Chicago Spurs
The Chicago Spurs were an American professional soccer team based out of Chicago, Illinois that was a charter member of the non-FIFA sanctioned National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967. The owners of the franchise were Al Kaczmarek, William Cutler and Michael Butler. The team played at Soldier Field. The Spurs also played non-league games in
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| Full name | Chicago Spurs | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Spurs | ||
| Founded | 1966 | ||
| Dissolved | 1967 (relocated) | ||
| Ground | Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois | ||
| Capacity | 61,500 | ||
| Owner(s) |  Michael Butler Al Kaczamarek William Cutler | ||
| Manager |  Alan Rogers | ||
| League | National Professional Soccer League | ||
| 1967 | 3rd, Western Division Playoffs: DNQ | ||
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Tickets for the Spurs games were marketed and sold through Sears Roebuck and Co in the Chicago area.
With the merger of the NPSL following the 1967 season to form the North American Soccer League, the Spurs were moved to Kansas City, Missouri and became the Kansas City Spurs, so as not to compete with fellow NASL team, the Chicago Mustangs. The club's colors were red and white.
History
The Chicago Spurs were founded in 1967 and began play in the National Professional Soccer League, with home games at Soldier Field, which at the time had an auto racing track surrounding the field, no seating sections to cut off the northernmost third of the stadium and a soccer pitch positioned exactly between the columns on each side.
Following the 1967 season, the NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association (USA) to form the North American Soccer League (NASL). In order to keep from competing with the Chicago Mustangs of the former USA, the Spurs were forced to relocate. This was unusual because the Spurs already had a full roster of players in place, while the Mustangs had to form a whole new team from scratch. The first choice of destination was Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but Arthur Allyn Jr., the Mustangs' owner, had signed a contract with an exclusivity agreement for his Major League Baseball team, the Chicago White Sox, to play nine home games at Milwaukee County Stadium in the summer of 1968. The Spurs would end up moving to Kansas City, Missouri to become the Kansas City Spurs.[1][2]
During its one season in the NPSL, the Spurs were coached by Englishman Alan Rogers, who would return to coach many of the same players in Kansas City for the Spurs season in the NASL in 1970.
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | W | L | T | Pts | League | Playoffs | Avg. Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | NPSL | 10 | 11 | 11 | 142 | 3rd, Western Division | Did not qualify | 2,619 |
Coaches
References
- "Chicago Spurs". BumpyPitch.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved Sep 16, 2012.
- "1960s Month: Kansas City Spurs, Glory & Oblivion". The Equaliser Blog. April 14, 2011. Retrieved Sep 15, 2012.