The Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) were a North American Soccer League (NASL) team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. It played its home games at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The team, previously Team Hawaii, moved to Tulsa after the 1977 season. In 1983, Alex Skotarek became general manager and led one of the lowest-budgeted teams in the NASL to a championship, defeating Toronto, 2–0, at Soccer Bowl '83.
Shortly after the Tulsa Roughnecks victory of the 1983 Soccer Bowl, President Ronald Reagan sent congratulatory remarks to the team as they carried the trophy in a celebration parade through downtown Tulsa. Until the Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA Finals in 2025, the Roughnecks were the only major professional team from Oklahoma to win a championship.
Highlights The Roughnecks first match was a 6–5 indoor loss on February 11, 1978, at the Bayfront Center versus the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Three nights later in their home debut, the same two teams faced off in front of the first 3,250 Roughnecks fans at the Tulsa Assembly Center. A few weeks later they would capture the Skelly Indoor Invitational which they hosted. Over the years Tulsa regularly appeared in the NASL playoffs. They won the NASL title in Soccer Bowl '83, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at BC Place Stadium (Vancouver) by a score of 2–0 before a paid attendance of 60,051. The team's all-time win–loss record was 104–106. The Roughnecks' home games consistently drew better-than-league-average attendance with the annual record occurring during the 1980 season when the team averaged 19,787 spectators over 16 games for a total attendance that year of 316,593 (placing the Roughnecks at No. 5 between the Seattle Sounders and the Washington Diplomats). The largest home game attendance for Tulsa occurred on April 26, 1980, when 30,822 fans watched the Roughnecks' 2–1 victory over the New York Cosmos at Skelly Stadium. The highest attendance for any Roughneck game occurred on August 26, 1979, when Tulsa met the Cosmos in New York for a NASL playoff game before a crowd of 76,031.
Post-NASL When, in August 1984, the Major Indoor Soccer League rejected the Roughnecks' application to join several other NASL teams in participating in the MISL's 1984-85 season (citing the town's small market status and subpar arena), team owners decided to fold the financially struggling franchise as of the end of the NASL season in September. Former general manager Noel Lemon and a handful of local investors were not ready to give up on soccer in Tulsa, and they were granted permission in January 1985 to revive the name and put together a team to play outdoors that summer. Before this club could take the field, though, the NASL completed its long, slow collapse and cancelled the upcoming 1985 season in March. Lemon's new Roughnecks, which featured several holdover players from the previous iteration of the team, carried on as an independent club and pieced together a 20-game exhibition schedule against teams from the MISL, WACS, Europe and South America, as well as former NASL and USL sides that had not folded. Excluding several cancelations along the way, the team compiled a record of 8–2–1, before suspending operations on July 17, 1985.
Famous Roughnecks players include Iraj Danaeifard, Alex Skotarek, Charlie Mitchell, Billy Caskey, Victor Moreland, Barry Wallace, Alan Woodward, Zeljko Bilecki, Carmelo D'Anzi, Winston DuBose, Njego Pesa, Laurie Abrahams, Chance Fry, Terry Moore and David McCreery.
Media Coverage
The Roughnecks had good media coverage from the start with KRMG (AM) broadcasting on radio and initially KTUL television, before the switch to Tulsa Cable Sports. Bob Carpenter called games on both outlets.
Year-by-year YearLeagueWLTPtsReg. seasonPlayoffsAvg. attendance1978NASL indoor220—N/AWon, Skelly Invitational2,2501978NASL151501322nd, National Conference, Central DivisionLost 1st Round (Minnesota)11,2561979NASL indoor030—N/A3rd Place, Budweiser Invitational6,3401979NASL141601393rd, National Conference, Central DivisionWon Conference Quarterfinal (Minnesota)Lost Conference Semifinal (New York)16,4261979–80NASL Indoor750—3rd, WesternLost 1st Round (Minnesota)4,6571980NASL151701393rd, National Conference, Central DivisionLost 1st Round (New York)19,7871980–81NASL Indoor990—2nd, Southern Divisiondid not qualify5,2881981NASL171501543rd, Central DivisionLost 1st Round (Minnesota)17,1881981–82NASL Indoor1080—3rd, American Conference, Central DivisionWon 1st Round (Chicago)Lost Semifinal (Tampa Bay)5,3081982NASL161601122nd, Southern DivisionLost 1st Round (New York)14,5541983NASL Indoor Grand Prix440—3rd in Grand Prix preliminary roundsLost Semifinal (Tampa Bay)Won 3rd place match (Ft. Lauderdale)3,2931983NASL171301451st, Southern DivisionWon 1st Round (Ft. Lauderdale)Won Semifinals (Montreal)Won Soccer Bowl '83 (Toronto)12,4151983–84NASL Indoor11210—6thdid not qualify3,7071984NASL10140984th, Western Divisiondid not qualify7,7971985Independent821 — friendlies onlynone3,651
Honors
NASL championships (2) 1983 1978 indoor tournament
Division champions (1) 1983 Southern Division
Rookie of the Year 1981 Joe Morrone, Jr.
Soccer Bowl MVP 1983 Njego Pesa
Indoor Tournament MVP 1978 Nino Zec & Tibor Molnar 1983 Laurie Abrahams (offensive)
Indoor leading goal scorer 1978 Nino Zec & Milan Dovedan (5 goals) 1983 Laurie Abrahams (12 goals)
Indoor Leading Scorer 1978 Nino Zec (5 goals, 2 assists, 12 points) 1983 Laurie Abrahams (12 goals, 6 assists, 30 points)
Indoor Assists Leader 1979–80 Steve Earle (18 assists)
All-Star first team selections 1983 Barry Wallace
All-Star second team selections 1981 Barry Wallace 1982 Barry Wallace 1984 Terry Moore & Victor Moreland
All-Star honorable mentions 1981 Duncan McKenzie 1982 Laurie Abrahams 1984 Ron Futcher
Indoor All-Tournament Team 1978 Nino Zec, Milan Dovedan, Tibor Molnar, Gary Allison
Indoor All-Stars 1981–82 Barry Wallace 1983–84 Barry Wallace (starter) & Zequinha (reserve)
Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame 2004 Bob Bolitho 2005 Terry Moore 2008 Jack Brand
Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame 2012 Kim Roentved
Ownership & Staff Carl Moore – Co-Owner (1978–83) Mike Kimbrel – Co-Owner (1978–83) Rick Lowenherz – Co-Owner (1978–83) Fred Williams – Co-Owner (1978–83) Jim Boeh – Communications Director Noel Lemon – General Manager (1978–1981 Alex Skotarek – General Manager (1983) Tulsa Cable – Owner (1984)
Players
Zequinha (1983–84) Željko Bilecki (1981–82) Bob Bolitho (1980–81) Jack Brand (1979) Dean DiTocco (1978–80) Terry Moore (1982–84) Kim Roentved (1982) Laurie Abrahams (1979, 1982–83) Colin Boulton (1978–79) David Bradford (1982/1984) Viv Busby (1981–82) Chris Dangerfield (1978) Terry Darracott (1979) Roger Davies (1979) Alan Dugdale (1980–81) Steve Earle (1978/1980) Lil Fuccillo (1983) Ron Futcher (1983–84) David Irving (1980) David Johnson (1984) Jimmy Kelly (1980–81) Duncan McKenzie (1981) David Nish (1979) Tommy Ord (1980) Colin Waldron (1978) Barry Wallace (1980–85) Alan Woodward (1979–81) Franz Gerber (1982) Johannes Edvaldsson (1980–81) Iraj Danaeifard (1980–85) Don O'Riordan (1979–80) Carmelo D'Anzi (1983) Thompson Usiyan (1983–84) Billy Caskey (1978–85) David McCreery (1981–82) Chris McGrath (1981–82) Victor Moreland (1978; 1980–85) Adam Krupa (1981–85) Charlie Mitchell (1978) Davie Robb (1980) Eric Robertson (1980) Delroy Allen (1980–82) Matt Bahr (1978) Winston DuBose (1982–85) Gene DuChateau (1979–81) Chance Fry (1983–85) Billy Gazonas (1978–1980) Joe Morrone, Jr. (1981–1982) Njego Pesa (1982–83) Bill Sautter (1978–79) Alex Skotarek (1978–81) Brian Shugart Ron Davies (1979) Clive Griffiths (1980) Wayne Hughes (1979) Petar Nikezić (1978) Nino Zec (1978, 1983–84)
Many former players have found employment as paid trainers of youth soccer teams for clubs such as the Tulsa United, Tulsa Soccer Club (TSC), Tornado Soccer Club, and Hurricane Football Club (HFC).
Coaches Bill Foulkes (1978) Alex Skotarek (1978) Alan Hinton (1979) Charlie Mitchell (1980–1981) Terry Hennessey (1981–1983, won 1983 Soccer Bowl) Steve Earle (1983–84 indoor season only) Wim Suurbier (1984)
External links Jimmie Tramel, "Roughnecks a colorful, talented group", Tulsa World, June 26, 2006. J Hutcherson, "Tulsa's Charity Case" at USSoccerPlayers.com. Clive Gammon, "Blowing Out the Blizzard", , October 10, 1983. "Sports People; Too Rough In Tulsa", The New York Times, November 17, 1983.
See also San Antonio Thunder Team Hawaii Tulsa Renegades Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000) Tulsa Tornados
References