National Professional Soccer League (1967)
North American Soccer League (1968-1977)
Tombstone
Born: 1967 – NPSL founding franchise
Moved: October 1977 (California Surf)
First Game: April 16, 1967 (L 2-1 @ Chicago Spurs)
Final Game: August 10, 1977 (L 1-0 vs. Rochester Lancers)
NPSL Championships: None
NASL Championships: None
Stadia
1967-1968: Busch Memorial Stadium (50,000)
Opened: 1966
Demolished: 2005
1969-1970: Francis Field
Opened: 1904
1971-1974: Busch Memorial Stadium
1975-1977: Francis Field (10,000)11977 North American Soccer League Guide
Marketing
Team Colors:
- 1967: Red & White with Blue Piping
- 1977: Red, White & Blue21977 North American Soccer League Guide
Ownership
Owner: Robert Hermann, et al.
Our Favorite Stuff
St. Louis Stars NASL
Logo T-Shirt
The St. Louis Stars played in the original North American Soccer League from 1968 to 1977. The Stars fielded mostly American players, many from the St. Louis area. In their final season in St. Louis, they drew nearly 10,000 fans per game. However, they were unable to secure a favorable lease at Busch Stadium and moved to Anaheim to become the California Surf.
This design is available in sizes Small through 4XL today at Old School Shirts!
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Background
The St. Louis Stars were the first professional soccer team to make their home in the Gateway City. Relatively speaking, the Stars were a beacon of stability in the turbulent American pro soccer scene of the late 1960’s and 1970’s. Of the 22 American pro clubs that began play during the country’s 1967 pro soccer boom, only the Dallas Tornado (1967-1981) outlived the Stars.
The Stars began play as one of ten original franchises in the National Professional Soccer League. The first Stars club in 1967 consisted largely of European imports, including a large number of Yugoslavian players. The team was competitive, finishing 2nd in the NPSL’s Western Division with a 14-11-7 record. Only the two divisional champions advanced to the NPSL’s two-game championship playoff, so the Stars were left out of the postseason. St. Louis was the most popular of the league’s ten clubs at the turnstiles, attracting average crowds of 7,613 per match to the city’s Major League Baseball stadium.
After the 1967 season, the NPSL merged with its rival, the United Soccer Association, to form the North American Soccer League. 17 clubs took part in the 1968 NASL season. But league investors pulled out en masse at the end of the year, reducing the NASL to just 5 clubs for 1969. The Stars were one of the few survivors who struggled onward into the 1970’s. The team departed Busch Stadium for the cheaper, more appropriately scaled confines of Francis Field on the campus of Washington University. Attendance dipped to around 2,000 per match at the start of the new decade.
1970’s Americanization Movement
Beginning in 1969 the Stars began to focus on recruiting local St. Louis players. This was a departure from the rest of the NASL, which became known as something of a retirement home for aging Englishmen of the era. St. Louis University was a soccer powerhouse throughout the 1960’s and into the early 70’s. The Americanization approach helped the Stars earn a loyal (if still small-ish) core audience. Attendance began to rebound hitting a new high of 7,773 per match in 1972. The Stars also reached the NASL final for the only time in 1972, losing 2-1 to the New York Cosmos.
The team reached peak Americanization in 1974 when the entire roster consisted of U.S. citizens with the exception of English player-coach John Sewell. In 1975, the team would gradually begin to add more foreign players, including Peter Bonetti, the reserve goalkeeper on England’s 1966 World Cup champion team. But the bulk of the Stars roster would always remain American.
Move To Southern California
The club continued to bounce back and forth from Busch Stadium to Francis Field throughout the 1970’s. Attendance peaked at 9,794 per match in 1977. But this proved to be the team’s last season in St. Louis. The club moved to Anaheim, California in October 1977 and became the California Surf.
The Surf went out of business in September 1981.
Trivia
College soccer’s Hermann Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s best male and female players, is named in honor of St. Louis Stars founder and long-time patron Robert Hermann.
St. Louis Stars Shop
Fun While It Lasted COFFEE SHOP
St. Louis Stars Ceramic mug
Available now from our friends at Extra Time Vintage Soccer, this fully-insulated porcelain mug is ideal for your morning brew.
Ceramic | Capacity: 11 fl oz
Dishwasher safe
Lead and Cadmium free
Imported; processed and printed in the U.S.A.
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St. Louis Stars Video
Stars at Tampa Bay Rowdies. The final season – July 30th, 1977.
Downloads
4-17-1971 Stars vs. New York Cosmos Game Program
4-17-1971 St. Louis Stars vs New York Cosmos Match Program
Links
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