San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988)

Defunct American soccer club

For the MLS club, see San Jose Earthquakes.

Soccer club

San Jose Earthquakes

Full name| San Jose Earthquakes
Founded| December 11, 1973
Dissolved| 1988; 36 years ago (1988)
Stadium| Outdoor:
Spartan Stadium (18,155)
Indoor:
Cow Palace (11,089)
Oakland Coliseum Arena (13,601)
League| NASL (1974–1984)
MISL (1982–1983)
WSA (1985–1988)

Home colors

Away colors

|

The San Jose Earthquakes were a professional soccer club that played from 1974 to 1988. The team began as an expansion franchise in the North American Soccer League (NASL), and was originally set to play in San Francisco; but slow season ticket sales led to a late switch to San Jose's Spartan Stadium. The switch to sports-starved San Jose was an immediate hit, and the Earthquakes led the league with attendance over 15,000 per game in 1974, double the league average. The team's success led Spartan Stadium to be chosen as site of the first NASL Soccer Bowl in 1975. From 1983 to 1984, the team was known as the Golden Bay Earthquakes. During this time, it also played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League and in the NASL's indoor circuit, winning the first ever NASL indoor tournament in 1975. Their indoor games were first played at the Cow Palace and later at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

Following the collapse of the NASL in 1984, the team's name reverted to San Jose Earthquakes prior to joining the Western Soccer Alliance in 1985, where it played until the league's folding after the 1988 season.

The name Earthquakes was created by general manager Dick Berg. While it was criticized due to San Jose's proximity to the San Andreas Fault, the name stayed on. In 1999, the Earthquakes name returned when San Jose's Major League Soccer franchise renamed themselves from the Clash to Earthquakes. A rebranding in 2014 added "1974" to the MLS team's crest, an explicit reference to the original NASL team.[1][2][3]

## Year-by-year[edit]

Outdoor:

Season  | League  | W  | L  | T  | GF  | GA  | Finish  | Playoffs  | Avg. Attend.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1974 | NASL | 9  | 8  | 3  | 43  | 38  | 2nd West  | Lost Quarterfinal  | 16,584
1975 | NASL | 8  | 14  |  | 37  | 48  | 5th West  | did not qualify  | 17,927
1976 | NASL | 14  | 10  |  | 47  | 30  | 1st South  | Lost Conference Finals  | 19,826
1977 | NASL | 14  | 12  |  | 37  | 44  | 2nd South  | Lost in 1st round  | 17,739
1978 | NASL | 8  | 22  |  | 36  | 81  | 4th American West  | did not qualify  | 14,281
1979 | NASL | 8  | 22  |  | 41  | 74  | 4th American West  | did not qualify  | 15,092
1980 | NASL | 9  | 23  |  | 45  | 68  | 4th American West  | did not qualify  | 13,169
1981 | NASL | 11  | 21  |  | 44  | 78  | 4th West  | did not qualify  | 12,400
1982 | NASL | 13  | 19  |  | 47  | 62  | 5th West  | did not qualify  | 11,012
1983 | NASL | 20  | 10  |  | 71  | 54  | 2nd West  | Lost Semifinal  | 11,933
1984 | NASL | 8  | 16  |  | 61  | 62  | 5th West  | did not qualify  | 10,676
1985 | WACS | 4  | 2  | 1  | 10  | 9  | 1st  | N/A  |
1986 | WSA | 3  | 4  | 7  | 13  | 23  | 6th  | N/A  |
1987 | WSA | 6  | 7  |  | 21  | 13  | 3rd  | Runners-up  |
1988 | WSA | 7  | 5  |  | 20  | 19  | 3rd  | Runners-up  |

Note: The team played as the Golden Bay Earthquakes in the 1983 and 1984 seasons.

### NASL and MISL Indoor Soccer[edit]

In the winter of 1975, the NASL ran a two-tiered, 16-team indoor tournament with four regional winners meeting in a "final-four" style championship. Not only did San Jose host their region at the Cow Palace, but the final four as well. The Quakes swept through the tournament unscathed, defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 8–5 in the final to the delight of their fans. San Jose teammates Paul Child and Gabbo Gavric were named co-MVPs. In 1976, the Earthquakes again advanced to the final four before losing to the Rochester Lancers at the Bayfront Center in Florida. They would rebound the following day to win the 3rd Place match 5–2 over Dallas. The NASL would not begin playing full indoor seasons until 1979–80, but San Jose did not fare nearly as well in that format.[4] The NASL canceled its 1982–83 indoor season. As a result, the Earthquakes along with Chicago and San Diego played in the MISL that winter.[5]

Season  | League  | W  | L  | GF  | GA  | Place  | Playoffs

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1975 | NASL  | 4  | 0  | 37  | 17  | 1st West  | NASL Champions
1976 | NASL  | 3  | 1  | 35  | 18  | 1st West  | 3rd place
1980–81 | NASL  | 10  | 8  | 118  | 115  | 3rd West  | did not qualify
1981–82 | NASL  | 5  | 13  | 83  | 141  | 3rd National West  | did not qualify
1982–83 | MISL | 17  | 31  | 240  | 290  | 5th West  | did not qualify
1983–84 | NASL  | 19  | 13  | 206  | 190  | 4th  | Lost Semifinal

Note: The team played the 1982/83 and 1983/84 seasons as the Golden Bay Earthquakes.

## Head coaches[edit]

* Momčilo Gavrić (1974)
* Ivan Toplak (1974–1975)
* Momčilo Gavrić (1975–1978)
* Terry Fisher (1978–1979)
* Peter Stubbe (1979)
* Bill Foulkes (1980)
* Jimmy Gabriel (1981)
* Peter Short (1982)
* Joe Mallett (1982)
* Dragan Popović (1983–1984)
* Laurie Calloway (1985)
* Steve Litt (1986)
* Barney Boyce (1987–1988)
* Tomás Boy (1988)
* Tony Zanotto (1988)

## Honors[edit]

Championships[6]

* 1975 NASL indoor
* 1985 WACS
* 1987 WSA (runner-up)
* 1988 WSA (runner-up)

NASL Division titles[6]

* 1974 Southern Division, Pacific Conference
* 1975 Region 4 (indoor)
* 1976 West Regional (indoor)

NASL Most Valuable Player[6]

* 1975 Paul Child & Gabbo Garvic (indoor)
* 1983–84 Steve Zungul (indoor)
* 1984 Steve Zungul

North American Player of the Year[7]

* 1984 Branko Šegota

Coach of the Year[6]

* 1983 Don Popovic

Leading Scorer[6]

* 1974 Paul Child 36 points
* 1975 Paul Child (indoor) 31 points
* 1982–83 Steve Zungul (MISL) 122 points
* 1983–84 Steve Zungul (indoor) 119 points
* 1984 Steve Zungul 50 points
* 1987 Joe Mihaljevic 16 points[8]

Leading Goal Scorer[6]

* 1974 Paul Child 15 goals
* 1975 Paul Child (indoor) 14 goals
* 1976 Juli Veee (indoor) 8 goals
* 1982–83 Steve Zungul (MISL) 75 goals
* 1983–84 Steve Zungul (indoor) 63 goals
* 1984 Steve Zungul 20 goals
* 1987 Joe Mihaljevic 7 goals[8]

Assists Leader[6]

* 1983–84 Steve Zungul (indoor) 56 assists
* 1988 Dzung Tran 4 assists (tied with 2 others)

All-Star First Team selections[9]

* 1974 Paul Child
* 1976 António Simões
* 1983 Stan Terlecki, Steve Zungul
* 1984 Steve Zungul
* 1986 Chance Fry
* 1987 Barney Boyce, Tim Martin, Joe Mihaljevic, George Pastor, Robbie Zipp
* 1988 Tomás Boy, Abuelo Cruz

All-Star Second Team selections

* 1981 George Best
* 1984 Branko Šegota
* 1986 Dzung Tran
* 1988 Chris Dangerfield, Dzung Tran

All-Star Honorable Mentions

* 1974 Laurie Calloway, Dieter Zajdel
* 1976 Mark Liveric
* 1977 António Simões
* 1982 Vince Hilaire, Godfrey Ingram
* 1983 Mihalj Keri[10]
* 1984 Fernando Clavijo

Indoor All-Star/All-Tournament selections

* 1975 Paul Child, Gabbo Garvic
* 1976 Juli Veee
* 1980–81 George Best, Mike Hewitt[11]
* 1983–84 Fernando Clavijo, Steve Zungul[12]

Indoor All-Star Game selections

* 1984 Fernando Clavijo, Steve Zungul (starters)

U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame[13]

* 1997 Johnny Moore
* 2003 Paul Child
* 2005 Fernando Clavijo
* 2023 Steve Zungul

Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame[14]

* 2001 Gerry Gray
* 2002 Branko Šegota, Mike Sweeney
* 2009 Mike Stojanović
* 2011 Victor Kodelja

Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame[15]

* 2012 Don Popovic, Branko Šegota, Juli Veee, Steve Zungul
* 2014 Fernando Clavijo
* 2019 Stan Terlecki

|

## References[edit]

1. ^ Maule, Tex (August 5, 1974). "They Knew A Way To San Jose". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
2. ^ "Logo Unveil: A New Era of Earthquakes Soccer Begins | San Jose Earthquakes". Sjearthquakes.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
3. ^ "The Throw-In: San Jose Earthquakes rebrand a check mark on long to-do list for MLS". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
4. ^ "History of Indoor Soccer in the USA". RSSSF. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
5. ^ "The Year in American Soccer - 1983". homepages.sover.net. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
6. ^ a b c d e f g "American Soccer History Archives". homepages.sover.net. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
7. ^ "Record-Journal - Google News Archive Search". Record-Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2017 - via Google News Archive Search.
8. ^ a b "The Year in American Soccer - 1987". homepages.sover.net. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
9. ^ "North American Soccer League". Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
10. ^ Mudry, Richard (September 18, 1983). "Rookie Thompson captures NASL honors". Tampa Tribune. p. 15–D. Retrieved December 15, 2017 - via newspapers.com.
11. ^ Henderson, Jim (April 21, 1981). "For Keith Bailey, The Long Wait Is Finally Over". The Tampa Tribune. p. 5-C. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
12. ^ "Record-Journal - Google News Archive Search". Record-Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2017 - via Google News Archive Search.
13. ^ "US Soccer Hall of Fame Membership". homepages.sover.net. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
14. ^ "Canada Soccer Hall of Fame". www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
15. ^ "Hall of Famers". indoorsoccerhall.com. September 1, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.

## External links[edit]

* NASL year-by-year standings
* MISL year-by-year standings
* Western Soccer League year-by-year standings

* v
* t
* e

San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose, California

The Club|

* History
* Seasons
* Records
* Players

Stadiums|

* Spartan Stadium
* Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
* Buck Shaw Stadium
* PayPal Park

Culture|

* Historical Earthquakes clubs
* Mascots
* The Goonies
* First ever MLS match
* KTCT
* KZSF

Rivalries|

* California Clásico
* Heritage Cup

Affiliated clubs|

* The Town FC (MLS Next Pro)

Key personnel|

* Owner: Earthquakes Soccer, LLC
* Chief Operating Officer: Jared Shawlee
* General Manager: Chris Leitch
* Head Coach: Luchi Gonzalez

Major honors (4)

MLS Cup (2)|

* 2001
* 2003

Supporters' Shield (2)|

* 2005
* 2012

Major League Soccer

Seasons (27)|

* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

* v
* t
* e

North American Soccer League (1968–1984)

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

Seasons|

* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984

Soccer Bowls|

* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984

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
* Atlanta Chiefs
* Baltimore Bays
* Baltimore Comets
* Boston Beacons
* Boston Minutemen
* Boston Shamrock Rovers†
* Calgary Boomers
* California Surf
* Chicago Mustangs
* Chicago Spurs‡
* Chicago Sting
* Cleveland Stokers
* Caribous of Colorado
* Connecticut Bicentennials
* Dallas Tornado
* Denver Dynamos
* Detroit Cougars
* Detroit Express
* Edmonton Drillers
* Fort Lauderdale Strikers
* Golden Bay Earthquakes
* Hartford Bicentennials
* Houston Hurricane
* Houston Stars
* Jacksonville Tea Men
* Kansas City Spurs
* Las Vegas Quicksilvers
* Los Angeles Aztecs
* Los Angeles Wolves
* Memphis Rogues
* Miami Gatos
* Miami Toros
* Minnesota Kicks
* Minnesota Strikers
* Montreal Manic
* Montreal Olympique
* New England Tea Men
* New York Cosmos
* New York Generals
* New York Skyliners†
* Oakland Clippers
* Oakland Stompers
* Philadelphia Spartans‡
* Philadelphia Atoms
* Philadelphia Fury
* Pittsburgh Phantoms ‡
* Portland Timbers
* Rochester Lancers
* San Antonio Thunder
* San Diego Jaws
* San Diego Sockers
* San Diego Toros
* San Francisco Golden Gate Gales†
* San Jose Earthquakes
* Seattle Sounders
* St. Louis Stars
* Tampa Bay Rowdies
* Team America
* Team Hawaii
* Toronto Blizzard
* Toronto City†
* Toronto Metros
* Toronto Metros-Croatia
* Tulsa Roughnecks
* Vancouver Royals
* Vancouver Whitecaps
* Washington Darts
* Washington Diplomats
* Washington Whips

† United Soccer Association team that did not join NASL upon merger with NPSL
‡ National Professional Soccer League team that did not join NASL upon merger with USA

* v
* t
* e

Western Soccer Alliance

Seasons|

* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990 (APSL)

Teams|

* Arizona Condors
* California Kickers
* Edmonton Brick Men
* F.C. Portland
* F.C. Seattle
* F.C. Seattle Storm
* Hollywood Kickers
* Los Angeles Heat
* New Mexico Chiles
* Portland Timbers
* Real Santa Barbara
* Sacramento Senators
* San Diego Nomads
* San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
* San Jose Earthquakes
* Seattle Storm
* Victoria Riptides

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