Jacksonville Tea Men
Encyclopedia
The Jacksonville Tea Men were an American
soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida
, U.S. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league
-level North American Soccer League
(NASL) from 1980–1982, then in the lower level American Soccer League
and United Soccer League
from 1982–1984. The NASL incarnation of the club was Jacksonville's first professional soccer team, and the first major league-level sport franchise ever based in the city.
The team originated as the New England Tea Men
, based in Foxborough, Massachusetts
, retaining their Boston Tea Party
-themed name after moving to Jacksonville. They played both standard and indoor soccer
, with the Gator Bowl Stadium
and the Jacksonville Coliseum serving as their home fields. Though they performed well on the field in their first year, they were ultimately unable to overcome the financial difficulties that had plagued them since New England, and were disbanded by the NASL after the 1981–1982 season. A new owner brought the Tea Men into the minor league-level American Soccer League the next season, where they won the 1983 ASL Championship. They moved into the new United Soccer League in 1983, but financial pressures caused the team to fold after the end of the season.
, who joined the North American Soccer League
(NASL) as an expansion team
for the 1978–1979 season. Their owner was the tea company Lipton
, who gave the team its unusual name in reference to the Boston Tea Party
. In their first season the Tea Men had a contract to play at Foxboro Stadium
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
, home of the New England Patriots
National Football League
(NFL) team. The team made the league playoffs and sold well in their first season, but were forced out of their stadium the next year, and sales declined precipitously. They were able to return to Foxboro 1980, but under a new, restrictive lease that forced them to play many games at off times. Ticket sales plummeted even further, and Lipton decided to relocate the team to Jacksonville, Florida
.
As such, Jacksonville got its first ever professional soccer team, as well as its first major league
-level team in any sport. Lipton, which had already lost $1 million on its franchise, decided to retain the Tea Men name, not wanting to lose the marketing tie-in or spend any further money on rebranding. Many commentators, and even the players themselves, noted the name made no sense in a Florida city with no connection to tea, but it stuck regardless. The team's indoor games
were played at Jacksonville Coliseum, while their outdoor games were played at the Gator Bowl Stadium
.
The Tea Men entered the playoffs in their first year in Jacksonville, advancing to the conference semifinals. However, despite drawing strong crowds to their first games, peaking with a crowd of 17,128 at their first outdoor game, attendance waned later in the season, eventually dropping to around 10,000. Lipton, which announced that it had lost $2 million since the relocation decided to pull out. At the urging of mayor Jake Godbold
, a group of Jacksonville investors raised funds to lease the team from Lipton and keep it operating the next season. However, the team struggled through the year on and off the field, finishing dead last in the NASL and drawing an average of only 7,160 fans per game, the second worst in the league. The NASL disbanded the struggling franchise.
However, Jacksonville businessman Ingo Krieg took over the Tea Men, with the intention of keeping the club alive in the minor leagues. The Tea Men joined the American Soccer League
(ASL) for the 1983 season. There they found immediate success, going on to win the 1983 league championship. However, Krieg became concerned about that the ASL was not financially solvent, and withdrew the team to join the new United Soccer League
. The Tea Men played through the season, but were unable to overcome their lingering financial difficulties. They folded before the beginning of the 1985 season, marking the end of the franchise.
During their time in the NASL the Tea Men's coach was Irishman Noel Cantwell
, former manager of Coventry City (1967–1972), Peterborough United
(1972–1977). The assistant coach was Dennis Viollet
, former player for Manchester United. Viollet remained in Jacksonville, where he coached the minor league Tea Men and later, the Jacksonville University
Dolphins
men's college soccer team.
Noatable players include goalkeeper Arnie Mausser
, midfielder Archie Gemmill
and strikers Alan Green
and Ricardo Alonso
and Aleksandar Mihailovic.
(1982) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#B Tony Brown (1981) Jack Carmichael
(1981–82)
Alan Green
(1981–82) Mark Lindsay
(1982) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#L David Stride
(1982) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#S Archie Gemmill
(1982) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#G Tommy O'Hara
(1981) http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/tommyo'hara.htm
Ringo Cantillo
(1984) Matt English (1983) 11 Goals Poli Garcia
(1983) 9 Goals
John Lignos
(1984) Peter Ioanou (1983) 2 Goals 
Steve Ralbovsky
(1983) Peter Simonini
(1983) 24 Apps 0 Goals Nino Zec
(1983) 6 Goals Micky Zivaljevic (1983) 16 Goals
ASL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, U.S. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league
Major League
See Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.Major League may also refer to:-Sport:* Major League Baseball, the highest level of play in professional baseball in North America* Major League Cricket...
-level North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
(NASL) from 1980–1982, then in the lower level American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
and United Soccer League
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in the mid-1980s.After the demise of the second incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1983, four ASL teams founded the USL...
from 1982–1984. The NASL incarnation of the club was Jacksonville's first professional soccer team, and the first major league-level sport franchise ever based in the city.
The team originated as the New England Tea Men
New England Tea Men
The New England Tea Men were a soccer team based out of Foxboro, MA that played in the NASL from 1978 to 1980. Their home field was Schaefer Stadium....
, based in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
, retaining their Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
-themed name after moving to Jacksonville. They played both standard and indoor soccer
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
, with the Gator Bowl Stadium
Gator Bowl Stadium
Gator Bowl was an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, it was radically reconstructed in 1994 in preparation for the Jacksonville Jaguars inaugural season and became Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, now EverBank Field. It is most notable for hosting the Gator...
and the Jacksonville Coliseum serving as their home fields. Though they performed well on the field in their first year, they were ultimately unable to overcome the financial difficulties that had plagued them since New England, and were disbanded by the NASL after the 1981–1982 season. A new owner brought the Tea Men into the minor league-level American Soccer League the next season, where they won the 1983 ASL Championship. They moved into the new United Soccer League in 1983, but financial pressures caused the team to fold after the end of the season.
History
The team originated as the New England Tea MenNew England Tea Men
The New England Tea Men were a soccer team based out of Foxboro, MA that played in the NASL from 1978 to 1980. Their home field was Schaefer Stadium....
, who joined the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
(NASL) as an expansion team
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
for the 1978–1979 season. Their owner was the tea company Lipton
Lipton
Lipton is a brand of tea currently owned by Unilever.-History of Lipton Tea:Lipton was created at the end of the 19th century by a grocer, Sir Thomas Lipton, in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1893, he established the Thomas J. Lipton Co., a tea packing company with its headquarters and factory in Hobo ken,...
, who gave the team its unusual name in reference to the Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
. In their first season the Tea Men had a contract to play at Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
, home of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) team. The team made the league playoffs and sold well in their first season, but were forced out of their stadium the next year, and sales declined precipitously. They were able to return to Foxboro 1980, but under a new, restrictive lease that forced them to play many games at off times. Ticket sales plummeted even further, and Lipton decided to relocate the team to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
As such, Jacksonville got its first ever professional soccer team, as well as its first major league
Major League
See Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.Major League may also refer to:-Sport:* Major League Baseball, the highest level of play in professional baseball in North America* Major League Cricket...
-level team in any sport. Lipton, which had already lost $1 million on its franchise, decided to retain the Tea Men name, not wanting to lose the marketing tie-in or spend any further money on rebranding. Many commentators, and even the players themselves, noted the name made no sense in a Florida city with no connection to tea, but it stuck regardless. The team's indoor games
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
were played at Jacksonville Coliseum, while their outdoor games were played at the Gator Bowl Stadium
Gator Bowl Stadium
Gator Bowl was an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, it was radically reconstructed in 1994 in preparation for the Jacksonville Jaguars inaugural season and became Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, now EverBank Field. It is most notable for hosting the Gator...
.
The Tea Men entered the playoffs in their first year in Jacksonville, advancing to the conference semifinals. However, despite drawing strong crowds to their first games, peaking with a crowd of 17,128 at their first outdoor game, attendance waned later in the season, eventually dropping to around 10,000. Lipton, which announced that it had lost $2 million since the relocation decided to pull out. At the urging of mayor Jake Godbold
Jake Godbold
Jake Maurice Godbold is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1978–1987....
, a group of Jacksonville investors raised funds to lease the team from Lipton and keep it operating the next season. However, the team struggled through the year on and off the field, finishing dead last in the NASL and drawing an average of only 7,160 fans per game, the second worst in the league. The NASL disbanded the struggling franchise.
However, Jacksonville businessman Ingo Krieg took over the Tea Men, with the intention of keeping the club alive in the minor leagues. The Tea Men joined the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
(ASL) for the 1983 season. There they found immediate success, going on to win the 1983 league championship. However, Krieg became concerned about that the ASL was not financially solvent, and withdrew the team to join the new United Soccer League
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in the mid-1980s.After the demise of the second incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1983, four ASL teams founded the USL...
. The Tea Men played through the season, but were unable to overcome their lingering financial difficulties. They folded before the beginning of the 1985 season, marking the end of the franchise.
During their time in the NASL the Tea Men's coach was Irishman Noel Cantwell
Noel Cantwell
Noel Euchuria Cornelius Cantwell was an Irish cricketer and football player born in County Cork, Irish Free State...
, former manager of Coventry City (1967–1972), Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
(1972–1977). The assistant coach was Dennis Viollet
Dennis Viollet
Dennis Sydney Viollet was an English footballer best remembered for his time with Manchester United in the 1950s and early 1960s.-Club career:...
, former player for Manchester United. Viollet remained in Jacksonville, where he coached the minor league Tea Men and later, the Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville University is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, on the banks of the St. Johns River. The school was founded in 1934 as a two year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until 1958, when it shifted its focus to four-year university degrees and adopted its...
Dolphins
Jacksonville Dolphins
The Jacksonville University Dolphins are the athletics team of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. The Dolphins participate in NCAA Division I athletics, and are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, the National Lacrosse Conference, and as the Pioneer Football League.-Sports...
men's college soccer team.
Noatable players include goalkeeper Arnie Mausser
Arnie Mausser
Arnold "Arnie" Mausser is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played with 8 different NASL teams from 1975-1984. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame....
, midfielder Archie Gemmill
Archie Gemmill
Archibald "Archie" Gemmill is a Scottish former footballer, most famous for a goal he scored against the Netherlands in the 1978 FIFA World Cup...
and strikers Alan Green
Alan Green (soccer)
Alan Green is a retired English-American Association football forward. He began his career with Coventry City before moving to the United States in 1979. He played a total of seven seasons in the North American Soccer League and earned one cap with the U.S. national team.-Professional:Green, a...
and Ricardo Alonso
Ricardo Alonso
Ricardo Alonso was a soccer player who began as a forward before moving to defender later in his career. Alonso spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, four in Major Indoor Soccer League, at least three in the American Indoor Soccer Association, one in the American Soccer League and...
and Aleksandar Mihailovic.
Former players
Keith BertschinKeith Bertschin
Keith Edwin Bertschin is a former professional footballer and currently a coach at Sunderland.-Career:Bertschin, a striker, began his professional career with Ipswich Town , before playing for Birmingham City , Norwich City , Stoke City , Sunderland , Walsall , Chester City...
(1982) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#B Tony Brown (1981) Jack Carmichael
Jack Carmichael
Jack Carmichael is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Active in Scotland, England and the United States, Carmichael made over 400 career league appearances.-Career:...
(1981–82)
Alan GreenAlan Green (soccer)
Alan Green is a retired English-American Association football forward. He began his career with Coventry City before moving to the United States in 1979. He played a total of seven seasons in the North American Soccer League and earned one cap with the U.S. national team.-Professional:Green, a...
(1981–82) Mark Lindsay
Mark Lindsay (footballer)
Mark Lindsay is a retired English footballer who spent nine seasons in the North American Soccer League, three in the Major Indoor Soccer League and one in the American Indoor Soccer Association....
(1982) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#L David Stride
David Stride
David Stride is a retired English professional footballer who played in both England and the United States.-Career:Stride began his career with Chelsea in 1978. That year, he went on loan with the Memphis Rogues of the North American Soccer League. In 1980, Chelsea sold Stride's contract to the...
(1982) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#S Archie Gemmill
Archie Gemmill
Archibald "Archie" Gemmill is a Scottish former footballer, most famous for a goal he scored against the Netherlands in the 1978 FIFA World Cup...
(1982) http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#G Tommy O'Hara
Tommy O'Hara
Tommy O'Hara is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Active in Scotland and the United States, O'Hara made over 350 career league appearances. He also earned a cap with the U.S. national team in 1982....
(1981) http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/tommyo'hara.htm
Year-by-year
| Year | League | W | L | T | Pts | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980/81 | NASL Indoor | 8 | 10 | — | — | 3rd, Eastern Division | Did not qualify |
| 1981 | NASL | 18 | 14 | — | 141 | 3rd, Southern Division | Won 1st Round (Atlanta Atlanta Chiefs The Atlanta Chiefs were a soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia that played in the NPSL and NASL from 1967 to 1972. Their home fields were Atlanta Stadium and Tara Stadium . The club was the brainchild of Dick Cecil, then Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise who were the Chiefs'... ) Lost Quarterfinal (San Diego) |
| 1981/82 | NASL Indoor | 7 | 11 | — | — | 3rd, American Conference, East Division | Did not qualify |
| 1982 | NASL | 11 | 21 | — | 105 | 4th, Southern Division | Did not qualify |
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 2 | ASL | 1st, Eastern | Champion | Did not enter |
| 1984 | N/A | USL | 3rd, Southern | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
Players
Ringo CantilloRingo Cantillo
Julio “Ringo” Cantillo is a former Costa Rican-American soccer midfielder. He played seven seasons in the American Soccer League where he was the league MVP as a rookie. He won MVP honors a total of three times in the ASL. Cantillo also spent four seasons in the North American Soccer League, one...
(1984) Matt English (1983) 11 Goals Poli Garcia
Poli Garcia
Jose “Poli” Garcia is a former U.S. soccer player. He spent at least four seasons in the American Soccer League, three in the North American Soccer League and four in the Major Indoor Soccer League...
(1983) 9 Goals
John LignosJohn Lignos
John Lignos was a U.S. soccer player who spent four seasons in the North American Soccer League, one in the American Soccer League and one in the United Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the U.S. national team and was selected for the 1980 U.S...
(1984)
Peter Ioanou (1983) 2 Goals Steve RalbovskySteve Ralbovsky
Steve Ralbovsky is a retired Yugoslav-American soccer player. He was the 1975 Hermann Trophy winner as the outstanding collegiate soccer player of the year. He then had an extensive professional career including time in the North American Soccer League and the American Soccer League II and...
(1983) Peter Simonini
Peter Simonini
Peter Simonini was an American soccer goalkeeper who was the 1983 American Soccer League MVP. He spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League, one in the American Soccer League, one in the United Soccer League and one in the Major Indoor Soccer League...
(1983) 24 Apps 0 Goals Nino Zec
Nino Zec
Ninoslav "Nino" Zec is a retired Yugoslavian professional footballer who played as midfielder or striker.-Career:...
(1983) 6 Goals Micky Zivaljevic (1983) 16 Goals
Yearly awards
ASL MVP- 1983 - Peter SimoniniPeter SimoniniPeter Simonini was an American soccer goalkeeper who was the 1983 American Soccer League MVP. He spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League, one in the American Soccer League, one in the United Soccer League and one in the Major Indoor Soccer League...
ASL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
- 1983 - Matt English