Oakland Clippers

Defunct soccer club from Oakland, California, U.S.

For the 1930s ice hockey team, see Oakland Clippers (ice hockey).

Soccer club

Oakland Clippers

Full name| Oakland Clippers
Founded| 1966
Dissolved| June 4, 1969[1]
Stadium| Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum,
Oakland, California
Capacity| 47,416
Chairman| Joseph O'Neill & H.T. Hilliard
League| NPSL (1967)
NASL (1968)

Home colors

Away colors

|

The Oakland Clippers (active 1967–1968, also named the California Clippers) were an American soccer team based in Oakland, California. They played in the non-FIFA sanctioned National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the following season. Their home field was Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum.

## Overview

[edit]

The Clippers brought the first-ever national professional championship in any sport to the San Francisco Bay Area and the City of Oakland.[2] Team owners originally planned to play in San Francisco until General Manager Derek Liecty convinced them that the new Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was a better choice than San Francisco's old and windy Kezar stadium.[3] Through connections in Yugoslavia,[4] the Clippers were able to hire Dr. Aleksandar Obradovic, former Team Manager of Red Star of Belgrade. Obradovic brought with him Red Star coach and former Yugoslav international Ivan Toplak as well as a nucleus of six first-division players who were willing to play in the non-sanctioned league.[5] During the 1967/1968 season the Clippers had players from ten countries.[6] In 1967 they won the NPSL Western Division and overall regular season titles. They went on to win the NPSL Final over the Baltimore Bays by a two-game, home-and-home aggregate score of 4-2. They also won the Commissioner's Cup over the St. Louis Stars by a score of 6-3.[7] Following the 1967 season, the team joined the newly formed North American Soccer League (NASL), the result of the merger between the NPSL and the United Soccer Association (USA).[8]

In 1968, the Clippers had an identical record to the Western Division Champion San Diego Toros and a higher goal-differential, but the Toros had more league points. As the result of a disputed referee’s off-side call in their final regular season game against the San Diego Toros, a 3-3 tie,[9] the Clippers finished in second place and were eliminated from the playoffs.[10] The unique points system denied them the chance to defend their 1967 NPSL title in 1968’s merged league. The North American Soccer League was near collapse in September 1968. Having no possible League opponents west of Dallas, Texas and wanting to maintain the team while waiting for the NASL to become reconstituted, the Clippers began playing an independent schedule as the California Clippers against top foreign club teams. These efforts included bringing to the United States for the first time a team from the Soviet Union, league club champion Dynamo Kiev. The three-game match up was split with a win and a tie for each.[11] Alarmed by the success of the Clippers and concerned that such an independent schedule might thwart plans for a reconstituted NASL, the United States Soccer-Football Association placed restrictions on the Clippers and prevented them from arranging any further international games. Just before the ban, the Clippers defeated Italian league champion Fiorentina in their final game by a score of 4-2 and posted an exhibition match record of 7-6-2. The Clippers ceased operations on June 4, 1969.[12] The team's owners had lost $1.5 million while running the team and cited the dysfunctional relationship between various governing bodies as a reason for folding the team.[1]

Several Clippers players, as well as coach Ivan Toplak, went on to join the original San Jose Earthquakes team founded as a member of the North American Soccer League in 1974: Goalkeeper Mirko Stojanovic, leading scorer Ilija Mitić, Momčilo "Gabbo" Gavrić, and Milan Čop.

## Year-by-year

[edit]

Year  | League  | W  | L  | T  | Pts  | Reg. Season  | Playoffs  | Cup

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1967 | NPSL  | 19  | 8  | 5  | 185  | 1st, Western Division  | Won Championship | Won Commissioners Cup
1968 | NASL  | 18  | 8  | 6  | 185  | 2nd, Pacific Division  | did not qualify | did not enter

## Honors

[edit]

National Professional Soccer League

* Champions: 1967
* Premiers: 1967
* Commissioner's Cup: 1967
* Western Division: 1967

1967 First Team All-Stars

* Mirko Stojanovic
* Mel Scott
* Ilija Mitic
* Mario Baesso

| North American Soccer League

1968 First Team All-Stars

* Mirko Stojanović
* Mel Scott
* Momcilio Gavric
* David Davidovic
* Ilija Mitic

1968 Second Team All-Stars

* Milan Čop
* Mario Baesso

|

## Team Roster

[edit]

### 1967 Roster[13]

[edit]

Player  | Position  | Birth Date  | Height  | Weight  | Hometown

|
|
|
|
|

Baesso, Mario | D  | September 5, 1945  | 5'7  | \--  | São Paulo, Brazil
Bena, Stevan | D  | August 23, 1935  | 5'11"  | 170  | Serbia
Conde, Leonel | G  | 1937  | 6'2"  | 174  | Uruguay
Constancia, Jose  | F  | March 19, 1945  | \--  | \--  | Willemstad, Curaçao
Čop, Milan | M, D  | October 5, 1941  | 5'10"  | 168  | Slavonski Brod, Croatia
Crawford, Roel  | M  | October 7, 1947  | \--  | \--  | Limón, Costa Rica
Davidović, Dimitri | D, M  | May 21, 1944  | 5'10"  | 160  | Aleksandrovac, Serbia
Djukic, Dragan  | M  | March 29, 1939  | 6'1"  | 160  | Belgrade, Serbia
Gavrić, Momčilo | D  | August 4, 1938  | 5'10"  | 170  | Sinj, Croatia
Hoftvedt, Trond  | M  | May 30, 1941  | 5'10"  | 166  | Oslo, Norway
Lievano, George  | F  | \--  | \--  | \--  | San Salvador, El Salvador
Lukić, Ilija | F  | December 12, 1942  | 5'9"  | 150  | Serbia
Lunnis, Roy  | D  | November 4, 1939  | \--  | \--  | London, England
Marin, Edgar | F, M  | March 22, 1943  | 5'5"  | 135  | San Jose, Costa Rica
Milosevic, Sele  | F  | April 4, 1940  | 6'0"  | 167  | Šabac, Serbia
Mitić, Ilija | M, F  | July 19, 1940  | 5'10"  | 160  | Belgrade, Serbia
Quiros, William  | F, M  | October 10, 1941  | 5'5"  | 143  | Alajuela, Costa Rica
Rowan, Barry | F  | April 24, 1942  | 5'9"  | 163  | Willesden, England
Saccone, Ademar  | F, M  | October 11, 1934  | 5'10"  | 160  | Montevideo, Uruguay
Scott, Melvyn | M  | September 26, 1939  | \--  | \--  | Claygate, England
Stojanović, Mirko | G  | July 11, 1939  | 6'0"  | 190  | Zagreb, Croatia
Wiestal, Kay-Arne  | F  | \--  | 5'10"  | 165  | Sweden
Zuniga, Jose  | F  | \--  | \--  | \--  | Costa Rica

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Clippers Rip Soccer Group". Oakland Tribune. June 5, 1969. p. 41. Retrieved December 27, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ Newhouse, Dave. "Bay Area's First Professional National Championship". Sports Today. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
3. ^ Chazaro, Alan. "The Forgotten Legacy of Oakland's 'Outlaw' Soccer Team". thebolditalic. Medium. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
4. ^ Sullivan, Prescott (February 10, 1967). "The Doctor's Melting Pot". San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco Examiner. p. 49. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
5. ^ Wangerin, David (2011). Distant Corners. Temple University Press. p. 174-207. ISBN 978-1-4399-0630-9.
6. ^ "1967 Oakland Clippers Roster". JustSportsStats.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
7. ^ Meyers, Jeff (September 19, 1967). "Clippers Down Stars, Win Cup". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 5C. Retrieved December 27, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ Seese, Dennis J. (2011). The Rebirth of Professional Soccer in America. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 167-192. ISBN 978-1-4422-3894-7.
9. ^ Newhouse, Dave (September 5, 1968). "Clipper Tie Toros". The Tribune Publishing Company. Oakland Tribune. p. 37. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
10. ^ "Toro Win Ends Hope Of Clippers". The Tribune Publishing Company. The Oakland Tribune. September 8, 1968. p. 51. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
11. ^ Newhouse, Dave (March 10, 1969). "Clippers Edge Russians, 1-0". The Tribune Publishing Company. Oakland Tribune. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
12. ^ Seese, Dennis J. (2011). The Rebirth of Professional Soccer in America. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 167-192. ISBN 978-1-4422-3894-7.
13. ^ "1967 Oakland Clippers Roster". JustSportsStats.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.

* v
* t
* e

Oakland Clippers

* Founded 1966
* Based in Oakland, California

Club history|

* Oakland Clippers (1966–1968)
* California Clippers (1968–1969)

Sports facilities|

* Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum

Important figures|

* Mario Baesso
* Ilija Mitic
* Mel Scott
* Mirko Stojanovic

Other topics|

* Related articles

Honors

NASL Championship (1)|

* 1967 (Champions)

NASL Division titles (1)|

* 1967 (Western Division)

Seasons

North American Soccer League
(1966–85)|

* 1967
* 1968

Independently
(International friendlies)|

* 1968–69

* v
* t
* e

National Professional Soccer League (1967)

* Atlanta Chiefs
* Baltimore Bays
* Chicago Spurs
* Los Angeles Toros
* New York Generals
* Oakland Clippers
* Philadelphia Spartans
* Pittsburgh Phantoms
* St. Louis Stars
* Toronto Falcons

* v
* t
* e

North American Soccer League (1968–1984)

* Broadcasters
* USSF
* CSA
* Portal
* NASL (2011–2017)
* First overall draft picks

Seasons|

* 1968
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* 1971
* 1972
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* 1976
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* 1979
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* 1983
* 1984

Soccer Bowls|

* 1968
* 1969
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* 1973
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* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
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* 1979
* 1980
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Predecessors|

* USA 1967
* Final
* NPSL 1967
* Final

Indoor seasons|

* 1971
* 1975
* 1976
* 1978
* 1979
* 1979–80
* 1980–81
* 1981–82
* 1983
* 1983–84

Conferences|

1968
East
West
1976–1977
Atlantic
Pacific
1978–1980
American
National

Related|

* Soccer Bowl broadcasters
* NASL Indoor Championship

Clubs|

* Atlanta Apollos
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1 United Soccer Association team that did not join NASL upon merger with NPSL.
2 National Professional Soccer League team that did not join NASL upon merger with USA.
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