Tombstone
Born: 1996 – USISL A-League expansion franchise
Folded: October 13, 19971Solano, Javier. “Sundogs are finally a memory”. The Sentinel (Orlando, FL). November 8, 1997
First Game: April 18, 1997 (L 2-0 vs. Long Island Rough Riders)
Last Game: September 7, 1997 (L 6-2 @ New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers)
USISL A-League Championships: None
Stadium
Florida Citrus Bowl (64,000)21997 United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues Media Guide
Opened: 1936
Surface: Grass
Marketing
Team Colors: Yellow, Black & Red31997 United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues Media Guide
Ownership
Owners:
- 1997: Ken Bazzell, Vincent Lu, et al.
- 1997: Vincent Lu
Attendance
Tilting your mobile device may offer better viewing.
Source: 1998 United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues Media Guide
Background
The Orlando Sundogs were a pro soccer team that endured a single grim campaign in the USISL A-League during the summer of 1997. The A-League was the 2nd Division of men’s pro soccer in the U.S. at the time, one level below Major League Soccer.
Head Coach Mark Dillon was well known in the local soccer community. Dillon was the head coach and general manager of the city’s prior (and more popular) pro side, the Orlando Lions during the early 1990’s. Dillon also coached at nearby Rollins College and for the Seminole Soccer Club.
The Sundogs’ troubles were many, but a big one was their choice of stadium: the 64,000 Citrus Bowl, a former World Cup (1994) and Olympic (1996) stadium. The ‘Dogs averaged an invisible 1,278 fans per match in the gargantuan bowl.
On the field, the Orlando Sundogs were competitive finishing 12-16 and making the playoffs. A swift first round exit at the hand of the New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers put an end to the ‘Dogs only campaign.
Off the field, the team’s main money guy, venture capitalist Ken Bazzell of Atlanta, bailed after the first week of the season.4Solano, Javier. “Sundogs: It’s time to decide”. The Sentinel (Orlando, FL). July 10, 1997 The club spent the rest of the summer racking up debt and nearly folded in July. Only an 11th hour bailout from Vincent Lu, a minority shareholder in the team who was the lead owner of a rival A-League club, the Atlanta Ruckus, allowed the Sundogs to stagger to the finish line. The team folded quietly in the fall of 1997 after Lu was unwilling to commit to backing the club for the 1998 season in Orlando.
Links
###
