Dallas Tornado facts for kids
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| Full name | Dallas Tornado | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Tornado | ||
| Founded | 1967 | ||
| Dissolved | 1981 | ||
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List
Cotton Bowl
Capacity: 70,000 Turnpike Stadium Capacity: 20,000 P.C. Cobb Stadium Capacity: 22,000 Franklin Field Capacity: 8,500 Texas Stadium Capacity: 65,000 Ownby Stadium Capacity: 20,000 Indoor soccer: Fair Park Coliseum Capacity: 7,513 (1975) Reunion Arena Capacity: 16,626 (1980–81) |
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| Chairman | Lamar Hunt | ||
| League | USA (1967) NASL (1968–1981) |
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The Dallas Tornado was a professional soccer team from Dallas, Texas. They played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. The Dallas Tornado was one of the longest-playing teams in the NASL, lasting for 15 seasons.
They played their home games at several stadiums over the years. These included the Cotton Bowl (1967–1968), P.C. Cobb Stadium (1969), Franklin Field (1970–1971), Texas Stadium (1972–1975, 1980–1981), and Ownby Stadium on the SMU campus (1976–1979). For indoor soccer, the club played at Reunion Arena for one season (1980–81). They also hosted a tournament at Fair Park Coliseum in 1975.
Contents
History of the Dallas Tornado
Early Years (1967–1971)
The Dallas Tornado was one of the first clubs in the United Soccer Association (USA) in 1967. The USA was one of two leagues that later joined to form the NASL. In 1967, teams from other countries played in U.S. cities as American teams. The team that played as the Dallas Tornado that year was actually Dundee United from Scotland.
The next year, the USA league merged with another league to create the NASL. The owners, Lamar Hunt and Bill McNutt, had to build a brand new team. They hired Bob Kap, a coach who had escaped from Hungary in 1956. Kap traveled all over Europe to find young players for the Dallas Tornado. He hired players from England, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. There was only one American player, Jay Moore.
The new Dallas Tornado team went on a world tour for seven months in 1967–68. They played 45 games in 26 countries across five continents. This tour helped the team learn to play together. They played against famous teams like Fenerbahçe and the Japan national team. Even though they had a tough record (10 wins, 9 draws, 26 losses), the tour made the Dallas Tornado known internationally. However, when the 1968 NASL season started, the tired team struggled. They won only two league matches all year.
After this tough season, many NASL teams closed down. Dallas was one of only five teams that survived. The 1969 season was split into two parts. For the first part, called the International Cup, the NASL teams were again represented by teams from the United Kingdom. The Dallas Tornado was once more represented by Dundee United.
Things got much better for the club when they won the NASL championship in 1971. They beat the Atlanta Chiefs 2–0 in the final game. The path to this championship was very long! In one semifinal game, they played for 176 minutes, almost two full games in one day, before winning. They played many long overtime games during their playoff run. In total, Dallas played 537 minutes of soccer (almost six full games) in just 13 days to win the title.
Later Years (1972–1981)
After their championship win, the Dallas Tornado won several division titles. A key player for the team was Kyle Rote, Jr., the son of a famous football player. In 1973, Kyle Rote Jr. was the top scorer in the league and won the Rookie of the Year award. He also became famous by winning the ABC Sports Superstars competition three times.
On June 15, 1975, the Tornado played against the New York Cosmos in a game that was broadcast across the country. This was a special game because it was Pelé's first game in the NASL. Another player, Steve Pecher, won the Rookie of the Year award in 1976.
Like many NASL clubs, the Dallas Tornado faced challenges with attendance. This led to the team closing down in 1981. The owners, Lamar Hunt and Bill McNutt, decided to combine their team with the Tampa Bay Rowdies team.
Even though the Dallas Tornado ended, Lamar Hunt continued to support soccer in America. He was one of the people who helped start Major League Soccer later on.
Team Achievements (Honors)
The Dallas Tornado achieved many great things during its time.
Major Championships
- NASL Championships (1):
- 1971
- NASL Indoor Championships (2):
- 1971
- 1979
Division Titles
The team won its division or region five times:
- 1973 Southern Division
- 1974 Central Division
- 1975 Region 1 (indoor)
- 1977 Southern Division, Pacific Conference
- 1980 Central Division, National Conference
Individual Player Awards
- Rookie of the Year
- 1973 Kyle Rote, Jr.
- 1976 Steve Pecher
- League Scoring Champion
- 1970 Kirk Apostolidis
- 1973 Kyle Rote, Jr.
- League Goal Scoring Champion
- 1970 Kirk Apostolidis
- 1973 Ilija Mitic
- League Leading Goaltender
- 1971 Mirko Stojanovic
- 1972 Ken Cooper
- 1977 Ken Cooper
- Indoor MVP
- 1971 Mike Renshaw
- Indoor Scoring Champion
- 1971 Mike Renshaw
- 1979 Jimmy Ryan
- Indoor Leading Goaltender
- 1971 Ken Cooper
All-Star Selections
Many Dallas Tornado players were chosen for All-Star teams, showing they were among the best in the league.
- All-Star First Team Selections
- 1969 Kirk Apostolidis, John Best, Ilija Mitic
- 1970 John Best
- 1971 John Best, Dick Hall, Mirko Stojanovic
- 1972 John Best, Ken Cooper
- 1973 John Best, Ken Cooper, Ilija Mitic
- 1974 Dick Hall, Albert Jackson, Ilija Mitic
- All-Star Second Team Selections
- 1967 (USA) Doug Smith
- 1970 Kirk Apostolidis, Mike Renshaw, Roy Turner
- 1972 Dick Hall
- 1973 Dick Hall, Rick Reynolds
- 1975 Ken Cooper
- 1976 Jeff Bourne, Bob Hope, George Ley
- 1977 George Ley, Steve Pecher
- Indoor All-Stars
- 1971 Jim Benedek, Mike Renshaw
- 1975 Ilija Mitic, Mike Renshaw, Ken Cooper
Hall of Fame Members
Several people connected to the Dallas Tornado have been inducted into soccer Hall of Fames.
- U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame
- 1982 Lamar Hunt
- 1992 Ron Newman
- 1995 Al Miller
- 2009 Kyle Rote, Jr.
- 2015 Glenn Myernick
- Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame
- 2012 Kenny Cooper, Sr., Ron Newman
- 2013 Kai Haaskivi, Mike Stankovic
- 2019 Roy Turner
Notable Players
Here are some of the well-known players who played for the Dallas Tornado:
Koulis Apostolidis (1969–1971)
Jim Benedek (1970–1973)
Jeff Bourne (1978–1979)- Cliff Calvert (1981)
- Len Cantello (1981)
- Dave Chadwick (1974–1975)
Frank Hason (1970–1973)- Alan Hinton (1977)
- John Stewart (1967–1969)
Bobby Hope (1976–1978)- Tim Huff (1981)
Bill Irwin (1981)- Nicky Jennings (1973)
- Brian Kettle (1978)
- Kevin Kewley (1976–1979)
Willi Lippens (1979)
Oreco (1970–1971)
Angel Pichardo (1977–1980)
Wolfgang Rausch (1979–1981)- Kyle Rote Jr. (1972–1978)
- Jimmy Ryan (1976–1979)
- Alex Stepney (1979–1980)
- Klaus Toppmöller (1980–1981)
- Gert Trinklein (1979–80)
- Zequinha (1979–1981)
- Stephen L Tatum (1975–1976)
Charlie Williams (1968)- Walter Smith (On Loan 1967)
Head Coaches
These are the head coaches who led the Dallas Tornado:
- Jerry Kerr 1967
- Bob Kap 1967
- Keith Spurgeon 1968
- Ron Newman 1969–1975
- Al Miller 1976–1980
- Mike Renshaw 1981
- Peter Short 1981
Images for kids
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Pelé carrying the ball during the Tornado vs. New York Cosmos match on June 15, 1975.
See also
In Spanish: Dallas Tornado para niños
