View source for Calgary Boomers

{{Short description|Defunct Canadian soccer club}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname    = Calgary Boomers
| current     =
| image       = Calgary boomers logo.png
| image_size  = 200px
| fullname    = Calgary Boomers
| nickname    = Boomers
| founded     = 1980
| dissolved   = 1981
| stadium     = [[McMahon Stadium]]<br>[[Stampede Corral]] (indoor)
| capacity    = 32,454<br> 6,475
| chairman    = [[Nelson Skalbania]] 
| mgrtitle    = Head coach 
| manager     = [[Al Miller (soccer)|Al Miller]]
| league      = [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|North American Soccer League]]
| season      = defunct
| position    = 
|pattern_b1=_calgaryboomers|pattern_la1=_orange_hoop|pattern_ra1=_orange_hoop|leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=000000|socks1=FFA500
|pattern_b2=_calgaryboomers|pattern_la2=_orange_hoop|pattern_ra2=_orange_hoop|leftarm2=000000|body2=000000|rightarm2=000000|shorts2=FFA500|socks2=000000
}}

The '''Calgary Boomers''' were a Canadian [[Association football|soccer]] team that competed in the [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|North American Soccer League (NASL)]] for the [[1980–81 NASL Indoor season|1980–81 Indoor]] and [[1981 North American Soccer League season|1981 outdoor]] seasons.  The team was based in [[Calgary]] and played their home games at [[Stampede Corral]] during the indoor season and [[McMahon Stadium]] for outdoor matches.  Originally founded as the [[Memphis Rogues]], the team relocated to Calgary when it was purchased by [[Nelson Skalbania]] after the [[1980 North American Soccer League season|1980 season]].  After loses of over $2 million during its operations, the team was placed into [[receivership]] and its assets sold.

==History==
Founded as the [[Memphis Rogues]] in 1978, the team was purchased for $1.2 million by [[Nelson Skalbania]], during the [[1980 North American Soccer League season]] with the intention of moving the team to [[Calgary]], as Skalbania did the [[Atlanta Flames]] which he purchased five months previously.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rouges Wallop Hurricanes 6–1 |work=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]] |date=August 24, 1980 |page=6c |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xpwcAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 16, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Konotopetz">{{cite news|title=Boomer Saga Continues |last=Konotopetz |first=Gyle |work=[[The Calgary Herald]] |date=October 6, 1981 |page=A16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W3dkAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 16, 2021}}</ref> The team debuted in the [[1980–81 NASL Indoor season]] finishing its initial campaign with a record of 10 win and 8 losses with an average attendance of 4,672 and only missing out of a playoff berth base on goals scored.<ref name="NASL">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/usadave/nasl.html|title=North American Soccer League|website=[[RSSSF]]|access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref> The Boomers finished the [[1981 North American Soccer League season|1981 outdoor]] in second place in Northwest Division with 17 wins and 15 losses and a season average attendance of 10,501.<ref name="NASL"/> The number 8 seed in the playoffs, the Boomers lost to the [[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983)|Fort Lauderdale Strikers]] in best of three games first round 3–1 on August 23 and 2–0 on August 26.<ref>{{cite news|title=Whitecaps thumped by Rowdies |work=[[The Montreal Gazette]] |date=August 24, 1981 |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K1wxAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bye-Bye, Boomers |last=Thuma |first=Cindy |work=[[Boca Raton News]] |date=August 27, 1981 |page=B1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AcYxAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>

At a press conference on September 16, 1981, owner Nelson Skalbania announced that unless the team could sell 6,500 indoor season tickets and a local ownership group found to purchase the team, the organization would cease operations the following Monday.<ref>{{cite news|title=Calgary too expensive for Skalbania|last=Rauw |first=Murray |work=The Calgary Herald |date=September 17, 1981 |page=C15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-XNkAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>  The next day, the league announced the Boomers were one of five teams that failed to post the required $150,000 bond to participate in the [[1981–82 NASL Indoor season]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Five NASL teams out |work=[[The Leader-Post]] |date=September 17, 1981| page=B4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LHVYAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>  The following week, it was reported that GM Rudi Schiffer had delivered the $150,000 performance bond nine days after the deadline while attending the NASL meetings in Toronto<ref>{{cite news|title=Boomer's day of judgement arrives |last=Konotopetz |first=Gyle |work=The Calgary Herald |date=September 25, 1981 |page=B11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1nNkAAAAIBAJ}}</ref> and that a group of local businessmen had conditionally purchased the team in an effort to keep it Calgary.<ref>{{cite news|title=Boomer sale has cautious elements |last=Rauw |first=Murray |work=The Calgary Herald |date=September 21, 1981 |page=C1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0nNkAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>  A few days later on September 28, 1981, it was announced that the Boomers would merge with the [[Edmonton Drillers (1979–1982)|Edmonton Drillers]] with Skalbania selling his interest in the team to [[Edmonton Oilers]] owner [[Peter Pocklington]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Bommer to merge with Drillers |work=The Montreal Gazette |date=September 28, 1981| page=41 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=44AxAAAAIBAJ|access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Mergers Reported |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 28, 1981|page=C6 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/28/sports/mergers-reported.html |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref> The following day, however, the team which recorded loses over $2 million, was placed into [[receivership]], the deal fell through and the Boomer players were released to other team via a [[dispersal draft]].<ref>{{cite news|title=A padlock slapped on a coffin |last=Rauw |first=Murry |work=The Calgary Herald |date=September 30, 1981 |page=D1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2nNkAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Nelson Skalbania |last1=Francis |last2=Parrish |first1=Diane |first2=Wayne|work=The Leader-Post |date= May 12, 1982 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MY9VAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Skalbania's full Nelson has slipped |last=Beamish |first=Mike |work=[[The Vancouver Sun]] |date=May 20, 1982 |page=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q5tlAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>  Skalbania was later ordered by the [[Supreme Court of British Columbia]] to pay Memphis Rogues owner [[Avron Fogelman]] the $1.1 million balance of the team's original purchase price, having only paid the initial $125,000 down payment.<ref name="Konotopetz"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Skalbania Loses Court Battle|work=[[Youngstown Vindicator]] |date=March 3, 1982 |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8xhcAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>

==Coach==
*{{Flagicon|USA}} [[Al Miller (soccer)|Al Miller]]; Head coach 1980–1981<ref>{{cite news|title=Rowdies have found new mover and shaker |last=Scheiber |first=Dave |work=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |date=April 16, 1982| page=9C |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zvoNAAAAIBAJ |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>
*{{Flagicon|Canada}} David Davies (Coach)

==Year-by-year==
{|class="wikitable"
!Year
!League
!W
!L
!Pts
!Regular season
!Playoffs
|-
|[[1980–81 NASL Indoor season|1980–81]]
|NASL Indoor
|10
|8
|—
|3rd, Northern Division
|''did not qualify''
|-
|[[1981 North American Soccer League season|1981]]
|NASL
|17
|15
|151
|2nd, Northwest Division
|Lost 1st Round ([[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–83)|Ft. Lauderdale]])
|}

==Honors==
'''All-Star Second Team Selections'''
* 1981 [[Franz Gerber]]

'''Indoor All-Star Selections'''
* 1980–81 [[Juan Carlos Molina (footballer)|Juan Carlos Molina]]<ref name="1980-81 All-Stars">{{cite news|last=Henderson|first=Jim |title=For Keith Bailey, The Long Wait Is Finally Over|date=April 21, 1981|newspaper= The Tampa Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/335321009|page=5-C|access-date=January 6, 2021}}</ref>

'''Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame'''
* 2011 [[Victor Kodelja]]

'''U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame'''
* 2024 [[Francisco Marcos]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.nasljerseys.com/Rosters/Boomers_Rosters.htm Calgary Boomers roster/stats]

{{North American Soccer League (1966–85)}}
{{Soccer in Calgary}}

[[Category:Association football clubs established in 1980]]
[[Category:Association football clubs disestablished in 1981]]
[[Category:Defunct soccer clubs in Canada]]
[[Category:Soccer clubs in Calgary|Boo]]
[[Category:Canadian indoor soccer teams]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) teams based in Canada]]
[[Category:1980 establishments in Alberta]]
[[Category:1981 disestablishments in Alberta]]
[[Category:1981 North American Soccer League season|Calgary]]

[[it:Memphis Rogues]]