-half goals, with Mike Lashchev scoring a hat trick for Buffalo and Germain Iglesias (Julio's cuz) adding 2 goals and 3 assists, and the Stallions outshot KC 60-37. Mike Bakic scored twice for the Comets and Ben Popoola scored his final MISL career goal.
Slightly off-topic, but in perusing my Comets box scores, I couldn't help but note the irony of the 2/11/86 game they played at Reunion Arena in Dallas, just a few blocks from the Book Depository Building. One of the officials that night was named John Kennedy...
A day late again, but here we go...30 years ago yesterday 3/9/82: The Comets made their first and only visit ever to Philadelphia's Spectrum and lost 4-3 to the Fever. Dave Sarachan scored twice for KC, but what made this game interesting were the goal scorers for Philly, as they were all future Comets--Elson Seale (twice), and Tim Clark and Louie Nanchoff. The game also featured the smallest regular season crowd to witness a Comets game anywhere--1,778--and not surprisingly, the Fever folded a couple months later.
30 years ago today, 3/18/82: The Pittsburgh Spirit paid their first visit to Kansas City and beat the Comets 3-2 at Kemper Arena in front of 8,779 fans. Craig Stahl scored a goal in his first game as a Comet, while Tibor Molnar of the Spirit scored 2 goals, which was 1/3 of his entire MISL career output of 6! The other Pittsburgh goal was tallied by some follicly-challenged defender named Keith Tozer...
30 years ago today, 3/20/82: It was a wild night at the Kemper Corral, as the New Jersey Rockets visited KC for the first and only time, and the Comets won 8-7 on some late-game heroics by Val DeSouza, who scored the game-winner with 32 seconds left in regulation. Iubo Petrovic had the first 4-goal game ever in Comets history, Craig Stahl added two more goals, and Owen Rose (brother of St. Louis Steamer Carl Rose) scored the first and only goal of his brief MISL career for KC. Craig Allen of the Rockets scored his own hat trick, and a young goaltender named Cris Vaccaro experienced his first start and loss ever vs. the Comets. His back-up was some guy named Alan Mayer. Attendance, 12,613.
This is UNDOUBTEDLY proof positive that THE ONLY moniker for indoor soccer WORSE than a natural disaster (Hurricane, Avalanche, Tornado, Storm, Lightning, Thunder) is an adverse MEDICAL SYMPTOM! Thank goodness the following came to their senses and changed their names before the franchise was launched: Fort Wayne Warts (imagine the mascot!?!) Chicago Shiver (changed to Chicago Power a few hours before press conference) Cleveland Chill (Crunch won in a tie-breaker) St. Louis Sneeze (Ambush -- and this team was owned by a doctor?) Indiana Itch (probably would have done better than KICK!) Baltimore Bodyache (conjures an image)