San Diego Sockers (1978–96)
- For other teams named 'San Diego Sockers' see San Diego Sockers.
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| Full name | San Diego Sockers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Sockers | ||
| Founded | 1978 | ||
| Dissolved | 1996 | ||
| Stadium | Jack Murphy Stadium (48,460) (1978-84) San Diego Sports Arena (12,920) (1980-96) |
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| Owner | defunct | ||
| Coach | Ron Newman | ||
| League | NASL (1978-84) MISL (1982-83, 1984-92) CISL(1993-96) |
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The San Diego Sockers were one of the most successful indoor soccer teams in the sport's short history. The team won ten championships in both the original Major Indoor Soccer League and the North American Soccer League.
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[edit] History
The team began as the Baltimore Comets in 1974 but moved to San Diego as the San Diego Jaws in 1976. After a one-year stay in Las Vegas as the Las Vegas Quicksilvers, the team returned as the San Diego Sockers in 1978. They were owned by Bob Bell.
Initially, victories came slowly for the San Diego Sockers but mounted quickly. With a building fan base and budding talent pool, the San Diego Sockers won the North American Soccer League (NASL) Championships of 1982 and again in 1984. Success was far from over for the San Diego Sockers. When the NASL folded, the San Diego Sockers moved to the Major Indoor Soccer League and won eight championships: 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992. The Sockers carried their success from one league to the next. They switched to the Continental Indoor Soccer League for three more years from 1993 to 1995. However, after several ownership changes, Sockers folded after the 1996 season.
There have been two attempts to revive the Sockers. The first attempt was a franchise in the WISL that later joined the second MISL. A second attempt currently plays in the PASL-PRO starting in 2009.
[edit] Leagues
- NASL outdoor 1974-1984
- NASL indoor 1980-1982, 1983-1984
- MISL 1982-1983, 1984-1992
- CISL 1993-1996
[edit] Owners
- Bob Bell (1978-87)
- Ron Fowler (1987-91)
- Oscar Ancira, Sr. (1991-94)
- San Diego Sports Arena Management (1994-96)
[edit] Head coaches
Hubert Vogelsinger 1978-1980
Hank Liotart 1980
Ron Newman 1980-1993-
Brian Quinn (1994-96) - Phil Salvagio 2009-Present
[edit] Seasons
[edit] Outdoor
| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Notes | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 2nd East, 10-8-2 | Lost Quarterfinal | operated as the Baltimore Comets | 4,139 |
| 1975 | 5th East, 9-13 | Failed to qualify | operated as the Baltimore Comets | 2,641 |
| 1976 | 5th South, 9-15 | Failed to qualify | operated as the San Diego Jaws | 6,152 |
| 1977 | 5th South. 11-15 | Failed to qualify | operated as the Las Vegas Quicksilvers | 7,079 |
| 1978 | 1st American Conference West, 18-12 | Lost Conference Semifinal | first season as the San Diego Sockers | 5,146 |
| 1979 | 1st American Conference West, 15-15 | Lost Conference Final | 11,271 | |
| 1980 | 3rd American Conference West, 16-16 | Lost Conference final | 12,753 | |
| 1981 | 1st West, 21-11 | Lost Conference final | 14,802 | |
| 1982 | 2nd West, 19-13 | Lost League Semifinal | 8,532 | |
| 1983 | 4th West, 11-19 | Failed to qualify | 4,685 | |
| 1984 | 1st West, 14-10 | Lost Semifinal | last outdoor season | 5,702 |
[edit] Indoor
| Year | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Avg. Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-81 | NASL | 4th South, 6-12 | Failed to qualify | 4,912 |
| 1981-82 | NASL | 1st West, 10-8 | Won Championship | 7,047 |
| 1982-83 | MISL | 1st West, 32-16 | Won Championship | 8,081 |
| 1983-84 | NASL | 1st NASL, 21-11 | Won Championship | 11,415 |
| 1984-85 | MISL | 1st West, 37-11 | Won Championship | 9,595 |
| 1985-86 | MISL | 1st West, 36-12 | Won Championship | 9,581 |
| 1986-87 | MISL | 3rd West, 27-25 | Lost Semifinal | 9,748 |
| 1987-88 | MISL | 1st West, 42-14 | Won Championship | 8,996 |
| 1988-89 | MISL | 2nd MISL, 27-21 | Won Championship | 8,383 |
| 1989-90 | MISL | 2nd West, 25-27 | Won Championship | 8,131 |
| 1990-91 | MSL | 1st West, 34-18 | Won Championship | 7,231 |
| 1991-92 | MSL | 1st MSL, 26-14 | Won Championship | 9,348 |
| 1993 | CISL | 2nd CISL, 20-8 | Lost Championship | 5,583 |
| 1994 | CISL | 2nd West, 18-10 | Lost Quarterfinal | 5,032 |
| 1995 | CISL | 3rd South, 17-11 | Lost Quarterfinal | 5,366 |
| 1996 | CISL | 1st West, 17-11 | Lost Semifinal | 4,830 |
[edit] Honors
NASL, MISL and CISL Reg. Season/ Division Titles
- 1978, 1979, 1981, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1987-88, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1996
NASL Indoor Championships
- 1982, 1984
MISL Championships
- 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992
MISL MVP
- 1983 Alan Mayer
- 1985 Steve Zungul
- 1986 Steve Zungul
- 1991 Victor Nogueira
- 1992 Victor Nogueira
MISL Championship MVP
- 1983 Juli Veee
- 1985 Steve Zungul
- 1986 Brian Quinn
- 1988 Hugo Perez
- 1989 Victor Nogueira
- 1990 Brian Quinn
- 1991 Ben Collins
- 1992 Thompson Usiyan
NASL Indoor Scoring Champion
- 1982 Juli Veee
MISL Scoring Champion
- 1985 Steve Zungul
- 1986 Steve Zungul
MISL Pass Master (Assists leader)
- 1985 Steve Zungul
- 1986 Steve Zungul
MISL Defender of the Year
- 1985 Kevin Crow
- 1988 Kevin Crow
- 1989 Kevin Crow
- 1991 Kevin Crow
- 1992 Kevin Crow
NASL Indoor Goalkeeper of the Year
- 1984 Jim Gorsek
MISL Goalkeeper of the Year
- 1988 Zolton Toth
- 1989 Victor Nogueira
- 1991 Victor Nogueira
- 1992 Victor Nogueira
CISL Goalkeeper of the Year
- 1994 Antonio Cortes
MISL Coach of the Year
- 1988 Ron Newman
MISL Rookie of the Year
- 1991 David Banks
CISL Rookie of the Year
- 1994 John Olu Molomo
- 1995 Mark Chung
- 1996 Carlos Farias
NASL First Team All Star
- 1984 Kevin Crow
MISL First Team All Star
- 1983 Alan Mayer, Kazimierz Deyna
- 1985 Branko Segota, Kevin Crow, Steve Zungul
- 1986 Fernando Clavijo, Branko Segota
- 1987 Kevin Crow
- 1988 Zolton Toth, Fernando Clavijo, Kevin Crow, Branko Segota
- 1990 Victor Nogueira, Kevin Crow
- 1991 Victor Nogueira, Kevin Crow
CISL First Team All Star
- 1993 David Banks
- 1995 Mark Chung
[edit] Notable players
[edit] Outdoor
- Ade Coker (1978-1979) (1982-1987)
Julie Veee (1978-1982) (1981-1984) (1985-1988)- Jean Willrich (1978-1984) (1980-1988)
Leonardo Cuéllar (1979-1981)- Hugo Sánchez (1979/80)
Emmanuel Sanon (1980-1983)
Kazimierz Deyna (1981-87)
Momčilo / Mike Stojanović (1981-1982)- Kevin Crow (1983-1996)
- Gary Heale (1983)
- Steve Daley (1984)
- Zoltan Toth (1984-1990)
[edit] Indoor
- David Banks (1990-96)
- Tim Barto
- Ralph Black (1989-90)
- Sean Bowers (1991)
- Christopher Chueden (1988-89)
- Mark Chung (1995)
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Fernando Clavijo (1984-88) -
Ade Coker (1984-87) 
Ben Collins- Michael Collins (1991-92)
- Kevin Crow (1984-96)
- Steve Daley (1984-85)
- Kazimierz Deyna (1981-87)
- Zico Doe (1991)
Martin Donnelly (1979-83)- Paul Dougherty (1987-89, 1990-92)
- George Fernandez
- Jim Gabarra (1989-91)
- Poli Garcia (1988-89)
- Jim Gorsek (1984-88)
- Volkmar Gross
- Eddie Henderson
- Waad Hirmez
- Greg Ion
Zoran Karic (1987-90)- John Kerr (1991-92)
- Kevin Koetters (1993)
- Jacques LaDouceur (1985-92)
-
Cha Cha Namdar 
Victor Nogueira (1988-92)- John Olu Molomo (1994-95)
- Hugo Perez (1984-90)
- Brian Quinn
- Brian Schmetzer (1984-88)
- Branko Segota (1985-90)
- Zoltan Toth (1984-90)
- Thompson Usiyan (1991-93) 62 Apps 58 Goals
- Juli Veee (1981-88)
- Wes Wade (1989-92) 133 Apps 44 Goals
- Jean Willrich (1980-88)
- Tim Wittman
- Paul Wright (1990-92)
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Steve Zungul (1984-86, 1988-90)
[edit] References
| Indoor soccer in San Diego |
| Current: San Diego Sockers (2009-present) |
| Defunct: San Diego Sockers (1978-1996) | San Diego Sockers (2001-2004) |
| San Diego Surf (2005-2010) | San Diego Fusion (2004-2011) |
