Dallas Sidekicks

Dallas Sidekicks
Team history	1983 (Founded) 1984 - 2004
Arena	Reunion Arena 1984 - 2004
Based in	Dallas, Texas
Colors	green & white (original)/purple & black (later)
Leagues	MISL I, CISL, WISL, MISL II

The Dallas Sidekicks were one of the longest operating professional soccer teams, either indoor or outdoor, in the United States, based in Dallas, Texas, and operating from 1984 until suspending operations following the 2004 season. The team was founded as a member of the original Major Indoor Soccer League. Over the years, the team played in three other leagues (CISL, WISL, and the second incarnation of the MISL. The team's most famous player was Tatu, who was known for throwing his shirt into the stands after every goal. The team hosted the 1989 MISL All-Star Game.

Although the team has not played since 2004, there have been published rumors ever since about the team's return. So far, these rumors have not panned out.^[1]

Honors

Championships

• 1986-87 MISL
• 1993 CISL
• 1998 PSA
• 2001 WISL

Division Titles

• 1989-90 MISL Western Division
• 1993 CISL Regular Season
• 1994 CISL Eastern Division
• 1998 PSA Regular Season
• 2003-04 MISL II Western Division

Rivalry

During the MISL I days, the Sidekicks main rivals were the San Diego Sockers, Tacoma Stars, and Minnesota Strikers. During the late 1990s, a rivalry developed between the Sidekicks and Monterrey La Raza.

Head coaches

The following table shows each coach's record while with the Sidekicks. (Since some coached other Indoor Soccer teams, their overall record may differ.)

Year	Coach	Record (including playoffs)	Notable Wins
1984-1989 & 1991-1997	Gordon Jago	263-230	2 Championship victories (1986-87 in the MISL and 1993 in the CISL)
1989-1991	Billy Phillips	58-57	1 Western Division Title (1989-90 in the MISL )
1998-2004	Tatu	70-56	2 Championship victories (1998 and 2001 in the WISL)

Retired uniform numbers

• #5 Mike Powers 1987-2001
• #8 Wes McLeod 1986-1992
• #10 Kevin Smith 1984-92, 1995-98
• #22 Doc Lawson 1985-91
• #31 Krys Sobieski 1985-91
• (Gordon Jago) Head Coach/General Manager 1984-98

Notable players and personalities

Tatu Krys Sobieski (Goalkeeper #31) Jim Tolbert (General Manager) Manny Andruszewski (1984–85) 23 apps 0 goals Alan Balthrop (team historian) Don Carter (original team owner & founder) Billy Caskey (1985–86) 42 games 26 goals [1] Charlie Cooke (1985) Player/Assistant Manager Eric Dade David Doyle Frank Filo Caesar Cervin Brad Flanagan Howard Gayle (1986–87) Humble Billy Hayes (public address announcer) Norm Hitzges (television/radio play-by-play announcer) DJ Horvath Godfrey Ingram (1988–89) 39 apps 32 goals Mark Karpun Steve Kinsey (1989–90) Martin Nash Joe Papaleo Stephen Parker (athletic trainer) Beto Brad Flanagan]] Billy Phillips Mike Powers Ed Radwanski Shawn Ray Jeff Agoos Sagu Patrick Shamu Kevin Smith (soccer)|Kevin Smith]] (1984-93: 1995-98) 454 apps 155 goals Nick Stavrou David Stride (1985–88) 117 apps 13 goals Rusty Troy Terry Woodberry Roderick Scott Kyle Owen (RIP) Mickey Kydes Mark Lugris Arenas Reunion Arena 1984-2004 American Airlines Center 2001 (one game) Inwood Soccer Center 1986-04 (Practice facility & Exhibition games) Individual Honors Tatu 4 championships Krys Sobieski 2 championships Year-by-year League Champions Runners-Up Division/League Champions* Playoff Berth Year League Reg. Season GF GA Pct Finish Playoffs Owner(s) Attendance Average Slogan 1984-85 MISL 12-36 194 286 .250 7th West Out of Playoffs Donald Carter 4,969 N/A 1985-86 MISL 25-23 220 231 .521 3rd East Lost Quarterfinal Donald Carter 6,654 It'll knock yer socks off! 1986-87** MISL 28-24 209 197 .538 3rd East Won Championship Stan Finney, Jan Rogers, Joe Shea 8,637 The wild side of soccer! 1987-88 MISL 28-28 200 204 .500 3rd East Lost Division Semifinal Stan Finney, Jan Rogers, Joe Shea 9,878 Never Say Die 1988-89 MISL 24-24 185 206 .500 3rd MISL Lost Semifinal Stan Finney, Jan Rogers, Joe Shea 8,567 Get your kicks 1989-90 MISL 31-21 217 190 .596 1st West Lost Division Final David Paschal 9,004 N/A 1990-91 MSL 20-32 257 294 .385 4th West Out of Playoffs Phill Cobb 6,920 N/A 1991-92 MSL 22-18 231 229 .550 2nd MISL Lost Final Donald Carter 7,003 N/A 1993 CISL 23-5 230 150 .821 1st CISL Won Championship Donald Carter 5,800 N/A 1994 CISL 24-4 255 160 .857 1st East Lost Final Donald Carter 7,310 N/A 1995 CISL 18-10 215 165 .643 2nd East Lost Semifinal Donald Carter 9,380 N/A 1996 CISL 16-12 186 167 .571 3rd East Lost Semifinal Sonny Willams, Donald Carter 9,202 Hot Soccer Cool Seat 1997 CISL 13-15 165 160 .464 4th East Lost Quarterfinal Sonny Willams, Donald Carter 9,212 Major League Fun 1998 PSA 8-2 N/A N/A .800 1st WISL Won Championship Sonny Willams, Donald Carter 9,167 N/A 1999 WISL 17-5 127 88 .773 2nd WISL Lost Final Sonny Willams, Donald Carter 8,860 N/A 2000 WISL 17-7 153 107 .708 2nd WISL Lost Final Sonny Willams, Donald Carter 7,482 N/A 2001 WISL 14-10 109 108 .583 2nd WISL Won Championship Sonny Willams, Donald Carter 8,640 Not Your Ordinary Soccer 2002-03 MISL II 9-27 342 427 .250 4th West Out of Playoffs Sonny Willams 7,851 Fast and Furious 2003-04 MISL II 21-15 213 167 .583 1st West Lost Semifinal Sonny Willams 5,756 N/A *There were 7 seasons where the league the Sidekicks were competing in did not feature divisions, so there was a regular season number one seed, or league champion, before the playoffs began. **This 1986-87 Sidekicks team was inducted into the Pizza Hut Park Texans Credit Union Walk of Fame. Known forever in Dallas as the "Never Say Die" season, the Dallas Sidekicks defeated a heavily favored Tacoma Stars squad to win the 1987 MISL Championship. Down three games to two in a best-of-seven series, the Sidekicks won the final two games 5-4 and 4-3 respectively, both in overtime and both in front of sold-out arenas in Tacoma and Dallas. References ^ http://www.fact-archive.com/encyclopedia/Dallas_Sidekicks External links Team History Pizza Hut Park Walk of Fame