Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984)

Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984)
The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.
History
The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium.
In 1975, 50% of the team was purchased for $250,000 by the Toronto Croatia of the National Soccer League, and the team became the Toronto Metros-Croatia. The club won the 1976 Soccer Bowl championship. However, they continued to struggle at the gate. In mid September 1976, it was reported that team owed $100,000 to the Ontario government and $95,000 to the metropolitan Toronto government, that several star players were free agents and the team might fold.
The Global Television Network purchased 85% of the struggling Toronto Metros-Croatia on February 1, 1979 for $2.6 million. Following the purchase, Toronto Croatia returned to the NSL as a separate club. With only 7 of the 26 players from the 1978 roster staying, the NASL team was renamed the Toronto Blizzard following the takeover. Under the new ownership, attendances nearly doubled. From 1979 to 1983 the Blizzard played home games at Exhibition Stadium before returning to Varsity Stadium for the 1984 NASL season.
The Blizzard were members of the NASL until 1984, the last year of league operations. The team were runners-up for the league championship in 1983, losing the Soccer Bowl to the Tulsa Roughnecks 2–0 in front of nearly sixty thousand people at Vancouver's BC Place Stadium. They were runners-up again in 1984 when they lost to the Chicago Sting two games to none in a best of three championship series. The club was coached in these final two years by Bobby Houghton, assisted by Dave Turner and featured Roberto Bettega, David Byrne, Cliff Calvert, Pasquale De Luca, Charlie Falzon, Sven Habermann, Paul Hammond, Paul James, Conny Karlsson, Victor Kodelja, Trevor McCallum, Colin Miller, Jan Möller, Jimmy Nicholl, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Randy Ragan, Neill Roberts, John Paskin, Derek Spalding, and Bruce Wilson in its lineup.
The Blizzard qualified for the play-offs on only two other occasions, in 1979 and 1982, losing in the first round each time. Prominent players during the first four years included Clyde Best, Željko Bilecki, Jimmy Bone, Roberto Bettega, Drew Busby, David Byrne, Cliff Calvert, Tony Chursky, David Fairclough, Colin Franks, George Gibbs, Jimmy Greenhoff, Steve Harris-Byrne, Graham Hatley, Victor Kodelja, Sam Lenarduzzi, Peter Lorimer, Ivan Lukačević, Drago Vabec, Mike McLenaghen, Willie McVie, Alan Merrick, Charlie Mitchell, Juan Carlos Molina, Jan Möller, Francesco Morini, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Bobby Prentice, Randy Ragan, Neill Roberts, Malcolm Robertson, Peter Roe, Jomo Sono, Gordon Sweetzer, Blagoje Tamindžić, Jose Velasquez, and Bruce Wilson.
The Metros-Croatia fielded a team in NASL's indoor league in 1975 and 1976, as did the Blizzard from 1980 through 1982.
In 2010, the 1976 Soccer Bowl winning team was inducted into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame.
Year-by-year team record
Metros
Metros-Croatia
Blizzard
Championships
North American Soccer League, Soccer Bowl: 1976
Divisions: 1973, 1977
Conference: 1976
Ownership
John Fisher (1971–74)
Sam Paric (1975–78)
Global Television Network (1979–81)
Karsten von Werseb (1981–84)
Head coaches
Graham Leggat (1971–72)
Arthur Rodrigues (1972–74)
Frank Pike (1975 indoor season only)
Ivan Marković (1975–76)
Marijan Bilić (1976) interim
Domagoj Kapetanović (1976, 1978)
Ivan Sangulin (1977)
Keith Eddy (1979–81)
Bob Houghton (1982–84)
Assistant coaches
Dave Turner (1982–84)
Notable players
Juan Carlos Molina
Ivair Ferreira
Clyde Best
Nick Albanis
Aldo D'Alfonso
Željko Bilecki
Brian Budd
Tony Chursky
Pasquale de Luca
Charlie Falzon
Tibor Gemeri
Sven Habermann
Graham Hately
Robert Iarusci
Patrick Harrington
Paul James
Victor Kodelja
Sam Lenarduzzi
Trevor McCallum
Mike McLenaghen
Dave McQueen
Colin Miller
Randy Ragan
Peter Roe
Gordon Sweetzer
Gordon Wallace
Bruce Wilson
Renard Moxam
Cliff Calvert
David Fairclough
Colin Franks
George Gibbs
Jimmy Greenhoff
Steve Harris-Byrne
Jimmy Kelly
Alec Lindsay
Alan Merrick
Dave Needham
Phil Parkes
Brian Talbot
Dick Howard
Nikos Sevastopoulos
Conleth Davey
Dave Henderson
Alessandro Abbondanza
Roberto Bettega
Francesco Morini
Marino Perani
Damian Ogunsuyi
Jimmy Nicholl
Jose Velasquez
Juan Carlos Ramirez Gaston
Eusébio
Robert Godoka
Jimmy Bone
Drew Busby
Alex Cropley
Duncan Davidson
Peter Lorimer
Willie McVie
Charlie Mitchell
Bobby Prentice
Malcolm Robertson
Derek Spalding
David Byrne
Ace Ntsoelengoe
John Paskin
Neill Roberts
Jomo Sono
Julius Sono
Geoff Wegerle
Tore Cervin
Conny Karlsson
Jan Moller
Gungor Tekin
Dan Counce
Paul Hammond
Jimmy McAlister
Alan Merrick
Derek Spalding
Arno Steffenhagen
Sead Sušić
Blagoje Tamindžić
Filip Blašković
Drago Vabec
Ivica Grnja
Ivan Lukačević
Damir Šutevski
Vojin Lazarević
Stjepan Loparić
After the NASL
On March 28, 1985, the NASL officially suspended operations for the 1985 season, when only Toronto and Minnesota Strikers were interested in playing. In the meantime Blizzard owners York-Hanover purchased Dynamo Latino of the National Soccer League with the intention of renaming them the Toronto Blizzard. Though the Blizzard franchise had never actually folded, they had ceased operations for several months between these incarnations and NSL regulations did not permit a name change in the midst of the season. The following season (1986) Dynamo Latino began play as the Toronto Blizzard. A history of this team can be found at Toronto Blizzard (1986–93).
References
External links
Gallery of Toronto Blizzard jerseys on NASLJerseys.com
Bibliography
Wangerin, David. Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America's Forgotten Game. WSC Book (2006).
Association football clubs established in 1971
Association football clubs disestablished in 1984
Canadian indoor soccer teams
Defunct soccer clubs in Canada
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams
Bli
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams based in Canada
1971 establishments in Ontario
1984 disestablishments in Ontario
Former Corus Entertainment subsidiaries