American Soccer League (1979-1983)
Tombstone
Born: 1979 – ASL expansion franchise
Folded: January 21, 1984
First Game: April 14, 1979 (T 1-1 @ New York Eagles)
Last Game: August 21, 1983 (L 1-0 @ Jacksonville Tea Men)
ASL Champions: 1980
Stadia
1979-1981: Allentown School District Stadium (22,000)11979 American Soccer League Press Radio Television Guide
1982-1983: Bethlehem School District Stadium (12,984)21983 American Soccer League Media Guide
Marketing
Team Colors:
- 1983: Blue & Gold31983 American Soccer League Media Guide
Radio:
- 1979: WSAN (1470 AM)
Radio Broadcasters:
- 1979: Frank Forte
Mascot: Stoney (the Stone)
Cheerleaders: The Steppin’ Stones
Ownership
Owners:
- 1979-1981: Willie Ehrlich, Clifford Vernick, et al.
- 1982: David Devey, Clifford Vernick, et al.
- 1983: Dr. William Burfeind, et al.
Trophy Case
ASL Most Valuable Player
- 1980: George Gorleku
ASL Rookie of the Year
- 1980: Eric Smith
Stoners Store
Pennsylvania Stoners Logo T-Shirt
The Allentown-based Stoners were champions of the 2nd division American Soccer League during the summer of 1980. Beyond their skill on the field, the Stoners inked one of the first jersey sponsorships in the history of American soccer … with Alpo dog food.
This Stoners logo tee is available from American Retro Apparel in sizes small through 5XL available today!
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Background
This 2nd Division soccer team from the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania is something of a cult classic. Consider:
- There’s the Pennsylvania Stoners name, of course – reputedly a nod to the “Keystone State” rather than an endorsement of other recreational pursuits
- The Stoners were visionaries in the field of corporate sponsorships. In 1980, while other American Soccer League clubs attempted to fill their program books with quarter-page ads, the Stoners sold one of the first jersey sponsorships in American pro soccer. The sponsor logo splashed across the players’ chests? ALPO dog food.
- The 1979 Stoners featured not one but two future NFL placekickers on their roster, Matt Bahr and Florian Kempf.
The Stoners had their roots in amateur clubs organized by Hungarian émigré Willie Ehrlich in the Lehigh Valley region in the 1970’s. Ehrlich organized a group of investors and secured an American Soccer League expansion franchise for Allentown in 1979. Ehrlich served as President, Head Coach, recruiter and front man.
The ASL had a long and obscure history dating back to the early 1930’s. For most of its existence, the ASL was a shifting alliance of ethnic clubs in Northeastern industrial cities. During the 1970’s proto soccer boom, the ASL got ambitious, banned the ethnic identities (sorry, Newark Ukrainian-Sitch) and became an air travel league, expanding to the West Coast in 1976. The Stoners would play opponents as far away as Las Vegas and Southern California.
1980 Championship Season
During the club’s early years in Allentown, the Stoners occasionally played to crowds of 6,000 to 8,000 in the school district’s 20,000-seat stadium. This despite having just 400 season tickets sold for their inaugural season in 1979. The peak came in the summer of 1980, when the Stoners dominated the ASL with a 19-5-4 record and defeated defending champion Sacramento 2-1 in the league championship game in front of 7,237 fans in Allentown. Rookie George Gorleku was named ASL MVP. Ehrlich won Coach-of-the-Year Honors for the second straight season. Scott Manning was the league’s Goalkeeper-of-the-Year.
The club was a money loser though. By the end of the 1981 season, Ehrlich’s investor group was out nearly a million dollars after three years of operation. Ehrlich resigned in September 1981 to focus on his growing bicycle manufacturing business. With their spiritual leader and chief promoter gone, the Stoners soon fell on hard(er) times.
The Stoners moved to nearby Bethlehem for the 1982 season and attendance plummeted. The team nearly went bankrupt during the 1982 season. Despite qualifying for the playoffs, the Stoners withdrew due to their financial distress. Allentown dentist Dr. William Burfeind rescued the ailing club in the winter of 1982, ensuring the Stoners would return for a fifth season. By 1983, the ASL had dwindled to only six teams. Despite a losing record, the Stoners made it to a best-of-three championship series where they lost to the Jacksonville Tea Men.
Demise & Aftermath
The Stoners pulled out of the American Soccer League in January 1984 and the league folded at more or less the same time. Strangely, the ASL was replaced by a successor organization called the United Soccer League in February 1984, which was headquartered in Lehigh Valley with ex-Stoners owner Dr. William Burfeind as Commissioner. Three former ASL clubs joined the USL, but despite Burfeind’s leadership in creating the new league, the Stoners were not among them. The team was dead and gone after five seasons.
Roman Urbanczuk, a product of Allentown’s Louis E. Dieruff High School, scored the franchise’s first goal when the club debuted at ASD Stadium on April 14, 1979. He was also the only original Stoner still on the team five years later when the club played its final match in the 1983 ASL championship series.
In January 2016, an FWIL reader named Mike wrote in, reporting to have spent a summer working as the Pennsylvania Stoners mascot “Stoney”. His mom was so proud that she commissioned some official portraits at the local Olan Mills photography outlet. Check them out in the memorabilia slide show below…
Pennsylvania Stoners Shop
Our Favorite Stuff
American Soccer League
T-Shirt
For most of its existence, the American Soccer League was a collection of ethnically-based semi-pro clubs clustered in the northeast. But in the 1970’s, the ASL expanded nationwide and became American’s de facto 2nd Division, underneath the bigger-budgeted NASL. This logo was used by the league from the 1970’s until its demise in 1983.
We like this ASL logo tee from American Retro Apparel (they offer a grey version also) and it’s available today in sizes small through XXXL!
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Downloads
4-15-1980 Stoners vs. Columbus Magic Game Notes
4-15-1980 Pennsylvania Stoners vs Columbus Magic Game Notes
5-2-1979 Stoners vs. New York Eagles Roster
9-8-1980 Eric Smith Chosen 1980 ASL Rookie of the Year Press Release
9-22-1980 Stoners Capture American Soccer League Title Press Release
Links
###
15 Responses
My hometown team! Actually the name Stoners was for the stone in KEYSTONE (Pennsylvania is the Keystone State). Right behind my right shoulder is a rare Stoners pennant after they won the ASL championship. The reason ALPO was on the jersey fronts (and the Stoners name and logo was the backs of the jersey where a last name would be today), was that ALPO was made in Allentown – hence the name ALLENTOWN PRODUCTS – ALPO. Roman Urbanczuk and the Stoners would come to the Dieruff Carnival every year. Husky Pride was with him
Ironically I was at a women’s pro match tonight as the FC Sonic women played. The Men’s FC Sonic was originally called the Stoners for the first season when returned in 2009. Their head coach Dave Weitzman is an old buddy of mine and knows some of the old Stoners still! I showed him this site yesterday for the first time – how pro is that!
I lived behind where several of the players lived in apartments in Bethlehem when I was about 10 years old. I was in love with them, and they tolerated this little blonde girl knocking on their doors regularly just to say hello. One of them even taught me to play backgammon. I was their biggest little fan in the world. 🙂 They are such sweet childhood memories!!
My father was on the stoners team in 82 83 I never met him. His name was Robert forbes
Hey christofer my name is Oscar ceja was room mates with your dad ask your mom if the name rings a bell
Here’s my e mail [email protected]
Mine is [email protected]
Thanks David! Just made the fix re: the name.
I have a Stoners’ t-shirt! The new version of the Stoners – in the NPSL – changed its name because of a sponsorship deal to FC Lehigh Valley Sonic Town United SC or something.
Also, MLS announcer Glenn Davis played for the Stoners, back in the day. You should interview him on that.
June 15, 1980
PENNSYLVANIA STONERS 1 – COLUMBUS MAGIC 0
Stoners striker CHRISTIAN NWOKOCHA (Clemson University), who later went on to play for Sporting Clube de Portugal in Libson and appeared for Nigeria during the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, scored the only goal of the game.
Nwokocha had led the Stoners with 13 goals during the 1979 ASL season after arriving from the Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League.
http://www.lvironpigs.wordpress.com
I was the guy in the “Stoney” mascot costume. (yes, the mascot was…a STONE) i just reconnected with an friend who had the costume stored in his garage, and gave it to me. I was going to keep it for nostalgia’s sake, but I simply don’t have the space. If anyone is interested…
Did you know robert forbes? Thanks in advance 1982_1983
Yes I do know your dad and I’m sure you turned out to be a good guy
Is he alive?
Hi, guys. I would like to have the roster of the semifinals and finals of ASL 1980 league? Do you know where i can find that?
I can’t believe I just came across this article. My grandfather was one of the (unfortunate?) investors in the Stoners and when they moved to Bethlehem, they play in Liberty High School’s stadium. I was 11 years old at the time, and I knew nothing about soccer, but in a show of solidarity, my family went to all of the Stoner’s home games. My grandfather had a soccer ball signed by all the players on his bookshelf. I wonder what became of it… Good memories!