Me? I grew up with them - literally. They came to my high school when I was a freshman (75) after I had been to a few games that incredible championship summer. They taught me the sport. They showed me passion that was dormant in me from my grandfather. They were like my big brothers. They were my family. What about you?
When I first became aware of sports at about 11 or 12, there was the Bucs (who were no good) and the Rowdies (who were very good). I lived and died with them, going to games at Tampa Stadium (and working in the parking lots and selling Cokes there) and even listening to Jack Harris on WFLA late at night, trying to figure out how to keep score of a game in Minnesota or something. Gutted in the back-to-back Soccer Bowl losses when I was 13 and 14. Then I went away to college and the NASL folded. I saw an AISA game at the Bayfront in 86-87, and went to a game or two when they were in the ASL and Rodney was coaching. But real life intruded and by the time they died in 1993, I hadn't been really paying attention for a while. But nostalgia takes hold eventually. I know this won't be exactly the same, but it's cool anyway.
I booed them at Franklin Field in 1979 (vs. Fury) And at Lions Stadium (Trenton, NJ) in 1990 (vs. Penn-Jersey Spirit). Otherwise, I'm glad a storied franchise has returned. Now if only the Cosmos were next... [ducks from Kenn's wrath]
Spartan Stadium in 1975 for the very first Soccer Bowl. They played the Portland Timbers in front of a packed stadium. I was only 8 at the time, but I remember it like yesterday! The uniforms were cool and they looked like a team that had a lot of fun. A few years later, I went to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. and the actual ball from that game was on display. I haven't been back there since and have often wondered if it's still there?
Went to a bunch of games with my grandfather as a youngster at Tampa Stadium....from 4th of July fireworks & when they played the Cosmos in front of 50,000 to when they were in whatever league they were in in the late 80s/early 90s when there were maybe 5,000 people there. Once I saw them play Team Hawaii (don't know if they were in NASL or if it was a friendly) and they were giving away leis and Hawaiian Tropic suntan oil.
I lived in NYC back in the NASL days and rooted for the Cosmos. Since the return of the Rowdies has been announced, I've tried to read up on anything about the Rowdies. It's just great that I'll have pro soccer in my backyard again.
Thanks to the Rowdies coming to Tampa in 1975 when I was 9, I grew up playing and watching and loving soccer, which has pretty much marked me out as a freak for the rest of my life since I don't have much interest in the "mainstream" American sports. I got out to Tampa Stadium (and that indoor place in St. Pete) whenever I could, usually when friends had extra tickets. I moved to California in 1980, and saw the Rowdies a few times when they played at Spartan Stadium against the San Jose Earthquakes. Since 1993 I have been waiting impatiently for someone to revive the Rowdies. Now that day is fast approaching. I've been off and on BigSoccer for years but the return of the Rowdies has given me a reason to come here more often. Alas I live over a thousand miles away so this will be a long distance affair for me. Rowdies til I die - no other club will ever mean anything to me close to what the Rowdies have meant.
''Rowdies til I die - no other club will ever mean anything to me close to what the Rowdies have meant.'' That is true passion my friend, yesterday I saw on Fox an interview with a 60 or 70 year former player of Zacatecas (Mexico), with still pain in his heart and tears in his eyes he told us that he was part of the team that was relegated to the second division somewhere in the sixties. It happened like over 40 years ago and it still hurts. That is the real passion.
My introduction to professional sports as an eight year old kid was the with the Rowdies in 1979. I am not sure why I can recall these two particular games but they stand out for some reason. One was a 6 - 0 drilling we gave the Atlanta Chiefs. The indoor game I recall was a against the Chicago Sting. I recall an exciting back and forth game with lots of scoring. I think the Rowdies pulled it off 14-13 or something like that. I also remember the painfully drilling we took in our last couple seasons. PS- Did anyone go to the Rowdie Reunion when the Mutiny were around?
I most certainly did, and it was awesome to see the guys!!!!! Can't tell you the number of hugs I got, and big smiles when I would say that it was because of them that I was working in the sport (at the time). That entire event was amazing!!!!!!!
Went to my first game as a first-grader in 1976; family had season tickets in 78, 79 and 80; and moved to the Midwest in 1982, but never lost my passion. In fact, I made a list for my dad three years ago listing my favorite current sports franchises in order of my fandom. He looked it over and asked, "What if the Rowdies came back?" I thought it over for less than a second and replied, "Top of the list." Favorite memories: 1) Rodney Marsh shootout goal in 1978 against the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers to send the Rowdies to the Soccer Bowl. Glorious. 2) Rowdies' 3-2 regular season win over the Cosmos on a Saturday afternoon in April 1979. ABC television audience and about 50,000 fans. (Highlights on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUbZ3w5SdDQ) 3) Beating San Diego in semifinals to send Rowdies to 79 Soccer Bowl. Ecstatic fans rushed the goal posts -- a la college football -- and hung from the crossbars because they didn't know how else to react. Least favorite: 1) Tie: Losing two Soccer Bowls -- 78 vs. Cosmos (3-1) and 79 vs. Whitecaps (2-1). Latter game was the only time I ever prayed for a team to win. 2) Losing at home in overtime to the Strikers in a 79 regular season game on a rocket shot from Gerd Mueller. I was 10 years old and chanted "Go, Rowdies, go!" for the duration of the overtime period, even after a guy in his 20s turned around and angrily told me to shut up. Anyone else with incurable Rowdies nostalgia should really scour the Internet and find a copy of "Carrott Gets Rowdie," a one-hour TV documentary done by British comedian Jasper Carrott. He was in Tampa for one week in the summer of 1979 to highlight the differences between soccer in the U.S. and the U.K. Not especially well-done, but WOW, does it capture the times -- actual TV and radio ads, including the "Get Up, Get Out, Get Rowdie!" disco jingle; the $10,000 Golden Goal Challenge (in which fans tried to kick the ball through a hole in a banner over the goal mouth after the game); and a lot of quality time with the Wowdies. He covered two games -- a 4-0 win over the Houston Hurricane (Oscar Fabbiani hat trick) and the aforementioned loss to the Strikers. During halftime of that game, he performed with the Wowdies on the field to "We Wear Short Shorts," which I vaguely remember. Anyway, I bought a VHS copy for $20-something a few months ago and still find myself watching it regularly.
My Childhood Chelsea hero John Boyle captained the team to the 1975 Soccer Bowl. So, I've been a fan ever since, great they are coming back. I'm in the process of saving up for a trip to a few games in 2010. Can't wait. "Let's Get Rowdie!!" I've recently added some old photos to my Rowdies Blog.
Hated them as a Jacksonville Teamen fan. Would take road trips to Tampa for Teamen/Rowdies matches. Most memorable moment was at a televised game, I had bought a Rowdies T-Shirt and when the Teamen scored I ripped the Rowdies T-Shirt on camera. Moved to Tampa in 93 and went to the last few Rowdies games before they folded. Became a die hard Mutiny supporter and with the new Rowdies I look forward to shredding opposing team shirts. I plan to pour my heart and soul into the Rowdies like I did the Mutiny.
For some real nostalgia, check out the dvd of a documentary called "Once in a Lifetime--The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos." You can get it on Amazon for about $5. It's full of Rowdies moments including the backstory on the the hiring of Eddie Firmani away from the Rowdies to the Cosmos--Chinaglia (who was basically running the team at that time) wanted a coach who would tell all the players, "Give the ball to Giorgio." There are also lots of interviews with Rodney and footage from Rowdies-Cosmos games. And, of course, all the dirt on what went on behind the scenes in Cosmo-land (and there was lots of dirt!) I just finished watching it again and it never fails to bring back those wonderful days when the NASL was able to fill stadiums. Enjoy!
I recall being at a summer Boy Scout camp somewhere in Florida when that happened. Believe it or not, they actually announced Firmani leaving the Rowdies at the mess hall/cafeteria (or whatever they called it) for the benefit of the Boy Scouts from the Tampa Bay area! I can't imagine any MLS-related event getting that kind of treatment in the USA today in a Boy Scout camp of all places. Yes I highly recommend this DVD too. After the Cosmos, the Rowdies get the most attention. Shows you how big the Rowdies were back then. I wish someone would do a documentary like this, for the Rowdies. Until then, this DVD is a good substitute.
I used to watch the Rowdies growing up when I was in Junior High and High School, late 70s. I lived near Charleston, SC. My dad was responsible for the entire region (he was a union organizer) and had to go to Tampa to the Westinghouse plant alot. He used to take me with him in the summer sometimes if there were games during the weeks he'd be there. He'd drop me off at the stadium in the afternoon and pick me up later when the game was over. Oddly I never went to any Dips games when I'd come up to DC to my grandparents place in Alexandria, where I went way more often than Tampa - unless they were playing the Rowdies I still remember some of the great TV commercials from back then. Probably cheesy as hell if I'd see them again, but I remember them as great Look mom, no feet
I was only thirteen when the NASL played its last season, so specific memories are fuzzy, but I will give you five that stick out. 1. Winston DuBose was a favorite of mine and I remember when I saw him play his first match back in Tampa after joining the Roughnecks. I was torn between who to root for that night. 2. The 1979 season when Oscar Fabbiani led the league in scoring. Why do so many forwards have one fantastic season and then fade away? 3. How involved in the community the Rowdies were. No other sports team in this market has ever come close to what the Rowdies did, they had a real connection to the grass roots. They came and signed autographs at youth soccer games, high schools, etc. 4. I never remember watching outdoor soccer on TV, but I do remember watching them play indoor on TV. 5. Reading the game program (Kick, i believe was the name) from cover to cover while I waited in the stands for kick off. How come the Mutiny/MLS could never put together a decent program? Is it that hard? Of course there was tons of great players to remember as well, the tops being: Mike Connell, Steve Wegerle, Tatu, Wes McCleod, John Gorman, Neill Roberts, Refik Kozic, and yes Rodney Marsh.
Various reasons; I don't recall precisely what happened with Fabbiani but my vague recollection was some talk about his not being entirely happy living in the USA or something (professional soccer players today are used to the idea of working abroad, but back then it was still a new idea to many European and Latin American players). Also, the NASL was always unstable, with lots of foreign players coming over for a season or two "for larks and $", many of them at the end of their careers. NASL back then wasn't really set up to cater to long careers (although many players managed to become NASL veterans anyway). Good marketing takes organization, people, and money. MLS is designed to be run on a shoestring budget. No money for a new fancy game program for every home game.
Calling all Wowdies and Loudies! We would love to catch up with all the past Wowdies and Loudies and find out what you are up to these days and hear your stories from the past. Drop us an email at alumni@tbrowdies.com and let us know how you are, what years you were involved, and any stories you want to share. We look forward to hearing from all of you!
A pivotal milestone in the history of the old Rowdies happened thirty years ago today. If anyone was there that night and has recollections to share, please post them on my site.
THIRTY YEARS AGO TODAY..... 9PICK ONE) 1- John Shannon scored the winning goal 2- Andrew Nester was born 3- signed Oscar Fabbiani