| Full name | Tampa Bay Rowdies | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Rowdies | ||
| Founded | 1975 | ||
| Dissolved | 1993 | ||
| Stadium | Tampa Stadium (Capacity: 71,000) |
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| Chairman | Beau Rogers Harry Mangurian |
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| Coach | Eddie Firmani, Rodney Marsh | ||
| League | North American Soccer League (1975–1984) American Indoor Soccer Association (1986–1987) American Soccer League (1988–1989) American Professional Soccer League (1990–1993) |
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The Tampa Bay Rowdies were a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida, USA. The team played in the North American Soccer League until the league's dissolution, and went on to play in several other leagues before folding in 1993. The Rowdies played their outdoor home games at Tampa Stadium and their indoor games at the Bayfront Center Arena in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida.
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Originally founded as a North American Soccer League expansion franchise in 1975 by George Strawbridge, the Rowdies played ten seasons at Tampa Stadium and won their only Soccer Bowl championship in their inaugural season defeating the Portland Timbers 2–0. The Rowdies lost in the finals in 1978 and 1979. The team showcased international stars such as midfield captain Rodney Marsh (England), league leading goal scorer Oscar Fabbiani, swift and lethal forward Steve Wegerle (South Africa), rock-solid defenseman Arsene Auguste (Haiti), popular player Derek Smethurst (South Africa), who was the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer with 57 tallies in 65 games and Peter "Kosta" Johansson, former Swedish National Team member. Coached by Eddie Firmani, John Boyle, and Gordon Jago, their catch phrase and marketing slogan was "The Rowdies arrrre...a kick in the grass!"
After the 1983 season, the team was sold to Stella Thayer, Bob Blanchard and Dick Corbett.
| Year | Record | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs | Leading Goal Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 16–6 | 1st, Eastern Division | NASL Champions | Derek Smethurst-18, Stewart Scullion-7, John Sissons-5 |
| 1976 | 18–6 | 1st, Eastern Division, Atlantic Conference | Atlantic Conference Championship | Derek Smethurst-20, Rodney Marsh-11, Stewart Scullion-10, Clyde Best-9 |
| 1977 | 14–12 | 3rd, Eastern Division, Atlantic Conference | Divisional Playoffs | Derek Smethurst-19, Rodney Marsh-8, Steve Wegerle-5 |
| 1978 | 18–12 | 1st, Eastern Division, American Conference | Runners-up | Rodney Marsh-18, Dave Robb-16 |
| 1979 | 19–11 | 1st, Eastern Division, American Conference | Runners-up | Oscar Fabbiani-25, Rodney Marsh-11, |
| 1980 | 19–13 | 1st, Eastern Division, American Conference | American Conference Semifinals | Steve Wegerle-9 |
| 1981 | 15–17 | 4th, Southern Division | Quarterfinals | Frank Worthington-11 |
| 1982 | 12–20 | 3rd, Southern Division | Did Not Qualify | Luis Fernando-16 |
| 1983 | 7–23 | 3rd, Southern Division | Did Not Qualify | Manny Rojas-8 |
| 1984 | 9–15 | 4th, Eastern Division | Did Not Qualify | Roy Wegerle, Neill Roberts-9 |
In 1975, the NASL ran an indoor tournament entered by only four teams. The Rowdies finished second to the San Jose Earthquakes. The NASL did not hold a full indoor season until 1979, when the Rowdies won the championship. The last NASL indoor season took place in 1983–1984 and the Rowdies finished last out of the seven teams.
| Year | Record | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1–1 | 2nd | Final |
| 1979–1980 | 8–4 | 2nd, Eastern Division | NASL Champions |
| 1980–1981 | 9–9 | 2nd, Eastern Division | Did not qualify |
| 1981–1982 | 11–7 | 2nd Central Division, American Conference | Runners-up |
| 1983–1984 | 9–23 | 7th | Did not qualify |
NASL Championships
Division Titles
Coach of the Year
Rookie of the Year
All-Star First Team Selections
All-Star Second Team Selections
All-Star Honorable Mentions
This list of players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left.
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The Rowdies' fans were known as "Fannies". Advertisements for the club encouraged their supporters to "Get up, got out, and get Rowdy!" and to "make a fanny of yourself!", and the call was answered by fans who threw confetti, drank beer, and generally "let the guys know we're behind them."[1] 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.[2]
While anyone who supported team 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.[1]
The NASL folded in 1984, but the Rowdies continued to play for several more years.
With Rodney Marsh as coach, the Rowdies operated as an independent team for two years before joining the American Indoor Soccer Association for one season (1986–87). Cornelia Corbett became sole owner of the team in 1986.
| Year | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Avg. Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986/87 | AISA | 3rd, Southern | Quarterfinals | 2,048 |
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 they folded after the 1993 season.
| Year | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | ASL | 3rd, Southern | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
| 1989 | ASL | 1st, Southern | Semifinals | Did not enter |
| 1990 | APSL | 2nd, ASL South | ASL Semifinals | Did not enter |
| 1991 | APSL | 3rd, American | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
| 1992 | APSL | 2nd | Final | Did not enter |
| 1993 | APSL | 3rd | Semifinals | Did not enter |
Leading Scorer
Top Goalkeeper
Coach of the Year
First Team All Star
Second Team All Star
In 2008, it was announced that a new incarnation of the Tampa Bay Rowdies would play in a new second division NASL. The team changed its name to FC Tampa Bay before taking the pitch due to a dispute over the marketing rights to the "Rowdies" name, but they wore striped green and gold kits similar to the old Rowdies, and their shield logo incorporated a star reflecting the 1975 championship. After several changes to the league, FC Tampa Bay finally kicked off their existence in the summer of 2010.[3][4] The team finally obtained full rights to the Rowdies name in December 2011 and officially became the Tampa Bay Rowdies for the 2012 season, changing their logo and kits to incorporate the same stylized "Rowdies" script that the original team had used.
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